"Okay! Move it here… slower… slower… Now move backwards, that's it… Adjust to the left a little bit more! Stop, stop! Drop it! THUD! PERFECT!"
Cheers could be heard as the large boulder, made of solid cut stone, was fitted into the rest of the path, completing one side of the road connecting the Middle Reach and Lower Reach peaks.
This allowed the formerly known West and South parts of Glory City to be connected with the East part, finally allowing the people to travel between the two peaks after weeks of construction.
This project was just one of many improvements being made by the people of Glory City to properly turn Heavenly Luster Mountain into their new home.
Things were improving quite quickly, as the people were all in high spirits after surviving the catastrophic events of the Sacred Family's betrayal, the Demon Beast Clan's invasion, and the Demon Beast Horde's attacks.
These ordeals had made the people of Glory City more united than ever, as they put in extra effort to rebuild their city and support each other.
Of course, another thing that excited everyone was the wealth of opportunities their new home had to offer.
Heavenly Luster Mountain was filled with countless treasures and undiscovered secrets.
Just the sight of rare herbs, ancient trees, and new species of demon beasts appearing right outside their city walls was enough to make the people gaze in excitement and wonder.
This was especially true for the alchemists, demon spiritualists, and scholars, as the allure of discovery became more enticing with each passing day.
After ensuring that they had finished their part in rehabilitating the city and received permission to venture outside, these people wasted no time forming expedition parties and setting out in search of new discoveries.
Of course, there were also some who were more interested in other things, such as uncovering the secrets behind the inscription barrier located behind the Holy Orchid Institute.
During the encounter with the Sacred Family, the barrier behind the school, which was actually called the Ten Millennium Spatial Array, had become a prominent point of interest, as it was the escape route the Sacred Family had intended to use to flee the destruction caused by the Demon Beast Horde's attack.
This made the Ten Millennium Spatial Array a crucial matter to investigate in order to ensure everyone's safety. For this reason, the City Lord's Mansion formed a group of Demon Spiritualist experts to investigate the secrets behind the spatial array.
"They're coming! Hey, guys! We're here!" Lu Piao shouted as he waved enthusiastically to the approaching Chen Linlin, Jing Ya, Mei Lin, Yue Ling, and Xiao Ning'er.
With two Legend Rank experts in their group, Ye Zong and Chen Zhenlong decided to send the girls to investigate the subsidiary realm connected to the Ten Millennium Spatial Array, as they believed they were strong enough to survive the journey.
In order to accomplish this task, they also included Nie Li and his friends in the party, as Nie Li was the only person besides Xue Hui with extensive knowledge of inscription patterns of all kinds, making him the perfect person to advise Chen Linlin during the trip.
Ye Zong and Chen Zhenlong, who were waiting alongside Nie Li and his friends, gave Chen Linlin's group an approving nod.
"Lin'er, have you told your mothers about your mission?" Chen Zhenlong asked, making his daughter nod in response.
"Yup, they even prepared a lot of food and provisions for the journey," Chen Linlin replied excitedly. A glint of anticipation gleamed in her eyes, as entering the barrier was her very first formal mission as a Demon Spiritualist.
"What about you, Yun'er? Did Rou'er approve of you joining everyone?" This time, it was Ye Zong who questioned his daughter. He was a bit surprised to see his own daughter tagging along with Nie Li and his friends.
"Yes, Mother said it was okay, as long as I'm with Linlin and the others," Ye Ziyun hurriedly replied, doing her best to keep a straight face as she stared at her father.
Unbeknownst to Ye Zong, while it was true that her mother had approved of her joining the mission, Ye Yurou's exact words had been that it was okay as long as Xue Hui was with her. This was why Ye Ziyun was feeling a bit awkward, as she had failed to spot Xue Hui among the group.
"B-By the way, where is Xue Hui? Is he running late?" she asked, trying to change the subject.
To Ye Ziyun's surprise, Chen Linlin simply shook her head. "Nope, Hui-hui isn't coming with us. He has his own things to prioritize, so it's just us today."
Ye Ziyun's cherry-red lips parted as she blinked repeatedly, a hint of disappointment flashing across her face. For some reason, she felt a little saddened knowing that Xue Hui wouldn't be joining them.
Just then, a figure hopped down from atop a column of the Ten Millennium Spatial Array to the ground, attracting everyone's attention.
"It's all opened. This spatial array will lead us once we pass through it."
Nie Li wore a confident grin as he stretched out his arm, allowing it to pass through the spatial array. Ye Zong, Chen Zhenlong, and the rest all wore looks of surprise at the sight.
Earlier, while waiting for the others to arrive, Nie Li had gone ahead and examined the inscription barrier, looking for a way to pass through it.
"You figured out how to enter it? You actually did!" Ye Zong exclaimed in surprise. He stepped forward and extended his hand to see what it felt like to pass through the barrier.
The sensation was like sinking his arm into jelly, with the surface of the barrier rippling like water around his arm.
"What!? You didn't believe me even when I said I could open this barrier? Father-in-law, you're hurting my feelings," Nie Li complained, looking genuinely wronged.
A vein bulged on Ye Zong's forehead. Nie Li never seemed to let any opportunity to annoy him go to waste.
