Chapter 297: Chapter 295: First Arrival in Yunshui City
Although Zuo Feng was only seven or eight years old, he was remarkably clever and mature for his age. He was able to clearly recount everything that had happened.
As it turned out, Zuo Feng was the orphaned son of the Seven Profound Sect’s Sect Leader. He had been living in a small town thousands of miles away from Yunshui City. A month ago, the Sect Leader suddenly died. His posthumous decree was then announced, ordering Zuo Feng to be brought back and designated as the Young Sect Master. Once Zuo Feng turned eighteen, he would be eligible to compete for the position of Sect Leader.
Originally, an old servant who had been close to the Sect Leader was supposed to bring Zuo Feng back. However, for some unknown reason, the old servant couldn’t make it, so Lingchen was sent instead.
Everything was handled with the utmost secrecy. Even the Sect Leader’s posthumous decree was known only to a select few.
The matter of escorting Zuo Feng back was especially confidential; supposedly, only Lingchen and the old servant knew about it.
But... they just so happened to run into the Earth Bandit Gang. It seemed the bandits had been lying in ambush on the road for days, as if waiting for Zuo Feng’s group to walk right into their trap.
There was almost no doubt that someone had hired the Earth Bandit Gang, intending to use them to eliminate Zuo Feng and his party.
Their target was clearly Zuo Feng, because as the Young Sect Master, he was qualified to compete for the leadership of the sect.
With the position of the Seven Profound Sect’s Sect Leader vacant, who wouldn’t be eyeing it covetously?
’That Sect Leader of the Seven Profound Sect was a ruthless one. He knew that the path of cultivation is a perilous sea, fraught with unpredictable dangers and a slim chance of survival. Even in death, he insisted on dragging his own son into it. He was basically forcing Zuo Feng down a path to certain doom!’
Jiang Jichen had a very poor impression of Zuo Feng’s father, the Sect Leader of the Seven Profound Sect.
But the man was already dead, and his life extinguished like a lamp. What was the use of saying anything more now?
But then, Jiang Jichen’s Divine Thought stirred. ’This matter can’t be this simple,’ he thought. ’There must be a hidden story here.’
For example, why hadn’t the Sect Leader brought Zuo Feng back to the Seven Profound Sect while he was alive? Why wait until after his death to issue the decree?
Also, how did the Sect Leader of the Seven Profound Sect die?
However, these were not questions he or Zuo Feng could answer.
"Zuo Feng, it just so happens I need an identity to enter Yunshui City. From now on, I’ll be your Brother Lingchen!"
Jiang Jichen said to Zuo Feng.
In truth, Jiang Jichen had no desire to wade into the muddy waters of the Seven Profound Sect’s power struggles, but he happened to need an identity.
Besides, while the Seven Profound Sect was fraught with conflict and danger, it could also serve as a good foothold.
He could use this opportunity to enter the Seven Profound Sect, which would make it more convenient to operate within Yunshui City.
Furthermore, if he simply abandoned Zuo Feng, the boy probably wouldn’t survive for more than a few days.
Since he had already saved Zuo Feng, he had to see it through to the end. Giving up halfway would be worse than not having intervened at all.
Hearing that Jiang Jichen would accompany him into Yunshui City and to the Seven Profound Sect, Zuo Feng was overjoyed and incredibly excited. How could he possibly refuse?
But Zuo Feng suddenly seemed to think of something. He asked hesitantly, "But, Brother Jichen, even though you have a similar build to Brother Lingchen, your faces are different!"
Seeing Zuo Feng’s puzzled expression, Jiang Jichen smiled faintly and then directly adjusted the muscles in his face.
Soon, his face bore an uncanny resemblance to the deceased Lingchen.
"Wow, that’s amazing! How did you do that, Brother Jichen?"
Zuo Feng asked in astonishment.
Jiang Jichen chuckled. "It’s nothing special. Besides, when you’re powerful enough to fear no one in the world, why would you need to change your face? Ahem, from now on, don’t call me Brother Jichen. You must call me Brother Lingchen!"
Jiang Jichen didn’t tell Zuo Feng that this was possible because he was a Body Refiner, for whom slightly adjusting muscles to change one’s appearance was not difficult.
