In the darkness, a giant beast stood on the earth, towering over the sky. A sense of antiquity and vicissitudes came over one's face, as if it was going to devour people.

On the body of the giant beast, there were still some sparks flickering continuously, reflecting part of the beast's appearance.

The mottled traces, the carvings of time, and the meaning of vicissitudes are all revealed.

When we flew closer, we saw that the giant beast in the darkness was actually a huge city standing there.

After approaching the city, Zhou Qing landed and walked into the city.

There is no name written on the city gate, but this is Zhou Qing's destination, Jiuyang City.

This city originally had no name, but because it was built next to Jiuyang Ruins, it was called Jiuyang City from generation to generation, which is quite appropriate.

When you arrive at Jiuyang City, you can clearly see various traces on the city walls.

Knife cuts, axe chisels, claw marks, holes, dark red spots...

One can imagine how much Jiuyang City has experienced in the past years as it stands here.

It witnessed not just one dynasty, but all the dynasties from the emergence of Jiuyang Ruins to the present day.

When did Jiuyang Ruins and Wubiantian Ruins appear?

No one can explain it clearly anymore.

The Tianming Sect is just a legend, and no one has ever witnessed what it was like when the Tianming Sect was the only dominant sect in the world.

Only a few glimpses of it can be found in some relics and ancient books, and most of these glimpses were found in the remains of the Tianming Sect.

These two ruins also appeared in the legendary era. Jiuyang City appeared a little later, but its traceability cannot be traced back.

The Great Qi Dynasty has been established for four hundred years, but in front of Jiuyang City, it is not even a baby.

The light shone through the city gate, forming a sharp contrast with the darkness outside.

If a person progresses at night, it is like walking from darkness into light.

But whether this is light or a disguise of a man-eating beast specifically designed to deceive outsiders is unknown.

There were no guards at the city gate. As long as one was not a demon, anyone could enter the city regardless of their sect or clan. There was no need to pay any entrance fee.

Therefore, it is normal to see the demons appearing openly in the city.

Of course, this is human territory after all, so humans still dominate.

Jiuyang City also has no city lord. Although Da Qi has a strong force stationed here, it is not under the direct jurisdiction of the imperial court.

There are too many masters here, many hidden dragons and crouching tigers, and it is difficult for Da Qi to manage them.

It can only maintain the most basic order, such as setting rules that prohibit private fighting, killing, and robbing of treasures, in order to demonstrate the majesty of the court. It cannot control anything deeper.

The things that Da Qi can manage are actually what everyone who comes to the city is willing to let them manage.

After all, no one wants to be robbed and killed for no apparent reason while walking on the street, right?

Bad guys really hate bad guys!

Not only Da Qi, but all the forces within it are maintaining it, hoping that everyone can abide by some rules, which is quite effective.

Therefore, Jiuyang City cannot be said to be a chaotic and disorderly place. It also has the most basic rules that need to be followed.

But we certainly can't expect it to be as peaceful as other counties.

For example, although demons are nominally prohibited from entering the city, in reality... those who understand will understand.

The devil is the most cunning and good at disguise, how can it be completely banned?

The people who pass by you in Jiuyang City may not only be masters, but also unforgivable demons.

Zhou Qing passed through the thick and ancient city wall and entered the interior of Jiuyang City.

It was pitch black outside, but brightly lit inside. On the inner city walls, bright lights were hung at regular intervals with flames burning inside.

There are also tall stone pillars standing on the roadsides in the city, with flames flashing on top of the pillars to dispel the darkness.

Zhou Qing vaguely saw that what was burning was a kind of gelatinous substance he had never seen before, which was probably the unique fuel here.

But it's not poisonous, is it?

Ever since he was tricked by Ye Chong in Tianyue City, Zhou Qing has had some psychological trauma.

I will never eat a meal that someone treats me to alone again...

In this kind of world, it is impossible to guard against things that harm people, and they come to steal and defraud a young man like him.

The first area you face when you enter the city gate is a large square. There is a roof above the square, which protects the square from wind and rain.

In the square, there were things standing like the bulletin boards in his previous life. There were people standing in front of each bulletin board, and there were also people walking between the bulletin boards.

Some people saw Zhou Qing who had just come in, but they just glanced at him and didn't pay any attention.

Zhou Qing walked over curiously. What are you looking at? Let me take a look too.

"A team of three bone-refining warriors is looking for a day-traveling monk to explore the Qingyang area together. Anyone interested can go... and contact us."

