Consuming Earths, Devouring Skies

Sky Heart City wasn't like Xiāo City, Sky Titan City, or Xuanwu City. It was a very residential and tourist attraction type of city, mostly used for pleasure rather than business. They may have a few shops that sell armaments, pills, elixirs, arts, and materials, but it was mostly filled with restaurants, bars, servicing centers, gambling, inns, and auctions. It was closely related to Xiāo City, having the Grand Xiāo Auction once every decade that sends exclusive and impressive items for sale.

However, by itself, it doesn't do auctions for items truly indicating its status as purely attraction based. It mostly did auctions relating to buying or selling slaves. Typically, certain people who were willing to sell themselves for a certain number of years on a certain contract to do certain things will appear in these types of auctions.

These individuals would sell themselves on their skills like alchemy, armament creation, or appearance and abilities within certain particular areas.

It didn't have grand walls, but a sort of surrounding beige gate filled with many openings where one could simply walk or fly through by self, mount or skyship. It truly was welcoming individuals with its ease of access. Not only that, entrance didn't require a single fee. One could simply enter. Of course, if you want to park your skyship in certain locations, that'll cost you, but besides that, nothing was required.

"This place is quite intriguing." Yan Zaizen carelessly commented. The world truly was wide, and he's now visited many different cities. A hunter city, a hotpot of forces city, a city filled with alchemist and armament creators, and now a city designed to attract individuals with all sorts of alluring features. To stay in their luxury inns and to enjoy your desires, whatever that may be.

"Indeed! Sky Heart City is extraordinary, but it's not something to be underestimated. There are three leaders of Sky Heart City and each one of them possesses the cultivation at the half-step True Essence Realm!" Bai Lufeng said excitedly as they entered the city and landed. The skyship vanished into Yan Zaizen's Meteor Ring, and they proceeded to walk the streets.

"Three Leaders?" Yan Zaizen inquired, but when he saw Bai Lufeng eyes grow heated, he felt a little bit awkward and took two steps away. Tao followed suit, his eyes gleaming with wariness at Bai Lufeng's state. This man may be morally upright and loyal to the bone, but he showed his bad side whenever women were involved. Yan Zaizen and Tao figured this out quite quickly.

"The Three Leaders are the Ya Sisters! A group of triplets who belongs to no clan, Xinya, Linya, and Chenya! Not only are they triplets, but they are exceptional beauties with profound cultivation bases. Not to mention, out of the three sisters, only Xinya is married with children, but the others have yet to take a man as their own! They are still virgins!" Bai Lufeng's eyes glowed with radiance, and Yan Zaizen started to feel a little frightened from his words, even the individuals around them couldn't help but reel in disgust.

Tao chuckled, dispelling a little of the awkwardness in the atmosphere. "Truly, but Linya and Chenya will never take a man unless they beat their tests." His comments seem to shut Bai Lufeng down immediately, and his dreams were shattered like fragile glass. He pouted but didn't say anything more.

"Tests?" Yan Zaizen inquired.

"Yeah. They each swore an oath to belong to anyone who could meet their base requirement and beat their test. If so, they'll marry that person. Well, there are a few requirements, and you only need to reach one. One of them is to become a grand-tier alchemist, the second is to become an Origin Core Cultivator before the age of two hundred, the third is to be able to create a spirit form, fourth is to defeat all three of them in battle, but one cannot be in the True Essence Realm, and the last but definitely not easiest, comprehend a World Law to the Force-level before the Origin Core Realm." Tao explained with little care, he knew he matched none of those requirements and therefore wasn't even considered worthy.

However, Yan Zaizen could technically meet one of those, in regards to the World Law. "What about soul cultivation? Is it also apart of the second and fourth?" If it was, then he could theoretically meet both conditions.

Tao thought for a second and realized the circumstances. His eyes widened and he nodded. "As long as you reach the Aurora Soul before two hundred years old, you'll be qualified. Haha, surprisingly, you're not the first to ask such a question."

About a few hundred years ago, a soul cultivator who was extraordinary reached the Perfect Nascent Soul Realm in under fifty years, and he proposed this exact question. Unfortunately, after the two hundred years mark passed, he couldn't condense his aurora. He asked with his head held high and his chest filled with pride and confidence but left everyone around disappointed. If it was so easy to reach the Aurora Soul Realm, why was the several thousand years old Xiāo still at the Perfect Nascent Soul?

Bai Lufeng soon realized why Yan Zaizen asked those questions, and his eyes went wide. "I-If you decide to marry one, you could definitely do so!" His voice contained a hint of envy but also excitement. Yan Zaizen chuckled awkwardly. He only asked in curiosity; he had no intention of marrying anyone.

Tao, however, couldn't help but sneer with disdain for the very first time since Yan Zaizen knew him. "Marry them? Haha, are they worthy? To Young Lord Zai, they're nothing more than beauty with no substance, could that interest him?! Haha!" For some odd reason, Tao felt a little infuriated at Bai Lufeng comment. He truly believed Yan Zaizen's worth exceeded them by a considerable degree.

