The ancient imperial capital was said to be located within a mountain range in the central part of the Da'an Dynasty. It was believed that many years ago, it used to be the sacred land of the Da'an Dynasty. However, legend has it that the dynasty that once occupied this region of the Da'an Dynasty suddenly declined overnight. As for what exactly happened, subsequent generations had endless speculations, but no one ever truly figured it out.

However, one thing was very clear: as that ancient dynasty declined, those once-prominent families and sects also vanished simultaneously. Because of this, after the Huangpu family took control of this region and established the Da'an Dynasty, major powers like the Junwu Sect and Yunshui's Five Families gradually rose to prominence.

Although no one could clarify the exact reason for the decline of that ancient dynasty, everyone knew countless powerhouses had perished within the ancient imperial capital. This region, now occupied by Demon Beasts, concealed countless dangers and opportunities. This much was universally acknowledged but never elaborated upon.

With the passage of time, outsiders could no longer easily enter the ancient imperial capital. Only during the once-in-a-decade Palace Contest was there a chance to enter, making the ancient imperial capital even more enigmatic.

No one really knew what lay inside the ancient imperial capital since the most recent news from there was from sixty years ago.

...

Within the ancient imperial capital, where an aura of antiquity lingered, a faint spatial vortex slowly appeared in the dark sky. Shortly after, silhouettes abruptly fell from the torn space, plummeting towards the ground below.

...

Moments later, these figures slammed directly onto the ground, creating a massive crater and sending clouds of dust billowing. It took a while before a few figures slowly emerged from the dust. Among them was Du Fei.

Clearly, entering the ancient imperial capital wasn't as easy as one might imagine. After passing through the Ancient Imperial Gate, it seemed there was another random teleportation process before one could truly enter the ancient imperial capital.

...

After emitting a soft cough, Du Fei's slightly dazed head slowly began to clear. Almost instantly, the Qi within his body spread out, immediately dispersing the surrounding dust. His gaze immediately swept in all directions.

"Is this the ancient imperial capital?"

What appeared before him was a basin surrounded by towering mountains. From his vantage point, he saw dense jungles and broken structures all around. On the horizon, there were layers of steep mountains. Above in the sky, there was a thick, almost impenetrable black cloud layer slowly rolling, making the visibility extremely low. Moreover, dark mists would surge the air, making the area seem even more eerie.

"What a strangely dangerous place!" Even Du Fei, who had seen much of the world, couldn't help but take a sharp breath and thought in awe, "But do the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi here actually contains Yan Sect's Qi?"

Sensing this, Du Fei quickly inhaled and immediately felt the familiar Yan Sect's Qi coursing through his meridians and converging into his Dantian Qi ocean.

"Master, you sensed correctly. The Yan Sect's Qi in this ancient imperial capital is incredibly dense. It truly is an extraordinary place. However, this Yan Sect's Qi seems to have a mix of a cold factor in it, so it's best not to absorb it recklessly," Little Bai's voice suddenly brought Du Fei back to his senses.

Hearing Little Bai's words, Du Fei was slightly taken aback. After a moment, he swiftly grabbed at the air with his right hand, capturing a handful of Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi. With the stimulation of his Qi, the hint of Yan Sect's Qi within was fully extracted. Looking at the trace of Qi in his hand, Du Fei slightly furrowed his brow. Indeed, what should have been a pale blue Yan Sect's Qi was faintly tainted with a strange black color, making it look incredibly sinister.

"It seems that if I recklessly absorb the Yan Sect's Qi here, I might face some consequences." Understanding this, Du Fei sighed and gave up the tempting idea of cultivating here for a while.

"Is it Yan Sect's Qi?!"

"The Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi here actually contains Yan Sect's Qi!"

Just as Du Fei was silently sighing, the people who had appeared with him suddenly became excited.

Hearing the commotion, Du Fei slightly furrowed his brow, then turned to look. He saw that behind him stood four individuals.

These four clearly hailed from different factions, so there was a mutual sense of wariness among them. However, after discovering that the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi here contained Yan Sect's Qi, their expressions were filled with surprise and excitement. Evidently, Yan Sect's Qi held a great allure for each of them.

After a detailed glance over the four, noticing that they bore no mark of either the Junwu Sect or the Yunshui Long Family, Du Fei hesitated for a moment and warned, "Gentlemen, I'd kindly advise you not to casually absorb the Yan Sect's Qi here. It has an oddity about it."

Upon hearing Du Fei's words, the four looked slightly startled. Moments later, one of them, a man in black with a cold demeanor, scoffed, "What do you mean by that, friend? Are you afraid we'll cultivate here, preventing you from freely absorbing the Yan Sect's Qi?"

