Liang Chen followed the downtrodden path that led to the distant city, his eyes vigilantly sweeping across the surroundings. The grass around the path went all the way up to his waist, so it was easy for other people or Demonic beasts to hide within it, ambushing travelers. He could sense that there were indeed some living beings lurking in the grass around the path, but as soon as he got close, they would either lie low or retreat, so nothing ended up happening.
It was only as he got closer to the city that he could properly see the sheer immensity of the circular stone wall that surrounded the city. The wall stretched at least a few hundred meters into the sky, and it seemed to be a few tens of meters thick. The top of the wall was covered in large jagged spikes that resembled the teeth of a ferocious beast. Just how strong did one have to be, to create a wall like this?
At the end of the path that Liang Chen was walking, built into the immense wall, stood two massive wooden doors, each one covered in strange carvings that resembled a nine-floored pagoda that stood atop a gargantuan planet. With the doors being this massive, Liang Chen could not help but wonder how people opened and closed them.
Liang Chen quickly threw the questions to the back of his mind as he got closer to the wall, as there were several people meandering around outside the two wooden doors. There was a mixture of men and women, young and old, people clad in rags and people clad in neat robes, each of them vigilantly sweeping the surroundings as they kept a short distance between each other.
The people wandering around outside the doors quickly noticed Liang Chen, stopping in their tracks for a short moment. Two men quickly locked eyes, moving towards Liang Chen before anyone else had the chance to move. Upon seeing the two men make their move, the others clicked their tongue and resumed their wandering. The two men quickly reached Liang Chen, stopping him from moving further.
"Halt, you must pay a tax to enter the city. 5 low-quality Spirit Stones per person."
Both men had tanned bodies and unruly black hair that hung down a little over their eyes. Their chests were bare, a pair of brown leather pants covering their legs. There was a slight smile on their face, but Liang Chen merely raised an eyebrow as he responded.
"Hoh, there is a tax just for entering? Sorry, but I don't have the Spirit Stones, so you get nothing."
Liang Chen knew that there was no tax for entering the cities, as it was explicitly mentioned in the guide that none of the ruling powers wanted to set too many taxes, as it meant fewer people would enter the cities. Not to mention, Liang Chen only had about 30 Spirit Stones left, and he was not willing to waste any before he got to buy what he was looking for. He tried to brush past the two men, but one of them grabbed onto his shoulder and stopped him.
"Kid, we are trying to be nice here. If you don't pay the tax, your life beyond that wall won't be fun."
The man tightened his grip somewhat, but not only was Liang Chen's cultivation higher than theirs, but his body was also strengthened by cultivating with lightning and Demonic beast blood. Liang Chen's bestial instincts did not appreciate being stopped again, but he quickly forced them to calm down.
"You don't need to bother, I know that there is no tax. Just leave me be and go bug someone else."
He brushed away the hand that was placed on his shoulder, once again attempting to move past the two men. Thanks to his lightning, Liang Chen was able to sense the movements of the two men, so when one of them send out a punch in anger, Liang Chen was quick to react.
He took half a step to the side, causing the punch to slide past his neck. He gave his body a slight twist, his left arm shooting out and grabbing onto the man's throat. Liang Chen's grasp tightened as he did his best to hold back the poison that was trying to flood his hand. His eyes narrowed somewhat as he opened his mouth to talk.
"I said..."
Liang Chen had no interest in killing the man he was holding, as the attack the man had sent out was not meant to kill him, it was merely supposed to stop him in his tracks so that he would listen. But Liang Chen's words were quickly interrupted when he noticed the movements of the other man. The man had taken up position behind Liang Chen, pulling out a dagger and aiming a stab at Liang Chen's back, straight at his heart.
Liang Chen's expression sunk. The first man had not aimed to kill him, but it was clear that this other man was aiming to end his life and rob his corpse. Liang Chen kicked the man whose throat he was holding onto, pushing him backward. He used the force of the kick to spin his own body around, his sword appearing in his right hand. He parried the dagger to the side, his sword moving forward and piercing through the throat of his attacker. The man looked shocked at having his throat pierced, a few unclear words sounding out as blood rushed into his throat.
"You...you..."
Liang Chen's eyes were narrowed and cold as he looked at the man. Liang Chen was not merciful enough to spare someone who had attempted to kill him. He pulled out the sword, the man collapsing onto the ground, blood pouring out from his throat. Liang Chen turned his head towards the man he had kicked away, who was now looking at him with a terrified and pale expression.
"Trying to kill me just because I didn't pay 5 Spirit Stones? You can't blame me for not showing any mercy. You, fuck off."
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The man could only nod his head, sweat pouring down his face. They had been too occupied with getting to Liang Chen before any of the other people, so they didn't take the time to check his cultivation level. Had they known he was stronger than them, there was no way they would dare to even think about making a move on him.
Liang Chen paid no more attention to the man after seeing his nod, continuing towards the city. He swept the other wandering people with his gaze, but none of them chose to make a move on him, allowing him to easily enter the city.
There was a strange scent that filled the entire city, a mixture of sweat, blood, and waste. The streets were wide enough to fit at least 10 people walking side by side and paved with a thin layer of stone that showed no signs of age. There were quite a few people walking around, making sure that they kept a distance from anyone who wasn't part of their group.
