sinovels Chapter 430 Old Dragon City! A place where all sorts of people mingle!
Chapter 430 Old Dragon City! A place where all sorts of people mingle!
One night passed.
As the autumn wind swept through the ruins of the imperial city, carrying fallen leaves, Wei Gonggong and his men had already repaired most of the palace walls by the time dawn broke.
Chen Fan stood atop the library, watching the bustling scene below.
As dawn broke, he raised his hand and beckoned.
The eight figures and a black dog stopped moving at the same time, turning into streams of light and disappearing into the golden bowl at his waist.
Chen Fan withdrew his gaze and took one last look in the direction of the Qian Yuan Hall.
Tianxiangzi has been taken back to Caogu by Gudaozi and Old Man Long. With the Soul-Stabilizing Pill suppressing him, he should be fine for the next three months.
Emperor Jianwen, Xiao Quan, stood in front of the palace, directing the craftsmen to repair it. The young emperor's temples were already gray, and his fortune and karma were intertwined like a net.
"Everyone has their own path," Chen Fan murmured, his figure transforming into a stream of bluish-gray light and disappearing into the morning mist.
……
Two days later, in Old Dragon City.
This city is located eight thousand miles northwest of Dayuan, backed by the Canglong Mountains and facing the Blackwater River. It is the largest gathering place for independent cultivators at the junction of eight kingdoms.
The city wall is over ten zhang high and is built of black iron rock. After a thousand years of wind and rain, the surface is covered with scratches of varying depths, which are all marks left by cultivators fighting in battles over the ages.
Just after Chen Shi (7-9 AM), a long queue had already formed at the city gate.
There were sect disciples arriving on swords, merchant caravans in beast-drawn carriages, and ragged rogue cultivators. Guarding the city were eight Foundation Establishment cultivators, dressed in uniform black armor with the character "Dragon" embroidered on their chests; they were the guards of the Old Dragon City Lord's Mansion.
Chen Fan stood at the end of the line, now disguised as a middle-aged rogue cultivator. His face was sallow, with a scar near his eye, and he wore a faded gray-blue Daoist robe with a tattered storage bag hanging from his waist. His cultivation level was deliberately suppressed to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage!
In this old Dragon City, it's neither too high nor too low, just the right height to avoid attracting attention.
"Entry fee: ten low-grade spirit stones." When it was Chen Fan's turn, the black-armored guard didn't even look up.
Chen Fan took out ten spirit stones from his storage bag and handed them over.
The guard took the token and tossed him an iron token: "With this token, you may stay in the city for three days. If you exceed this time, you will need to pay the difference. No flying or private fighting is allowed in the city. Violators will be killed without exception."
His voice was cold, carrying an unquestionable authority.
Chen Fan nodded and accepted the token, then followed the crowd through the city gate.
The scene inside the city was completely different from that outside.
The street was over three zhang wide, lined with shops on both sides, their flags fluttering in the wind. There was "Baicaoge" selling elixirs, "Qianqilou" selling magical artifacts, and "Wanbaozhai" collecting materials. There were also restaurants, inns, gambling dens, and brothels interspersed among them, bustling with noise and filled with a mixed spiritual atmosphere.
As Chen Fan walked down the street, his divine sense quietly spread out like a spider web.
Within a distance of only a hundred feet, he could sense at least thirty Foundation Establishment cultivators, five Core Formation cultivators, and even two faint Nascent Soul auras flashing by in the distance.
"As expected, it's a mixed bag," he thought to himself.
As we were walking, a commotion arose ahead.
A group of monks gathered around the notice board, pointing and whispering. A new notice was posted on the board, the paper and ink still fresh, the handwriting strong and vigorous:
"Qinglian Daoist of the Qingyun Sect and Zhou Shan, a guest elder of the Wang family, were defeated by a mysterious Nascent Soul cultivator in the Great Abyss Imperial City and fled with severe injuries. More than half of the thousand disciples of the Qingyun Sect were lost, and the rest scattered. The Great Abyss Imperial City remains unharmed."
The inscription reads "Qianji Pavilion" and is stamped with a small vermilion seal.
The onlookers were abuzz with discussion.
"Really? Daoist Qinglian is at the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul stage, and Zhou Shan is at the mid-Nascent Soul stage. They still lost when they joined forces?"
