“Over the millennia, countless cultivators have entered this secret realm. Every inch has been explored, but each time it reopens, the places where treasures were taken regrow new ones.”
Lu Yaoyao was astonished, “Is it really that miraculous?”
Yan Zihui nodded, “Of course. I suspect that every time the realm closes, the ancient god’s tomb opens, connecting with the Cangwu Secret Realm. The spiritual aura from the tomb seeps out, causing depleted materials to regrow, and some treasures might even fall out directly from the tomb.” He then sighed deeply, “That’s my personal theory. In order to verify it, I’ve tried my best but never found the entrance. I even attempted to stay in the realm when it closed, but no matter what I did, it always expelled all foreign objects upon closures, including cultivators.”
Then, Yan Zihui placed his hands on Du Qianshan’s and Wen Zixing’s shoulders and looked at Lu Yaoyao and Chao Muxue with heartfelt sincerity, “Therefore, Senior Brother is entrusting this mission to you guys now. If you can find that god’s tomb in my lifetime, I can die content. Good luck, my junior brothers and sisters!”
Lu Yaoyao and the others: “…”
Du Qianshan rubbed his nose and said, “Senior Brother, you’re giving us too much credit.” Countless people had been searching for the ancient god’s tomb for thousands of years without success. How could they possibly find it?
Lu Yaoyao added, “Exactly. If you couldn’t find it after searching so much, we’re unlikely to find it either.” Please do to pin too much hope on them!
“Don’t be so quick to give up! You still have over a hundred years to look for it. Think about it; we even managed to see the once-in-a-century Auspicious Cloud Beast,” Yan Zihui replied, encouraging.
Chao Muxue chuckled, “At most, we can keep an eye out while we’re in the secret realm and try to find it, but we can’t promise anything.”
“That’s good enough,” Yan Zihui chuckled.
Lu Yaoyao looked up at Yan Zihui, deeply suspecting that he intentionally brought up this story just to enlist their help in continuing the search. Nonetheless, she was intrigued—perhaps the ancient god’s tomb held something she wanted!
Yan Zihui then shared a few more legends, which captivated their imaginations. As they exchanged questions and answers, time flew by.
As the sun set, the sky was painted with brilliant hues of twilight. However, after witnessing the otherworldly Auspicious Cloud Beast, such sights seemed ordinary in comparison. As the flying horses continued trotting forward, the fading sunset eventually transitioned to the night sky, and darkness slowly engulfed them.
Not long after, the carriage began its descent, soon landing and heading toward a city ahead. The horses could fly continuously for three days and nights, but being confined to the carriage for so long and constantly flying would be too exhausting, so the group decided to rest for the night in the nearest city.
The towering city gates stood out under the lantern lights, with armored soldiers guarding them, holding spears in imposing manners. Right above the gate, the words ‘Luotian City’ were prominently displayed in a strong and majestic script.
Despite the late hour, the city gate was still bustling with activity. The forests and mountains wilderness were more dangerous at night, so travelers passing nearby would choose to rest within the city, cultivators and regular people alike. Merchants traveling on the road also entered the city. Consequently, there was a line at the gate, and their carriage joined the queue.
The line was not long and moved quickly, and soon it was their turn. Yan Zihui paid five mid-grade spirit stones, and they were allowed entry.
As the flying horses walked slowly inside, Chao Muxue commented, “Is the entrance fee always this expensive?” She had noticed it was one mid-grade spirit stone per person, more costly than Tianyan City.
“Luotian City charges this fee for cultivators, but ordinary people can enter for free.” Yan Zihui explained. Essentially, the city lord collected a tax from cultivators.
Lu Yaoyao was leaning on the railing and watching the street scenes, noticing various trinkets being sold at small stalls. Hearing Yan Zihui’s explanation, she turned and said, “No wonder there are so many ordinary people on the streets.” Lu Yaoyao had a good impression of Luotian City Lord. Many cultivators were born regular humans, yet they looked down upon non-cultivators once they started their cultivation path. In the more extreme cases, some cultivators even saw ordinary people as insignificant as ants, easily trampled down without the slightest guilt. Here, however, she saw respect and care for ordinary people.
