Supporting Taro Star, within the Kun Zhuo Celestial River was the only non-drifting planet. Ning Cheng immediately stood up when he saw the planet within the Starry Sky Wheel’s Starry Sky Positional Chart.
He was somewhat familiar with this planet; rather, this was the only familiar planet within the Kun Zhuo Celestial River for him. Moreover, he also had a connection with the Celestial Lord of this star, called Mu Pu. Mu Pu and Ning Cheng shared a grudge with each other because of Mu Pu’s son, the scarlet-robed young noble, died at his hands. Later, when Ning Cheng reached Orchid Borough Star’s Revolving Jade City, the feud between him and Mu Pu deepened even further when he saved Lan Ya.
However, because that place was still within Orchid Borough Star, that fellow could not act against him openly; at the same time, he also could not act against Mu Pu at that time. Now that he arrived outside of Supporting Taro Star, Ning Cheng naturally immediately thought of Mu Pu. Ning Cheng realised that this place should be somewhere close to the Rootless Black City, and might even be the first stop for the cultivators coming from the Rootless Black City. The cultivators who want to step into the actual starry sky would most likely arrive here first.
Thinking till here, Ning Cheng immediately felt excited. When Rui Baishan accompanied the cultivators from the Graceful Star Mainland, they should have also come to this planet. That also meant that his sister Ruolan should have also reached this place with Rui Baishan.
Ning Cheng had just walked out of the room when he found Shi Qionghua standing up and following him out.
Ning Cheng immediately stopped, holding Shi Qionghua’s hand, he spoke up in a pleasantly surprised voice, “Qionghua, are you all right?”
However, Shi Qionghua remained silent, she neither spoke nor took her hands back.
Ning Cheng immediately understood that although Shi Qionghua had recovered significantly, she still hadn’t gained consciousness and acted in purely out of her subconscious. Because she had remained by his side for a long time, so the moment he stood up, Shi Qionghua also automatically stood up.
“Qionghua, I will definitely help you recover.” Ning Cheng held Shi Qionghua’s hand and spoke with conviction. In any case, he would do everything in his power to heal Shi Qionghua.
Shi Qionghua only stared at Ning Cheng with a calm expression over her face, without any ripples.
Ning Cheng gave out a sigh in his heart. Pulling Shi Qionghua a little closer, he spoke up softly, “Don’t wander too far away from me from now on.”
“Master, has Mistress woken up?” Chasing Bull saw Ning Cheng coming out and quickly came forward to ask.
“I’m going to put away the Starry Sky Wheel, so you should also enter the Miniature World.” Ning Cheng spoke while dodging Chasing Bull’s question.
He had long since returned to his original appearance. He also knew that Chasing Bull should have already made some headlines at the Immortal Jade Star, which means that some of the cultivators most likely had guessed some of the treasures that he might have acquired. Therefore, he did not want to expose himself needlessly because of a stupid bull.
……
Ning Cheng held Shi Qionghua’s hand and stood outside a big city while gazing at it for a long time. This was the largest city within the Supporting Taro Star and the most significant gathering place for cultivators within the Supporting Taro Star.
Although this city looked grand, compared to the Lucky Heaven City, the Eternal Heaven Starry Sky City or any other top-notch starry sky city, the difference was like heaven and earth. It did not give off that kind of mystifying feeling and felt slightly more lofty and towering compared to ordinary True Cultivation Cities.
However, what made Ning Cheng’s heart a bit more emotional was the name of the city. This city actually had a very familiar name, Border City[1].
Numerous cultivators arrived and departed through the Border City’s entrance. However, Ning Cheng did not see any cultivator in the Heaven Seated and above realms amongst them. Even cultivators with three Celestial Wheels were not many. Most of the cultivators had only one or two Celestial Wheels. At the same time, most of the population comprised of ordinary cultivators without any Celestial Wheels. Of the rest of the cultivators, most were in the Domain Realm or the Plundering Life Realm; however, each of them had strong starry sky aura surrounding them. From this, one could make out that most of these people lived and wandered the starry sky all year round.
Because Shi Qionghua had sealed away her vitality, her Celestial Wheels had long since disappeared, while Ning Cheng simulated two Celestial Wheels behind him. At the Border City, cultivators with two Celestial Wheels were already considered as powerhouses. Gently pulling Shi Qionghua’s hand, he passed through the gates. As for the guards, instead of cross-examining the two, they actually bent down slightly at their waist.
