Chapter 354 : Sunset Plateau
Chapter 354: Sunset Plateau
Scorpion-Lion's engagement ceremony lasted for several days, with nearly every major force in the Alliance's northern region sending representatives to offer their congratulations.
Treasures that were normally impossible to obtain appeared one after another as though they were common vegetables, making even Zhou Ming consider holding a belated celebration for his and Aina's advancement to the Transcendent realm.
After all, who wouldn't be tempted by a business that required no investment?
However, after giving it some thought, Zhou Ming ultimately dismissed the idea.
Holding a celebration would be easy enough, but it would inevitably involve all sorts of social obligations.
He had no desire to become entangled in worldly affairs.
Moreover, with the passage leading into the Dark Domain under his control, ordinary wealth was already within easy reach.
Compared to a small amount of money and resources, he cared far more about the information he had learned from Scorpion-Lion.
The Sunset Plateau would open in several years.
Since the establishment of the Alliance, a total of three Legendary Saints had fallen while resisting the invasions of the foreign races.
Among them, two had perished on the Sunset Plateau, located to the northwest of the Alliance.
The region was filled with towering mountains that reached into the clouds, while its climate remained bitterly cold.
It had been chosen as the battlefield by the Legendary Saints.
Because of the space-rending power unleashed by the Legendary Saints, the Sunset Plateau had become filled with artificially created natural disasters and countless bizarre phenomena.
It was so dangerous that even Transcendent experts faced a near-certain death upon entering.
However, under such extreme conditions, extraordinarily precious treasures were also born.
In fact, one of the Alliance's current Legendary Saints had successfully advanced after obtaining a great opportunity within the Sunset Plateau.
Therefore, whenever a Transcendent expert's lifespan approached its end, they would often choose to enter the Sunset Plateau in a desperate gamble for survival.
As for those whose lifespans were not yet running out, they would usually wait until the Sunset Plateau entered one of its peaceful periods before venturing inside.
According to historical records, the Sunset Plateau generally entered a relatively safe period once every hundred years.
During those times, both Transcendent experts of the foreign races and those of Blue Star would choose to enter the Sunset Plateau.
According to information revealed by the Duanmu Family, the Sunset Plateau would enter its next peaceful period within the coming few years.
For that reason, after Mu Tianqing and the others left the Duanmu Family estate, Zhou Ming asked Scorpion-Lion to gather all available information regarding the Sunset Plateau.
"Are you really planning to enter the Sunset Plateau?"
Inside a pavilion within the Duanmu Family garden, Scorpion-Lion placed a thick dossier before Zhou Ming, concern for his friend evident in his voice.
He had merely mentioned the Sunset Plateau in passing.
He had never expected Zhou Ming to suddenly become interested in it.
"Didn't you say there are still several years before the Sunset Plateau enters its peaceful period? I'm just making preparations in advance."
"If my cultivation progresses smoothly, naturally I won't risk going there."
Zhou Ming smiled and shook his head as he set down his teacup and gave a brief explanation.
As for whether he would truly enter the Sunset Plateau...
Just as he had said, if his strength advanced smoothly, he would naturally avoid taking such a risk.
However, if his cultivation stagnated, then he would have no choice but to enter in search of an opportunity.
To Zhou Ming, if he failed to become a Legendary Saint before Blue Star completely merged into Tamu World, then facing the Spider Queen Iliss would leave him with only one possible outcome—death.
In fact, even death would be a luxury.
As an Evil God, the Spider Queen Iliss possessed methods far beyond the imagination of ordinary people.
Now that he knew a place like the Sunset Plateau existed, it was only natural that he would investigate it in advance.
"I have a feeling you'll end up entering the Sunset Plateau."
After studying Zhou Ming for a moment, Scorpion-Lion voiced the feeling in his heart.
"You really have the mouth of a crow. Can't you say something auspicious for once?"
Having just begun flipping through the dossier, Zhou Ming was left speechless by Scorpion-Lion's words.
Who wished for their friend to throw himself into mortal danger?
"Because I can feel your thirst for power."
"It feels as though you're desperately trying to reach a higher realm."
To be honest, Scorpion-Lion had never imagined that one day he would become a Transcendent Master in his early thirties.
Everything he had achieved today had been heavily influenced by the man before him.
It could be said that Scorpion-Lion was already completely satisfied with his accomplishments.
Yet he could not sense even the slightest satisfaction from Zhou Ming.
Instead, all he felt was an insatiable desire for power—a relentless pursuit of ever-higher realms.
"If you have nothing better to do, go spend some time with your fiancée."
Zhou Ming had long been familiar with Scorpion-Lion's sharp intuition.
Now that he had obtained the information he wanted, he had no intention of continuing the conversation.
"You didn't know? Xiuzhi took your little cook shopping."
Zhou Ming froze for a moment before remembering that Aina had disappeared since that morning.
He was not worried about her safety.
What surprised him instead was Aina's remarkable ability to get along with people.
In just a few days, she had already become close friends with Scorpion-Lion's fiancée.
Then again, Aina had almost no friends.
She had even spent such a long time living alone at the underground lake.
Thinking of that, Zhou Ming decided not to interfere.
As for the possibility of Aina taking the opportunity to run away...
That thought never even crossed his mind.
"What? Your fiancée got stolen away by Aina, and now you're trying to make me answer for it?"
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Zhou Ming teased Scorpion-Lion once again.
"I'm just worried you'll die in the Sunset Plateau."
After saying that, Scorpion-Lion stood up and walked away.
He had finally realized one thing.
If he couldn't outtalk Zhou Ming, then at the very least, he needed the strength to beat him.
If he had neither...
Then all he could do was swallow his frustration.
As a result, Scorpion-Lion once again resolved to catch up to Zhou Ming—
No.
He would surpass him.
And then thoroughly beat him up at least once.
Watching Scorpion-Lion leave with a dark expression, a smile immediately appeared at the corner of Zhou Ming's mouth.
Being able to leave Scorpion-Lion at a loss was always something worth enjoying.
Soon afterward, Zhou Ming turned his attention back to the dossier before him.
As the pages turned, detailed information regarding the Sunset Plateau came into view.
A short while later, Zhou Ming had gained a general understanding of the place.
Within the Sunset Plateau, there were three major dangers capable of threatening even Transcendent experts.
They were:
Spatial Turbulence.
Energy Tide Rampages.
And the Bizarre.
Spatial Turbulence was primarily the result of battles between Legendary Saints, which had destabilized the space throughout the Sunset Plateau.
At any moment, one could be torn apart by spatial currents or even exiled into an unknown dimension.
It was an entirely unpredictable danger.
As for Energy Tide Rampages, they occurred whenever a Transcendent expert unleashed power beyond a certain limit.
The surrounding energy particles would trigger a chain reaction, instantly becoming incomparably violent before culminating in a massive energy explosion.
Its destructive power was no weaker than that of a nuclear explosion.
Ordinary Transcendent experts had almost no chance of surviving it.
As for the Bizarre...
It was an existence that defied normal laws, something impossible to adequately describe.
Simply touching an ordinary object could result in being afflicted by an unknown curse.
Besides those three dangers, the dossier also recorded the various unique resources found within the Sunset Plateau.
Many of them were of tremendous value even to Transcendent experts.
It could be said that fourth-tier spiritual treasures, which were considered exceptionally rare elsewhere, were merely the most common resources within the Sunset Plateau.
However, anyone wishing to obtain opportunities there had to wager their very lives on the attempt.