Chapter 230 Tianyuan City (2/2)
Hearing this, one of the Envoys roared, ”I see! So the rumors are true after all, Xiao Chen! You are indeed one of the evil folk!”
The situation was getting worse for Xiao Chen; the two Envoys would surely report Xiao Chen as a member of the Devil's Practice after this! Panicking with anger, he screamed at them, ”YOU FOOLS! I DON'T KNOW THIS PEOPLE AT ALL!”
But his shouts fell on deaf ears; the Envoys swung their swords and tried to attack him instead, only to be held back by the black-clothed assailants. The darkness in the night was illuminated by flaring auric projectiles as the fighting grew intense. But the two Envoys were struggling against the greater numbers against them.
”Who are you?” Xiao Chen snarled at the stranger still holding him. With his powers still sealed, he was but merely a helpless rag doll in the hands of his mysterious captor. Still, he kept on trying to break the magical seal, hoping that he could free himself in time.
”There's no need for you to know who we are,” said the man in black. He turned to his cohorts, ”KILL ONLY ONE AND RELEASE THE OTHER!” He spoke to Xiao Chen again, ”With that, you will be a fugitive of the Immortal's League. You will be hunted like dog until your death. Joining us will be the only option for your survival!”
”I see, this is a plot to force me to join the Devil's Practice!” But his thoughts were cut short suddenly; a ray of light streaked through the air, racing towards them! So fast and powerful was the bolt of light that it smote at the stranger like lightning from the sky, forcing the stranger to release his hold of Xiao Chen and leap to safety.
Free at last, Xiao Chen scampered away. Perfected Immortal Qing Chen appeared beside him suddenly to keep him safe. With a flail of his sleeves, he delivered an auric blow as powerful as the force of a broken dam, sending the rest of the men in black crashing to the ground. Seconds later, Yu Yifeng and everyone else arrived to help.
”LEAVE!” The leader of the men in black barked to his subordinates and the whole contingent of them immediately fled, vanishing into thin air.
The Mentor of the Jade Qing Sect approached Xiao Chen and tapped him with his fingers, sending a burst of aura into him. Xiao Chen felt an electrifying sensation coursing through his meridian points; the magic that sealed his powers was undone.
”Who are they?” asked a worried Yu Yifeng, his brows wrinkled into a frown.
Qingluan and Ziyun'er came to his side, with the little Murong Xian'er hot at their heels. The first thing they did was to inspect Xiao Chen to see if he was injured.
But Xiao Chen suffered no more than a scratch from the incident. In contrast, the two Envoys were badly bruised and battered. It was fortunate that they were able to survive the ordeal at all. But they were far from relieved and happy. ”XIAO CHEN!” One of them spat hatefully, ”We'll see about this! You, fraternizing with the enemy!”
”We'll make sure the Leader of the Immortals' League hears about this!” said another coldly.
”Ignorant bastards,” Xiao Chen hissed quietly. But his thoughts quickly wandered back to the band of black-clad strangers. Who were they and what were they up to? None of them were obviously members of the Corpse Refinery Sect for its members were known to exude a distinct aura of death and decay.
Xiao Chen sighed morosely. He was now an outlaw hunted by both sides of the spectrum of Evil and Good. Hardly a promising future from himself.
”Perhaps it is better that you dawdle no more,” Perfected Immortal Qing Chen interjected, ”You should go now.”
The Envoys traded a look and summoned their Flying-cloud Stone. But before he could step, a dread crept into his mind suddenly, ”These two Envoys... Are they really agents of the Immortals' League, or could they be actually working in secret for the Evil folk?”
The night's events continued to torment Xiao Chen for the rest of the journey; he could no longer sit back and relax while enjoying what was left of his freedom anymore before his imminent incarceration. Finally, at evening, they finally reached a huge and magnificent city. A city that was so large and wide that it filled the entire horizon.
Thousands of floating islands hovered among the clouds that shrouded the skyline of the city like whales in a sea. There were numerous buildings, pavilions, and gazebos on the islands that joined to each other by bridges and chains. Mythical beasts and birds glided in the air, weaving lazily between the floating islands and the thick mists that shrouded the sky. Xiao Chen could only look in awe at the entire scene that looked like Paradise upon Earth.
Xiao Chen heaved in a gulp of the chilly air, looking in awe at the size of Tianyuan City which could easily dwarf almost all the cities of the Qing Province put together. The city reminded him of the Tier 3 cities he had visited during his previous lifetime, for the countless floating islands would require an astounding amount of fuel to sustain.
The two Envoys took notice of his amazement and sneered contemptuously, ”This is merely a corner of Tianyuan City. Just wait till you see how big it actually is, you country bumpkin!”
The entire airspace above the City was a strict no-fly zone in order to prevent any collisions with the floating islands. Hence the Envoys steered their flying conveyance to the ground and prepared to land.
The architecture of the buildings and structures were stunning and imposing and the streets busy and crowded with mobs of visitors and travelers from everywhere: blond, blue-eyed foreigners, richly-robed merchants, and coquettish alluring females from the more exotic nations of the world who had never stopped batting their eyes at him amongst all.
”You may look handsome,” the Envoys jeered viciously, ”But you're a no more than a prisoner like common bandits and murderers!”
The two Envoys looked more noticeably arrogant and proud since stepping into the City which also served as the seat of the Immortals' League. They enjoyed themselves by shoving and pushing him around, hissing vindictively at him, ”Move on quickly! Quit looking around!”
But Xiao Chen took in their shenanigans with nothing more than a dry chuckle. The crowd immediately parted to let them pass, knowing that the Envoys were agents of the League performing the duties of their office. None dared to suffer their wrath.
Minutes later, they arrived at a large and palatial structure that perched atop a platform thousands of steps high. Every step was furnished with pearly-white jade and sentries stood sternly on guard at every twenty-step interval. This indomitable structure could only be one building: the stronghold of the Middle Continent Chapter of the Immortals' League. To most common folk, this building was commonly regarded as the principal seat of the Immortals' League, more so, since the actual principal stronghold of the League was a secret closely guarded by the upper echelons of the League.
The two Envoys grinned smugly at the success of their mission and were already hoping for a fat reward. They nudged Xiao Chen up the stairs to the wide square that opened just before the entrance of the Chapter stronghold when a man, dressed in robes of flaming red, stopped them halfway up the stairs.
The two Envoys immediately halted. But their expressions were ones of anxiety and fear, Xiao Chen noticed.