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Translator: Truth
Editor: Dhael Ligerkeys
The group encountered a couple more waves of Spirit Beasts on their way to Bilandia, but they were able to defeat them all easily. Lu Ye and Lan Ziyi’s performance in particular were exceptional considering their cultivation level, so much so that even Xia Qianqian was a bit surprised. After all, there weren’t many Second Order cultivators who could fight as well as them at all. She herself was a much lousier cultivator when she was at their level.
She knew then that they must have been quite famous when they were at the Spirit Creek Realm. She strongly suspected that they were among the top twenty or even the top ten rankers on the Scroll of Supremacy.
Over half a day of travel later, Bilandia finally emerged from the horizon. It was a gigantic city that nearly stretched from one end of the horizon to the other. Not only were the walls over seventy meters tall, they were thick and glimmering a little. It was obvious they had been empowered with spells that made them tougher and more resistant to impact.
Bilandia was the largest and final bastion of the Human race of the Myriad Beasts Domain. Without exaggeration, over half of the remaining Humans in the entire Cultivation World resided in this city. Those who weren’t were making their way toward Bilandia as well.
If the city was destroyed, then there would be no place left for humanity in the Myriad Beast Domain. Annihilation and even extinction would become their final fate.
When the group of four arrived, a man immediately rose from the walls and called out to them, “Who are you?”
The man wore a set of shiny armor and wielded a long blade. His expression was stern, and there were bloodstains on the armor despite its shiny appearance. Judging from the fact that he was bubbling with killing intent, it was clear that he had just fought a battle.
Looking at the ground beneath the walls, they saw a lot of cultivators casting spells to burn away small heaps of Spirit Beast carcasses. The acrid stench could be smelled from kilometers away.
Lu Ye responded loudly, “It is I, Ye Six of the Myriad Beasts!”
“The Myriad Beasts Sect!” The man straightened his expression as he looked Lu Ye up and down. “Who is Ye Wushuang to you?”
[Ye Wushuang… that’s the sect master of the Myriad Beasts Sect!]
The information flashed across Lu Ye’s mind as he forced himself to answer, “He is my father!”
“So you’re the Young Master of the Myriad Beasts Sect!” The man clasped his hand and gave him a respectful bow.
The Myriad Beasts Sect was the strongest sect in the world. It might be gone, but its influence hadn’t fully dissipated.
“If you don’t mind me asking, how is your sect faring?” The man asked again.
Lu Ye faked a sorrowful expression and shook his head. He did not say anything because there was no need.
“You have my deepest condolences, Young Master Ye!” The man let out a sigh before beckoning him to follow. “Please follow me into the city!”
“Thank you!”
Lu Ye and the others followed the man into the city. The airspace of Bilandia was rife with cultivators, and the ground even more so. Practically every crook and cranny of the city was filled with people. Even the streets were filled with mortals who managed to escape to the city, but had no place to stay. Barely anyone was wearing a smile on their faces, and why would they? They had lost their homes after all.
Cultivators at least possessed the ability to fight back against the calamity besetting them, but the mortals… neither their fate nor their life was in their hands.
Still, these mortals were the lucky ones. After all, they ultimately managed to escape to the city and survive. There were countless others who did not make it, and the blood they bled was enough to create an entire sea.
Despite knowing that this was a Hidden Realm, the group could not help but feel sorry for these people. There was simply nothing these people could do when the world itself was sliding toward the end.
“What do we do now?” Kitty Shen asked.
Lu Ye thought for a moment before replying, “Let’s exchange Battlefield Imprints before splitting up. Fellow Cultivator Xia, please accompany me to the ruler’s residence. Fellow Cultivator Shen and Fellow Cultivator Lan, I would ask you to look around and gather information while we’re gone.”
Since everyone was okay with the plan, they quickly exchanged Battlefield Imprints and split up.
While Lu Ye was leading Xia Qianqian toward the ruler’s residence, the woman spoke up, “It looks like you’ve noticed it.”
“What are you referring to exactly, Fellow Cultivator Xia?”
“I’m referring to the fact that these people aren’t giving you the treatment or respect you deserve considering your status. You wouldn’t have asked me to accompany you otherwise.”
“So, you’ve noticed it as well?”
“If these people truly respected you, Bilandia should’ve arranged someone to escort you to their ruler’s residence. You were the Young Master of the strongest sect in the world after all. Instead, the guy who brought us in left us to our devices as soon as he brought us in. It’s pretty clear what Bilandia thinks of you, no?”
“That’s normal. No matter what the Myriad Beasts Sect used to be in the past, it is gone now. Why would anyone give a damn about the young master of a destroyed sect? Not only that, I can tell you that Bilandia and the Myriad Beasts Sect weren’t very close to begin with.”
“Do explain.”
“If the Myriad Beasts Sect and Bilandia were close, the Myriad Beasts Sect would’ve sent me—that is, their Young Master—to Bilandia a long time ago. They wouldn’t have waited until the Spirit Beasts had destroyed their headquarters. Beast Tamers might be the biggest cultivation faction in this world, but that doesn’t mean that the other factions are useless. If the Myriad Beasts Sect is the greatest representative of the Beast Taming faction, then Bilandia is probably the greatest representative of the other factions. That is why Bilandia ultimately became their final refuge after the Spirit Beasts had gone mad.”
