Aotian, still being carried by Liu Rihai, couldn't help but look back toward Red Tiger City.
Smoke and flas flickered in the distance, painting the sky in shades of red and gray.
'A protagonist can never live in one place peacefully for too long… Otherwise, disaster will always catch up to him. Am I the sa?'
The thought took root in his mind.
A city over two hundred years old… destroyed just two months after my arrival.
The more he reflected, the more lancholic he beca.
The blood of the children, the elderly, and the young who had greeted him in the streets… Was it, indirectly, also on his hands?
His chest tightened.
"Aotian…"
Liu Rihai's soft voice pulled him back to reality.
The way she called him ward his chest for a brief mont.
He lifted his eyes and t hers—intense, blue, filled with concern.
"You said you were in that city for only two months…" She began, keeping her gaze firmly on his. "And yet, you're blaming yourself for not being able to do anything."
She let out a soft sigh.
"...But the cultivation world is like this. Death is our constant companion."
Then, she turned her gaze to the horizon. Her voice carried a barely concealed lancholy.
"Soone once told that a cultivator is always gambling against death. If they lose, death takes them. If they win, death takes revenge—stripping away everything and everyone around them, leaving them alone. In the end, a mont cos when they must choose…
Whether to depart with death.
Or live long enough to see it take away what is most precious to him."
Aotian stared at her, stunned.
In a low voice, he asked:
"Who told you that?"
Liu Rihai didn't answer imdiately. She simply looked ahead, and amid the wind, her whisper floated through the air.
"My father."
…
An hour later, the wings began to slow down more and more. Then, a dry cracking sound echoed.
Aotian looked back and saw a fine dust falling from Liu Rihai's back.
Startled, he asked:
"What was that?!"
He turned to Liu Rihai, his eyes filled with concern.
"Pfft!" Seeing his expression, Liu Rihai couldn't hold back her laughter.
"Don't worry, it was just the spirit stone breaking," she explained with a smile, though her face soon turned bitter. "But we'll have to continue on foot now… That was my last high-grade spirit stone. This little one eats too much."
She cast a glance at her dragonfly-like wings, which flapped lightly, as if offended.
Aotian let out a sigh of relief.
"Whew! I was starting to wonder how much longer I'd be stuck in this awkward position."
Liu Rihai raised an amused eyebrow.
"You don't like being in my arms?"
Aotian flashed a mischievous smile.
"Of course I do. But I'd rather have you in mine."
Liu Rihai rolled her eyes, but despite her intentions, a faint blush spread across her face.
"Where are we headed now?" Aotian asked.
"Blue Cloud City. It's the closest city for rogue cultivators. There's a first-grade spiritual vein there, and I have a house in the center," Rihai replied as she began walking.
Aotian raised his eyebrows.
"Am I going to live with you?" he asked, curiosity mixing with desire in his voice.
Rihai's eyes widened.
"Dream on!" she exclaid, irritated.
"Huh?! Why? I thought we had confird our relationship!" Aotian protested, surprised.
"What?! When?! Why don't I know about this?!" Rihai fired a series of questions, incredulous.
"When you called Aotian! I was already about to call you my wife!" Aotian said, feigning innocence.
"Aotian!!" Rihai shouted, growing more and more irritated. "Don't force to hit you!"
"Ugh! Calm down, calm down!" Aotian quickly backed away and muttered, "Wow, it looks like I have a lioness at ho..."
"AOTIAN!!" Rihai fud with rage.
"What do you have at ho?! I dare you to repeat that!"
"Cough, cough! Calm down, I was talking about Zimba! She's a very friendly lioness and has a beautiful mane!"
"Idiot! Lionesses don't have manes!"
"Zimba does! She identifies as male!"
"What kind of nonsense are you talking about now?!"
"Sorry... wife!"
"AOTIAN!!!"
…
With jokes and flirting, the sadness dissipated, and the two continued their journey toward Azure Cloud City.
It took them a week to arrive since Aotian's speed limited them.
