This place, then, was the legendary Tower of the Four Winds? Ye Xiu had heard from the Demon Queen that the fiercest danger within the Tower lay in the Gale, but he never imagined that the Tower lacked even the most basic pavilions or halls.

Ye Xiu crouched on a platform, beyond which the black sand churned violently, ceaseless winds forming a vivid, asterisk-shaped pattern. He peered into the distance, observing four distinct gusts revolving and advancing, their rotational directions utterly bizarre.

It seemed the nexus where the four winds intersected must be the entrance to the Tower of the Four Winds. However, the gate to the central eye was directly bisected into four sections. When the northern wind rotated clockwise, that section of the gate eye would seal shut; conversely, when it spun counter-clockwise, that segment would swing wide open. An additional complication was that when the northern wind’s vertical movement passed over the eye, the gate would become entirely enclosed. Thus, the entrances on all four sides were governed by this rigid pattern.

For a disciple of the Demon Peak who possessed wings, entering the wind eye presented no obstacle. Yet, for an ordinary person unable to fly, it was tantamount to scaling the heavens; being sucked into that tempest was no laughing matter.

"Ah!" The moment Ye Xiu left the platform, he realized the wind force was beyond anything he could have conceived. Never mind traversing it using his Hundred Insect Soul; even the mesmerizing grit of the sand drastically impeded his speed. This timing completely negated the window he had calculated to slip into the wind eye.

Ye Xiu’s heart faltered, trapped without a plan. With the four whirlwinds drawing closer and the eye remaining sealed, his options were either to be crushed by the approaching gusts or to smash directly into the closed vortex.

"Black Flame, arise!" In a flash of inspiration, Ye Xiu struck out with both hands, blasting torrents of black flame to decelerate his approach. Waiting for the winds to shift and the eye to gradually open, he then used the Tianmiao Sword Technique's Divine Sense to drag his body forward with furious speed. At that instant, he shot into the wind eye like an eagle diving upon shallow water, leaving behind only the endless roars of the four winds.

"Qi'er! Qi'er, are you in there?" Stepping inside the Tower of the Four Winds, Ye Xiu saw nothing but swirling yellow sand. "Qi'er, are you inside? Answer me if you can hear me!"

"Who is it?" Qi'er, trapped for days without sustenance, sounded weak and parched. The four fierce winds acted like chains shackling his wrists and ankles, holding him fast. "Whose voice? Is that Ye Xiu? I'm here! I'm here."

Ye Xiu, harboring the Hundred Insect Soul, possessed naturally enhanced hearing. He pushed against the sandstorm, gliding toward the faint sound. "Qi'er, where are you?"

"Ye Xiu! Ye Xiu!" Qi'er, certain he had heard the familiar voice, grew intensely excited. He thrashed his body, desperate to break free but unable to succeed.

"Hahahaha, hahahaha!" Suddenly, a strange cackle echoed through the swirling sand. A mass of black vortex reappeared, sweeping wildly toward Ye Xiu, nearly forcing his eyes shut.

"Damn thing." Ye Xiu rolled several times, adapting to the wind’s velocity. Turning, he realized someone seemed to be lurking behind the tempest. "If you have the nerve, step out and speak! What good is hiding in the shadows?"

"How could the guardian of my Tower of the Four Winds hide in the shadows? I have always been right before your eyes." A sharp voice resonated again from within the black wind. Though shapeless, it expressed its fury through the form of the vortex.

"Wind can speak," Ye Xiu muttered. Having ventured deep into the Boundless Realm, he knew the circumstances here were far stranger than those in the mortal world. "How can I free Qi'er?"

"Qi'er? You mean this little girl?" The black wind shuddered suddenly, and an endless cascade of yellow sand poured down before Ye Xiu, much like the sea receding, perfectly revealing Qi'er’s plight.

