Consuming Earths, Devouring Skies

"Star Night Royal City, the capital city of the Inner Walls within the capital itself. The largest, most prosperous city within the Inner Walls. Home to the Earthly Fortune Palace and Xin Clan. Also, home to the continental spatial platform. Due to this, it could be considered a capital within a capital." Tao slowly listed off some information he’d obtained of this city from records in Grux.

Passing through the inner wall was as easy as the outer wall. As long as you have the proper wealth to purchase an entry pass, you can enter the inner wall. However, it was dozens of times more expensive than the outer wall.

"Finally, we’re here." Yan Zaizen remarked, looking at the astonishing skyscrapers and spectacular buildings with varied designs littering the city. He instructed Tao to land the skyship outside of the city gates. Afterward, he immediately stored the skyship within the Meteor Ring, causing quite a few people who were curious about their existence to have widened eyes. It was incredibly uncommon for a ring to be able to store a skyship, and unless it was specifically designed to hold the skyship, it was a near impossible feat.

Anyone who could accomplish or possess such means would definitely have an extraordinary status.

Yan Zaizen didn’t mind the gazes, looking at Bai Lufeng with some thought. His gaze caused Bai Lufeng to feel strange, and he was even fidgeting a little in his spot like a child being watched by their parent.

"Don’t cause any trouble in the city." Yan Zaizen warned. Earlier, while they were traveling through Presba, this man didn’t only indulge in his desires, but he often caused issues with the natives. Of course, with his profound cultivation base, he could handle any issue, but it was still troublesome if he offended some great force.

Bai Lufeng looked away with some shame, unable to muster any feeling of being aggrieved at the warning. Tao scanned Bai Lufeng and shook his head, displaying his apparent disapproval of his abhorrent actions. If this Bai Lufeng was more like him, a scholarly gentleman, how could he be in this position?

However, Yan Zaizen turned his gaze to Tao. This time, his eyes became more solemn than before. "Especially you."

What?!

Tao was appalled at this accusation and declaration, taking a deep breath, reeling backwards, and placing his hand softly on his chest. His eyes filled with disbelief at such words. Could it be that Yan Zaizen didn’t trust him? Him?! He couldn’t help but put on an aggrieved expression of presumed innocence.

Yan Zaizen directly ignored his bullshit expressions of disbelief and added, "No drinks."

This Tao may seem all scholarly and nice on the outside, but the moment he gets a bit of drink in him, he does the most ridiculous things. His hidden perversions would reveal itself completely leaving no trace of his previous scholarly bearing. If Bai Lufeng caused them trouble due to his disdain and arrogance, then that’s fine and reasonable. However, this person caused many fathers, mothers, daughters, and spouses to feel murderous rage at his acts.

Unfortunately...his profound cultivation base just made him untouchable to most. Normally, Yan Zaizen wouldn’t have to worry about these two, but in the Star Night Royal City, he truly felt the need to restrain them. Sure, he wasn’t afraid of anyone in the country, even if the Ancient Emperor of Presba was before him, he’d still have no fear, but that didn’t mean he wanted to offend everyone in the country.

These two would definitely act with unbridled methods if left alone due to his protection. It felt like watching two kids at a playground, afraid they may trouble the other kids. He looked at them with keen eyes, but for some odd reason, he truly felt like his warning was lost on the both of them.

A soft sigh later, he instructed, "Tao, sell the materials at the Earthly Fortune Palace. Bai Lufeng, arrange for the continental spatial platform at the earliest."

They both nodded in response.

Approaching the Star Night Royal Gates, they met a young man with black hair and ample muscles fitted in a suit of armor. Surprisingly, at the gates, there was only this young man directly watching over entry and exits.

The individuals in the city looked at him with apprehension, fear, and reverence. This young man looked in his mid-twenties, with vibrant eyes indicating an extraordinary lifeforce, and vital energy that felt suffocatingly strong. Bai Lufeng looked at the guard and others reactions to him, he couldn’t help but scoff at it all.