During this week, they also camped at night; otherwise, they would have arrived faster.
During those nights, Aotian always took the opportunity to train and, of course, made sure to take off his shirt to show off his physique in front of Rihai.
One could say Rihai spent the entire week sleeping with fire in her belly.
The sa was true for Aotian, but that was already a standard for a man. It could be said that imagination has no limits, and a man's imagination about won is limitless.
At the end of the journey, even though he was delayed, Aotian finally refined his blood to the mid-level.
His body grew stronger, but the most significant changes occurred in his avatars.
[Na: Tiān Zhǔ (aning: Heavenly Leader)
Position: Sect Leader
Cultivation: 4th level of Foundation Establishnt (2 major realms above the host)
Position Ability: Technique Derivation
Position Bonus: Battle Beyond Borders (power increased by 2x)]
--------------------
[Na: Liè Zhèng (aning: Fierce and Just)
Position: Elder of the Punishnt Pavilion
Cultivation: 4th level of Qi Refinent (1 major realm above the host)
Position Ability: Lie Detector
Position Bonus: Battle Beyond Borders (power increased by 1.5x)]
--------------------
[Na: Bǎo Huì (aning: Treasure and Cunning)
Position: Elder of the Treasure Pavilion
Cultivation: 4th level of Qi Refinent (1 major realm above the host)
Position Ability: Treasure Identification
Position Bonus: Deceptive Voice (persuasion power increased by 1.5x)]
All of them had reached the mid-level of their respective realms.
Now, to elevate the sect's rank, all that remained was to train two disciples with good qualifications until they reached the first realm of Qi Refinent.
'Soon, I'll be in a city full of rogue cultivators… There should be many cultivation techniques and perhaps even so essence refinent manuals. If I'm lucky, I might complete my martial arts manual.'
While reflecting, Aotian caught sight of the city's outline.
Azure Cloud City rose before them, surrounded by five mountains, as if a giant hand was cradling it in its palm.
If it were a mortal city, it would be easy to attack and difficult to defend. However, since it was a cultivator city, the most crucial factor was the spiritual veins in the valley located in the center of the mountains.
"I thought spiritual veins only appeared in mountains..." Aotian couldn't help but comnt.
Rihai looked at him, surprised.
"And you would be right. But occasionally, so appear like this. In this city's case, these five mountains were each nurturing a spiritual vein, a process that would take thousands of years. However, so rogue cultivators created formations and channeled the mountains' energy to the center, quickly forming a first-grade spiritual vein. In my opinion, that was an absurd waste. Each mountain could have developed its own spiritual vein of at least first grade, or even stronger. But out of greed, everything was condensed into a single first-grade spiritual vein."
She sighed, disapproving of human greed.
The two then passed through the city gates under the watchful eyes of the guards.
Only cultivators were allowed to enter. Those without spiritual energy fluctuations could only enter the city if accompanied by a cultivator. Otherwise, they would be expelled or, in so cases, killed.
Aotian was able to enter because he was with Rihai.
As soon as they crossed the gates, Aotian felt no difference—his lack of a spiritual root prevented him from sensing it. But for cultivators, the spiritual energy in the air was several tis greater than outside.
"This is the city's market." Rihai began explaining as they walked. "Many cultivators sell items directly on the streets or set up stalls. However, the products may not be reliable. Moreover, sellers might arbitrarily inflate prices or even mark a buyer as a target for robbery and assassination later."
She pointed to another area as she continued:
"If you don't mind making a little less profit in exchange for security, it's better to trade at the Qianbao Pavilion. There, at least, you won't be scamd. The prices are slightly higher, but they are fair."
"Over there, you can…"
Rihai explained various things, and Aotian absorbed each piece of information seriously, also asking questions.
Of everything she ntioned, the Qianbao Pavilion caught his attention the most. According to her, it was a branch of a great force, which ant it likely had access to a wider range of techniques—already paving a clear path for him to obtain what he desired.
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