"Hehe, in that case, given Quan Jiuxing's status in the Supreme Mystery Teachings , Wang Lang will be feeling a chill down his spine from now on. By the way, there's another thing you might not know, Little Junior Brother. Even if you saw Wang Lang and the others now, you wouldn't be able to recognize them. Hehe, in that Secret Realm , a spell was cast on all the detainees. Every day, apart from eating, drinking, and sleeping, they thought of nothing else. Now, that Wang Lang is a genuine, pudgy old man, looking quite a bit like his fat martial uncle, Sword King Xiachi . Haha... haha... And I heard that Qiu Jiuzhen from the Supreme Mystery Teachings is at least three or four times plumper than before. They say she's quite 'voluptuous'... haha!" After hearing Li Yan's question, Lin Daqiao couldn't help but clap his hands and laugh as he answered.
"Oh, there's such a method..." Li Yan was stunned at first. When he understood, dark lines appeared on his forehead. He hadn't expected the Secret Realm to resort to such tactics with their hostages. While such a minor trick was nothing to a cultivator—they could return to their original state with a little cultivation—appearing before their peers or outsiders in such a state was a great loss of face. Especially for people like Qiu Jiuzhen and Hang Zhi , who cared a great deal about their appearance, it could even leave a significant psychological scar.
Lin Daqiao's actions caused the dozen or so cultivators who had just flown closer to them to turn away in confusion after hearing his sudden laughter. These cultivators wore a variety of attire: some were dressed as scholars, some as woodcutters, some were voluptuous women, and some were elderly men. They traveled in groups of two or three, three or five, or completely alone. Although Li Yan's group had stopped using voice transmission, they had kept their voices low, and with the rush of wind from their high-speed flight, they didn't fear being overheard. However, Lin Daqiao's loud laughter had drawn sidelong glances from these people. When they saw the attire of Li Yan's group, a look of reverence appeared in their eyes, and they consciously or unconsciously steered clear of their path.
Among them, however, were two voluptuous women in very revealing attire. Dressed in light, red gauze, large patches of their snow-white skin were frequently exposed, their ample chests held high. Although their gazes towards Li Yan's group held some reverence, there was a greater sense of flirtation. As their eyes roamed, their slender fingers lightly brushed over their own jade-like skin. They pursed their lips into a smile, their faces like peach blossoms, their brows full of amorous charm. Li Yan quickly looked away, which only provoked a round of laughter from Lin Daqiao and Wen Xinliang. Even the two bewitching women, seeing Li Yan's reaction, couldn't help but giggle, their seductive demeanor only growing more pronounced.
Li Yan saw the increasing number of cultivators around them, and in the distance, faint glimmers of flying artifacts were visible against the horizon. Clearly, more people were rushing to this place. Seeing their different gazes, Li Yan lowered his head in thought. He knew that the hint of reverence in their eyes was directed at the fear of the Malevolent Spirit Sect , not at the three of them personally. This was perhaps just a facade. How many of them truly revered the Malevolent Spirit Sect from their hearts was unknown.
Li Yan's gaze had briefly swept over these people just now, and he had already determined that among the dozen or so people nearby, there were two Foundation Establishment cultivators. Furthermore, both were at the mid-stage Foundation Establishment or higher. They were the elderly man and a middle-aged scholar. The rest were all Qi Condensation cultivators of varying levels, some as low as the fifth layer. This reminded Li Yan of what Lin Daqiao had said before: outside of the four major sects, the sect masters of some subordinate minor sects were only at the Foundation Establishment realm. It seemed to be true. He had been staying in the Malevolent Spirit Sect for so long, seeing so many Foundation Establishment cultivators and even having contact with Golden Core experts, that he had started to take these people's cultivation levels for granted.
