Qin Yu stood in the void that had just fallen silent. The Inverted Mountains around him remained suspended in silence, with faint stardust floating between the rock layers. The refining process that had just merged with the origin of heaven and earth had long since ended, and the chaotic ripples remaining in the air had gradually sunk into the depths of the void.
The Silent Origin Stainless Sword hovered quietly beside him, its blade resembling a deep galaxy that flowed slowly. The newly born sword-wielding divine power had completely merged into his Fate Soul and sword intent, like an eternal imprint etched into his being.
Qin Yu slowly stood up, his robes swaying gently in the void. Xiao Yue leaped back onto his shoulder, crossed her arms, and looked at the distant void.
Qin Yu's gaze was calm and profound. "Let's go," he said in a low voice. "The convoy should be almost at North City · Stele Forest Imperial City by now."
As soon as he finished speaking, his figure transformed into a faint stream of light and disappeared into the distant void.
On the edge of the North City border of another world, amidst the distant sea of clouds, an incomparably magnificent city is slowly emerging at the edge of the world.
That was the Stele Forest Imperial City. The convoy had already reached the outskirts of the Imperial City. Shen Qingchen and the other seven stood on the hill, gazing at the giant city in the distance.
Their gazes froze almost simultaneously, for the sight before them was simply too awe-inspiring: in the distance, a colossal divine city stretched across the heavens and earth.
The entire city seemed to be cast from gold and divine metal.
The outermost edge is a city wall thousands of feet high, densely covered with ancient inscriptions. Each stone emanates a faint divine light, as if recording countless eras of civilization and history.
In the center of the city, a magnificent golden dome stretched across the sky, an arched gate of unimaginable size.
The archway is covered with countless intricate bas-reliefs, which depict a cosmic epic: celestial stars, ancient deities, the rise and fall of civilizations, and the collapse of the world...
All of history is etched on that door; inside the archway lies a magnificent divine city.
A massive imperial palace stands at the deepest part of the palace, its golden light shining brightly, like a sleeping star suspended in a sea of clouds.
Outside the imperial city, hundreds of staircases leading to the heavens stretch from the earth all the way to the city gate, with countless giant pillars standing on both sides of the staircases.
The pillars were thousands of feet tall, carved with ancient divine patterns. Clouds rolled around the city below, and from a distance, the entire imperial city seemed to float in the sky.
In the far distance, in the sky, a huge vortex of light slowly rotated, like a cosmic eye that was opening.
A golden beam of light descended from the center of the vortex, enveloping the entire imperial city. Countless cultivators were entering the city along the heavenly staircase.
Like a pilgrim, Shen Qingchen stood quietly on the hill, gazing at the distant Stele Forest Imperial City.
He sighed softly. "Fellow Daoist Qin Yu..." He gazed into the distance. "Why haven't you returned yet?"
There was a hint of worry in his voice, and a cultivator beside him shook his head. "Brother Shen, don't worry. Fellow Daoist Qin will be fine."
He smiled. "Besides, that Ancient God Clan cultivator has already been severely injured by us," another cultivator added.
"Yes." "With Fellow Daoist Qin's strength, there won't be any problems." "If something unexpected really happens, it's probably someone else who will suffer."
The group exchanged glances and couldn't help but smile. Then one of them looked towards the imperial city. "Why don't we rest outside the city for a while?"
"We'll wait for Fellow Daoist Qin." "There's still one day until the escort is scheduled." "We've already arrived ahead of schedule." Shen Qingchen nodded slightly.
The other six nodded in unison. "Yes, alright." Shen Qingchen looked towards the road in the distance and said softly, "Then we'll wait for Fellow Daoist Qin here."
The sea of clouds surged, and the distant imperial city slowly shone in golden light. In the depths of the sky further away, a streak of light was rapidly approaching from the edge of the void.
A sea of clouds surged outside the Stele Forest Imperial City, while a golden heavenly gate hung high in the sky, its massive arched entrance resembling a gateway connecting heaven and earth. Countless staircases leading to the heavens extended upwards from the earth, their sides flanked by divine pillars that pierced the clouds, inscribed with ancient texts, divine radiance flowing between the lines.
Like countless slumbering eras slowly breathing. People come and go on the plains outside the city, cultivators, caravans and convoys from all directions converge on that magnificent divine city like rivers. From afar, the entire world is shrouded in the golden radiance emanating from the imperial city.