Soon enough, a waft of delicious food attracted Lu Yaoyao’s attention. She turned her head eagerly and said, “Let’s get off and take a walk!”
No one had any objections. They all jumped off the carriage, except for Yan Zihui.”
“Senior Brother Zihui, aren’t you coming with us?” Lu Yaoyao asked.
Resting his hand casually on the railing, Yan Zihui smiled and said, “You all go have fun. I’ll go secure rooms at an inn. If we wait too long, there might not be any rooms left. When you’re done exploring, come back to the Xianke Inn. Just ask around, and you’ll find it.”
Lu Yaoyao: “Let’s go to the inn together.”
“No need, I’m really not interested,” Yan Zihui waved his hand. “Don’t stay out too late.” Yan Zihui had been to Luotian City many times, so he didn’t mind missing out on the fun. He was more concerned that if they waited too long, they might not find a room and end up sleeping on the street. Besides, they only had a short time to enjoy the city as they had to continue their journey early the next morning.
As they watched the carriage gradually disappear into the distance, Wen Zixing excitedly ran ahead, “Let’s go eat first!”
The others quickly followed. At first, their steps were a bit unsteady, having spent the entire day flying in the sky, but after walking for a while, they began to feel more grounded.
The group moved briskly through the crowd, stopping here and there, deciding where to go next with every new sight and smell that caught their interest. The streets were lively with the constant calls of vendors, and there were also many cultivators around, indulging their culinary cravings. Lu Yaoyao held skewers of meatballs in one hand and grilled meat in the other, her cheeks puffed out as chewing nonstop.
Wen Zixing earnestly exclaimed, “The food in Luotian City is really delicious.”
Lu Yaoyao nodded continuously. The food here was just as good as that in Tianyan City, though the flavors were different due to the regional cuisines. She thought about sharing this delicious food with her Father and Daddy but realized it wouldn’t taste the same after being carried around. It would be better to bring them here when they had the chance!
Chao Muxue, eating more modestly, noticed the bustling crowd and remarked, “It’s really lively too.”
“Let’s buy some for Senior Brother Zihui,” Lu Yaoyao suggested, raising her hand. Even though she couldn’t bring food back for her Father and Daddy, she didn’t want to forget Senior Brother Zihui, who had missed out on this outing to secure the inn for them.
Du Qianshan asked, “Of course, Will one portion of each be enough?”
Lu Yaoyao thought it was too little. “Let’s get two portions.”
As they walked and ate, sampling seemingly endless rows of stalls. Chao Muxue was the first to admit defeat. She rubbed her stomach, almost full to bursting, unable to eat another bite. Wen Zixing and Du Qianshan soon followed, their stomachs telling them they couldn’t hold on anymore despite their still insatiable craving.
Lu Yaoyao might be the smallest, but she had the biggest appetite. While she couldn’t out-eat her demon friends back in Duanping Mountain Range, no one could match her appetite in the Cultivation Realm.
Due to her childhood experiences, Lu Yaoyao still thought she had a small appetite. Her human friends of course had no idea of this; seeing the sheer volume of never-ending food entering her stomach, they were all astonished.
Where did all the food, which was more than double what they ate, go?
Wen Zixing and the others watched Lu Yaoyao’s unchanged small belly in wonder—what a mystery!
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Translator’s Note:
Sponsored chapter on Friday!
I have added a new novel, Three Years After Falling Off A Cliff. This is a historical romance novel similar to Greetings Ninth Uncle, by the same author of Eight Treasures Trousseau and To Be a Virtuous Wife. This is a replacement novel for Daughter of the Dao and Devil Venerable and will follow the same schedule (Monday and Wednesday). Hope you will enjoy it!
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