Chapter 9: Ambush

The auction had finished late that night.

Ao Kuiba left the Azure Cloud Auction House with the Void Crystal secured in his spatial ring.

The streets in Azure Cloud City were still lively even at this time.

Spiritual lamps lit up the road, merchants packed up their wares and cultivators could be seen walking from one restaurant, inn, gambling house or cultivation market to another.

Ao Kuiba walked among the crowd, making no effort to conceal himself.

His silver hair plopped down his shoulders, golden dragon pupils reflected the light around him and two little horns jutted from his forehead.

Some faint golden scales could be seen on the neck and arms.

Ao Kuiba garnered quite a few looks.

Ao Kuiba did not seem to mind.

Elder Gu walked alongside him.

"You should find somewhere to stay before morning."

"I know."

"There are several respectable inns in the eastern district. However, if you intend to remain in Azure Cloud City for some time, you should buy a residence."

Ao Kuiba glanced at him.

"How long have you been living here?"

"Almost twenty years."

"And you know the city well?"

"More or less."

Ao Kuiba nodded.

"Then show me."

Elder Gu smiled.

They spent the next few hours walking around Azure Cloud City.

It was much bigger than Ao Kuiba had first expected.

The outer areas were mostly mortals, living under the protection of the city.

Merchants, craftsmen, farmers, servants, soldiers and ordinary families all lived their lives under the city.

Cultivators could also be seen, but their cultivation varied greatly.

Qi Condensation cultivators worked as guards and attendants, Foundation Establishment cultivators worked as shopkeepers, clan elders or were wandering cultivators, Core Formation cultivators were comparatively rare, Nascent Soul cultivators were even rarer.

Ao Kuiba noticed that the city did not completely divide according to cultivation level.

It was money, influence, background, and strength that mattered.

Sometimes money mattered more than cultivation.

A mortal merchant could have far more wealth than a Qi Condensation cultivator, a weak cultivator might have the support of a powerful clan and a wandering Core Formation cultivator might have tremendous strength but little influence.

It was a complicated society and Ao Kuiba found that quite interesting.

Elder Gu eventually stopped outside a tranquil residence.

"This is for sale."

It was in a quiet district, away from the busy streets.

Not huge, but with a courtyard, several rooms, a cultivation chamber, a small spiritual garden and a defensive formation.

Ao Kuiba checked out the formation.

It was crude, but functional.

"I’ll take it."

The old man merchant nearly dropped the contract when Ao Kuiba offered to buy the whole place immediately.

The deal was done before midnight.

Ao Kuiba handed over the spirit stones from his spatial ring.

Elder Gu kept silent.

He had known Ao Kuiba had treasures.

He did not expect him to possess so much wealth.

After buying the residence, Ao Kuiba went back to the courtyard.

He stood beneath a spiritual tree and looked around.

"Acceptable."

Elder Gu laughed.

"You really are difficult to please."

Ao Kuiba ignored the remark and instead looked at the three people who had accompanied him.

Elder Gu, Lin Yue and Chen Mu.

They had helped him survive his first days in the Lower Realm and showed him Azure Cloud City.

That was enough.

"You should go back."

Elder Gu’s smile vanished.

"Are you sure?"

"I didn’t ask you to stay."

The old man nodded.

"We have our own matters to attend to."

"I know."

Ao Kuiba looked at the three of them.

"Thank you."

It was a simple statement.

For Ao Kuiba, it was enough.

Lin Yue smiled.

"Don’t get yourself killed."

Ao Kuiba raised an eyebrow.

"That’s unlikely."

Chen Mu laughed.

"Still arrogant."

Ao Kuiba’s lips curled.

"Still alive."

They said their goodbyes and Elder Gu and the others left.

Ao Kuiba watched them disappear down the street before heading back towards his new residence.

For the first time since arriving in the Lower Realm, he was completely alone.

He did not dislike it.

In fact, he preferred it.

Ao Kuiba entered his room and locked the door.

Then he activated his spatial ring.

A wave of spiritual energy washed over the room.

The space inside the ring unfolded within his perception.

Treasures filled the huge storage space.

Ancient weapons, formation materials, spiritual stones, pills, rare ores, spirit herbs, alchemy furnaces, refinement materials, ancient jade slips.

Treasures collected over more than eight thousand years of cultivation.

The spatial rift had damaged some of them.

Most had survived.

His wealth had survived with him.

Ao Kuiba checked some of the storage compartment before coming upon what he wanted.

Spirit stones.

Millions upon millions.

Some were ordinary, some high-grade, a few extremely rare.

This was the wealth he had accumulated during his years in the Upper Realm.

The Supreme Yin-Yang System had not given him any money.

He did not need it to.

He had already been wealthy before his fall.

Ao Kuiba closed the ring and then summoned the system.

[SUPREME YIN-YANG SYSTEM]

Host: Ao Kuiba

Race: Imperial Dragon

Cultivation: Foundation Establishment

Functions:

Status

Cultivation

Mini World

Dual Cultivation

Evolution

Creation

Ao Kuiba opened the Mini World.

His consciousness entered it.

The Core Formation beast was already there.

The huge creature was lying beneath a rocky cliff, its eyes opening at Ao Kuiba’s arrival.

A low growl reverberated in the barren world.

Ao Kuiba looked at it.

The beast immediately lowered its head.

The difference in bloodline was enough to suppress its instincts.

Ao Kuiba ignored it and headed for the small spiritual garden.

The herbs he had planted had already adapted to the environment.

Ao Kuiba crouched beside them.

The Void Crystal had strengthened the world’s spatial stability.

Not enough, but a start.

Ao Kuiba looked up at the empty horizon.

"This place will eventually become something."

He stood and left the Mini World.

The next morning, Ao Kuiba left his residence with no particular destination.

He simply wanted to understand the city.

Ao Kuiba spent several hours walking around the markets.

He bought cultivation manuals, maps, formation materials, alchemy ingredients, information concerning the surrounding sects.

He spoke with merchants, observed cultivators and watched the mortals.

By afternoon, he had learned a lot more about Azure Cloud City.

Then he noticed them.

Three people.

They had been following him for almost half an hour.

Ao Kuiba continued walking.

The first was a mortal, the second had Qi Condensation cultivation and the third was at Foundation Establishment.

Interesting.

At least they were not completely incompetent.

Ao Kuiba deliberately turned into a quieter street.

The three followed.

Ao Kuiba stopped.

The mortal immediately turned around.

The Qi Condensation cultivator feigned looking at a nearby shop.

The Foundation Establishment cultivator just walked on.

Ao Kuiba smiled.

"Come out."

The man stopped.

"You’ve been following me."

The cultivator looked at him calmly.

"We’re interested in something you purchased last night."

"The Void Crystal?"

"Yes."

Ao Kuiba’s eyes narrowed.

"You should have offered to buy it."

"We don’t have enough money."

"Then you should have stayed poor."

The man’s expression hardened.

"Hand it over."

Ao Kuiba laughed.

It was the first real laugh he had given since entering the Lower Realm.

"You followed me around half the city..."

Ao Kuiba’s right hand slowly transformed.

Golden scales crawled up his fingers and his nails grew into sharp claws.

A faint pressure settled over the street.

The Foundation Establishment cultivator’s face changed.

He suddenly understood that the rumors about the mysterious dragon from the auction house had been incomplete.

Ao Kuiba stepped forward.

"Now you’re going to explain who sent you."

The cultivator reached for his weapon.

Ao Kuiba’s golden eyes flashed.

"Wrong answer."

The street exploded.