"I want to buy a purple sun stone. I will come here every day at noon. Go away, liar?"

“…”

There are many pieces of paper pasted on each bulletin board, and each piece of paper has similar content, and some pieces of paper even cover other pieces of paper.

When Zhou Qing saw this, how could he not understand what these things were used for.

A very simple task and interactive platform.

He just took a quick look and shook his head slightly.

Although it was his first time here and he had not yet expressed his demands here, Zhou Qing immediately realized that it was not safe to issue tasks here.

For example, if you are looking for a teammate and you are short of one, how do you know whether he is looking for a teammate or a fat sheep? Or if he is looking for a treasure, it may be true that he needs this treasure, but if you really have it and have contacted the other party, then it is hard to say whether he will buy it from you or get it from you in other ways.

Fighting is not allowed in the city, but once you leave the city or directly enter Jiuyang Ruins, no one will care even if your brains are beaten out.

Jiuyang City is a mixed bag to begin with, and issuing missions in such a place...

Zhou Qing felt that he had the courage to disregard life and death.

After just looking for a while, Zhou Qing left directly. He planned to find a place to stay and settle down first.

Walking inside, you will see a maze of streets and various kinds of shops along the road.

There are restaurants, shops, some powerful offices here, and...

Hmm? Zhou Qing took a closer look, then sped away immediately.

There was actually a place providing services, and he saw that among the customers who came in, there were both men and women.

The range of services provided is quite wide.

Any warrior who is really desperate can choose this path.

After all, warriors have strong bodies and abundant energy, so their fighting power must be strong.

Finally, Zhou Qing found the most luxurious inn he had seen since entering the city and stayed there.

Not short of money! This inn also provides meals, and Zhou Qing ordered a few dishes at random.

You definitely don't have to worry about eating in a place like this.

Public places are safe.

If you were the one who hosted Zhou Qing for a banquet, he would have to be on guard.

Then Zhou Qing quietly listened to the conversations among the people at the other tables.

Some people spoke in a low voice, while others talked loudly, but no matter how loud or low the voice was, what was said here was definitely not a secret.

"I just came back from Jiuyangxu today. Guess what I saw?"

"What? You can't have seen a magical weapon."

"That's not possible, but we also saw a True Blood Realm beast with its child. I'm afraid someone has already told those forces the news."

"I heard that a piece of divine jade appeared in Ziyang District and was taken away directly by the aquatic creatures in Lingyang Lake."

"Someone seemed to have seen a famous master of the Yellow Spring Realm a few days ago..."

Every word and every piece of information was heard by Zhou Qing.

In a place like this, eating is secondary, and listening to people bragging is the most important thing.

He had just arrived and actually only had an overall impression of Jiuyang City. He was not very clear about the various things inside it. For example, he had never heard of the bulletin boards when he first entered the city.

Besides, he didn't have many acquaintances here, and he didn't want to ask too many questions. The best way was to listen to what others said.

Zhou Qing learned a lot from the conversations between these people.

Jiuyang City is divided into nine areas: Qingyang District, Ziyang District, Chiyang District, Baiyang District...

This division also originated from Jiuyang Ruins. Within this dangerous place, there are also distinctions such as Qingyang Ruins, Ziyang Ruins, etc.

Each area of ​​Jiuyang City has certain characteristics.

Zhou Qing still didn't have a deep understanding of the situation in each district. After all, these people were old hands and it was impossible for them to introduce all nine areas during the chat.

However, Zhou Qing could tell from what these people said that most of the things about Ziyang District were related to treasure transactions, while things about Chiyang District were mostly mentioned together with tasks.

In Chiyang District, words such as alchemy and refining often appear, while in Qingyang District, the names of some forces appear frequently.

And Zhou Qing is now in Baiyang District.

Zhou Qing thought to himself, "The Wanxing Chamber of Commerce also has a branch here, and its business scope is very wide. I can go and take a look."

It is perfectly normal that the Wanxing Chamber of Commerce also has a base here.

How could the Wanxing Chamber of Commerce miss a place like Jiuyangxu?

But this is just the ideal situation. It is actually very troublesome to do in reality.

He had to consider the area where the heavenly fire might exist, how dangerous it was in Jiuyang Ruins, and how many people went there to explore.

And whether anyone has already obtained the Skyfire.

The traces of the heavenly fire discovered by the Yun family many years ago, over time, it is not surprising that they were obtained by other people.

