Holy City

Chapter 41: Holy City

"There had never been a Battle Immortal among the heavens. If it were possible, perhaps I could fill that void. Who could say what the future held?"

Having discovered an entirely new possibility, Qin Sheng felt that the world was vast enough for him to roam freely.

Nine lifetimes as a Red Dust Immortal would take far too long. I would seize every moment!

Now, onward to Holy City!

A day later, Qin Sheng, who had been flying at high speed, suddenly came to a halt. To his left, the earth shook and mountains trembled as dust billowed into the sky.

A band of riders mounted on strange beasts thundered across the land. They charged into a village, seized the villagers' Source, and even abducted several young women.

"Bandits and marauders..."

Qin Sheng narrowed his eyes, rode a streak of divine light over, and landed in the village.

"Who are you?"

The bandit leader was a burly man. He stared at Qin Sheng with murderous intent in his eyes.

Qin Sheng merely glanced at him, his divine sense suppressing the man's soul. The bandit, who was in the Divine Bridge Realm, immediately froze in place, unable to move.

His divine sense surged forth as Qin Sheng searched through the man's memories, and his brows drew tightly together.

This was a band of bandits that roamed the nearby region, making their living through robbery, kidnapping, and murder.

They even forced the people of village after village to search for Source and offer it to them as tribute. If the villagers failed to meet their demands, they would slaughter entire villages without hesitation—and they had done so more than once or twice.

"They truly deserved to die."

Qin Sheng shook his head and spat out a stream of flame, incinerating every one of the bandits.

"Thank you, Immortal! Thank you, Immortal!"

The villagers fell to their knees and repeatedly kowtowed to Qin Sheng. The rescued women wept with joy.

"This band of marauders is dead, but there will always be another. You should make plans early and move, if possible, into the territories of reputable sects and orthodox powers."

After leaving those words behind, Qin Sheng departed.

That was simply how the Northern Territory was. Bloodshed and chaos were its eternal themes.

This place produced abundant Source. To cultivators, it was even more important than oil and gold were to mortals on Earth.

Thus, vast numbers of bandits and raiders had emerged. Like locusts, they roamed the lands of the Northern Territory. Wipe out one group, and another would appear, endlessly replenished.

Some bandits were independent cultivators, while others were backed by cultivation factions, serving as tools for those factions to plunder Source.

Above them were the true great bandits, such as the Thirteen Great Bandits renowned throughout the Northern Territory. Every one of them was a peak expert of the Immortal Platform Secret Realm.

The Thirteen Great Bandits operated on a higher level. They would not target ordinary mortals or minor sects; instead, they specifically set their sights on the Source Stone mines of holy lands and aristocratic clans.

The Northern Territory of the Eastern Wilderness held an extremely special position on the Big Dipper Ancient Star. Not only did the holy lands and aristocratic clans of the Eastern Wilderness have a presence there, but imperial dynasties from the Central Plains, the Golden Families of the Northern Plains, and others had also stationed themselves in the Northern Territory.

Nowhere on the Big Dipper Ancient Star was the situation more chaotic or complicated.

After that, whenever Qin Sheng encountered bandits committing evil deeds on his way to Holy City, he did not hesitate to act.

At last, after crossing a vast distance, Qin Sheng arrived at his destination.

Holy City, the heart of the Northern Territory, was built upon an oasis spanning tens of thousands of miles. The people of the Northern Territory revered it as sacred land.

Not only was this place prosperous, it was also safe. Even the great bandits would not come here to plunder, for every major lineage with a name on Beidou had gathered in Holy City.

No matter how vicious they were, even the great bandits would not dare offend everyone to the bitter end.

The city was incomparably magnificent. Its walls stretched endlessly, like a colossal beast lying dormant. Spiritual energy overflowed all around it, utterly unlike the desolation of the Northern Territory.

"We've finally reached Holy City!"

"Heavens, it's so majestic! It's countless times bigger than our village."

"I heard that Holy City is also called Divine City. Long ago, it was a city floating in the sky, only falling to the ground during the Archaic Era."

Amid the crowd's astonished cries, Qin Sheng entered Holy City. Its interior was even more prosperous, with palaces stretching one after another, like an immortal realm.

