Xiao Chen placed Little Yellow Feather in the Holy Beast Medallion. After thinking for a moment, he handed the Holy Beast Medallion to Ao Jiao.
Ao Jiao usually stayed in the Immortal Spirit Ring, taking care of the plants. With this little fellow accompanying her, it would be a little livelier.
She smiled gently and accepted the Holy Beast Medallion before entering the Immortal Spirit Ring, her face filled with joy.
After looking around, Xiao Chen sat down cross-legged and started to circulate his energies to treat his injuries.
That final arrow from the mysterious Fiend Race cultivator had torn open space and ruptured his internal organs. The injuries felt uncomfortable.
Xiao Chen sat on the piece of wood, drifting on the vast sea.
His injuries were not heavy; he would completely recover after half a day.
However, he had used the Myriad Heaven Divine Fist’s Deities Descending previously. Now, he did not dare to be careless. He took a King Grade Body Nourishing Essence Nurturing Pill and opened his eyes only after spending two days recuperating.
“It is time to go to Despair City!” Xiao Chen muttered as a light flashed in his eyes.
During the King conferral ceremony, the note that Long Fei passed to Xiao Chen contained news of the Despair Throne.
Despair City was a famous underwater forbidden land in the Southern Sea. The city’s architecture dated back to the Immortal Epoch.
The entire city was ancient. It had experienced great upheavals and the wear and tear of time. It was already decrepit, far from the bustling glory of its heydays.
People had even forgotten its original name already. Because an aura of despair lingered in the city all year through, it was known as Despair City.
The intense aura of despair in the city would cause cultivators with weak wills to feel pessimistic, driving them to incredible lengths like committing suicide.
However, for experts who wanted to temper their mental state, this place was ideal.
When Long Fei first heard news of Despair City, he was sure that its aura was due to the presence of the Despair Throne.
However, he did not know there the Despair Throne was exactly, so he passed on this clue to Xiao Chen.
Aside from the aura of despair, the city had deep-sea Profound Beasts due to its submarine location.
Profound Beasts were rumored to be Immortal Beasts of the Immortal Epoch that had undergone a transformation. The lowest grade of them, the Inferior Grade Profound Beast, was already equivalent to a grandmaster-level Martial Sage.
A Medial Grade Profound Beast was as strong as a great grandmaster-level Martial Sage. A Superior Grade Profound Beast might even be a threat to a quasi-Emperor.
As for the even higher-level Sage Grade Profound Beasts, they were existences that rivaled Martial Emperors—creatures that were of the overlord class.
All Profound Beasts would definitely have a Profound Core, which had different attributes that could increase the cultivation of a correspondingly attributed cultivator.
A Superior Grade Profound Core was extremely mysterious and unpredictable. It might even increase the cultivation of a quasi-Emperor.
As for a Sage Grade Profound Core, there was no need to even think about it. Such an existence as a Sage Grade Profound Beast already possessed a high level of intelligence and stood at the top of the food chain. If one met with it, one should just flee as far as possible.
The uses of Profound Beasts did not stop there. The bodies of some Profound Beasts had scars containing the great Dao. Their bones might have powerful Martial Techniques or strong Magic Skills carved on them.
Hence, it was not surprising to find Immortal Cultivators from the Penglai Sea in Despair City.
They would be Immortal Cultivators there to try their luck, searching for Magic Skills.
Furthermore, Despair City had an extensive history with many Remnants in it. A casual look at an ancient painting might even help one break through a bottleneck and advance to the next level.
Despair City’s fame as a holy land for adventurers was not just in name but in fact, with no exaggeration at all.
This was publicly available information that Xiao Chen found by asking around himself. As for what Despair City was like, he needed to see it in person.
“Ao Jiao, have you been to Despair City?” Xiao Chen asked. The Thunder Emperor should have come to the Heavenly Starry Ocean in the past.
Ao Jiao emerged from the Immortal Spirit Ring with an expression of reminiscence. After a while, she replied, “Despair City, what an old name. Back then, Sang Mu went there in a hurry and did not tarry for long. He directly entered the heart of the ocean. It has been several thousand years since then, so I don’t know what it is like now.”
The heart of the ocean. When Xiao Chen heard these words again, he could not help feeling curious.
Ao Jiao noticed that Xiao Chen had questions. She smiled and said, “The heart of the ocean, Mirage Immortal Palace, Black Sea Immortal Burial Ground, and Distant Sea Dragon Grave—these are the four great forbidden lands of the oceanic world, places where even Martial Emperors tread carefully.
“There are four similar forbidden lands in the Kunlun Continent as well.
“These eight forbidden lands all contain countless mysteries. They have many divine medicines and forbidden treasures. Some even hold the secrets of the Immortal Epoch’s destruction.
“The heart of the ocean is one of the eight forbidden lands and is the most mysterious one. Even the places where it connects to the sea became holy lands of adventuring.”
Xiao Chen asked doubtfully, “What do you mean?”
Ao Jiao smiled and said, “Let’s not mention the other entrances to the heart of the ocean in the other sea domains, but the treasure mountain you went to and your destination, Despair City, are both related to the heart of the ocean, which is why they became adventuring holy lands.
“Have you never wondered why the Profound Beasts of Despair City never went extinct? Given the potential of Profound Beasts, how could they not be strong? Most of them came from the heart of the ocean.”
Xiao Chen felt enlightened, finally understanding. He quickly followed up with a question, “What did the Thunder Emperor do at the heart of the ocean?”
Ao Jiao’s thoughts journeyed back to thousands of years ago. Then, she slowly replied, “Seeking answers, not asking the heavens or believing in gods, only asking himself if there really was a peak. Was there Martial God after Prime?”
