The Cry of the Nine Provinces

The three skeletons had reported the great events of the recent times to the yellow-diamond skeleton before them with solemn attention.

The Hundred Races had emerged together, and the power structure of the Nine Provinces had been completely overturned. Although none of the races had acted against ordinary people, they showed no mercy to human cultivators. The Yasha King, for instance, had already begun slaughtering human experts.

Moreover, the elites of the Hundred Races clashed in ceaseless great battles, and human cultivators were beaten so badly they could not lift their heads. Many had begun to choose to submit to the kings of the various races.

Mankind seemed to be beginning its decline...

From a broad perspective, the cultivation world was about to welcome a golden age. With the Hundred Races emerging together and the peak kings battling, the most brilliant sparks would inevitably collide—golden blood, physical bodies, soul power, divine sources, peerless divine abilities, the most powerful battles... The kings of each race would awaken one after another, undoubtedly forging a glorious era that would shine through the ages.

But this era, it seemed, did not belong to mankind. All signs indicated that humanity was about to become a mere supporting role in heaven and earth—or perhaps something even worse would occur.

When the three skeletons accompanied a yellow-diamond skeleton into Chang'an City, although it did not cause panic, it still drew sidelong glances from time to time.

"Do you have a way to let me blend in among humans without being detected?" Xiao Chen thought back to the shed skins the Devil had once given King Qinguang, King Yanluo, and King Samsara, allowing them to pass among human society.

The three skeletons showed great reverence for Xiao Chen, who possessed a yellow-diamond bone body. They took even his casual request very seriously and soon found a solution. One of the skeletons said, "I'll go peel off a human skin."

Seeing how easily they spoke of life and death as if they were mere grass, Xiao Chen's heart grew heavy. If humanity truly fell, they would likely end up being enslaved like livestock.

"Go forge me a set of cold-iron battle armor, and then prepare me some suitable clothes," he said. He could not bring himself to disguise himself with human skin, so he had to settle for the next best thing—concealing his bone frame entirely with clothing.

A day later, Xiao Chen donned a suit of gleaming iron armor. Even his head was covered by a helmet. Over that, he wore human-made cloth garments.

The iron armor served as the equivalent of flesh and blood, giving his body a "full" appearance and blocking the radiance of his yellow-diamond bones. Draping the cloth over it could roughly conceal his true form.

However, with the iron helmet on his head, he looked quite peculiar. In the end, he added a long cloak and a wide-brimmed hat with a black veil hanging down.

Although it was obvious that he was deliberately concealing his true appearance, that was exactly what he wanted. He only wished to avoid being constantly seen as a radiant yellow-diamond skeleton.

Now that he had reached the ultimate level of the yellow-diamond realm, Xiao Chen could even stay in this world for extended periods after solidifying from emptiness into reality. His control over soul power grew ever more effortless, and with a casual thought, he erased all memory of him from the three skeletons before parting ways with them.

The moonlight shone like water. Chang'an City had condensed the imperial qi of a thousand years. Beneath the pure, white moonlight, wisps of purple mist swirled upward, and in the hazy air, a dragon shadow was faintly visible, coiling and dancing.

Xiao Chen stood atop a tall building in Chang'an. After several attempts, he channeled the essence of heaven and earth over—and found that he could slowly refine and absorb it.

This was a major breakthrough. After his metamorphosis to the ultimate yellow-diamond realm, he could actually refine spiritual energy within the Nine Provinces. This meant that he could now train across the boundaries of worlds!

The bright moon hung high in the sky, spilling its pure white radiance. The entire city of Chang'an seemed to be draped in a sacred veil.

On this tranquil night, Xiao Chen stood atop the tall building, continuously channeling the essence of heaven and earth into his body. The moonlight was the most clearly visible among them; specks of moonlight converged like a thin stream sliding through the sky.

Before long, Xiao Chen was surrounded by spiritual energy and gathered moonlight, gradually forming a milky-white sacred light curtain that enveloped him within.

It felt like a return to the old days—he could once again use the essence of heaven and earth to refine his soul power and bone body.

When the first rays of morning light arrived from the east, Xiao Chen was astonished to find that after solidifying from emptiness into reality for half the night, spending that much time, he had not been pulled back to the World of the Dead. Could it be that the time limit only applied during battle? And that this kind of cultivation, gathering the essence of heaven and earth, was not affected?

He continued to cultivate quietly in his room until midday before pushing open the door and stepping out.

If he wanted to learn more, the best place to go was naturally somewhere with many people. The famous establishment of Chang'an—Rain and Mist Tower—was undoubtedly the best choice for this purpose.

Many famous people gathered here. The walls were covered with poems and fine verses left by poets and scholars, truly making it the number-one tower of Chang'an.