Liang Chen spotted several groups of people who were clad in similar robes, so he guessed that these groups belonged to the clans and sects who were the current rulers of the city He did not want to waste any time, so he walked up to a somewhat short man who was leaning against the wall of a building, puffing from an ornate pipe in the shape of a dragon's head, smoking something that released a bitter scent.
"Could you tell me where the market is?"
The man glanced at Liang Chen, looking him up and down for a short moment. He removed the pipe from his mouth, blowing out a thick plume of pitch black smoke. He used the pipe as an indicator, pointing down the road to his right.
"At the center of the city. Follow this road for about five minutes and you will start seeing some signs. Just don't forget about the tax, or you will be thrown out."
Liang Chen thanked the man and then started following the road. As he walked, he made sure to keep a constant and vigilant watch on his surroundings, not the slightest movement escaping his senses. Being surrounded not only by walls but also other people, his bestial instincts were on full tilt, shouting at him to escape. He simply continued to force them down, quickly finding the signs that the man had mentioned.
He followed the directions of the signs, reaching a large square plaza after a few minutes. The entire plaza was surrounded by a three-meter tall metal fence to keep people out, a few gates placed along the fence. Liang Chen walked up to one of the gates, a man clad in a thin cyan-colored robe stepping in front of him once he got closer.
"5 low-quality Spirit Stones to enter the market, each day you spend in the market past the first one will cost an additional 5."
Liang Chen quickly handed over the Spirit Stones, the man placing them against a crescent-moon shaped necklace that he wore around his neck. The stones vanished into the necklace, the man giving a slight nod of his head.
"Are you looking to buy, or looking to sell?"
Liang Chen guessed that the necklace was the same as his interspatial ring, only that it had been molded into a different shape. Liang Chen could use a guide for where to buy what he needed, so he quickly listed what he was looking for.
"Both. I am looking to both buy and sell Demonic beast blood and flesh, I am especially looking for parts that came from Demonic beasts with the poison or lightning element. I am also looking to buy medicinal herbs and some information about the Nightshield sect."
The man did not bat an eye at Liang Chen's requests, he had worked as a guard for quite some time, so he had heard all types of strange requests. He fondled his chin for a short moment, before twisting his body slightly and pointing at a few different stands located within the plaza.
"You can sell your items to that woman over there, she belongs to the Moon Dragon sect, so her prices can be considered decently fair. Buying medicinal herbs is best done from that man over there, he should have ones that fit you. Getting parts from poisonous Demonic beasts will be hard, but that youth over there has some parts that came from lightning element Demonic beasts. As for the information you are looking for, you can check with that man over there. He is a member of the Nightshield sect, but whether or not he is willing to divulge any information is uncertain."
Liang Chen quickly memorized the four stands that the guard pointed out, giving him a short thanks before stepping past him and entering the plaza. Liang Chen saw far more people in the market than he had seen in the rest of the city, showing just how much they valued the guaranteed safety.
His first stop was the stand where he could sell his items and acquire a few more Spirit Stones. The brown-haired woman who owned the stand was clad in the same silver robe that Shentu Jun had worn, it also had the same emblem embroidered, so it seemed the two of them were truly from the Moon Dragon sect. He handed over the bodies he was looking to sell, the woman quickly tallying up how much they were worth.
After acquiring an additional 51 low-Quality Spirit Stones, Liang Chen made his way towards the stand owned by the member of the Nightshield sect. He was uncertain if all the corpses he sold were truly only worth 51 Spirit Stones, but as he did not know much about the value of Spirit Stones, there was nothing he could do about it.
The member of the Nightshield sect was a man with ear-length silver hair and a slight stubble. He was clad in a black robe embroidered with the emblem of the Nightshield sect, a round shield facing a dark mountain. Upon seeing Liang Chen approach him, the man put on a faint smile, pointing at the various armors and weapons he had placed on the wooden table in front of him.
"I have mostly weapons and armors, some are a bit rusty, but they are still quite usable. What are you interested in?"
The man did not mention where the weapons had come from, nor how they had gotten rusty, so it was likely that he had stolen them off the corpses of other cultivators. But Liang Chen did not care about that right now, immediately stating his business.
"Information about the Nightshield sect. I want to know if there is someone called Qing Lan Yong in your sect, and if he is part of your sect, I want to know as much about him as possible."
Shentu Jun had mentioned that the Nightshield Sect highly valued the Qing clan, so there was a chance that someone like Qing Lan Yong, who held a high position in the Qing clan, might have been accepted by the sect. The man raised an eyebrow after hearing Liang Chen's question, rolling his eyes for a short moment as he thought it over.
"Qing Lan Yong? There is indeed someone like that in my sect, but I hope you don't expect information about my own sect to be cheap. 60 low-quality Spirit Stones."
The man was only a junior disciple of the sect, but not only did he specialize in information gathering, but Qing Lan Yong joining the sect had also been a surprisingly big deal, so he did know a little. The man did not think that Liang Chen was foolish enough to actually pay 60 low-quality Spirit Stones for the information, but he was pleasantly surprised when he saw a smile appear on Li Yang's face, a bag appearing in his hands.
"Take them. Tell me everything, if you have an image, show it to me."