Chapter 173: Out for Blood (1/2)

An extravagantly decorated fortress ship cut across the sky with two handsome youths at the vessel’s bow, admiring the scenery below. Lu Yun was finally on his way to Nephrite Capital.

Located in Life Province, the heartland of Nephrite, it was the glittering crown to both its locality and the empire at large. Once upon a time, the capital was known by another name: Xiankan!

It numbered amongst the nine greatest cities in all the world. The human territories were called ‘majors’ because of these cities that adorned them. Like its eight brethren, Xiankan wasn’t built by the present generation of immortals. Rather, all nine were the results of excavation.

The nine major capitals were older than even the ancient world, built by persons unknown.

There were more than a dozen main provinces and hundreds of millions of kilometers between Xiankan and Dusk, which alone meant several years of sailing. Thankfully, transportation formations linked the realm’s various majors and their provinces, so Lu Yun could travel to Life Province in the blink of an eye.

There was still the matter of actually getting to the local formation, though. Rather than being situated in the governor’s manor, they were located on the provinces’ frontiers and well-guarded by soldiers.

These transportation formations were some of the most important facilities in the nine majors. They remained under the direct jurisdiction of the celestial emperors, rather than that of the governors. Dusk Province’s very own formation was located in Cloudwater Township.

The fortress ship that Qing Han had gifted Lu Yun was incredibly fast. It traversed a few dozen thousand kilometers in only two hours, and could go even faster, but Lu Yun wasn’t strong enough to fully power it just yet.

Though Cloudwater was called a township, it was comparable to the provincial capital in activity. These days, it saw bustling activity from innumerable cultivators and immortals traveling to and fro. The town was situated next to a brilliant lake, in the embrace of two lofty mountains. Military flags fluttered on the mountain peaks, signs of the troops stationed there in charge of defending the transportation formation.

“No wonder this place is called Cloudwater… it really is a town between cloud and water!” Lu Yun marveled at the scenery as they approached the township. “So places like this really do exist. I used to think that everywhere in the world of immortals would be pretty like this.”

Compared to the Dusk capital, a place like Cloudwater was much closer to what Earthlings envisioned as a ‘world of immortals’. The township lacked particularly high walls or tall buildings and was enshrouded by a dreamlike haze of cloud and vapor, looking so very magical and mysterious.

“There are plenty of other places like this. Dusk Province is just an exception,” Qing Han remarked from nearby.

“Plenty? I’d like to go traveling sometime, then.” Lu Yun nodded, then paused, taken aback by the sight. “Eh? There’s a tomb of an immortal here?”

There were plenty of tombs scattered about the landscape of the world. In fact, he’d seen several in the countryside on his trip here. None of those had piqued his interest in quite the same way as this one did, though.

“There’s… a tomb here?” Qing Han blinked. “Cloudwater is on the border between Dusk and Outré Province, so Dusk’s restriction has very little influence here. It’s not unheard of for powerful immortals to occasionally pass by. Still, I’ve never heard anything about a tomb.”

“I haven’t been here before, have I?” Pride flashed across Lu Yun’s face.

“Tch.” Qing Han quirked the corners of his lips. A disdainful expression crossed his face, but his eyes communicated full trust.

“A dragon sleeps in mountains coiled,

Those deathly cliffs with mysteries roiled.

If thousand peaks with locks deter,