257. The Capital
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=== Start of Volume 7 ===

The Eastern Sanmu Metropolis wasn’t so much a single city as one continuous mass of human habitation spread out over an unbelievable scale. It covered over a thousand kilometers in every direction and contained millions upon millions of humans. Within the city limits, there weren’t just manmade buildings but natural mountain ranges, forests, and even wild areas where beasts were allowed to roam. Just counting teleportation arrays alone, there were at least ten of them available to the public.

This was the capital of the subcontinent!

It was at one of these public teleportation arrays on the eastern side that Chen Wentain arrived with his disciples. Lin Qingcheng was the first one behind him, followed by Zhou Ziyun, Wu Qianyu, Li Yuechan, Song Wushuang, Xu Langyi, Su Xue, Su Yue, and finally Long Yifei. For this occasion, Chen Wentian had requested them all wear face veils and the same outfits so as to not attracted too much unwanted attention.

A crowded cityscape surrounded them which was built into tall cliffs and deep canyons that had many layers with red-colored rocks. There were people everywhere, shops, stalls, horse carts. They were in a busy city square but unlike other places, nobody bothered to greet them when they appeared. A few people glanced over casually before going about their business. An immortal was nothing special, the people here had seen many of them. Beautiful women hiding their appearances were also nothing special. There were hordes of young princesses and mistresses of major and minor clans. There were also countless heart-squeezing enchantresses that plied their craft in brothels that were famous across the land.

“Master?” Lin Qingcheng asked, a bit uncertain. “What are we supposed to be doing?”

They had simply stood in the city square for ten or so minutes. She and the others wanted to explore the city but they had to follow their master’s lead.

“Chengcheng, be patient. The old farts here tend to be a bit arrogant and forgetful so they are always late. This is your first time visiting a true immortal city. Take in the sights. Feel the air around you that’s filled with spiritual energy. It’s a new experience!”

His disciples did as instructed and realized he spoke the truth. The spiritual energy around them was hot and filled with flame energy that emanated from the depths of the canyons. Its quality and concentration were both high, many times higher than Ten Thousand Flower Valley. It was almost as good as cultivating with a supply of red spiritual crystals and there were many strange aspects of it that made it more dynamic and interesting.

“Yue’er!”

“Oh!” Su Yue jumped in surprise, interrupting what she had been trying to do.

“Yue’er, you have to be careful. I said feel, not try to absorb it. The energy you feel in the air is powerful due to several factors. One, this is an innately spiritual land that emanates flame energy from the earth. Second, there are countless cultivators including immortals that pass through this area every day. They leave behind strands of spiritual energy which combine into a chaotic mess. Although it’s highly concentrated, it’s not good for your cultivation as it introduces too many impure elements. Understand?”

“Yes, master.”

He nodded and continued chatting with Lin Qingcheng. He failed to catch the disappointed expression on Su Yue’s face or the similar one on her twin’s. As usual, when everyone was together, he was too busy other disciples unless the twins did something wrong.

A series of loud thrumming noise filled the air and drew their attention. A wedge formation of fast-moving objects appeared in the western sky. They grew larger and larger in size until they took shape in the form of over ten flying boats. The one in the lead looked very impressive, with a gleaming hull and fluttering pure white sails. The other ones weren’t that gaudy but were no less impressive. Each one was equivalent, if not better, than the flying boats of the Beast God Sanctum.

“Oh, wow!”

“Look!”

“Is it Prince Huang?”

The residents cried out excitedly, also looking up at the sky.

The boats slowed down as they passed overhead. A few faces peered over the edge down at Chen Wentian’s party. Unlike the common cultivators, the ones in the boats were interested in him and his disciples but did not come down to greet them. They simply circled the teleportation array several times before coming to a hover some distance away above the buildings.

“What was that about?” Zhou Ziyun asked.

Chen Wentian laughed. “Just some harmless bit of hazing!”

“But master is an immortal?” She didn’t understand and neither did the others.

“The city is receiving a lot of guests from the outside today and the residents want to greet them with a show of force as well as wealth. Each of those flying boats are being steered by some scion of a rich cultivation family or sect that calls this city their home. They probably have Spirit Kings behind them so they are quite spoiled. Since they’ve been raised like this, it’s natural to want to show off, even if most of them don’t have a hope of reaching the Spirit Lord Realm.”

“Ah, I see. So, they’re treating us like we are a bunch of poor peasants from the countryside.”

“Exactly.”

“That’s idiotic.” Xu Lanyi said.

“Exactly! That’s why I kind of dislike this place.” He paused and pointed upward, “Look smart, it’s our actual welcoming party.”

Soon enough, there was a surge of spiritual energy and an immoral descended from the sky. It was a familiar face.

“Immortal Blue Dragon Chen Wentian, graciously greets Immortal Argent Duchess Su Tan.” He said, his hands clasped together in a formal greeting.

His disciples all bowed dutifully because of the difference in status.

Immortal Argent Duchess was the one that took part in the battle between humans and insects at Beast God Sanctum. Today, she was no longer wearing a full suit of golden armor and instead chose a gentle yellow garb that hung loosely from her tall, slender frame. Her hair that was to be hidden behind a helmet was now made up in an elegant knotted bun with gold and jewels. She still seemed quite youthful and beautiful, although it was uncertain if that was due to an appearance-altering enchantment or not.

While Chen Wentian was observing Su Tan, she was also observing him.

“Have we met before?” She asked gruffly, completely out of character for her appearance.

“… Lady Su Tan perhaps has seen me flying around the capital in the past?”

She shook her head, “No, I don’t think so. It’s your attitude and your demeanor. It seems familiar.”

“… Perhaps, it’s love at first sight?”

Several of his disciples giggled behind him.

“Unruly!” Su Tan scolded.

“Cheh… you haven’t even greeted me and you’re calling me unruly?” Chen Wentian shot back.

“Hmph, I knew it. Sect masters like you, I’ve seen countless times.” Su Tan said, “smarmy, philandering, degenerate, useless, charlatan…”

It was pretty clear what kind of assumptions she made about him simply from looking at his disciples. He was a brand-new immortal sect master yet all of his disciples were beautiful young women. It was easy to make assumptions but he wasn’t going to bother defending himself against this kind of person.

“I don’t care what you think.” He said, “You’re just an errand girl. Hand me the letter from Huang Wuji and get lost!”

“You!”

“You what?”

Spiritual energy flared. Two auras clashed together, one flaming blue, one golden and resolute. They competed silently but the sheer intensity could be felt by those nearby.

As quickly as it came, it disappeared and both immortals withdrew. This was still the capital after all and there were rules against human immortals fighting each other. Both were simply testing each other.

“Fine, whatever.” Su Tan muttered a threw a thick envelope towards him, “Since you’re so capable, I’m sure you can find arrangements for your disciples by yourself.”

She snorted angrily and took off into the air without another word.

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