"Qi'er!" Ye Xiu rushed forward the moment he saw Qi'er encircled by the sand mass, but just then, the gale surged again, creating barriers before him. "What is this now?"

"You dead thing, what must I do for you to let me go?" No matter how Qi'er struggled, his hands and feet were firmly bound by the sand and wind, rendering him helpless.

The black wind chuckled triumphantly and drifted closer. "Within the Tower of the Four Winds exist four currents of wind. If you can withstand the trial of the four winds, I will release you both. How about it?"

Ye Xiu was helpless against the sand and wind. With no other recourse, he agreed readily. "I hope you keep your promise."

"Very well, this is the first trial—the Gale Wall of Chaos!" As the words faded, hurricanes erupted all around, stretching into long ribbons that instantly intertwined to form a solid wall of wind. "Find a way through this wall before you speak to me again."

"The wind speed is so fast; passing through this wall with just flesh and blood is too dangerous." Qi'er worried for Ye Xiu’s safety and did not want him to risk the peril.

"I promised your father I would save you!" As Ye Xiu finished speaking, he bolted into the wind wall like an arrow released from the bowstring.

This wall of wind stood several zhang high, its depth unknown. The moment Ye Xiu stepped in, he felt as if every inch of his skin were being stabbed by needles, the pain gradually deepening into his flesh. Even his Death God’s Black Blood was forced out. The agony was unbearable.

"Ye Xiu, don't come any closer, just go!" Qi'er clearly saw the gruesome sight of blood seeping from Ye Xiu’s body. Unable to move, he could only weep with distress.

The black wind suddenly threaded through, its voice deepening. "The Gale Wall of Chaos relies on human willpower. Only by passing through it solely by your own strength, without external aid, can it be considered true cultivation."

"Hoo..." Ye Xiu gasped, large beads of sweat soaking through his clothes. Looking down, his body was mangled, bleeding profusely. "I thought the trial of the Four Winds would be something else. This alone is rather dull."

The black wind mass showed a flicker of respect for Ye Xiu’s tenacity. It spoke somberly, "The Tower of the Four Winds is not directly connected to the Hall of Four Winds. I admire those who pass the four trials. If you can persevere, there will certainly be benefits for you."

"As long as you keep your promise and release Qi'er!" Ye Xiu gathered his strength, allowing the gale to tear at the clothing and skin covering his body. Struggling with every step, he finally collapsed to his knees after successfully traversing the wind wall.

"Heh, this is only the first trial. Next is the Wall of Wind Blades. I’d like to see how you manage to evade blades as fine as cow hair." The black wind instantly expanded, manifesting a purely black expanse before Ye Xiu. As time passed, this black curtain tore apart, scattering into countless pieces around them.

Ye Xiu rose, ignoring the pain. The instant he stood, a tiny blast of wind shot out and brushed his cheek. Immediately following, a scent of blood wafted through the gale. He reached up to touch his face; a deep gash had already formed.

"This is just the beginning. Have you resigned yourself already?" The black wind roared, whipping up sand as sharp as blades. These fine grains, shaped by the wind, acted as needles with the intent of knives, aiming to sever his life. "The Tower of the Four Winds is the realm of wind, and the ultimate test of speed. Besides extraordinary willpower, one must also possess exceptional swiftness."

"Swish-shhh..." As the words ended, the sandstorm swept over again. Ye Xiu used the Tianmiao Sword to probe the dangers within the tempest. Thousands of grains of sand charged toward his flesh, each one a transformed wind blade. Ye Xiu brandished his single sword, and the red light of the Tianmiao Sword flared anew, washing away the incoming blades. "What is there to fear from mere blades!"

"Then how about we employ the third trial, the Surging Sea Wind, simultaneously!" The black wind howled, and the heaven-shaking hurricane suddenly lunged toward Ye Xiu’s head like a breaking wave. "Do you think one sword strike can fend off the sandstorm?"

