Amid the vast sea of clouds, a majestic city sprawled across the earth like a giant whale.
It was Huaqing City.
This city lay more than two thousand li from the Azure Heaven Mansion Sect and marked the farthest edge of the sect's sphere of influence.
Three days later, beneath a sky as clear as freshly washed glass, a spirit bird with a snow-white body and brilliantly shimmering wings cut across the heavens.
At last, it landed precisely on the flat square before the City Lord's Mansion.
Four figures leaped down from its back.
Lu Xuan stood at the forefront with his hands behind his back. The dark wave patterns on his azure-cloud robes glimmered beneath the morning sun like rippling water.
This was the heart of Huaqing City, and it was already teeming with voices and bustling with activity.
A dense crowd surged together like a tide, packing the area so tightly not even water could pass through.
Noisy chatter and ceaseless cries from vendors intertwined into a lively yet slightly chaotic scene of city life.
Yet beyond the packed outer crowd, the innermost area presented an entirely different sight—one of perfect order.
The enormous venue had been cleverly divided into four neat sections.
Each section was arranged with meticulous precision, like the formations of a well-trained army.
Before these four sections stood four flagpoles, straight and tall, their banners snapping in the wind.
The patterns and words embroidered upon those banners were not merely symbols, but representations of the dignity and strength of the great powers behind them.
The Qian Family, the Yang Family, the Shi Family, and the Mad Wolf Gang.
To the people of Huaqing City, these four names had long thundered in their ears and been deeply branded upon every heart.
Within this city, aside