A bead of sweat streamed down Yun Ling's delicate face. She was just talking with Xue Hui when her eyes moved and met the gaze of Xiao Julin, who was dangling in Xiao Ning'er's embrace.
For some reason, Yun Ling was hit by a feeling of dread and didn't know why.
Noticing the sudden change in her demeanor, Xue Hui followed Yun Ling's gaze, intrigued by what caused her to stop speaking.
As he did, he was met with the sight of his companion standing behind him. For some reason, his guts were telling him to kneel and repent.
Shaking off the strange thought in his mind, Xue Hui moved a couple of steps backwards, which made him stand right beside the nervous-looking Yun Ling.
Eyes gleaming with excitement, Xue Hui proceeded to tell everyone what he had just discovered from Yun Ling.
"Oh hey, you wouldn't believe this. Apparently this entire place is actually standing on top of an underground cave channel, and the entrance is called the Black Spring. It's a dangerous place, so no one dares to enter it. They say the place is covered with dense miasma, which can drain people's vitality. I think that place is worth checking out; we should see if there's any treasure hidden there."
"Uh-huh, that's great. But who is this new friend of yours?" Chen Linlin inquired, her voice slightly higher than normal. "We just arrived in this place and yet you two are already acquainted. That's great."
Xue Hui blinked a couple of times, confusion dawning on his expression.
He was wondering why Chen Linlin ignored everything he said and instead asked about Yun Ling.
Before he could say anything, Yun Ling stepped forward, bowing curtly in Chen Linlin's direction. "Greetings, customer. My name is Yun Ling, and this is my father's congee shop. Is there anything I can do for all of you?" she said in a business-like manner.
Chen Linlin looked at her with a complicated expression. They could tell that Yun Ling was a diligent and well-nurtured person, so they withdrew their hostility and spoke with her normally.
It didn't take long before Chen Linlin and the rest warmed up to her, especially when they found out that Xue Hui had just given her clothes and food in exchange for the information about the Black Spring and the cave channel. Hence, she was looking bashful earlier.
Unfortunately for Xue Hui, their change of attitude toward her only served to confuse him further.
As they continued to talk, Chen Linlin revealed everything about Glory City and invited Yun Ling to move there with her father.
"Does such a place really exist? Glory City is too rich; it can accommodate three hundred thousand people, and the land is still so fertile that it can provide more than enough food for everyone?" Yun Ling exclaimed in astonishment, her beautiful face unable to hide the shock she felt.
Not only her, but even the surrounding people who were listening erupted into uproar once they realized that such a place existed not far from their Heavenly Plateau.
"If that were the case, is Glory City willing to accept people who want to move there?" No one knew who shouted the question, but everyone waited in anticipation for the answer.
The living conditions in the Heavenly Plateau were extremely bad. People often lost their lives either while hunting for food or due to lack of it.
So if there was a chance to move to a more ideal settlement, they would absolutely choose to do it.
Instead of answering their questions, Chen Linlin remained silent as she looked at Ye Ziyun, who was sitting quietly on the side.
Sensing the eyes on her, Ye Ziyun immediately understood what Chen Linlin wanted her to do. After all, she was the daughter of the City Lord. In this kind of matter, she had more insight into the politics and inner workings of Glory City than anyone else in their group.
Clearing her throat, the attention of everyone shifted from Chen Linlin to her. Although this made her nervous inwardly, she maintained her composure as she spoke. "My father, the City Lord, once said that the only way for humanity to thrive is for us to work together and support one another. I'm sure that if my father and grandfather learned about the Heavenly Plateau and the people living here, they wouldn't hesitate to accept everyone."
Ye Ziyun's words caused an even bigger uproar, especially when everyone realized she was the City Lord's daughter, giving her words great weight.
Many people in the crowd had already made up their minds to move to Glory City. The Heavenly Plateau was too poor; staying here would only lead to more hardship.
"Young Miss, do you have any idea how we can safely move to Glory City? The land below is dangerous. It will be hard for anyone to traverse it, especially for many of us. We would all be dead before we even reached Glory City."
Ye Ziyun couldn't hide the complicated expression on her face. That was a valid question; unfortunately, she didn't know how to answer it.
Ye Ziyun's eyes drifted to Xue Hui, asking for his assistance. The two exchanged glances before Xue Hui nodded and took over.
"If any of you are already set on moving to Glory City, then all you need to do is wait for us to return to the city. Once we do, we will inform the City Lord. Naturally, the people of the City Lord's mansion will arrange things so everyone can move safely to Glory City."
The gathered crowd found Xue Hui's response somewhat unsatisfying, but they couldn't refute his words. It wasn't as if Xue Hui and his companions had the ability to bring everyone with them.
What everyone wasn't aware of was that Xue Hui did indeed have the ability to bring all of them to Glory City by using the Garden.
But with the brewing tension against the Sacred Family and the Dark Guild, Xue Hui didn't want to reveal all his trump cards without sufficient knowledge of their enemies' strength.
In the end, the people of the Heavenly Plateau had to endure a little longer before their overall situation improved.
As the discussion concluded, everyone began to disperse and return to their work. After all, the Heavenly Plateau was a place where if you didn't work, you didn't eat.
