Chapter 137: Black Wind City
As the center of the entire Black Wind Sea, Black Wind Island boasted an extremely vast territory, and it was more appropriate to call it a continent than an island.
Aside from the main Black Wind Island, there were also dozens of islands littered throughout the nearby area.
Black Wind Island had an abundance of spirit veins and world's origin qi, and its massive territory was laden with resources, far more so than other islands. Furthermore, it had the only teleportation array that led to the outside world.
Every day, there were countless immortals, mortals, and resources converging to Black Wind Island from all parts of the Black Wind Sea. Similarly, there were also countless rare materials that were exchanged here before spreading to all parts of the Black Wind Sea, making this an extremely thriving central hub.
There were even some who proclaimed that half of the Black Wind Sea's most precious resources were concentrated on Black Wind Island.
On the southern coast of Black Wind Island was an enormous city that resembled a gargantuan beast laying sprawled out on the ground. The city walls alone were thousands of feet tall, resembling vast mountains.
The city was filled with an array of imposing and majestic buildings, as well as wide and pristine streets that were teeming with pedestrians.
There were also buildings hovering in the air above, and streaks of light were traversing back and forth through the air.
This city was Black Wind City, the largest city on Black Wind Island, and it was also home to the teleportation array that led to the outside world.
Even before first light, the entire city had already been teeming with activity for quite some time.
As a coastal city, Black Wind City had an abundance of all types of piers and docks. Countless boats and ships of different sizes were constantly traveling over the sea to reach Black Wind City, and the vast majority of them belonged to mortals.
There was a particularly large pier on an area of the coast close to 10 kilometers away from Black Wind City. The pier was thousands of feet long and around 200 to 300 feet wide. It was entirely constructed from white jade, and there were countless faintly glowing runes engraved onto its surface.
The white jade pier stood far taller than the surface of the sea down below, resembling the resting arm of a giant.
At this moment, the pier was packed with people, all of whom were staring expectantly into the distance, as if they were waiting for something.
There was a completely unremarkable-looking young man standing in the crowd. He appeared to be around 17 to 18 years of age and had a slightly dark complexion.
Mu Xue gently exhaled, and he was immediately greeted by the unique fishy and salty aroma of the sea breeze, which caused his brows to furrow slightly.
Having come from an inland region, even though he had already been on Black Wind Sea for two years, he still wasn't used to the smell of the sea.
Right at this moment, a voice suddenly rang out nearby. "You've come pretty early today as well, Brother Mu."
Mu Xue turned to discover a man with an imposing figure making his way toward him. The man had a thick and coarse beard, and his facial features were rather menacing to behold.
Surely you jest, Brother Zhao. When have I ever arrived earlier than you?" Mu Xue chuckled.
The man's name was Zhao Hu, and despite his intimidating appearance, he actually had quite an easy-going personality. Just like Mu Xue, both of them were foreign itinerant cultivators who had come to Black Wind City to make a living, and the two of them had established a close friendship.
The two began to make small talk with one another, and Zhao Hu lowered his voice as he asked, "How have things gone for you this month, Brother Mu?"
As it turned out, luck hadn't been on Mu Xue's side recently, and his brows furrowed slightly as he shook his head in response. "Things haven't been great recently. I haven't received many jobs at all in the past few days. What about you, Brother Zhao?"
"I received a job from an important client yesterday and managed to make some money," Zhao Hu replied with a pleased expression, but he wasn't gloating to Mu Xue.
"I'm going to make an extra effort and strive to earn enough spirit stones to buy a vial of Nascent Formation Elixir by the end of the year," Zhao Hu continued with a hint of excitement in his eyes.
"I must offer you my congratulations in advance then, Brother. Given your spiritual roots and cultivation aptitude, you'll definitely be able to manifest a nascent soul with the assistance of some Nascent Formation Elixir. Once that happens, you'll be able to venture out into the sea with hunting parties to hunt for sea beasts, and you'll be able to earn spirit stones far more quickly than you are now!" Mu Xue said with a hint of envy on his face.
He had only just reached the Core Formation Stage, so he was still far away from the Nascent Soul Stage.
Zhao Hu's smile grew even more pronounced upon hearing this, and he patted Mu Xue on the shoulder as he said, "You're still a young man, Brother Mu. The only advantage that I have over you is my age. By the time you get to my age, you'll have left me far behind."
Right at this moment, a burst of dull rumbling rang out from the distant horizon.
Mu Xue and Zhao Hu immediately ceased their conversation as they turned their attention to the horizon.
Several clouds were drifting apart in the sky amid the rumbling, and an enormous white shadow appeared in the distance.
It was traveling extremely quickly, arriving near the pier in just a few seconds to reveal itself to be a gargantuan white louchuan.
The vessel was over 10,000 feet in length and close to 1,000 feet tall, hovering in mid-air like a majestic white mountain.
The louchuan had somewhere between 20 to 30 levels, and every single level was divided up into countless square grids, which were the windows of the rooms on the ship.
The louchuan rapidly decelerated as it arrived at the pier, quickly drawing to a halt in mid-air.
All of a sudden, the spirit patterns on the pier began to radiate spiritual light of various colors, which converged to form a thick pillar of light that erupted straight into the heavens, coming into direct contact with the giant vessel.
In response, countless spirit patterns appeared on the underside of the vessel as well, forming a series of arrays, and the pillar of light instantly injected itself into the spirit patterns.
The pillar of light resembled a giant chain that connected the pier and the louchuan together.
Under the guidance of the pillar of light, the giant white vessel slowly descended, coming to a rest in front of the pier.