Especially in the past twenty years, since the Nine Provinces had been unsealed and experts from the Four Worlds had entered the mortal realm, unfathomably powerful individuals had left sword marks here, attracting many cultivators who came to see them.

Over the years, many experts had left their marks here, dueling each other in this place. Thus, it was not only a refined gathering place for scholars but also a battlefield for supreme experts, making Rain and Mist Tower even more famous. Its reputation had spread to every corner of the Nine Provinces, and it had become the fourth most famous tower in the world.

Moreover, in the past year or two, since the Hundred Races had emerged into the world, kings of foreign races had heard of this tower and left their own terrifying marks here, pushing Rain and Mist Tower into contention for the top three in the world. It was truly a place where winds and clouds gathered.

When Xiao Chen walked up to Rain and Mist Tower, he immediately sensed several powerful divine thoughts probing him. Only top-tier experts could achieve this. This place was indeed extraordinary.

The divine thoughts flickered and vanished, disappearing as quickly as they had come.

Xiao Chen walked straight up to the seventh floor and chose a seat by the window. He ordered a pot of Ice Orchid Tea. Although it was a famous tea, he could only pretend—he could not actually drink it.

All the private rooms had already been reserved. Even the scattered seats outside were almost full. Lately, fewer poets and scholars who enjoyed composing poems and painting had been coming, while the number of cultivators was increasing. This was because the cultivation world was surging with wind and clouds.

At high noon, every floor of Rain and Mist Tower was full. The guests clinked their cups and talked about the past and present, the atmosphere extremely lively.

Xiao Chen sat alone at a table. He could sense that nearly ninety percent of the people here were cultivators. Among them were extremely powerful, unfathomable experts.

"To think that our Nine Provinces, a land of exceptional human talent, are now being beaten so badly by foreign experts that we cannot lift our heads. It's so frustrating..."

"Old Xu, say a little less," someone beside him advised. "Be careful about troublemaking with your words."

"Afraid of what? Everything I'm saying is the truth! Last night, the Yasha King went on a killing spree in Yuzhou again. In one night, he butchered twenty-three experts, and not a single one could last three moves against him. It's maddening!" Old Xu seemed very agitated. His disheveled hair covered his cheeks as he kept pouring wine into his mouth.

"Old Xu, don't say any more. If a foreign expert hears you, we'll be in big trouble." His companion kept urging him not to cause trouble.

"My heart is so bitter. Why is this happening? Are those foreign kings really so powerful? Can't our human race find a single cultivator who can last three moves against them?!"

"The reality is this cruel. Many human cultivators have already submitted to the foreign kings. This is a golden age of kings, Old Xu. Don't say any more." His companion was about to pull him out of Rain and Mist Tower.

"Golden age... Songs of a golden age! Whose golden age is this? In a world where the weak are prey, where is the true standing ground for humans? Jackals and wolves are on the road, beasts sit high in the halls—these are the foreign experts! Golden age... It's theirs... It's the golden age of all those beast kings!"

"Old Xu, you've had too much to drink. Let's go." His companion forcibly supported him, trying to get him out of there as quickly as possible.

"Stop!" The door to a nearby private room was pushed open. A tall cultivator stepped out, apparently a guard. He blocked the stairs and shouted, "How dare you spout nonsense here! You deserve death!"

"What nonsense am I spouting? Everything I said is true!" The drunken Old Xu swayed unsteadily. His companion quickly grabbed him and kept signaling him not to act on impulse.

"How dare you! You still have the nerve to argue?! What is this 'jackals and wolves on the road, beasts sitting high in the halls'? You insolent madman, spreading lies and slandering state affairs! Executing you by the harshest method would not be enough!"

"Haha... Are the things I said not true?" Old Xu laughed loudly, swaying as he pointed at the guard before him. "Are you, by any chance, one of those beasts?"

"How dare you! I am a guard of the Grand Prince. I now pronounce your death!" With that, the guard spat out a bolt of lightning.

Unexpectedly, the disheveled Old Xu dodged it with surprising agility and laughed as he pointed toward the private room. "So I was right after all! The Grand Prince, whom the Empress has adopted as her son, isn't he the eldest son of the Nine-Headed Divine Serpent? What did I say wrong? It's because beasts like you are running rampant that this world has become such a filthy mess!"

"Old Xu, what are you saying?!" His companion quickly covered his mouth and tried to apologize to the guard who had emerged from the private room, hoping to slip away and go downstairs.

"Since you've already said it, do you think you can just walk away?!" Seven or eight powerful guards rushed out of the private room, surrounding Old Xu and his companion.

Everyone upstairs turned their eyes toward the scene.