Ning Cheng gave a sigh in his heart. Strength prevailed everywhere. Although his power could be considered as the lowest within the Eternal Heaven Starry Sky City, in this place, it was enough to stand high above most of the population.
“Stop……” The guard’s obtrusive call caused Ning Cheng to look back subconsciously.
Looking back, he saw five or six starry sky wanderers stopped by the guards at the entrance. He then heard the guard speak up, “The smell of blood on you all is too thick. You will need to stay out of the city for a few days before you are allowed inside.”
Ning Cheng’s Spiritual Consciousness had long since noticed the smell of blood coming from these starry sky wanderers, indicating that these wanderers had just returned after a brutal slaughter within the starry skies. However, when these seemingly ferocious-looking starry sky wanderers faced the guards’ reprimand, they could only bow their heads down and retreat outside of the city instead of resisting.
Ning Cheng’s Spiritual Consciousness followed them out and saw a row of makeshift shelters on the west side of the city’s exterior. These shelters had many cultivators that had returned from experiencing slaughter within the starry skies. They had to stay here, outside of the town, temporarily till the smell of blood dissipated from them.
A familiar face flashed past Ning Cheng’s Spiritual Consciousness, almost causing Ning Cheng to call out Zhuzhu’s name. He immediately pulled Shi Qionghua out of the city and quickly headed towards the makeshift shelters.
Soon Ning Cheng arrived outside an unadorned and straightforward cave. He reached out and touched the restriction covering the entrance.
A somewhat tired-looking female cultivator came out and looked at Ning Cheng in doubt before shifting her gaze to Shi Qionghua. However, she quickly realised that the two cultivators were far stronger compared to her and hurriedly bowed before speaking, “Can I ask why the two seniors have come to seek out this junior.”
Ning Cheng felt sure that he had not perceived things wrong. The woman in front of him looked a lot like Yi Zhuzhu. Moreover, the degree of similarity between the two had already reached the 90% mark. If she were Yi Zhuzhu, she would have no reason not to recognise him. In any case, both he and Luofei treated her like their little sister, so there was no reason for her not to remember him, did she?
The only other possibility was that this woman shared some unusual relationship with Yi Zhuzhu. Thinking back to how Yi Zhuzhu’s parents were forced out of the Receiving Heaven’s Stone, this woman most likely was Yi Zhuzhu’s mother.
“Are you Yi Zhuzhu’s mother?” Ning Cheng had just thought of this when he immediately asked.
When the woman in front of Ning Cheng heard those words, her eyes immediately turned red before she fell to the ground, “Junior Chang Manyin is indeed Zhuzhu’s mother. Senior, do you know where my daughter is? Please, Senior, tell me……”
Ning Cheng raised his hand slightly, and Chang Manyin stood up involuntarily. He somewhat lamented the fact that when Yi Zhuzhu’s parents had come to the Receiving Heaven’s Stone, they were already in the late-stages of Crucible Transformation Realm. However, even after all these years, Yi Zhuzhu’s mother had only reached the Plundering Life Realm. From this, he could easily make out that she definitely faced a lot of difficulties while cultivating.
“When you left the Receiving Heaven’s Stone, Zhuzhu was held captive in the basement of a rest stop on the Receiving Heaven’s Stone. When my wife Luofei and I came to the Receiving Heaven’s Stone later and learned about this, we rescued Zhuzhu and killed all your enemies. Currently, Zhuzhu is with Luofei. I came back this time to head back to the Rootless Black City to see them.” Ning Cheng, on seeing Chang Manyin’s anxious expression, quickly explained.
Since Chang Manyin was in this place and she hasn’t seen her daughter, then it also suggested that Yi Zhuzhu and Ji Luofei had not come to Border City yet.
“Many thanks, senior, for showing such kindness….” Chang Manyin immediately knelt down again while speaking.
Ning Cheng quickly stopped Chang Manyin and asked with a somewhat eager tone, “I’d like to ask about the female cultivator who was forced out of the Receiving Heaven’s Stone together with you that year. That female cultivator’s name was Yan Ji. Do you know where she is currently?”
“You’re Ning Cheng?” Chang Manyin immediately blurted out.
