After fifteen years of cultivation, he finally reached the pinnacle of the first rank!

Chapter 413 Roots
Seeing this, Cao Gaoshan glanced back into the carriage. Seeing that Li Musheng did not speak, he looked away and continued driving the carriage towards the town ahead.

Soon, the carriage passed through a chorus of camel bells swaying more clearly from their necks, and the stench of blood in the air grew stronger.

Cao Gaoshan glanced at the winding gullies beside the dirt road. Countless skeletons were buried beneath the mud and sand of those dark gullies. The soil was darkened by dried blood, making it look very different from the surrounding soil.

Not far from where the camels were, there were more than a dozen relatively "fresh" but extremely dry corpses lying scattered around.

Cao Gaoshan shook his head slightly and continued to urge his horse forward.

The rolling wheels kicked up a cloud of dust, but the town, which was getting closer and closer, was deathly silent, as if it were an empty ghost town.

Before long, the carriage slowly drove into the town through the open wooden gate. The streets were deserted, and the doors and windows of the earthen houses and wooden buildings on both sides were tightly closed.

The entire street was in a state of chaos, with only Cao Gaoshan's carriage passing through, the sound of its wheels and hooves particularly jarring.

"Where did they come from? And which route did they take?"

Just then, a shrill voice suddenly rang out.

As the voice rang out, a figure as small as a child silently appeared on an earthen wall not far from the carriage.

Cao Gaoshan looked up and saw that the person was wearing a red blouse, with two ram's horn-shaped buns on his head, dressed like a child, but his face was unusually withered and ugly.

"We came from Da Xuan and are passing through this place. We would like to rest for the night in this town."

Cao Gaoshan gently clasped his hands in greeting to the newcomer. Although he didn't know whether the other party was friend or foe, he had no intention of causing trouble. Instead, he answered the other party's questions frankly.

However, the man on the wall had a gloomy expression. He glanced at the carriage, a hint of undisguised murderous intent flashing in his eyes, and sneered:
“This is not a place for just anyone. If you have no connections, then you are doomed.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the short figure suddenly sprang up, laughing fiercely as he lunged at Cao Gaoshan.

Upon seeing this, Cao Gaoshan's eyes darkened. Without saying a word, a domineering martial arts pressure rose up, and at the same time, he raised his hand and slashed down with a palm strike.

The sharp blade light pierced through the air and slashed into the dwarf's body. The moment it touched him, the dwarf was split in two, his flesh and bones disintegrated, and he vanished in an instant as the blade wind swept past.

Those secretly watching from all around paused for a moment, then exclaimed in unison in low voices:
"A Celestial Realm Master!"

Then they scattered like birds and beasts, all silently retreating to pass on the message.

Cao Gaoshan withdrew his hand and glanced around. He had already noticed that someone was watching him from the shadows.

This is why he revealed his true martial arts skills as soon as he made a move; the fact that the dwarf killed him on sight proved that the town was not a safe place.

To avoid being harassed by the local thugs, demonstrating strength and intimidation is undoubtedly the most direct and effective means.

"Your Highness, it's getting late. Let's find an inn to stay at for the night, and I'll go into town to find someone to guide us."

Cao Gaoshan looked back at the carriage, and Li Musheng nodded, not caring much about these trivial matters.

The big black cat in the carriage lay lazily, its eyes sleepy, yawning from time to time. For some reason, it seemed uninterested in anything, and didn't even stick its head out to watch the fight that Cao Gaoshan had just started.

The town remained silent, but the number of prying eyes had decreased significantly. Cao Gaoshan drove his carriage to the only inn in town and stopped.

The inn in front of us looked quite large, with rammed earth walls, lanterns hanging high and tassels swaying in the breeze. Although the heavy gate was open, the inside was extremely deserted.

Li Musheng and his entourage stepped down from the carriage and went straight into the inn. Behind the counter in the inn's lobby, only a young girl lay on her back on a bamboo chair, fast asleep with an account book covering her face.

Cao Gaoshan looked around but didn't notice anything unusual, so he stepped forward, tapped on the counter, and called out:

"Miss, bring four superior rooms."

However, the girl seemed not to hear him at all, completely ignoring Cao Gaoshan, and turned over to continue sleeping soundly.

Upon seeing this, Cao Gaoshan frowned slightly, while the previously listless black cat suddenly perked up and jumped onto the counter, intending to give the ungrateful girl a swipe of its paw.

The big black cat was clearly picking on the weak. It had been drowsy the whole way, its head still foggy, and this little girl in front of it was young and didn't seem to have much ability. It was a good opportunity for it to stretch its muscles.

Li Musheng stood by and watched, and Cao Gaoshan did not intervene. Anyone capable of running an inn in this town was no ordinary person, so there was no need to worry that the big black cat would harm innocent people.

At the same time, the big black cat's claws, which leaped into the air and scratched at the girl, did not land.

The girl let out a shout and sprang up from the bamboo chair, leaving behind a series of fleeting afterimages. In the blink of an eye, she appeared on the other side of the inn's lobby.

The big black cat's eyes gleamed green as it turned to look at the girl in the hall. It was immediately annoyed, clearly realizing that this pushover was not as easy to handle as it had imagined.

The young woman, equally enraged, glared at Li Musheng and his companions, and snapped:

"How can you be so clueless? I'm ignoring you so you can't stay at the hotel, so why don't you leave and instead send a big cat to scratch me?"

Upon hearing this, Cang Yinyue and Shen Anran exchanged a glance. Sensing no killing intent from the girl, they asked with puzzled expressions:

"Young lady, your inn seems to have no guests. Why won't you let us stay?"

Shen Anran nodded slightly and said to the girl:

"You don't need to worry, we mean no harm. We're just passing through and will stay at this inn for one night before leaving tomorrow."

The girl crossed her arms, her eyebrows furrowed, and resolutely shook her head, saying:

"No, that's the town's rule. You don't have any connections, so I can't let you stay here."

Upon hearing this, Li Musheng became somewhat interested and beckoned to the large black cat that was preparing to stealthily attack the girl, saying:

"Your town is dilapidated and has a lot of rules. Tell me, what kind of background do you need to stay at your inn?"

Seeing this, the big black cat, which had been sneaking around to the side of the girl, had no choice but to stop. Its pair of green cat eyes stared at the girl, and if she couldn't give a reason, its claws would surely make her suffer.

The girl glanced at the big black cat out of the corner of her eye, seemingly not taking the cat seriously, but instead looked directly at Cao Gaoshan, past Li Musheng.

Noticing the girl's gaze, Cao Gaoshan glanced at Li Musheng, then coughed lightly and said:
"I am a master of the Celestial Realm..."

However, before he could finish speaking, the girl snorted coldly and shook her head, saying:
Even a Celestial Realm expert cannot break the rules!

　Thank you all for your support. I'm taking a month off, but I'm afraid to ask for leave for fear of being scolded.

　　However, this book will definitely be finished. It's just that I haven't written in a long time, and my writing skills haven't recovered yet. I'll only write this much today, and I'll gradually update more regularly later.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)