After a month had passed...
"Come on, bring more wine and meat!"
Jian Long ordered as he sat atop Li Fei Le's back, devouring chunks of meat with great enthusiasm.
During this past month, he and Zhou Quan had exploited the faction they created to the fullest. They had practically turned their follower Gu Masters into servants who carried out their every whim day and night.
Zhou Quan, who was likewise seated on another man's back, glanced toward one of the followers—an elderly man with sparse white hair.
"You there, sing us a song."
The old man was startled and pointed at himself hesitantly.
"Me?"
Zhou Quan raised an eyebrow disdainfully.
"Do you see anyone else I'm talking to?"
"But... I can't sing."
"That isn't my concern. Sing."
The old man had no choice.
By now, the bizarre requests of the two had become commonplace among the faction members.
Just a few days ago, the pair had decided to use several Gu Masters as horses and held a race while riding on their backs, much to the amusement of the spectators.
Before that, they had ordered a man to exchange kisses with a bull in front of everyone.
Compared to those incidents, today's request seemed relatively harmless.
So the old man took a deep breath and began to sing.
Unfortunately, his rough, gravelly voice filled the area like the cry of a dying crow.
Jian Long's face immediately darkened.
He grabbed a piece of meat and hurled it at the man's face before shouting angrily:
"Stop singing, you old pig!"
The old man immediately fell silent, while the surrounding crowd burst into laughter.
"Who gave you permission to laugh?"
Jian Long shouted at the crowd.
"The only time you're allowed to laugh is when I am the one telling a joke!"
The entire area immediately fell silent.
Zhou Quan patted Jian Long on the shoulder, trying to calm him down.
"Take it easy, brother. You shouldn't get angry over such trivial matters."
Jian Long let out a deep sigh and shook his head sorrowfully.
"What else can I do?"
"These fools have no idea how much suffering I endure as the leader of this faction."
"If only they knew how many critical decisions I have to make every single day..."
He then raised a piece of meat before his eyes
"Like what kind of meat I should eat today."
"Should I eat fish?"
"Chicken?"
"Or perhaps beef?"
"These are truly heavy responsibilities."
Zhou Quan nodded in agreement.
"I understand you perfectly, brother."
"I too suffer every day from deciding what kind of wine is worthy of my status."
Below them, the man carrying Zhou Quan exchanged glances with Li Fei Le, who was carrying Jian Long.
Then he whispered quietly:
"How much longer do we have to keep doing this, brother?"
"I can't endure these two and their demands anymore."
Li Fei Le sighed bitterly.
"Just endure it a little longer."
"We're not far from Yanmen City now."
"Once we arrive there, all of this will finally—"
Before he could finish speaking, a blow landed on the back of his head.
Li Fei Le looked up in alarm to find Jian Long glaring down at him angrily.
"And who gave you permission to speak?"
Li Fei Le immediately froze.
"Forgive me, my lord!"
"That's better."
Jian Long nodded in satisfaction before returning to his meal
As if the heavens themselves had answered their prayers, an excited shout suddenly spread through the caravan:
"We've arrived at Yanmen City!"
"We've arrived! We've finally arrived!"
In an instant, joy swept through the entire caravan.
Many people let out sighs of relief, while smiles appeared on countless faces. After a long journey filled with dangers, beasts, and bloodshed, they had finally reached their destination.
Jian Long rose from Li Fei Le's back . He then stepped out of the Gu House they had been staying in and gazed toward the horizon.
Although the city was still some distance away, Yanmen City—the home of Kong Clan, one of the clans under the great Huang Jin bloodline—could be seen clearly.
Its massive walls rose nearly fifty meters into the sky, resembling an artificial mountain range guarding the city.
Within those walls stood towering palaces and lofty buildings that stretched above the battlements, proclaiming the city's prosperity and strength.
Along the road leading toward it stood rows of statues of Giant Sun Immortal Venerable.
Each statue portrayed him in a different pose.
In one, he stood proudly while gazing toward the horizon.
In another, he raised a hand toward the heavens as though bestowing blessings upon the world.
Others depicted him seated upon a magnificent throne, looking down upon the land with an indescribable majesty.
As the road drew closer to the city, the statues grew larger and more imposing.
Eventually, it culminated in two colossal statues standing on either side of the city's main gate like eternal guardians.
When the members of the caravan saw them, many instinctively bowed in reverence and respect.
Although the legends claimed that Giant Sun Immortal Venerable had died nearly ten thousand years ago...
his prestige had not faded with time.
He was one of the eight Venerables who had stood at the pinnacle of history.
A figure whose greatness was so immense that his influence endured ten thousand years after his death.
Even today, his might still lingered within the hearts of mankind, as though he continued to watch over the world from the heavens.
Jian Long bowed along with the rest of the caravan.
But deep down, he did not truly believe in the existence of the Venerables.
In fact, there were many people who shared the same opinion.
According to the legends, the Venerables were unparalleled existences beneath the heavens, capable of overturning heaven and earth with a mere gesture.
Even immortals themselves were said to be insignificant in comparison.
But...
Who had ever seen an immortal?
And who had ever proven that immortals truly existed?
If even the existence of immortals was questionable, how could anyone be certain that the Venerables had existed?
Since becoming a Gu Master, Jian Long had read many books.
Every one of them spoke of immortals as though their existence were an unquestionable fact.
Yet not a single one offered real proof.
None explained how a person became immortal.
None described a clear path leading to that realm.
Instead, they merely repeated ancient stories and inherited legends before asking the reader to believe them without evidence.
For this reason, there were quite a few people who completely denied the existence of immortals and Venerables.
The vast majority, however, believed in them wholeheartedly.
Not because they had seen any proof of their existence...
But because they wanted to believe.