Chapter 860: Taiyin Ancient City
Seeing Yuan Long Half-Saint, all the disciples present stood up, bowed respectfully, and said in unison, "Greetings, Ancestor Yuan Long."
Yuan Long Half-Saint swept his gaze across the crowd, his expression stern, and said, "Leaving the sect means losing its protection. Everything will depend on your own strength to forge ahead. Although I will travel with you, my energy is limited, and I cannot protect everyone. Now is a time of turmoil. After arriving in the Central Domain, you must act with caution."
Without saying more, Yuan Long Half-Saint took the first step, entering the light gate above and stepping into the wormhole.
Following him, the sacred transmission disciples, inner disciples, and outer disciples at the top of Spirit Mountain proceeded in turn.
Zhang Ruochen was not unfamiliar with spatial jumps through wormholes, so he remained unusually calm. In contrast, the outer and inner disciples around him were whispering excitedly.
"If my understanding of space rules were more thorough, I should be able to set up a Space Teleportation Array," Zhang Ruochen thought to himself.
A Space Teleportation Array was equivalent to a Great Space Teleportation. Although it could not cross an entire domain, traversing several thousand miles, or even tens of thousands of miles, should still be possible.
Of course, setting up a Space Teleportation Array required a high level of spatial mastery, and with Zhang Ruochen's current skill, he was not yet capable of such a feat.
The other end of the wormhole was located in one of the nine prefectures of the Central Domain, Tiantai Prefecture.
At this moment, in the northeast of Tiantai Prefecture, at the center of an ancient city, a wormhole suspended in mid-air emitted a dazzling light.
Soon after, figures clad in Daoist robes emerged from the wormhole one after another.
Yuan Long Half-Saint stood in mid-air at the center of a bluestone square, looking down at the several hundred Liangyi Sect disciples below, and said, "This city is called Taiyin Ancient City. It was established in ancient times and has always been an important stronghold for Liangyi Sect cultivators to interact with those from the Central Domain."
"The Liangyi Sect has operated in Taiyin Ancient City for many years. Within the city, you will find many of your senior and junior brothers, as well as various trading venues where you can exchange for war weapons, barbarian beasts, elixirs, martial arts secret manuals, and so on. Therefore, you will still be quite safe in Taiyin Ancient City."
"Taiyin Ancient City is located in Qingli Commandery of Tiantai Prefecture. Outside the city, to the east, lies the Thirty-Thousand-Mile Wolf Plain, which is the territory of the Demon Wolf Half-Human Clan. Unless absolutely necessary, do not venture deep into the Wolf Plain, lest you provoke misunderstandings with the Demon Wolf Half-Human Clan and invite unnecessary trouble."
After giving these instructions, Yuan Long Half-Saint prepared to lead the several hundred disciples into Taiyin Ancient City to settle down temporarily.
"Rumble."
Just then, the urgent sound of barbarian beasts running echoed, followed by the clashing of iron implements.
Moments later, about three thousand fully armed soldiers, riding Demon Wolf Beasts, surrounded the Liangyi Sect disciples in the square.
A powerful aura of slaughter enveloped the central district of Taiyin Ancient City.
The cultivators in Taiyin Ancient City were all greatly surprised. Those with high cultivation levels released their spiritual power to observe covertly. Those with lower cultivation rushed toward the central district, standing at the edges with a mindset of watching the excitement.
"The Wolf Army has always been stationed in the northern part of the Wolf Plain. Why have they come to Taiyin Ancient City?"
"The Four Vajras under Northern Wolf King Zhao Shengyu are all present. This is truly unbelievable."
"Are the Four Vajras all in the military?" "The four at the front of the Wolf Army are the Four Vajras: Zhao Gongming, Xu Qing, Wolf Seven, and Wolf Fifteen. Although they occasionally come to Taiyin Ancient City to purchase cultivation resources, this is the first time they have led troops into the city. Moreover, all four have arrived simultaneously. Something major must have happened."
...
Northern Wolf King Zhao Shengyu commanded an army of eight hundred thousand Wolf Soldiers, stationed at the Wolf Plain. His role was not only to defend against the Demon Wolf Half-Human Clan but also to intimidate the various sects and families of Qingli Commandery.
Qingli Commandery spanned one hundred and twenty thousand miles from north to south and seventy-four thousand miles from east to west, with a permanent population of about 1.7 billion. It was home to hundreds of large and small cultivation forces.
Northern Wolf King Zhao Shengyu could be considered the top figure appointed by the imperial court in Qingli Commandery. Even the commandery governor had to defer to him.
The Four Vajras under the Northern Wolf King were naturally top-tier experts, renowned throughout Qingli Commandery. Wherever they went, they received the highest level of treatment.
After all, in the Central Domain, the influence of the imperial court was at its peak. Even powerful sacred clans dared not oppose official forces.
Zhao Gongming, the leader of the Four Vajras, rode on the back of a flaming barbarian beast, holding an iron token, and declared loudly, "By order of the Northern Wolf King, we are to arrest the imperial court's major criminal, Zhang Ruochen. All Liangyi Sect disciples who have just emerged from the wormhole must be inspected one by one. No one is allowed to leave the square, on pain of death."
Zhao Gongming's cultivation had reached the First-Order Half-Saint realm. His voice, extremely resonant, spread across most of Taiyin Ancient City.
The cultivators in the city finally understood what was happening: the Wolf Army had come to arrest Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen? Could it be the legendary Heir of Time and Space?
This caused an even greater commotion.
