"Lord Li, we are now approaching the capital of the Holy Yuan Dynasty," Ling Mu said with a smile. He had been trying to forge connections with Li Bai, Xu Chu, and others along the way, even arguing with Ling Xuan a few times, chiding her for not appreciating such valuable resources and being slow to grasp things, forcing him, her worried father, to step in.
Li Bai, Sun Simiao, and Xu Chu, astride their warhorses, looked up at the distant Holy Yuan Dynasty. This was their final royal commission. Upon completing it, they would be able to return to the Great Han.
As they gazed, they saw the city gates were over thirty meters high. The brick and stone walls were overgrown with wild plants. This city was ancient, having stood on this land for tens of thousands of years.
The city was situated on a plain. The royal palace within the capital was slightly elevated above the city walls. From outside, one could discern the general outline of the palace. Seated in his hall, the Holy Yuan Emperor would surely survey the landscape for a hundred miles around.
At both sides of the city gate, squads of soldiers of the Holy Yuan Dynasty stood guard. They were all warriors of the Grandmaster realm. An army of Grandmaster cultivators marked a significant dividing line in the strength of a dynasty and an empire. Only imperial nations possessed the capability to assemble such a formidable force. This explained why Ying Zhong had been so astonished by the army of the Great Han when he attended the Yan Dynasty’s Yang Hao Qian Yuan Sacred Festival.
"This Holy Yuan Dynasty capital is nothing special!" Xu Chu scoffed, looking at the city with disdain. It was nowhere near comparable to the Great Han's Chang'an City.
"Heh, esteemed sirs, shall we enter the city?" Ling Mu said with an awkward chuckle. Although he had never been to the Great Han, ever since Li Bai defeated Chen Qiu with a single sword, the Great Han had been remarkably ostentatious and fearless, roaming freely throughout the Holy Yuan Dynasty. Yet, their Emperor had remained silent.
"You people ahead, dismount!" The imperial guards at the gate directly stopped their mounts, blocking their path with their halberds.
"Don't you know that everyone, including royalty, must dismount when entering the imperial city?" one of the guards shouted angrily.
"I—"
Xu Chu was about to curse loudly, but Li Bai stopped him, his hand gripping the Fire Cloud Saber. Li Bai smiled gently, "Dismount!"
Upon Li Bai's command, Xu Chu immediately lost his temper. He cast a fierce glare at the guard, and they dismounted and walked through the city gates into the imperial city.
"Phew..." Ling Xuan exhaled in relief. She had feared Xu Chu would lose his temper and attack the guard. This was the capital of the Holy Yuan Dynasty, where the empire's foundation lay. If something were to happen here, it would be difficult to handle.
"Esteemed sirs, let us rest here for a moment. This is an inn managed by our Ling family. It's considered top-tier within the imperial city," Ling Mu said softly, gesturing towards a well-decorated inn.
Inside the imperial city, the streets were crowded. The enthronement ceremony of the Holy Yuan Dynasty's new Emperor held great significance for the empire. For warriors from other dynasties, it was also an opportunity to witness the splendor of a foreign land and meet martial artists from across the world.
"Alright!"
Xu Chu spoke directly. Sun Simiao remained silent, lost in thought. Li Bai seemed indifferent, drinking wine and observing his surroundings.
The group strode into the inn, and the entire establishment immediately fell silent, all eyes turning to them.
The fame of the Great Han had once again erupted in the Dan Qing Pavilion. The name of the Great Han was seared into the hearts of many warriors like a brand.
Clad in white, with a hint of wine on his breath, and a three-foot blade at his waist, the Green Lotus Sword Immortal, the pinnacle of myriad sword cultivators, was now a deity in the hearts of countless sword cultivators.
A jovial, white-haired elder, exuding the fragrance of pills, had, at the height of Dan Qing Pavilion, defeated all alchemists, reaching the peak of alchemy from a hundred thousand years ago. A seventh-grade alchemist was truly formidable—a walking embodiment of an empire's foundation.
A nine-foot-tall man, his chest bare, with a fierce tiger tattoo, surveyed his surroundings. In a single battle, he had slain four Spirit Venerables of the Du family. Now, he had stepped into the Heavenly Martial realm. The Great Han Tiger Marquis had long since become renowned far and wide.
At this moment, the inn was terrifyingly quiet, the sound of powerful heartbeats faintly audible. The two greatest peaks of the Southwest Region of the Eastern Wilderness were now residing here. This made the surrounding warriors so excited that they dared not even breathe.
"Old Patriarch, Miss Ling Xuan!" the innkeeper hurried out, sweat beading on his forehead.
"Has the inn's manor been occupied?" Ling Xuan asked softly. The manor was usually reserved for members of the Ling family.
"Miss, it has been kept available. However, Patriarch Ling Lan seems to have other intentions..." the innkeeper said, looking troubled. It was a difficult situation, caught between the Old Patriarch, the former young lady of the Ling family, and the new Patriarch, Ling Lan.
"What Ling Lan? We are staying here. If Ling Lan asks you, tell him that my Fire Cloud Saber misses him!" Xu Chu said, glaring and slapping the innkeeper's shoulder hard. The innkeeper winced in pain, daring not to utter a word.
Warriors of the Heavenly Martial realm were very rare even in the entire Southwest Region. Without the presence of Fusion Heaven realm experts, these Heavenly Martial realm warriors were the rulers of the world.
"Yes, yes, yes!"
"Esteemed sirs, please come in~!" The innkeeper quickly replied, extending his hand and leading the group into the inner courtyard of the inn.
As they left, the inn's main hall erupted in commotion, with the assembled warriors chattering amongst themselves.
"That's the Green Lotus Sword Immortal Li Bai! This is incredible. Even the Sword Saint Chen Qiu, whom the Emperor dispatched two Fusion Heaven realm experts to subdue, was defeated by Li Bai with a single sword. I dare say the Green Lotus Sword Immortal—Li Bai—is definitely a top-tier combatant in our human lands!" a warrior carrying a long sword declared, his foot resting on a table, his eyes filled with adoration.
"Heh, if you ask me, the lifeblood of the entire human lands is controlled by us alchemists."
"Everyone, do you know what a seventh-grade pill is?"
"Have you heard of dual-colored pill lightning?"
"Do you know how difficult it is to become a seventh-grade alchemist?"
"Even that Xu Chu, after consuming a seventh-grade pill, broke through to the Heavenly Martial realm in a single breath. We alchemists are the supreme lighthouse of this human land!" an elderly alchemist said, his voice trembling. The more he spoke, the more excited he became, tears streaming down his face.
The warriors fell silent. It was truly difficult to compare. They couldn't find a common ground. Yet, these two peaks that could drive countless warriors to madness both hailed from the Great Han Dynasty in the southern seas of the Eastern Wilderness.
The Great Han, a mere dynastic kingdom, had become the hot topic among the martial artists of the Ten Great Empires in the past half-month.