The large city in front of them was called City of Appointed General, and Legend had it that it was once the location where powerful human cultivators appointed three hundred warriors to pick off the fleeing beast tribes during the war. Half of the blood scattered over the Beast Exhausting Range's thousand miles of red soil had been bled from cultivators who'd once gathered here, giving this place special meaning and the name "Appointed General". In order to enter the Beast Exhausting Range from Chufung, this city was directly on the road that had to be taken.
If someone were to enter the Beast Exhausting range from the north, it was necessary to either pass through this city or travel an endless expanse of deserted mountains and wild plains. It would be easy to simply fly past using flying tools or spirit vessels, but a restriction spanning six thousand miles diameter was currently preventing flight and no cultivator would be stupid enough to try to cross the area on foot. Most important of all, entering this city would also allow them to seek out more information.
This City of Appointed General existed purely for the sake of memorializing the past. The location itself had thin Qi, making it unsuitable for cultivation and causing the number of cultivators who'd gathered here to dwindle by the day. Now that the mysterious coffin had landed at the Beast Exhausting Range, however this place had suddenly become lively. The density of Qi had also increased over ten fold thanks to the grand opportunity nearby, making it feel as abundant as an immortal's cave estate.
As Fang Xing and Chu Ci arrived at the front of the city, it became apparent people had already started to form a line to enter while two black-robed disciples stood at the fore to guard the city gates. Both of these disciples belonged to the city's largest clan—the Han clan—and although the Han clan wouldn't normally have anyone standing guard, the sudden influx of arriving cultivators had made it necessary in order to maintain order and avoid any trouble.
Chu Ci looked at the long lines of people in front of the gate and turned to ask Fang Xing, "There are so many people. Do we also have to line up?"
Fang Xing smirked. "Who wouldn't be ashamed of having a princess like you line up, especially when you're with your little grandpa here?"
"What can you do?" Chu Ci asked with surprise.
Fang Xing didn't answer; instead, he pressed both of his palms against the back of the wild boar, jumped off, and then sent a sharp slap against its rear. The boar was startled from the pain and dashed towards the crowd with so much momentum it was as though an entire army was bearing down upon the gates….
"I hate you, Fang Xiaojiu!" Princess Chu Ci screamed out in terror from atop the back of the boar.
Fang Xing laughed before loudly yelling, "Excuse me, excuse us, the wild boar has gone crazy…." Of course, yelling out like this wasn't actually necessary; everyone in front had started to scatter like startled beasts, opening up a clear path.
"A beast!"
"Dammit, what a big boar! Quick, activate your Flying Sword…."
"Be careful not to hurt the person on the back of the boar!"
Chaos quickly fell on the area as the boar dashed towards the gate itself. The two shocked guard disciples were determined to stop the boar, but when the distance seemed to be about right, Fang Xing quietly leaked out a strand of beast spirit that caused the boar to instantly halt mere inches in front of the gates.
Chu was left so terrified her legs had become like jelly. She jumped off the back of the boar and clutched her fist against her chest in fright while inwardly cursing that turtle egg bastard Fang Xing.
To the side was a group of around seven or eight people. In the center was a Foundation Stage young master around twenty or so years old, who fluttered a folding fan in his hand while letting out a suave and leisurely laugh. Next to him was a woman wearing a floral-print dress and a light golden veil covering her face. A red mark could be seen between her brows, and she looked out proudly upon the world as though indifferent to everything around her. Behind the two were around four expressionless old servants also in Foundation Stage giving off an impression similar to guardians while riding on armored lions.
The group looked as though they were also preparing to enter the city. Upon seeing Chu Ci, the young master's eyes lit up and he said, "Heh, how interesting for such a charming beauty to ride a giant boar as a mount…."
The golden-veiled woman, on the other hand, let out a cold snort while looking at Chu Ci. "Nothing but a dirty little girl from the countryside. How is that even worth your praise? Since when did your tastes become so poor?"
Chu Ci's face blushed red and she couldn't help but to feel maligned. As the princess of all Chufung, since when had she ever been called "a dirty little girl from the countryside"?
However, such a term was rather fitting for her current appearance. When she was being chased by the wild boars, she didn't have a choice of where to go and had gotten mud all over her clothes and skin, smearing her with grime. Besides, it was rather unsuitable for a young woman like her to be riding on a crazy wild boar like this.
Fang Xing trotted up at around this time and grabbed Chu Ci's hand to guide her into the city with a laugh. "Haha, sorry. We've just tamed this beast as our mount and we lost control there. Our apologies…."
"Fellow Daoist, since it was fate that brought you here to the City of Appointed General, the head of our Han clan will naturally welcome you with open arms. However, once you've entered the city, whether you're seeking fortune or you have other things to do, please respect the city's rules. If problems arise, we ask that you solve it outside the city. This city was the location where our ancestral cultivators fought off the beasts in the past and it is taboo for human cultivators to kill each other inside; please kindly respect this…" the two guard disciples at the city gate politely explained to Fang Xing without showing any arrogance.
"I got it, I got it; no fighting within the city. Any problems we'll sort outside!" Fang Xing waved his hand and pulled Chu Ci into the city by her sleeve.