There are also some extremely dangerous forbidden areas in Jiuyang Ruins that he needs to know about and avoid after entering.

He needs to find out this information.

When entering such a dangerous place, no amount of preparation is too much.

After a while, Zhou Qing left here and went directly to Wanxing Chamber of Commerce in Ziyang District.

Jiuyang City is very large. It is an ancient and majestic city with a huge area, even larger than Zhongtian City.

Please...collect 6_9_book_bar (Six//Nine//Book//bar)

However, Jiuyang City was not built with special materials that can absorb heat and reduce temperature, and because it is close to Jiuyang Ruins, the temperature in the city is not low.

After arriving at the Wanxing Chamber of Commerce, Zhou Qing first strolled around casually and found that the treasures sold here were of high quality and there were also many specialty products from the Jiuyang Ruins.

After walking around for a while, Zhou Qing's eyes fell on a book. He then called someone from the Wanxing Chamber of Commerce and bought the book with silver.

This is a book that introduces the internal situation of Jiuyang City, as well as some generally recognized things in Jiuyang Ruins that everyone knows. It can be regarded as a Jiuyang "encyclopedia".

This is just right for Zhou Qing and it is not expensive.

These are all widely circulated news, and the Wanxing Chamber of Commerce just sorted them out, so it is impossible to sell them at a high price.

After getting the Nine Yang Encyclopedia, Zhou Qing found a place and read it through first, memorizing the contents in it and having a detailed understanding of it.

Then he found someone from Wanxing Chamber of Commerce and met a manager.

With his apparent Bone Refining Realm cultivation level, it was naturally impossible for him to meet the branch president here.

"What does your honorable guest need?"

The manager named Li is a marrow-washing warrior, but he is very polite.

The Marrow Washing Realm received the Bone Refining Realm. When it comes to hospitality, the Wanxing Chamber of Commerce was impeccable and very considerate.

"I want to know some information." Zhou Qing said, "Wanxing Chamber of Commerce should do business in this area?"

Manager Li smiled slightly, "As long as it's business, my Wanxing Chamber of Commerce will do it."

"Please speak, my dear guest."

In fact, there is another place in Jiuyang City that also sells information. There is a Jiuyang Alliance in Chiyang District, which is jointly run by various major forces.

That place specializes in issuing missions and selling intelligence.

Compared with the bulletin board at the city gate, posting tasks there will have certain guarantees, and people from the Nine Yang Alliance will act as a guarantor.

But Zhou Qing trusted the credibility of Wanxing Chamber of Commerce more, so he came here.

It is clearly written in the Nine Yang Encyclopedia that Lingyang Lake is one of the forces behind the Nine Yang Alliance.

This made Zhou Qing believe nothing.

There are many people in that kind of place, and any information you get might be leaked out in the next second.

Wanxing Chamber of Commerce at least has some ethics in this regard.

"I want to know if anyone has ever obtained the Universe Fire in the Nine Sun Ruins before? If so, what kind of fire was it? Where did you get it?"

"You are asking where the Heavenly and Earthly Strange Fire is in the Nine Suns Ruins, so the price of this information is not high. Wait a moment, I will go and check for you."

Manager Li stood up and left. As he said, the information Zhou Qing needed was about things that happened in the past, not asking them to find a flame that still existed.

This kind of information is not difficult for the Wanxing Chamber of Commerce to collect, nor is it expensive.

After Zhou Qingjing waited for a while, Manager Li came back with a jade slip in his hand and handed it to Zhou Qingjing.

"The information you want is all inside. Please take a look."

Zhou Qing took the jade slip and looked at it, but he was not in a hurry to pay.

Who dares to rely on Wanxing Chamber of Commerce’s money?

"Four hundred years ago, the previous Dragon Lord of Lingyang Lake found a white incandescent fire in the Pure White Forest of Baiyang Ruins and brought it back to Lingyang Lake..."

"Nine hundred years ago, the Taoist Chihuo of the Burning Heaven Sect discovered a Qingyang Divine Fire on the top of an unnamed mountain in the Qingyang District and brought it back to the Burning Heaven Sect..."

Zhou Qing breathed a sigh of relief that the heavenly fire discovered by the Yun family had not been discovered and subdued by anyone.

At least not on the surface. Whether someone secretly discovered and took it away was not something Zhou Qing could decide.

However, is there also strange fire in Lingyang Lake?

Hmm... I'm a little moved.

