Chapter 843: Being a Stranger in a Foreign Land

Xu Qing wasn't entirely sure how delicious the ferocious beasts of the Shanhai Domain truly were, but as he and the Captain departed and arrived at the Captain's so-called "cave abode," Xu Qing clearly felt the superior attitude of the Fiery Moon Profound Sky Race.

During the Great Hunt, the three Holy Cities were open, but prices within them were exorbitant. After all, this was the core of the entire Fiery Moon Profound Sky Race, and such prices were unaffordable for ordinary cultivators.

Therefore, the Holy City provided accommodation and resting places for cultivators from various races participating in the hunt.

However, these areas had strict requirements regarding the residents' status, categorized as superior, medium, and inferior. Only cultivators of the Fiery Moon Profound Sky Race itself, along with a few super-major races, were qualified to reside in the superior cave abodes.

There, spiritual energy was specially allocated and augmented by the God Mountain. These abodes were also divided into individual courtyards. Both the beautiful environment and the suitability for cultivation were of the highest quality.

As for the medium cave abodes, they were reserved for the affiliated races of the Fiery Moon Profound Sky Race and were relatively much simpler. The inferior cave abodes were the most rudimentary, open exclusively to participants from lower-tier races outside the Fiery Moon group.

Even though Xu Qing had now planted his Mountain and River Banner on the God Mountain, becoming the first, he was not qualified to reside in the superior or medium cave abodes. His only option was the inferior category.

In the eyes of the Fiery Moon Profound Sky Race, anyone not of their race and unwilling to become an affiliate was considered a lower-tier race.

Even Qiu Quezi was helpless about this. However, he still wanted to use his own quota to help Xu Qing get a superior cave abode, so he attempted to communicate with the native cultivator in charge of the abodes.

The strength or weakness of a race was often clearly reflected in its individuals.

Only with personal power capable of overcoming all obstacles could one's status transcend that of their race.

Xu Qing, however, was clearly not yet at that level. The native Fiery Moon Profound Sky Race cultivator responsible for arranging the abodes naturally held no goodwill towards Xu Qing, who stood before him.

The cultivator frowned at Qiu Quezi's actions and spoke indifferently, "No! If you want to stay, stay; if not, leave. This is the rule throughout the Holy City." With that, the Fiery Moon Profound Sky Race cultivator tossed out a cave abode token, then closed his eyes, ignoring Xu Qing and the others.

Qiu Quezi sighed inwardly, looked at Xu Qing, and whispered, "Fellow Daoist Xu, it's getting late, and there will be a curfew after sunset in the Holy City. It's coming soon!"

Xu Qing paid no mind to the level of accommodation, but hearing the word "curfew," he swept his divine sense outwards. The sun was setting, but pedestrians were still bustling in all directions, not as if a curfew was imminent. "So it's just a curfew for outsiders, huh?" the Captain raised an eyebrow, picked up the cave abode token, and said, "Of course we'll stay. Why pass up free lodging?"

Xu Qing didn't speak. He retracted his divine sense, nodded to Qiu Quezi, and then departed with the Captain, following the token's guidance.

Qiu Quezi clasped his hands in a bow, feeling a surge of emotion. Having followed Xu Qing, he was well aware of his astonishing combat power. A prodigy like Xu Qing, possessing the strength to fight against a 'Return to Void Fourth Stage' cultivator despite only being at 'Spiritual Cultivation Grand Perfection,' would undoubtedly be highly revered and hailed as a favored son of heaven if he had been born into the Fiery Moon Profound Sky Race.

"What a pity, what a pity!" Qiu Quezi sighed, watching Xu Qing and the Captain disappear before he, too, departed.

As time passed, the setting sun completely dipped below the horizon, and as the bright moon rose, Xu Qing and the Captain had already found their assigned abode.

To be precise, it couldn't even be called a cave abode; it was merely a civilian residence, rudimentary both inside and out, and located in a secluded area.

However, Xu Qing had never been particular about his living arrangements. Even this humble dwelling was far better than the places he had lived in as a child.

Thus, inside the house, Xu Qing calmly sat cross-legged and meditated with closed eyes.

The Captain, meanwhile, seemed unconcerned. He held a jade slip, continuously transmitting messages, though Xu Qing didn't know who he was speaking with.

In this manner, the night passed.

The next morning, the Captain greeted Xu Qing with a wink. "Little A Qing, I've clarified things! The second phase won't begin for another month! We have plenty of time, so you rest up well. I plan to gather some intelligence during this period, and I also have some personal matters to attend to!"

The Captain licked his lips, his eyes gleaming with anticipation and excitement. He looked much like the people Xu Qing used to see heading towards the Feathered Tent back in the scavenger camp when he was a child.

"Be careful," Xu Qing cautioned.

"Don't worry, don't worry. With the Wordless Heavenly Book, my aura won't be detected." The Captain habitually patted his chest, then rubbed his hands together and left the dwelling.

Xu Qing shook his head and continued to meditate with closed eyes.

Several days passed. During this time, Xu Qing remained indoors, and the Captain had not returned. By now, after several days of rest, Xu Qing had fully recovered from the mental exhaustion caused by his recent killings.

"It might be good to go out for a stroll," he mused. "See if I can buy some information about the Shanhai Domain."

