Chu Tian was shocked by the two characters on the seal, completely ignoring Dongdong’s disdain.
Four seals return to one, kings appear.
The unification of the Sand Sea is at hand.
These were the fifth and sixth lines of the eight-line prophecy.
Chu Tian hadn't understood them before.
Now… he understood the meaning.
He wondered who had passed down these prophecies and when they were left.
“Xiao Tian… this is something you should know, but you absolutely cannot let anyone else find out. Especially not people from Hurricane City, or it might cause a disturbance in the Death Sea. It might even… lead someone to try and eliminate you…” Old Yang, shedding his usual carefree demeanor, earnestly cautioned him.
This was the first time Chu Tian had seen Old Yang act so seriously. Even Wei Jin nodded vigorously at Chu Tian.
After hearing Wei Jin’s account of how a city lord, who was at the early stage of Battle God, was defeated in just one minute, Chu Tian understood that the Death Sea was not as unseemly as it appeared on the surface. There were surely hidden powerhouses who, while usually reclusive, would emerge if their interests or those of their sects and families were threatened. Those old timers would surely not sit idly by.
Chu Tian felt fortunate to have met trustworthy people here. If he had gone to other main cities instead of Wan Shou City first, he wouldn't know how the situation would have unfolded.
“Let’s eat…” Dongdong had prepared a lot of food. Chu Tian, who was starving, immediately grabbed a piece of meat from an unknown creature and began to devour it. He also took out some fruit wine and drinks.
During this time, Chu Tian learned about the Holy Assembly’s procedures. This competition had no preliminary rounds; it was a direct final trial. This was because the preliminary selections had already taken place in the main cities of each domain, usually among the top ten from recent large-scale events like the Beast Sacrifice.
However, Wan Shou City was different. In the Beast Sacrifice, more than half of the top ten were from the demon beast clan. Furthermore, Wei Du had gone to Hurricane City without bringing any participants. His original intention was to delay time, to go and meet his death.
Wei Du had instructed Wei Jin, now that Chu Tian was awake, to select people to head to Hurricane City. Chu Tian also learned that traveling from Wan Shou City to Hurricane City via the Chicken Claw Climbing Beast would take over two months. If they traveled day and night, they could reach it in a little over a month. The Four Cities Holy Assembly was still three months away.
Moreover, the Holy Assembly was the Death Sea’s opportunity for external exchange once every thousand years. This was because the entrance to the trial was not solely within the Death Sea; outsiders would also participate. There, many geniuses would fall, and many would rise. Death and opportunity coexisted! It was said that in the past, participants from the Death Sea could assist each other and contend against those from the outside world. However, in the last ten thousand years, various regions of the Death Sea had become independent, even resorting to backstabbing each other during the trials. This had resulted in decreasing gains and more casualties with each session.
Having understood these points, Chu Tian asked, “How will the final rankings be determined?”
“By the quantity of herbs and demon beast cores collected. Hundred-year-old spirit herbs yield one point. Thousand-year-old spirit herbs yield ten points. For herbs over a thousand years old, add ten points for each additional year. Ten-thousand-year-old herbs are worth two hundred points each. Demon beast cores are similar; the older the year, the more points. Other items are personal gains. In the past, half of the collected demon beast cores and herbs had to be handed over to Hurricane City,” Old Yang explained as he drank.
Chu Tian, while eating heartily, analyzed the current situation. According to Wei Jin, Hurricane City had already offended the other three cities and harbored deep resentment, yet they were afraid to offend them further. Their primary concern was Hurricane City’s shamelessness. They feared that Hurricane City would use the quota for the thousand-year Holy Assembly as a threat, forcing other main cities to send experts, or even forming an alliance to围剿 them. Simply put, no one wanted to be the first to act, they were cowards. This was because the incident in Forgotten City ten thousand years ago had thoroughly frightened them. Wei Jin mentioned that the three individuals who acted then were all powerhouses from Hurricane City, and it was speculated that all three might have been at the peak Battle God level.
When Chu Tian had asked Wei Jin about hidden high-end combat power in Wan Shou City, the answer was no, or that only the old city lord Wei Du knew. As for Clear Water City and Forgotten City, he had no way of knowing.