Lingyang Lake was destined to be the enemy, and he couldn't help but be tempted.

For a force like the Fentian Sect, just get the Heavenly and Earthly Fire, and their things have nothing to do with Zhou Qing.

But Lingyang Lake...

Since his good brother Yang Teng is willing to give him a portion of dragon marrow, he should also be willing to give him a portion of fire, right?

When I get a chance in the future, I'll see if I can take him down.

Steward Li asked, "Are you satisfied with this information?"

"Very satisfied." Zhou Qing nodded and said, "I would like to know some other information, yes..."

Zhou Qing also expressed his other demands, which were all satisfied by the Wanxing Chamber of Commerce, as it had a strong foundation.

When Zhou Qing was about to pay, Manager Li suddenly said, "If you plan to enter Jiuyang Market in the near future, please be careful. Jiuyang Market is not very peaceful at the beginning of each year."

Zhou Qing was startled and recalled something that was recorded in the Jiuyang Encyclopedia.

"Manager Li, are you talking about the Nine Sun Tide?"

"It seems that you also know something about this, I was just being nosy."

Zhou Qing shook his head and said, "Thank you, Manager Li, for your reminder."

I just learned about this from the Joyoung Encyclopedia you sell.

However, it seems that Manager Li has seen that I am a newcomer...

Zhou Qing thought for a moment and asked, "Manager Li, do you have any further information about the Nine Sun Tide?"

After asking this question, Zhou Qing reacted.

It is also possible that this Manager Li did not realize that I had just arrived, and just because the timing was right, he mentioned the Nine Sun Tide to let me buy more information to boost his performance...

The Nine Yang Encyclopedia only briefly mentions the Nine Yang Tide.

At the beginning of every year, a wave of enthusiasm would erupt in Jiuyang Ruins. During this wave, the natural environment of Jiuyang Ruins would be far worse than usual, and the various living dangers inside would become extremely active.

The danger level of the entire Jiuyang Ruins will be raised to a higher level.

But at the same time, some treasures that are not normally visible will also appear under the Nine Yang Tide, so even if it is dangerous, more people will risk entering the Nine Yang Ruins.

The Nine Yang Tide will last for a full month.

It starts in early January, reaches its peak in mid-January, and then gradually declines until the end.

Zhou Qing had to wait for a month and enter the Nine Yang Ruins in February, otherwise he would definitely not be able to avoid the Nine Yang Tide. It was his fault for coming here now.

But he couldn't wait in Jiuyang City for a month, that would be a waste of time.

Manager Li nodded and handed Zhou Qing another jade slip.

Sure enough, he came prepared! When Zhou Qing was checking the information on the jade slip, Manager Li also said: "If a cultivator has not reached the Sun Travel Realm, he cannot leave his body even at night, otherwise his soul will be burned."

"At noon every day, the Nine Sun Tide is at its strongest. At that time, try to find a cover and hide yourself in it."

"In the Nine Sun Tide, the warrior's true energy will be slowly consumed. This is of utmost importance. We must not forget to restore our true energy."

“…”

Finally, Zhou Qing left Wanxing Chamber of Commerce with satisfaction. His goals were basically achieved.

He also bought some things in the Wanxing Chamber of Commerce. According to Manager Li, some of these things can provide considerable help to people after entering Jiuyang Ruins.

For example, there is a kind of powder that can drive away most of the low-level insects and ants in Jiuyang Ruins.

For example, there is a kind of medicinal liquid that can greatly isolate the high temperature brought by the Nine Yang Tide.

Zhou Qing returned to his residence, took out the Jiuyang Ruins map given to him by Jian Jun, recalled some information that the Yun family told him, searched on the map, and then Zhou Qing's fingertips fell on a certain location on the map.

"It's dangerous, but it's within my tolerance, provided nothing unexpected happens."

"It's this area. Although few people go there, it's not completely deserted. Be careful of other people..."

"And this Nine Sun Tide is a problem that cannot be ignored. We must treat it with caution."

When thinking about the last point, Zhou Qing's eyes became solemn.

This is a natural disaster in Jiuyang Ruins.

After sorting out everything, Zhou Qing left something in the room and left.

What he left behind was a guiding beacon. With this beacon, no matter where he was in Jiuyang Ruins, he could sense the direction of Jiuyang City and would not get lost.

Zhou Qing walked out of Jiuyang City and blended into the night again. He was swallowed by the darkness and disappeared without a trace.

(End of this chapter)