218: Chapter 218 The Sentinel

Stepping out of Hedgehog Mountain, the view suddenly opened up. In the distance, the silhouette of a magnificent city appeared on the horizon; it was precisely Liuli City.

Looking at that familiar silhouette, Ye Tian stopped and said to Hou Xiaojie beside him, "Wait a moment."

After saying this, his thoughts stirred slightly, and his aura quickly converged, stopping at the level of the Ningyuan Realm Eighth Stage.

This cultivation level was not particularly eye-catching in Liuli City; it was the kind that was neither too high nor too low, which perfectly fit his plan to "act low-key."

Hou Xiaojie sensed the change in Ye Tian's aura, scratched his head, and looked puzzled. "Senior Brother, why are you... why are you suppressing your cultivation so low for no reason? It's so stifling. We aren't lacking in strength right now, so what are you afraid of?"

Ye Tian smiled, patted his shoulder, and explained, "This city is crowded and mixed, with all kinds of people from all walks of life. We are mainly here to attend the Wanbao Tower auction to see if we can find anything useful, not to fight. Being too high-profile easily invites unnecessary trouble, understand?"

This was based on experience; he knew well the principle that a tall tree attracts the wind, especially since he already had plenty of trouble following him.

"Oh! I understand!" Hou Xiaojie realized, his eyes lighting up. He lowered his voice and chuckled, "Senior Brother, you want to pretend to be a pig to eat the tiger! I get it, I get it!"

However, just as he finished speaking...

"Ooh! Ooh!" The Double-Winged Dragon Ape following behind the two of them also chirped excitedly, hopping around just like Hou Xiaojie, its little tail wagging back and forth.

The smile on Ye Tian's face froze instantly, and the corner of his mouth couldn't help but twitch. He felt as if the earnest words he had just spoken had slapped him in the face. How could he hope to be low-key while bringing along such an "obvious attention-grabber"?

Seeing Ye Tian's helpless expression and then glancing at the Mini Dragon Ape beside him, which was still looking around, Hou Xiaojie burst out laughing. He hurriedly covered his mouth tightly with his hands, but his shoulders couldn't help shaking, and he was almost on the verge of tears from holding it in.

Ye Tian reached out and flicked him on the forehead. "What are you laughing at! Be serious! Let's go!"

"Ouch! Senior Brother, I was wrong, I was wrong... but I really couldn't help it..." Hou Xiaojie held his head and begged for mercy, but when he saw the Mini Dragon Ape tilt its head and go "Ooh?", he still couldn't stop laughing.

Ye Tian sighed helplessly and walked towards Liuli City.

The closer they got to the city gate, the denser the crowd became. The city guards, wearing bright armor and holding spears, were conducting routine checks on the flow of people, their expressions serious.

When it was Ye Tian and his companion's turn, the guard didn't pay much attention at first. He glanced casually at Ye Tian and Hou Xiaojie, whose auras were "average" and who were dressed plainly, and prepared to wave them through.

But when his gaze subconsciously drifted downward and landed on the "little monster" at Ye Tian's feet—the one with golden fur and small wings, currently observing him curiously with big, innocent eyes—he was instantly stunned, and his brows furrowed tightly.

"Wait! You two, stop!" The guard stepped forward and pointed his spear at the Mini Dragon Ape, which was trying to claw at his shoe. His tone was full of vigilance. "What... what is this thing? It looks so strange! Is it a Vicious Beast? There are rules in the city against bringing in fierce Yao Beasts! If it hurts someone, who will be responsible?"

Ye Tian sighed inwardly, but quickly put on a smile. He stepped forward, bowed slightly, and said, "Reporting to the officer, you've misunderstood. This isn't a Vicious Beast. This is... this is a rare Spirit Beast from the deep mountains and forests of my hometown; the older generation calls it 'Furball.' Don't let its appearance fool you, it's a bit... unique, but it has a very gentle nature. It's intelligent and very well-behaved. It has never hurt anyone since it was small; it's even more obedient than a pet dog! You can rest completely assured!"

While saying this, Ye Tian felt his cheeks burning, and his conscience ached slightly. Gentle and well-behaved? When he thought of this creature's true form—its earth-shattering power, the way it could swat away a True Martial Tenth Level Cultivator with a single slap—he felt that the lie he had just spun was truly absurd.

The guard was skeptical and looked Ye Tian and Hou Xiaojie up and down a few more times. Ye Tian was currently suppressing his aura, looking like an ordinary Ningyuan Realm Cultivator, and Hou Xiaojie looked even more harmless; both of them had "simple and kind" expressions. Looking at the so-called "Furball" again, although its appearance was a bit strange, it really didn't show any ferocity. When pointed at by the spear, it even shrank back behind Ye Tian's leg in fear, its little eyes looking timid, which actually made it look quite cute.

The guard hesitated for a moment, looked at the crowd waiting in line to enter the city behind them, and finally waved his hand impatiently. "Alright, alright, go in! Keep a close eye on your... Spirit Beast! Behave yourselves in the city. If you dare to cause trouble, disturb the citizens, or damage anything, you will be held accountable!"

"Yes, yes, yes! Thank you, officer! We will definitely watch it, and we absolutely won't cause trouble!" Ye Tian thanked him repeatedly, breathed a sigh of relief inwardly, and quickly pulled the still-snickering Hou Xiaojie into the city.

