Meeting Qingluan

Chapter 15: Meeting the Azure Luan

Leaving aside the Black-armored Middle-aged Man nursing his lingering fear alone, Shen Gui, after departing, casually found a desolate mountain, carved out a cave dwelling, and settled in.

Though he now knew that the Golden Immortal-level Azure Luan of Qingluan City was Empress Nuwa's mount, he still had to think carefully about how to use this information. After all, his current goal was merely to learn something about Empress Nuwa; if he actually alarmed her, that would be courting death.

Never mind that he was a Golden Immortal who had grasped the power of a Law—Empress Nuwa's mount was itself a Golden Immortal.

And so, Shen Gui spent his time half lost in wild thoughts, half cultivating, and half scheming.

As he mused, Shen Gui jolted awake—he had nearly dozed off again.

Still, even though a single nap had cost him over thirty years, his Magic Power had grown considerably purer, so it wasn't entirely wasted time.

More importantly, after waking, Shen Gui had at least come up with a plan that was better than nothing.

Directly approaching the Azure Luan for information was definitely out of the question. But even if he intended to proceed slowly, without a plausible excuse, suddenly trying to befriend the Azure Luan would surely arouse suspicion.

Thus, Shen Gui needed a pretext—one that would let him openly seek out the Azure Luan without raising doubts.

Now, he had that pretext.

It was defection.

For major powers like Heavenly Demon City, the Palace of the Demon Master, the Immortal Court, and the Demon Country, someone coming to pledge allegiance was perfectly normal.

Although, because Empress Nuwa and Great Sage Fuxi tended toward non-interference, fewer experts defected to Heavenly Demon City compared to other great powers, it wasn't unheard of.

So, Shen Gui planned to pose as a cultivator who admired Nuwa and Fuxi for establishing Heavenly Demon City to shelter all beings, and who wished to pledge himself to Fuxi. Lacking any connections, he had heard that the Lord of Qingluan City was Empress Nuwa's mount, and thus wanted to ask the Azure Luan for an introduction.

As for why he claimed to admire both Nuwa and Fuxi but wanted to defect to Fuxi...

Ahem.

After mulling it over for a moment, Shen Gui felt the reasoning was probably sound enough, so he left the desolate mountain where he had been in seclusion and headed back toward Qingluan City.

This time, since he was seeking an audience with the Azure Luan, Shen Gui did not enter the city upon arriving outside Qingluan City. Instead, he released his aura directly in the air above the outskirts.

The pressure of a Golden Immortal spread outward. At the same time, Shen Gui channeled his Magic Power and announced, "The Vast Desolation Wanderer, Shen Gui, requests an audience with the Lord of Qingluan City."

Sensing the pressure outside the city, countless gazes from within and without the city turned toward the sky.

After all, existences at the Golden Immortal realm were not common.

Moreover, this Golden Immortal was seeking an audience with the mysterious Golden Immortal lord of Qingluan City.

As everyone privately speculated about Shen Gui's identity and what business he might have with the Azure Luan lord, a voice—neither male nor female, utterly devoid of emotion—finally rang out from within Qingluan City: "Who are you? What business do you have with me?"

Hearing this, Shen Gui smiled faintly.

A response was good; if there had been silence, he would have been in a tight spot.

"I am but a wandering cultivator. I have important matters to discuss with the lord, and I humbly request an audience."

However, upon hearing this, the voice from Qingluan City said flatly, "I am ordered to guard this place. As long as the order of Qingluan City is not disturbed, I do not concern myself with other affairs."

But though the Azure Luan said this, Shen Gui had no intention of giving up: "What if it concerns Great Sage Fuxi and Empress Nuwa? Will the Lord of Qingluan City still not intervene?"

As Shen Gui's words spread, astonishment rippled through the city and its surroundings. In a remote stone house within Qingluan City, a figure in azure robes, seated cross-legged, slowly opened its eyes.

A sharp glint flashed in the azure figure's eyes. At the same time, that emotionless voice spoke again: "In that case, I invite the fellow daoist to enter the city for a discussion."

Before the words had even faded, a beam of azure light rose from within the city, transforming into a gale of cyan wind that shot toward Shen Gui.

Seeing this, the crowd inside and outside the city erupted in uproar.

Once before, two Golden Immortals had caused trouble in Qingluan City. The Azure Luan lord had not even shown itself—it had merely manipulated this same cyan wind and blown those two Golden Immortals into dust. Was the man outside the city about to die as well?

Yet, facing this sudden cyan wind imbued with the Law of Wind, Shen Gui showed no sign of retreating.

With a wave of his hand, a faint earthy yellow light rose before Shen Gui. The cyan wind crashed against it like waves striking a reef, then dissipated directly.

As the cyan wind vanished, Shen Gui also gleaned a piece of information from it.

Shaking his head slightly, Shen Gui thought to himself that this Azure Luan had quite a temper.

It said it invited him into the city for a talk, but if he couldn't withstand that cyan wind carrying the Law of Wind, forget about entering the city for a discussion—he would have lost his life.

Still, Shen Gui only kept such thoughts to himself and naturally did not show them.

Following the coordinates from that piece of information, Shen Gui entered the city directly, then sank into the ground and vanished.

A moment later, he reappeared outside a remote stone house within the city.