Chapter 1015: City of 10,000 Kingdoms
Translator: Midasthefloof
historical
Returning to their temporary base camp, Wu Yu and the Full Moon of Nanshan prepared their materials and began to strengthen the 99 Spiral Psychedelic Design that had been left behind for many years.
Because time was of the essence before the 10,000 Kingdoms Pilgrimage, they had to make haste.
The cat demons knew that they were working on the spirit design, and were torn between anxiety and curiosity. They watched from the side with wide eyes, all lined up in a row.
Ye Xixi took a liking to them, and could not resist turning into her human form. She had wanted to bring Lazy with her, and was naturally delighted to discover these adorable kittens.
To Wu Yu, these cat demons would meet the Full Moon of Nanshan and Ye Xixi sooner or later, and so this was no problem. When the three returned, Wu Yu introduced them as those he had brought from outside.
"Two ape demons; one big brother ape demon and one big sister ape demon. And one more - we don't know if it's a boar demon or a monkey demon."
Perhaps because the demons of Ancient Demon Realm could not change to human form, they were confused about the Full Moon of Nanshan.
"You have to promise me not to bring anyone else back here," the big Moon Shadow Cat said worriedly.
"Don't worry. It's just us three. We won't bother you either."
This pacified the Moon Shadow Cat a little. They quickly took a liking to Ye Xixi when playing with her, and did not call her “Big Sister Ape Demon,” but instead “Big Sister Xixi.”
The big Moon Shadow Cat was very curious about their origin, but Wu Yu would definitely not tell them.
The two were currently spending all their effort on the spirit design. Wu Yu had also brought out many clones to help work on it. Through his Spirit Penetration Art, he already understood the spirit design well. To alter a design, the main methods were either to extend it or refashion it. You could also use stronger materials, a relatively trickier process.
Wu Yu and the Full Moon of Nanshan conferred for a while. Wu Yu's understanding of the fashioning of spirit designs and the cave was his niche, while the Full Moon of Nanshan was more familiar with the principles of psychedelic spirit designs. Combined, they produced fine work.
They exchanged many of the materials, building on the existing base. They changed and refashioned the old spirit design, injecting new life and sophistication into it, as well as reducing its signature.
To holistically upgrade this spirit design to the 999 Spiral Psychedelic Design, they surpassed their initial expectation and did it in less than four days.
In the Jambu Realm, Prince Le had yet to come and look for Wu Yu, and so they were not rushed for time.
In these days, the increasing bustle outside implied that more of the outsider tribes had reached the Immortal's Capital, and might even have clashed with the Yan Huang Tribe.
After the spirit design was completed, Wu Yu had the big Moon Shadow Cat test it. Even if she remembered how to navigate it, she was still lost. This spirit design was complicated, and continued to shift. One could not brute force through with memory alone, and the cat demons finally believed Wu Yu's good intentions.
Not waiting for the big Moon Shadow Cat's thanks, the three of them announced their seclusion, and that she was not to bother them. They also specified that it would be deep seclusion, and even if they made a great commotion, they would not be able to hear.
After all, Wu Yu did not know when he would return.
After the Golden Dragon Wall formation shut behind them, Wu Yu opened the Door to the Ancient Demon Realm and passed through. He returned to the Jambu Realm, where the spiritual qi was less pronounced. But it was home, familiar ground that felt more welcoming. In the Ancient Demon Realm, one felt like one was floating in the air, unable to get grounded. It felt a little more stable back here.
Even after the season of massacre came to a close, the Ancient Demon Realm would still be harder to survive in compared to the Jambu Realm.
Not two days after their return, Prince Le sent for Wu Yu one morning, alongside the Full Moon of Nanshan and Ye Xixi.
Qu Haoyan, Qu Fengyu, and Baili Zhuihun were all present as well. Qu Haoyan was by Prince Le's side, while the other two were stuck together. When Wu Yu arrived, they did not even look up.
"Wu Yu, there are five more days until the 10,000 Kingdoms Pilgrimage begins. The tribes from all over the world have already arrived at the City of 10,000 Kingdoms, and some will continue to stream in. The Regent has given us princes and princesses a small mission, and today it is our turn," Prince Le immediately said upon Wu Yu's arrival.
The City of 10,000 Kingdoms was a castle roughly two-thirds the size of the royal city, and situated within the Immortal's Capital. In terms of grandeur, it was roughly equivalent to the Yan Huang royal palace. In the west side of the Immortal's Capital, it was located between the main gate and the royal city, as though standing up against the Yan Huang Royal City. Although it did not look as impressive on the whole, it seemed to be able to at least stand its ground.
The City of 10,000 Kingdoms was a place made specially to welcome the Ambassadors of 10,000 Kingdoms. It was also where the Ambassadors of 10,000 Kingdoms would gather during the pilgrimage. Its relatively humbler appearance and location right opposite the royal city had a symbolism that needed no explanation.