Thinking of this, Li Yan couldn't help but shake his head, feeling the inadequacy of his own experience. The two Foundation Establishment cultivators, whose auras were like rainbows, had averted their gaze slightly upon seeing Li Yan's group, but the reverence in their eyes was less pronounced. They continued to fly forward at an unhurried pace. The elderly man and the middle-aged scholar were both traveling alone, not associating with others. Their gazes were mostly fixed on Wen Xinliang and Lin Daqiao. But after sensing the auras on the two, their eyes narrowed. After months of training, the scent of blood on Wen Xinliang and Lin Daqiao had not yet dissipated, giving off a feeling of extreme danger.
Li Yan saw all of this, and he came to understand why cultivators below the Foundation Establishment realm in the Malevolent Spirit Sect were not allowed to leave the sect alone. If he weren't wearing the Sect's uniform and was traveling by himself, he would have encountered two Foundation Establishment cultivators within just a few short hours. If they were truly spies from the three sects of the Ten-Pace Courtyard , they could have easily taken his life.
Now that so many cultivators were slowly converging in the same direction, it seemed their destination was not far off, Li Yan judged.
"We're almost there. I wonder which Golden Core masters are presiding here today!" Wen Xinliang also retracted his gaze from the two Foundation Establishment cultivators. Seeing that their flight path was a certain distance from his own, he didn't look again. Shielding his eyes with his hand, he looked into the distance. The morning sun was already high, and under the dazzling sunlight, a hundred-zhang-tall mountain stood about a hundred li ahead, looking as if it were draped in gold and silver.
Looking at the towering peak glittering with golden radiance, Li Yan was slightly taken aback. They had already encountered more than a dozen such mountain ranges on their journey today.
'Could the trading city be on top of this mountain?' Li Yan wondered.
As Li Yan pondered, Wen Xinliang's purple butterfly had already sped far away. In just a few dozen breaths, it had reached the front of the mountain. As they neared the peak, the reflection of the sun was no longer as blinding. Li Yan focused his gaze. The mountain was covered in dense forests, and the exposed parts were jagged with strange rocks. There was no suitable place to land at all. He found it hard to believe the trading city was on this mountain. Just as he was filled with doubt, the purple butterfly made a sharp turn and circled around the side of the peak.
As the purple butterfly glided past, Li Yan's vision suddenly widened. A vast expanse of buildings, like a sprinkle of stars, appeared in his field of view, and they were rapidly growing larger.
What Li Yan saw was a large, open area behind the mountain, about twenty to thirty li in circumference, surrounded by mountains on all sides. Looking down from the sky, the buildings below leaped about like stars, patch by patch, dot by dot. A closer look revealed an extremely regular pattern. The overall layout was in the shape of the character "井" (jǐng, a well). Pavilions and towers rose from the ground, some tall, some short, some long, some narrow. Four main roads divided the area into nine sections in the "well" shape, with various buildings clustered together in an organized manner.
Although Li Yan was still in the air, about twenty li away, a worldly atmosphere already rushed to greet him, reminding him of Green Mountain Pass . Having never been to many places in his life, the only market or town he had ever visited was Green Mountain Pass. During that time, every time he entered the town, he could feel the rich atmosphere of marketplace life and daily existence. The sight today inevitably made him reminisce about his past.
The purple butterfly flew faster and faster, and the town below grew larger in Li Yan's eyes. Around them, more flying magical artifacts and treasures, flashing with various colored lights, were diving downwards. There were dozens of them. From a distance, it looked like a colorful meteor shower under the golden light of the rising sun.
Wen Xinliang and Lin Daqiao hadn't spoken since their last exchange. The purple butterfly did not continue to fly towards the star-strewn town but, after circling the mountain, dived towards the ground like the other streams of light. Seeing the look of wonder in Li Yan's eyes as he surveyed his surroundings, the two of them exchanged a glance and smiled faintly. They both remembered their own first time coming to this trading city, so they didn't interrupt Li Yan's observations.
Soon, in the rapid descent, Li Yan's vision was filled with green. A vast, lush, and verdant forest rushed up to meet him. In the middle of the large forest was a circular, open field, which seemed to have been paved with huge stone slabs into a circular, altar-like structure. There were no objects on it, only a constant stream of people coming and going. Some were landing, some were taking off, amidst streaks of colorful, rainbow-like light, whistling back and forth.
