"Wangduan Mountain is the dwelling place of our Sky Strategy Clan," said Tuoba Cheng, almost blurting it out. "Actually, our cultivation method is only slightly different from that of ordinary martial artists. We have mastered some Heavenly Mechanism Calculation Technique, nothing too extraordinary."
After pausing for a moment, Tuoba Cheng continued, "If I must describe what Wangduan Mountain is like, it would be a very intricate and complex place."
"Intricate and complex?" Ling Feng touched his nose bridge, "How so?"
"Hehe..." Tuoba Cheng, somewhat embarrassed, scratched the back of his head, "Well... Although I was sent by the Great Elder to find the person of the prophecy, there is also a group within our clan under the jurisdiction of Elder Heiyu, and they don’t agree with allowing outsiders into the Emperor Tomb."
"Oh?" Ling Feng pursed his lips. Everyone has their selfish interests; the Emperor Tomb of the Sky Strategy Clan, involving the legacy of Emperor Tiance, begs the question: How could the descendants of Emperor Tiance willingly hand over such a legacy to others?
It was this selfishness that bred two factions within the Sky Strategy Clan. One faction, led by the Great Elder, believes in following destiny to find the prophesied individual and open the Emperor Tomb.
The other faction believes in resisting this so-called destiny, seeking the Heavenly Strategy Book, and using the strength of the Sky Strategy Clan to open the Emperor Tomb themselves.
As the prophesied one had not yet surfaced, and the Heavenly Strategy Book remained elusive, the two factions had been coexisting without conflicts. However, the appearance of Ling Feng would inevitably become a catalyst between the two factions.
Soon, Tuoba Cheng thoroughly explained some inner workings of the clan and then continued, thumping his chest reassuringly, "But rest assured, Master, the strength of the Great Elder has already reached its pinnacle. He can easily suppress Elder Heiyu."
"You are the one from the prophecy, the Child of Destiny. Only you can open the Emperor Tomb and restore the former glory of our Sky Strategy Clan!"
A fervent gleam flashed through Tuoba Cheng’s eyes.
The Great Prophecy Technique!
If the Sky Strategy Clan could once again master this legendary magical strategy skill, why would they need to remain in obscurity?
Ling Feng pursed his lips and smiled slightly, "It seems this trip to Wangduan Mountain won’t be as smooth as I imagined."
Duling City, located in the Sky White Empire, at the edge of the Western Wilderness.
Passing through Duling City and heading west leads to a vast desert, thus the area is also known as the Western Wilderness.
As one of the large cities just before entering the Western Wilderness, Duling City is naturally bustling, attracting a large number of cultivators journeying to the Western Wilderness for experiences or treasure hunting. It is also a place where various types lurk.
It’s worth mentioning that the commerce here is quite developed. Cultivators throughout the Western Wilderness trade items in this frontier city, exchanging cultivation materials. Therefore, despite its small size, Duling City’s population is somewhat exaggerated, almost comparable to some wealthy commanderies.
Because it borders the desert, the land in Duling City primarily consists of sandy soil, and huge sandstorms or tornadoes occur every few days. Therefore, cultivators in the city often wear masks, veils, cloaks, and the like to block out the sand.
Naturally, there’s also the factor of concealing one’s identity.
"Wow, we finally made it to Duling City!"
Tuoba Cheng couldn’t help but exclaim, grinning, "Once we’re in Duling City, with Lord Divine Donkey’s speed, it will only take a few days to reach Wangduan Mountain."
Ling Feng jumped down from the Despicable Donkey, feeling somewhat emotional, "I used to travel all over with my grandfather, and thought I had been to many places, but I’ve never been to the Western Wilderness."
"Master, let’s rest in the Western Wilderness for a night and continue on our journey early tomorrow," Tuoba Cheng suggested with a grin. "Despite the lack of water and food here, the city has some delicacies. Back when I came down from Wangduan Mountain, I once ate the local donkey... ahem..."
