Chapter 24: One Man Stirs the Storm in Luoyang

The azure sky resembled a fine piece of jade, with a few white clouds embedded upon it, appearing utterly charming. From high above, looking down at the earth, the rivers curved like threads, small woods clustered like green pearls, and the sights of human life seemed most vivid.

"Mother! Come quickly, come quickly! There's a monster in the sky!" a child cried out in panic, filled with both delight and fear. A woman stepped out of the house, gently slapped the child, and laughed, scolding, "Little rascal. Have you gone mad wanting to be an immortal? Go wash your hands and hurry to eat..." The child felt aggrieved, but when he lifted his head, the monster was nowhere to be found... There was nothing to be done—the thing flew so fast. In a world untouched by industrial pollution, the sky was pristine, every detail clear from afar.

Wu Yue stretched lazily and continued to gaze downward with keen interest. Beside him sat Yu Fu, visibly nervous. Beneath them was a Red Flame Panda—or so Wu Yue had named it. In truth, the beast was nothing more than an enlarged panda, but its fur was entirely red, and now it sported a pair of large wings. Ferocious beasts were rare in this world; under the relentless hunting of human cultivators, the already scarce ancient beasts had become even more rare. As for the one Wu Yue was riding, it was called the White Mo, though what connection this red giant had to 'white' was anyone's guess.

The White Mo, a noble beast renowned since ancient times, possessed countless wonders—for instance, an innate mastery over fire, born already at the Core Formation stage, and in a century or so would naturally reach the Divine Transformation stage, with the ability to shapeshift. Its maturity took about eight hundred years, and every mature White Mo, even the weakest, could slay those who had transcended the mundane; the strongest could rival the Grandmasters of Profound Life.

The disparity came down to diet—a proper White Mo required no cultivation, only endless eating... Yet, despite its ferocious reputation, its temperament was exceedingly lazy and rarely acted on its own initiative. Curiously, it loved playing in water, though it could not swim... Nevertheless, should a cultivator encounter a White Mo cub, it would surely provoke a bloody struggle.

"Uncle Bai, how much longer until we reach Luoyang, the capital of Qin?" Yu Fu asked tremulously. Wu Yue had forgotten to supervise Yu Fu at the start of their flight. When the White Mo took off, the powerful airflow nearly swept Yu Fu off... Though he was rescued unharmed, the child now harbored a fear of heights.

"Where are we going? Luoyang? Where is Luoyang?" came the White Mo's muffled voice.

Wu Yue replied, "Of course we're going to the capital of Qin! We're to attend the Jade Bowl Banquet!"

"But you didn't tell me," said the White Mo.

"If I didn't tell you, why are you flying blindly?"

"You said to fly first," the White Mo protested. Wu Yue thought for a moment—indeed, that was how it happened. He had seen Uncle Lishan reveal his true form, and in his excitement, shouted to set off... Seeing Yu Fu’s near-tangible fury, Wu Yue coughed dryly. "No matter, no matter. We’re still early; it’s not too late to go now."

"Then you lead the way... I don’t know the road," the White Mo said.

Lead the way? Wu Yue looked at Yu Fu. Yu Fu rolled his eyes and said coolly, "I’m just a child."

And so, the three directionless travelers set out to find Luoyang.

"Ah, I knew I shouldn’t have listened to you... Eat, you said? Eat, you said? Eat, you said?" Yu Fu lamented.

"It’d be better to have sold off Chen Shujian... The quality of teammates is utterly lacking," Wu Yue sighed softly.

"I want to eat. I want to eat..." bellowed the beast, Uncle Bai the White Mo.

...

A month later.

How could one describe the city ahead? Vast, ancient, boundless—none of these words were enough. The three—Wu Yue, Yu Fu, and the White Mo—stood stunned before the city. Even with all of Wu Yue’s worldly experience on Earth, he could feel nothing but awe before this place. Passersby flowed like clouds and wove like threads, yet for the three so obviously overwhelmed, most could only offer a kindly smile. Whether ordinary folk or cultivators, unless one was a native, who would not be astonished by this city?

Even the city gate alone was impressively grand. At its center, two large characters, each as wide and tall as a person.

Luoyang!

Those words instantly imparted a sense of martial grandeur, yet upon further inspection, there was a profound feeling of time’s accumulation. Beneath them was the mark of Qin—a sun and moon holding a halberd.

Whoever had drawn the lines of sun and moon, upon close contemplation, left the impression of sun and moon shining together upon the main gate. The halberd had only one head, but seventeen blades—eleven on the left, six on the right. This signified Qin’s seventeen vassal states: eleven dominated by ordinary people, six by cultivators. Such was the mighty northern empire of the Spirit Realm—Qin.

At this time, several dozen guards stood at both sides of the gate, checking only unfamiliar cultivators. Previously, there were no city guards, but with the Jade Bowl Banquet imminent, Luoyang would soon be flooded with cultivators, most of whom had no right to attend. This centennial gathering had many festivities, naturally attracting cultivators to flock here.

Three—no, two people and a beast—after coming to their senses, their eyes gleamed with a peculiar light... They received waist tokens and VIP cards... Yes, VIP cards. An ordinary jade plaque inscribed with 'Great Qin Jade Bowl.' It looked plain, but in Luoyang it was anything but. With this jade plaque, all food, drink, lodging, and travel were free! Yes, just that extravagant. Of course, few would wander around brandishing their jade token. Shopping in the streets and such... But history was about to change.

Have you ever seen someone digest food with spiritual energy? Yes, here it happened. Yu Fu and the White Mo entered in a frenzy... Wu Yue could only hold his forehead and sigh, mourning the disgrace... And finally, he was glad that Xue Xiaoyu stayed behind to train at Lishan, else the humiliation would have been complete.

Wu Yue did not know that the supposedly cold and heartless guards broke into heated discussion after they left...

"That’s right. It’s this person. We must report immediately."

"Report to whom? Princess Jinping? The Yao family? Or Young Lord Zhou?"

The captain gritted his teeth. "Report to them all. We can’t afford to offend any of them."

Who was this person? What sect was Lishan? How could they attract the attention of Emperor Shi’s beloved Princess Jinping, the Yao family among the Five Surnames, and the imperial Zhou family? Each pondered in silence, and soon several quietly sent word to other major powers.

Just who was this person? For a time, spies throughout Luoyang were set into motion.