Free Web NovelChapter 154: Chapter 154: Ancient Moon City
"Yang!"
Staring at the bizarre purple mist before him.
Blood-curdling screams echoed throughout the Cloud Ship, filled with a soul-twisting agony.
Unable to see what was happening inside, Lv Yunsheng couldn’t help but cry out in worry.
The cruelty of the Asura Tower was well-known. Those who offended them never met a good end; a quick and painless death was considered a great mercy.
Just then, the purple mist in the room slowly began to dissipate.
A moment later, Shen Daoxing’s figure appeared, unharmed, within the mist.
But the first and second masters of the Asura Tower were now blackened-purple from head to toe. It was as if all their blood had been drained, leaving only skin and bones. Their hands clawed at their own contorted faces as they stared up, screaming, having seemingly endured horrific torture before death.
"???"
Seeing such an unexpected scene, Lv Yunsheng froze, unable to process it for a moment. "Yang, you..."
Shen Daoxing said coolly, "A couple of thieves are no match for me."
As he spoke, he stored the Demon Soldier Poison Fiend into his Sumeru Ring, glancing at the corpses on the floor without a care.
With his current strength, as long as he wasn’t facing some freak who could kill opponents above their own realm, Shen Daoxing was unrivaled within the Grotto Heaven stage.
Afterward, with the three masters of the Asura Tower defeated, the passengers on the Cloud Ship began to fight back. It didn’t take long for them to eliminate the remaining lackeys.
After all, most of them were talented disciples on their way to Daqian for the Sacred Land assessments. They were far from weak!
The quiet room returned to calm, leaving only Shen Daoxing, Lv Yunsheng, and the utterly bewildered Crown Prince Chen Luo, who was just getting to his feet.
Crown Prince Chen Luo stared at Shen Daoxing in disbelief.
Shen Daoxing gave him a cool look. "What, do you still want to throw us out?"
An awkward expression washed over Crown Prince Chen Luo’s face. Having witnessed everything, how could he not recognize Shen Daoxing’s power? The Crown Prince shot Shen Daoxing a strange look before slinking out of the quiet room.
His heart was still pounding with fear. ’If those Asura Tower thugs hadn’t suddenly attacked, I would have been the one to suffer.’
"Yang, I can’t believe how strong you are!"
"What was that move you just used?"
"You said you’re from the Yang Family, but I’ve never heard of any major clan with the surname Yang in the Martial Kingdom."
Lv Yunsheng looked at Shen Daoxing with pleasant surprise, then began chattering endlessly, asking one question after another.
Shen Daoxing, growing annoyed by the questions, couldn’t be bothered to respond. He leaned back on the bed, closed his eyes to rest, and let Lv Yunsheng ramble on.
After the brief incident, the Cloud Ship returned to calm and finally resumed its journey, flying toward the Daqian Empire.
「A few days later.」
Shen Daoxing looked out the window and saw a majestic, sprawling city appear before him. Its towering walls stretched beyond sight, covered in the ancient, heavy scars of history.
The entire city was three times the size of the Martial Kingdom’s imperial capital.
Daqian truly lived up to its name as a dominant empire. This Ancient Moon City was only the second-largest city in Daqian, not its imperial capital.
As the Cloud Ship approached Ancient Moon City, it didn’t descend immediately but hovered in the air.
Shen Daoxing looked down and saw several other Cloud Ships below them, also waiting to land.
At the city’s port, a Cloud Ship was currently being inspected by soldiers.
Every disembarking passenger had to pass in front of an Ancient Copper Mirror held by a soldier. Anyone who triggered an anomaly was immediately taken away.
’Clearly, the copper mirror in the soldier’s hand is no ordinary object,’ Shen Daoxing thought. ’If I go down there like this, there’s a good chance I’ll be discovered.’
The current emperor of Daqian, Dugu Hong, was one of the elders of the Celestial Profound Sacred Land. One could say the entire empire belonged to the Celestial Profound Sacred Land.
Shen Daoxing paused. He then swiped a hand across his waist, and the Demon Soldier Poison Fiend shot out with a WHOOSH, diving toward the ground. With a light leap, Shen Daoxing landed on the Poisonous Fiend.
Beside him, Lv Yunsheng had also noticed the situation below. "It seems that because of the Celestial Secret Elder’s prophecy, all of Daqian is under high alert, searching for that Celestial Slaughter Star."
As he spoke, he turned to look at Shen Daoxing, only to see him leap up and jump straight off the ship.
Lv Yunsheng jumped in fright and yelled, "Yang, we’re tens of thousands of feet in the air!"
But Shen Daoxing had already vanished from sight.
At that moment, Shen Daoxing stood atop the Poisonous Fiend, his white robes fluttering. He rode the wind downward like a falling meteor. Just as the Poisonous Fiend was about to reach the ground...
Spiritual Power circulated within Shen Daoxing’s body. He pressed his feet lightly, pushing off the sword to dissipate the downward momentum.
"BOOM!"
The Demon Sword Poison Fiend slammed into the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust. With his hands behind his back, Shen Daoxing drifted down and landed safely.
Shen Daoxing landed near an official road outside Ancient Moon City. No one was around.
He then looked around and walked to another port outside the city. A massive Cloud Ship was docked nearby—a ship from the direction of Cangzhou.
Shen Daoxing watched from a distance as Daqian soldiers below the Cloud Ship inspected every passenger who was boarding.
Under the light of the copper mirror, one of the passengers showed a strange phenomenon and was immediately escorted away by two soldiers to some unknown location.
Shen Daoxing didn’t know what kind of Magical Artifact the Ancient Copper Mirror was or what it could detect, but it was clear that continuing to travel by Cloud Ship was impossible. It was too dangerous.
However, this place was still over a million li from Cangzhou. Traveling on foot was out of the question.
’In that case, my only option is to take a private ship.’
Cloud Ships weren’t owned exclusively by the Business Alliance; some individuals or master smiths had them as well.
However, this was Shen Daoxing’s first time in Daqian. He was a stranger in a strange land, so how could he possibly find a private ship?
Shen Daoxing thought for a moment. ’I’ll find an inn in Ancient Moon City first, then figure out a way to gather some information.’
Ancient Moon City, an ancient city in the western part of the Daqian Empire, was said to have been established for ten thousand years. It was the second-largest city in Daqian after the imperial capital.
Walking down the street, Shen Daoxing saw an endless stream of pedestrians coming and going. It was even more prosperous than the imperial capital of the Martial Kingdom.
The streets were lined with a dazzling array of shops: Pill Pavilions, Weapon Shops, Talisman Studios, and even small stalls selling Spirit Charms and sprites.
Spirit Charms, sprites, and other such Spirit Monsters couldn’t be found just anywhere. They required an exceptionally high concentration of Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi to be born, something only possible in uniquely blessed locations.
The moment Shen Daoxing arrived in the Daqian Empire, he could feel how different this land was. The abundance of Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi was more than ten times that of the Martial Kingdom.
Shen Daoxing could clearly feel the one hundred and eight acupoints in his body cheering excitedly. Without him even trying to absorb it, his acupoints were automatically taking in the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi bit by bit.
’No wonder the experts of the Martial Kingdom all leave,’ he mused. ’The outside world truly is different—a world apart from the Martial Kingdom.’
Experiencing the vastness of the world, Shen Daoxing didn’t forget his purpose. He looked around, preparing to find an inn to settle down in before inquiring about private ships.
"Fairy Shangguan is here! Fairy Shangguan is here!"
But just then, someone on the street began to shout excitedly.