As the two walked, Fang Xing noticed Chu Ci appeared a bit upset and asked, "What's wrong with you? Are you still not pleased you got to skip the line?"
"It's all your fault I was called 'a dirty little girl from the countryside'!" Chu Ci sourly replied.
Fang Xing glanced at her. "You are pretty dirty right now, though!"
Chu Ci's eyes turned red. She wanted to leave on her own, but she suddenly turned back after only a few steps and thrust out her hand. "Give me money. I need to buy a new set of clothes and find somewhere to take a bath!" She realized that when she first fled from the Yin Servants, she'd been in so much of a rush she hadn't even brought any Spirit Stones. The storage sack she carried with her had only some medicinal pellets and a few decent weapons to protect herself with; she never carried things like Spirit Stones on her person.
Fang Xing scratched his head. "Do you even know where to buy those things even if I gave you the money?"
Chu Ci glanced around and instantly looked lost. She had a noble status and was constantly spoiled and favored; she rarely left the royal court, so when would she have the chance to interact with strangers? Faced with the bustling crowd around her, she was completely out of her element and didn't know where to go or what to do next.
"It'd be best if you follow me. Follow along closely; I won't be responsible if you lose sight of me!" So saying, Fang Xing immediately vanished into the crowd, only for him to feel a sudden tightening at the edge of his clothes as Chu Ci tugged on his clothing to follow along.
Now that they'd arrived in the city, Fang Xing's top priority was naturally to seek out information. He was devious with knowledge and experience beyond his years; coupled with the Spirit Stones he had on hand and the fact his cultivation level wasn't that low, it wasn't difficult for him to seek out information. All he had to do was treat someone with a pot of tea in the tea house, treat a couple pots of wine in the wine house, and beat up a couple thieves in the back alley before he knew most of what he wanted.
The grand opportunity from the mysterious coffin had indeed landed here and opened, it just wasn't always possible to enter. When the mysterious coffin landed, the Qi and restrictions within it had turned a three thousand mile radius centered around the Beast Exhausting Range into a giant formation. Entering this formation was almost the same as entering another realm that was very mysterious and unpredictable, so it was referred to as the "Mysterious Domain".
If someone wanted to enter the Mysterious Domain, it had to be done at the very first sunlight of every morning. It was only possible to borrow the formation pivot of the Mysterious Domain and enter when the very first strand of light appeared, and it would remain open for a short burn of an incense's time before closing up again. If this timing was missed, the person would have no other choice but to wait for the next day.
In the past few days, there'd already been several groups of young elites from several clans who'd been sent inside by their guardians—the Snowy Mountain disciples included. The problem, however, was that even though the grand elders like Wanluo hadn't entered alongside the disciples, it was still difficult for Fang Xing to get in touch with them. Apparently, after arriving here and seeing off the disciples, the Golden Core Stage elders had headed off to a place called the "Grand Hall of Treasures", a precious ancient artifact of Spirit Mountain Temple that made it possible to view what was happening inside the Mysterious Domain. All five of the grand elders would have arrived there by now, but nobody knew where the Grand Hall of Treasures was located so it would be incredibly difficult to find them.
"Seems like we can only think of a way to leave at tomorrow's dawn," Fang Xing decided once he'd gathered enough information. With that, he took Chu Ci along with him towards the largest inn in the city.
Chu Ci followed along quietly. She'd originally thought it would be easy for her to find her elder brother and grand elder once she'd arrived here, yet who would have imagined it would be so difficult? Right now, she actually felt glad she'd been "kidnapped"; if she'd been here on her own, forget about entering the Mysterious Domain, even simply finding out how to do so would have given her a lot of trouble. When she realized this, she couldn't help but to increase her pace to keep close to Fang Xing.
Once the two had reached the inn, Fang Xing banged on the front desk and called out, "Two superior rooms!"
"Oh my, Young Master. Unfortunately, ten rooms have just been spoken for, and we only have one room remaining…" the innkeeper answered with a smile.
Although he was a bit surprised at first, Fang Xing banged on the table once more. "In that case, one superior room!"
The innkeeper smiled. "Alright, one superior room! That'll be thirty mid-grade Spirit Stones, Young Master…."
Fang Xing was taken aback upon hearing this and didn't take anything out immediately. Things had changed from the past, and the lowest-quality Spirit Stones he carried on him were high quality—he didn't have any mid-grade Spirit Stones!
"Does Esteemed Young Master think it is too expensive? The inns inside the city are all at this price right now," the innkeeper said with a worried expression. Truthfully, an inn of a small city like this would cost no more than three mid-grade Spirit Stones even if it was the most luxurious one available. The price had risen higher as more cultivators arrived and the innkeeper was worried Fang Xing might not be able to afford it.
Just at this moment, a blue-robed youth—one of the people who'd asked for a superior room earlier—smiled and drew close to the front desk. "Heh, Shimei and Shidi, do you not have enough Spirit Stones? If you don't mind, I am willing to lend you some!"
Chu Ci's face became bright red again when she saw him; this group of people was same one who'd made fun of her at the city entrance. Fang Xing, however, was overjoyed and turned to the youth with a smile. "Nn? You want to lend me money? Let me first borrow a thousand Spirit Stones…."