CHAPTER 178: 177 - WHITE PEAK

Despite being governed by one of the nine great sects, the city of the White Peak was relatively small in the Nine Peaks basin.

With just over one million inhabitants, it was much smaller even than the capital of the Kingdom of the Golden Sun.

But its modest size didn’t mean it was weak.

Thick walls over fifty meters high protected it, covered in spiritual arrays so powerful that all the spirit crystals in the outer region of the Blue Moon Continent would barely be able to keep them active for a single moment.

Although it wasn’t coastal, the city had a large port where dozens of flying ships docked and departed every few minutes.

On the horizon, the high mountain ranges that separated the Nine Peaks basin from the rest of the continent rose majestically many tens of kilometers high.

This was the major city closest to the outer region of the continent.

Qingyi disembarked from the Ascending Dragon Sect’s flying ship, observing the world around him with interest.

The first difference he sensed was the density of Qi, dozens of times greater than even the best cultivation halls in the outer region of the Blue Moon Continent.

But that was only a fraction of the difference.

The skies seemed to be higher, and the rare flying ships were so common here that the sect’s mighty vessel was the smallest and humblest of all in the harbor.

In the streets beyond the port and the wall, cultivators from the Iron Body Realm and the Burning Blood Realm walked among mortals as if they were ordinary figures.

It was a little strange to be back at the bottom of the cultivation path food chain, but Qingyi just shook his head.

He soon felt long, delicate fingers intertwine with his own.

It was Qingxue, with her silver hair elegantly tied up and her cheeks tinged with a pale blush.

"Are you anxious?" Qingyi asked.

"A little," Qingxue nodded softly, moving even closer to him.

It had been many years since she had felt so vulnerable.

"I am too," Qingyi returned the squeeze on her hand, "but it’s necessary if we want to deal with that damned Lei family."

"I know..." Qingxue replied, her cold, serene eyes filled with determination.

Without further hesitation, they both left the port and entered the wide main street of White Peak City.

It was a truly dazzling place, with streets of pure marble and stalls where the meat of beasts from the Burning Blood Realm and even the Crystalline Core Realm was displayed as if they were ordinary animals.

Many curious eyes immediately fell on them, as if they were watching country bumpkins arriving in town.

But when they noticed Qingxue’s ethereal beauty, these gazes quickly changed to envy directed at Qingyi and desire directed at her.

The beautiful couple just ignored these reactions as they went deeper into the city.

"Get that brat!" A thunderous voice rang out, followed by the powerful Qi of the Burning Blood Realm exploding uncontrollably.

A little girl with black hair and watery eyes emerged from the crowd.

Her poor clothes were dirty and disheveled while her bare feet tapped hurriedly against the ground.

Shuddering at the shouts behind her, she kept running, deftly dodging the cultivators who filled the street.

Suddenly, a painful cry escaped her lips as her foot sank into a shard of glass, the skin tearing as she fell to the ground.

She surrendered completely to crying as she was overcome with pain.

"You little bitch!" A burly figure leapt through the sky, falling heavily next to the girl.

The lard on his belly swung wildly as his bald head glistened in the sunlight.

"I paid for you and you will serve me!" He threw a punch in her direction, even without using Qi, it was still a devastating blow for a child.

The little girl cringed with her eyes closed, waiting for an impact that never came.

When she opened them again, she saw a young man standing in front of her, holding the balled-up man’s fist.

"Who the hell are you? How dare you challenge the great Bao?" The fat man questioned, but soon realized something alarming.

No matter how hard he tried, he simply couldn’t free his hand from Qingyi’s grip.

"I don’t like playing the hero," Qingyi said, his eyes filled with murderous intent, "but I always make exceptions."

Despite his Burning Blood Realm cultivation, Bao was barely able to react when Qingyi’s fist hit his face.

Blood exploded as his nose was smashed, his teeth broken and the bones in his jaw reduced to dust in the face of Qingyi’s sheer physical strength.

Many curious looks landed on Qingyi as the powerful body fell to the ground, but he ignored them, focusing on the little girl who was already being tended to by Qingxue.

"Swallow this," Qingxue said softly, popping a healing pill into the child’s mouth before grabbing the shard of glass in her foot.

Ignoring the girl’s pained cry, she pulled hard.

"Ouch, that hurts!" The girl whimpered, her face soaked with tears as her small body arched.

"It’ll pass..." Qingxue said with a gentle smile.

In the next moment, the pain the girl had been feeling ceased, replaced by an expression of relief as the wound on her foot closed in an instant.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t enjoy the feeling for long.

As she stood up, she saw Bao’s fallen body and her whole body shuddered as she turned to Qingxue and Qingyi.

"Uncle, pretty aunt, I thank you for helping little Yao, but you need to run. He’s the brother of the leader of the Blue Crow Gang, they’ll hurt you if they find out you helped me escape from him!"

She took a shaky step towards a dark alley.

"Please follow me! I promise to pay for your help!" The little girl spoke before starting to run.

Qingyi and Qingxue only exchanged glances for a few moments before also following the girl.

The people on the street soon stopped paying attention, moving on with their lives.

The Blue Crow Gang was just a small organization whose leader was at the beginning of the Crystalline Core Realm, barely comparable to an inner disciple of one of the big sects in the region.