Martial God. Martial God again. The question that Ying Zongtian asked was the same one that the Thunder Emperor had asked back then.
The ancient Evil King, the master of the seven thrones, had also asked the same question: was there truly a peak in the world?
Ao Jiao laughed, “Hehe! Don’t overthink this. What you need to do now is just seek the Despair Throne.”
“Flap!”
Suddenly, Little Yellow Feather flew out of the Holy Beast Medallion hanging at Ao Jiao’s waist. In the three days Xiao Chen had not seen it, the color of its feathers had deepened slightly. Its head also seemed to be somewhat bigger.
The clearest change was in Little Yellow Feather’s eyes, which now glowed with spiritual light.
It looks like digesting more than one hundred Astral Cores had some effects, Xiao Chen thought to himself.
“Little Yellow Feather says that it is hungry again and wants you to prepare food for it.”
Xiao Chen smiled faintly. This fellow really puts on airs. After feeding Little Yellow Feather ten Inferior Grade Astral Cores, the little fellow cried out in satisfaction and happily circled the two.
No one looking at the current Little Yellow Feather would expect it to be the Golden Crow, a legendary Holy Beast.
—
Ten days later, Xiao Chen arrived in the sea domain near Despair City. Along the way, he heard some news.
The Lunar Palace’s Holy Daughter, Yue Bingyun, had revealed Xiao Chen’s identity and the fact that if he did not advance to Martial Emperor in five years, he would only be able to live for twenty years. This news caused a huge uproar in the entire Heavenly Starry Ocean.
At first, Xiao Chen could not understand why she had done so. However, he did after asking around some more.
Back then, the few outstanding talents had tried to force Yue Bingyun to issue a notice to get all the Immortal Holy Lands and major factions of the Heavenly Starry Oceans to order the arrest of Mo Yun.
Only then did Yue Bingyun reveal Xiao Chen’s identity, saving him a lot of trouble. Otherwise, he would have gotten chased no matter where he went.
After finding out the details, Xiao Chen smiled bitterly. Probably, some people would be laughing, grinning from ear to ear at this news.
That did not matter. The saying still held: for every loss, there is a gain.
“Whoosh!”
Xiao Chen’s figure flashed, and he calmly entered the seawater. After descending for ten kilometers, he sensed a faint aura of despair.
Given his mental state, he naturally was unaffected. Heading in the direction of the aura of despair, he continued going deeper.
Soon, the seawater disappeared. When Xiao Chen opened his mouth, he could breathe in fresh air.
When he looked down, a vast ancient city appeared in his eyes. A formless barrier spread out from the center of the city, isolating it from the seawater.
Compared to the cold and quiet seawater above, the outskirts of Despair City were quite lively.
A bustling marketplace stood outside the city gates. Merchants pushed their way through among stalls set up by cultivators to sell goods. There was a gamut of shops—restaurants, inns, herb stores, and others offering everything else that was needed.
There were also many cultivators like Xiao Chen who came to here to seek adventure and treasures. After thinking for a while, he descended to this market town.
After he landed, countless hardworking cultivators immediately walked over with smiles on their faces.
“Haha! Young Master, with one look, I can tell that this is your first time in Despair City. I have been around Despair City for more than ten years and am very well-informed. You will need to purchase the necessary map, Medicinal Pills, and information on the various types of Profound Beasts. Everything you need can be found here.
“If you are not confident about traveling alone, I can make some introductions for companions to adventure with you.”
When Xiao Chen landed and found his footing, a Martial Monarch immediately came over and started pestering him.
A large crowd trailed that Martial Monarch, claiming the same things.
As the saying went, “Those who live by the mountain, live through the mountain; those who live by the sea, live through the sea.” To grandmaster-level Martial Sages, these people were like ants.
Normally, cultivators of such disparate realms lived in separate worlds with no way to befriend each other.
However, by relying on their familiarity with Despair City, these people before Xiao Chen could easily start chatting with him.
Xiao Chen sized up the person before him. This person dressed in gray robes looked to be about forty in age. His potential was already exhausted, and he would remain in the Martial Monarch realm for the rest of his life.
The astute light of a merchant gleamed in this person’s eyes. The flattering smile on his face had already become a habit.
This person was definitely for real. Xiao Chen said, “You are only a Martial Monarch and cannot enter Despair City. How do you know the news from inside it?”
The gray-robed cultivator smiled and replied, “I obtain my news from the inns and restaurants. Furthermore, I’ve been here for a long time and have some tricks of my own.
“For example, not just anyone can obtain the map I have of Despair City.”
Based on this person’s claims, it seemed that the organization behind him should have significant influence around this Despair City.
Where ever there were people, there would be societies. Xiao Chen did not want to spend too much time investigating or bargaining. He said calmly, “Give me the most detailed map of Despair City you have, and you may leave.”
“You are alone here. Do you not need to find other grandmaster-level Martial Sages to accompany you?” the gray-robed cultivator asked.
Xiao Chen’s gaze sank, and he demanded coldly, “Did you not understand my words?”
What a joke. This was not Xiao Chen’s first time adventuring. How could he casually team up with strangers in such a place?
Furthermore, he did not need a partner in the first place.
The gray-robed cultivator trembled in his heart. He dismissed any other thoughts and became a yes-man. “Yes, yes, yes. Here is the map. It is one thousand Black Astral Coins.
“Young Master, do not think that it is too expensive. This map contains the entire Despair City and all the Remnants in there. It clearly indicates where the Profound Beasts are and what grade they are. Furthermore, the price is standard, set by my superiors.”