"Could the news from the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion be false? I heard that the mysterious cultivator is an old eunuch who wields a gray-white longsword, and his strikes are always accurate—it's incredibly strange!"
"An old eunuch? Could it be that one from the palace...?"
"Shh! Watch your words! How dare you discuss such a person?"
"However, to be fair, Da Yuan has finally gotten his revenge this time. He dared to confront the Qingyun Sect head-on and even won!"
"Win? Not necessarily. Daoist Qinglian and Zhou Shan only fled, they didn't die. Just wait, the Qingyun Sect and the Wang family will never let this go."
Chen Fan listened intently, his expression unchanged, and his steps continued.
After crossing two streets, he stopped at the entrance of a relatively quiet alley. Deep in the alley was a tavern with an old sign that read "Zui Xian Ju" (Drunken Immortal Abode), the characters somewhat blurred.
The tavern was small, with only seven or eight tables. It was lunchtime, but there were only three tables occupied.
At one table sat two young cultivators in the early stages of Foundation Establishment, conversing in hushed tones. At another table sat a one-eyed old man, pouring himself a drink. At yet another table sat three people, two men and one woman, all at the Core Formation stage, dressed in luxurious clothes and exuding an extraordinary air.
Chen Fan chose a corner seat by the window.
Soon, a waiter in the Qi Refining stage ran over with a big smile: "Senior, what would you like? Our shop has its own brewed Drunken Immortal Wine, only five spirit stones a pot."
"Bring me a pot of wine and two side dishes." Chen Fan took out ten spirit stones and placed them on the table.
"Alright!" The waiter put away the spirit stones and hurried to the kitchen.
While waiting, Chen Fan closed his eyes to rest, but his divine sense quietly enveloped the entire tavern.
The two Foundation Establishment cultivators were discussing the black market auction the other day, mentioning that a damaged ancient treasure had fetched an astronomical price. The one-eyed old man simply drank his wine, remaining silent. It was the conversation of the three Core Formation cultivators that caught Chen Fan's attention.
"Brother Zhao, is the news true?" one of the middle-aged men in purple robes asked in a low voice.
The man addressed as Brother Zhao was a fair-skinned, beardless man, about forty years old, dressed in a brocade robe, with a jade thumb ring on his finger.
He took a sip of wine and slowly said, "It's absolutely true. My ancestor personally sent a message saying that the old eunuch has broken through to the Nascent Soul stage, and his combat strength is comparable to the late-stage Nascent Soul Grand Perfection stage. Even if Qinglian Daoist and Zhou Shan joined forces, they wouldn't be able to gain the upper hand."
"Tsk tsk, remarkable." Another cultivator, dressed as a scholar in a blue robe, waved his folding fan. "Such a person, if we could win him over..."
"Win them over?" The last woman in red chuckled. "Brother Qian, you're overthinking it. That old eunuch is too deeply entangled with Da Yuan, and he killed so many people from the Qingyun Sect; he's already a mortal enemy. As for the Wang family, Zhou Shan suffered such a great loss; do you think they'll let it go so easily?"
"Madam Sun is right," the cultivator surnamed Zhao nodded. "But it is precisely because of this that we have an opportunity. The Qingyun Sect has suffered a great loss of strength after this battle, and the Wang family's plans in the sealed land will also be affected. Our eight families... perhaps it is time to make a move."
Eight families?
Chen Fan's heart stirred.
Just then, the waiter brought over the wine and dishes, and he opened his eyes and poured himself a cup of wine.
The wine was amber in color, with a rich aroma, but it was incredibly spicy on the palate. The spiritual energy spread from the throat to the limbs and bones, revealing that it was a second-grade spiritual wine mixed with spiritual herbs.
"Good wine," Chen Fan praised.
The waiter smiled and said, "Is this your first time here, senior? Our Drunken Immortal Brew is a family secret recipe, brewed with 'Fire Spirit Fruit' from deep within the Azure Dragon Mountains. It is very beneficial for cultivating fire-based techniques."
Chen Fan nodded, took another sip, and asked casually, "Brother Waiter, I'm new to Old Dragon City and don't know much about it. Could you give me some pointers?"