Chapter 28 - Ghu Clan

Although North Ghu City was called a city, it was actually much larger than most mortal nations. Measuring 50 miles from end to end, this city was similar in size to Heavenly Path Mountain, though obviously it was flat, not sloped upwards towards the centre.

Yaan was told by the old man from Danso Country that he would need currency if he wished to enter the city. Since he didn’t have any form of cultivation currency on his person, he ended up stopping off at another mortal country en route to North Ghu City.

The mortal country of Trambe was the largest in the immediate area, it was another country ruled over by a True Yuan Qi realm Qi master. Since the country was situated on the path between various places and North Ghu City, it had naturally developed into a trading hotspot for Qi masters over the years.

This country was very different compared to Danso Country. There were more Qi masters here, whilst there was little to no segregation between the ordinary citizens and the travelling Qi masters. In fact, these mortals were well acquainted with Qi masters’ powers and valuables, so they even acted as merchants themselves, trading in items that would make normal mortals from small villages drool in envy.

Yaan had no money on him, but he kept a few of the most valuable Rank 2 beast bones tucked away inside a leather satchel for the journey. Apparently these items were far more valuable compared to the merchandise that merchants in Trambe Country usually dealt with, eventually attracting the attention of the country’s King.

The King’s name was Fas, a large and boisterous man with hair covering his body. He was extremely excited to be trading with Yaan, whilst Yaan was similarly impressed by how many assets this man had accumulated over the years. It was clear that King Fas was money crazy, as was reflected in his prosperous nation, but this suited Yaan’s current needs very well.

In the end, he traded half of his Rank 2 beast bone fragments for 50 Rank 2 vital recovery pills.

Vital recovery pills and Qi recovery pills were often used as currency amongst Qi masters. The value of both types of recovery pill was approximately the same, so they could be used as money interchangeably. Since Yaan had no use for the Qi recovery pills, he thought he may as well only accept vital recovery pills.

50 Rank 2 recovery pills was worth 5,000 Rank 1 recovery pills! This could be considered a fairly large sum of money for someone at the Early True Yuan Qi realm, leaving Yaan feeling very satisfied. That said, in North Ghu City, this much money couldn’t be considered anything special.

After talking to Fas some more, Yaan ended up buying a more detailed map, and he also gained further information regarding the elusive city.

North Ghu City was actually ruled by the Ghu Clan, the central ruling power in the Ghu province. The Ghu Clan was a behemoth of a clan that had ruled over the province for countless generations. North Ghu City was only a single territory of the Ghu Clan which was used to generate revenue by selling wares to travelling Qi masters, amongst other business ventures.

Despite this being only as single property of the Ghu Clan, it was actually overseen by an Origin Soul realm Qi master! The Ghu Clan deserved their reputation as the number one organisation in the Ghu province with roots that stretched back thousands of years, they had multiple Origin Soul realm powerhouses scattered across the country!

As for the strength of the Ghu Clan leader, Fas unfortunately did not know. The only reason he knew so much about the Ghu province was owing to the constant stream of travelling Qi masters that passed through his country. However, anyone knowledgeable regarding Origin Soul realm powerhouses wouldn’t spare a glance at this small country, and they were even less likely to share their knowledge with a True Yuan Qi realm person like King Fas.

Yaan once again departed, but this time he felt less like he was fumbling his way through the world. Talking to Fas allowed him to develop a better mental picture of the Ghu province as a whole.

He travelled the remaining distance on horseback. All of the lands between the dark forest and North Ghu City were mortal lands, including villages, towns and countries. The spiritual energy here was weak and the threat of demonic beasts was low. This was normal, since beasts and Qi masters were more attracted towards areas with high spiritual energy density, the other lands would often be devoid of danger.

The time he spent riding on horseback across the mortal farmlands and villages was extremely tranquil. In fact, Yaan felt more at peace during this time than he had felt for years. The bright skies and the flourishing crops brought him a sense of familiarity that reminded him of Lightstone Village.

Even during his time cultivating in seclusion at the Heavenly Path Sect, the threat posed by the other Elders, combined with the fact that he was a demonic race member, always hung over him. One wrong move and his identity could have been discovered, bringing about an inescapable calamity.

Now though, he didn’t need to worry about those things. Yaan was determined to leave his past behind him and start anew in the main Ghu province. Really though, he just didn’t have any other choice, it’s not like he could return to the Northern mountain range at this point.

Whilst this time was very tranquil, he couldn’t deny the loneliness in his heart. Yaan had lived with this loneliness for almost all of his life though, he was used to it, more or less…

Travelling 200 miles through the dark forest would take many months, but this distance across the safe grasslands was crossed on horse in just ten short days. Yaan sold the horse for a few silver coins to a local farmer, before hiking the last few miles on foot.

