Chapter 893: Heading to Xuan City

"Hehe, Brother Yi has been in seclusion all these years with special permission, so it's normal that you don't recognize him. His name is Li Feiyu, a Xuan Warrior sent here in recent years. Although he has only opened a little over forty Xuan acupoints, his strength is not bad—he once defeated Fellow Daoist Dulong. Being a human, he has some reputation, but since five years ago, he seems to have also obtained special permission and has been in seclusion ever since." Tu Gang glanced at Dulong beside him and chuckled.

"Hmph, the situation was special back then; I was careless. Why bring up past matters!" Dulong snorted and glared at Tu Gang.

"A human? That's something new. Is he planning to go to Xuan City for the martial meet?" The golden-haired youth's eyes flickered with disdain upon hearing this.

"Perhaps. Why else would he be in seclusion for so many years?" Tu Gang said with a sneer.

As soon as Han Li sat down, a maidservant immediately served him a cup of tea.

He picked up the teacup and took a sip.

"Fellow Daoist Li, long time no see." A voice sounded, and Gu Qianxun walked over, greeting him with a smile.

Yao Li followed beside her, maintaining the same cold attitude toward Han Li as before, looking up at the sky with an air of indifference.

"Fellow Daoist Gu, long time no see." Han Li ignored Yao Li and nodded at Gu Qianxun.

"I guessed that with Fellow Daoist Li's strength, Fellow Daoist Chen Yang would definitely invite you. I've heard you've been in seclusion training these past few years, and your strength seems to have improved greatly." Gu Qianxun looked Han Li up and down, a flicker of light in her beautiful eyes as she smiled.

"You flatter me, Fellow Daoist Gu. Speaking of improvement in strength, you are well-deserved. Congratulations." Han Li glanced at Gu Qianxun and curled his lips.

Gu Qianxun's smile stiffened slightly.

Thanks to two treasures she had obtained from the treasure vault back then, she had broken through a cultivation bottleneck, and her strength had indeed improved significantly.

She had kept this secret and never mentioned it to anyone. Moreover, as long as she didn't show it, physical cultivation was extremely difficult to discern from appearance. Yet Han Li had seen through her strength at a glance!

What Gu Qianxun didn't know was that Han Li's physical cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds in recent years, making his perception naturally sharper. Coupled with his immensely powerful divine sense, he could see through Gu Qianxun's true strength at a glance.

"I didn't expect Fellow Daoist Li to be not only powerful but also so sharp-eyed. Admirable." Gu Qianxun's expression quickly returned to calm, and she sat down beside Han Li.

Seeing this, the golden-haired youth in the distance darkened his expression.

"Alright, Fellow Daoist Gu, let's not flatter each other. You've spent much more time in Qingyang City than I have, so you must know more about the Five Cities Martial Meet. Could you enlighten me?" Han Li said with a smile.

Gu Qianxun pursed her lips and was about to speak.

"Haha, sorry to keep you all waiting. My apologies." A hearty laugh rang out, and Chen Yang, dressed in city lord attire, entered through a side door at the back of the hall and took the main seat.

The Crab Daoist, as before, silently followed behind him.

Han Li's gaze swept over the Crab Daoist, but the latter stood with eyes downcast, paying him no attention.

Seeing this, Han Li frowned slightly, then relaxed.

"Greetings, City Lord!" Everyone in the hall stood up and bowed.

Han Li and Gu Qianxun also stopped their conversation and rose to bow.

"You are all pillars of Qingyang City; no need for such formality. Please sit." Chen Yang pressed his hands down and said with a smile.

Everyone sat down at his words, but no one spoke. The hall was so quiet that a pin drop could be heard.

"The reason I called you all here today, as you probably already know, is for the Five Cities Martial Meet. The date is approaching, and the journey will take time. We will set off shortly, but there are some matters I need to explain before we depart." Chen Yang announced loudly.

"May I ask, City Lord, has there been a change in the martial meet?" The golden-haired youth asked.

"Who is that fellow daoist?" Han Li glanced at the golden-haired youth and asked softly.

"He is Yi Liya. He has been in seclusion all these years, so you don't recognize him, Fellow Daoist Li." Gu Qianxun replied softly.

Han Li's eyes flickered at the name. He had long heard of Yi Liya, the chief Xuan Warrior of the second district, recognized as the second strongest in the Xuan Arena, second only to Gu Qianxun.

"There's no change, but I've received news that City Lord Ekui places great importance on this martial meet and has set unprecedented rewards. The other three cities are also taking it very seriously, sending their strongest lineups." Chen Yang said with a smile.

At these words, everyone present was visibly moved.

Han Li's heart stirred as well. Could there be some hidden agenda behind City Lord Ekui's generous rewards?

"As one of the four subsidiary cities, Qingyang City must not fall behind in this martial meet. You must strive to uphold the city's honor!" Chen Yang said solemnly.