Similarly, Ye Ziyun made an exasperated expression before stomping her foot in protest. "Nie Li, stop being a rogue! We're not even dating. Why are you calling my father 'Father-in-law'?"
To her annoyance, Nie Li simply ignored her words and laughed, telling everyone to follow him as he entered the Ten Millennium Spatial Array.
"We're also entering the spatial array, City Lord, Father."
After bidding their farewells to Ye Zong and Chen Zhenlong, Chen Linlin, Xiao Ning'er, and the trio disappeared into the Ten Millennium Spatial Array, leaving the two men behind to watch.
Meanwhile, in the outside world…
A trail of clouds could be seen forming a long, winding line across the sky. At its forefront, a white demon beast could be seen running through the air at blinding speed. On top of this great beast rode the trio of Xiao Julin, Mo Cai, and Xue Hui.
"YEAH!"
"KYAA!"
The two girls let out excited cries as the wind hit their faces, nearly deafening them. Fed up with staying in the garden, Mo Cai and Xiao Julin had asked Xue Hui to bring them outside to see the real world.
That was how Xue Hui found himself sitting behind the two girls on Silver's back as they cruised through the air.
His destination was the bottomless abyss of the Heavenly Plateau, where he believed the gateway to the Demon Beast Clan's subsidiary realm was located.
Due to the recent events concerning the Demon Beast Clan, Xue Hui decided to investigate them personally and assess the overall strength of their forces.
As things stood, they were the biggest threat looming over Glory City, and Xue Hui was determined to find a way to deal with them.
Xue Hui also decided to undertake this mission on his own, as he believed the journey was far too risky to bring Chen Linlin, Xiao Ning'er, and the others along, much to the girls' dismay.
He couldn't help it. Between himself and the others, he was the only one in their group with enough strength to dive deep into enemy territory.
Thanks to the ten million Demon Beast Horde he had absorbed, Xue Hui's cultivation had achieved a massive breakthrough.
He had now reached the very bottleneck of the Black Gold Rank. Having used the Origin of Devourer to absorb the remnants of the ten million Demon Beast Horde, he had brought his overall strength to the very limit of the Tiny World.
With his current strength, even if a dozen Demigod Rank experts were to fight him, they wouldn't be his opponents. As for Heavenly Fate Realm experts, Xue Hui was confident that even if he couldn't find a way to defeat them, he could at least escape with his life.
Without Heavenly Energy, Heavenly Fate Realm experts were extremely limited in how much power they could exert within the Tiny World. This was also why Xue Hui was fully confident that the Demon Beast Clan wouldn't take any action against Glory City anytime soon, as they would be wary of Chen Shenxin.
"Silver, go lower to the ground. We're near the Heavenly Plateau. Let's hide in case any experts from the Demon Beast Clan are nearby," Xue Hui instructed.
Silver let out a deep grunt in response as they gradually descended.
Somewhere in the outside world…
Deep in the dense forest, the sounds of rustling leaves, disturbed earth, and snapping branches could be heard as Long Sha and Gui Sha ran at full speed, desperately trying to escape the pursuing Legend Rank demon beasts.
Due to the recent events concerning the disappearance of Glory City, the Demon Beast Clan had launched an investigation into its whereabouts. This prompted the Red-Scaled Winged Naga Clan to send its experts to hunt down the members of the Dark Guild, as Shen Han had made it clear that the Dark Guild was deeply rooted within Glory City.
Gui Sha let out a furious curse. If he could find where that traitorous Shen Han was hiding, he would definitely go after him and personally make him pay, even if it cost him his own life.
Shen Han had not only sold information about Glory City to the Demon Beast Clan, but had also sold information about the Dark Guild. This had resulted in the Demon Beast Clan hunting down and slaughtering their members. As of now, only he and Long Sha remained as surviving members, while neither of them knew the Demon Lord's whereabouts.
WOOSH!
"DAMN YOU, SHEN HAN!"
Gui Sha shouted in rage as he and Long Sha suddenly felt an enormous spiritual pressure pinning them down, prompting the two of them to crash heavily into the ground.
As their bodies were forced against the ground, the sound of approaching footsteps entered their ears.
"You two could have simply told me where I could find Glory City, but you had to make things difficult for the three of us."
Long Sha and Gui Sha's bodies shook uncontrollably. Despite the seemingly non-threatening voice used to speak to them, the sheer strength of spiritual energy it carried was enough to make their hearts sink, as they knew they were as good as dead, just like the others.
Walking past the two sprawled men was a girl who appeared to be in her teens. She was wearing a long red cheongsam-style dress with golden accents and a high slit, revealing her long, pale legs. The dress emphasized her graceful appearance, making her look both elegant and imposing. She carried an air of royalty as she looked down at the two of them.
Long Sha and Gui Sha both trembled in fear. Despite the breathtaking beauty before them, they knew just how strong and dangerous this girl was, as she had single-handedly slaughtered the Dark Guild.
"Now!" she said, her voice cold and authoritative. "Tell me where Glory City is, and I might spare both of your lives."
She tilted her head, looking contemplative for a moment before nodding and continuing.
"If you do, I, Chi Mei, the young princess of the Red-Scaled Winged Naga Clan, give you both my word."
End of Chapter 129
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