245: Chapter 243 Divine Capital Order

Then, everything changed.

Silently, and without any warning.

An invisible ripple spread out from the direction of Tianyuan City, like a circle of unseen waves sweeping across the earth and the sky.

Wherever the ripple passed, the air solidified, the wind stopped, and even the flow of the clouds became sluggish.

That power was vast and overbearing, unquestionable and irresistible, as if an invisible giant hand had pressed down from the Nine Heavens, pinning everything that flew back to the ground.

The void-piercing boat jolted violently; the formation patterns on its hull flickered intensely a few times before being completely extinguished.

The golden hull lost its luster, plummeting straight from the sky like a discarded piece of scrap metal.

The sound of the wind whistled in their ears as the ground rapidly approached.

Yun Ming's expression changed. He pressed both hands onto the gunwale, pouring Spiritual Qi frantically into the Formation Plate in an attempt to reactivate the formation patterns.

But as soon as his Spiritual Qi touched the Formation Plate, it was bounced back by an invisible force.

"Break!" Yun Ming barked, injecting even more Spiritual Qi, but that force was too strong—it was simply not something he could contend with.

The flying boat continued to fall, its speed increasing by the second.

The fox was so terrified its fur stood on end. Its nine tails wrapped tightly around itself as it dove from Yun Ming's shoulder into his arms, curling into a shivering ball.

Ah Yuan let out a scream, instinctively grabbing Yun Ming's waist and burying her face in his back, her eyes squeezed shut, not daring to look.

Yun Ming gritted his teeth, protecting the fox in his arms with one hand while grabbing Ah Yuan's wrist with the other to steady her body.

His Divine Sense swept frantically over the surroundings, searching for a place to land.

Below was an open flatland with no obstacles, but the flying boat's speed was too high and the impact force too great; even with a Spiritual Qi shield, there was no guarantee they would emerge unscathed.

He took a deep breath, mobilizing all the Spiritual Qi in his body. At the moment the flying boat was about to hit the ground, he slammed his hand down, dissipating most of the impact.

Boom—!

The flying boat smashed into the ground, kicking up massive amounts of dirt and gravel.

The hull skidded across the ground for dozens of yards, plowing a deep trench and smashing through several large rocks before finally getting stuck on a withered tree and coming to a halt.

The hull shook violently a few times and then went still.

The Spiritual Qi shield flared for a moment during the impact, blocking most of the shock before dimming into nothingness.

Yun Ming jumped out of the cabin and stood on the ground, looking around. Ah Yuan followed behind him, her legs still shaking and her face pale, but she managed to stand steady. The fox poked its head out from Yun Ming's arms, looked around, and then retreated back inside.

In the sky, things were still constantly falling.

A silver-white flying boat fell from the clouds, its hull flipping several times in the air. Its Spiritual Qi shield shattered upon hitting the ground, and the hull exploded, sending fragments flying. The people inside didn't even have time to scream before being swallowed by the explosion. A giant spirit crane plummeted from high altitude, its wings flapping a few times in an attempt to fly again, but the invisible pressure was too strong; it couldn't fly at all. It smashed into the ground, breaking its neck, and after a few twitches, it went still. The Cultivator riding on its back was thrown off, hitting a rock and spitting blood; he struggled to crawl up, but his legs were already broken. Another Cultivator flew in from afar on a Flying Sword, but the sword's light suddenly extinguished when he came within a hundred miles of Tianyuan City. He fell from the sword and crashed into a large tree, snapping several branches before hitting the ground, where he lay motionless, his fate unknown.

Yun Ming's expression darkened. He looked up at the towering city walls in the distance. He could see soldiers patrolling the walls, flags fluttering on the arrow towers, and the flowing light of the city's protective formation. They were at least thirty miles from Tianyuan City; they hadn't even reached the gates yet. He withdrew his gaze and looked around. The ground was littered with the wreckage of crashed flying boats and injured people. Some were moaning, some were crying, some were cursing, and some were struggling to get up. The air was thick with the smell of blood and scorched metal, a nauseating mix.

"What... what's going on?" Ah Yuan's voice trembled as she followed closely behind Yun Ming, not daring to stray a single step.

Yun Ming did not speak.

He crouched down and reached out to touch the soil on the ground.

The soil was very hard, packed dense by that force; not even a speck of dust could fly up.

He stood up and looked at the towering city wall in the distance, remaining silent for a moment.

"A No-Fly Array. Tianyuan City's No-Fly Array."

He had seen No-Fly Arrays before—he had seen one in Qingyao City—but none were this overbearing.

The No-Fly Array in Qingyao City only placed a Restriction over the city walls; if you flew high enough, it was fine.

Tianyuan City's No-Fly Array covered a hundred-mile radius; no matter how high you flew, whether you were on a flying boat, a Flying Sword, or a Spirit Beast, you were suppressed without exception.

You couldn't even get close.

He turned to look at the crashed flying boats and the casualties.

Some people's flying boats were of too low a grade and they had been flying too high; the impact of the fall was so great that the vessels were destroyed and the people killed instantly.

Those with good luck, like him, had sturdy flying boats and didn't die from the fall, but they weren't much better off.

"Let's go," he said. Ah Yuan nodded and followed him. The fox jumped out of Yun Ming's arms and curled back onto his shoulder, its nine tails hanging down like a furry scarf.

The two people and the fox walked along the main road.

After walking for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, a crowd appeared ahead, gathered in a semicircle as if watching something.

There were many people: men and women, young and old, Cultivators and Mortals, and even a few members of the Yao Race—some with horns on their heads, some with tails trailing behind them, some with blue skin—all with different auras and varying cultivation levels.