Since it was already stated that Xue Hui and his friends wouldn't be able to do anything until they returned home, everyone could only continue their lives as they waited.
Some of the people in the crowd tried to invite Xue Hui and his friends to meet the elders, but Xue Hui declined them all.
Obviously, they didn't come to the Heavenly Plateau to socialize.
Although the discovery of the Heavenly Plateau was purely by chance, that didn't change their overall goal: to venture into the outside world in search of opportunities to grow.
Originally, they were heading to a place called the Endless Desert until Yue Ling discovered a group fighting a demon beast. This led them to the Heavenly Plateau and the hidden surviving people.
After bidding farewell to Yun Ling and her father, Xue Hui and everyone headed toward the Black Spring, which also served as the entrance to the hidden cave channel.
Along the way, Xue Hui discovered that the ground was littered with a rare cultivation material called Purple Caltrops Rock.
Purple Caltrops Rock is very useful for cultivation. It can be used to improve one's cultivation by drawing a pattern on the ground at the moment when the sun is at its zenith. It can emit a smoke that, when inhaled, improves the strength of soul force. Fortunately for Xue Hui, not everyone knew how to properly refine it for safe use, so they were treated as ordinary rocks.
Delighted by this discovery, Xue Hui used his Origin Sphere, turning it into mist to search every nook and cranny of the rocky plain, collecting thousands of them, enough for the girls to use.
"This place should be perfect." After finding a spot where the temperature was high enough for the Purple Caltrops Rock to release smoke when drawn onto the ground, Xue Hui drew the special pattern.
He then had Chen Linlin, Xiao Ning'er, Ye Ziyun, and the trio of girls sit cross-legged in the center to cultivate. Xue Hui guided them to properly refine the Purple Caltrops smoke within their bodies to avoid backlash.
While Xue Hui was busy guiding everyone, a group of around twenty men, led by a burly figure armed with a giant rock-like axe, followed the traces Xue Hui and his group had left behind. A thick killing aura radiated from them.
"Boss, I can see them in the distance. There are seven of them, one male, the rest are girls. They're in the middle of cultivating. Those people from the market weren't lying; all those girls are absolute beauties. They'd be perfect to serve you, boss." The monkey-faced man spoke with Malice, his eyes filled with desire. Seeing Xue Hui and his group dressed in expensive clothing, he assumed their interspatial ring must be filled with treasures like food and weapons.
"Hmph. People from outside dare to enter my Heavenly Plateau without paying taxes to me? Since they dare be so presumptuous, don't blame me for being ruthless." This man's name was Xiao Lang. With the strength of a five-star Gold Rank fighter, he was the strongest within the Heavenly Plateau.
Xiao Lang was a ruthless person, often using his strength to get what he wanted. In his previous life, Xiao Lang coveted Ye Ziyun's beauty, which led him to kill some of the survivors from Glory City. In the end, due to Xiao Lang's pressure, Ye Ziyun and the remaining survivors were forced out of the Heavenly Plateau and had no choice but to enter the Endless Desert, where Ye Ziyun eventually fell under the claws of a demon beast.
"Go encircle them. Make sure to collect all their belongings and not damage the girls too severely. After I'm done with them, I will use them to earn riches," Xiao Lang ordered mercilessly. He could already imagine how many men would be willing to pay a hefty sum to play with those girls.
"Everyone, just relax and continue refining the Purple Caltrops smoke in your bodies. It's just a bunch of annoyances; I can handle them easily." Sensing the aura of the people surrounding them, Chen Linlin, Xiao Ning'er, Ye Ziyun, and the trio of girls were about to stop cultivating when they heard Xue Hui's voice telling them to continue.
Fully trusting him, the girls calmed their restless hearts and resumed the meticulous process of refining the Purple Caltrops smoke in their bodies. They could already tell that their soul realms were strengthening at an incredible rate.
With a loud thumping sound, it didn't take long before heavy footsteps reached Xue Hui's ears. Looking in its direction, he was met by the imposing figure of Xiao Lang, armed with a massive axe resting on his broad shoulders.
Xiao Lang's expression was anything but friendly. Xue Hui could see the gleam of greed flashing in his eyes when his gaze landed on the girls.
"Boy! Your luck is good. I feel like being generous. Leave all your stuff and scram, or die under my axe." Brandishing his great axe, the ground beneath Xiao Lang's feet shook violently as immense power erupted from his body.
At that moment, Xue Hui summoned all twelve of his Origin Spheres, which floated around him like tame beasts. The sight of them made Xiao Lang and his men feel an immense danger looming over them.
"I don't know why, but I have this indescribable hatred for you. It's quite weird, I know, but just in case, I apologize in advance. You might die in this place." Xue Hui's tone was neither threatening nor hateful, but somehow Xiao Lang felt an immense killing intent behind his words, forcing him on guard. He realized he had just provoked a dangerous monster.
"Julin." With a single call, a flash of light burst into the open, causing Xiao Lang and his men to instinctively close their eyes. When they opened them again, they saw Xue Hui holding an eight-foot-tall white halberd in his hand.
It's quite an imposing sight.
End of Chapter 76
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