Chapter 149: Heavenly Flame City

Two months later.

Heavenly Flame City.

The city was massive and imposing. It was no exaggeration to call it the largest metropolis within a million-li radius.

It sat at the border between the grasslands and the desert. Its walls, built from solid blocks of dark cyan rock, loomed over a hundred zhang high. The architecture within mirrored the styles of the Yellow Sand and Heavenly Fire tribes, but was noticeably more rugged and imposing, radiating the fierce, untamed spirit unique to the people of the Northern Plains.

Upon entering the city, however, the first thing Jiuyou noticed was not the buildings, but the guards.

Compared to the tribal cities he had passed through earlier, the security in Heavenly Flame City was noticeably stricter.

The number of cultivators patrolling the streets had multiplied. Additional checkpoints had been set up at the city gates, where travelers were required not only to present their identity Tokens, but also to step through a revealing spiritual light to ensure no one slipped inside using aura-concealing arts.

This, naturally, was because news of the successive deaths of the Great Grandmasters from the Heavenly Fire and Yellow Sand tribes had reached the upper echelons of the Heavenly Flame Tribe.

Two Middle Nascent Soul Stage Great Grandmasters had perished within the same month, dying so quietly they had not even managed to send out a cry for help. A simple feud could never accomplish such a thing.

Though the two Nascent Soul Late Stage Grand Cultivators presiding over the Heavenly Flame Tribe had not made a public appearance, they had undoubtedly issued secret orders for an investigation, putting the entire city on high alert.

At this moment, along one of the city's broad main streets, a burly man in a heavy beast-hide coat was strolling at an unhurried pace.

He had dark skin, rugged features, and steady steps, making him virtually indistinguishable from the surrounding men of the Northern Plains. No one spared him a second glance, and no one could have suspected that beneath this brawny exterior hid a disguised Nascent Soul Late Stage cultivator.

Jiuyou had been lurking in this city for two months.

Over the past two months, he had cycled through several identities, appearing in various corners of the city under different faces.

He had sat in teahouses listening to idle gossip and lingered in the market town tracking the flow of ore trades. He had even assassinated a Golden Core Cultivator. Unfortunately, the information he gathered was always either fragmented or outdated; none of it revealed the exact whereabouts of the Jinli Stone.

The Heavenly Flame Tribe's management of the city was far tighter than he had anticipated. When he killed that Golden Core Cultivator, the man's sect had immediately noticed his extinguished soul lamp, and the city guards had doubled the very next day. This forced Jiuyou to act with extreme caution, ensuring he left not a single trace behind whenever he made a move.

He had considered revealing his identity and negotiating with them directly, but after seeing the sheer quality of the Jinli Stone with his own eyes, he abandoned the idea.

The item's immense value far exceeded his initial estimates. If he simply showed up to buy it, they would undoubtedly demand an astronomical price, even if they did not attack him outright. They might even use the opportunity to probe his true strength, and the moment they realized his condition was poor, they would likely turn hostile on the spot.

After weighing his options, he resolved to remain in hiding.

It wasn't until today that the situation finally took a turn.

After nightfall, a figure quietly slipped out from the inner depths of Heavenly Flame City.

The man moved with blinding speed and kept his aura perfectly concealed. Had Jiuyou's divine sense not far surpassed that of his peers, he likely would not have noticed the departure at all.

It was a Middle Nascent Soul Stage physical cultivator. He brought no attendants and boarded no spiritual boat, simply taking to the skies and flying silently northward under the cover of darkness.

Jiuyou was staying at an inn a mere few dozen li from the man's path, allowing him to instantly lock onto the aura. Without hesitation, he left the inn and silently tailed his target.

However, just as he pursued the man out of the city and locked onto his silhouette from afar, Jiuyou suddenly drifted to a halt.

Trailing quietly behind that lone figure were three other auras. All three were physical cultivators—one at the Nascent Soul Late Stage and two at the Middle Nascent Soul Stage. They were tracking the man ahead at an unhurried pace, maintaining the perfect distance to avoid detection.

Fortunately, the group consisted entirely of physical cultivators. Though their physiques were incredibly robust, their divine sense and aura-concealment were inherently weaker than those of spell cultivators at the same stage. Furthermore, Jiuyou's own divine sense far outclassed his peers.

