ng Bai clung tightly to the harness as they surged forward, the sudden acceleration nearly sending him flying. Even with the protective barriers shielding them from the wind, the sheer force of the montum was undeniable.
An hour later, the foul stench had faded, and before them, a much more welco sight erged—more Chalice Top Mahogany Trees, stretching endlessly into the horizon.
The group continued their travels for another three weeks, taking breaks in between to eat and train ng Bai. They passed over several more forests, each more striking than the last, but none were as unique as the Chalice Top Forest.
They were rely normal forests with a mix of a thousand different plants among them. Lin Mu and the group, of course, took so samples and collected a few useful herbs and materials before continuing on.
ng Bai also grew accustod to playing with the naughty trio, who had toned down their antics after being scolded by Lin Mu.
The journey continued relatively peacefully, and before they knew it, their final destination was in sight.
A majestic city spanning hundreds of kiloters stood proudly against the vast ocean beyond it—the mighty capital of the Shanxi Empire.
"Wow! So this is the capital city?!" ng Bai was incredibly excited. "It's like ten tis bigger than Ram Orchard City—no… even bigger!" he exclaid.
"The city covers about six hundred kiloters, roughly," Lin Mu stated.
"Yeah, it's even bigger than the capital of the Dao Wind Empire," Daoist Chu added. "This place is truly sothing else."
"How do you think the two empires compare in terms of power?" Lin Mu asked curiously.
"Hmm… In terms of resources, they are roughly the sa. The Shanxi Continent is mostly ruled by the empire, so they can take full advantage of their forests for resources. However, the Dao Wind Empire has better connections and can acquire more valuable resources from the Immortal Court and their allies," Daoist Chu explained.
"The Shanxi Empire doesn't do the sa?" Lin Mu was surprised. "I thought all empires would have so level of connection to the Immortal Court and have allies."
"Well, they do. They have quite a lot of allies from other worlds, but when it cos to the Immortal Court, they are a bit lacking," Daoist Chu replied.
"Why's that?" Lin Mu wondered.
"I don't know exactly, other than that it's sothing to do with politics," Daoist Chu said before elaborating. "While most orthodox powers choose to ally themselves with the Immortal Court, it isn't exactly an equal status. Frankly speaking, they beco subordinates of the Immortal Court, even if the Court doesn't actively interfere with their affairs.
The Shanxi Empire probably didn't like that and only keeps an alliance with them on the surface."
"Hmm… Might be sothing to do with the history of the Shanxi Empire. They rose through rebellion, so they probably don't want others ruling over them again, even if it's just in na," Lin Mu speculated.
"Probably, yeah," Daoist Chu nodded. "They also don't seem to send any of their talented individuals to the Immortal Court for training. In all my years, I haven't seen a single person from here."
"Not even one?" Lin Mu was surprised.
"Yeah, and I've been there for almost a thousand years. Even in the old records, there haven't been more than a handful of individuals who joined, and they were all independent cultivators who left the world, joined other powers, or ca under masters," Daoist Chu revealed.
"Hmm… they seem quite firm in their stance," Lin Mu noted.
This was important information, as it ant they might not be able to leverage their status as Immortal Court-affiliated individuals here. While Lin Mu had no intention of using that status in the first place, he also wouldn't hesitate if trouble arose.
He had already learned from his experience with the River Bending Axe Sect and knew that they might have backed off earlier if he had used his background.
While he didn't expect trouble in the capital, he preferred to be prepared.
"Though, if we consider pure power in terms of cultivation… the Shanxi Empire does stand out," Daoist Chu suddenly remarked.
"They do?" Lin Mu raised an eyebrow.
"They have three Transcendent Immortal experts," Monk Hushu chid in.
"Three?!" Lin Mu was stunned. "That matches the entire Rust Sky World at that point," he muttered.
"Yeah, they've trained quite a lot of experts. Their army might be comparable to the Dao Wind Empire's, but their top experts are exceptionally strong. Especially the three Transcendent Immortal experts," Daoist Chu confird.
"And who are they?" Lin Mu asked.
Even back in Ram Orchard City, he hadn't found much about them. He wasn't sure if that information was intentionally restricted or if people in the city simply didn't care.
Even the general guides about the Jui World and the Shanxi Empire didn't ntion them in detail.
"Well, the emperor is one of them. But he's a relatively new expert, having reached the Transcendent realm only ten thousand years ago. Emperor Feng is stronger than him since he's undergone two Transcendent Tribulations. But the others are still quite strong," Daoist Chu answered.
"The second expert is one of the forr emperors—an ancestor of the current emperor. He's also at the First Transcendent Tribulation level, but I think he's close to the end of his lifespan now. There have been rumors for a few centuries that he might attempt his second Transcendent Tribulation anyti soon," he explained.
"Damn…" Lin Mu muttered, while ng Bai listened intently.
To ng Bai, these power levels were all beyond his understanding. However, he was still impressed.
'They're talking about emperors and supre experts as if it's just casual gossip over tea,' ng Bai thought to himself.
"What about the final expert?" Lin Mu finally asked.
"That one… is a bit complicated." Daoist Chu replied with a wry smile. "He isn't officially recorded as a Transcendent Immortal." He spoke making Lin Mu look at him with an incredulous expression.
User Comments
0 comments from readers