The louchuan was called the Skydrift Cloud Ark, and it was vastly renowned throughout the Black Wind Sea.
Even though the Black Wind Sea was only considered to be an insignificant rural area in the context of the entire Northern Glacial Immortal Region, its area was incredibly vast in the eyes of all of the cultivators here.
Even for a True Immortal, it would've taken them countless years to fly across the entire Black Wind Sea.
The islands in the Black Wind Sea were very dispersed, and all types of demon beasts were residing in the sea, making it a very perilous region. Hence, it was extremely inconvenient for cultivators to travel to different islands unless they were at the True Immortal Stage.
The number one trading house on Black Wind Island had identified this as a business opportunity, expending a huge amount of resources to construct this Skydrift Cloud Ark, which was capable of transporting tens of thousands of people to all parts of the Black Wind Sea.
Thanks to the special refinement methods used, the Skydrift Cloud Ark was extremely fast, far more so than the average True Immortal cultivator.
Even though traveling on the ship was quite expensive, it was still a very popular form of transport among the cultivators of the Black Wind Sea for its speed and safety.
All of a sudden, a vast expanse of white light began to radiate from the Skydrift Cloud Ark, and the white radiance formed a long passageway that was projected to the pier.
A series of cultivators then flew out from the passageway before arriving on the pier.
Mu Xue and Zhao Hu immediately approached those cultivators with smiles on their faces.
"May I ask if you're traveling to Black Wind City, esteemed senior? I reside permanently in the city, so I know it like the back of my hand. If you want to go somewhere or do something in the city, I'll definitely be able to help you," Mu Xue said to a black-robed man in a welcoming voice.
Meanwhile, Zhao Hu had approached someone else and was doing the same thing, as was everyone on the pier around them.
The black-robed man paid no heed to Mu Xue and flew directly toward Black Wind City himself.
However, Mu Xue wasn't disheartened in the slightest, and he immediately turned to the next person with a welcoming smile. However, that person also ignored him and flew away on their own.
Before long, over half of the louchuan's passengers had already disembarked, but up to this point, no one was willing to hire Mu Xue.
"Yes! Rest assured, Senior, you can count on me!"
Meanwhile, Zhao Hu had already received a client.
It was a Body Integration cultivator, who swept a hand through the air to release a burst of blue light that enveloped Zhao Hu's body, following which both of them flew toward Black Wind City.
A hint of frustration flashed through Mu Xue's eyes upon seeing this. Perhaps it was because he was still too young and perceived to be lacking in maturity, but business had always been quite lackluster for him.
Right at this moment, an azure-robed man drifted down from the louchuan, but instead of immediately setting off for Black Wind City, he began to inspect his surroundings as if he were appreciating the scenery.
"Is this your first time coming to Black Wind Island, Senior? If you're going to Black Wind City, then you'll most likely require a guide. Black Wind City is extremely massive, and not only is the layout of its streets very complex, there are restrictions in the city that limit the use of one's spiritual sense.
“If you don't have a capable guide, it'll be quite troublesome to find things. I grew up my entire life in Black Wind City, so I'll definitely be able to help you get to where you want to go," Mu Xue greeted.
"So you're a guide?" the azure-robed man asked.
"That's right. I've already been working as a guide here for about four or five years, and I only charge five mid-grade spirit stones for my services."
Mu Xue could tell that Han Li was interested, and he was ecstatic. In order to ensure that this client didn't slip through his hands, he charged a slightly lower price than normal.
"This is indeed my first time visiting Black Wind City, so I will be needing a guide," the azure-robed man replied with a nod, then swept a hand through the air to release a burst of azure light, which carried both of them toward Black Wind City.
"What's your name?" the azure-robed man asked as he took a glance at Mu Xue.
"My name is Mu Xue," Mu Xue hurriedly replied.
"Mu Xue? That sounds like a girl's name," the azure-robed man remarked with a faint smile.
"My name was given to me by my mother," Mu Xue replied as he scratched his head in a slightly embarrassed manner.
"You just told me that you grew up your entire life in Black Wind City. Those who live by the sea are constantly exposed to the sea breeze, which will result in a dark complexion, but also some red coloration of the skin, and you don't seem to fit that bill. I'm assuming you actually grew up in a mountainous area, right?" the azure-robed man asked with a hint of a smile on his face.
Mu Xue's expression stiffened slightly upon hearing this, and he lowered his head as he replied, "Your wisdom is truly unmatched, Senior. I did indeed grow up in a mountain village, and I offer you my sincerest apologies for lying to you. As an outsider, I have no choice but to tell some lies in order to make a living in Black Wind City."
"It's fine, that doesn't matter to me. All that matters is that you serve as a good guide," the azure-robed man replied with a dismissive wave of his hand, and a reminiscent look had appeared in his eyes.
The azure-robed man was none other than Han Li, and it had taken him around two months aboard the Skydrift Cloud Ark to arrive at Black Wind City.
As he took in the city before him, a hint of surprise flashed through his eyes.
The city was so massive that even with his exceptional eyesight, he was unable to see its boundaries. The entire city was encompassed under an enormous array, which was giving off immense spiritual power fluctuations.
The two of them quickly arrived near Black Wind City, where they were greeted by dozens of different gates on the city wall.
"These gates are meant to split up the different types of visitors to the city. Local residents or cultivators generally don't need to pay an entrance fee, whereas mortals or merchant parties have to pay in silver. You're a cultivator who's visiting the city for the first, so you'll need to go through that gate," Mu Xue introduced as he pointed to a certain gate on the left.
This content is taken from (f)reewe(b)novel.𝗰𝗼𝐦