Chapter 269 - Decline (1/2)
The Void World was the place where the spirits of the gods resided. Zhong Yue have seen it once during the Ancestral Dragon Ritual of the Eastern Sea dragon race. It was a boundless dimensional space filled with nothingness. It was devoid of suns, moons, and stars, the only thing there were divine spirits that floated aimlessly throughout the dreary space as if they the stars themselves.
The Ancestral Dragon's spirit was also there; Zhong Yue was fortunate enough to be able to catch a glimpse of the Void World right at that instant before the power of worship dispersed away — it was a desolate and dreary world, a sight he could never forget.
While in this Fiery Capital, there was also a place called the Lesser Void World, a place he couldn't help but be curious about.
"I wonder what kind of place this Lesser Void World is."
Qiu Jin'er didn't know much about it either; she had only heard from her fellow tribesmen that it was a dueling arena for the Zhong Li Celestial Race, but she knew nothing other than that.
The duo wandered by themselves around the Fiery Capital.Along the way, they took time to gain insights from the Kui Long's cowhide, study the totem patterns engraved on it and comprehend the abstrusities of the Immortal Body — they acquired many ideas and absorbed a substantial amount of life force and energy stored into their secret realms.
Also, Zhong Yue found out a little hobby of the young girl; Qiu Jin'er had carved a space in one of her secret realms and filled it with the local delicacies in the Fiery Capital – the whole Wan Xiang Secret Realm was an emporium of exquisite treats.
Not only did the Fiery Capital showcase the local delicacies of the South Barren, but there were also delicious foods from the West Barren, seafood from the dragon race. It had cold treats from the North Barren, and if one preferred a stronger taste, there was also spicy food from the demon race — all of these different cuisines from different cultures had made Qiu Jin'er's bubble up in delight.
The young girl bought countless amounts of food, yet she ensured to maintain her image of a proper lady as she only furtively ate her food bit by bit. Suddenly, she saw Zhong Yue glancing at her, and her face blushed red in shame. She made a gesture to indicate that she was already full to show that she was not a big eater and that her appetite was befitting of an elegant lady.
After a few moments, Zhong Yue saw her taking out more food to eat again.
"I don't usually eat so much…."
Zhong Yue was concerned as he saw her continue eating. He couldn't help but ask, and the young girl lowered her head as she answered while she fiddled with the cuffs of her sleeves. "This is because I've never left home before; I've never tried the cuisines of the other cultures, and I can't contain myself when I smelt the fragrance of the food … Senior martial brother, you can try, it's really nice…."
Zhong Yue glanced around and paid attention to the local culture and customs of the South Barren, he sighed and lamented — the South Barren was more progressive than the West, East Barren, and the Eastern Sea; Qi Practitioners from different races gathered here and brought this land to life.
The humans are weak, which is why we can only stay in the Great Wilderness and we step out at all.
A thriving commercial industry had to lie atop a foundation of strength; without sufficient power, trading and commerce could never become a reality as the accumulated wealth would always be under the threat of theft and plunder from external belligerent forces! This was why the most prolific economies were concomitant with the most powerful military forces.
Without sufficient strength, the most blossoming city would only be like a fragile bubble of water, able to be burst into nothingness by even the gentlest touch.
The South Barren was only to thrive like not because of its strategically advantageous geography and position, but because of the strength of the Zhong Li Celestial Race. The Zhong Li Celestial Race of the South Barren was a behemoth that acted as the greatest deterrence to other forces that may want to invade its territory!
A strong power base and an open attitude, these were the reasons why the South Barren could prosper to this extent.
The power of humanity in the Great Wilderness was only sufficient to protect themselves, let alone establish a booming commercial center like the Fiery Capital. Even if they could build one, they didn't have the ability to protect it.
Moreover, for such congested commercial city with heavy traffic of merchants and Qi Practitioners from different races and forces, Zhong Yue and Qiu Jin'er were surprised to notice the lack of conflicts occurring in the Fiery Capital.
One had to know that in the East Barren, there would be countless duels staged in the cities; the monsters would fight with one another at any time for anything, battles were one of the most popular forms of entertainment in their otherwise mundane lives. The Fiery Capital, as the nexus point that saw a congregation of countless Qi Practitioners and a complex political landscape with myriad forces participating in it ... How could such a calm and peaceful atmosphere be maintained?
Could this also be related to the Lesser Void World?, Zhong Yue grew more interested in the Lesser Void World.
We are new here; it's quite difficult for us to gather some useful intelligence about the Lesser Void World.
Just as he was thinking about it, an old man walked out from a majestically built edifice at the side of the street. He smiled and asked, "My great master instructed the humble one to come out and ask the two masters a question, are you Master Zhong Yue?"
Zhong Yue replied in puzzlement, "I am, and your master is?"
"My great master, Master Ao Fenglou of the Eastern Sea."
The old man smiled from ear to ear, he raised his hand and said, "This way please, my master has requested Master Zhong to have tea together."
Zhong Yue was surprised. He lifted his head to cast his gaze over only to be met with a majestically built edifice; it was engraved with the dragon totem patterns that surrounded the whole building like a dragon. The dragon's front claws pressed on the top of the building and it looked like as if it was preparing to soar into the high heavens, it was utterly fantastical view; there was a plaque above the massive door with the words 'Dragon Palace Pavilion' written on it.
Ao Fenglou's property! What a wealthy clan this Ao Clan is!
Zhong Yue thought in his heart. He then walked into the Dragon Palace Pavilion along with Qiu Jin'er; Ao Fenglou and a few other Ao Clan's young talents stepped down from the stairs to greet and welcome their guests. They smiled and said, "A lone man with a lone sword that had fought his way out from the West Barren back to the Great Wilderness, an undefeatable legend in the Awakening realm — the one of the Zhong Shan Clan! Junior Martial Brother Zhong, you and I meet again!"