“You’ve reached the Loose Immortal Realm?” Hu Mazi looked at Chen Ping, only then noticing that Chen Ping had indeed attained the Loose Immortal Realm.
“Friend Chen, in just over a month, I never imagined you’d reach the Loose Immortal Realm,” Xiu Rui said, equally shocked.
“Just broke through,” Chen Ping said with a faint smile, before briefly explaining to Hu Mazi and Xiu Rui what he planned to do next.
He instructed Hu Mazi and Xiu Rui to stay put at Spirit Fox Workshop and not wander about.
“Friend Chen, don’t worry. Master Hu definitely won’t stray. This past month, he’s been indulging in revelry every night,” Xiu Rui said, glancing at Hu Mazi with a hint of envy.
“Master Hu, you should show some restraint, lest you collapse from exhaustion,” Chen Ping teased loudly.
“Get lost already. When you’re back, we’ll head to the human territories for a change. You get tired of two women eventually,” Hu Mazi waved dismissively at Chen Ping.
Chen Ping, along with Bai Yi and Mad Immortal, left Rhinoceros City, heading straight for Flying Tiger City.
Rhinoceros City and Flying Tiger City were separated by ten thousand miles, and it took Chen Ping and his companions nearly a full day of flight to reach their destination.
Hovering in mid-air, Chen Ping gazed into the distance. Though Flying Tiger City was smaller in scale than Rhinoceros City, it was composed of dozens of interconnected cities, large and small.
At the centre stood the City Lord’s Mansion of Flying Tiger City, surrounded by numerous cities, making it far more secure than the Gadfly’s mansion.
Rhinoceros City was a single city with the Gadfly’s mansion at its centre, whereas Flying Tiger City comprised dozens of cities, each with its own independent checkpoints.
Thus, passing through these checkpoints to reach the City Lord’s Mansion of Flying Tiger City was far more challenging than climbing a mountain.
As the sun set, the twilight glow, like blood, stained the outer greenstone walls of Flying Tiger City a dark crimson.
Chen Ping, observing the sprawling cluster of cities resembling the scales of a giant beast, subtly circulated immortal energy within his sleeves. As the saying goes, one must not harbour ill intentions, but one must always be wary of others.
As they approached the first city checkpoint, Chen Ping sensed three faint auras locking onto them.
“Halt! Flying Tiger City is under lockdown. Unauthorised persons must leave immediately!” At the first checkpoint, armoured guards blocked the way with spears, their vigilant eyes peering through the slits of their helmets.
Mad Immortal was about to speak, but Chen Ping raised a hand to stop him.
Noticing the green jade token hanging at the guard’s waist, Chen Ping condensed a faint golden rune at his fingertip and lightly tapped it onto the token, “Please inform City Lord Xie that we are from Rhinoceros City, here at his invitation.”
The moment the rune seeped into the token, the guard’s expression changed, and he saluted respectfully, allowing them to pass.
After all, these were guests invited by the City Lord of Flying Tiger City, and mere guards like them dared not cause trouble.
Moreover, they were only the guards of the outermost minor city, with the least presence.
Bai Yi whispered, “Son-in-law, that rune…”
“The Gadfly told me about it. Otherwise, we wouldn’t even get past the checkpoint,” Chen Ping said calmly, though his gaze swept over the faintly visible array patterns on the city walls, “But judging by this setup, I’m afraid there’s more than one checkpoint.”
Sure enough, when they reached the third city, the gates slammed shut with a resounding boom.
Twelve black-robed cultivators emerged, shrouded in dark mist. The leader held a bronze compass, which clearly reflected the images of the three, “Who are you? Daring to trespass in Flying Tiger City means death!”
“We are from Rhinoceros City, invited by City Lord Xie to negotiate,” Chen Ping stepped forward and stated.
“You claim to be from Rhinoceros City, but I don’t know you. If you want to see the City Lord, you’ll have to get past us first,” the leader sneered, spinning the compass. Instantly, an array formation appeared before Chen Ping and his companions.
Mad Immortal, seeing this, let out a cold laugh, his aura surging as he prepared to act. But Chen Ping stepped forward first.
His fingertip traced through the air, conjuring a rune identical to the one before, though this time it glowed with a piercing red light.
