The Glory of the Sun and Moon in the Peerless Tang Sect

And so, the five people, having changed their clothes, emerged from the mountain valley and set foot on the official road leading into Qianling City. The road was also covered with a thick layer of snow, but it had been compacted by the footsteps of passersby.

The group hadn't gone far when a chorus of barking dogs suddenly erupted behind them. A dozen or so snow dogs, which resembled wolves in appearance, were pulling sleds and frolicking wildly on the snow.

These snow dogs possess some bloodline of the soul beast Icefield Wolf, and they look quite good; even their howls are somewhat similar to wolf barks. Their beautiful heterochromatic eyes showed anthropomorphic curiosity as they ran with their tongues lolling out, tilting their heads to observe Xu Zihuang and the others.

The burly man sitting on the sled noticed the crowd, stopped the sled, and smiled kindly.

"You must be from out of town. Are you heading to Qianling City? If you don't mind, I can give you a ride."

The group of sled dogs surrounded the group. Vina patted the head of one of the sled dogs and asked in surprise.

"Is it alright, sir?"

Standing next to Vina, Mu Xue tentatively extended her jade-like finger and touched the head of a pure white snow dog. The coldness in her eyes seemed to soften considerably.

The snow dogs surrounding Xu Zihuang stared directly into his eyes, looking somewhat confused. They revealed their 'intelligent' eyes and howled a few times.

"Awooooooo—"

"These idiots have truly disgraced your ancestors." The Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm, having regained consciousness after experiencing the frigid environment, muttered disdainfully to itself. But despite its complaints, being back near its ancestral home after ten thousand years filled it with a profound sense of nostalgia.

"I never thought my brother would come back one day."

The burly man was momentarily stunned when he saw the stunning good looks of Xu Zihuang, Vina, and Mu Xue, who were walking at the front. But after regaining his composure, he nodded and laughed heartily.

"It's only right for everyone to help each other when we're out and about. I'm just going that way anyway. As long as you don't mind the simple conditions, that's fine."

Vina no longer hesitated and politely thanked her.

"Thank you for your help."

At the burly man's enthusiastic invitation, the group boarded an empty sled in the back. The sled had two rows of seats; Xu Zihuang, Vina, and Mu Xue sat in the front row, while Lang Ya and Mo Feiyun naturally sat in the back.

The two men acted as if they were Xu Zihuang and his companions' guards, remaining expressionless and silent throughout.

Vina was pulled to sit in the middle by Mu Xue. The sled wasn't very spacious, and with the three of them sitting in a row, some physical contact was inevitable. Xu Zihuang rested his chin on his right hand against the iron railing, and he could clearly feel Vina's soft, delicate body gradually stiffening.

"Hold on tight!" the burly man shouted a reminder, before once again spurring his sled toward Thousand Spirit City.

With outsiders present, Xu Zihuang and his group of five couldn't discuss topics that might reveal their whereabouts and identities. Instead, they chatted with the burly man.

Riding a sled, the five-kilometer distance passes in the blink of an eye.

Thousand Spirits City is located in a very remote area of ​​the continent, unlike the border cities between countries. There was no particularly strict guard at the city gate; they were only briefly checked before being allowed to pass.

They thanked the rugged man again. Then they parted ways.

Xu Zihuang planned to go to the City Lord's Mansion to inquire about Ma Xiaotao's whereabouts, while Vina, Muxue, Langya, and Mo Feiyun planned to find a hotel to stay in, rest up, and then enter the far north to search for a spirit beast with a suitable spirit attribute for Vina.

"Vina, Muxue, Senior Langya, Uncle Mo, farewell." Xu Zihuang greeted the four of them and turned to leave.

"Tianhuang, wait a minute."

Suddenly, Lang Ya took out a tough and old yellow parchment from his storage soul tool and handed it to Xu Zihuang, saying solemnly.

"This is a sea chart left behind by our ancestors from thousands of years ago, after they went deep into the sea to hunt down 100,000-year-old sea spirit beasts. Some sea areas where powerful sea spirit beasts appear are marked on it. Take this sea chart with you, and remember to be careful in everything you do on this sea voyage."

Lang Ya truly had a deep respect for Xu Zihuang. Of course, this was also because he genuinely recognized Yu Tianhuang and considered him a future member of the Body Sect.

Xu Zihuang accepted the nautical chart with emotion, and then respectfully bowed to Langya.

"Senior Langya, this nautical chart is indeed something I need, so I won't refuse it."

At this point, Xu Zihuang took out the Wind-Breaking Bow and three Thunder Rockets connected to Level 6 High-Explosive Fixed-Mount Soul Guidance Cannons from his storage soul tool and handed them to Vina.