Tuoba Cheng hadn’t finished speaking when he saw the displeased look on the black donkey’s face and quickly held back the word "meat."
Ling Feng shook his head with a smile and casually tossed a cloak to the Despicable Donkey, speaking lightly, "Since most people in the city wear cloaks, putting this on should keep you from standing out too much!"
The Despicable Donkey, disdainful, declared, "Who wants your tattered thing? Look at this battle robe I’ve brought myself!"
With that, the creature pulled out a garish, brightly colored cloak and draped it over its shoulders, declaring flamboyantly, "See, this is what you call fashion! My cloak is the height of fashion!"
"..." Ling Feng was dumbfounded.
"..." Tuoba Cheng was stunned.
"Ao ao ao..." Little Qiongqi chimed in with random howls.
Ling Feng gave the Despicable Donkey a thumbs-up and took the Little Qiongqi from its arms, his lips twitching slightly as he said, "Despicable Donkey, once we enter the city, do keep your distance from us, thanks."
"Hmph, tasteless fellow!"
The Despicable Donkey continued to bend its front hooves into various sexy poses, "Indeed, as a Divine Beast, I am rightfully the first top handsome man in the divine beast realm. This appearance of mine is bound to drive thousands of young girls mad!"
"There probably won’t be any young girls, but maybe some young donkeys would like it, haha!" Tuoba Cheng couldn’t help but mock.
Then, a scream indicated Tuoba Cheng’s "downfall."
About 15 minutes later, three cloaked figures entered Duling City, the last major city safeguarding the Western Wilderness.
As soon as these three entered the city, they immediately attracted countless stares.
Of course, most of them weren’t friendly.
"Oh my god, how poor must that guy be to wear a bedsheet over himself?"
"Probably too ugly to show his face and can’t afford a cloak, huh. Oh boy, there sure are a lot of poor Bs in this world!"
"Poor, ugly, and dumb, this fellow really leads a pointless life!"
"Just a fool trying to attract attention with strange clothes. Don’t be deceived, definitely don’t engage with him!"
Passersby chatted incessantly, none with good things to say, and Ling Feng and Tuoba Cheng consciously or unconsciously distanced themselves from the Despicable Donkey—it was too embarrassing to stand next to it.
However, the Little Qiongqi under Ling Feng’s cloak occasionally peeked its little head out, looking around with curiosity and novelty.
"Damn, a bunch of tasteless fools."
The Despicable Donkey, with its face flustered red, managed to hold back from getting serious with these ordinary folks. The two men and one donkey soon found an inn to rest for the night, planning to continue their journey the next morning.
Meanwhile, at another city gate of Duling City, a group of figures, cloaks fluttering, descended together.
Leading them was a young lady in a moon-white long dress, completely natural yet possessing an ethereal quality like a fairy from the Nine Heavens.
Beside her was a younger maid in a green long dress, outlining a delicate figure.
"Miss, this journey was really long!"
The green-clothed maid pouted slightly, clearly displeased, "It’s so hot here, I’m going to get a tan."
Following this mistress and maid were four companions, three men and one woman.
Apart from that woman, the other three men were secretly swallowing their saliva while looking at the back of the white-clothed young lady.
It wasn’t that they were lecherous; it was just that the young lady in white was stunning to an extent that ordinary men simply couldn’t resist.
One of the older men stepped forward, smiling faintly, "Junior, you really didn’t need to come along."
"Yes, with such a high status as yours, you needn’t have bothered with this task."
The Skinny Man also came up with a grin, his face full of flattery.
The white-clothed young lady shook her head, "This matter isn’t simple. If I can help my father even a little, it would be good."
"The Sect Master is lucky to have such a wonderful daughter like you," the Skinny Man continued cheerfully.
"Alright, alright, Lu Shaon, can you give it a rest? You’re not annoying yourself but you’re annoying me!"
The green-clothed maid glared at the Skinny Man, causing him to choke back the rest of his words.