From what he knew, Yan Zaizen comprehended his own personal Dao, has a body cultivation that could rival an Origin Core Realm expert, has a soul cultivation that puts him at the very peak of the entire continent and only possessed the age of nineteen!! He also suspected that Yan Zaizen possessed the spatial world law, but he wasn't entirely sure. If he did, what right did they truly have to even desire Yan Zaizen's infinite potential?

He coldly scoffed, not saying another word. However, his words caught the attention of everyone around, and their eyes honed onto Tao's figure like a target at a gun range. Suddenly becoming the center of attention, Tao simply scoffed once more and continued on his way.

"HALT!" A female voice yelled filled with authority and anger. A figure appeared like a shadow in front of them, utilizing an exquisite movement art and revealing herself to them all. "What did you say?!" This person questioned, obviously with a hint of threatening.

Yan Zaizen took a survey of the female that arrived, and he was surprised. She looked about nineteen to twenty, had blonde hair, sparkling azure eyes filled with a hot fire, a voluptuous body with a round bust her outfit could barely hold let alone hide, long legs that were as smooth as jade and a lithe waist. These attributes alone could cause a man to desire her but together created a uniquely sexual and explosive appearance.

She was dressed in a female grey martial art uniform with a red trim and belt. It truly accentuated her incredible curves and dazzling features.

However, Tao didn't back down. "I said: Marry them? Haha, are they worthy? To Young Lord Zai, they're nothing more than beauty with no substance, could that interest him?! Haha!" He repeated his earlier word for word, but this time his voice was louder. Bai Lufeng's eyes widened, and even Yan Zaizen was stunned stupid by this brazen declaration.

He even felt a little embarrassed, considering Tao was referring to him. He rubbed his nose almost unconsciously and looked away trying to hold back a slight smile.

"What did you say?!" This beautiful young woman's eyes suffused with intense anger and her qi-cultivation base erupted violently, causing many bystanders to be sent away and objects in the street flying about. She did not have a weak cultivation, possessing the cultivation of a late-Qi Unification Realm, similar to Yan Zaizen. However, unlike Yan Zaizen, she was definitely older than nineteen and only retained her youth due to her cultivation. From her lifeforce signature, she seemed closer to two hundred years old.

Tao, however, snorted disdainfully in response.

"This...person truly was the disciple of the Imperial Scholar. So combative and unrelenting in his beliefs!" Yan Zaizen was surprised at this side of Tao.

When one thinks about it, the fact that he was optimistic initially at the Deep Mines and capable of lasting two years, one could imagine his persistence and self-pride being exceptionally high. He probably debated many people and was even sent away due to his differing views of the empire. Despite knowing the consequences that it'll ensure, he still declared them!

Only someone with exceptional pride and confidence could do such a thing, it truly correlated with Yan Zaizen's Dao.

Imperialistic, check.

Unyielding confidence, check.

Decisive, check.

Filled with warmth, check.

Truly synchronized. Only now did he realize why he and Tao got along so damn well.

The young woman seemed ready to strike, her qi-essence flared to the heavens causing a commotion visible by many. Even the guards were now approaching from a distance, ready to investigate the situation and handle it accordingly. Unfortunately, their cultivation were between the late-Essence Formation and half-step Qi Unification.

"Take it back, or die!" Her voice was filled with murderous intent as if her very existence was insulted. However, Tao only laughed with contempt. Who did this girl think she was?

No longer holding back, she exploded outwards due to this blatant provocation. Her exquisite movement art sent her explosively forward like a volcano erupting, and the heat in the surrounding area suddenly risen by several dozen degrees. She clenched her fist, a trace of blue fire ignited giving off an incredibly hot aura and swung it directly towards Tao's chest.

Bai Lufeng remained where he was, feeling a little shocked by the incident but also a little amused. As for Yan Zaizen, he was also amused and watched the show, unwilling to move. He was also curious about Tao's prowess.

As the fist neared the group, Tao snorted explosively causing the world to feel like it was funneling inwards towards him. A trace of cyclone true law erupted outwards, and his energy turned into a twister that circled around their group. His qi-essence was filled with origin source, and not something normal qi-essence could contend with, but what was surprising was what happened next.

The young woman continued with her fist until it smashed the twister of qi-essence heavily, but instead of being propelled backward or sent flying by the force as everyone expected, she roared viciously. Her aura rose once more and the temperature of the surroundings increased by several dozen degrees. The fire on her fist covered her entire body, and she literally melted her way through the twisting qi-essence, instantly destabilizing it with her forward momentum and penetrating through it.

Tao was startled. Yan Zaizen was surprised. Bai Lufeng was shocked.

All of them had one thought, "Conceptual law of fire?!"