"Although these soul tools are not as valuable as the sea chart that Senior Langya gave me, I cannot accept such a great gift for nothing. I made them all by hand. Vina, our martial soul abilities are similar, so you should be able to use the Wind-Breaking Bow and the Thunder Rocket as well."

Vina was clearly taken aback and instinctively accepted them. Looking at the exquisitely crafted wind-breaking bow and lightning rocket, a sweet feeling welled up in her gentle eyes.

Xu Zihuang's gaze swept over the four people, then he left with a gentle smile.

Watching Xu Zihuang's retreating figure, Lang Ya grew increasingly satisfied. Yu Tianhuang's talent was unparalleled, and his disciple, Vina, was also a genius with twin martial souls. In his eyes, the two were simply a match made in heaven.

Vina was still immersed in the strange feeling she had just experienced, lost in thought.

Mu Xue opened her red lips with a blank expression.

“Vina”.

"Ah...ah, what's wrong, Sister Xue?" Vina hurriedly put away the Wind-Breaking Bow and Thunder Rocket in her hands and looked at Mu Xue.

Mu Xue silently grasped Vina's delicate hand.

"Didn't you hear? He made all of these soul tools himself. That means that while his soul power cultivation has reached the Soul Emperor level, he is at least a Level 6 Soul Master."

Vina simply smiled sweetly and asked in return.

"Sister Xue, do you think it's strange that he could do this with his talent?"

"..."

On the other side, Xu Zihuang bid farewell to Vina and the other three, and headed straight towards the City Lord's Mansion.

He had his own purpose in giving the Wind-Breaking Bow and Thunder Rocket to Vina. He wanted revenge and to seize the throne, and he could use the power of the Heavenly Soul Empire to fight against the Sun Moon Empire under Xu Tianran's rule. The Wind-Breaking Bow and Thunder Rocket were the catalyst for his close cooperation with the Heavenly Soul Empire.

Once Vina has personally used the Windbreaker Bow and the Thunder Rocket, she will naturally come to him to facilitate this cooperation. He is absolutely confident about this.

Once inside Thousand Spirits City, the tall, thick city walls reduced the amount of cold air, and the temperature rose somewhat.

Despite the cold weather, the streets were bustling with people, though not exactly teeming with activity. The pubs lining both sides of the street, in particular, were filled with lively chatter. Each time someone entered or left, a wave of heat would rise from them.

Drinking alcohol can ward off the cold and warm the body, and taverns are a common sight in cold cities in northern China.

His long, slender figure was accentuated by the close-fitting sable fur coat. A few snowflakes landed on his long, flowing black hair, remaining frozen in place, further highlighting his elegant and refined demeanor.

Fortunately, it was getting dark, so he wouldn't be too conspicuous.

As night fell, the temperature dropped considerably, and the crowds on the streets began to thin out.

Like most cities, the City Lord's Mansion of Thousand Spirits City is located in the city center. The mansion is quite large, and is considered one of the most magnificent buildings in Thousand Spirits City.

At the entrance of the city lord's mansion, two soldiers stood ramrod straight, dressed in thick winter clothing. Warm-toned soul-guiding lights shone down, creating a beautiful interplay of light and shadow on the falling snowflakes.

The two soldiers noticed Xu Zihuang walking towards them and asked him respectfully.

"Excuse me, is there anything I can help you with?"

Xu Zihuang's demeanor clearly indicated that he was no ordinary person, so they naturally wouldn't be so foolish as to look down on him and offend him.

Xu Zihuang said calmly, "I'm looking for the City Lord of Qianling City."

The two soldiers' eyes widened immediately, and at that moment, two footsteps came from behind Xu Zihuang, growing louder as they approached.

The two people walking side by side, a man and a woman, were both in their early twenties. The aloof young man had a tall and straight figure, like a javelin, while the blue-haired woman beside him also had a cold expression and a temperament somewhat similar to Mu Xue's. The two of them looked quite well-matched standing together.

"Miss, Young Master Shen." Two soldiers bowed to the cold-faced young man and the blue-haired woman.

The stern-faced young man and the blue-haired woman had overheard Xu Zihuang's conversation with the two soldiers. They frowned, looked past Xu Zihuang, and scrutinized his face. After a moment's hesitation, their expressions suddenly froze.

"Are you Yu Tianhuang?" The cold-faced youth's pupils suddenly contracted, and an invisible sharp aura emanated from his body.

He could never forget the intense frustration he felt when he was single-handedly crushed by that boy from Shrek Academy in the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Battle Tournament.

