Ch. 212 - God Lord

"Bring the Mother Leaf to me first. Then we’ll talk," Xu Zimo said.

"Where should I find you?" Yao Shengnan asked.

"Let Little Gui go with you. When the time comes, come to the Baili Imperial Clan together," Xu Zimo replied with a smile.

After five days adrift, the massive ship finally docked slowly at the shore.

During this time, the ship's direction was controlled by the couple from Martial Magnificence Mountain.

"Young Master Xu, great kindness needs no thanks. If you ever need anything, feel free to come to Martial Magnificence Temple," Wu Qianjun said earnestly to Xu Zimo before he left.

"I will. I imagine it won't be long before we meet again," Xu Zimo said with a smile and a nod.

As the couple from Martial Magnificence Mountain stepped into the air and departed, Little Gui also left with Yao Shengnan to retrieve the Mother Leaf of the Tree of Life.

The enormous ship docked at a large harbor.

The harbor was extremely busy, bustling with people, and countless ships from the north and south were anchored here.

As the ship came to a stop, a group from the Yuan Clan, already waiting at the dock, immediately boarded.

"Commander Yuan, did you bring the goods? We can’t afford any mishaps with the gift to congratulate the Baili Imperial Clan on the Saintess ceremony," a loud voice called from below the cabin.

A young man in a white robe ascended the ship accompanied by a middle-aged man, followed by dozens of Yuan Clan servants.

When the young man stepped aboard, the large cabin was eerily silent.

Other than the corpses of the Yuan Clan members, no one else was there.

"What happened here?" The young man’s face changed dramatically as he stared at the bodies strewn across the ship.

The middle-aged man beside him frowned slightly, stepped up to the dead commander Yuan, and opened his storage ring.

From it, he took out a pale blue box. After opening it and seeing the simple jade inside was still there, he let out a slight sigh of relief.

"It wasn’t for money. Then what were they after?"

…

The Baili Imperial Clan has a history that dates back tens of thousands of years, to the beginning of the Imperial Era.

Back then, a man named Baili Changkong emerged, wielding the World-Destroying Bow and the Thousand Calamity Arrows.

During the struggle for the Heaven’s Will, he once shot eighteen arrows in succession, suppressing the entire firmament. No one could get close to him.

In the end, he shot the arrow that decided the world and bore the Heaven’s Will of that age.

Under his protection, the Baili Imperial Clan rapidly rose to power.

Xu Zimo walked along the coastline heading north. The endless river here splits the core area of the Eastern Continent in half.

It also serves as the dividing line between the Chi and Baili Imperial Clan.

As night fell, he arrived at a city.

"Hornless Dragon City!"

The glow of the setting sun shone from behind the city, bathing the ancient city in golden light.

Birds flew across the sky, entangled with the twilight clouds. White clouds reflected in the dusk became fiery red.

The name Hornless Dragon City comes from a mythical beast.

Legend says that when the Hornless Dragon was young, it was abandoned by the riverbank. A couple from the city found and raised it.

Several generations ago, a great war broke out between the Baili and Chi Imperial Clans.

When the Chi Imperial Clan elders came to slaughter the city, it was the Hornless Dragon that stalled them.

Eventually, the Baili Imperial Clan arrived and saved the city, but the Hornless Dragon sacrificed its life.

At the top of the city sits a statue of a creature that is dragon-like, yet not quite a dragon.

It was cast in memory of the Hornless Dragon.

Entering the city, one would find that it’s actually quite small. The streets are not prosperous, and there are few people.

Bare trees line both sides of the streets, adding to the bleakness of the scene.

Xu Zimo found an inn in the city and planned to stay for the night before heading to the Baili Imperial Clan the next day.

On this vast land, the Baili Imperial Clan resides in the southeastern part of their territory.

They live in Baili City, which differs from the Chi Clan’s residence.

The Chi Clan’s city is exclusive to its core and branch Clan members, outsiders are not allowed to live there.

But in Baili City, anyone can settle down.

It’s said that long ago, Baili City was also inhabited solely by the Baili Imperial Clan. Later, more and more people settled around it.

The Baili Imperial Clan didn’t object, so over time, the population grew and the city expanded, eventually becoming comparable in size to great cities like Primordial Ancient City.

Xu Zimo picked a familiar window seat. In the inn, small groups of people were scattered about.

Most were discussing the upcoming Saintess Ceremony of the Baili Imperial Clan.

"Big brother, would you like to buy a flower?" A soft voice suddenly rang out beside him.

Xu Zimo turned his head and saw a young girl holding a flower basket, timidly standing before him.

Though her clothes were ragged, they were scrupulously clean.

As he looked at her face, he felt a strange sense of familiarity, like he’d seen her somewhere before.

"Big brother, would you like to buy a flower?" the girl asked again, biting her lip.

"Sure," Xu Zimo replied with a smile.

"What kind of flower would you like?"

"What kind of flower do you think is best for offering to the dead?" Xu Zimo asked.

The girl was momentarily stunned. Then she giggled. "So big brother still remembers me."

"Ten-Mile Town. Hu Yingying. The Nightmare Beast," Xu Zimo said with a faint smile, listing a few keywords.

He had nearly forgotten that incident. Back then, to cultivate a branch of the River of Fate, he had obtained the Nightmare Beast in advance and had a brief conflict with the Divine Gate.

But as the Primordial Chaos Bead awakened and he began treading the path of Creation, the Nightmare Beast became more of a burden than a treasure.

"Big brother, shall we talk here, or somewhere more private?" Hu Yingying smiled and added, "Don’t worry, we won’t hurt you. We just want to make a deal."

"Lead the way, little sister," Xu Zimo replied with a smile and stood up.

The two of them walked through the empty streets. As the cold wind blew and dusk deepened, fewer and fewer people could be seen.

They entered a secluded mansion within Hornless Dragon City.

Inside the courtyard, an old man with a white beard sat under a poplar tree.

There was a tea table set beneath it with a pot of freshly boiled tea.

"The current Holy Son of the True Martial Sacred Ground, your reputation precedes you," the old man said with a smile as Xu Zimo approached.

"I’m flattered. May I ask why the God Lord has summoned me?" Xu Zimo calmly took a seat at the tea table and smiled lightly.

"You recognize me?" The old man was momentarily taken aback, then laughed. "Interesting. Very interesting."

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