Chapitre 10: Crescent City
"Nimbus!" With his hand raised to the sky, Xia Ye summoned his Nimbus Cloud down. Stopping in front of him, Xia Ye looked back at the Wyvern Profound Beast following behind him. "What's your name?" The Wyvern looked surprised as it replied. "I don't have one, but Master can give me one, right?"
Xia Ye sighed to himself as he suddenly heard Sun Wukong's voice. [You should name him Ao Qin. In my world, it was the name of the Red Dragon of the East.] Hearing that, Xia Ye thought about it for a moment. "Ok, fine from now on, your name will be Ao Qin." The newly named Ao Qin nodded. "Yes, Master, thank you!"
With that, Xia Ye jumped onto the Nimbus cloud. Having full control of it, he adjusting its size so that Ao Qin could get on as well. "Master, that is not necessary. I can simply fly." Xia Ye shook his head when he heard Ao Qin say that. "You wouldn't be able to keep up. Just get on." Ao Qin didn't understand but obeyed and got onto the Nimbus Cloud.
It was a strange sight watching a Wyvern laying passively on a yellow cloud with a young boy in front. With the slightest gesture, the Nimbus Cloud flew off into the sky. 'So what should I do with him. I mean, I planned on keeping him as a pet, but he's so weak.' Obviously, Ao Qin would be a hindrance if he stayed the way he was.
[Then you should turn him into a pet worth keeping. I always wanted a Dragon God to ride on; however, I never found the time. Those Dragon Kings were so uptight about the idea.] Blanking on a large part of what Sun Wukong just said, Xia Ye focused on what he understood. 'Wait, are you saying you know how to create a Dragon God? What even is that? Plus, he's a Wyvern, not a real dragon.'
[Im sure it's close enough. In any case, with the Bagua Furnace doing so should be very simple. Once he becomes a Dragon God, I'm sure you'll see how good of a pet hell make. After all, Dragon God's strength is purely based on their age, wisdom, and longevity. It's a little cheap if you ask me, though.] Hearing the words Bagua Furnace Xia Ye was surprised.
It was one of Sun Wukong's 'Borrowed' treasures though he didn't have much to go off of other than that. "Alright, then it's decided." Xia Ye clapped his hands together before turning to Ao Qin. "What's decided, Master?" Ao Qin looked a little nervous due to the look on Xia Ye's face. "How do you Profound Beast gets stronger."
Ao Qin's scaly eyes widened as he listened to Xia Ye. "I'm not sure I understand… But if Master says so, then very well. Unlike humans, we, Profound Beast, don't need to cultivate. We can, but it's simply easier to eat other Profound Beast and their cores." Hearing that, Xia Ye put his hand on his chin. "So I just need to feed you a bunch. Easy enough, I suppose."
Originally he had decided to bring Ao Qin with him because he was acting so pathetic. But no,w he was actually interested in finding out what a Dragon God was. Besides, he was going to get all of Sun Wukong's treasures anyway. Hearing Xia Ye's words, Ao Qin's eyes lit up like a flame. "Thank Maste,r I won't disappoint you."
Xia Ye waved at his words. "Sure, but first, I need to find a city so I can actually do what I came out here for." Ao Qin's mind immediately leaped towards an opportunity. "Master, I remember those bastards before mention there was a city north of where they were." Xia Ye looked surprised as he turned the Nimbus Cloud. "Then well,l head north then."
The Nimbus Cloud was immensely fast, and Sun Wukong had made it clear its speed couldn't be matched. At the same time, if Xia Ye couldn't control it at the speed he was traveling, he would end up crashing. That paired with Ao Qing meant he had to slow down a bit more than usual. During his journey to he focused on cultivation like usual.
His current progress with The Secret To Immortality had slowed, but he was nearing the second stage. While before his Spiritual Pearl could be compared to one nail, it was now almost the size of his palm. It was that progress that let him, equal Cultivators, in the Mid Rank of the Spirit Profound Realm. So just like that, around a week passed by with no incident as Xia Ye heard Ao Qin.
"Master, there is a city not too far to our right." Hearing Ao Qin's voice Xia Ye glanced to his right. And low and behold, there was indeed a city there. It looked much bigger than Floating Cloud City by at least ten or more times. It was built on a flat open plain with four paths leading into it, crossing out at the center. Large pagodas and towers stretched into the sky, and the entire city looked as if it was lined in silver and gold.
On top of that, it abnormally busy, and Xia Ye could clearly spot Profound Arks and Profound Beast alike flying around the city but in it. "Well, that's strange." Xia Ye smiled as he directed his Nimbus Cloud to fly down. The City was only a few miles away from where they were flying, and they arrived in a matter of moments.
Coming to a stop at the ground close to the front gate Xia Ye hopped off following by Ao Qin. Looking around, there were multiple Profound Arks and Beast left here as well. 'Maybe it's some kind of event going on?' Xia Ye got a few strange looks from the Cultivators around him due to his tail and the weird feeling his Qi gave off.
Turning his attention to the front gate leading into the city Xia Ye was surprised. There were six guards in total. However, each one was at the peak of the True Profound Realm, and two were even at the Spirit Profound Realm. What's more, Xia Ye could clearly see the cultivators entering the city acting extremely tame and calm.
In a place like Floating Cloud City, cultivators could disregard their laws as they wish. In the end, they had no power to stop them, and as such, the laws didn't affect them. However, it looked like the Government controlling this city actually had authority. Entering the city, Xia Ye overheard two people next to him talking.
"It's strange that we were summoned here in advance, is it not?"
"Indeed, but it just shows how important the announcement must be.