"Shen Ce?" Xu Zihuang raised an eyebrow upon seeing the newcomer.

This aloof young man was none other than Shen Ce, the captain of the Thousand Spirits Advanced Soul Master Academy team in the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament, who possessed the Thousand Strike Spear Martial Soul. The cool, blue-haired woman beside him was An Lengye, the vice-captain of the Thousand Spirits Advanced Soul Master Academy team and a Frost Bear Soul Master.

"Young Master Shen, Miss, do you know him?" one of the soldiers asked tentatively.

Shen Ce said with a complicated expression, "He comes from Shrek Academy. Leng Ye and I were defeated by him back then."

While his defeat to Yu Tianhuang was undoubtedly frustrating, the important thing was to recognize his own shortcomings. Shen Ce remarkably did this, facing the situation with composure and using it to improve himself. Therefore, he didn't feel ashamed to say those words. A defeat is a defeat.

Shen Ce's words caused a huge stir, and the way the two soldiers looked at Xu Zihuang instantly changed.

Shrek Academy's reputation across the continent is immense. And this young man before them has even defeated his young mistress and Shen Ce, the number one young talent in Thousand Spirits City, while representing Shrek Academy. Just how talented must he be?

Even An Lengye, who is usually taciturn, took the initiative to talk to Xu Zihuang.

“My grandfather is the city lord of Qianling City. Come with me, I will take you to see him.”

Two soldiers quickly opened the main gate. An Lengye nodded to Xu Zihuang, and then walked with Shen Ce into the depths of the city lord's mansion.

Xu Zihuang followed with a calm expression.

Chapter 303 News about Ma Xiaotao and Her Departure to Sea

The buildings within the Thousand Spirits City Lord's Mansion are intricate and complex, especially the central core building, which appears even more majestic upon closer inspection.

Bright soul-guided lights filled the space, and every so often a well-ordered squad of soldiers would pass by.

Xu Zihuang looked up at the tallest core building in front of him, while simultaneously releasing his spiritual power to envelop the entire city lord's mansion.

Under his spiritual power, which possesses both tangible and substantial qualities, nothing within the city lord's mansion could be concealed.

He quickly figured out the distribution of soldiers within the city lord's mansion.

There were a total of five hundred people, including the soldiers who patrolled in shifts. Among them were one hundred Soul Masters, but their cultivation levels were relatively weak, between the second and third rings.

This is quite normal; the vast majority of those willing to join the army are ordinary Soul Masters. With average talent and no powerful backing, it's common for their cultivation to remain around the Soul Venerable level.

Although Soul Masters are a very small elite among humans, the reality is that more than 90% of them are like this, spending their entire lives without achieving much.

Where in the world are there so many geniuses?

To Xu Zihuang's surprise, among these hundred Soul Masters, there were ten Soul Kings with the cultivation level of the fifth ring. Thousand Spirit City was, after all, the largest main city in the northeast of the Douling Empire; such a configuration was enough to support a medium-sized Soul Master sect on the entire continent.

He could also clearly sense the fluctuations in soul power within Shen Ce and An Lengye. Shen Ce appeared to have just broken through to the sixth-ring Soul Emperor realm, while An Lengye's soul power cultivation was around level fifty-five. At the age of twenty-four or twenty-five, possessing such cultivation levels meant they were both capable of challenging for the Title Douluo realm in the future.

Of course, compared to the elite disciples of Shrek Academy's inner court, there is definitely still a certain gap.

After looking around, Xu Zihuang's gaze returned to the top floor of the city lord's mansion's core building. Lights were on in the central room on the top floor, where a lean, middle-aged man of about fifty was reviewing documents at a desk, occasionally showing a thoughtful expression.

According to his perception, this middle-aged man was the strongest, a Soul Douluo-level expert.

Undoubtedly, the middle-aged man was the city lord of Thousand Spirits City. His powerful cultivation made him appear relatively young, though he was actually over eighty years old. At this age, a Soul Douluo would find it nearly impossible to advance their cultivation without a special opportunity.

Not long after, Xu Zihuang, led by An Lengye and Shen Ce, arrived at the room in the center of the top floor of the core building of the City Lord's Mansion.

The capable middle-aged man seemed to sense something, put down the documents in his hand, and looked towards the door.

The room needed ventilation because of the fireplace for heating, so the door was half-open.

Upon seeing Xu Zihuang behind Shen Ce and An Lengye, the City Lord of Qianling City asked in surprise, "Shen Ce, Lengye, who is this?"

With his cultivation and knowledge, he immediately recognized Xu Zihuang's extraordinary abilities.