Plundering the Heavens Chapter 184

Bohai Kingdom, located to the southeast of the Chufung Kingdom. Because of the desolate land and dangerous inhabitants, it was also known as the Kingdom of Monsters.

In comparison to Chufung, Bohai had much less land and was more sparsely populated. The kingdom’s land was mainly made up of deserted mountain ranges that were difficult to farm, and because of the Demonic Qi that often blew onto the land from the nearby Azure Sea, a large number of animals had been transformed into spirit beasts. It had once been the gathering location for numerous beast tribes nearly four thousand years ago, but during the Jambu beast clearing event, all of the high-tiered beasts had either been slaughtered or had relocated to North Kuru Continent. Only low-tiered beasts that had yet to develop their own consciousness outside their innate properties remained and lived there today.

It was because of the abundance of these beasts that the Bohai Kingdom became a large marketplace to trade for a great number of beast cores, and cultivators of the entire Jambu continent liked to come here to search for what they needed. Whether they needed a large amount of ordinary beast pellets or the beast cores of rare or mutated beasts, this was the place to go, and such business had allowed a local sect—the Myriad Beasts Sect—to grow large. Furthermore, these beast cores weren’t very useful to Foundation Stage cultivators, so those who gathered in the Bohai Kingdom were primarily still in Spirit Stage.

It took Fang Xing and the golden crow ten days to cross the endless ranges of the Taiheng Mountains before they finally arrived at the megacity where the Myriad Beasts Sect was located—Sea Beast City. Unlike how the other sects in the Chufung Kingdom would choose their locations based on where Qi was most abundant, the Myriad Beasts Sect obtained cultivation resources through trading beast cores and so had chosen to settle inside a giant city. Although the Bohai Kingdom didn’t have an actual royal family, the Myriad Beasts Sect was the most dominant existence within the kingdom; to the ordinary people, the Myriad Beasts Sect itself was royalty.

The city was like a resting lion, vigorous and grand. The outer walls were built from giant black stones, and the city towered into the sky while nestling between the surrounding mountains. The Bohai Kingdom was often soaked with rain, and it was currently pouring down with lightning streaking across the sky like white snakes, as though the heavens was showing off its majesty. Despite the weather, the city itself was quiet and unmoved, as though standing resolute against the boisterous heavens to frame a truly majestic and extraordinary scene.

A black-robed Myriad Beasts disciple was sitting atop the back of a giant thirty-foot tall lion in front of the large city gates. "Fellow Daoist, please take a rest. Might I ask what your name is and where you are from?" he asked with a face full of smiles.

The golden crow had originally been unwilling to cross the Taiheng Mountain Ranges, but Fang Xing had offered to give him the Mask of Wanluo if he accompanied him on this trip. It had been enough to convince the crow to come, and after quite a bit of in-depth study on the mask, the crow had even managed to make a few small improvements so it could change his physical appearance as well instead of only masking his presence as before. Using the mask, the crow had changed into an ordinary-looking roc bird with dull feathers—not remarkable in the slightest.

"I have no sect or clan and do not belong to any merchant guilds. Am I not allowed to enter the city?" Fang Xing lazily responded while tilting back his head to look at the disciple.

"A rogue cultivator?" Disdain filled the disciple’s expression and his tone grew cold. "One hundred Spirit Stones and you can enter, but only for ten days!"

All sorts of cultivators gathered at this Sea Beast City. Those who came from a large or

well-known sect or otherwise belonged to a merchant guild usually came to do business, so they received a discount on the price to enter. For rogue cultivators without any specific background, however, their status was considerably lower, and not only would they have to pay twice the amount of Spirit Stones, but even the attitude towards them from the Myraid Beasts disciples differed considerably.

Background and influence were very important within the realm of cultivation, and those with neither had the lowest of all status.

"F*ck your grandmother, why so expensive?" The disciple’s words left Fang Xing dissatisfied; requiring a hundred Spirit Stones just to enter the city was far too greedy.

The Myriad Beasts disciple’s face fell as he exclaimed, "If it’s too expensive for you, you’re welcome to get lost. And be careful what you say; a loose tongue will earn you a lot of trouble!" As the disciple spoke, the mount beneath him also growled with a fierce majesty before drawing closer towards Fang Xing. Although this Myriad Beasts disciple was of the lowest rank and was nothing more than a gatekeeper, even he had disdain towards rogue cultivators. Furthermore, Fang Xing was so young it was impossible he had a high level of cultivation, so this Myriad Beasts disciple began to put on airs in front of him.

Fang Xing squinted his eyes at the disciple and scolded, "Is that how you speak to your Uncle Fang?" As he spoke, a considerable degree of force was released filled with profound mystery. He’d already been at Spirit Stage tier seven when he’d killed Xiao Jianming, and after absorbing nearly thirty years from Xiao Shanhe’s lifespan, his cultivation level had rapidly improved even further. By now, he was at the early stages of Spirit Stage tier eight!

The Myriad Beasts disciple was shocked, and even the beast lion beneath him shivered in fright. "Late Spirit Stage?" The next time he looked at Fang Xing, his expression had changed completely. He hadn’t expected a boy with such a youthful appearance to have such a high level of cultivation.

The Myriad Beasts disciple was merely at the third tier of Spirit Stage—he wouldn’t have been tasked with such a low position as a gatekeeper for the city otherwise—and he began to feel some fear in his heart once he realized the difference in power between the two of them. Although he had the protection of the sect and wasn’t afraid of being attacked, the realm of cultivation was still ruled by the law of the jungle. It was natural for the strong to prey upon the weak, and it was instinctual for cultivators to experience fear and awe when faced with someone stronger.