Ning Cheng immediately understood that Yan Ji had most likely had told Chang Manyin about him. Hearing that response, he quickly nodded and replied, “Yes, I am Ning Cheng.”
Chang Manyin was not a fool. When Ning Cheng affirmed that he was truly that Ning Cheng, she immediately understood why this cultivator had tried to save her daughter, Yi Zhuzhu. Apparently, it was because the couple had helped Yan Ji. Sure enough, virtue has its reward, while evil has its retribution.
Chang Manyin, on knowing that her daughter was safe, felt as if the mountain pressing over her heart for all these years had finally crumbled. She immediately spoke up with a relieved voice, “Junior Apprentice Sister Yan Ji had much better qualifications compared to us husband and wife. When we reached Border City, she quickly advanced to the Domain Realm. Then following a successful crossing of the thunder tribulation, she managed to advance to the Celestial Novice Realm. After stepping into the Celestial Novice Realm, Junior Apprentice Sister Yan Ji finally decided to leave the Border City. She should have gone to the Second Revenant Star.”
Ning Cheng felt relieved to hear that Yan Ji was doing ok. In any case, he knew about the Second Revenant Star. It was the premier star within the Kun Zhuo Celestial River. If one wanted to head outside of Kun Zhuo Celestial River, then one would have to go through the Second Revenant Star. Either that or control a top-grade flight-type weapon like him.
“In that case, you can come to the city with us.” Ning Cheng did not continue asking about anything else.
Although he wanted to pass through Border City quickly, he had to first purchase a clear route map from the Supporting Taro Star to the Rootless Black City, before finally heading to the Rootless Black City. With the speed of the Starry Sky Wheel, Ning Cheng estimated that he would only have to travel for around ten days from the Supporting Taro Star to the Rootless Black City. Maybe it might not even take ten days, he might just reach his destination in only a few days.
“This junior is waiting for her husband to return. He and his team had not yet returned from the starry sky.” Chang Manyin quickly spoke up. She wanted to take the initiative to speak with Shi Qionghua; however, Shi Qionghua remained silent, so she did not dare to initiate a conversation with Shi Qionghua.
Previously, Ning Cheng did not want to use his Spiritual Consciousness to probe the female cultivator in front of him. However, as they conversed, Ning Cheng realised that Chang Manyin had an exceptionally well-concealed injury.
Ning Cheng took out a medicinal pill and handed it to Chang Manyin and spoke, “This is a medicinal pill for healing internal wounds. It should be able to help you heal all your internal injuries.”
Chang Manyin felt even more shocked when she heard Ning Cheng speak about her injuries. Even ordinary Celestial Shatterer Cultivators couldn’t notice her injuries without actively probing her with their Spiritual Consciousness, and yet this Ning Cheng in front of her had actually seen it. Even Yan Ji with her heaven defying qualifications did not have such keen vision. Didn’t this also imply that Ning Cheng was also a lot stronger compared to ordinary cultivators?
“Many thanks, senior.” Chang Manyin quickly received the medicinal pill and thanked him.
Ning Cheng was just about to ask her to stop calling him as a ‘senior’ when he saw Chang Manyin quickly rushing out without even swallowing the medicinal pill in her hand.
A moment later, Ning Cheng saw her supporting a middle-aged man covered in blood. His aura felt highly unstable, apparently due to the severe injuries.
“Brother Jin, what happened to you?” Chang Manyin’s voice sounded so anxious that she immediately put the medicinal pill, still in her hands, directly into the middle-aged man’s mouth.
Once the medicinal pill dissolved in his mouth, the middle-aged man looked at Chang Manyin in shock and asked, “Manyin, what kind of medicinal pill is this?”
“Not bad, it’s even a Grade 3 Celestial Pill. And yet you dare say that you never took anything else?” As the voice ended, another cultivator descended near to Chang Manyin and the middle-aged man.
“Song Tong, my husband got hurt again because of you, right? How many times have we said that we have not done anything that you accuse us of doing. Why do you want to pester us, husband and wife, again and again?” Chang Manyin’s tone turned hoarse due to the stirrings of her emotions.
[1] The actual Chinese characters are 边城, which is ‘Bian Cheng’ in English words, that translates to Border Town/City. Somewhat similar to Ning Cheng’s name.
