94: Tianyuan Guard

"Aaaagh!!"

A mournful cry echoed across the fields.

Qin Tian tore off a green wing with his bare hands and kicked the ferocious bird beneath him forcefully toward the ground.

Boom!

Dust billowed into the air.

The Guixu Realm ferocious bird lost its life just like that... Yun Xi leaned against a rock, quietly admiring every one of Qin Tian's movements.

In the shadows, a young man clicked his tongue in wonder.

"This kid not only has many Magic Treasures, but the Divine Abilities and Cultivation Techniques he uses are all strange and unheard of."

"Truly interesting!"

"Let's see, this is the twenty-sixth alien—eighteen in the Tongyou Realm and eight in the Guixu Realm."

"To achieve this by his power alone, he's truly a fine prospect!"

His eyes shone with delight, and for a moment, he entertained the thought of taking him as a Disciple.

"Revered Master, are you feeling any better?"

"Cough, cough... Not yet... I estimate it will take a few more days to fully recover." Yun Xi covered her mouth and coughed lightly.

Qin Tian frowned.

This doesn't make sense.

Over the past few days, Yun Xi's condition didn't seem to have improved at all.

The effect of the Everlasting Life Pill shouldn't be this poor... "System, what's the situation?"

[In response to the Host, Yun Xi's injuries have long since healed.]

"Hmm?"

"Healed?"

"Long since?"

"Then..."

Qin Tian raised his eyes in surprise. Looking at Yun Xi's pale face, he murmured in his heart... "Could it be that Revered Master is faking her illness?"

"But? Why would she do that?"

Looking at the alien corpse in his hand, Qin Tian had a sudden realization.

"Could it be that Revered Master is testing me?"

Thinking it over, this was the only possibility.

It couldn't be that Yun Xi liked being held by him, right?

At this thought, Qin Tian shook his head.

Impossible... Yun Xi has an aversion to men.

When she was held by him, she was probably enduring it with great difficulty... Qin Tian's thoughts gradually drifted away.

"Tian'er, what are you thinking about?"

Coming back to his senses, he saw Yun Xi standing prettily before him, her face rosy and no longer showing any signs of illness.

"Revered Master, you're better?"

"Yes, I'm better."

Yun Xi spoke indifferently, though a flicker of regret flashed deep in her eyes.

"Someone is coming."

Qin Tian followed Yun Xi's gaze.

The sound of a cry reached his ears first, followed by the sight of a massive Heavenly Roc entering his field of vision.

After a few breaths, the Heavenly Roc flapped its wings and hovered, stirring up gusts of wild wind.

More than ten armored figures leapt down.

"Whose subordinates are you, and what are you doing here?"

The one asking was a young woman who, by her manner, was the captain of these ten or so people.

Her gaze swept across them, finally fixing on Yun Xi, and her eyes trembled.

"You are... Lady Yun...!?"

Yun Xi smiled slightly.

"Mu Lan, long time no see."

"It really is you!" The woman named Mu Lan was excited and hurriedly stepped forward.

"Revered Master, who is this?"

"Tian'er, I once stayed in the Imperial City for ten years with your Grandmaster. Her parents and I were in the same Tian Yuan Guards squad... We are old acquaintances."

"By the way, Mu Lan, how are your parents?"

Mu Lan's eyes dimmed. "My father and mother died in battle six years ago..."

"..."

Yun Xi was silent and sighed softly.

In the Imperial City, dying in battle is the ultimate destiny of every living being... "Lady Yun, they killed countless aliens before they died, including three in the Reflecting Nine Heavens. It was worth it." The sorrow in Mu Lan's eyes vanished in an instant.

Qin Tian was slightly stunned.

"And this is?" Mu Lan looked at Qin Tian.

"He is my Disciple, Qin Tian."

"Surnamed Qin!!!"

Mu Lan and the Tian Yuan Guardss gasped sharply, their eyes fixed firmly on Qin Tian.

Qin Tian smiled and explained, "Although my surname is Qin, I don't have much of a connection with the Qin Family in the Imperial City."