"That's true. I heard rumors Imperial Family along with three of the Major Four Sects are getting involved."
Hearing that Xia Ye's interest was peaked even more. Floating Cloud City was far to the east, and at the edge of the Blue Wind Empire, so it made sense; he didn't know about any major events. However, if it involved the Burning Heaven Clan, The Xiao Sect, and possibly even the Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace, all of which he had met, then it must be important.
'Looks like I'll be doing more research than I thought using the Black Moon Merchant Guild.' Xia Ye spent the next few minutes searching the city until he eventually found what he was looking for. The Black Moon Merchant Guild was a costly establishment after all and, as such, was located near the center of the city.
It was two times the size of nearly any other building and seemed to have over five different floors stretching up. There was no door for entry, but the contrast between the outside and inside of the building was like night and day. Everything looked expensive and well crafted, from the marble on the floor to the lights hanging from the ceiling.
'I never thought I would have to thank Father for packing so many extra sets of clothes.' His run-in with the Burning Heaven Clan made his last set look like burnt cheese. There was no way he would be let in wearing something like that. Walking into the Black Moon Merchant Guild, Xia Ye looked around before finding the clerk at the front-most counter.
"Welcome to the Black Moon Merchant Guild. How may I assist you?" The old man speaking to Xia Ye was in his late fifties at the least. He spoke as if he had done this thousand's of times without a hint of secondary emotion in his voice. "I'm here for information. The Black Moon Merchant Guild does have the network for that, right?"
Hearing Xia Ye's question, the old man smiled. "Of course, as long as it exists, we will know about it in some shape or form." Coming from behind the counter, he gestured to Xia Ye. "Please follow me, and I will call for an information broker to assist you." Xia Ye nodded and followed the old man. He was led up two sets of stairs to the third floor, where multiple rooms could be seen.
Walking up to one of the many rooms, he opened the door and gestured Xia Ye inside. The room was fairly big and looked well kept to the point there was even tea premade and set on the table. "The broker will be with you shortly." With that, the old man closed the door and left, leaving Xia Ye on his own.
He only had to wait a few minutes until the door opened once more, and a much younger man walked in. He had a smile on his face as he sat on the couch opposite Xia Ye. "Sorry for the wait. Now then, dear customer, how may I assist you?" Seeing the time had finally arrived, Xia Ye didn't hesitate to speak.
"Originally came here for information on a single matter, but that has changed. I want to know if any major events occurred in the past fifteen years. Maybe a sudden appearance of an artifact or something of the same likeness. At the same time, I would also like to know about any information regarding the sudden influx of cultivators in the city."
The young broker's face thought to himself for a moment. "Well, I suppose I have good news for you. I can already think of multiple events fitting those specifications. And one of which falls directly in line with your second request." Xia Ye was surprised to hear that as he asked for the broker to explain in further detail.
"Well, you see, the sudden spike in cultivators within Crescent City is due to something that has happened within its territory. However, this information is highly confidential, and sadly we can't give it out for free." Xia Ye sighed as he took out all of the Yellow Profound Coins his father gave him along half of the True Profound Cores he had in his Spatial Ring.
All of this appeared on the table in front of the broker. "Will this cover it?" The young information broker smiled as pulled out a Spatial Ring of his own. "Yes, very much so." With the payment side of things being taken care of, the broker spoke freely. "You see, there was an occurrence almost exactly fifteen years ago within Crescent City territory. Quite the coincidence, don't you think?"
Xia Ye didn't answer as he simply listened. "They said it was as if the heavens themselves had wept. Although I didn't see it for myself, two brilliant lights resembling the stars in the very skies fell to the earth. Originally people didn't think much of the occurrence, and no one investigated it for quite some time. However, when a group finally did, they discovered something never seen before."
Xia Ye narrowed his eyes as he thought to himself for a moment. "I'm guessing what they found has to do with the strange gathering happening in this city?" The broker nodded. "Indeed because what they found was a purple mist. Slowly but ever-expanding engulfing everything in its path. And no matter the cultivation level or artifact, anything that stayed within this mist for longer than three hours… Would be completely devoured by it."
Xia Ye's eyes widened when he heard that. 'A purple mist that devours people, ignoring even cultivation?' It sounded unreal, and at the same time, a thought came to Xia Ye's mind. 'Sun Wukong does treasure fit that kind of description?' Sun Wukong spoke just a moment after he asked. [Indeed one does… The Purple Gold Red Gourd. But something about this doesn't seem right.]
Xia Ye took a deep breath. What Sun Wukong said confirmed it was indeed a treasure that was the cause of the mist. And it hadn't gone unnoticed by not only the Crescent City but also the three of the Four Major Sects. Seeing Xia Ye was deep in thought, the broker waited before speaking again. "Of course, it didn't take long for rumors to spread of a special artifact being the cause. A possible weapon that can ignore cultivation and devour its enemies?"
The broker didn't need to explain to Xia Ye how important an artifact like that would be. And that went double, considering how desirable it was. "In any case, the information about the mist has been kept locked down. Only the current Leader of the Crescent City's Military and their closest aides know the most. Even the Four Major Sects and Imperial Family are at a bit of a loss when it comes to the full details. Plus, why have they waited exactly fifteen years to do something?'
Xia Ye wasn't going to bother asking how the Black Moon Merchant Guild got this information then. 'But still, some things don't make sense. If the Leader of the Crescent City's Military knows about the Gourd to some extent, shouldn't they have kept quiet? Why are they announcing it? It will definitely cause conflict.' Some things were simply not adding up. Looking back at the broker Xia Ye asked another question.
"You said two lights fell from the sky? Assuming one is the artifact creating the mist, what is the second?"
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone