Blue Phoenix

by Tinalynge

  Soon a month had gone by, and they reached the Sunset Mountains.

  "Milord, do you wish for me to wait for your return, or return to Muchuan City without you?" The carriage driver asked politely, but Hui Yue shook his head and handed over a purse filled with gold coins. "We don't know how long we will be gone." He said honestly as he paid the driver. "Therefore asking you to stay would without a doubt be a waste of your time." Accepting the money, the driver nodded his head. Afterwards, he led the carriage and the Kirins away.

  "We will walk back on our own, or rent another carriage." Hui Yue said to his friends, and they nodded their heads. None of them seemed to really mind too much about when they would head back. It was simply something so far away from them that it was not something they could think about. They were solely focused on the trip in front of them, and Hui Yue smiled wryly. He too could not focus on anything other than the mission they were about to undertake.

  "Well then, I know you are all eager, but it is late in the afternoon now so let’s stay in this city for the remainder of the night. Tomorrow we can start moving when the last of our fatigue has vanished." He said, and as soon as he had spoken, everyone nodded their heads. Because they had been cultivating during their journey, it had caused them to be fatigued.

  "Well first, let us go find an inn." He said, and together with his friends and family, the seven cultivators entered the small city.

  Cities like this one were all over the border of the Sunset Mountains, and their main occupants were adventurers, mercenaries, and merchants who came to profit. Many of them were here for the vast amount of materials which could be found within the Sunset Mountains. These people were used to rough lives where they were in constant life and death struggles against beasts and other experts.

  Entering this city, Hui Yue and his group caused quite a stir as everyone looked their way. All of them were outstanding, not only their appearances but also their auras as well. Even the two small children had auras which left many of the adventurers and mercenaries struggling to form sentences.

  As cityfolk noticed the sudden commotion, more and more came to see what was going on, and seeing this Hui Yue could not help but feeling helpless. Entering the city might not have been the best idea, but the decision had already been made and with a straight back, he lead his friends and families towards the best inn in town.

  The inn was a three story building and entering inside Hui Yue ordered seven rooms, one for each of them. This was something which caused the innkeeper to smile gleefully. Teams would usually room together, but here everyone had a room of their own, and obviously this, in turn, meant more money for him, therefore he was incredibly excited.

  "Rest." Hui Yue said calmly. "We are going to rest for the next four hours, afterwards let us go and see what this city has to offer."

  His words instantly made everyone excited and nodded their heads after which they headed to their rooms to either rest or cultivate.

  Chapter 444 - Poison Master

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  Chapter 444: Poison Master

  The rest was very much needed for the tired experts, and although they could have used this time to cultivate, every single one of them were now fast asleep.

  Some had fallen asleep in their bathtubs; others had simply collapsed on their beds. Although they had slept in proper beds every night, and had a very comfortable journey, their trip had been hard on their mental fortitude. Constantly thinking about their next step, about entering the Central Palace, caused them to be both worried and excited but also exhausted as all they could do was think about all that might happen without truly being able to do anything yet. The only one who was still awake was Huli. She was laying on top of Hui Yue, her eyes open and staring at everything around them with vigilant eyes. It was as though she was worried about something.

  Having traveled in the carriage none of them were able to do anything except cultivate, yet now they finally felt close to the next stage of their journey, something which caused them to be overwhelmed with exhaustion. Now that they suddenly had the opportunity to rest, they took advantage of it to get some much needed sleep.

  Although all of them were tired, after four hours everyone apart from Wang Ju Long woke up and met in the restaurant on the ground level of the inn.

  "Let’s go eat." Hui Yue suggested, and the others agreed quickly. While eating, they could both wait for Wang Ju Long to wake up and get their meal at the same time.

  All the meals on the table were from magical beasts that had been hunted within the Sunset Mountains. Some were delicacies and were very expensive, while others were more ordinary and cheaper. Hui Yue ordered a little bit of everything so that they could share and eat what they preferred.

  The restaurant was filled with people, and the table Hui Yue found was situated in the back, out of the way. Although no one around them knew their true destination causing trouble would not be a good idea.

  When they entered the restaurant their group caused quite a few to look their way but seeing that they found a table in the far corner and were not interested in troubling others, everyone decided not to trouble Hui Yue's group. One had to remember that their aura was unmatched.

  Having talked and eaten in the restaurant for a couple of hours, more and more people had arrived while others had taken their leave. Hui Yue watched as a large group of experts entered the restaurant, their voices were loud and their appearances rough.

  "There are no beautiful women in this d*mned town! What do they expect us to do? We should move to one of the larger cities." One of the men said, and the moment they had entered through the door, everyone else in the restaurant had quieted down. The only conversation that could be heard apart from this group was others whispers. Even Hui Yue and his group were silently watching them, however, where the others looked at them with fear, Hui Yue's group only had curiosity in their eyes.

