Black Rock City

A black-red streak of light swiftly cut across the sky.

Wei Yang held Ye Xian'er in his arms, the Black Wings on his back beating as his figure swept through the air.

His speed was somewhat faster than when he had first entered the desert.

Three months ago, when they had first arrived at the Tagor Desert, one had been a one-star Dou Ling, while the other had been a one-star Da Dou Shi.

Now, three months later, as they departed, one was a seven-star Dou Ling, and the other a nine-star Da Dou Shi.

Of course, those were merely superficial gains and hardly worth mentioning.

The gains they had made in secret were far more precious.

Xian'er had gone from possessing a simple poison attribute to a fire poison attribute, and she had also gained a strand of pure, dense Wood Attribute. After refining a peak fourth-tier Beast Flame, she had even begun playing with fire.

Wei Yang, meanwhile, had gone from having a fire attribute with a trace of yang energy to possessing a strand of pure, dense Wood Attribute as well. He had likewise refined a peak fourth-tier Beast Flame.

They now both possessed the foundation to become alchemists.

Of the eleven Lotus Seeds, five remained. Needless to say, they too were precious and rare treasures.

They had also obtained the Green Lotus Core Flame, a Heaven and Earth Spiritual Object.

Wei Yang's Soul Power had increased by more than double overall.

Oh, and there was also that unknown, mysterious Black Iron Scroll they had traded from the mercenaries.

All of these could be called tremendous gains!

Flying through the air, Wei Yang felt utterly refreshed.

"Brother Yang, weren't we supposed to return to Wu Tan City? Why are we going to Black Rock City?" Ye Xian'er poked out her little head and watched the scenery rapidly recede outside. As the terrain gradually shifted from desert to Gobi hills, she asked curiously.

"We lack an alchemist's inheritance. We're going to Black Rock City to rob... ah, ahem, to find a friend and borrow a few things," Wei Yang said.

There was a Third-Grade Alchemist in Black Rock City named Gute, who was Pill King Gu He's brother.

Though he was only a mere Third-Grade Alchemist, the richness of his collection...

According to the original account, his collection was enough to make any alchemist in the Jia Ma Empire green with envy.

Not only did he possess an alchemist's inheritance, but he also had many Pill Formulas, precious medicinal herbs, and all sorts of other good things.

He also possessed a treasure: the Ice Spirit Cold Spring.

Those were all reasons for Wei Yang to seek him out.

Surely someone with such an extensive collection would not disappoint him.

Once this job was done, he would hide back in Wu Tan City and quietly build up his strength for a while. That was what Wei Yang thought.

Ye Xian'er's eyes rolled slightly as she understood what Wei Yang meant. She could not help smiling with pursed lips.

Rob? Borrow?

It did not matter.

Whatever Brother Yang wanted to do had to be right, and she had to support him with all her might.

Three days later.

After flying all the way, Wei Yang finally arrived smoothly at his destination: Black Rock City.

He gradually slowed down and gazed toward the enormous city silhouette faintly visible ahead.

As the distance steadily closed, the vast city, reflecting a pale red sheen beneath the setting sun's afterglow, became increasingly clear.

"Black Rock City, we're here!" Wei Yang let out a breath and said with a smile.

Hearing this, Ye Xian'er curiously poked out her little head. Looking at the enormous city outline ahead, she exclaimed, "Is this Black Rock City? It looks much bigger than both Wu Tan City and Shimo City!"

"Yes, it truly is a large city." Wei Yang nodded.

Black Rock City was a major city located in the eastern provinces of the Jia Ma Empire.

Its scale was even more imposing and vast than Wu Tan City's.

In terms of overall strength, this city called Black Rock City ranked among the best of all the major cities in the Jia Ma Empire.

As the distance between them shrank further, Wei Yang finally got a clear look at the city.

To his surprise, he found that the city's massive walls had been constructed entirely from neat blocks of black rock.

This black rock was an exceptionally hard material.

Thick city walls built entirely from black rock could withstand the full-force bombardment of a Dou Wang without being shaken in the slightest.