Time passed quickly, and dawn was breaking. Suddenly, Chu Tian’s divine sense stirred. A slight smile played on his lips as he stood up and said to Wei Jin, “Secretly dispatch all the Central Army Guards in batches to assemble outside the city. Make sure no one notices! I’ll come find you again tonight. I’m heading back first. Remember to call Ding Ding, Hao… and you, arrange for a double. You need to come with me. Old Yang, can you tone it down? Are you hoping everyone knows you’re an ultimate powerhouse?”
After Chu Tian spoke, Old Yang smacked his lips and said, “I just broke through my realm, it’ll be fine in a few days.”
“Mobilizing so many experts, where are we going?” Wei Jin pressed.
Chu Tian gave a mysterious smile, flickered, and disappeared from his spot. When he reappeared, he was at his room door. Pushing it open, he saw Xuan Er and Miao Er standing by the bed. Jing Er and Sen Er had just opened their eyes.
“Young Master…” The four girls looked at the door in surprise.
“Goodness… Jing Er and Sen Er, you two were slacking off and sleeping in Young Master’s bed!” Xuan Er placed her hands on her hips and lectured Jing Er and Sen Er, displaying her eldest sisterly demeanor.
“We…” The latter looked bewildered, clearly having been feeding their Young Master, why had they suddenly fallen asleep?
“It’s fine. From now on, don’t call me Young Master, it’s awkward. You can call me by my name, or Brother Tian…” The four sisters exchanged glances and simultaneously replied, “Okay, Young Master…”
Chu Tian was speechless. He urged them to quickly wash up, as he would take them out to play later. The quadruplet sisters’ eyes lit up immediately: “Really? Young Master… uh… Brother Tian!”
Chu Tian nodded with a smile, waved his hand, and placed four servings of breakfast on the table: bread slices, sausages, and milk – simple fare. “Of course it’s true. After you finish eating, we’ll go!”
After Chu Tian left the divine platform and fell into a coma, he wasn't completely unaware of everything. Sometimes, he could dimly hear people talking around him. He remembered that the four sisters had mentioned wanting to leave the City Lord’s mansion and go out to play. In the past, they had few opportunities to leave the estate. After they started taking care of him, it became even less likely. For three years, they had barely left this courtyard.
Chu Tian planned to spend the entire day taking the quadruplets out to play, as a thank you for their care over the past three years! That evening, he was prepared to leave Wan Shou City, and he didn’t know when he would return. Three years had passed, and only five years remained on his mission deadline. He had to hurry.
“Hooray… Hooray!” Among the quadruplet sisters, the most lively Xuan Er leaped up directly.
“Ahem…” Jing Er, who was gentle and steady, coughed softly. Xuan Er quickly stuck out her tongue, ceasing her excitement.
“I’ll go prepare food for Young Master!” The meticulous Sen Er said, about to walk out. Chu Tian flashed and blocked the doorway, “I’ve already eaten. You all hurry and eat… it!”
Before he could finish, the scatterbrained Miao Er, without anyone knowing, had already grabbed the fragrant sausage, stuck out her little tongue, licked it, and then put it into her mouth, sucking and chewing… She even made some smacking sounds! “It’s so delicious…” This made Chu Tian a little embarrassed. Recalling yesterday’s events, before he fainted, in his haze, he saw that the four quadruplet sisters were covered in residue. Especially Miao Er, because she was in the center, her face and the corners of her mouth were all over the place… It seemed she had even licked her lips yesterday. The most innocent was Jing Er, who sat by the head of the bed combing his hair and wasn't spared. A few glistening drops were flowing down her beautiful hair. Thinking of this, Chu Tian quickly shook his head and dispelled the thoughts. He shifted his focus back, seeing the four of them curiously holding the milk cups Chu Tian had brought out. They looked at Chu Tian with a strange expression, their gaze following down from his face. When they saw a certain spot, their faces flushed red.
“What’s wrong? Hurry up and drink, it’ll get cold soon!” Chu Tian said, not understanding.
Hearing his urging, they seemed to grit their teeth, brought the milk cups to their lips, and took a small sip. The smooth, warm taste of the milk immediately relaxed their furrowed brows. “Wow… this is so delicious! This… isn’t that thing from yesterday!” The scatterbrained Miao Er exclaimed! With her shout, Chu Tian’s face darkened completely. Coupled with their expressions just now…