Moreover, since Lingchen was similar to him in height and build, as long as he changed his face and made a few minor adjustments to his body, it was unlikely anyone would be able to tell the difference.
Finally, Jiang Jichen buried the people who had been accompanying Zuo Feng, along with the dozen or so bodies of the female cultivators. He erected an unmarked grave marker, and then the pair, one tall and one small, set off toward Yunshui City.
They were still five hundred li from Yunshui City, but for Cultivators who could fly, this wasn’t a great distance.
And for Jiang Jichen, who possessed the Shadow Step technique, it was even less of a concern.
He brought Zuo Feng along, using only the normal speed of his Shadow Step, but even that was astonishingly fast.
The rest of the journey was peaceful; they encountered no more bandits. Once they were within a few dozen li of Yunshui City, it was even less likely that anyone would dare cause trouble.
Jiang Jichen found himself on a plain, from where he could see the towering form of Yunshui City reaching into the sky in the distance.
It was immense, majestic, and spectacular. A single city comparable in size to a Small Country. In front of it, Cyan Moon City was no different from an ant.
It was Zuo Feng’s first time seeing such a massive city, and shock was written all over his little face.
On the plain, Jiang Jichen could already see Cultivators coming and going.
What shocked Jiang Jichen the most was that he would occasionally see Spirit Infant Realm Cultivators streaking across the sky.
’Yunshui City truly lives up to its name as the greatest city in the Southern Continent. Experts are as numerous as trees in a forest, and Spirit Infant Realm Cultivators can be seen everywhere.’
The two of them marveled in silence for a while before continuing toward Yunshui City.
Only by getting closer to Yunshui City could one truly appreciate its sheer scale and feel the astonishing pressure that washed over them.
Jiang Jichen looked up at the gate of Yunshui City. An ancient sword hung there, seeming to exude both the etherealness of clouds and water and the profound weight of a mountain. It was extraordinary, circulating a sacred aura.
Without a doubt, this was a Holy Sword, used to guard the gate of Yunshui City!
Jiang Jichen was secretly astounded. He felt that the foundation of Yunshui City’s Heavenly Sword Alliance was unfathomably deep, to be able to simply hang a Holy Sword above the city gate to guard the region.
He wondered how many more such Holy Swords they possessed.
His heart surged with excitement. Jiang Jichen pulled Zuo Feng along, following the stream of people through the city gate and truly entering Yunshui City.
The crowd moved like a tide, flowing back and forth along the incredibly wide Ancient Street. The Cultivation of these people was not weak; even the commoners were at the Mortal Realm.
As for Minor Grandmasters and Grandmasters, they were a dime a dozen. Those in the Foundation Establishment Realm were a common sight, and one could even frequently encounter people at the Spirit Infant Realm.
It had truly reached a point where Grandmasters were as common as dirt and Foundation Establishment cultivators walked every street!
It was the first time in Yunshui City for both Jiang Jichen and Zuo Feng. They didn’t even know the specific location of the Seven Profound Sect, so they were like headless chickens.
However, Jiang Jichen remained calm, leading Zuo Feng on a stroll to familiarize themselves with their surroundings.
But Yunshui City was truly massive. After walking for half a day, Jiang Jichen was still only in the Outer District; he hadn’t even reached the Central District yet.
The Outer District was mostly a gathering place for commoners and Loose Cultivators. The Central District was home to the headquarters of medium and first-rate Great Families and Sects. As for the inner city, that was naturally where the super Great Families and Sects were based, such as the Seven Great Families and the Three Major Sects.
And in the very heart of Yunshui City was the headquarters of the Heavenly Sword Alliance!
Jiang Jichen guessed that, given the Seven Profound Sect’s strength, its headquarters would likely be located in the Central District of Yunshui City.
By now, the sky was growing dark. Jiang Jichen decided they should first find an inn to stay for the night.
He led Zuo Feng toward the nearest inn, which looked extremely upscale. The sign above read, "Yunlai Inn."
However, just as Jiang Jichen and Zuo Feng took a step forward, before they could even enter the inn’s main door, they were stopped by an attendant at the gate.