Xu Qing opened his eyes, pondered for a moment, and then stepped out of the house. Over the past few days, banners had repeatedly appeared on the God Mountain, but none had managed to surpass Xu Qing's height. This continuous display of his banner on the God Mountain increasingly unsettled the cultivators of the Fiery Moon Profound Sky Race.

The feeling of looking up and seeing a Mountain and River Banner proudly displayed above them filled them with deep resentment towards Xu Qing. This resentment became evident in people's eyes as Xu Qing's figure appeared in the city.

Xu Qing didn't care. Even as he walked, he chose to ignore the malicious whispers he overheard.

The first phase was over. Without the intervention of the Forbidden Mountain, Xu Qing felt it was pointless. Moreover, everywhere he looked, there was too much pervasive dislike; he couldn't possibly kill them all.

Several challengers appeared along the way, but Xu Qing didn't find any of them worth engaging with.

"Xu Qing of the Human Race!"

As he was walking, a jade slip whistled out from the crowd and hovered before Xu Qing. Behind it, a young man from an affiliated Fiery Moon race stepped out of the crowd, staring coldly at Xu Qing.

"Do you dare to leave the Holy City and fight me to the death?!"

Xu Qing glanced at the young man, then ignored him and continued walking.

The opponent had nothing of value on him, and the young man clearly wasn't serious about a challenge; he was merely trying to gain some prestige. So, seeing Xu Qing leave, he sneered a few times, seizing the opportunity to gain some minor fame.

Similar challenges continued to arise as Xu Qing walked, and he began to feel annoyed. Especially when he saw that some shops in the Holy City were also categorized into different tiers, and some even outright refused him service upon seeing him.

The disgust, malice, and provocation in their expressions made Xu Qing's gaze turn cold.

He knew that if he just produced the Mud Fox's token, everything would be resolved easily; he could enter any shop and make purchases smoothly.

But he looked up at the God Mountain and ultimately decided not to take out the Mud Fox's token. Instead, he sent a voice message to Qiu Quezi.

He then turned back to his dwelling. After resting there for a while, Qiu Quezi arrived, delivering all the information he could gather about the Shanhai Domain into Xu Qing's hands!

Having not seen him for several days, Qiu Quezi's expression was somewhat complex. After delivering the information, he bowed and departed.

Xu Qing glanced at him. With his experience, he could empathize with Qiu Quezi's situation and somewhat understand the source of his complex feelings.

As a member of the Fiery Moon Profound Sky Race, yet accompanying two individuals disliked by his own people, he must have endured a considerable amount of ridicule in recent days.

Xu Qing fell silent, recalling the scenes since his arrival in the Holy City. A trace of hostility gradually rose in his heart. After a long while, he picked up the jade slip Qiu Quezi had delivered and carefully examined the information regarding the Great Hunt's second phase.

The second phase would take place in the Shanhai Domain. This domain was quite unique; it contained no cultivator races but was instead home to countless exotic beasts, some solitary and others in herds, ultimately forming a beast realm.

Over countless years, both the native beasts of this domain and those introduced by the Fiery Moon Profound Sky Race from the outside had continuously been born and released. Through accumulation and reproduction, countless incredible mutations had occurred, resulting in the existence of bizarre creatures and ferocious beasts not found elsewhere.

The 'Ghost Carriage' that Xu Qing and the Captain had seen earlier was one such example. As for the earliest origins of the Shanhai Domain, the jade slip from Qiu Quezi was vague, only mentioning in fleeting remarks that it was connected to ancient legends of the Fiery Moon Profound Sky Race, without providing specific details.

Xu Qing wasn't overly curious about this. His main focus was on the renowned ferocious beasts recorded in the jade slip and their habitats.

After careful examination, Xu Qing finally looked at the most valuable ferocious beast, ranked first: Jiuli!

This beast held a very special status within the Fiery Moon Profound Sky Race because it had only appeared once in their documented history.

When Jiuli was subdued, it became the mount of the Fiery Moon Profound Sky Race's first clan chief, the Doyen, who led the clan's rise to power.

Because of this, Jiuli held an extremely high position in the hearts of Fiery Moon Profound Sky cultivators.

There was even a saying within the Fiery Moon: if someone were to subdue Jiuli, all members of the Fiery Moon Race would salute them, and all affiliated races would kneel before them.

There were many legends about Jiuli, but very few concrete descriptions. It wasn't even mentioned whether it existed solitarily or in a pack.

Furthermore, the jade slip also mentioned that while older generations of powerful individuals within the Fiery Moon Race should possess the ability to subdue Jiuli, the deities of the Fiery Moon Profound Sky Race had strict rules regarding the Shanhai Domain.

Normally, the domain remained closed and entry was strictly forbidden. Only during the Great Hunt would the deities open it, and only then could each generation's hunt participants acquire exotic beasts within it to serve as mounts!

This restriction meant that Jiuli had not reappeared for countless years.

Jiuli's location was known as Jiuli's Forbidden Zone. The jade slip clearly indicated that it was extremely perilous, with ten out of ten entrants facing certain death.

"Jiuli?" Xu Qing pondered. He wondered if he was overthinking things, but after reading the descriptions of Jiuli, he had a vague feeling that much of the information seemed contradictory.

"Is something being hidden?" Xu Qing mused thoughtfully.

"What kind of ferocious beast is Jiuli, exactly? Nine lantern-like entities?"