Old Xu hugged a jar of wine and pointed at the guards. "If you have any guts, go fight the kings of the Hundred Races! You're nothing but cowards who borrow the tiger's might to intimidate others!"

Enraged, the guards unleashed their various techniques, sending streaks of light toward Old Xu. However, Old Xu managed to block them all.

"Hmph."

A heavy snort came from inside the private room. A silver beam shot out, struck Old Xu, and sent him crashing to the ground.

"The Grand Prince is mighty!" the guards cheered in unison.

"Your Highness, how shall we deal with him?"

"Take him out and behead him," came a cold voice from inside the room.

"Your Highness, please show mercy! Spare him!" Old Xu's friend, who had not fled, rushed over to plead for mercy.

A silver beam shot out and struck him down as well.

"Take them away!" The Grand Prince's cold voice was laced with irritation.

"Such authority! Even more impressive than your father, the Nine-Headed Divine Serpent!" Someone in the tavern could not stand it any longer. A voice came from somewhere, deliberately making it impossible to trace the source.

"Who is it?! Come out!" one of the guards barked.

"I'm just an ordinary man of the Nine Provinces. I can't stand your behavior. If you have any guts, go show your authority to the Yasha King! Go and contend with the kings of the War Clan! Go and shout at the golden-blooded awakeners of the Giant Clan! All you can do is bully fellow humans. What else are you capable of?!"

A streak of purple light swept out, instantly knocking the seven or eight guards flying. Then it brushed past Old Xu and his companion, restoring their ability to move.

Another cold snort rang out. Grand Prince Xuchang stepped out of the private room, scanning the area before fixing his gaze on a young man. "I knew it was you who struck just now. Since that's the case, come out openly if you dare."

"As if I'm afraid of you!" The young man he had pointed at stood up. "Your father was quite the impressive figure in his day, but after the Hundred Races emerged, he chose to lie low. Yet you still act so arrogantly. I wonder what you're relying on. Or perhaps you only dare to oppress our own race?"

The Grand Prince said nothing more and struck directly. Silver light and purple light crackled in an instant, but the area of effect was very narrow—his control was good, and not a single table or chair was damaged. They clashed with lightning speed.

In the end, both grunted and retreated, though the Grand Prince ended up retreating two more steps, clearly at a disadvantage.

Just then, the door to another private room was pushed open. Laughter filled with cold contempt rang out. "So, someone here is dissatisfied with my Yasha clan..."

Everyone was greatly alarmed. It turned out to be two experts of the Yasha clan. They stared at Old Xu and the young man who had fought the Grand Prince. "Since you're so full of hot blood, let's cut open your bodies and see if your blood is any different."

The Grand Prince stepped back. The two Yasha clansmen stepped forward, approaching Old Xu and the young man.

"Aren't those the Yasha clan?"

"The dignified Grand Prince retreats in front of the Yasha clan. Where has all his earlier authority gone? How ironic!"

"The Yasha clan is too hateful! They are incredibly arrogant!"

...

One of the Yasha clansmen pointed a finger, and the young man immediately spat blood and flew backward, crashing to the ground.

The crowd was furious, but no one dared to step forward.

"How pitiful, how lamentable..." Old Xu stepped in front of the young man, blocking the two Yasha clansmen. "If you have any courage, go walk once along the Eastern Sea! The stone statue of my race's former hero is enough to level all of you!"

His friend quickly grabbed him, signaling him to stop talking.

"Don't hold me back! I'm not leaving! My heart is suffocating! I just want to speak my mind here!" He broke free and staggered, pouring wine into his mouth as he spoke. "The majestic Nine Provinces cannot command the respect of the four directions, but instead invite the humiliation of foreign races! I could scream with rage... I could howl at the sky..." Old Xu's hair was wild and disheveled. He lifted the wine jar and poured it into his mouth, then hurled it to the ground with all his strength. "If you want to kill me, then kill me!"

The Yasha clansmen were about to act when, at that moment, a golden light swept across. The two Yasha clansmen immediately spewed blood and were thrown back into their private room.

"The power of the soul!"

"An incredibly powerful, terrifying force!"

Everyone present had sensed an unparalleled, surging wave that rolled through like an ocean. Faintly, they seemed to hear a subtle, vibrating "Weng" sound.

But no one knew who had acted.

At that moment, the door to another private room was pushed open. A young man with golden hair and golden eyes swept his gaze over the crowd outside. "Interesting..."

"That seems to be... a king of the Sacred Dragon clan!"

"It is him! I once saw him do battle with a Martial War-Soul!"

The crowd trembled with fear.

Just then, the door to yet another private room was pushed open.

When the crowd saw who was inside, some drew in sharp breaths.

"That is one of the War Kings from the four royal bloodlines of the War Clan..."

At the same time, the doors of several more private rooms were pushed open.