"Rest assured, City Lord, we will not disgrace Qingyang City!"

"Exactly! This time, we'll show the other three cities and the main Xuan City what we're made of!" The hall erupted in clamor as everyone shouted.

"Good, with your words, I am reassured. There's no time to lose; let's prepare to depart." Chen Yang smiled, then led the way out of the hall.

Everyone followed, and soon they were outside Qingyang City.

The weather was quite clear today, but the ground was still windy and sandy. Looking into the distance, a vast expanse of desolate yellow sand swirled wildly into the sky.

Over a dozen scaled beasts were stationed there, all enormous and spirited, with saddles and other gear strapped to them for riding.

Chen Yang was the first to mount the lead black-scaled elephant, and the Crab Daoist also climbed up.

The others each found a beast to ride. There were many beasts, and some acquaintances shared one, so it wasn't crowded.

Han Li looked at an unoccupied horse-like scaled beast and was about to mount it.

"Fellow Daoist Li, if you don't mind, would you like to ride with me?" Chen Yang suddenly looked over and said with a smile.

Han Li's eyes flickered, and he glanced at the Crab Daoist beside him. With a smile, he said, "It would be my honor to ride with the City Lord."

With that, he tapped the ground lightly and floated up.

"Fellow Daoist Gu, would you like to join us? The journey is long and lonely; more company makes for better conversation." Chen Yang then looked at Gu Qianxun and invited.

"I'd be delighted." Gu Qianxun smiled charmingly and also stepped onto the elephant's back.

Chen Yang waved his hand, and the black-scaled giant elephant began to walk forward.

Not far away, Yi Liya watched the scene with a grim expression.

He snorted and turned to mount a giant deer-like scaled beast.

The group soon set off. The scaled beasts moved swiftly and soon disappeared into the distant, hazy horizon.

…

Time flew by, and over two years passed.

At the end of a dusty plain, a stretch of towering, continuous mountains appeared, standing like giants spanning the earth.

More than a hundred li away from the mountains, a procession of over a dozen scaled beasts was moving slowly.

On the lead black-scaled elephant sat three people cross-legged: Chen Yang, Han Li, and Gu Qianxun.

At that moment, Han Li squinted, looking through the dusty plain at the mountain range ahead. On the shady side of the mountains, he could make out a vague outline—a city of considerable size.

"City Lord Chen, is that city at the foot of the mountains Xuan City?" Han Li withdrew his gaze and asked.

"Indeed. That mountain range is called Chongxuan Mountains, and Xuan City is built on its shady side, relying on the terrain. This shields it from wind disasters and combines mountain and city for enhanced defense. Our Qingyang City followed a similar concept, but unfortunately, it pales in scale." Chen Yang nodded and smiled.

"With City Lord Chen leading, I believe Qingyang City will change greatly in the future. Surpassing Xuan City is too much to hope for, but becoming the foremost of the four subsidiary cities is something to look forward to." Gu Qianxun said with a smile.

"Haha... I'll take your kind words." Chen Yang laughed heartily.

The three chatted along the way and soon arrived at the city gates.

Compared to the vague outline seen from afar, the hundred-zhang-tall city before them appeared even more majestic.

The city walls, built entirely of black stone, were studded with large white scaled beast star bones, which glowed faintly, giving a very peculiar appearance.

Han Li knew these were not mere decorations; the star power they contained, similar to city-guarding formations, could enhance the city's defenses. Such a feat was beyond Qingyang City's capabilities.

The city had three gates. The central one was dozens of zhang high, while the two side gates were slightly shorter. Armored guards holding weapons stood watch inside and outside the gates.

Although all three gates were open, no one passed through the central main gate; only the side gates saw a steady stream of people coming and going.

Chen Yang led Han Li and the others directly to the main gate. After presenting the city lord's token of Qingyang City to the guards, a thick-browed young man in a black robe immediately came forward to greet them.

"So it's City Lord Chen and the esteemed guests from Qingyang City. I apologize for not welcoming you from afar. I am Tong Song, responsible for guiding you to the City Lord's Mansion." The thick-browed young man introduced himself.

"Fellow Daoist Tong, you're too kind. Have the people from the other three cities arrived?" Chen Yang returned the greeting and asked.

"The honored guests from Tongyu City, Xuanzhi City, and Baiyan City have all arrived. Once I escort you to the City Lord's Mansion, the City Lord will likely meet with you all." Tong Song replied.

"Then we are the ones who have delayed things. I feel ashamed." Chen Yang said.

"City Lord Chen, there's no need for that. You have arrived within the scheduled time; there is no delay." Tong Song quickly waved his hand and said.

"There's no time to lose. Then I'll trouble Fellow Daoist Tong to lead us to the City Lord's Mansion." Chen Yang nodded.

Tong Song acknowledged, immediately ordered his subordinates to go ahead to the City Lord's Mansion to deliver the message, and then led the Qingyang City group through the main gate into Xuan City.