The two of them traveled through the high skies for a moment. After passing through the latter's white cloud layer, the distant continuous blue ocean finally disappeared, replaced by a massive island that stretched beyond the eye could see.
A huge dock had been built along the island's shore, though no large ships were moored there. The docked vessels were mostly just fishing boats or passenger ships traveling between the various islands.
Sweeping his gaze across the dock and the island behind it, the terrain was relatively flat compared to other small islands, with only a few continuous mountain ranges stretching off into the unknown. On the flat land stood a city of extremely archaic appearance; the architectural style remained like that of the continent from two hundred years ago. Still, it was fairly lively. Several huge mansions stood within the city, decorated rather luxuriously; one could tell at a glance that only the local powerful figures could reside in them.
Sweeping his spiritual power across the city, Shen Hanyu raised an eyebrow. Floating high in the sky with the Snow Emperor, he said softly:
"One titled Douluo, with decaying qi and blood, not much life left. The number of soul masters is sparse, and their strength is generally not very strong. It matches exactly what You Mengchu described back then."
The Snow Emperor nodded, then said:
"There's no point wasting time here. After delivering the letters early, we still need to search for the location of the Fire Qilin. The qilin is a super soul beast on par with the true dragon, and it even carries a portion of heaven and earth's luck. We don't know the opponent's exact strength, but it surely won't be an easy one to deal with…"
Shen Hanyu nodded. The two slowly descended in altitude, then used their spiritual power to conceal themselves and gently landed on a road within the city.
The surrounding buildings had an ancient style and charm. Walking here gave one the feeling of traveling back in time. Even the roads underfoot were paved with stone slabs; sometimes stepping on them would produce a sound, giving it a rather unique feeling.
Most of the passersby around them wore long gowns or long robes. Their expressions were normal, but their skin had a somewhat sallow and withered look. From time to time, horse carriages or donkey carts passed by, mostly carrying local specialties that were rarely seen on the continent.
Shen Hanyu and the Snow Emperor walked side by side along the street. Shen Hanyu surveyed the surroundings, then said softly:
"It's hard to imagine how You Mengchu managed to grow at such a speed in such an archaic environment. One has to admit, though her verbal skills aren't great, in terms of talent, she can be considered unprecedented and unrivaled through the ages."
The Snow Emperor nodded. When they passed by a shop, she paused slightly, then tugged Shen Hanyu's hand, motioning for him to look inside.
Shen Hanyu casually glanced over and was slightly stunned. Somewhat surprised, he said:
"Whale glue, fish fruit, whale oil, shark pearls…"
"On the continent, these are all rare treasures from the ocean. Yet here they're just placed in a miscellaneous goods shop, and even completely ignored…"
"Truly, 'living off the mountain by eating from the mountain, living off the sea by eating from the sea' is absolutely correct…"
The Snow Emperor gave an "mm," and the two did not pay further attention to these matters. They continued walking toward the center of the city.
According to You Mengchu's description, the total area of all the small islands plus the two main islands could be compared to two provinces on the continent. But after Shen Hanyu roughly calculated it, in reality, it was far from that amount. If calculated realistically, being comparable to the area of one province of the empire on the continent was already extremely rare.
Several mansions in the city had plaques hanging at their gates. The most magnificent among them was the local city lord's mansion. Releasing his spiritual power to sense it, there was a seventy-third-ranked Battle Soul Saint inside, but his age was truly quite advanced. It was estimated that his limit in this lifetime would be firmly stuck at the Soul Saint level.
After asking some of the locals, they learned that this ancient city was called Leap Sea City and was already the largest, most prosperous, and most populous city on the entire Abyss Deep Island. There was another island next to it, slightly smaller than Abyss Deep Island, called Lua Island…
Regarding this strange name, Shen Hanyu seemed to recall a mysterious team from his previous life that hid among the folk in various bodies of water.
However, compared to Abyss Deep Island, that island was inferior in both population and soul master powerhouses by more than just a little. Shen Hanyu and the Snow Emperor had no intention of going there to stroll around.
After simply asking the locals for directions, Shen Hanyu and the Snow Emperor flew straight toward the continuous mountain range behind the city.
Sure enough, not long after, they spotted a vast cluster of wooden buildings in a scenic spot halfway up the mountain, deep within the range.
Under the bright, beautiful sunlight, the surrounding mountain forests rang with all kinds of crisp bird calls. In the open spaces of the village, elderly people sat leisurely basking in the sun, while quite a few children sat together in small groups quietly cultivating. The younger ones dashed about in lively, playful packs. Down in the fields at the foot of the mountain and in the nearby plots, many men and women could be seen working diligently. On the terraced fields that looked like classic paddy terraces, various medicinal herbs were planted, and a faint, soothing herbal fragrance drifted through the air…
The distribution of soul masters in the village was much denser than outside. Almost everyone possessed several ranks of soul power. In a small courtyard in the center of the village, there was also the aura of a titled Douluo. Scattered elsewhere in the village were a few comparatively powerful auras, blending in indistinguishably with ordinary people.
Shen Hanyu and the Snow Emperor landed on the dirt road at the village entrance. Several young men patrolling the entrance saw the two of them and, far from panicking, one of them stepped forward with a smile and waved as he asked:
"May I ask what business the two honored guests have? Are you here to see a doctor or to seek medicine?"
Shen Hanyu also smiled and waved his hand, saying:
"Neither. We were entrusted by a friend to deliver two letters."
As he spoke, Shen Hanyu took out the two handwritten letters from You Mengchu and handed them to the young man in front of him.
The young man received the letters, but when he saw the golden, strange pattern on the envelope, his expression changed drastically. He immediately said:
"Please wait a moment, honored guests. I will go report to the clan right away."
With that, the young man turned, circulated his soul power, and ran off. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared from the village entrance.
Shen Hanyu and the Snow Emperor exchanged a glance, then helplessly smiled at each other…
…
Not long after.
An old man with a white beard and hair hurriedly flew out from the center of the village.
The old man had a ruddy and kindly face. His qi and blood were solid and vigorous. At first glance, he had the bearing of an immortal sage, but the first words out of his mouth were:
"Honored guests, where is my precious darling granddaughter? Has she come back?"
Shen Hanyu was stunned. Before he could reply, the old man continued:
"Oh, what handsome young man and young lady, actually even prettier than my granddaughter. My granddaughter told me that you are her good friends from that so-called continent. She asked me to treat you well. Come in, come in quickly…"
As he spoke, the old man directly grabbed Shen Hanyu's wrist and dragged him toward the village. At the same time, he didn't forget to scold the nearby young people:
"What are you staring at? Hurry up and notify Second Uncle to start cooking. And you, go dig up that jar of medicinal wine I buried under the old locust tree at the village entrance. Remember, if anyone dares to sneak a drink, this old man will break his damn legs!"
From behind, the Snow Emperor saw Shen Hanyu looking somewhat helpless from all this enthusiasm. The corners of her mouth unconsciously lifted into a beautiful arc as she stepped forward to follow…
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