With his remark, even though the other three didn't comment, their expressions turned peculiar.

However, Du Fei didn't respond much, only shaking his head slightly, preparing to leave. His intention was merely to offer a word of caution out of goodwill. If these people, despite their current cultivation levels, chose to act recklessly, their fate was none of his concern.

Seeing Du Fei intending to depart without a word, the man in black looked even more smug, feeling more certain of his previous speculation.

Observing Du Fei's move, he presumed Du Fei was acting out of guilt. After exchanging glances with the other three, he rapidly positioned himself in front of Du Fei, coldly sneering, "Friend, there was no grudge between us initially, but your ulterior motives make me uncomfortable. Hand over your storage ring, or else."

Upon hearing the man in black's demand, the other three hesitated briefly but then swiftly circled around Du Fei, effectively trapping him.

The originally harmonious atmosphere instantly turned tense. Du Fei just shook his head slightly, sweeping his gaze across the group before coldly chuckling, "One at the peak of Half-step Martial Master, and three at the early stage of Half-step Martial Master. Impressive strength, but do you want to die?"

"Enough of your nonsense or else. The man in black started, smirking.

However, before he could finish, his pupils abruptly contracted. A figure darted before him, ghost-like, and a palm struck hard against his chest.

...

Blood sprayed out. The man in black staggered back, skidding dozens of steps and crashing heavily into a ruined stone wall before managing to stop himself. In just a moment, his complexion turned ashen, and a flicker of terror crossed his face.

"He's still alive?" Seeing this, Du Fei slightly curled his lips, remarking indifferently.

"Half-step Martial Master's Peak Realm" The man in black said, his expression ghastly. Grinding his teeth, he continued, "Very well, you're formidable. How dare you attack someone from the Wild Wolf Palace! My Eldest Apprentice Brother will not let you off! State your name if you dare!"

"Wild Wolf Palace?" Du Fei shook his head slowly, replying, "Sounds intimidating. If you're seeking revenge. My name is Ye Fei. If you want to find me, it shouldn't be too hard."

"Ye Fei!?"

Hearing this name, the man in black's face changed, a desolate smile appearing. The other three also showed shock, and they quickly retreated. Clearly, the name Ye Fei was all too familiar to them.

"So, not fighting anymore?" Du Fei said with a faint smile.

"We won't! We won't! We were blind not to recognize you. Since you're the famed Alchemist Ye Fei of the imperial capital speaking, then the Yan Sect's Qi here must indeed have issues. We admit our mistake!" The three, being straightforward men, exchanged glances before speaking in unison.

Hearing their words, Du Fei's expression remained unchanged. After a pause, he simply waved his hand, saying, "You can go."

Hearing this, the three men behind immediately nodded and left with their heads bowed.

Du Fei's gaze, however, slowly settled on the man in black in front of him.

"It seems Mr. Ye Fei isn't planning to let go, is he?" Seeing Du Fei's gaze upon him, the man in black chuckled bitterly and rasped.

"You're not worth killing," Du Fei remarked after a moment's contemplation.

"Then do you intend to?"

"I've heard that the Eldest Apprentice Brother of your Wild Wolf Palace is a man called Ferocious Wolf Mo Li?" After a brief mental exchange with Little Bai, Du Fei casually mentioned.

"That's right! Brother Mo Li is a prodigious individual of our generation, the first to reach the peak-level of the Half-step Martial Master Realm. He's only a step away from advancing to a rank-six low-level Martial Master," the man in black said proudly upon hearing Du Fei's words.

"Peak-level of the Half-step Martial Master Realm. Interesting," Du Fei chuckled, then continued, "I won't kill you. But, I presume you have some special way to contact your Eldest Apprentice Brother? If you can reach him, perhaps convey a message for me. That is, if he's interested in collaborating with me, Ye Fei, once the matter is settled, I'll surely reward you. And don't forget, I'm an alchemist."

With those words, Du Fei no longer spared the man in black a glance and casually picked a direction to leisurely stroll away. Left behind was the man in black, slumped on the ground, his face a mixture of complex emotions.

"The Wild Wolf Palace seems to have some value for my purposes." As he walked through the forest, Du Fei mused aloud.

"Master, what are you planning to do?" Sensing the change in Du Fei's thoughts, Little Bai's voice quickly echoed in his mind.

"I'm not planning much, but I still need to make some preparations. I don't want to be ganged up on like the last time in the Millennium Ice Enclosure. Since anything goes in this Palace Contest, if I can win over a few experts to join me, I doubt anyone would have much to say," Du Fei said with a faint smile, a hint of coldness surfacing on his face. Shortly after, his figure slowly disappeared into the dense mist of the forest.