Novel Full Chapter 40: Taiyun City
Chen Yan didn’t take the old man’s words too seriously, treating it as if he had just heard a story.
He was merely a small fry who had used over twenty reincarnations and spent several hundred years just to finally advance to the Martial Spring Realm.
Someone born directly into the Martial Spring Realm?
Maybe, but all of that was too distant from him.
“Let’s get back to the main topic, elder.”
Chen Yan urged the old man behind the counter.
The old man nodded, took out a booklet from beside the counter, and began flipping through it.
“Hmm, among the current sect missions heading to Taiyun City, there’s only one that Energy Channeling Realm disciples can accept.”
“What mission?”
“It’s an attendant mission issued by Lu Li from Qingchan Peak.”
The old man said.
…
Kongshan Sect, mountain gate entrance.
Chen Yan couldn’t remember how many years it had been since he last came here.
He recalled the last time was when he tried to escape that outer court calamity together with Cheng Ziying.
According to the timeline, that would still be over two years from now, something that hasn’t happened yet.
Chen Yan and Cheng Ziying had attempted to escape Kongshan Sect not just once, but every time they would be intercepted and killed by a man carrying a large blade and wearing coarse cloth clothing.
That man’s cultivation level should at least be at the mid-stage Martial Spring Realm or higher.
Chen Yan remembered the vow he made to that man back then.
Swearing that he would definitely kill him.
Now, after experiencing so many reincarnations, that once bone-deep hatred had actually gradually faded.
Similarly faded was his fear of Lu Li.
The scene of being pierced through by Lu Li’s Kongshan Finger, watching his organs and blood slide out from his body, was a nightmare that haunted Chen Yan through many reincarnations that he could never forget.
“Is this what they call enemies often cross paths…”
Chen Yan muttered to himself.
Lu Li was visiting Taiyun City to call upon the Cloud Prince’s Manor.
Because some time ago, an Elder Protector from Star Heaven Sect had passed through Taiyun City while traveling.
Star Heaven Sect was also one of the Five Great Sects of Chenping Continent, with influence somewhat larger than Kongshan Sect’s.
When such a prominent figure briefly stayed in Taiyun City for a few days, Cloud Prince Qin Ming couldn’t afford to be negligent, so he personally hosted a banquet at his manor to entertain him.
During the banquet, the Star Heaven Sect elder unexpectedly took a liking to the cultivation talent of the Cloud Prince Manor’s young princess, believing that Qin Ming’s daughter Qin Yue’s aptitude was very suitable for inheriting his techniques.
He wanted to bring Qin Yue back to Star Heaven Sect.
In the Chenping Continent region, being noticed by one of the Five Great Sects like Star Heaven Sect was an immense honor, even if you were a kingdom’s princess.
But Cloud Prince Qin Ming found himself hesitating over this matter.
Because it truly was a good opportunity.
Yet Taiyun City, and indeed the entire Qingque Kingdom, fell completely within Kongshan Sect’s sphere of influence.
This Star Heaven Sect Elder Protector might genuinely be thirsting for talent, but his actions undoubtedly amounted to slapping Kongshan Sect in the face.
Because Qin Yue was a princess of Qingque Kingdom, and the entire Qingque Kingdom completely depended on Kongshan Sect.
Though Cloud Prince Qin Ming was noble royalty, he still understood certain principles.
Therefore, Cloud Prince Qin Ming didn’t immediately decide his daughter’s future, but instead wrote a letter to Kongshan Sect’s stationed envoy disciple.
Kongshan Sect would absolutely never tolerate a Qingque Kingdom princess joining Star Heaven Sect.
But Kongshan Sect also valued reason and face.
If Qin Yue ultimately couldn’t go to Star Heaven Sect, this undoubtedly meant she would lose a great opportunity.
After all, she could have become the Elder Protector’s personal disciple.
Although an Elder Protector’s personal disciple wasn’t quite the same as an elder’s personal disciple, their status still far exceeded that of ordinary inner court disciples.
To address this, Kongshan Sect decided to have a certain inner court elder from Qingchan Peak accept Qin Yue as a disciple, as compensation to her.
Lu Li had come today representing Qingchan Peak, personally conveying Kongshan Sect’s decision to Cloud Prince Qin Ming and Princess Qin Yue.
But for someone of his status as a Martial Spring Realm cultivator and Scripture Hall instructor, going alone to Taiyun City would be rather undignified.
And since Lu Li had only recently been transferred to Qingchan Peak, his foundation in Qingchan Peak’s Scripture Hall wasn’t stable.
With no one available around him, he could only issue a sect commission at the Merit Hall, finding a few Energy Channeling Realm disciples as attendants to accompany him in visiting the Cloud Prince.
Soon, Lu Li and three other disciples arrived at the mountain gate one after another.
Dressed in blue robes, Lu Li stood right before Chen Yan, his appearance showing no significant changes compared to Chen Yan’s memories, still refined and scholarly.
The other three disciples were two males and one female, making it three males and one female including Chen Yan.
These three disciples all had early-stage Energy Channeling Realm cultivation, with one male and the female coming from the sect’s outer court, while the other male disciple came from Yuanhua Mountain.
That Yuanhua Mountain disciple seemed to look down quite a bit on the outer court disciples, maintaining a clear boundary.
Only when he noticed the gilded cloud crane patterns on Chen Yan’s sleeve cuffs did he show some slight goodwill toward Chen Yan.
The ridiculous thing was, he was about the same age as the other two outer court cultivators, and their cultivation was also only at the early Energy Channeling Realm.
Truly, six of one and half a dozen of the other.
“Since everyone is here, let’s depart.”
Lu Li looked at the four disciples before him and nodded slightly.
After leaving the mountain gate and reaching the mountain foot, they rented several spirit horses from the carriage-and-horse shop below the mountain, then began heading toward Taiyun City.
Taiyun City was the largest city in Qingque Kingdom’s western region, an important hub city, and also the city with the most cultivation families.
Within Qingque Kingdom’s borders, there were altogether fifteen cultivation families, with seven of them located in Taiyun City.
This was also because Taiyun City was very close to Kongshan Sect.
Although these cultivation families were called mortal cultivation families, the highest cultivation among these families was often only at the Energy Channeling Realm.
But for mortal martial artists, the Energy Channeling Realm was already like celestial immortals descended to earth.
After all, Body Forging Realm cultivators could easily defeat any martial arts grandmaster in the secular world.
Just the aspect of being impervious to ordinary weapons alone made them invincible.
Several hours later, Lu Li’s group of five arrived at Taiyun City’s city walls.
The walls stood fifteen meters high and five meters wide, with two watchtowers erected before the city gate for pouring oil and launching projectiles.
In reality, these fortifications were merely for show.
Because Qingque Kingdom’s royal family completely depended on Kongshan Sect, valuing Kongshan Sect’s interests more than their own.
Thus, throughout Qingque Kingdom’s three-thousand-year history, the royal family’s rule had always enjoyed Kongshan Sect’s support.
On the city gate, the three large characters “Taiyun City” were carved in vigorous cursive script on a brown background with black ink.
“We pay respects to the immortal masters!”
The soldiers guarding the city gate, upon seeing Lu Li’s group, quickly bowed with folded hands in salute.
Not just the soldiers—after entering the city, the crowds inside were bustling.
But around Chen Yan and the others, an automatic vacuum zone always formed.
No commoners dared to approach their vicinity.
This was the genuine awe and reverence mortal-born people felt toward cultivators from the depths of their hearts.