touchnovel Chapter 700 - 135: Two Years Later, Entering the Northern Continent (Part 1)
Chapter 700 - 135: Two Years Later, Entering the Northern Continent (Part 1)
Northern Continent, Jiuyang City.
A troop of a hundred-person team attracted the attention of the city’s inhabitants as they entered.
Beneath them were spirit beast bone-horned horses, clad in black battle armor on their backs, with only a row of bone spines visible on their foreheads. These hooked bone spines replaced the usual mane of an ordinary horse.
Even their four hooves were adorned with distinct bone spines.
The white and shiny coat of these bone-horned horses contrasted sharply with the black armor they wore, yet didn’t appear incongruous.
Leading them was the most peculiar bone-horned horse, covered not in white fur but in blood-red, and its bone spines shone crimson like crystal.
The rider atop it stood out even more, clad in a red robe and skin armor, with a posture as upright as a sword, enchanting and alluring in an indistinctly androgynous beauty. Her eyes showed a mix of rebellious calmness, two seemingly incompatible temperaments fused perfectly within her.
Her long hair was tied up high and held by a delicate hair clasp, with strands swaying gently, adding to the dynamism.
Behind her followed the troop, in mysterious black red armor, awe-inspiring with stern and cold profiles, exuding a martial aura.
The hundred-person team marched in sync, many noticed the bone-horned horses’ front hooves rising and falling in perfect rhythm, their cries resonated like thunder in the hearts of the city folk lining Jiuyang City’s streets.
As the troop emerged from the city’s teleportation array onto the bustling street, the crowds naturally split and retreated under the eaves, leaving the street clear.
The people held their breath, curious about this troop.
"Who are these people? They look so magnificent!"
"They must be from some powerful faction."
"Look at that red-clad figure leading the way, truly astonishing beauty!"
"Indeed, I have lived most of my life, never have I seen such an outstandingly handsome figure. This person must surely be exceptional!"
"Wait, look at the emblem they wear!"
"Emblem? What sort of emblem?"
"It’s painted on the skin armor of the bone-horned horses, and embroidered on their chests!"
"I see it now, what is it?"
"It’s clear you’re from a small town with little insight! That’s the Dragon Tooth emblem."
"Dragon Tooth?"
"Exactly! It’s the Dragon Tooth emblem!"
"You mean Dragon Tooth, the Heavenly Level Floating Guest Team known for never failing a mission?"
"Precisely, it’s Dragon Tooth!"
"Two years ago, when Dragon Tooth established their city Luoxing City, it attracted the attention of the entire Middle Ancient Realm, stirring quite a tempest."
"That’s true! I was fortunate enough to visit Luoxing City back then, though I couldn’t enter the City Lord Mansion to witness everything. Even so, Luoxing City left a remarkably fresh impression on me."
"Then..."
"This must be Dragon Tooth! The Dragon Tooth of Luoxing City!"
"Isn’t the red-clad figure leading them the master of Dragon Tooth, the Lord of Luoxing City? Lord Mu!"
"Such a young city lord?"
"Being so young and already a city lord, what’s his current cultivation level?"
"Cultivation level?" someone slightly familiar with Luoxing City and Mu Qingge chuckled. "I don’t know about his cultivation level, but the last known instance was years ago during the great hunt at Sunset Grassland, when he dueled the Ji Family’s young master and unexpectedly advanced to Silver Realm Third Layer. Who knows what level he has reached after two or three years? However, he’s not solely dependent on cultivation."
"Not dependent on cultivation, what else then?"
"Hehe, you all probably don’t know. She’s the only Holy Level Refiner in the Middle Ancient Realm, and has the Sang Family as her backing."
"Sang Family? West Continent’s Sang Family? Furthermore, she’s a Holy Level Refiner!"
"Indeed! It’s the West Continent’s Sang Family. Rumor has it, she’s an outsider descendant of the Sang Family, and her artifact refining talent is the best in a thousand years. She crafted a Holy Artifact, reviving the once declining Sang Family, showing signs of rising again over the past two years. Plus, think about it, she’s the only Holy Level Refiner. Many factions eagerly seek her favor for a chance at securing a Holy Artifact."
"So formidable! Has she crafted any Holy Artifacts in the past two years?"
"Do you think Holy Artifacts are as common as cabbages? I just heard... rumor has it... during one time in Luoxing City, the skies changed with lightning and thunder, then dazzling light descended. Perhaps a new Holy Artifact was produced?"
"Instructor, everyone is staring at us." A young man in mystical black armor rode his bone-horned horse to Mu Qingge’s side, speaking softly.
In two years, relentless self-training has transformed Jing Hai from a pure youth from a small fishing village into a handsome young man.
Mu Qingge and Dragon Tooth both rode bone-horned horses, which Jing Hai found using his innate ability.