North Ghu City…

The city was located on an island in the middle of a lake so large that it almost resembled an ocean. To reach the island, it was necessary to cross five miles of water even at the narrowest point. Yaan had heard that this was the only point of entry to the city, so he made his way to this place calmly, but with caution.

As he approached his destination, Yaan slowed down. He noticed that there was a huge crowd ahead, gathering around the lakeside besides a large boat.

What shocked Yaan was that out of these few thousand people, every single one of them was a Qi master! The majority were at the True Yuan Qi realm, but some Qi Gathering realm and Qi Temple realm Qi masters were also in the group. As he looked deeper in, Yaan gasped and realised that there were even Spirit Core realm Elders here!

It had been months since Yaan encountered someone with this sort of strength, but that wasn’t the only issue. Back at the sect, the Great Elders would always restrain their auras, making them more approachable and less terrifying in the eyes of the disciples. Honestly, in such an environment, it became easy to forget the majesty and terror of such a powerhouse.

These people were all strangers to one another though, they had no obligation to be so considerate. Many auras leaked outwards openly, giving off an extreme sense of pressure that didn’t allow anyone with a weaker cultivation base to approach them.

Yaan silently made his way to the back of the crowd along with the other weaker cultivators. After taking a small space for himself, he strained his ears and attempted to listen in on the surrounding conversations. He understood the importance of knowledge, so he would take any and every opportunity to gather information.

After a few minutes, he was able to confirm that this was indeed a que. As for the purpose of this que, it was for the only way of entry into the city; the boat. This was the one and only method to enter the city, attempting to enter any other way would be breaking the rules set out by the Ghu Clan. Yaan had no desire to make an enemy out of such a shockingly powerful clan.

Two hours passed by. By now, Yaan noticed that there was actually somebody standing on the boat! The pale faced man wore a grey robe and completely ignored all of the Qi masters below. Even as those Spirit Core realm Qi masters started questioning him, he showed no reaction, as if he was unable to hear their words. The man’s presence was non-existent and he wasn’t eye catching at all, making it easy to miss him altogether. However, Yaan felt a sense of danger whenever he looked at this man, giving him the feeling that this person wasn’t simple.

“Damnit, I’ve had enough of this waiting! Why do I, grand demon Luo, need to wait for a damn boat?! Hmph, I’ll just fly into the city!”

An old man who had been complaining for a while now suddenly exploded out in rage. His aura swept outwards, pushing back everyone in the vicinity. Shockingly, even the weaker Spirit Core realm Qi masters were affected! Some weaker individuals were directly thrown backwards and became seriously injured, but nobody had the heart to care about them right now.

The old man’s body started glowing with a metallic red light. The scent of blood leaked out from his body and he shot into the air, releasing a trail of red mist in his wake. When people looked closely, they were shocked to feel the auras of countless deceased Qi masters within that mist of red!

The man on the boat still showed no change in expression. That is, until the old demon flew above the waters.

Whoosh!

The grey robed man on the boat suddenly shot towards the old man, causing the old man’s eyes to widen.

“You think this old demon is afraid of you clansmen?! You all are too sheltered, die for me!”

The old man withdrew a sword from his spatial ring, then slashed downwards. That metallic red mist glowed with a brilliant light and covered the sword, then formed an illusion of a demon slicing down with his hand. Towards this illusion, the boat driver ignored it entirely, instead pointing his finger calmly at the old man.

“Extraction.” He muttered quietly.

A silver tattoo on his hand glowed brightly, then a silver net shot out from his finger and wrapped around the old man. The speed of this net was simply too fast, the old man could only struggle hopelessly. After a few seconds passed by and he was still unable to escape, a horrified look of terror surfaced within the old man’s eyes. The net then began to constrict, until blood was forced out from the old man’s pores. A second later…

BANG!

The old man’s body directly detonated into a mist of blood. Strangely, this blood didn’t travel far outwards, it was instead rapidly absorbed into the old man’s spirit core, then the spirit core drifted towards the boat driver! The core reached his finger tip, before being directly absorbed into his hand. The silver tattoo on his hand now shone with an even more splendid lustre.

The boat driver returned to the boat and stood there expressionlessly, as if all of this was only normal for him. Those who were visiting North Ghu City for the first time felt mortified, but those who understood the Ghu Clan didn’t show any change of expression. To those in the know, the only shocking point was the fact that there was actually a Spirit Core realm Qi master stupid enough to dare challenge the Ghu Clan!

“Peak Spirit Core realm! To think that the boat driver was so powerful, good job I stayed silent.” Yaan heard a Qi Temple realm middle aged man mutter as he shuddered slightly.

Yaan had never before seen such a terrifying spell as this, it was clearly extremely demonic in nature. From what he saw, he guessed that this ‘extraction’ spell could actually develop, going more powerful by absorbing the spirit cores of other Qi masters!

After witnessing a Spirit Core realm powerhouse being cut down so pitifully, the crowd began broke out into stunned whispers, discussing some things that allowed Yaan to develop a deeper understanding of the dreaded Ghu Clan.

