Chapter 41: The Holy City

"There has never been a Battle Immortal in the heavens. If possible, perhaps I can fill this void. Who can say what the future holds?"

Discovering a brand new possibility, Qin Sheng felt as though the world was vast and boundless, waiting for him to roam.

Nine lifetimes in the mortal realm was too long; I shall fight only for the present moment!

Now, march toward the Holy City!

A day later, Qin Sheng, who was flying at high speed, suddenly came to a halt. To his left, the earth shook and mountains trembled as dust rose in clouds.

A troop riding exotic beasts galloped across the land. They charged into a village, plundering the villagers' Source and even kidnapping several young women.

"Bandits, then..."

Qin Sheng's eyes narrowed slightly. He maneuvered his rainbow light forward and landed within the village.

"Who are you?"

The leader of the bandits was a rugged, burly man. He stared at Qin Sheng, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

Qin Sheng glanced at him, using a technique to suppress his spirit and soul. The bandit, who was at the Divine Bridge realm, instantly froze in place, unable to move.

As his divine sense surged, Qin Sheng searched the man's memories, his brow furrowing deeply.

This was a band of bandits roaming the nearby territories, specializing in robbery, kidnapping, and murder.

They would also force the people of each village to search for Source to offer as tribute. If their demands could not be met, they had massacred entire villages more than once or twice.

"Truly despicable."

Qin Sheng shook his head and spat out a streak of flame, instantly incinerating all the bandits.

"Thank you, Immortal! Thank you, Immortal!"

The villagers knelt on the ground, kowtowing incessantly to Qin Sheng, while the rescued women wept with joy.

"This batch of bandits is dead, but there will always be another. You should make preparations early and try to migrate toward the territories of the righteous sects."

Qin Sheng left these words behind and then departed.

This was the Northern Region: bloodshed and chaos were eternal themes.

This place was rich in Source, a substance whose significance to cultivators was even greater than the importance of oil and gold to mortals on Earth.

Consequently, a massive number of bandits had proliferated. They swarmed across the lands of the Northern Region like locusts; as one group was wiped out, another would emerge, an endless cycle.

Some bandits were rogue cultivators, while others were backed by cultivation powers, serving as tools for them to seize Source.

Higher up, there were true Great Bandits, such as the famous Thirteen Great Bandits of the Northern Region, each of whom was a top-tier expert in the Immortal Ascension Realm.

The plunderings of the Thirteen Great Bandits were of a higher caliber. They would not target low-level mortals or small sects, but instead specifically targeted the Source stone mines of Holy Lands and Great Families.

The position of the Eastern Wasteland's Northern Region within the Ancient Star of Big Dipper was extremely unique. Not only were the Holy Lands and Great Families of the Eastern Wasteland present, but the empires of the Central Continent and the Golden Families of the Northern Plains had also established themselves here.

The chaos and complexity of the situation here were the most extreme on the Ancient Star of Big Dipper.

Later, on the road to the Holy City, Qin Sheng did not hesitate to act whenever he encountered bandits committing evil deeds.

Finally, after traversing a vast distance, Qin Sheng arrived at his destination.

The Holy City, the center of the Northern Region, was built upon an oasis spanning tens of thousands of miles. It was revered by the people of the Northern Region as divine land.

Not only was this place prosperous, but it was also safe. Even the Great Bandits would not come here to plunder, as all the famous orthodoxies of the Big Dipper were gathered in the Holy City.

No matter how ferocious a Great Bandit was, they would not dare to offend everyone.

The city was magnificent beyond compare, with boundless walls like a crouching giant beast. Spiritual energy overflowed in the surroundings, a complete contrast to the desolation of the rest of the Northern Region.

"We've finally reached the Holy City!"

"Heavens, it's so majestic. It's countless times larger than our village."

"I heard the Holy City, also called the Divine City, was once a floating city in the distant past, and only fell to the ground during the Desolate Ancient Era."

Amidst the gasps of admiration from the crowd, Qin Sheng walked into the Holy City. The interior was even more prosperous, with continuous palaces that felt like entering a fairyland.

