Stranger Danger

"Are you thinking about..."

Now Jin Wanliang understood what Ye Qing and Feng Qingyou were planning to do. They were going to pit the Floating Light Celestial Island and the City of No Return against each other and take advantage of the chaos.

Yuan Budong was a traitor of the Floating Light Celestial Island. After he turned traitor, he frequently targeted his former sect, killed their disciples, and created much trouble for them. Naturally, Floating Light Celestial Island loathed him to the bone.

If they learned that Yuan Budong was still alive, and he was hiding in the City of No Return, Floating Light Celestial Island would definitely pay them a visit.

Floating Light Celestial Island was one of the strongest factions in the Profound Alliance. They were helmed by Sages as well. They did not fear the City of No Return.

Of course, the City of No Return was no slouch itself, so conflict was inevitable. This would distract their enemies and allow them to act as they pleased.

A puzzled Jin Wanliang asked another question, "I understand why pit the Floating Light Celestial Island and the City of No Return against each other, but why do we need Yu Hongluan to transmit this information to them?"

He could do it himself, so why were they taking the extra step?

"You want to say that you can do it too, right?"

Ye Qing replied as if he could hear Jin Wanliang's thoughts, "To be honest, you can't. Have you forgotten that you are just an ignorant, incompetent and hedonistic son in the eyes of the public? Who would believe you considering your reputation?"

"On the other hand, Yu Hongluan is the leader of her generation. She has also studied under Floating Light Celestial Island before and so shares a certain relationship with them. They will definitely take her word seriously and without too much suspicion. This will help us save your parents as soon as possible."

"Oh. Right. You've thought through everything, senior. This junior is impressed."

At this point, what else could he say?

Ye Qing added, "Oh right, you don't need to meet up with us after conveying this matter to island lord Yu. Qingyou and I will head to the City of No Return ourselves."

"Why's that?" Jin Wanliang asked[1].

"It's more convenient for us that way," Ye Qing said smilingly.

"Got it." Jin Wanliang let out a bitter chuckle. It was clear that they thought that he was too weak to be of any help. Scratch that, he would actively become a burden in the rescue mission considering the forces they were up against.

What could he do? He could only accept his fate.

This time, it was Hua Ling who spoke up, "What about me? Should I accompany you to the City of No Return, young master?"

"No need. You should just stay on Gold Island and pretend that nothing has happened."

Ye Qing replied, "We think that the city lord already found out about the death of the Mud Morphs, but we don't actually know if that is true. Not only that, he may have tampered with you in ways that we are unaware of. You should be fine if you continue as you were, but if you take action, then it is very likely that he will notice something. We do not want to alert the snake if at all possible."

"Besides, I already know everything you know about the City of No Return, so it doesn't matter if you accompany us or not. You may as well stay behind on Gold Island."

He knew everything Hua Ling knew after she became his Heavenly Demon Dependent. Therefore, he knew where the City of No Return was, what its layout was, where Jin Wanliang's parents were currently imprisoned and more. Naturally, he did not need her guidance.

Hua Ling saluted him. "I understand. I wish you luck and smooth sailing, young master, miss."

"Thank you."

Ye Qing smiled and turned back to Jin Wanliang. "There is no time to waste, Scion Jin. Please seek out island lord Yu immediately. The sooner we handle this, the less likely it is for something to go awry."

"This junior understands."

Jin Wanliang responded firmly, "Take care, seniors."

"Mm. Don't worry. We will save your parents."

Ye Qing gave him a pat on the shoulder. "Now go."

"Thank you, seniors." Jin Wanliang performed a solemn salute before taking his leave.

"Hua Ling, I leave it to you to deal with the aftermath. Wait for us to return."

Ye Qing instructed before looking at Feng Qingyou. "Alright, let's go."

It was time to check out the legendary City of No Return and meet the mysterious city lord.

......

The City of No Return was a mysterious city.

Built inside the stomach of a Stomach Fish, it was a mobile city that roamed the four seas. It did not have a specific location, so it took luck for most people to find it and enter it.

The City of No Return was a fantastical city.

It was the place where all the treasures under the heavens, the jewels of the four seas, and the travelers from all directions were gathered. Here, they could enjoy the most delicious food, drink the most fantastic wine, listen to the most wonderful songs, witness the most precious valuables, play the most exciting games, enjoy the most beautiful scenery, enjoy the greatest service, and experience the most wonderful things. One could say that the City of No Return was the celestial realm and blessed land of everyone's dreams.

The City of No Return was an inviting yet daunting city.

It was because staying just one night in the City of No Return cost ten thousand gold pearls. This did not include other expenses such as food, beverage, entertainment and more. Everything in the City of No Return cost an obscene amount of money. An ordinary dish or an ordinary pot of wine could cost several gold pearls on its own. A step above that, and the price could shoot up to hundreds of gold pearls, if not higher.

In short, you better not come to the City of No Return unless your family owns a mine. It better be a gold mine as well.

Of course, there were always foolish, self-conceited people. Some of them thought themselves strong enough to ignore the city's rules and ate, drank, fucked, gambled, and played to their heart's content without paying a copper.

There was only one ending for such people. A life worse than death.

Not death. A life worse than death.

Was death scary? Oh, it's terrifying.

But a life worse than death? The sentence itself should say everything.

Anyone who disobeyed the rules and regulations of the City of No Return were captured alive, taken control using secret arts, and transformed into eternal slaves. It wasn't just them either. Their descendants would serve the City of No Return for eternity as well.

Many of these people were Grandmasters and Truemen. There were hidden elites and renowned warriors as well.

Over time, no one dared to cause trouble in the City of No Return anymore.

But today, the rules of the City of No Return were broken once more.

A group of uninvited guests had intruded into the Residence of Gods.

The City of No Return could roughly be separated into four regions. They were the Taotie Street, a region focused on delicious delicacies and beverages; the Street of Delights, a region focused on performances and gambling; the City of Nature, a region focused on priceless valuables and extraordinary creatures; and the Residence of Gods, a region focused on extraordinary sceneries and wonderful sights.

Out of all the regions, the Residence of Gods was the most famous and important of them all.

It was because only the wealthy, influential, and powerful possessed the right to enter them.

It was because the Residence of Gods was founded above the nine heavens. Literally.

Every other region was founded on the ground, but the Residence of Gods existed in the sky.

The Residence of Gods was enveloped by great arrays and floating high above the nine heavens. The mundane and secular could only look up to it, never to set foot even if they strived to their whole lives.

Only those who could climb the Heaven's Stairs or walk the Celestial Rising Path could enter it.

The Heaven's Stairs was only climbable by a Trueman, and the Celestial Rising Path was only passable to a Grandmaster.

In other words, only Truemen, Grandmasters, and those greater than them possessed the right to enter the Residence of Gods.

Otherwise, not even the wealthiest and most influential people were allowed to set foot inside.

This was why the right to enter the Residence of Gods also meant strength, greatness, and glory.

1. You think this guy is being intentionally dumb, but the fact is acting in a group—especially if you're not the smartest guy in the group—has this strange effect of dropping your IQ massively. ☜