Upon hearing this, everyone laughed.

"Ha, we thought we had met one of those big shots from the Qin Family."

"Little brother, you gave us quite a shock."

In the shadows, the young man frowned.

"Not much of a connection?"

"Is this kid not here to acknowledge his ancestors and return to the clan?"

"No!"

"If I let him get away, won't the Old Ancestor beat me to death?"

"He must acknowledge them! Even if he doesn't want to, he must!"

The young man made up his mind.

"Lady Yun, Little Brother Qin, we just finished our patrol and are heading back to the Imperial City. Why don't you join us?"

"There are still a few Seniors alive who fought alongside my parents. They will surely be very happy to see Lady Yun."

Yun Xi nodded.

Qin Tian naturally wouldn't object either.

Subsequently, Qin Tian and Yun Xi leapt onto the Heavenly Roc and sped toward the Imperial City.

The young man revealed himself, a smile curling at the corners of his lips.

"Qin Tian..."

"It would be quite fitting to have him join Xiao Yu's team..."

As his voice faded, the young man vanished... "Little Brother Qin, the Imperial City is just ahead," a man with a thick beard called out loudly.

Hearing this, Qin Tian looked up.

A giant city towering into the sky came into view.

It stretched on endlessly, its boundaries nowhere in sight.

On the city walls, every part was carved with the sun, moon, and stars, which constantly shifted as if they were alive, appearing profoundly mysterious.

"This city stands at the junction of the Heavenly Abyss and Ancient Immortal realms."

"Crossing the Imperial City leads to the Tian Yuan Battlefield, which is where the truly great figures fight."

"Tian Yuan Guardss like us, who have not yet stepped into the Reflection Realm, are mainly responsible for patrolling the Ancient Immortal side and handling daily affairs."

"One cannot go to the Tian Yuan Battlefield without reaching the Reflection Realm?" Qin Tian asked curiously.

"It's not entirely impossible. Some top-tier Geniuses are led to the Tian Yuan Battlefield by a Heavenly Lord for training."

"Their goal is to hunt down the young Prodigies of those alien races."

"However, it is extremely dangerous."

"Without being a peerless Genius, one simply isn't qualified to go."

"Little Brother Qin, you are only in the Tongyou Realm, so it's even more impossible. Better not think about such things."

"You are Lady Yun's Disciple. When the time comes, join our Captain Mu's squad. With some luck, you might even hunt down one or two Guixu Realm aliens."

Qin Tian smiled.

The Tian Yuan Battlefield... The place where that fellow Xuan Xiao is most likely to appear is right there... "By the way, many Cultivators came to the Imperial City not long ago. I wonder where those Cultivators are now?"

The bearded man laughed. "Oh, them. Most of them have probably joined the Tian Yuan Guardss and are accumulating war merits."

"war merits?" Qin Tian was puzzled.

"Hehe, Little Brother Qin, you might not know, but everything you see in the Imperial City has a clear price and can be exchanged for with war merits."

"As long as your war merits are high enough, even the core Cultivation Techniques of a Longevity Family are no problem."

Qin Tian was somewhat surprised.

"Don't be surprised; these are the rules set by the big shots."

"In the Imperial City, only war merit matters. Birth, connections, background, and all that other nonsense don't count for anything."

"If you have outstanding war merits, no one will care if you pee right in front of a Longevity Family's gate."

"Conversely, if you have no war merit, you simply cannot survive in this Imperial City."

Qin Tian smiled. "That's quite interesting."

He took out his sound transmission jade and sent messages to his Junior Sisters, but there was no response.

"There are special Restrictions in the Imperial City; ordinary sound transmission jades don't work." Mu Lan stepped forward and spoke with a smile.

"Tian'er, I need to go to the Inner City. You should follow Mu Lan and look around first."

Qin Tian had exactly that intention and nodded.

Soon after, Yun Xi's figure vanished.

Mu Lan smiled. "Let's go, Little Brother Qin. I'll take you to the quartermaster first to get your identity jade token."

With those words, the two flew toward the city...