This showed just how sturdy this black rock was.

And the defensive strength of walls built completely from black rock was naturally even more formidable.

As they neared Black Rock City, the number of pedestrians on the road below gradually increased.

The stream of people extended along the road toward Black Rock City's gates like a long dragon.

Wei Yang found a secluded grove nearby and landed.

Then the two of them strolled out of the woods and gradually merged into the crowd on the road.

In a major city like this, the daily flow of people entering and leaving was terrifyingly high, so traffic at the gates was naturally very orderly.

Thus, before long, Wei Yang and Ye Xian'er arrived at the city gates. After paying the entry tax, they entered the city without incident.

Holding Xian'er's hand as they passed through the somewhat dark passage in the city wall, their view suddenly opened up.

A roaring tide of clamor crashed into their ears, catching them off guard and making their heads throb faintly.

After shaking their slightly dizzy heads, the two stood hand in hand on the street, looking at the densely packed crowds all around them as far as the eye could see.

Having grown somewhat accustomed to the quiet environment of the Underground Lava World, they found themselves momentarily unable to react after suddenly entering such a bustling scene.

Only after a while did Wei Yang come back to his senses and sigh. "It truly deserves to be called one of the empire's top major cities."

Ye Xian'er also recovered from her shock and nodded blankly. "There are so many people!"

As far as the eye could see, all the way to the end of their vision, there were densely packed heads. There was simply no way to count how many people there were.

"Come on. Let's find somewhere to stay first." Wei Yang pulled Xian'er into the crowded throng ahead and walked onward.

"Brother Yang, this city is so huge and there are so many people. Where does that friend you want to rob... I mean, find, live?" Xian'er stayed close beside Wei Yang and asked softly.

"I don't know either, but he's very famous in Black Rock City. We'll know once we ask around," Wei Yang answered in a low voice.

"Oh, then what do we do after we find him?" Xian'er looked a little nervous, her bright, watery eyes cautiously surveying their surroundings from time to time.

"First we do this, then we do that..."

"Mhm..."

The two whispered to each other all the way, looking like thieves.

Well, that was indeed the case.

Except they were not thieves.

They were bandits!

Ruthless bandits!

Before long, they stopped in front of a spacious, luxuriously decorated inn.

After sizing up the inn, Wei Yang said with satisfaction, "This will do."

With that, he took Ye Xian'er's hand, and the two entered.

That evening, Wei Yang merely took a stroll outside and successfully learned all the relevant information about Gute.

This information had been easy to obtain in the first place.

After all, while he might not have been famous throughout the entire Jia Ma Empire, he was extremely well-known in Black Rock City.

It was not only because he was Pill King Gu He's biological younger brother, but also because of his eccentric personality.

He clearly had decent talent for alchemy, yet he refused to devote his mind to the craft. Instead, he was obsessed with collecting all kinds of heavenly materials and rare treasures, causing his alchemist rank to remain stuck at the third grade.

His obsession with all kinds of heavenly materials and rare treasures had nearly reached a pathological level.

Whenever he discovered that someone possessed something good, he would immediately cling to them stubbornly, refusing to stop until he got what he wanted.

He was extremely annoying and gave people headaches.

Yet not only was he a Third-Grade Alchemist, he also possessed the strength of a Da Dou Shi and was Pill King Gu He's biological younger brother. At least within the Jia Ma Empire, basically no one dared provoke him casually.

If Pill King Gu He had not been protecting him, then with only Da Dou Shi strength while possessing such a rich collection, he would have been robbed countless times already.

Still, though Gute was irritating, his nature was not all that bad. He was merely somewhat old-fashioned and stubborn.

Moreover, what he hated most in his life was hearing the name "Gu He" mentioned in front of him.

Although he himself knew that he could not have come this far without the help of his biological brother, Gu He, the moment anyone mentioned Gu He before him, he would immediately fly into a rage and drive them out.

That was why he had chosen to stay far away from the Misty Cloud Sect and live alone in Black Rock City, this major city in the east of the empire. It had also given Wei Yang an opportunity to make his move against him.