Had that not been the case, he likely never would have noticed the three tails lurking in the dark.

Hovering in mid-air, Jiuyou narrowed his eyes.

"A trap," he muttered.

The Heavenly Flame Tribe truly had not let their guard down. They knew a cultivator at least at the Peak Mid-Nascent Soul stage, or perhaps even a Nascent Soul Late Stage Grand Cultivator, was hiding in the city. They had deliberately set up this snare to draw him out.

That Middle Nascent Soul Stage physical cultivator was nothing but bait. The men waiting behind him were the true hunters.

Instead of pressing his pursuit, Jiuyou turned back toward the city. He was not retreating; rather, he had just realized something else.

Since they were using bait to lure the tiger from the mountain, it meant there was only one Nascent Soul Late Stage master currently guarding the city. The other was likely lying in wait somewhere outside, ready for him to walk right into their trap.

If that was the case, a glaring hole had opened in the city's defenses. Even a single night was more than enough time for him to accomplish a great deal.

He quickly slipped back into the city and located an isolated cave dwelling. After confirming that there was only a single Nascent Soul Early Stage cultivator inside in secluded meditation, he silently infiltrated the residence. Before the man could even react, Jiuyou pinned him down, destroyed his physical body, and sealed his Nascent Soul within the Nether Capital Gate.

The entire process took a mere handful of breaths, clean and efficient.

He did not immediately begin his interrogation. Instead, he suppressed the captive Nascent Soul for a time, waiting until the man's mental state completely collapsed before finally speaking at a slow, deliberate pace.

The captive proved sensible. Knowing there was no chance of escape after falling into the hands of a Nascent Soul Late Stage cultivator, he quickly spilled everything he knew in exchange for a swift death.

According to his confession, the one-zhang block of Jinli Stone was indeed secured in the deepest depths of the Heavenly Flame Tribe's treasure vault. It was not being carried by a Great Grandmaster.

The item was simply too conspicuous and bulky, and other Grandmasters within the tribe were secretly eyeing it. Therefore, the Heavenly Flame Tribe had chosen to lock it away at the very bottom of their vault, sealing it beneath layers of formations where no ordinary person could ever come close.

Even as a Nascent Soul cultivator belonging to the tribe, the captive would have needed to make a massive contribution and be rewarded according to merit just to earn a piece the size of a fist.

After extracting these answers, Jiuyou did not immediately make his move.

He raised his hand and stowed the Nascent Soul away. After carefully checking the cave dwelling to ensure no traces remained, he finally turned and walked out.

At the same time, he deliberately kept the soul alive to prevent its soul lamp from extinguishing, ensuring the Heavenly Flame Tribe would not detect any anomaly.

Next, he shifted his appearance, taking on the likeness of the Nascent Soul Early Stage cultivator he had just defeated. He even mimicked the man's aura to near perfection.

Copying the man's gait and habitual little tics, he stepped calmly out of the cave dwelling and set off toward the treasure vault at a leisurely pace.

When the city guards saw it was him, they immediately stood straight and nodded respectfully. Without asking a single question, they stepped aside and used the dark cyan stone blocks in their hands to open the vault's defensive formation, letting him straight through.

Jiuyou's expression remained perfectly normal as he continued forward. His boots struck the yellow stone floor in an unhurried rhythm, blending with the night wind without betraying the slightest hint of anything amiss.

Upon entering the vault, Jiuyou subconsciously swept his gaze across his surroundings.

The interior of the vault was incredibly spacious, resembling a grand palatial hall. At a glance, the floor was covered in rows of stone pillars about half a person's height. Upon them, various treasures quietly hovered, each wrapped in layers of spiritual light.

Jiuyou only cast a quiet glance before withdrawing his gaze. His target was not among them; there was no need to linger.

Yet, he had not even taken a few steps when his divine sense suddenly caught something. His brow gave a nearly imperceptible twitch. However, he quickly recovered his normal expression, continuing his quiet stride forward as though he had not noticed a thing.

Suddenly, a vigorous voice rang out from behind him.

"Oh? Grandmaster Wu, what brings you here?"