With a muffled thud, the figure in gray tumbled forward and landed flat on his face! Lan Zhi was in an even more pitiable state. As he was making his escape, all of his star power was focused on his feet. Although Lan Zhi managed to bring him down, she was also sent hurtling backward by the powerful force and crashed directly into the young man following closely behind her. The young man paused in his tracks and lifted his gaze, watching as her figure drew nearer and nearer. There were a good tens of thousands of people present, and each of them possessed a certain level of cultivation to some extent. Only she had no cultivation at all and was covered from head to toe in injuries, yet she was the first one to dash forward. However, it was all her own choice. He would not readily interfere in her affairs, nor would he alter the established rules on her behalf. He simply watched in silence, just as he had quietly observed the hustle and bustle of the world from his divine throne without ever intervening... Bang! Lan Zhi collided with him. Lan Zhi discovered that she was lying all alone in a vast expanse between heaven and earth. Looking around, there were continuous and undulating mountains stretching out in all directions. The mountains were barren, cold, and desolate, devoid of any animals or plants. Besides her, there wasn't a single living being in sight. The sky was a heavy and oppressive grayish-black. Everything within her field of vision resembled a scene of utter devastation after an earthquake. The fierce gusts of wind howled and lashed against her body, as if slicing into her with sharp knives. Where on earth was this place? How had she ended up here? Lan Zhi raised her hand and made a futile attempt to grasp at the air. After carefully sensing, she detected that, in addition to various violent elements in the air, there was also the power of the stars that she was so familiar with. Fortunately, it was still the Star Spirit Continent that she knew well. With a sense of relief, Lan Zhi immediately felt as if her entire body was in agony, as if she had been slashed by over three thousand knives. The pain brought instant tears to her eyes. Fate was always so unforgiving. She had an extreme aversion to pain, yet ever since her return to the Star Spirit Continent, there hadn't been a single day without it. Lan Zhi sniffled and forced herself to stand up. Otherwise, after a prolonged period, the fierce gusts of wind alone could prove fatal. The gusts of wind were bitterly cold, and the mountain slopes were steep. With her injuries still unhealed, Lan Zhi walked at an excruciatingly slow pace, one step at a time. The more she walked, the more arduous it became. Eventually, she had to resort to using both her hands and feet, and could only inch her way forward. This world seemed to stretch out endlessly. No matter which direction she headed in or how far she traveled, it felt as if she could never escape. Looking back at the path she had traversed, she even doubted that she had actually moved from her original spot at all. Lan Zhi was truly too exhausted to continue walking, so she decided to stop. She was both famished and weary, so she retrieved a bottle of Songxia Dew from her sleeve and took a sip, then took out a few Junfei Seeds and began peeling them to eat. One of the Junfei Seeds dropped to the ground. Lan Zhi bent down to pick it up. Glancing at the lifeless land without a single plant, she was suddenly struck by an idea. Instead of retrieving it to continue eating, she dug a hole right there and planted it. "Just consider it as a mark of my presence. I just wonder if it will germinate... Oh well, I might as well give it a little water." Since she didn't have any pure water on hand, Lan Zhi used the Songxia Dew to water it. After watering it, she thought to herself that even if it did manage to grow, with just this one plant, how could it possibly withstand such fierce gusts of wind? Since she had already planted it, Lan Zhi decided to see it through. She planted a circle around that single Junfei Seed using the same method. After planting them, she clapped her hands in satisfaction. Just as she was about to get up, suddenly a clear female voice rang out from the void. "Wake up—" "Wake up—" "By all accounts, you should have awakened. Why is there still no sign of movement?" Lan Zhi was startled for a moment and then abruptly opened her eyes. The barren, cold, and desolate mountains and the land she had just planted on vanished in an instant. What lay before her was a clean and tidy room. She was lying on a large, soft, and warm bed. A young girl dressed in the robe of the Pinglan Star Academy was seated beside the bed. She had an oval face and wore a smile even before she uttered a word, appearing very bright and cheerful. Seeing that she had regained consciousness, the young girl exclaimed joyfully, "You're finally awake!"