“The Ghu Clan really deserves its reputation as a demonic clan, all of its members are so vicious, even their spells are this terrifying!”

“Hey, did you just say that the Ghu Clan is a demonic clan?! Is it really safe to enter this city? I heard that demonic Qi masters eat children and massacre people for fun!”

“Haha, I guess it’s your first time leaving your sect? Don’t worry, the Ghu Clan’s cities actually have a reputation for being very safe. The Ghu Clan may be a demonic clan, but they also engage in legitimate business.”

After overhearing this conversation, Yaan’s eyes widened. It was his first time encountering demonic cultivators aside from Rui, and it turned out that the Ghu Clan, the ruler of the entire Ghu province, was actually a demonic clan!

There was much variation between different demonic cultivators, not all of them would simply kill everyone they met. A demonic clan for example, would nurture their young via extreme methods, forcing them to fight to the death at every stage of development. This sort of harsh environment resulted in the rise of savage and powerful Qi masters amongst the survivors. A clan like this actually adhered to strict rules amongst the clansmen to ensure that the stronger members didn’t kill each other off.

It wasn’t too unusual for a demonic clan to conceive a city like North Ghu City. There was a no-violence rule within the city which everyone adhered to without exception. It was only because of this safety net that Qi masters from all wakes of life could stay in the city with peace of mind.

Despite the Ghu Clan’s reputation for destroying and pillaging other clans and sects, their cities were actually considered safe havens by many, because both demonic and orthodox cultivators would be accepted without question here. Yaan was still unsure about their position on the demonic races though, so he thought it would be best to keep this to himself.

An hour later, the boat driver finally spoke for the first time.

“Board the boat one at a time, the price for entry is one Rank 2 recovery pill.”

With such a high price just to enter the city, it was obvious how they made their money. If just the entrance toll could earn them thousands of Rank 2 recovery pills every day, then their businesses within the city must be extremely prosperous!

Yaan waited his turn, then paid the price as he boarded the boat. After finding a secluded place, he sat down silently on his own. He was being extremely cautious, since he was surrounded by so many unfamiliar powerful Qi masters. Yaan quickly understood that this caution would be essential if he wanted to survive in the Ghu province.

“Haha, little thing, come be my cultivation furnace! I’ll certainly treat you well!” A disgusting looking old man with a face full of boils approached a young girl whilst licking his lips. He had a Qi Temple cultivation whilst she was only at the True Yuan Qi realm. Many older Qi masters threw the girl looks of pity, as if her fate was already sealed…

A young man standing besides the girl suddenly jumped up and erupted with prideful anger. It was obvious just based on his extreme response that he held feelings for this girl.

“You dare attempt to take my woman in front of me?!”

“Noisy.” The disgusting old man frowned, then waved his hand casually. That wave of the hand sent out a small knife which cut through the air and directly penetrated through the man’s skull. A look of shock was plastered across his face, a look which didn’t fade away, even as he lifelessly fell backwards into the water.

Splash!

The boat driver noticed this and frowned, glancing at the old man discontentedly. Yaan thought that he would interfere and punish the disgusting old man for this, but he was wrong.

The gross old man noticed this gaze and quickly waved his hand again. The water distorted, then the man’s body shot back out. The old man stored the body in his spatial ring and smiled at the boat driver.

The boat driver looked away. It seemed that he only cared about a body being left in the surrounding waters. Whilst the city itself had a no-violence rule, he didn’t care about anything that happened outside of the city.

Many younger disciples who were leaving their sects for the first time felt mortified when they witnessed this scene. Someone was just murdered in broad daylight! Why was nobody speaking up against this injustice?! Before they could do something stupid, their Elders quickly grabbed them and whispered into their ears. One by one, they all reluctantly turned away.

Yaan also shivered slightly, strengthening his resolve to stay on guard.

The girl whom’s lover was just executed by the disgusting old man sobbed quietly, but she was too scared to move away, even as he wrapped his arm around her waist and stroked her thigh with his rash-ridden hand. Not wanting to watch this for a moment longer, Yaan moved to a different part of the boat and tried to forget about it.

The five miles of the lake were crossed quickly. They soon arrived at the only entrance gate to the city. Above the walls of the city, a faint white light could be seen if you looked closely. This light formed a dome around the entire city, it was a protective formation that prevented anyone from entering from above.

The only way in was through this arched gate, which only opened once half an hour each day.

The boat driver had them all depart from the boat, before he herded the crowd through the gate one by one. Other Qi masters could be seen travelling in the opposite direction, leaving through the gate at the same time as others entered, before proceeding to board the boat. Clearly, they were all departing from the city.

Yaan was amongst the last of those to enter. With a slam, he glanced back at the giant stone doors which shut behind him. He turned back around and took a deep breath, his eyes widening in awe as he embraced the sights of a true cultivation city.