Before Li Yan could see clearly, the purple butterfly landed with a whistle on an empty spot at the edge of this massive stone platform. Looking at the cultivators coming and going around him, Li Yan was somewhat bewildered.
'This is the trading city?' Li Yan thought. Before he could ponder it further, his clothes were tugged. Turning his head, he saw Lin Daqiao with a wide grin. "Let's go, this isn't our destination."
"Oh!" Li Yan replied hastily, his heart full of questions. Seeing Lin Daqiao walk straight ahead, he could only suppress his doubts and follow him off the purple butterfly. Wen Xinliang was the last to get off. With a casual wave of his hand, the purple butterfly transformed into a streak of purple light and instantly shrank into his wide sleeve.
At this moment, not far from Li Yan's group, many other cultivators had also landed one after another, including the two Foundation Establishment cultivators and the dozen or so Qi Condensation cultivators they had encountered on the way. They all kept some distance from each other. As they cautiously sized each other up, they slowly disembarked from their flying magical artifacts. Only after stepping off their artifacts did their vigilant expressions, maintained throughout the journey, relax slightly, as if it were safer here.
Upon seeing Li Yan's group disembark from their flying artifact, some of these people still gave a humble bow before turning to walk away. Others didn't even glance at the two again and strode off directly, just like the two Foundation Establishment cultivators.
As for the two voluptuous women, they gave the three of them a slight bow and walked away, whispering and laughing. Before they left, however, their fiery gazes swept over the three one last time before they turned away with a hint of shyness.
Li Yan, however, was continuously observing his surroundings. This place, paved with stone slabs like an altar, was surrounded by forest on three sides. One side faced a very wide road that led straight into the distance. The road was perfectly straight, lined with green pines and cypresses. Even with Li Yan's cultivator eyesight, he could not see the end. Those who had left were all heading down this circular altar and along this road.
"Alright, let's get going too. It's getting late. It'll probably take another half-incense stick of time to get there," a lazy voice came from the side, interrupting Li Yan's observations. It was Wen Xinliang.
"Oh," Li Yan quickly composed himself and turned his head. He saw Lin Daqiao and Wen Xinliang looking at him with a smile. Li Yan felt a bit embarrassed and gave an awkward smile in return. He knew how foolish he must have looked just now, like it was his first time entering Green Mountain Pass . In the eyes of others, his previous demeanor would have instantly revealed him as a clueless cultivator who had never been out before.
After smiling, Li Yan was about to ask why they had landed here, but Wen Xinliang, as if not giving him a chance to ask, spoke again, "Let's go!"
With that, Wen Xinliang gave a wicked smile and walked forward. His path, however, was right behind the two voluptuous women who had just left not long ago, following them at an unhurried pace. Stunned, Li Yan was pulled along by the sleeve by Lin Daqiao.
Looking at the two women ahead, their plump buttocks swaying gently and their willow-like waists bending, Li Yan felt a little frustrated. He thought, 'These two are not walking fast. We should either quickly overtake them or walk slower. Walking one after the other like this for a long time, as if we're following them, will inevitably invite gossip.' Moreover, he still had many questions he needed to ask, but seeing Wen Xinliang's unhurried manner, his eyes fixed not on him but on the graceful figures swaying in the wind ahead with a mischievous grin, and Lin Daqiao also looking ahead with a mischievous grin, occasionally letting out a 'tsk tsk' sound, Li Yan found it difficult to open his mouth and ask them anything.
"Hee hee hee, Little Junior Brother, do you find this improper? But they are more than willing, hehe..." Just then, Lin Daqiao's voice rang in Li Yan's mind. Li Yan looked up to see Lin Daqiao winking at him, having started a voice transmission.
Then he nudged his chin towards the backs of the two women ahead, his expression rather lewd. This made Li Yan's hair stand on end, not knowing what this meant. A game of worldly pleasures?