Chapter 20 Beihuang City
Ziyuan anxiously awaited Lin Feng, occasionally shedding crystal-clear tears like jade drops, presenting an image that was pitifully touching.
"I must become a strong cultivator in the future, Ziyuan thought, so as never to hinder the young master again."
Ziyuan bit her lip.
"Whoosh." From afar, a figure hurried over. Seeing that familiar silhouette, Ziyuan cried tears of joy and threw herself into the arms of the newcomer.
"Young Master, you've finally returned. Ziyuan has been so worried," Ziyuan sobbed pitifully, like a tearful pear blossom.
Lin Feng consoled her, "See, I'm fine, aren't I? We shouldn't stay here too long; let's hurry."
Lin Feng and Ziyuan quickly left.
...
City of Mist!
Nalan Family.
"Something terrible has happened!" A guard from the Nalan Family rushed to the side of Nalan Hong's study.
The butler, who had been inside, came out, his expression darkening as he said, "What's all this panic? Where's your decorum?"
"It's, it's the young master, he's been in an accident," the guard said with a pale face.
Upon hearing the words "the young master, in an accident," the butler's expression also dramatically changed.
The Clan Leader, there was only Nalan Kang, the sole heir.
"What happened?" Nalan Hong stepped out and asked with a grim look; he appeared to be in his forties, of medium build, and exuded an aura of authority.
The guard blurted out in a panic, "The young master, he's been killed."
"What? Kang has been killed?" Nalan Hong roared in disbelief, his face distorting with rage.
Nalan Kang was the only offspring of the Nalan Family.
It was precisely because Nalan Kang was the sole heir of the Nalan Family that Nalan Hong, despite knowing Nalan Kang caused trouble outside, never had the heart to punish him.
But now, Nalan Kang had been killed.
"Who? Who did this?" Nalan Hong bellowed angrily.
"It was a young man, accompanied by a young lady. The young master... the young master took a liking to the lady and pursued the young man but ended up being killed," the guard said weakly.
"No matter who that brat is, I will tear him to pieces to avenge Kang," Nalan Hong roared, not caring about the right or wrong of the incident.
The only thing Nalan Hong knew was that Nalan Kang had been killed, and all he now wished was to take revenge.
"Do we have an image of this boy?" Nalan Hong asked coldly.
"Yes, we do. We've had eyewitnesses in the tavern describe and sketch out an image." The guard presented a piece of paper which portrayed a handsome and sunny young man—it was unmistakably Lin Feng.
"Do we know which direction these two fled in?" Nalan Hong asked with a somber expression.
The guard reported, "It is said they fled towards Beihuang City."
"I must personally make a trip and slash this child a thousand times to avenge my son and wash away our hatred." With those words spoken, Nalan Hong soared into the sky and flew toward the distance.
...
Meanwhile, at the Helian Family.
The Clan Leader Helian Zheng, with a gloomy gaze, decreed, "Take the portrait and let our Death Soldiers chase down that boy. Chase him to the ends of the earth, but his life must be taken."
"Yes." The Third Elder of the Helian Family took the order and went to arrange the task.
Helian Zheng, the Clan Leader of the Helian Family, did not let hatred cloud his judgment to personally pursue Lin Feng. This was mainly because Helian Zheng had five sons, unlike Nalan Hong who only had one.
Moreover, more than a year ago, when Helian Ze almost defiled his favorite Ninth Lady, Helian Zheng had already written off this son. Naturally, having written him off didn't change the fact that now Helian Zheng still had to avenge Helian Ze.
...
Beihuang City, one of the Ten Great Ancient Cities in the Desert Domain.
The city's scale was immense, and from a distance, it looked like a primordial fierce beast crouching on the horizon, giving off an almost suffocating sense of oppression. The walls were a thousand meters high, built of some unknown black rock.
The streets within Beihuang City were even more impressive, with main roads up to fifty or sixty meters wide, bustling and extraordinarily lively.
"It truly is worthy of being one of the Ten Great Ancient Cities of the Desert Domain." Walking on the streets of Beihuang City, Lin Feng couldn't help but exclaim.
It was his first time seeing such a massive ancient city, and indeed, the sight was quite shocking.
"Master, there are so many people in Beihuang City."
Looking at the densely packed crowds on the street, Ziyuan stuck out her little tongue in wonder.
Lin Feng said, "As one of the Ten Great Ancient Cities of the Desert Domain, it's a gathering place for Cultivators."
After a pause, Lin Feng continued, "Let's first find an inn to settle down in, and then consider our next steps."
"Okay." Ziyuan obediently nodded, deferring to Lin Feng's opinion in all things.
They found an inn and took a room with an inner and outer chamber.
After resting for a day, Lin Feng planned to go to the Four Great Forces' offices in Beihuang City to inquire about the possibility of them recruiting disciples.
These Four Great Forces—the Star Cloud Pavilion, the All Laws Sect, the Divine Sword Manor, and the Azure Cloud Sect—with the Azure Cloud Sect having fallen from grace and left behind by the other three. Each of the three excelled in their own areas: Star Cloud Pavilion in "Cultivating Soul," All Laws Sect in various Divine Skills inheritances, and Divine Sword Manor in "Swordsmanship."
As for the Azure Cloud Sect, Lin Feng wasn't sure what they were good at now since they had lost their Sect Secret Technique.
Lin Feng was leaning toward joining either the Star Cloud Pavilion or the All Laws Sect.
Joining the Star Cloud Pavilion would allow him to learn the methods of "Cultivating Soul," and he'd likely become adept at Soul Attack techniques in the future.
The All Laws Sect, on the other hand, was better at using the physical body to manifest "secret techniques," including various Ancient Divine Abilities.
After making some inquiries, Lin Feng learned that the superpowers recruited disciples annually. However, joining these Super Powers was no easy task; one needed significant talent to stand a chance.
Without talent, one couldn't even become a servant disciple.
The place to recruit disciples wasn't in Beihuang City but within the Ancient Sects.
Lin Feng planned to stay a few days before he and Ziyuan would go to the Star Cloud Pavilion and the other forces to see if they could join.
On the way back, Lin Feng and Ziyuan passed an auction house where a voice was shouting, "In three days, an auction will be held. Anyone wanting the auction guide, come over quickly."
Many people crowded around—the guide for a single Gold Coin was extravagantly priced for just a few pieces of paper, but that didn't dampen everyone's enthusiasm. Lin Feng also bought a guide intending to see if there was anything he needed.
Of course, the guide only listed a portion of the items to be auctioned. Many precious items were not registered, but even just a part of the listed items was already astonishing—many treasures that set hearts racing.