Walking through the crowds and admiring the scenery, Qin Sheng thought to himself

"I wonder if that unscrupulous Taoist has made any progress."

His meeting place with Duan De had been set in the Holy City.

Originally, Qin Sheng had told Duan De to go directly to the Yaoguang Holy Land to find him, but that fat man didn't dare to go and refused adamantly.

Duan De was afraid that once he arrived at Yaoguang, Qin Sheng would call upon his elders to perform a "business without capital" scheme, keeping both the Dao Fate Mother Stone and his several hundred pounds of flesh...

Qin Sheng could only say that the unscrupulous Taoist was purely judging a gentleman by the standards of a petty man. Was he really the type of person to pull a scam on his own associates?

What a pity...

The Yaoguang Holy Land had its own residence within the Holy City. After identifying himself, Qin Sheng checked in directly.

He asked the disciple on duty if anyone had come looking for him, but no one had arrived during this period.

What was Duan De up to?

The Holy City was prosperous, and this was Qin Sheng's first time here, so he planned to take a stroll.

However, shortly after Qin Sheng left the Yaoguang residence, someone began tailing him, quickly closing the distance.

Qin Sheng glanced back, and a familiar fat face came into view, constantly winking at him before turning to leave.

Qin Sheng roughly understood Duan De's intention and followed him. Eventually, the two arrived at a quiet, deserted lakeside.

"You people are truly interesting, always meeting in places like this," Qin Sheng joked.

"I'm not like you, a disciple of a Holy Land. I have no backing, so it's better to be careful."

Duan De stared at Qin Sheng and asked, "Where is the thing I want?"

"You might not have brought the thing I want either."

The two locked eyes, and finally, Duan De put on a sycophantic smile.

"Brother Qin!"

"Stop right there. You are not my brother."

"Didn't we say before that we would become sworn brothers by slaughtering a chicken and burning yellow paper?"

"The past is the past, and the present is the present. Since you like bringing up the past so much, why don't you mention our previous lives?"

Duan De was furious; this kid truly had no respect for his elders.

"I brought the stuff," he said in a low voice.

Qin Sheng's face instantly broke into a wide, enthusiastic smile

"Good brother! I knew I hadn't misjudged you!"

Duan De's eyes widened. *Am I your brother again now?*

*I have never met such a shameless person in my life!*

"Let's see yours."

"This place isn't quite suitable. How about we find a place where we won't be disturbed to admire each other's goods?"

Duan De whispered, "The treasures are precious. This is the Holy City; there are countless powerful beings here. If we are discovered by some peerless expert, neither of us will have a good time."

Qin Sheng thought about it and realized Duan De had a point.

The Holy City was a place of hidden dragons and crouching tigers. If you threw a brick randomly into the street, the person it hit would either be a Daoist Son of a Great Sect or a direct descendant of a Great Family.

An old man you bumped into on the street might be a Supreme Elder of some Holy Land.

The "passersby" in the Holy City were especially terrifying—they were almost omniscient. Trading here was indeed unsafe.

"Let's split up and leave the city," Qin Sheng said.

The two left the Holy City one after the other, and only reunited after they had moved far away from the eternal city.

Duan De had a bright smile. "Immortal Qin, I know an extremely hidden place where we definitely won't be disturbed. Shall we go there to trade?"

"Fellow Daoist."

Qin Sheng gave a hollow smile. "You aren't being very sincere."

"You didn't dare go to the Yaoguang Holy Land; do you think I'd dare go to your territory?"

"Nonsense! I am trading in good faith!" Duan De declared passionately.

"With my character, what is there to doubt? My name, Duan De, is my brand!"

*It's precisely because I know your character, Duan De, that I don't dare believe you.*

Qin Sheng was certain that the "hidden place" Duan De mentioned must already be covered by a web of traps. Once he went there...

It might not cost him his life, but his wealth would certainly be plundered clean by this unscrupulous Taoist.

In the world of Shrouding the Heavens, believing Duan De was no better than believing in a dog.

No, wait—you couldn't even trust the dogs in this world!