Chapter 177 City Gate
They were familiar with the route to Great Dan City, and this time they were going to travel from Great Dan City to the Abyss of Extreme Evil.
The Abyss of Extreme Evil is also known as the Abyss of Crossing Calamity in Baoshan.
After confirming with Baoshan that the place had two names, Ji Rong remarked to Shan Wu, "Uncle, only the strong have a voice."
Look at this land, which is called the Abyss of Evil by those outside us. What about the creatures living in the Abyss of Evil? Are they born evil?
If one is born evil, how can one give birth to a benevolent being like Baoshan through the gathering of faith?
Ji Rong's words reminded Shan Wu of the mountains and rivers, and he wholeheartedly agreed, becoming even more enthusiastic about the journey.
After passing Panshui Pass, when Ji Rong and Shan Wu re-entered Da Dan City, they encountered a group of soldiers dragging various cultivators into the city.
Ji Rong glanced at them and saw that the trapped cultivators were of low cultivation level, the highest being no more than the Mortal Demon Realm.
Their necks were tightly bound by iron rings, and chains strung their heads together, leaving them only able to walk on the ground with their feet.
They were driven into the city, and excrement and urine were left behind wherever they went.
The soldiers drove them to the small, cramped side gate below the city gate, then brandished their bone whips and shouted at them to stop.
Inside the side gate, cultivators from merchants in the city had been waiting for a long time with cages in their hands.
The soldiers, wielding whips, shoved the chained cultivators one by one into the side gate. The cultivators guarding inside then unchained the trapped beasts and rinsed them twice with water.
After such a simple wash, it was then put into the cage.
Seeing such a scene for the first time, Ji Rong said to Shan Wu, "Uncle, don't rush off, let me see." So they stood aside and watched.
Ji Rong noticed that there were four guards at the city gate today, and they were looking at this group of dusty, fleshy people with disdain.
The four guards quickly spotted Ji Rong and Shan Wu standing at a distance, watching the slaves enter the city.
Among them, there was a particularly clever dog. As soon as it spotted Ji Rong and Shan Wu, it trotted up to them, put its two front paws on the ground, and said, "Seniors, the slaves who came today were late for entering the city. We apologize for keeping you waiting. We will clean the city gates and then welcome you into the city."
Ji Rong nodded and said, "I know, you can go ahead and get busy." The dog-headed cultivator bowed to Ji Rong and Shan Wu, then returned to his seat.
The cultivators from the merchant guild collected all the trapped beasts and gave the guards a storage bag. Upon seeing this, the four guards immediately beamed with joy.
Then, among the four gate guards, one dragon spewed water, and two wolves whipped up a whirlwind, sweeping the city gate clean.
The dog-headed cultivator dug a hole and buried the trash that the wolf cultivators had collected on the spot. Then the dragon cultivator used his tail to level the ground, and the city gate was restored to its tidy appearance.
Ji Rong took out a handful of spirit crystals from her storage ring and gave them to the dog-headed guard. She frowned and said, "I have never seen such a scene when I have passed through this gate before. Tell me in detail the entry and exit times of the eight gates of your Great Dan City, so that I will not encounter such a disgusting scene next time I come here."
The dog-headed guard caught the spirit crystal with both paws and immediately began to speak: "Senior, of the eight city gates of Da Dan City, the East Gate, West Gate, and South Gate are only for supplies and slaves."
The North Gate, Northwest Gate, and Southwest Gate are mainly used for the entry and exit of supplies. The Northeast Gate and our Southeast Gate are mainly used for slaves because our predecessors from Central Continent often come here.
According to the rules, the slaves had to finish their prayers before 7:00 AM, and were not allowed to finish after 7:00 AM. Today, many of them arrived just in time.
Shan Wuqi said, "All five city gates can handle goods and slaves. Are there really so many slaves every day?"
The dog-headed guard immediately changed direction and bowed to Shan Wu, saying, "Senior, there's no fixed number. It mainly depends on how much the higher-ups need, but there's more available lately."
Ji Rong thought for a moment and then asked, "Did that troop of soldiers come from the Ji'e Abyss in Liangzhou?"
The dog-headed guard replied, "Senior, they are from Hezhou. Those from Xizhou or Hezhou can enter through this gate or the northeast gate."
If you're coming from Liangzhou, go through the North Gate, Southwest Gate, or Northwest Gate.
"I understand." Ji Rong took out a bottle of antidote pills given to her by Shan Zhongfeng and generously gave it to the guard, saying, "I am very satisfied with your answer. These were made by my elders at home for practice, so I am giving them to you as a reward."
Upon seeing the Jade Void Palace mark on the bottle, the dog-headed guard immediately accepted it with great joy.
After Ji Rong and Shan Wuyi left, the four city gate guards divided the bottle of pills that Ji Rong had given them and the spirit crystals they had obtained that day. The two wolf-like guards handed over their weapons and went back.
Ji Rong and Shan Wu walked slowly towards the North Gate on the empty road.
The city gate at the north gate was even more magnificent, with eight guards. Upon reaching the city gate, Ji Rong took out a handful of spirit crystals and asked the leader guarding the north gate how to get to the Abyss of Extreme Evil.
"Seniors, are you heading to the Abyss of Extreme Evil?" the team leader, who had received the spirit crystal, asked in surprise.
Ji Rong nodded, and made up a story without changing his expression: "That's right. An old friend had a nightmare in which his son, who was a soldier in the Western Expeditionary Army, died. So he asked us to go and deliver some things to the son and see how things were going."
The leader then walked out while giving Ji Rong and Shan Wu a meaningful look. Ji Rong understood and immediately pulled Shan Wu along to follow.
The leader led Ji Rong and Shan Wu to a corner of the city gate. Shan Wu immediately made a hand seal and erected an isolation barrier, saying, "Speak."
The leader said, "Senior, there have been several disturbances in the Abyss of Extreme Evil recently. The cultivators from there are all fleeing here. We heard from the cultivators who came that the Western Expeditionary Army and the Northern Expeditionary Army have been wiped out."
If you go there now, not only will you find it difficult to locate the soldier you are looking for, but you might also lose your own life.
Ji Rong was astonished upon hearing this. She immediately took out a bottle of pills from the Mountain Peak and handed it to the leader, saying, "We have been serving in the mountains for a long time, refining pills. We had no idea that such a change had occurred over there."
Even if there's war over there, with our cultivation levels, going there to find a lowly soldier shouldn't be a problem. Young friend, is there some hidden reason behind your words?
The team leader nodded and whispered, "Those below are all saying that the Divine Clan's subordinates are fighting over distribution issues over there. It's no secret. If you go to brothels and noodle shops, you'll hear it. Everyone's talking about this now."
“Oh,” Ji Rong said in a deep voice, “Time flies when you’re cultivating in the mountains. In the past, when I came here, I would just buy some alchemy materials and then go back. I never paid attention to these things. Are there any brothels or teahouses like the one you mentioned in this Great Dan City? Let’s go and find out.”
Seeing that these two seniors didn't even know this, the team leader said, "If you walk back, any wooden roof with pink floral patterns is one of them."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