The guard only possessed the strength of an initial-Origin Core Realm and his vital energy aura was similar in intensity. The look on this guard’s face was filled with arrogance and tyranny, and for some reason, it irked Bai Lufeng greatly. However, recalling Yan Zaizen’s earlier warning, he decided to keep an indifferent expression on his face.

Tao looked at this guard and couldn’t help but appraise him. His young age and profound body and qi cultivation base indicated an extraordinary status and future. However, he was a mere gate guard. This was shocking.

Yan Zaizen’s reaction wasn’t as intense. He directly ignored this man’s traits and gave him no look of appraisal. Currently, Yan Zaizen had already built himself a steady foundation and with his dao filled with a tyrannical ferocity bordering on imperialistic sovereignty, how could he give anyone who works as a gate guard a gaze of appraisal?

Were they even worth it?

They directly stood in-front of the gates. The guard scanned them with his senses and his brow pricked in interest. Tao was young with an initial-Origin Core cultivation base and Bai Lufeng was at the mid-Origin Core Realm, how could this not cause the young man to feel surprised? Typically, in Star Night Royal City, those in that level of strength would typically come with airs to the heavens and nose so high the sky was beneath them.

However, Tao and Bai Lufeng were a step behind Yan Zaizen, obviously displaying their inferiority in terms of status and importance. He looked at Yan Zaizen and furrowed his brows. Yan Zaizen vital energy aura and soul cultivation base was thoroughly hidden, but his qi cultivation base was at the late-Qi Unification Realm with an exceptionally youthful appearance.

This caused the young guard to be surprised. He calculated that Yan Zaizen couldn’t be more than a hundred-years-old, and for a junior to reach such a cultivation stage with a stable aura was exceptionally rare. He thought for a second, looking at Yan Zaizen with analyzing eyes.

Being gazed at so intensely made Yan Zaizen a little uncomfortable, but since this was the guard’s job, he would respect it. His personality has never been to eliminate people over the slightest of slights. Those he’s killed thus far deserved to be killed.

After a short while, the guard walked towards Yan Zaizen with steadily powerful steps. The armor on his body was exceptionally heavy that each step caused slight tremors through the ground for hundreds of meters. This would be like a mortal in the aftershock of an earthquake, but to cultivators, this was just a mild annoyance.

"You, what’s your name?" The guard asked, but the tone he spoke wasn’t one filled with arrogance and disdain, but one filled with just a powerful domineering aura. The nearby individuals immediately drew their gazes over, looking at the guard and Yan Zaizen.

"Oh god...to think they obtained ’his’ attention."

"Xin Guanyu! He’s making a move! What will he do?!"

"...I wish I was in the city...hope I don’t get caught in the crossfire..."

Many individuals in the surroundings were having conversations relating to the young guard named Xin Guanyu.

"Xin Guanyu?" Yan Zaizen silently thought. Star Night Royal City was controlled by the Xin Clan and Earthly Fortune Palace. Someone from the Xin Clan was actually the gate guard of the city, and one so young and obviously talented as well. This surprised Yan Zaizen, and the surrounding conversations intrigued him enough to give this Xin Guanyu an appraising eye.

"Are you deaf?" Xin Guanyu frowned, looking at Yan Zaizen with a flickering light within his eyes. Bai Lufeng brows went up in excitement. Truly wishing for a conflict to occur at this moment, ready to watch the world burn. Tao, however, was solemn. Unlike Bai Lufeng, who wanted Yan Zaizen to throw the world into chaos with his exceptional prowess, Tao didn’t want to create issues.

Their goal was to use the continental spatial platform, not offend every last power in existence.

Yan Zaizen furrowed his brows but didn’t take it seriously. "Yan Zaizen," he answered calmly.

Yan Zaizen? Xin Guanyu couldn’t recall any Yan Clan worthy of note. He could only assume that Yan Zaizen wished to remain anonymous due to reasons, but walking around with two Origin Core bodyguards was a little too noticeable.

"Good. I’m Xin Guanyu." His voice was truly bolstering to the atmosphere. "You can enter."

What?!

All that for...that?!

Yan Zaizen felt puzzled.