Adam, Iris and Chase quickly followed behind John, their calm expressions revealing they had been expecting such an outcome.
The stunned group of youths watched the four enter the city and eventually vanish from sight. They stood there for a moment, unable to believe what had just happened. Only the Heavenly Lightning Sect youths were not completely stunned. They had seen John’s brutality against Lyeon, who was his own sect member, so his actions against those from other sects were not unexpected.
However, the speed at which he had dispatched his opponents was unexpected, even to those who knew a bit of his strength.
“Who the hell was that?” one of the youths turned to ask one of the Heavenly Lightning Sect youths.
“That’s one of our three Generals, John Fenix!” the girl who had spoken with John before replied proudly.
“John Fenix? The one on the Jade Dragon List?” one of the other youths exclaimed in shock. While not all of them had a Jade Dragon List jade piece, discussions of the list had been spread far and wide..
Cultivators had incredible memories, and so everyone was easily able to memorize all five hundred names quite quickly. John’s name had especially made a splash, as his ranking was subject to much debate due to his cultivation. Many thought the Heaven Scrying Sect had gone mad, while those who had seen John’s strength testified to his ranking.
There were well over fifty thousand youths within the Jade Dragon Empire Lands, while the Jade Dragon List only included the strongest five hundred youths. These youths were within the top one percent of all those within the realm, and just being placed on the list was enough to awe most of the other disciples.
John had been ranked in the two hundreds at one time, further testifying to his strength. They hardly ever saw such strong geniuses, and John’s situation was even more unique due to his low cultivation.
“It’s actually him?” another exclaimed, but after a moment couldn’t help but accept it as truth.
“I guess his ranking on the Jade Dragon List was not mistaken. How terrifying was that?” another blurted out, both shock and reverence audible in their voice.
Heated discussions broke out amongst the group, while many excited questions were asked of the several Heavenly Lightning Sect youths. The girl who had spoken to John felt like a celebrity, and could not help but beam in happiness, as her sect and member of her sect was being spoken of in such high regard at the moment.
“That was quite brutal,” Iris said to John as she caught up, “but I one hundred percent agree with your actions. Those bastards deserved such a fate for cheating their own alliance members.”
“Aren’t you concerned about what that girl said though?” Adam asked as he walked beside John.
“About the top twenty ranked assassin of that guild?” John asked.
Adam nodded his head at John’s words, causing John to giggle slightly. Adam knew John was strong, but strength did not do much when it came to surviving assassinations. Only incredible instincts were able to save one from such attacks, which made assassins highly feared.
“If they scurry to their leader and he takes action, he’ll suffer a worse fate than them. They were only extorting money, not trying to kill anyone. If that youth tries anything against me, it’ll be the last time he does anything,” John replied calmly yet confidently.
He had supreme trust in his instincts, as his soul power was very strong, which strengthened his divine sense to detect minute details. Not only that, but his Immortal Asura Body also seemed to heighten his instincts, as it had warned him in the past of surprise attacks.
“We’re in the city now,” Chase chimed up, “so what should we do now?”
“We need to gather some information first,” John replied as he continued to walk deeper into the ancient city. A main road dozens of yards wide carved straight through the heart of the city, while side roads branched out every so often.
The roads were lined with various buildings, some tall and some short. It gave the city a unique look, but the most surprising thing to the group was the pristine nature of the buildings. Despite the passage of over one hundred thousand years, the buildings still appeared fresh and new. It was a testament to the quality of the building materials, and craftsmanship skill of those who had constructed them.
As they ventured deeper into the city, the buildings became larger and grander, while the amount of youths venturing about grew as well. Before long, the city became quite boisterous, as if it were no different than a normal city. Youths tried to sell their wares on the streets, while the group spotted several taverns occupied and selling food and drinks.
Pills halls, formation halls, and other various professions had been established by various groups trying to make some money. John found the entire situation quite interesting, as he could tell that these youths were not focused on progressing forward at the fastest pace they could.
‘I wonder why some have decided to set up camp here,’ John mused as he searched for something. Eventually, he decided to stop someone on the streets to ask for directions.
“Do you know if I can find anyone from the Heaven Scrying Sect in the city?” John asked the youth, who was an amiable looking girl with long brown hair. She wore a light green dress, making her look quite cute and friendly. She gave off a natural air of vibrancy and life, making it clear that she specialized in healing arts.
John needed information regarding the realm, and the ones who knew the realm the best at the moment were those belonging to the Heaven Scrying Sect.
“Sure,” the girl replied with a cheery smile, more than happy to help someone out. She turned and pointed down the main road, deeper into the city. “They’re about half a mile down this road, on the right. They’ve established a headquarters in a building and put their sect sigil outside. You can’t miss it.”
“Thanks!” John replied warmly, appreciative of the help.
The group followed the girl’s directions, and soon arrived where she had mentioned. John spotted the Heaven Scrying Sect’s sigil placed outside the building, which was several stories tall and one of the more luxurious buildings in the city. The walls were pure pristine shades of jade, while gold ornaments lined the outside.
The entrance of the building had youths entering and leaving constantly, most likely to acquire information or the jade maps and lists the sect sold. John and the rest entered the building as well, and arrived in an expansive lobby. Ornate furniture was laid about, while many groups of youths were discussing various matters with members of the Heaven Scrying Sect.
A member of the Heaven Scrying Sect noted their arrival, and John could tell that the youths eyes shimmered for a moment, as if he recognized who John was. The youth had a bald head, and wore a rosary necklace, making him look quite holy and monk-like.
“How may I help you?” the youth asked as he arrived before the group.
“I’m here to gather some information about this realm, and potentially buy a map or two,” John replied, clearly stating his business.
“It would be my pleasure to help one on the Jade Dragon List,” the youth replied warmly, causing John to raise an eyebrow at his response. It seemed as though his identity was already fully known to all those within the Heaven Scrying Sect.