Once they entered Liuli City, an aura of prosperity rushed towards them. Looking at the familiar scene before him, Ye Tian couldn't help but feel a sense of emotion. He clearly remembered that a year ago, when he first came here, he only had the cultivation of the Ningyuan Realm Third Stage. He felt that any Cultivator on the street with a slightly stronger aura was an expert. But now, most of the pedestrians and Cultivators on the street were only in the Ningyuan Realm Middle Stage, not even as good as Hou Xiaojie, and there were even quite a few at the Qi Gathering Realm. The feeling brought by such a leap in strength was truly satisfying.

However, he also knew that the waters in Liuli City were very deep. There might well be old monsters at the True Martial Realm or even stronger, and his current strength was far from the point where he could walk sideways.

"Senior Brother, this Liuli City is really big! It's so lively!" Hou Xiaojie looked around excitedly. It was his first time in such a prosperous big city, and everything looked fresh to him.

"Hmm, it is one of the few major cities in the Northern Region after all." Ye Tian nodded, his gaze sweeping across the street, while his mind calculated the plan for what was to come.

"Let's find a place to settle down first, inquire about the specific time and details of the Wanbao Tower auction, and then have a good meal. My mouth has been so bland from being in the mountains these days."

"Great, great! Senior Brother, I think that 'Cloud Immortal' inn over there looks pretty good, it's quite impressive!" Hou Xiaojie pointed to a three-story inn not far away with elegant decor and frequent customers coming and going. The inn had a plaque hanging at the entrance that read "Cloud Immortal."

Ye Tian nodded and said, "Alright, let's go there." The inn looked clean and tidy, and the location was good too.

As they talked, they walked towards the "Cloud Immortal" inn. The Mini Dragon Ape seemed full of curiosity about everything in the city, following closely with its short legs. Its furry head looked left and right, its big eyes rolling around. It was particularly interested in the sugar figurine stalls and monkey juggling acts on the roadside, occasionally making low "ooh ooh" sounds, which caused many passersby to look over and point.

Ye Tian could only pretend not to see it and walked forward with gritted teeth.

However, just as Ye Tian and Hou Xiaojie stepped into the spacious and lively lobby of the "Cloud Immortal" inn, a gaze swept over from a window seat in the corner of the lobby and fixed onto Ye Tian!

The owner of this gaze was very cunning, hiding among the diners, with very subtle movements that an ordinary Cultivator would find difficult to detect.

But Ye Tian had cultivated the Illusory Sea Heart Sutra, and his Divine Sense strength had reached the Mustard Seed Realm; how could his perception be anything but sharp? He had long since sensed that malicious gaze.

His footsteps did not falter, and the expression on his face remained unchanged. He continued to chat and laugh with Hou Xiaojie as they walked towards the counter. But a flash of cold, chilling light flickered in his eyes, and the corners of his mouth curled into an arc.

"Hmph, Blood Blade Sect... these persistent ghosts, their noses are truly sharp." He instantly understood the reason.

A year ago, at the Wanbao Tower auction, he had offended the playboy Young Sect Leader of the Blood Blade Sect because of an item he bid on. Later, that guy even brought people to ambush him outside the city, only to be killed by him in retaliation.

Now it seemed that the Blood Blade Sect must have found some clues, so they had sent people to lie in wait all over Liuli City. It was just that they probably never imagined that in just one year, Ye Tian's strength had undergone a heaven-turning, earth-flipping change. The secret sentries of this level that they sent were completely unable to hide from Ye Tian.

Ye Tian did not immediately move to expose that secret sentry. Acting now would only alert the enemy, which was meaningless. He wanted to see what the Blood Blade Sect was really up to. Perhaps he could follow the clues and get some information about the Shadow Calamity Tower or other potential enemies from them. After all, a local snake like the Blood Blade Sect had a complex network of relationships.

"Innkeeper, I need two quiet superior rooms, and prepare some of your shop's signature dishes to be delivered to the room later." Ye Tian walked to the counter and said to the innkeeper, while his gaze swept across the lobby, seemingly casually. The Blood Blade Sect secret sentry hiding in the corner was wearing gray cloth clothes and a bamboo hat, with a cultivation of about the Ningyuan Fifth Stage, and was currently keeping his head down, pretending to drink tea.

"Alright! You've come to the right place, honored guest! Heaven Number Three and Four rooms, quiet and bright! The wine and food will be ready soon!" The innkeeper enthusiastically called out to the waiter, "Waiter, take these two guests upstairs!"

"This way, honored guests!" A sharp waiter quickly stepped forward to lead the way. After their figures disappeared at the staircase, the Blood Blade Sect secret sentry also quickly put down a few copper coins, got up, and hurriedly left the inn.

Walking into the superior room, they dismissed the waiter and closed the door. Hou Xiaojie immediately slumped into a chair and let out a long sigh of relief. "Ah, finally I can rest for a while." The Mini Dragon Ape, on the other hand, curiously jumped onto the windowsill, watching the bustling traffic on the street below.

Ye Tian walked to the window, his gaze deep. The prying eyes of the Blood Blade Sect, the upcoming auction, and the Shadow Calamity Tower that might be lurking in the shadows... "It seems this trip to Liuli City is destined not to be peaceful."