  "Oh! Check out that beauty!" Someone suddenly said as they pointed towards the stairs causing Hui Yue and his friends to look up. As soon as they saw the beauty, they couldn’t help but shake their heads. "Should we help?" Sha Yun whispered worriedly as she saw greed in the eyes of these rouge cultivators. The beauty walking down the stairs was none other than the green-dressed Wang Ju Long, and seeing the looks she was getting, Sha Yun couldn’t help but fill with anger. She already looked upon Wang Ju Long as her family, as a sister, and they were clearly looking down on her.

  A smile was on Hui Yue's face as he shook his head causing the others to be surprised.

  "She's an Emperor." Hui Yue said seriously. "Those experts, the strongest is at the King rank while the others are Dukes. King ranked experts are strong in a city as small as this one, but Ju Long is not easy to deal with for anyone, even people on her level."

  Hui Yue continue. "She is a poison master, and also an Emperor ranked expert. Fighting against the entire group might be impossible for others, but do you really think that a poison master cannot defeat a group of experts weaker than herself?"

  Being quiet for some time the others realized that he was correct. "We have never actually seen Ju Long fight." He continued while looking intently at what was happening in front of him. "Although she has done all she can to avoid fighting, don't underestimate her. If she were not worthy of being our companion, why would I allow her to come with us? You know I cannot handle to see her hurt, so obviously I believe in her power to have taken her with us on this trip."

  As they heard this, the others nodded their heads. The eyes they used to look at Wang Ju Long were very different from earlier, now they were not filled with worry, instead, they were filled with anticipation. Anticipation to see just how Wang Ju Long would handle these rowdy experts.

  Wang Ju Long's eyes swept across the entire lower floor, resting but a moment on the group which just spoke before she located Hui Yue and the others. With resolute steps, she moved straight towards them, not even giving the other group a second glance.

  "It seems that she is togethe
r with someone. Come back here!" An expert called out, but Wang Ju Long completely ignored him and moved towards the seats where Hui Yue was waiting for her.

  "Grab her! The leader likes her so take her to him. Anyone who stands in our way will be annihilated." The same man as before called out as a group of ten experts rushed through the room, completely ignorant of what they were destroying on their way.

  Tables were tilted, plates and glasses were shattered as they landed on the ground causing food to be splattered everywhere.

  As soon as they reached Wang Ju Long, all of them lifted their hands and tried to grab her, but moments after she easily dodged them. Her hands flashed and spiritual energy left her body as a small cloud appeared around it. The moment their hands tried to enter the cloud, all of them released blood-curdling screams as their arms started to corrode.

  Their arms turned black and started to be eaten away by the mist; their screams sounded throughout the restaurant as the advancing experts collapsed to the ground. Looking at them with cold eyes, Wang Ju Long sighed and turned to look at the King ranked expert who was shivering greatly. "These three need to cut off their infected limbs, or they'll die." She said as if she didn’t care either way and moved towards Hui Yue's table where she sat down and filled her plate with delicacies, eating them as though they had been ordered specifically for her."

  The King ranked expert rushed to the side of his friends and cut off their infected limbs, but even though he was filled with fear he was not dumb enough to continue his attack on Wang Ju Long. For her to make his subordinates as wounded as she had, he already knew that she was far stronger than him.

  Many experts in the restaurant looked at Wang Ju Long as though she were some celestial being who had just descended from the heavens above. Her actions caused everyone in the restaurant to shockingly look at the group with reverence in their eyes.

  Sighing, Hui Yue shook his head. So much for being low key and not drawing attention to themselves. Still, had Wang Ju Long not stopped them, then he would have had to step in, and he was likely to be even less polite. He probably would not let them go with just a missing a limb or two.

  "You are actually so frightening mom!" Jo said with admiration in her voice. Her eyes were wide with amazement and excitement was all over her face.

  "It was nothing." Wang Ju Long said blushing as she tried to focus on the horned demon crab in front of her, trying to get the meat from its legs.

  The others joined in, praising Wang Ju Long. Even Deng Wu was excited, "let me spar with you!" He said excitedly but the moment he spoke a roasted carrot landed squarely on his face. "If you want to duel, why not fight me? I would gladly teach you how to fight." Hui Yue said with a smile on his face.

  "No, brother Yue! Please don't! I swear I was just joking!" Hearing the pleading in his voice everyone around the table started laughing. Even the embarrassed Wang Ju Long could not help but release her bright laughter.

  The group completely ignored the young King ranked expert who was dragging his wounded friends out of the restaurant. They simply did not see him as a danger to them and thus they did not kill him, nor did they even bother paying him any attention.

  "When we finish eating, let’s explore the city and see if there is anything interesting here." Hui Yue said smilingly as he too ate some of the delicious food.

  "Let big brother show you around." Deng Wu said with pride in his voice, and everyone laughed at him once more while he pushed out his chest and tried to look important.

