Holy City

"Myriad Heavens had never seen a Battle Immortal. If it was possible, perhaps I could fill that void. Who could say what the future held?"

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

Nine lives as a Red Dust Immortal had been 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 stopped. To his left, the earth shook and mountains trembled as dust filled the air.

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

"Bandits..."

Qin Sheng narrowed his eyes, rode a rainbow beam over, and landed in the village.

"Who are you?"

The bandits' leader was a burly man. He stared at Qin Sheng with baleful aura in his eyes.

Qin Sheng merely glanced at him and used his Divine Thought to suppress his spirit. The bandit, who was in the Divine Bridge Realm, immediately froze in place, unable to move.

Divine Thought surged forth as Qin Sheng searched through the man's memories, his brows furrowing deeply.

This was a bandit gang that roamed the surrounding region, specializing in robbery, kidnapping, and murder.

They even forced the people of village after village to search for Source and offer it up to them. If the villagers failed to meet their demands, they would massacre the entire village. It was hardly their first time doing so.

"They truly deserved to die."

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

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

The villagers knelt on the ground, repeatedly kowtowing to Qin Sheng. The rescued women wept with joy.

"This group of bandits may be dead, but there will always be another. You should make plans early and move into the territories of reputable sects if you can."

After leaving those words behind, Qin Sheng departed.

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

Source was abundant here. To cultivators, it was even more important than oil and gold were to Mortals on Earth.

Thus, countless roaming bandits emerged. Like locusts, they swept across the lands of the Northern Territory. Wipe out one group, and another would appear, endlessly.

Some bandits were rogue cultivators, while others were backed by cultivation factions, serving as tools for them 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 an Apex Expert of the Immortal Platform Secret Realm.

The Thirteen Great Bandits operated on a higher level. They would not target lowly Mortals or minor sects, instead setting their sights on the Source Stone Mines of sacred lands and aristocratic families.

The Northern Territory of the Eastern Wilderness held an exceptionally special position on the Big Dipper Ancient Star. Not only had the sacred lands and aristocratic families of the Eastern Wilderness stationed themselves here, but imperial dynasties from the Central Plains and the Golden Family of the Northern Plains had done so as well.

The situation here was the most chaotic and complicated on the entire Big Dipper Ancient Star.

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

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

Holy City, the center of the Northern Territory, was built upon an oasis stretching tens of thousands of li in every direction. The people of the Northern Territory regarded it as Divine Soil.

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

No matter how vicious they were, even great bandits did not dare offend everyone to the death.

The city was incomparably majestic, its walls stretching as far as the eye could see like a colossal beast lying sprawled across the land. Spiritual energy overflowed all around it, utterly unlike the desolation of the Northern Territory.

"We've finally reached Holy City!"

"Heavens, it's so grand! 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 exclamations, Qin Sheng entered Holy City. Its interior was even more prosperous, with palaces stretching endlessly onward as though he had entered an immortal realm.

Qin Sheng moved through the crowd, admiring the sights as he thought to himself.

I wonder whether that Wicked Daoist has gained anything.

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

Qin Sheng had originally told Duan De to simply find him at the Shaking Light Holy Land, but that Fatty 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 capital, 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 to rob a robber?

What a pity...

The Shaking Light Holy Land had its own residence in Holy City. After confirming his identity, Qin Sheng moved in directly.

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

What was Duan De doing?

Holy City was flourishing, and this was Qin Sheng's first visit. He planned to take a look around.

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

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

Qin Sheng roughly understood Duan De's meaning and followed him. Eventually, the two arrived beside a secluded, deserted lake.

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

"Unlike you, I'm not a disciple of a sacred land. I have no one to rely on, so it's better to be careful."

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

"You might not have brought what I wanted either."

The two stared at each other. In the end, Duan De broke into a flattering smile.

"Brother Qin!"

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

"Didn't we say before that we'd slaughter a chicken, burn yellow paper, and become sworn brothers?"

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

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

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

Qin Sheng immediately beamed and said enthusiastically,

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

Duan De's eyes widened. I'm your brother again now?

This Daoist master had never seen such a shameless person!

"Let me see yours."

"This isn't the right place. Shall we find somewhere we won't be disturbed and admire each other's treasures there?"

Duan De said quietly, "The treasures are precious. This is Holy City, and who knows how many Great Abilities are here? If some peerless expert discovers us, neither of us will have an easy time."

After thinking it over, Qin Sheng found Duan De's words reasonable.

Holy City was filled with hidden dragons and crouching tigers. Toss a brick onto any street, and whoever it hit would either be a holy land's chosen disciple or the direct descendant of an aristocratic family.

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

The "passersby" of Holy City were especially terrifying. They seemed to know nearly everything. Trading here truly was unsafe.

"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 brightly. "Qin Immortal, 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. "You aren't being very sincere."

"You don't dare go to the Shaking Light Holy Land, so why should I dare go to your territory?"

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

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

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 a dragnet. Once he went there...

His life would not be in danger, but this Wicked Daoist would definitely strip him clean of every valuable he had.

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

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