The party headed west, traveling by day and resting by night. After several days of hard travel, fatigue showed on everyone's faces, yet it could not conceal their anticipation for Spirit Seeking Prefecture City.
The casual conversations along the way always revolved around the various rumors concerning the prefectural city.
They spoke of the grand mountain gate of the Dragon Transformation Sect and discussed the prefectural city's distinctive delicacies. All manner of chatter intertwined, dispelling much of the tedium of the journey.
For the most part, Wang Yue merely listened quietly, occasionally adding a word or two as he discreetly gathered information about Spirit Seeking Prefecture City from everyone's idle talk.
That afternoon, the party crossed a mountain ridge, and the sight ahead suddenly opened up.
A majestic giant city stood upon the plains. Its walls rose more than ten zhang high, built from enormous blue-black stone blocks and stretching for dozens of li, like a dormant colossal dragon, magnificent and imposing.
Two banners flew atop the city walls. One was the crimson banner of the Dragon Transformation Sect, embroidered with dragon patterns; the other was a black banner bearing the words "Great Chang." The two hung side by side, proclaiming the area's unique balance of power.
"That's Spirit Seeking City!" someone in the party shouted, their tone brimming with awe.
Wang Hezheng stopped and pointed at the giant city as he said to Wang Yue, "Spirit Seeking City is the foremost major city of the Spirit Seeking territory. More than three hundred years ago, it was a frontier stronghold of the Zhao Kingdom. Later, Great Chang seized it, and the city changed hands many times. It was not until the Dragon Transformation Sect took it over more than two hundred years ago that things finally stabilized.
"But the imperial