Mu Qingge slightly curled her lips and said to Jing Hai, "Let them look, it won’t take a piece of flesh off, why be afraid?"
"I’m not afraid, I... I’m just not quite used to it," Jing Hai whispered in defense.
Even though he could now be ruthless on the battlefield, deep inside, he still retained a bit of that shy and innocent village boy.
Mu Qingge turned her gaze to him and chuckled lightly, "In the past two years, you’ve either been immersing yourself in cultivation at Luoxing City or following Dragon Teeth on missions. At your age, you’ve developed a dislike for lively environments. It seems that in the future, you’ll need to get out and about more often."
"I..." Jing Hai wanted to refuse, but faced with Mu Qingge’s clear, penetrating eyes, he lowered his gaze and obediently said, "Yes, Instructor."
His appearance made Mu Qingge sigh deeply in her heart. She spoke again, "Xiao Hai, I know you miss Yuanyuan and have been unable to let go. However, Yuanyuan loves bustling places and would not want to see you like this. I won’t force you to do anything; I just hope you can come out of the shadows. Both of us should believe that Yuanyuan will awaken and return to us."
Such sentimental words were indeed not typical of Mu Qingge.
After saying them, Mu Qingge couldn’t help but smile bitterly.
But then again, he was her only disciple, and his emotional knot was because of Yuanyuan’s transformation into battle armor for her own sake, wasn’t it?
"It’s really Dragon Teeth! Why did they suddenly appear in the Northern Continent?"
"Who knows? Maybe they’ve taken on a mission in the Northern Continent?"
"But what kind of mission would it be that even Lord Mu got involved?"
"That’s true; in recent years, Dragon Teeth missions have never involved Lord Mu, only Mo Yang, the Grand Commander, would step in."
"Looks like something major is happening in our Northern Continent!"
"Who cares, it’s none of our business anyway. We just have to live our own little lives well."
Amidst the street discussions and exclamations, their group stopped at the entrance of a large inn.
Mo Yang dismounted and approached Mu Qingge, saying, "Young Lord, we have booked the entire inn beforehand, so no outsiders will disturb us. We’ll rest here for a day and set off for Tianping City tomorrow."
Mu Qingge nodded slightly and replied, "Handle these matters on your own."
At this moment, the innkeeper came out with a fawning smile, holding a robe, followed by his staff from the inn.
Mu Qingge dismounted, her movement as smooth as flowing water, drawing gasps of admiration from the young girls in the crowd.
Once she was off her horse, the Dragon Tooth Guards behind her dismounted in unison, their crisp and swift actions indicating they were rigorously trained, unlike any typical Floating Guest team or guards from a family.
With her hands clasped behind her back, Mu Qingge stepped forward, climbed the steps at the inn’s entrance, and walked inside.
The hundred Dragon Tooth Guards followed her in, while the last two stood at the door, their stern faces forbidding any prying eyes.
Such a dominant presence made the innkeeper wipe the sweat off his forehead.
Seeing the over a hundred bone horned horses still standing in the street, the innkeeper quickly instructed his staff to lead the horses into the courtyard.
However, as they approached, the bone horned horses became restless and threatening, their deep eyes emitting a chilling aura that deterred any advance.
The inn’s staff backed away in fear, their faces pale.
They had seen Spirit Beasts before, but these bone horned horses were clearly untamed and full of wildness.
Seeing this, Jing Hai turned and commanded the bone horned horses, "Move."
Immediately, the herd of bone horned horses calmed down.
Jing Hai then approached a staff member who had fallen to the ground and said, "Please lead the way."
The staff member scrambled to his feet and nervously guided Jing Hai.
Jing Hai led the herd of bone horned horses into the back courtyard of the inn.
Once the people and horses left, the onlookers in Jiuyang City reluctantly dispersed.
Today, the sudden appearance of Dragon Teeth and the Lord of Luoxing City, Mu Qingge, became the trending topic in Jiuyang City.
...
Inside the inn, Dragon Teeth brought hot water and placed it in front of Mu Qingge.
She washed her hands in the clear water and then dried them with a clean cloth.
Mo Yang entered her room to report the arrangements for tonight’s watch and the password confirmation. It was a habit of Dragon Teeth to maintain military practices even though they were no longer in the military camp.
After hearing his report, Mu Qingge lifted her clear eyes and said, "Mo Yang, now that the entire Dragon Tooth Guard has already advanced to the Silver Realm, it makes me gratified to see you all not slacking off. However, you must remember, our goal is not in the Middle Ancient Realm; to protect what you want to protect, you must become even stronger."
"Young Lord, Mo Yang understands," Mo Yang nodded in agreement.
As they were talking, a Dragon Tooth Guard suddenly reported.
"Young Lord, Commander Mo, someone is causing trouble outside the inn."