Qin Sheng moved through the crowds, taking in the sights as he thought to himself.

I wonder whether that Wicked Daoist has gotten anything.

His meeting place with Duan De had been set in Holy City.

Originally, Qin Sheng had told Duan De to simply find him at the Shaking Light Holy Land, but that fat bastard did not dare go there and stubbornly refused.

Duan De feared that if he went to Shaking Light, Qin Sheng would ask his elders to act, make a deal without paying anything, and leave both the Dao-Life Mother Stone and several hundred jin of his flesh behind...

Qin Sheng could only say that the Wicked Daoist was judging a gentleman's heart by his own petty standards. Was he really the sort of person who would rob a fellow robber?

What a pity...

The Shaking Light Holy Land had its own residence in Holy City. After identifying himself, Qin Sheng moved in directly.

He asked the disciples on duty there, but no one had come looking for him during this time.

What was Duan De up to?

Holy City was flourishing, and it was Qin Sheng's first time here. He planned to take a stroll around.

However, not long after Qin Sheng left the Shaking Light residence, someone began trailing behind him and quickly closed the distance.

Qin Sheng glanced back and saw a familiar fat face repeatedly signaling to him with its eyes before turning and leaving.

Qin Sheng roughly understood what Duan De meant and followed him. In the end, the two arrived beside a quiet, deserted lake.

"You people are really interesting. You always meet in places like this," Qin Sheng said with a smile.

"Unlike you, a disciple of a holy land, I have no one to rely on. It's better to be cautious."

Duan De stared at Qin Sheng and asked, "Where's what I asked for?"

"You might not have brought what I asked for either."

The two looked at each other. Finally, Duan De forced a smile.

"Brother Qin!"

"Stop right there. You're not my brother."

"Didn't we say before that we'd cut off a chicken's head, burn yellow paper, and swear brotherhood?"

"The past was the past, and the present is the present. Since you love bringing up the past so much, why not mention your previous life?"

Duan De was furious. This brat truly had no respect for the old or care for the young.

"I brought the item," he said in a low voice.

Qin Sheng immediately broke into a radiant smile, his tone brimming with warmth.

"Good brother, I knew I hadn't misjudged you!"

Duan De's eyes widened. So now he was his brother again?

This Daoist master had never seen anyone so shameless!

"Let me see yours."

"This isn't a suitable place. Let's find somewhere we won't be disturbed, then admire each other's goods. How about it?"

Duan De said quietly, "The treasures are precious, and this is Holy City. Who knows how many mighty experts are here? If some peerless master discovers us, neither of us will have an easy time."

After thinking it over, Qin Sheng found that Duan De had a point.

Holy City was a place where dragons crouched and tigers hid. Toss a brick into the street at random, and the person it hit would either be the heir of some great sect or a direct descendant of an aristocratic clan.

The old man you bumped into on the road might be a Supreme Elder of some holy land.

Holy City's "passersby" were especially terrifying. They seemed to know almost everything. Making a deal here truly was not safe.

"We'll leave the city separately," Qin Sheng said.

The two left Holy City one after the other. Only after they had gone far from the ancient city did they meet up again.

Duan De smiled brilliantly. "Immortal Qin, I know an extremely secluded place where we definitely won't be disturbed. Shall we trade there?"

"Fellow Daoist."

Qin Sheng gave a smile that did not reach his eyes. "That doesn't sound very sincere."

"You don't dare go to the Shaking Light Holy Land. Do you think I'd dare go to your turf with you?"

"What are you saying? I sincerely want to trade," Duan De declared passionately.

"With my character, what is there not to trust? The name Duan De itself is a guarantee!"

It was precisely because Qin Sheng knew Duan De's character that he did not dare trust him.

Qin Sheng was certain that the secluded place Duan De mentioned had already been turned into an inescapable net. Once he went there...

Duan De probably would not take his life, but this Wicked Daoist would certainly strip him clean of every last possession.

In the world of Shrouding the Heavens, trusting Duan De was worse than trusting a dog.

No, even the dogs in this world could not be trusted!

(End of Chapter)