The air was drier, warr, and carried the scent of soil and growing crops. They had bypassed the core territory of the Olive Canopy Kingdom entirely. "This must be the New Olive Lands," ng Bai said, gazing outward.
Lin Mu nodded.
Below them, human settlents dotted the landscape. Villages, towns, and fortified estates were scattered across the plains, connected by well maintained roads. Massive farms extended in every direction, fields of grain and spirit crops rippling like waves under the wind.
This was wealth made visible.
The land was fertile, dark soil nourished by rivers and careful cultivation. Irrigation channels crisscrossed the plains, and formation arrays shimred faintly above the fields, regulating growth, repelling pests, and stabilizing spirit Qi.
Security was tight.
Lin Mu could see patrols moving along the roads, immortal guards stationed at watchtowers, and formation beacons placed at strategic points. Even the air itself felt monitored.
They flew high, far above the reach of casual detection, suppressing their auras and letting Little Shrubby glide smoothly rather than sprint.
"This place is heavily guarded," Daoist Chu said quietly.
"As it should be," Lin Mu replied. "This land feeds an entire kingdom."
The New Olive Lands ford a vast cone shape, widening toward the north and narrowing toward the south. At its very tip, far in the distance, was a city unlike any they had seen so far.
Three Union City.
They did not rush.
Though they could have reached it faster, Lin Mu chose caution. Over the next five days, they moved steadily, resting briefly when needed, always keeping to the skies, always observing.
Beast activity here was minimal. The few spirit beasts they encountered were weak, likely driven away from the fertile lands long ago. Immortal beasts were rare and kept to distant hills and isolated mountain ranges.
By the ti they finally drew close to Three Union City, Lin Mu felt a quiet sense of relief.
They had made it.
Even from afar, Lin Mu could tell it was massive.
Walls stretched outward in layered rings, each section reinforced with formations. Towers rose at regular intervals, and above the city, Qi currents flowed in complex patterns, evidence of multiple large scale arrays operating simultaneously.
The city sat at the convergence of rivers, roads, and trade routes. It was not rely a capital. It was a nexus.
The forr capital of the Butterfly Kingdom stood before them, not as a fallen ruin, but as a city reborn through compromise and division. Three powers shared its heart, but its foundations remained strong.
Whatever awaited them next, at least their path forward was once again clear.
And yet, as Lin Mu gazed at the city's towering walls, the Bear King's warning echoed in his mind.
Too many feet on the ground.
Too many eyes open.
This place, more than any other in this backwater world, felt like the center of sothing quietly unfolding.
The mont Lin Mu and his group drew close to Three Union City, the sheer scale of it beca undeniable.
From the air, the city looked like a vast, living organism, spreading outward in layered rings that blended seamlessly into the surrounding lands. Roads radiated from the central districts like arteries, carrying streams of people, caravans, and beasts in constant motion.
Markets sprawled across entire neighborhoods, their canopies forming colorful patches amid the stone and wood. Immortal Qi drifted through the air in visible currents, not dense or oppressive, but steady and well regulated, the mark of a mature and prosperous city.
"This place is... big," ng Bai muttered, craning his neck as they approached. "Nearly a hundred kiloters including the surrounding lands," Daoist Chu replied calmly. "And hundreds of thousands of immortals living and operating here. It's no surprise. This city sits at the intersection of three kingdoms." Despite its size, the city's architecture itself was not unfamiliar.
Unlike the exotic designs of Khwanzim World or the raw, primal structures of the Dark Bear King Sect, Three Union City resembled a refined version of what Lin Mu had seen across many immortal worlds.
Multi story buildings of stone and reinforced wood dominated the skyline, adorned with modest formation engravings. Towers rose at regular intervals, serving as watch posts, communication hubs, and formation anchors.
It was orderly. Efficient. And unmistakably wealthy.
Yet what truly defined Three Union City lay at its heart.
As they flew closer, the central square ca into view, and with it, the three
colossal statues that dominated the city's skyline.
Each statue stood nearly three hundred ters tall, towering over the surrounding districts like silent, immovable gods.
The first depicted a tanned skinned man with sharp features and calm eyes. He stood upright, one arm raised as he held an umbrella woven from olive branches. The umbrella spread wide above him, its carved leaves detailed down to each vein. Even from afar, it radiated a sense of shelter and quiet authority. "The Olive Canopy King" ng Bai said softly, recognizing the figure from his readings.
The second statue portrayed a wheatish skinned man clad in flowing alabaster robes. His expression was stern, almost ascetic. In one hand, he held a marble pillar upright, its surface engraved with countless runes and patterns
symbolizing law, structure, and endurance.
"The Alabaster Plains King," Daoist Chu added.
The third statue was the most imposing in presence.
A pale skinned, bearded man with long hair sat astride a tall, dark horse. His posture was relaxed yet commanding, one hand resting on the reins, the other gripping a long spear planted into the ground. The horse itself looked fierce, muscles tensed as if ready to charge at any mont.
"The Great Steppe King," Lin Mu concluded.
The three statues were positioned in a triangular formation, facing outward, as
if each watched over a different section of the city. Beneath them, the massive
square stretched wide, large enough to host gatherings of hundreds of
thousands.
And directly across from each statue stood its corresponding palace.
Each palace complex was roughly three kiloters wide, sprawling estates rather than single buildings.
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