Chapter 1072 The Demon Capital
Outside the ancient battlefield stood a city built of skulls.
From afar, an overwhelming surge of malevolent energy seemed to occupy half the sky above the city.
Suddenly, a furious roar echoed from a mansion at the heart of the city: "The City Lord decrees! One person slain within the ancient battlefield shall be rewarded with one Qi and Blood Pill, and one captured shall receive five Qi and Blood Pills!"
All the cultivators within the city froze in place.
Qi and Blood Pills could help them augment the purity of their vital energy, a resource of immense importance for those cultivating in the Lower Realm.
However, some remained bewildered, unsure of who the voice from the City Lord's mansion was referring to.
Two mysterious figures, their faces obscured by hoods, sat in a teahouse, exchanging glances filled with confusion.
One of them casually took a seat at a nearby table, offered the other a cup of tea, and inquired about the recent roaring announcement.
"Hmm? You don't know? Warriors from another world, through some unknown spatial passage, have been rampaging through the ancient battlefield for the past two days, clearing out fierce beasts. I heard even the Foundation Establishment beast nurtured by the City Lord was slain!"
The hooded figure's brows furrowed, and he said with gravity, "Low-level warriors? Couldn't the City Lord's mansion handle them on their own?"
The local resident of the city scoffed, "Heh heh, you're not privy to the details. Several scouts from the City Lord's mansion, all at the Foundation Establishment True Man realm, have already been killed. Forget capturing even one of them; they don't even know the enemy's whereabouts!"
"It's precisely because the City Lord's mansion's elites have all been dispatched that these intruders haven't been apprehended yet. I wonder how many they'll capture this time."
"If I weren't afraid of being surrounded by fierce beasts, I'd join the fray!"
"My friend, you look strong. Why don't we team up? Those warriors surely carry valuable treasures!"
The invited mysterious figure quickly waved his hand, "I'll pass. I don't want to get involved in this mess."
After the two mysterious figures left the teahouse, one of them pulled down his hood and wiped the sweat from his forehead, saying, "Master, why is this place so stiflingly hot!"
The speaker was Shi Tianning.
And the "master" he referred to was the Saint Moon Divine Venerable, whom Chen Yang had been searching for.
"This city has a problem. Prolonged exposure causes one's vital blood to boil. However, it will improve once you reach the Foundation Establishment realm."
Although the Saint Moon Divine Venerable had only just entered the city, he had made thorough preparations before his arrival, breaking through to the Foundation Establishment realm.
"Where do we go now?"
"To the City Lord's mansion, of course. Aren't they eager for information about Chen Yang and his companions? Selling some intel wouldn't hurt."
...
Meanwhile, Chen Yang, who was on the move, was gradually approaching the edge of the ancient battlefield.
The encounters they had along the way struck them as peculiar, as if someone had cleared out the surrounding fierce beasts before their arrival.
Even when they encountered beasts, they were scattered and few.
"Could it be Elder Cang Jian and the others?"
As Ruan Dongjun finished speaking, Chen Yang immediately detached himself from the group.
Facing Chen Yang's sudden movement, everyone became highly alert.
Chen Yang's spiritual power was the most sensitive among them. His abrupt departure undoubtedly meant he had discovered something.
Zhou Zeyao led his men in the direction Chen Yang had gone. Upon seeing Chen Yang again, they immediately noticed a corpse in front of him.
Zhou Zeyao asked nervously, "Could it be the people you're looking for?"
Chen Yang slowly shook his head. The clothing and style of the deceased were entirely different from their own.
Wu Min rubbed his chin and said, "They should be cultivators from the Lower Realm."
As Wu Min finished speaking, he saw all eyes fall upon him.
He could only explain the situation of the Lower Realm.
"Actually, we only have a vague understanding of it. Even back then, traveling to the Lower Realm was quite troublesome."
"Although the Lower Realm has ample spiritual energy, you can sense the impurities within the spiritual qi. Absorbing too much of this kind of spiritual qi can cause significant harm to the body."
"However, there are still many cultivators in the Lower Realm. Besides those who originally resided there, there's also a group who were driven into the Lower Realm for offending powerful individuals or committing certain offenses."
"I'm not sure how vast the Lower Realm is, but I am aware of a few major cities there. Each city is governed by a City Lord, and there are skirmishes between cities."
"I suspect this cultivator is from one of those cities. Look at the insignia on his clothing; it's the mark of the Demon Capital."
Chen Yang's brow furrowed, "Is this Demon Capital very powerful?"
A thought flashed through Chen Yang's mind of the person who had shattered the spatial passage with a single palm strike. He was likely from the Demon Capital as well.
Wu Min chuckled dryly upon hearing this, "The Demon Capital is not just a single city; it's a faction that encompasses many cities."
"As for the true strength of the entire Demon Capital faction, that's beyond my knowledge. You'd have to ask them."
Saying this, Wu Min's gaze fell upon the other ancient martial artists.
The eminent figure from the Buddhist sect smiled and said, "Although the factions in the Lower Realm are complex, there are only five truly major powers. The Demon Capital faction is considered the weakest. However, even as the weakest... their strength far surpasses ours. Those at the Foundation Establishment True Man realm are like ants in their eyes."
"The City Lord of a city is usually at the Core Formation Venerable realm. As for stronger cultivators, they wouldn't bother with such trivial matters."
Upon understanding the power structure, Chen Yang couldn't help but gasp.
The might of the Lower Realm far exceeded Chen Yang's imagination!
A Sword Sect warrior collected the corpse of the person from the Demon Capital. Just as Chen Yang and the others were preparing to quicken their pace, they suddenly detected a distant conflict.
"Foundation Establishment True Man realm! And not a fierce beast!"
The few exchanged glances and quickly made a decision.
Those below the Foundation Establishment True Man realm would remain behind to rest, while the Foundation Establishment True Man realm cultivators would go to investigate the situation.
Because Chen Yang was concerned that Elder Cang Jian and his companions might be in danger, he rushed to the scene of the battle at the fastest speed.
However, upon arriving, Chen Yang looked into the distance but did not see Elder Cang Jian or the senior disciple from the Daoist sect.
Instead, he saw several ancient martial artists whom they had encountered when leaving the ancient battlefield.
These ancient martial artists had all broken through to the Foundation Establishment True Man realm.
As for those attacking them, judging by their attire and appearance, Chen Yang suspected they were the individuals from the Demon Capital they had encountered earlier.
Wu Min and the others, who arrived later, saw this scene and immediately concealed their aura.
"Should we intervene and save them?"
This time, Chen Yang did not act first but instead asked Wu Min and the others. Chen Yang wanted to know if Wu Min and these ancient martial artists were acquainted.