Xia Qianqian nodded thoughtfully. “That makes sense. To be honest with you, I hadn’t thought that far. It looks like good luck isn’t the only thing you have, you have a good head on your shoulders as well. I can see now why the Heavens have bestowed you your identity.”
Lu Ye wanted to tell her no, it really was just because he was lucky. His luck had improved tremendously since he received the Gift of Providence. He held back though.
“That is why you should be ready for anything later, Senior Sister Xia. We aren’t just here to seek refuge. We’re also here to do our part to ensure the continuation of the Human race.”
Xia Qianqian smiled. “Now my shoulders feel heavy.”
While they were conversing, they had reached the edge of the palace at the center of the massive city. Before they could do anything else, someone shouted, “Get down! No one is allowed to fly above the lord’s residence!”
Flying wasn’t forbidden in Bilandia, but the airspace above the ruler’s residence was considered a forbidden zone. It was considered disrespectful not just to the ruler, but also Bilandia itself.
Lu Ye and Xia Qianqian obeyed the command and landed in front of the entrance. They saw a lot of panicked-looking cultivators waiting for their turn to speak with the ruler.
“What is your purpose for visiting the lord?” The cultivator who yelled for them to land earlier asked impatiently while striding toward them.
Lu Ye clasped his hand and said, “I am Ye Six of the Myriad Beasts Sect. I have come to speak with your ruler.”
“That so?” The guy replied indifferently, “You can fall in line with the rest then. Everyone here is here to meet with the lord as well.”
It was as if he hadn’t heard the word “Myriad Beasts Sect”.
The man was about to leave when Xia Qianqian abruptly released her Spiritual Power. He immediately stopped in his tracks and turned toward her with an incredulous look on his face. He asked uncertainly, “Are you… at the Ninth Order Cloud River Realm?”
The Myriad Beasts Domain was fairly small compared to Jiu Zhou. In fact, it was only as big as the Spirit Creek Battlefield. Limited by the size of the world, the highest power they could reach was the Ninth Order of the Cloud River Realm.
The ruler of Bilandia and the sect master of the Myriad Beasts Sect were at the Ninth Order as well.
In Jiu Zhou, it wasn’t difficult to reach the Ninth Order of the Cloud River Realm. They simply needed a sufficient amount of cultivation resources.
That was not the case for the cultivators of the Myriad Beast Domain. As soon as they reached the Cloud River Realm, ascending the minor realms became as difficult as scaling the highest peaks as a mortal. That was why there weren’t many Ninth Order Cloud River Realm cultivators in this world, and each one was regarded as the greatest champion of humanity.
Naturally, Xia Qianqian’s display of power immediately drew the attention of everyone in the vicinity.
Xia Qianqian asked indifferently, “Can you please tell the ruler that the Young Master of Myriad Beasts Domain has come to see him?”
It was only then the man nodded. “Please give me a moment!”
He then ran into the palace.
He could ignore Lu Ye because The Myriad Beasts Domain was already destroyed, but the same could not be said for a Ninth Order Cloud River Realm cultivator.
Lu Ye gave Xia Qianqian a thumbs-up. At the same time, he was beginning to understand why the Heavens had arranged a Ninth Order cultivator to be his attendant.
Xia Qianqian was one of the strongest cultivators in this Cultivation World. Her mere presence could grease the wheels so to speak.
A while later, the man returned while looking much more respectful than before. He clasped his fist at Lu Ye and said, “Young Master Ye. This way please.”
He nodded and led Xia Qianqian into the palace. A short while later, they entered a side building and saw the lord of Bilandia.
The lord of Bilandia was an incredibly old man whose hair had turned completely white. Even his presence smelled faintly of rot. He was sitting on a chair and watching Lu Ye indifferently with a cup of tea in his hand.
Lu Ye and Xia Qianqian stopped in front of the ruler before Lu Ye greeted, “Good day, sir.”
The old man nodded before shooting Xia Qianqian—she was currently standing a step behind Lu Ye—a seemingly innocuous glance. While stroking his beard, he said, “Time flies. You were just a kid the last time I saw you. To think you would be a young man already. I have heard of the Myriad Beast Sect’s unfortunate downfall, and you have my deepest condolences.
“Considering my long-time relationship with your father, I am glad that you would choose to join me. My city is your home, and you are free to stay for as long as you like. That said, you may have noticed that Bilandia is overcrowded right now. I am sorry, but I will not be able to offer you and your people better living conditions so to speak. You will have to bear with it for the moment.”
“I am fine with this arrangement, sir,” Lu Ye said before removing his jade thumb ring. He set it down on the table beside the old man and said, “This is the gift my father had prepared for you before he saw me off!”
The old man accepted the ring and, for the first time since they entered the room, looked visibly more spirited than before. He nodded. “You have my thanks.”
He waved a hand and called out, “Ah Si!”
“Milord,” a thin, bizarre-looking man answered while stepping out from the shadows. He was covered in colorful, bizarre-looking tattoos.
“Take them to their accommodations, will you?”
“As you command,” the man said before beckoning Lu Ye and Xia Qianqian to follow. “Please, follow me.”
The man named Ah Si led them out of the palace before rising into the air. He brought them all the way to the outer edge of Bilandia before he finally landed.
A while later, they arrived at a detached house. Ah Si pointed at the door and said, “This is where you’ll be staying for the time being.”
“Thank you for your trouble.”
Ah Si quickly left them after that.
Lu Ye and Xia Qianqian exchanged glances with each other before pushing the door open.
