"What are you looking at? All of you, scram! Didn't you hear me? Don't delay us. We have work to do here."
The two were acting like petty officials wielding borrowed authority. They were nothing more than lowly guards, yet they looked down on Ye Yang.
"Looks like this young hero is new here and doesn't know the rules. No wonder they're giving him such a hard time."
"Exactly. He looks like someone who isn't short of money, so why can't he even produce a little token of goodwill?"
The crowd gossiped among themselves, but none dared offend the two men to their faces. Thus, everyone still paid what they were supposed to.
"Young hero, since you're new here, how about I lend you a Spirit Stone?" Just as he was thinking about what to take out and whether he should pay, a man suddenly walked over and showed him some goodwill.
"A-Dai, you're being foolish again. Are you some kind of God of Wealth? Stop acting like an idiot here and hurry up and leave."
Ye Yang had thought someone was being kind. It turned out the man was merely treating him as a joke, using him purely for amusement.
As night fell, everyone quickened their pace. There was an unwritten rule here: once night arrived, not only would fierce beasts appear, but the most terrifying sandstorms would also descend.
From high above, White Cloud City looked like a gigantic male lion lying in the sand. Its walls towered into the sky and appeared incredibly sturdy; several carriages could run side by side atop them.
"The Young Sect Master followed your arrangements. Those two men will make things difficult for that kid. I just don't know how he'll deal with it."
"What should we do? Of course we'll sit back and watch. We have to give him a warning. He thinks he can challenge me in return and defeat me on the Prodigy Arena? That's simply a fool's dream."
"Of course. Who is the Young Sect Master? He's the foremost prodigy among Central Continent's younger generation. And who is Ye Yang? He's merely the deposed Young Sect Master of a minor Ye Household."
Atop the towering city wall, a man was reporting the situation to his master. This man was none other than Qin Hao.
"That's enough. Don't be careless. Act according to the circumstances, understand? I'll go down first."
"Rest assured, Young Sect Master. I'll make him regret it and ensure he can't enter this gate. When he fails to make the appointment within the stipulated time, he'll become a laughingstock."
"Fine, do it that way!" After giving Qin Hao a few simple instructions, Qin Hao looked at everything before him and revealed a satisfied smile.
It was said that even a peak Martial King had once encountered a sandstorm, only to vanish without a trace by the next day, buried beneath the earth with his life or death unknown.
Even Martial Saints could only temporarily avoid the edge of this strange sandstorm and hurry into White Cloud City as quickly as possible.
The local official was harder to deal with than a distant one. Though they appeared to be two insignificant guards, they had actually landed a lucrative post, and everyone cooperated willingly.
Paying once or twice was a favor. Paying three or four times meant it was something you ought to do. Over time, everyone had formed an unspoken understanding!
Spending a little money to avoid disaster and entering White Cloud City as quickly as possible was better than being devoured by fierce beasts and sandstorms.
"Officer, this young hero's fee—I'll pay it for him, all right?" Just when Ye Yang thought the matter was about to end, a fat man suddenly stepped forward and proactively took out a Spirit Stone for him.
One didn't strike a smiling face. The man wore a broad grin, and what was more, he was extremely generous, taking out three Spirit Stones instead.
"Big brother, how about we let it go? Why bother arguing with him?"
As the saying went, money could make ghosts turn a millstone. Under these circumstances, one of them was clearly tempted.
After all, what they were doing was no different from playing with a tiger's whiskers. Someone had clearly permitted it, so most of the money was taken by their superiors, leaving very little for them.
The other party had suddenly produced three Spirit Stones. Even after handing two upward, the two of them could still split half a stone between them.
"Enough, Little Brother. Do you know our principles? If we're in a good mood, I can choose not to charge him. If we're in a bad mood, not even the Celestial Emperor himself can do anything. If there's anyone to blame, blame this kid for having bad luck."
A pair of sharp eyes swept over the crowd, seeming especially piercing in the darkness. Everyone was intimidated. No one had expected him to fly into such a rage.
"Hurry up. Don't waste my time." The others were also very sensible. They directly paid a Spirit Stone and were allowed to leave, while the guards turned a blind eye and blatantly performed their preferential treatment in front of Ye Yang.
"Hurry up, hurry up! Didn't you hear me? Don't delay us. We have work to do."
The two men divided the labor. One busied himself collecting money while the other kept an eye on Ye Yang, afraid he would run away. After all, to kill the chicken as a warning to the monkeys, they had to produce an example.
They continued dragging things out until nightfall, and Ye Yang still had not entered the city. The time he had agreed upon was drawing closer and closer.
"Kid, look at how well-dressed you are. Don't tell me you can't even produce a Spirit Stone?"
The two men were unbearably arrogant. Their presence had already driven Ye Yang into a state of blazing fury.
"Young brother, if you have a Spirit Stone, just hand it over. Don't fight these two men head-on. You won't gain anything from it. If you refuse to heed an elder's advice, you'll suffer for it right before your eyes."
One person after another paid to avoid trouble and entered the city. Only Ye Yang's solitary figure remained outside.
"I have no money, but I have one life. If you have the ability, come over and take it. If you don't, then shut your mouths."
Ye Yang narrowed his eyes slightly. The aura around him suddenly surged, and an invisible pressure spread in every direction.
"Oh? Kid, I didn't expect you to have some backbone. You should know that we only recognize money, not people. Unless your backer is truly formidable, there's nothing to discuss."
He had originally wanted to communicate one last time and make one final attempt at reconciliation, so that both sides could walk away peacefully and avoid a major conflict and needless bloodshed.
"Scram. Right now. Move aside!"
His voice was low and full of strength, as though every word had been squeezed out from between his teeth!
Burning with fury, he clenched his fists tightly. If he hadn't wanted to prevent the situation from escalating, he would have already erupted. After repeatedly yielding, these people had taken him for a pushover.
"Enough! How many times must I say it? Don't challenge my patience and my limits. Move aside, now."
With that, he gently raised his hand. A faint glow of Spiritual Energy gathered at his fingertip. It was not dazzling, yet it was enough to send a chill through the heart.
"Who exactly are you? What are you trying to do? I advise you to think carefully before you speak. Don't challenge our trump card."
The situation was changing unpredictably. At that moment, with him at the center, the air around them suddenly turned several degrees colder.
The surrounding air seemed to freeze. The two guards' faces instantly paled, and a trace of terror flashed through their eyes.
"What are you trying to do?"
They involuntarily retreated several steps. Their former arrogance was snuffed out in an instant, replaced by awe toward this unknown power.
"Do you know what this is?"
He had endured as much as he could. Now, there was no need to endure any longer. Ye Yang directly took out the token the Abbot of White Cloud had given him.
"What's going on? Is this the legendary Azure Cloud Token?"
It wasn't frightening not to recognize a treasure; what was frightening was seeing how it compared to others. Someone had recognized that this token's origins were extraordinary.
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