At the same time, however, so what if he was forceful with Fang Xing to the end? At worst, the sect elders would be called, and this rogue cultivator would be accused of the crime of stirring up trouble despite being treated unfairly. For that reason, although the Myriad Beasts disciple stood timidly in place and didn’t dare to raise his voice any longer, he also didn’t want to lower himself for the sake of a rogue cultivator.

Fang Xing had seen such small fries before, and he simply laughed before throwing out two mid-grade Spirit Stones. "You really think I—your uncle—am a rogue cultivator?" he lazily asked. "You have no eyes for things at all, no wonder the only thing you do is watch the door! Here, the extra Spirit Stone is payment, so come and tell me all about the rules of this city. And you better speak in great detail, or just watch me kill you, you turtle egg of a bastard!"

Despite being cursed at, the Myriad Beasts disciple saw the mid-grade Spirit Stone and couldn’t help but to be happy. Furthermore, the manner in which Fang Xing had spoken just now immediately made him feel as though he’d made an incorrect judgment—this youth had to be a young master or pupil from a large clan or sect who’d left comfort to broaden his experience. Although it was rare to find people unwilling to reveal who was backing them, it wasn’t unheard of, and how could such arrogance come from a rogue cultivator?

Once the disciple thought it through, he immediately showed an apologetic smile. "I was rude to you, fellow Daoist. Please, follow me and I shall explain everything in detail for you…."

Just as the disciple began to move to the side, someone nearby suddenly yelled out, "Fairy Ye has arrived…." Whether trying to enter the city or leave it, all of the surrounding people raised their heads to the sky above once they heard that call.

Fang Xing followed the gazes of everyone else, and he noticed a purple-clothed woman flying closer from the western edge of the sky with a silver spindle beneath her feet. He clearly saw that the woman was in her late teens with a physique that was slender and tall, and she wore purple clothing with a giant Guqin strapped to her back. The rain stopped the moment she’d arrived, and a wisp of the setting sun shone against her silhouette to emphasize her porcelain skin. Her lips were dainty and as red as a cherry, and within her starry eyes was a glint as pure and clear as water. She was as beautiful as a goddess, but that nearly-perfect face showed no hint of expression—it was arrogant and as cold as ice.

Even after arriving in front of Sea Beast City, Ye Gu’yin didn’t descend and instead flew directly inside, leaving only a glimpse of her graceful figure behind.

"My god, this is the second time I’ve seen Miss Ye in the past three days. My heart is just too excited…."

"Oh, I would be satisfied if only I could say a few words with Miss Ye even once within my lifetime…."

"Flying as gracefully and beautiful as a roaming dragon, Fairy Ye truly is worthy of being called a fairy. Ah, if only I could present her with a poem…."

The woman had already entered the city, but everyone outside the city gate was still praising her beauty, as though captivated.

While everyone was discussing it, Fang Xing followed along and gave some praise as well. "Nice chick, look at that pair of nice, long legs…."

The surrounding people grew furious to hear such a thing and began to glare daggers at Fang Xing. Some even felt as though this boy had insulted the goddess within their hearts, and entertained the thought of teaching this wild brat a lesson.

Sensing the unfriendly gazes surrounding him, Fang Xing instantly widened his eyes and released the energy of his eighth-tier cultivation level. The pressure surged towards these people like a violent wave, suppressing them as he shouted out, "What are you all staring at? Are you asking me to scrape out your eyes?"

That shut the mouths of the onlookers. Although there were cultivators of many different ages amongst them, the highest cultivation level was only at just Spirit Stage tier six—no one was actually strong enough to take the boy on. They could only swallow their anger and surrender while avoiding his provocative glances, although it obviously didn’t change how they felt within.

"Who was that chick just then?" Fang Xing turned and asked the gatekeeper he’d been talking to earlier.

Although the Myriad Beasts disciple was feeling somewhat annoyed as well, he had accepted the mid-grade Spirit Stone and so couldn’t speak strongly against it. "It’d be best if esteemed senior was a little more discrete; if others heard what you just said, it would only bring trouble. That fairy is one of the Heaven’s Chosen from Chufung Kingdom—Ye Gu’yin of the Melodic Ice Palace. Rumor has it she is already a mere half-step away from entering the Foundation Stage, and calling her Chufung’s top cultivator below Foundation Stage would also not be wrong. She’s currently here visiting our Myriad Beasts Sect because she’s preparing to take our sect master’s daughter—Shijie Qiaoqiao—back with her to study at the Melodic Ice Palace…"

"So she is Ye Gu’yin, ah…" Fang Xing snickered; he’d heard of this person back at the Qing-Yun Sect as well. Together with Xiao Jianming and Ephemeral Butterfly’s Hou Guimen, this long legs was one of the top geniuses of Chufung. However, since Fang Xing had already killed Xiao Jianming and this Ye Gu’yin shared the same title, he felt she probably wasn’t any better. He wasn’t concerned, and he tossed her out of his mind while continuing to ask about the rules of this Sea Beast City.

A burn of an incense later, Fang Xing finally understood this Sea Beast City fairly well and handed ten more low-grade Spirit Stones to the disciple as a reward. "You’re not bad! After I’m done with my work here, I’ll reward you again before I leave!"

Overjoyed, the disciple thanked Fang Xing and even handed over a Message Talisman so Fang Xing could ask him to run errands if he wanted. Fang Xing was satisfied with how things had progressed, and he entered the city while thinking to himself, ‘Everywhere in the world of cultivation is the same. You can be anyone’s uncle if you have money and power!’

Notes

[1] Fairy: 仙子 (xian1 zi). Title typically referring to a young female Daoist, often to emphasize their beauty.

[2] Guqin: 古琴 (gu3 qin2). A seven-stringed instrument from the zither family, typically seen as a symbol of refinement and subtlety.

Chapter end