The fame of the Heir of Time and Space, Zhang Ruochen, rivaled that of the world-renowned saints. After all, he was the only major criminal in the past century whom the empress had personally ordered to be captured.
"As far as I know, wasn't Zhang Ruochen killed by the Nine Nether Sword Saint? Why is the Ministry of War arresting him again?"
"Your information is too outdated. Don't you know that not long ago, Zhang Ruochen appeared in the Underworld, found the resurrection medicine, and revived his master, Xuanji Sword Saint?"
"Even if Zhang Ruochen is still alive, how could he be among the Liangyi Sect disciples? And even if he had infiltrated the Liangyi Sect, how would the Ministry of War know he would come to the Central Domain?"
...
The name "Zhang Ruochen" set the entire Taiyin Ancient City ablaze. Countless cultivators rushed toward the square at the city center, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Heir of Time and Space.
"The Ministry of War indeed lacks no capable strategists. They prepared in advance and came to arrest me as soon as I stepped out of the wormhole. It seems a fierce battle is unavoidable today."
Standing among the outer disciples, Zhang Ruochen sighed softly.
Just as Zhang Ruochen was secretly gathering sacred qi, preparing to strike first, Yuan Long Half-Saint's cold snort reached his ears.
"Taiyin Ancient City is the territory of the Liangyi Sect. Since when have you Wolf Soldiers been allowed to barge in freely?"
Lately, Yuan Long Half-Saint had been in a foul mood, full of pent-up anger. He had finally volunteered to lead a group of disciples to train in the Central Domain, only to be blocked as soon as they exited the wormhole. Naturally, he was quite furious.
How could Zhang Ruochen possibly be among the Liangyi Sect disciples?
Yuan Long Half-Saint was extremely confident in his own eyesight. If that so-called Heir of Time and Space were truly hiding among the Liangyi Sect disciples, wouldn't he have noticed?
Zhao Gongming could naturally see that the old Daoist before him was a Half-Saint ancestor of the Liangyi Sect, with profound cultivation. Even compared to the Northern Wolf King, he was likely not much weaker.
It was best not to offend such a figure.
Frowning, Zhao Gongming clasped his hands and said, "The Ministry of War has received reliable intelligence that Zhang Ruochen has indeed infiltrated the Liangyi Sect and is likely to come to the Central Domain soon. We are merely following orders, and I hope you and the Liangyi Sect will cooperate."
"Nonsense! Do you think Zhang Ruochen has mastered thirty-six transformations? I am, after all, a Half-Saint. If he were truly under my nose, could he escape my gaze?" Yuan Long Half-Saint said coldly.
Ever since he had given the Void Sword to Zhang Ruochen, he had become a laughingstock among the Half-Saints of the Liangyi Sect. Therefore, anyone who doubted his eyesight would provoke his anger.
Yuan Long Half-Saint's stubborn unreasonableness brought a hint of joy to Zhang Ruochen. He temporarily held back from acting, waiting to see how things would unfold.
Zhao Gongming, also a Half-Saint, naturally valued his pride. Being reprimanded by Yuan Long Half-Saint infuriated him. He said, "I think you are deliberately shielding Zhang Ruochen. All soldiers, hear my order: arrest all Liangyi Sect disciples present and take them back to the Wolf Army camp."
"Who dares?" Yuan Long Half-Saint roared.
A powerful soundwave erupted from his mouth, surging outward in all directions.
The three thousand Wolf Soldiers, even having formed a battle formation, could not withstand it. Men and beasts toppled, falling in droves.
Zhao Gongming bore the brunt of the impact, stumbling back over ten zhang before steadying himself, with drops of blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
He stared at Yuan Long Half-Saint in shock. "This old man's cultivation is terrifying. Could the Ministry of War's intelligence be true? Is the Liangyi Sect indeed shielding Zhang Ruochen? It seems only the Northern Wolf King himself can suppress him."
Yuan Long Half-Saint landed back on the ground. His four wrinkled fingers struck forward, sending four sword ripples flying from his fingertips like pillars of fire, radiating immense power.
"Pfft!"
The Four Vajras of the Wolf Army were all pierced through by the sword ripples, sent flying backward, and crashed to the ground.
Yuan Long Half-Saint flicked his sleeve and snorted coldly, "I have no interest in who the Ministry of War wants to arrest. But you had better not bully the Liangyi Sect. Today's lesson is a minor warning. If there is a next time, even if the Northern Wolf King himself shows up, I will still deal with him."
"Ooo—"
Just then, a resonant wolf howl came from outside Taiyin Ancient City.
Before the sound faded, Northern Wolf King Zhao Shengyu rode a golden giant wolf, turning into a golden gale that swept through the city and arrived at the central square.
"Why is Yuan Long Half-Saint so angry? The Ministry of War is merely carrying out its duties. We have no intention of targeting the Liangyi Sect."
Zhao Shengyu held an octagonal sacred eye in his hand, his voice quite cold. A formidable battle intent emanated from him, enveloping the entire Taiyin Ancient City.
On one of the mirrors of the octagonal sacred eye, the figure of Zhang Ruochen was clearly visible.
At the same time, Zhao Shengyu's gaze, guided by the octagonal sacred eye, swept over the several hundred Liangyi Sect disciples in the square and finally locked onto Zhang Ruochen.
...
(Entering the Central Domain will unfold new plotlines. I spent a lot of time today on planning, so there will only be one chapter today. Three chapters will be posted tomorrow to make up for it.) (To be continued.)