Venerable Supreme of Myriad Dragons

Of course, Wang Mingxuan knew how formidable Shen Daoxing was. The wound on his chest was still throbbing with a dull ache. But it was precisely because he knew how formidable Shen Daoxing was that he absolutely could not let him live.

As the thought crossed his mind, Wang Mingxuan turned to look at the roof of the Cloud Ship—the one Shen Daoxing had sliced off with a single sword strike.

From the power lingering on it, he could clearly feel Elder Yuan Hua’s Aurora Sword Intent.

’Shen Daoxing had comprehended Elder Yuan Hua’s Sword Intent after seeing it only once. What terrifying talent in the Sword Dao, what a peerless prodigy! This man must not be allowed to live.’

"You lot! Get after them, now!"

Wang Mingxuan’s face darkened, his expression as ugly as it could possibly be.

Seeing Wang Mingxuan’s insistence, Jia Daifu nodded hastily. "Yes! Yes! Yes!"

But the thought of the Cloud Ships just destroyed with a single strike made his heart ache.

He didn’t want any more of his Cloud Ships destroyed, but the thought of the consequences of offending the Celestial Profound Sacred Land made him shudder.

...

After Shen Daoxing destroyed five Cloud Ships with a flick of his finger, Elder Mu piloted their Cloud Ship, turning it into a streak of light that shot across the Cloud Sea. WHOOSH! One moment it would burst through the cloud layer to fly above the sea of clouds, the next it would dive below, only to plunge back into the clouds in the blink of an eye.

Soon, Elder Mu had shaken off the pursuing Cloud Ships, leaving them so far behind not even their shadows could be seen.

Afterward, for some unknown reason, the Business Alliance Cloud Ships searching for Shen Daoxing throughout Daqi suddenly became timid and passive.

One Cloud Ship, upon encountering Shen Daoxing’s vessel, even moved aside to let them pass.

This greatly surprised Shen Daoxing and his companions.

After confirming that no Cloud Ships were trailing them, Elder Mu changed course and flew directly toward the nation of Tianze.

Shen Daoxing returned to his meditation chamber and sat down cross-legged. With a wave of his hand over his Sumeru Ring, he summoned a pile of Spirit Stones.

He immediately began to circulate the Annihilation of Ten Thousand Swords Technique. One hundred and eight of his acupoints opened wide. The crystalline Spirit Stones floated before him as a massive amount of Primordial Energy frantically surged out of them and into his body.

Time flowed on. The sun rose in the east and set in the west. A day passed.

As the first rays of morning sun entered the meditation chamber, Shen Daoxing opened his eyes. He glanced out the window and saw that the Cloud Ship had already landed.

He rose slowly and pushed open the door to see Elder Mu approaching with his cane.

"Young Master Shen, we have arrived in Tianze," Elder Mu said softly.

Shen Daoxing nodded. The two of them then went outside and disembarked from the Cloud Ship.

Shen Daoxing found Xing was already waiting down below, looking left and right as if curious about everything.

Shen Daoxing glanced around but, to his surprise, didn’t see Shangguan Yiran or Fu.

Elder Mu noticed Shen Daoxing’s confusion and said slowly, "Young Master Shen, Commandery Princess Shangguan and Fu have already left."

"Left!"

Shen Daoxing was taken aback.

Elder Mu nodded. "They disembarked from the Cloud Ship early this morning and left."

As he spoke, Elder Mu pointed to the southwest.

Shen Daoxing turned to look. He didn’t know why Shangguan Yiran had left without a word, but he figured she must have had her reasons. He didn’t dwell on it.

"Oh, right," Elder Mu added, "Commandery Princess Shangguan left this for you before she departed."

With that, Elder Mu took out a slip of paper and handed it to him.

Shen Daoxing took the paper and unfolded it. Two large words were written on it: "Qinyuan Festival."

"Qinyuan Festival!"

Shen Daoxing looked down at the note and murmured the words to himself. A flicker of understanding crossed his face. He then looked up at the scene before him: a vast, verdant grassland, where fragrant blades and lush reeds swayed.

And beyond the grassland lay a boundless swamp.

Lush green grass grew within the swamp, and its waters were clear. A gentle breeze swept over the surface, creating faint ripples.

CHIRP! CHIRP!

A bird flew in from the distance, soaring over the swamp.

Suddenly, without any warning, the bird dropped from the sky and plunged into the water below.

A dark shadow flashed across the surface of the water for an instant before diving back under.

GLUG! GLUG!

A few strings of bubbles rose to the surface. When the bird’s body floated back up, it had been reduced to a mere skeleton.

It was obvious that while the swamp looked calm and beautiful, it was actually fraught with danger.

"This is the Celestial Lake Swamp, one of the five great Forbidden Lands of the East Continent," Elder Mu said as he slowly walked forward. "It is said that the Celestial Lake Swamp is a Land of the Forsaken, cursed by an ancient Demon God. No living creature can fly over it, and it’s filled with hidden perils. A single misstep can lead to being swallowed by the entire swamp, doomed beyond recovery. To this day, only the people of Tianze know the one safe path that leads to the interior."

Shen Daoxing nodded. He understood that they hadn’t truly entered the nation of Tianze yet. The real Tianze was located within the Celestial Lake Swamp, and one needed a guide from the nation itself to enter.

However, the people of Tianze were extremely xenophobic and strongly disliked outsiders entering their country.

But no matter how xenophobic the people of Tianze were, a small nation situated in a swamp could not be completely self-sufficient. They would always need to trade with outsiders to acquire essential supplies.

Elder Mu waved his hand, storing the Cloud Ship in his Spatial Magical Artifact.

Afterward, Shen Daoxing, Elder Mu, and Xin walked along the edge of the Celestial Lake Swamp and soon discovered a small town not far away.

The three of them entered the town. It was bustling with pedestrians, far from deserted. With a casual glance, Shen Daoxing saw merchants in lavish attire walking down the street, as well as vendors hurrying along with their goods.

"This is Celestial Lake Town, the only town for hundreds of miles around," Elder Mu said, coming to Shen Daoxing’s side. "It’s also an important commercial hub for Tianze’s trade with the outside world."

...

「Meanwhile」

To the southwest of the grassland, Shangguan Yiran stood motionless, gazing toward the Celestial Lake Swamp. She remained there for a long time, lost in thought.

"Commandery Princess, why didn’t you go with Young Master Shen?" Fu, who was beside her, suddenly asked.

Shangguan Yiran’s gaze remained fixed on the far distance as she replied indifferently, "If I stay now, I’ll only be a burden to Shen Daoxing. I can’t help him with anything. In this world, I, Shangguan Yiran, am the one who helps others. There is no world in which I, Shangguan Yiran, need to rely on someone else."

"In that case, Commandery Princess, where will we go next?" Fu asked after a moment’s pause.

"To the Kunlun Continent!" Shangguan Yiran said coolly.

Fu was shocked. "Commandery Princess, the Kunlun Continent is right on the border of the Mountain Sea Region! That place is teeming with demons and monsters, making it the most dangerous of all the continents. You want to go *there*?"

"If it weren’t dangerous, I wouldn’t be going!"

Shangguan Yiran said indifferently, then looked once more toward the Celestial Lake Swamp. ’Shen Daoxing, you just wait. The next time we meet, I will be stronger than you!’

With that, Shangguan Yiran turned resolutely and walked away without a single look back.

...