Chapter 406: Chapter 407: Is This the Holy City?
 

Cai Kunxu left with a group of cultivators, cursing and swearing loudly.

The cultivators of the third battlefield all had ugly expressions, because even without listening, they knew that the other party was mocking them as bumpkins, despising their place for having nothing.

The third battlefield was also considered a major force, but when had they ever been ridiculed like this? However, looking at the string of Huazi that the others were holding, the words that came to their lips were forcefully swallowed back down.

There was no helping it, the others were truly wealthy, with Huazi counted by the pack. In comparison, their side really did seem a bit poor.

But this also piqued the curiosity of the cultivators even more. What exactly was in the Holy City that could so enrapture Cai Kunxu’s subordinates?

Xiong Da directed the cultivators on the battlefield to quickly transport the wounded and reinforce the defense line, and whether it was because of the Huazi or not, the battlefield did not see the appearance of Flesh Mountain again.

Deep in the borderlands, the advance of Flesh Mountain seemed to have slowed down, showing no signs of swarming forward.

This indeed made the cultivators heave a sigh of relief; if another wave of Flesh Mountain were to come, the City Lord would really have to personally take to the battlefield and guard each battlefield alone.

A night passed without incident, peacefully.

The next morning.

In front of the Holy City, three figures stood tall.

Gazing at the scene before them, Xiong Da and the others were flabbergasted. At the city gate now, there was a sea of people; cultivators were coming and going shoulder to shoulder. Where was the desolation of the previous few days?

At the steps before the gate, it was still Sky Blade Song Que guarding the city entrance, incessantly questioning the purposes of the cultivators entering the city.

“Is…is this really the Holy City?”

“What’s going on? It’s only been a few short days, why has the flow of people inside the Holy City become so massive?”

“Compared to a few days ago, it’s like heaven and earth apart!”

“What exactly is in the city that’s attracting such a multitude of cultivators to flock here!”

Elder Ji and Dry Flame Saint Child were astonished. Just the other day when they had come, it was still a dilapidated city with little vitality, so how had it suddenly become such a bustling place?

“We’ll know once we go in.”

Xiong Da didn’t pay attention to their astonishment and led the way into the city, feeling a bit nervous in his heart. Betraying your team always brings a bit of uneasiness, especially when you do it right in front of them. It felt a bit unnatural; it was better to wrap things up quickly and bring them before Li Xiaobai.

Sky Blade Song Que had known about Li Xiaobai’s plan since morning. Seeing Xiong Da and Dry Flame Saint Child and others, he instantly understood what was happening.

Formally as ever, he questioned, “What is the purpose of your visit to the city?”

“City Lord Yang invited us. We’ve already informed City Lord Cai Kunxu yesterday,” Elder Ji hastily said, remembering the terror of Blade Domain from the other day. The guard at the gate was insanely strong, no small matter.

“Alright, go in,” Song Que said, not making things difficult for them, letting the three into the city almost as a matter of routine. A hint of a smile flashed in his eyes. The moment he had been waiting for was finally here; the groundwork laid by Li Xiaobai was now beginning to exert its force.

This was a classic case of a point breaking through the surface, using the Holy City as the center to continuously expand the sphere of influence, incorporating the powers of various battlefields by exporting goods.

“Thank you.”

Xiong Da and the other two filed in, quickly entering the city, eager to see what exactly had happened inside the Holy City.

Among those who entered were also many cultivators from the third battlefield who had rushed over privately, drawn by the irresistible attraction of the Huazi and determined to obtain it as soon as possible.

Xiong Da tacitly approved of this and did not say much. The effectiveness of Huazi on the battlefield was clear to all. If the third battlefield could also be equipped with it, there would naturally be no more concerns about safety.

The bustling interior of the city was a sight to behold, with stores everywhere sporting long lines out front.

The signs above the shops read “Quality Merchandise” and “Tangneng First-class” among other things.

Cultivators were frantically vying for bags of Huazi, leaving people like Xiong Da utterly dumbstruck. So this is how Holy City attracted such massive foot traffic—by luring them with products, creating a sense of dependency and consequently spurring the surrounding economic development.

Without Li Xiaobai’s supply of goods, this would have been impossible.

At the same time, inside a Tangneng First-class establishment.

Cultivators from the third battlefield tentatively stepped onto this Pure Land, where the air was filled with a mix of the sweet fragrance of Huazi and the steamy mists emanating from the bathhouse.

A young girl clad in a bathrobe approached, her shoulders glistening and a few droplets of water trickling down her damp hair.

“Welcome, how long would you like to soak?”

“One… two hours!”

“Oh no, the whole day—I want to stay all day!”

“I’m going to live here!”

The cultivators showed their lecherous sides, all chorusing in unison.

“Here we go, newbies again. I feel like Young Master Li’s places are running out of space to expand. We need to build more, or else we’ll have to book several days in advance just to take a bath.”

“You’re telling me, but my cultivation level has been skyrocketing lately. Give it a few more days, and I’ll break through to the next realm.”

“Hehe, I’m almost there too!”

In the bathhouse, a group of cultivators, observing the newcomers, chattered away, and several of them stood up in the pool to casually flaunt their physique in an attempt to catch the eye of the beauty.

The cultivators from the third battlefield were flabbergasted. Were all cultivators in the Holy City so well-built, as if they had all practiced Body Refining Techniques?

In comparison, their own bellies full of fat seemed rather embarrassing.

“Cough cough, let’s not undress then, just soak directly in.”

Several cultivators, their faces a mix of embarrassment, entered the water and looked around awkwardly, experiencing such a scene for the first time, feeling very peculiar indeed.

“Hehe, the newcomers are always like this. Don’t be so nervous; you’ll get used to it after a while. There are many delightful aspects to Tangneng First-class,” said an old man in the bathhouse, looking at these third battlefield cultivators as if they were a reflection of his former self.

But no worries, now they too had successfully developed eight-pack abs and had earned the right to strip down confidently.

“Hmm, thanks fellow Daoist,” replied the cultivators, still embarrassed, stiffly leaning against the edge, quietly feeling the temperature of the water. But soon, they realized something was amiss.

No sooner had their bodies touched the water than the Spiritual Power in their Dantians began to increase slowly. Just a few breaths’ time, and the Spiritual Power inside them had grown slightly stronger.

“This bathhouse can enhance cultivation levels!”

“I’ve only soaked for a bit, and my Spiritual Power has already grown!”

“And I’m a master at the Transcendance Tribulation Stage!”

The cultivators voiced their astonishment, their exclamations echoing through the three-story building.

The surrounding bathers seemed to consider this a normal occurrence, nonchalantly saying, “It’s nothing big, no need to get so excited…”