Chapter 115 - 116: City of Sin
“The rise and fall of Sect Forests and Family Doors can sometimes happen in just a few years.”
“When I lett my family, Zhu Gate was only ranked last among the six great clans of the Supreme Court Imperial City. After all, most of my clansmen are casting masters, and there are far fewer Godly Mortals and Dragon Shepherds than in other Sect Forests and Family Doors.”
“And although I wasn’t from a collateral branch, I caused quite a bit of trouble in my youth and didn’t have much say in matters,” Zhu Minglang began to explain.
In the past, Zhu Minglang was like Nan Lingsha in the Nan Family—no one dared to provoke him, no one could restrain him.
Now, well, Zhu Minglang felt it was better to continue using his skills and be a perfect little transparent being.
Of course, matters like becoming the sitting force in Ancestral Dragon City-State, he could easily resolve by speaking to a few elders in his clan who would go to the temple to offer incense for him.
“But speaking of which, I remember that the main campuses of the two major academies aren’t in the Supreme Court Imperial City, but in two different national capitals…” Zhu Minglang recalled this fact.
Having been born in the Imperial City, although there really were two academies within, they weren’t the highest courts of the Godly Mortal Academy and Dragon Taming Academy.
“Could it be that there have been changes over these decades?” Duan Changqing frowned.
“We’ll find out when we pass through some city-states or capitals along the way,” Zhu Minglang said.
After resting for a while in the prairie lake city and securing a map and sufficient water for the dragon beasts, the group continued their journey westward…
The journey was long, and not every place could be traversed by flight directly.
Some deep forests and mountains might be the territories of powerful demon spirits. Any creature that flew over their territory would be regarded as an invader. Such places must be avoided, or one could be attacked by a swarm of demons!
The safest method was still to follow the paths between city-states, these safest routes painstakingly discovered by countless predecessors. Even ordinary people would rarely be attacked by wild beasts along these paths, and they were unlikely to be monster dens or territories.
Even at Dragon Monarch Level, there were places in the Li Chuan Continent where one could not simply cross at will, let alone on the Supreme Court Courtyard Continent.
Traversing mountains and wading through waters, heading west, upon reaching the capital of Rui Country, Dean Duan Changqing’s Dragon Shepherd Team had to part ways with Zhu Minglang.
The highest academy of the Dragon Taming Academy had relocated to the easternmost part of the Supreme Court Courtyard Continent and became the national academy within Joy Country.
The Li Chuan Dragon Taming Academy must earn the recognition of this Dragon Taming National Academy as soon as possible. Otherwise, it might be considered an irregular force like the Clan Palace and be directly flattened by the Orderers.
Reluctantly bidding farewell, Zhu Minglang felt a bit reluctant to part with Dean Duan Changqing’s Sail Dragon, whose wings were as vast as sails, making it the perfect aerial mount.
Fast and stable in flight, it could glide without any loss of stamina by leveraging the updrafts from the earth. As long as it had enough water, it could travel in the high skies for a day and a night…
Luckily, the Divine Green Holy Dragon had grown now and could carry Zhu Minglang, Nan Lingsha, and Fang Niannian without much problem. Otherwise, they would have had to walk slowly on the city-state roads and who knows how many years it would take to reach the Supreme Court Imperial City. “That’s the way it is. I want to take a risk on this path. It’ll get us to the next nation much faster.’
“The troublesome part is that to take this route, we must pass through a City of Sin.”
Zhu Minglang took out a sheet of paper and began to redraft the route.
Nan Lingsha lifted her gaze and took a look at Zhu Minglang.
She didn’t respond, which couldn’t be clearer.
Make your own decision, there’s no need to consult me.
Before, Zhu Minglang wouldn’t have hesitated to choose this path; any “City of Sin” that didn’t keep an eye out would have just been bombed to oblivion by him.
But now, he was still growing, and with two girls by his side, the City of Sin—a gathering place for heretics and twisted cult followers, which also included exiles, wanted criminals, renegade armies, and dark forces—was not a place to act rashly.
In the City of Sin, there were no laws, no order; everyone survived based on their own skills.
In the end, Zhu Minglang still decided to traverse through the City of Sin. After all, the sooner he could make an oath to sit as the Zhu Gate’s protector, the sooner the people of the Ancestral Dragon City-State could suffer less.
The jurisdiction of the City of Sin spanned a hundred miles of no man’s land. As they stepped in, Zhu Minglang and his two companions soon saw two private armies clashing on a major road, seemingly wanting to steal each other’s refined equipment…
Circling around their battlefield, inside the City of Sin where the good and the bad mixed, villains were numerous. To ensure one’s survival in such a place, the most direct way was to display one’s strength, warning those with ill intentions that he was no pushover.
Once inside the City of Sin, the streets were filled with merchants dealing in stolen goods, laying out their illicit wares for barter or selling them only for “Zhu Minglang, there are so many great things here, and the prices are all so low!” Fang Niannian’s crescent-shaped eyes lit up as if she didn’t take the horrors of the City of Sin seriously at all.
“I need some Dragon Blood for ink,” Nan Lingsha said.
Many were selling Dragon Blood, Dragon Bones, and Dragon Skins as they had just walked in.
“Alright, let’s look around. I’ll also take this opportunity to deal with the Soul Beads I have on hand…” Zhu Minglang said.
The most tempting thing about the City of Sin was the items for sale here, as most of them were ill-gotten and often very cheap for their quality.
Since Yinsu Sacred Dew can stack with Strengthening spiritual objects, it would be ideal to also find the right Soul Beads or Spiritual Objects for the Divine Green Holy Dragon to absorb.
Zhu Minglang hadn’t sold the Dragon Beast Soul Beads of the Four Heroes of the Clan Palace yet, mainly because the number of Dragon Shepherds in the Ancestral Dragon City-State was limited and many niche attributes of items were not easy to circulate.
“Star Fragment Crystals gathered from the eastern crevice of Rui Country. Zhu Minglang, Zhu Minglang, did you see them? Little White’s provisions!” Fang Niannian said excitedly.
Zhu Minglang looked over and indeed found someone selling Star Fragment Crystals. Fang Niannian was truly his Little Food Manager—she’d found Little White’s provisions even in a place akin to a vegetable market!
He went to ask the price.
Exorbitant would be an understatement; it was almost like putting a knife to someone’s neck and demanding their money. Just Little White’s quality provisions for half a month could possibly exhaust all the Soul Beads Zhu Minglang had saved up.
“We can make it cheaper for you. Just let your sister spend a few nights with us, brothers, huh? She’s got a great body. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a girl with such a good figure, must be a real beauty, so why does she cover her face?” said the bald brothers selling the Star Fragment Crystals.
“I like her legs; just looking at them makes me feel energetic,” the bald younger brother added.
Fang Niannian, who had initially gone to negotiate the price, turned red with anger upon hearing their lewd comments.
Just as she was about to turn and leave, the scent of ink wafted from somewhere. Fang Niannian looked up and saw two lines of ink slowly descending, draping behind the necks of the foul-mouthed brothers.
Suddenly, the ink turned into lassos, quickly wrapping around the necks of the laughing brothers and hoisting them up alive.
With the ink ropes hanging, the brothers looked as though they were hanging themselves, struggling madly, trying with all their might to escape from the noose, which only tightened more and more around their necks!
Zhu Minglang walked over quickly and glanced at the two brothers who were nearly out of breath…
Whom else could they have offended but this she-devil?
Nan Lingsha’s strength was formidable even amongst the powerhouses of the Supreme Court Courtyard Continent, and not many forces in the City of Sin could subdue her..