For the powers outside of the Yan Huang Ancient Country, the 10,000 Kingdoms Pilgrimage was already an unwilling chore, and so staying here did not mean much to them. After all, the contrast to the royal city aside, the City of 10,000 Kingdoms still exuded unparalleled grandeur that eclipsed the royal cities of all other immortal kingdoms.
More than half the Ambassadors of 10,000 Kingdoms had already arrived, which meant that the City of 10,000 Kingdoms was a bustling place.
The Immortal's Capital was, after all, the foremost city in the Jambu Realm, and many came here to personally experience its opulence and magnificence. Before the 10,000 Kingdoms Pilgrimage, many of the Ambassadors of 10,000 Kingdoms could wander at will. There were even places that sold cultivation materials and dao treasures that could not be obtained elsewhere.
"What mission?"
"To go to the City of 10,000 Kingdoms, receive the Ambassadors of 10,000 Kingdoms, and bring them to their respective palaces. To settle them in. Show them the Yan Huang Tribe's hospitality," Prince Le said proudly.
Personally sending out the princes and princesses was indeed a gesture of respect. But the 10,000 Kingdoms Pilgrimage was fundamentally plunder by the Ancient Emperor, and therefore personal reception by the royal family still probably did not count for much in the eyes of the Ambassadors of 10,000 Kingdoms.
"Let's go. We're going now."
Wu Yu knew that Prince Le had brought them because he respected Wu Yu's strength. After all, there were many princes and princesses there now, as well as powerful Ambassadors of 10,000 Kingdoms. Those that came were the young geniuses and elite experts of the various powers.
"These people are resentful of the pilgrimage. They secretly wish to humiliate us and vent their frustration. Although they will not be open about it, some bitterness is inevitable. Before the 10,000 Kingdoms Pilgrimage begins, don't get tangled up with them. They won't dare to start any real trouble anyway."
Prince Le warned them before they departed.
"Understood."
Wu Yu felt that he was not playing any main part in the 10,000 Kingdoms Pilgrimage, and so did not care one way or the other. He did not have the resolve to defend the Yan Huang Tribe's glory like Prince Le and the others. For Wu Yu, the 10,000 Kingdoms Pilgrimage was simply a huge challenge. If there were truly fights and defenses to be made, Wu Yu wished to fight for his own standing and defend his own honor.
They sat in the luxurious horse-drawn carriage of Prince Le, thundering through the air of the Immortal's Capital. There were already many foreigners on the streets of the Immortal's Capital, including demons and sea region demons.
This was also why the Regent had mobilized the Eight Armies to patrol the Immortal's Capital and keep the peace. Even so, many quarrels had broken out over these past few days. After all, many amongst the Ambassadors of 10,000 Kingdoms were sworn enemies, with lifetimes of enmity between them. Although they met in the Immortal's Capital, where private feuds were forbidden, they were difficult to suppress when tempers flared.
Therefore, the various armies were extremely busy. They wanted to stop widespread unrest, plunder, and slaughter, which would plunge the Immortal's Capital into chaos.
Wu Yu looked out through a window. The Immortal's Capital was in the midst of a busy yet tense atmosphere. The Yan Huang Tribe was naturally arrogant, but the resentment from the outsiders was palpable.
Amongst them, the demons and ghostly cultivators were scarier. It was evident that even the human martial cultivators differed greatly from the Yan Huang Tribe. They had come from other immortal kingdoms.
Prince Le's carriage landed in the City of 10,000 Kingdoms directly. They appeared in the City of 10,000 Kingdoms and then headed straight for the main doors. Wu Yu scoped out the place. He noticed that it was not much worse off than the Immortal's Capital. In the current state, where about half had arrived, the atmosphere was already more charged than Yan Huang's Immortal's Capital. This showed that there were truly many experts here!
Many of them remained in their own residences in the City of 10,000 Kingdoms, but there were also those who enjoyed wandering. They did not recognize Prince Le, and so no one greeted them. Many of the people here did not recognize one another, and so there was a distant vibe to the City of 10,000 Kingdoms.
The City of 10,000 Kingdoms was covered in blocks of residences. There were thousands of blocks, and some of the residences were very huge. It was already pre-arranged as to who would stay where.
For example, to Wu Yu's left was a board before the entrance that had "Dark North Kingdom" written on it. This was where the Dark North's ambassadors would stay. Such a huge residence probably had more than 300 palaces within. There would be plenty of excess even if each person had one to themselves.
"The City of 10,000 Kingdoms' opulence truly shows off the Yan Huang Ancient Country's power. No one in the Jambu Realm can compete."
He had read information on this before, and roughly knew how many superpowers there were in the Jambu Realm.