Ye Zichen had no idea the Xiao Family was watching him, but even if he knew, he wouldn’t care. After all, he’d done all this with the intent of getting the people of the Divine Mountains to pay attention to him.
He used the resources he’d gained selling Sea Condensing pills as bait, luring the families of the Divine Mountains to send their agents down to rob him. However, he’d already grown sick of this game.
Although Ice Blue City was a hub of information, news of the Yao Realm and the River Styx was still rather limited. Ye Zichen decided that there was simply no need to stick around.
Half a month later, in the lands beneath the Southern Divine Mountain’s Blue Sky City…
It was no exaggeration to say that this city was the most prosperous in the southern lands. Ice Blue City was prosperous due to the Skyspan Trading Company, but Blue Sky City was prosperous primarily due to its location.
It was built right near the River Styx. As soon as you crossed the river, you’d reach the Yao Realm, and the city was adjacent to the Demon Realm as well.
The Yao, God, and Demon Realms all converged at this city, so it was normal and casual to see demons and yao walking around. This was also the location of the Parliament of Star’s main headquarters.
“Hah, this looks way bigger than Ice Blue City!” Ye Zichen couldn’t help but sigh. The relationship between the Parliament of Stars and Upheaval was such that the Parliament of Stars tracked Wei Jie’s each and every move.
This city was their main headquarters, so although Wei Jie wanted to accompany Ye Zichen, due to his status, he had to give up on the idea.
This was his first time here, but Ye Zichen didn’t have Meng Huairong and Jiao Qi standing guard over him. He’d left them in the Yao-Sealing Pagoda.
Instead, he was accompanied by a lady heavenly yao. Her true form was a snow bunny, and she was just a mid-stage yao king.
That was already pretty strong for the lower lands, but wasn’t particularly eye-catching. Ye Zichen had stayed in the north ever since arriving in the God Realm. This was his first long-distance journey and he had to proceed with the utmost caution.
It was best not to draw too much attention if he wanted to gather information.
That’s why, although Meng Huairong pestered him to let her accompany him, Ye Zichen refused.
That girl might have really gotten used to Ye Zichen. At first, perhaps due to their difference in status, she’d been reserved and cautious.
But after half a year, she even dared roll her eyes at Ye Zichen, her master!
Just like that, he decided to put her away for two weeks!
“Little Snow, you ought to be familiar with this place.” Ye Zichen looked around at the tightly packed buildings and the surrounding hawkers, and couldn’t help but turn to his snow bunny companion.
He’d lived with the god race for a while, and thanks to the Yao-Sealing Pagoda’s existence, he roughly understood the lay of the Yao Realm.
The snow bunnies were a comparatively weak race, and lived near god race territory.
Perhaps it was due to their docile natures, but they’d always gotten along well with humans. When humans came here on business, they liked paying the snow bunnies a visit.
This particular snow bunny yao king was utterly adorable, like the pretty daughter of a poor family. Due to her true form, her personality was warm and docile, which was part of why Ye Zichen chose her of all the yao in the pagoda to accompany him.
“Hm, not really,” she said. “My clan lives across the River Styx, but I’ve never been there. I’ve only heard stories from my clansman, so I can’t be considered overly familiar with the place.
Just like her appearance, her speaking voice was soft, meek, and pleasant.
“How long have you been in the Yao-Sealing Pagoda?” asked Ye Zichen.
“Quite a while. I belong to one of the first groups to enter the tower. However, my talent is limited, which is why I’m only a yao king. That said, if I return to my clan, they’d consider me an expert!”
She smiled so sweetly that he seemed to melt.
“You must be homesick. How about I release you and let you go home?” Not even Ye Zichen knew why he’d said that. Perhaps her smile really had melted his heart? In any event, he had the sudden impulse to let her go.
However, to his surprise, the snow bunny only giggled and shook her head. The padded after Ye Zichen, her hands behind her back, and said, “Even if I went back, my relatives from when I was first caught most likely aren’t around anymore. I’ll be better off sticking with my companions from the pagoda. It’s not just me, either; it’s possible everyone else in the pagoda feels the same way. We’ve lived there together for tens of thousands of years. We might not be blood relatives, but we’re even closer than true family members.’
“Fair enough.” Ye Zichen didn’t argue with her. If she didn’t want to leave, he wouldn’t press the issue. He chuckled and strolled through the city streets, taking in the city’s charm, when….
‘Is there something wrong with you? Can you quit following me?”
Ye Zichen looked ahead and saw a girl about fourteen or fifteen in a white dress standing not far away. She had her hands on her hips and a frown on her face. Her hair was braided into a dozen little braids and she looked extremely fiery.
She was glowering at a youth, who was accompanied by several attendants.
“They’re all yao!” The snow bunny batted her eyes and laughed. When he heard that, Ye Zichen arched his brows, and noted that all of the youth’s attendants were immortal kings. The youth, too, was an early stage immortal king.
“Girl, we’re both divine beasts, and we’re both canine. My clan isn’t weak at all, so why are you treating me so disdainfully? Yao admire the strong above all others, and you’re just a sky immortal while I’m an immortal king. On what basis are you rejecting me?”
From the youth’s bitter attempts at persuasion, Ye Zichen understood that he’d expressed an interest in that girl, only for her to brutally reject him.
However, love was two-sided and about mutual interest. What did strength have to do with it?
He glanced at the snow bunny, who explained, “This is just how yao are. Respect is for the strong. If you’re interested in someone, so long as you’re stronger than them, you can just go and take them. This custom originated from the former ancestor of the nine-tailed fox clan, yet because of her own rules, she lost to the Five Elements Great Emperor and became his wife.
“There’s a rule like that?”
Ye Zichen had heard stories of the Five Elements Great Emperor and his nine-tailed fox wife, but he’d never heard of the yao having such a custom. So long as you fell for someone and you were stronger than them, you could just go and take them?
Wah!
What a heavy-handed rule!
However, the girl only laughed disdainfully and smirked, “I look down on you. You’re nothing but a high-grade divine beast! Do you know who I am? I’m a Howling Celestial Dog, a primordial divine beast! Quit showing off and take a good, hard look at yourself. Nevermind you, even if your dad showed up, confessed his love, and asked me to be your new mother, there’s no way!”
“….. The youth’s face darkened. Without any further attempts to persuade her, she snorted, “Seize her!”