  Deng Wu had been to the Sunset Mountains many times over the last couple of years. Every time, he would join various adventure groups to capture strong soul shadows of various beasts.

  Because he often came to the Sunset Mountains, Deng Wu had also been to this city before. However it had been a very brief stop, and he was not truly familiar with the location.

  "Well, in that case, we will trust you." Sha Yun said with a smile on her face. "But if you take us to an entertainment house with many beautiful maids, don't blame us for telling Xing when we return home."

  Hearing her words, Deng Wu's body turned rigid and a somewhat worried smile appeared. "Yun, dearest Yun, you are my good brother's wife, how could you tell on your husband's good brother?"

  Once again everyone laughed, and their laughter rang throughout the otherwise silent restaurant. Many had still not coped with the fact that the young man and his men had been beaten so miserably by a young woman. Looking at the entire group in front of them, they all seemed equally terrifying.

  Finishing the food, everyone stood up. Hui Yue left the money including a tip on the table, and they exited the restaurant ready to see the city they were currently within.

  Walking down the street, most people rushed out of their way. Some looked at them fearfully; others looked at them with curiosity. Everyone had already heard about this group and the beautiful woman who had managed to cripple a whole group of people with just one move.

  Reaching the middle of town they found a square filled with merchants and mercenaries selling and buying things. Whistling in surprise, Hui Yue started looking at the many stalls and bought a few items here and there, mainly rare herbs and beast cores.

  Hui Yue was not the only one buying items. Jo purchased snacks in all the stalls she could find. Her eyes shone brightly, and her face was filled with a smile. "Keep eating like this, and you'll be rolling around soon." Lao said lovingly as he rustled Jo's hair, but all he got in return was Jo sticking out her tongue continuing to eat her snacks.

  Listening to the two kids, Hui Yue smiled, but he did not interfere. Seeing the siblings as carefree as this truly made him happy.

  Chapter 445 - Entering the Sunset Mountains

  * * *

  Chapter 445: Entering the Sunset Mountains

  Walking through the marketplace, they bought many items and food; even Lao was inspired by Jo and purchased a few snacks which he ate, but his biggest focus was on the merchants who had pills for sale. Lao was always looking for medicinal pills that could help him with his elemental affinities. He also looked for herbs which he could give Hui Yue. This was so his father could craft more pills for him as well.

  Everyone was interested in the marketplace, but the items for sale were almost exclusively things one would find in the mountains. Most of the items Hui Yue could get in Muchuan City as well; only it was cheaper here than in the capital.

  Everywhere they went, they were treated with respect by merchants and mercenaries alike. The rumor of this poison woman had already spread throughout the city, and no one wanted to insult them. This was a small city, after all, there weren't many strong cultivators.

  Finishing their shopping, Hui Yue and the others walked through the town seeing various stalls and buying things here and there. Though After leaving the marketplace, there were not many items which took their fancy.

  "Let’s return home and relax." Hui Yue said smilingly, and the others nodded their heads.

  Relaxing in this small city, no one dared to cause strife as soon as the rumor of Wang Ju Long's power spread. Thanks to this they did not encounter any disturbances and managed to fully rest during their short time in the small city.

  In the early morning, the group gathered in front of the inn. Their eyes glistened with excitement, and their faces were unable to contain their smiles. It was finally time for them to set out, and as they looked at the world around them, they nodded to each other. No one said anything, but together they walked out of town headed straight for the Sunset Mountains. This was the massive mountain range and forest, full of many strong beasts, that bordered the city they were staying at.

  In the outskirts of the forests, at the foot of the mountain range, they ran into many groups but none of them were silly enough to act against Hui Yue and his friends. Everyone in Hui Yue’s group had terribly domineering auras, and their group was in no way small, making all these other groups not even dare to look at them.

  They also met many low ranked mag
ical beasts, but just like the humans, these beasts did everything they could to avoid the group of experts. Even the relatively strong beasts avoided them due to their auras. The first many days of travel passed quickly with them no having to fight any beats.

  At this point, the group had penetrated deep into the Sunset Mountain range, and the sounds of beasts were the only thing they could hear. These stronger beasts were even more alert than the weaker ones, and they would usually avoid a group this large as much as possible. Beasts that had lived this long were in no way stupid. Even when their group moved onto their turf, they would do what they could to avoid them. These beasts were the kings and queens of the forest, but they were after all just one creature. Hui Yue's group counted quite a few experts, so they would without a doubt be at a disadvantage if they wanted to fight them. Therefore they stayed away.

  Hui Yue also made sure that while they were constantly moving forward, they were also very careful not to destroy any of the surrounding environments and they stayed away from the homes of the local king and queen beasts. He had no intention of causing them to feel endangered, and thus a mutual understanding appeared between Hui Yue and the beasts. As long as neither acted against the other, they would keep a neutral relationship, pretending that they did not see the other party.