Shen Qingchen and the other six were standing on a high slope outside the city. The caravan was parked behind them, with several giant hearses carrying medicinal herbs lined up neatly. The edges of the wheels were engraved with protective runes, faintly emitting a spiritual light. As they waited, they looked at the road leading to the imperial city in the distance.
Suddenly, one of the cultivators' gazes sharpened. He raised his hand and pointed to the distant horizon. "Look—" "Isn't that Fellow Daoist Qin?"
Upon hearing this, the group turned their heads almost simultaneously, and in the distance, a figure was stepping through the clouds from the depths of the sky.
The figure's robes fluttered lightly, and his steps were neither hurried nor slow, yet each step seemed to traverse dozens of feet of space.
It was Qin Yu! A smile immediately appeared on Shen Qingchen's face. He raised his hand, waved, and shouted loudly.
"Brother Qin--!" "Over here! Over here!" Qin Yu's gaze shifted slightly, and he quickly spotted them.
With a light tap of his foot, his figure descended like a faint stream of light, and a few breaths later, Qin Yu had already landed beside the group.
Shen Qingchen was the first to step forward. He raised his hand and patted Qin Yu on the shoulder, his tone warm.
"Oh, Brother Qin, you're finally back!" He looked Qin Yu up and down, his expression showing concern.
"How are you?" "That kid didn't hurt you, did he?" Qin Yu smiled gently.
His expression remained calm. "Yes, no." His tone was even. "He has been—completely Annihilation by me."
Everyone was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, then their faces showed amazement, and several people stepped forward to greet Qin Yu.
"Fellow Daoist Qin is indeed exceptionally strong." "That Ancient God Clan cultivator was quite powerful, but I didn't expect Fellow Daoist Qin to defeat him so easily."
"Haha, I knew Fellow Daoist Qin would be alright." The others spoke with great admiration, but Qin Yu simply smiled faintly.
He then clasped his hands slightly in a fist and said, "Thank you for waiting here, fellow Daoists." "I, Qin, am grateful."
Shen Qingchen immediately waved his hand. "Oh, Brother Qin, don't be so polite." A cultivator beside him also said with a smile.
"Yes, it's fate that brought us together to escort this batch of medicinal herbs."
He paused here, his tone becoming slightly more serious. "Besides—"
"If Brother Qin hadn't uncovered the conspiracy between the Holy Clan and the Ancient God Clan, this shipment would probably be in danger long ago."
Another cultivator nodded repeatedly. "That's right." "Speaking of which, we should actually thank Brother Qin."
Qin Yu shook his head, his expression remaining humble. "You flatter me. It's all thanks to your trust in me."
Shen Qingchen glanced at the distant imperial city. The golden heavenly gate shimmered slowly amidst the sea of clouds.
He clapped his hands lightly. "Now that Brother Qin is back, let's head straight into the city."
He said with a smile, "After this shipment is delivered—" "Everyone will come to my house."
"Let's have a good drink!" The group burst into laughter. "Okay!" "Haha, it's a deal!"
"Don't skimp on the good wine then." The atmosphere immediately lightened. Shen Qingchen turned and waved.
"Let's go!" "Into the city!" The convoy started again, and the vehicle moved slowly forward. The eight people dispersed again around the convoy to escort it.
The towering staircase leading to the Stele Forest Imperial City stretches through the sea of clouds, and the golden city gate draws ever closer.
The colossal divine city slowly unfolded, like a slumbering ancient world.
The sea of clouds slowly surged around the outskirts of the Stele Forest Imperial City, and the high slope where Qin Yu and the others had just stopped had long since returned to silence.
The wind whistled across the grass, and in the distance, the enormous staircase leading to the imperial city stretched towards the sky in golden light, like a divine path traversing heaven and earth.
However, not long after the convoy left, the void suddenly trembled slightly, and several figures silently appeared in the same spot.
There were seven people in total.
The six individuals exuded an aura as heavy as deep-sea currents, and the space around them was subtly distorted, clearly indicating that they were all powerful experts at the Realm Breaking Realm Supreme.
The person standing at the very front exuded an even more unfathomable aura, his entire being resembling a silent mountain, with the surrounding air constantly and subtly collapsing.
That was the advanced stage of the Mystic Void Realm. A black-robed cultivator slowly raised his hand, and a spirit jade talisman lit up in his palm.
An image appeared within the jade talisman; the image was Qin Yu, another cultivator at the Realm Breaking Realm said coldly.
"Elder." "It must be him." "He looks exactly like the image Hua Jingmeng gave us."
He pointed to the image in the jade talisman, "The cultivation level also matches perfectly." Another person said with a frown.
"Elder, Qingfeng, Song Yu, and Liu Quan from our clan went to ambush him but have not returned yet."
"And Qin Yu is actually hanging out with the escorts now." The Mystic Void Realm elder remained silent for a moment.
He slowly raised his head, his gaze fixed on the direction of the Stele Forest Imperial City, his eyes like a knife hidden in the darkness.
"Ignore the three of them for now," he said in a low voice. "Go." "Follow them." He clenched his fist slightly.
A low, resonant sound echoed in the air, "As long as Qin Yu separates from them," "He can be killed instantly."
As he said this, a slight smile appeared on his lips. "Hua Jingmeng has already sent me a message."
"The reward has been increased to one hundred and fifty God-Level Resonance Crystal."
As soon as the words fell, the eyes of several cultivators at the Realm Breaking Realm widened almost simultaneously, and one of them couldn't help but whisper.
"The Hua Lineage is indeed very generous." "150 God-Level Resonance Crystal..." "Is that kid really worth that much?"
The other man sneered. "Never mind whether he's worth it or not. As long as Hua Jingmeng can afford it." A murderous glint flashed in his eyes.
"Then Qin Yu— " "He's just unlucky." "Who told him to offend the Hua Lineage?"
The seven figures vanished in a flash, like a group of silent hunters, chasing after the imperial city.
Meanwhile, inside the Stele Forest Imperial City, the massive city gates had been fully opened, and the convoy slowly entered the city.
Upon entering the city, the landscape suddenly opened up, with the wide avenue leading to the palace complex in the distance.
Countless towers and pavilions stand on both sides, each building radiating an ancient and divine aura, in the central area of the city.
A magnificent palace stood there— the Delivery Divine Hall. At this moment, the square outside the palace was already packed with people.
Escort teams from all directions are constantly converging, and hundreds of giant hearses fill the entire square.
Some hearses were filled with mineral crystals, some were piled high with spiritual herbs and divine materials, and others were transporting sealed magical artifacts.
The massive hearse rumbled heavily as its wheels turned, and the air was filled with the flashing light of a teleportation array.
One convoy after another entered through different city gates, and even flying ships slowly descended from the sky.
The scene was so grand that it resembled a giant trade fair. Qin Yu and his entourage slowly drove into the square.
Several temple deacons clad in golden armor, their armor covered in runes, and spirit seal scrolls hanging from their waists, came forward to greet them.
A steward announced loudly, "The escort team, please announce your numbers." Shen Qingchen stepped forward and handed over a talisman.
"East City, Returning Light Heavenly City, Wugui, Datong Bank." "Escorting seven cartloads of spiritual medicine." The steward took the seal and lightly drew a line in the air with his finger.
A massive runic light screen unfolded, and the sealing formations on the hearse began to unlock one by one.
The chest door opened, and countless medicinal herbs instantly poured out, as seven hearses were neatly arranged.
The box contained rows of jade boxes containing spiritual herbs, each herb sealed with spiritual jade, radiating spiritual light.
The surrounding deacons quickly stepped forward to inspect, and they skillfully recorded, counted, and sealed the items.
The entire square was filled with scenes like this: convoys arriving and unloading goods, with officials taking notes.
Temple guards maintained order, and tens of thousands of monks moved back and forth in the square, the whole scene resembling a giant, operating machine of civilization.
Finally, the deacon closed the record scroll. "Inventory complete." "Goods handover complete." "Receive your payment."
Shen Qingchen breathed a long sigh of relief. He turned to look at Qin Yu and the others, a bright smile spreading across his face.
"Let's go." "Fellow Daoists." He waved his hand. "My home is right next to the blacksmith's workshop in the city."
"Mission accomplished for today--" "We must have a good drink!" Everyone burst into laughter.
"Haha, good!" "Brother Shen, don't hide any wine." "Bugui until we're drunk!" The eight men laughed and said as they left the square.
As you walk deeper into the imperial city, the streets are brightly lit, and the faint sounds of metal clanging can be heard from the forging workshops in the distance.