"Ah!" Ye Xiu was stunned by the hurricane above him, while countless wind blades below sliced into his flesh. He used the Hundred Insect Soul to evade, yet he could find no escape from the overwhelming storm. Suddenly, the hurricane swooped down like a dragon drinking blood, threatening to bury him completely. He scrambled away desperately, falling and sustaining injuries all over. "Ha... huff..."

"Ye Xiu, go quickly, don't worry about me!" Qi'er remained trapped within the wind formation, unable to move. Seeing Ye Xiu wounded in multiple places, he felt unbearable pity, but lacking the means to escape, he could only cry out, "You don't owe us anything! Just leave now."

"This isn't about owing anything." Ye Xiu slowly stood up, his eyes now filled with fierce determination. He gripped the Tianmiao Sword, his mind made up: this wind formation was clearly the work of the black wind. If he could shatter the black wind with a single strike of his Tianmiao Divine Sense, everything would be resolved.

The black wind, seeing the tide turning, immediately became arrogant. "See? Even your friend told you to give up. What can you do? The next strike won't be so kind. Go!"

"Whoosh-boom..." A monstrous cyclone descended, and the yellow sand completely obscured everyone’s vision. At this moment, the wind howled, and nothing dared contend against it.

Ye Xiu coldly stared at the black wind mass behind the churning sand. Already, the wind blades had sliced his body into numerous pieces. The floating yellow sand infiltrated his wounds, making the pain as agonizing as having salt poured over them.

"What, have you given up?" The black wind swayed back and forth behind the hurricane, believing Ye Xiu was finished. "If you quit now, perhaps I won't kill you. Will you do it?"

"Tianmiao..." Ye Xiu certainly would not yield. He had already charged past the sound of the black wind and located its position. At this moment, he infused the Black Flame onto the blade of the Tianmiao Sword. The sword seemed reborn, soaring high into the heavens. In a flash of lightning and fire, only a single grain of sand could rest upon the Tianmiao Sword, because at that instant, Ye Xiu himself had pierced through the wave-surging wind. "Divine Sense..."

"Pfft..." Within the Tower of the Four Winds, the sand abruptly ceased moving. That mass of black wind dissolved into thin air. In the realm, only the collapsed Ye Xiu remained, the freed Qi'er, and a white-haired middle-aged man.

"Ye Xiu, Ye Xiu!" Demon Qi'er, realizing he could move his limbs, rushed immediately to help Ye Xiu up. He plunged the Reverse Fate Heavenly Needle into Ye Xiu's pressure points, stopping the bleeding. "You fool, charging headlong into the wind formation! Are you trying to run out of blood?"

Ye Xiu managed to stand with Qi'er’s support. Seeing Qi'er safe and sound, he finally relaxed. "A little bleeding is nothing, as long as you are unharmed, I have fulfilled the task entrusted to me by the Eight Directions Promotion."

"So your name is Ye Xiu. You truly possess some skill." The man in white was disheveled, his body—save for his head—completely concealed by clothing. His lips were jet black as he opened and closed them. "To use the speed of your sword to propel your body's movement proves that the sword in your hand is certainly not ordinary. Too bad..."

Ye Xiu barely managed to brace himself against the ground, squinting as he studied the newcomer. The man’s figure flickered, sometimes looking like a person, sometimes like the wind. "Are you the one hiding within the black wind?"

The man drifted closer without directly answering Ye Xiu's question. "In the Tower of the Four Winds, there is only wind; there are no people. I am merely the final test of the Tower of the Four Winds."

"Qi'er, step aside." Ye Xiu pulled Qi'er behind him, forcing his body to stand straight while brandishing the Tianmiao Sword with a smile. "You want an honest duel with me? State your name."

"A duel is hardly the right word. I simply wish to witness the true speed of the sword in your hand." The man’s eyes were glazed, conveying a sense of listlessness. "I belong here, and this place belongs to me. I am the Tower of the Four Winds."