They were gathered there, discussing something in a cacophony of voices.

In the center of the crowd stood a thin, dark man in his thirties. He was short, with dark skin, wearing grey cloth clothes and a bulging Storage Pouch hanging from his waist. His eyes were small but bright, darting around—clearly a shrewd man. He had a blade of grass hanging from the corner of his mouth and his arms crossed, looking as if he didn't care whether people bought from him or not. A circle of people surrounded him; some looked troubled, some were indignant, and some were acting submissive.

"Fellow Daoist, can this shendu token be a bit cheaper? One hundred High-Grade Spirit Stones... I really can't produce that much," a middle-aged Cultivator said with a bitter face.

The thin, dark man took the grass out of his mouth and flicked it. "Cheaper? Go ask elsewhere and see if there's anyone cheaper than a hundred." The middle-aged Cultivator's face grew even more bitter. "But you're the only one out here outside the city."

The thin, dark man laughed, revealing a mouthful of white teeth. "Exactly. I'm the only shop in town, fair prices for all. Buy it or don't."

The middle-aged Cultivator gritted his teeth and pulled Spirit Stones from his Storage Pouch, counting them one by one until he had a hundred, then handed them to the thin, dark man.

The thin, dark man took the Spirit Stones, didn't even look at them, and stuffed them directly into the Storage Pouch at his waist. Then he pulled a palm-sized token from his robes and tossed it to the middle-aged Cultivator.

The token was green, with the words 'Shendu' carved on the front and dense runes on the back.

"Next," the thin, dark man shouted.

Yun Ming stood on the outskirts of the crowd, watching this scene, his mouth twitching slightly.

The shendu token seemed to be a pass for entering Tianyuan City.

The ones this thin, dark man was selling were likely real; otherwise, no one would spend a hundred High-Grade Spirit Stones to buy one.

But a hundred High-Grade Spirit Stones was no small sum.

Yun Ming rubbed his chin, not in a hurry to step forward.

He stood outside the crowd, watching as those people bought them one by one and left one by one.

Some gritted their teeth and bought one, while those who couldn't scrape together enough Spirit Stones left dejectedly.

Some tried to bargain, only to be shut down by the thin, dark man in a few words.

The thin, dark man had sharp eyes and soon noticed Yun Ming.

Actually, he didn't notice Yun Ming, but the young girl beside him. Although Ah Yuan was wearing Yun Ming's oversized robes and her hair was a bit messy, now that her face was washed clean, she was truly striking. Her skin was fair and her features delicate; though she was a bit thin, it was already clear she would grow into a beauty. The thin, dark man's eyes lit up, and then he saw the Nine-Tailed White Fox on Yun Ming's shoulder, making his eyes shine even brighter. A Nine-Tailed White Fox was a rare thing. Someone who could keep such a spirit pet surely had deep pockets.

The thin, dark man pushed through the people in front of him and walked straight toward Yun Ming.

He sized Yun Ming up, then looked at Ah Yuan, and finally fixed his gaze on Yun Ming's face, his mouth splitting into a grin. "Fellow Daoist, first time in Tianyuan City?"

Yun Ming looked at him and said nothing.

The thin, dark man didn't mind and continued on his own: "I can tell at a glance it's your first time. Do you know what you need to enter Tianyuan City? A shendu token. Without a shendu token, even if you were a Nascent Soul True Lord, you wouldn't get in. The guards at the gate recognize the token, not the person. If you don't have one, you might as well not go; it'll just be a wasted trip."

Yun Ming nodded. "So, you're selling them?"

The thin, dark man's smile deepened.

He pulled a green token from his robes and waved it in front of Yun Ming. "Of course I am. Fixed price, fair for all." He tucked the token away and crossed his arms, looking at Yun Ming.

"Five hundred High-Grade Spirit Stones. Not a single stone less."

A low gasp erupted from the surrounding crowd. That middle-aged Cultivator had just bought one for a hundred, but for Yun Ming, it had become five hundred. Some recognized Yun Ming and knew he had arrived in a golden flying boat—a fifth-grade High Grade vessel—so his net worth was definitely substantial. Others disliked the thin, dark man's attitude but didn't dare speak up.

Yun Ming looked at the thin, dark man and remained silent for a moment. The thin, dark man wasn't in a hurry either, chewing on his grass and waiting. He knew that for these wealthy Cultivators, the thing they cared about least was Spirit Stones. Five hundred High-Grade Spirit Stones was an astronomical figure to ordinary people, but to someone like this, it was just a drop in the bucket.

Yun Ming reached out and took five hundred High-Grade Spirit Stones from the map of mountains and rivers. The Spirit Stones piled up on the ground, lustrous and translucent, their Spiritual Qi so dense it almost overflowed. The eyes of the people around them went wide, and their breathing quickened. The thin, dark man's eyes lit up too, but he didn't show it on his face. He bent over, collecting the Spirit Stones into his Storage Pouch one by one, then pulled a green token from his robes and handed it to Yun Ming.

"Fellow Daoist, take it. One shendu token per person, non-transferable. The guards will verify it when you enter the city. Keep it safe, don't lose it."

Yun Ming took the token and turned it over in his hand. The token felt warm to the touch, with 'Shendu' carved on the front and dense runes on the back that faintly glowed with spiritual light. He tucked the token into his sleeve and turned to leave. Ah Yuan followed behind, and the fox curled on his shoulder with its nine tails hanging down.

The thin, dark man watched Yun Ming's departing back, his grin widening even further. Five hundred High-Grade Spirit Stones was enough for him to live like a king in Tianyuan City for several years. He turned around and shouted to the remaining people, "Next! Who else wants to buy?"