Chapter 79: The City Beneath Flames

Located directly at the foot of the enormous Blazing Flame Mountains, this city was one of the most prosperous cities in the surrounding region.

Unlike ordinary cities, Blazing Flame City had been built almost entirely because of the mountains behind it.

The Blazing Flame Mountains stretched across an enormous area, containing countless spiritual resources, rare ores, spiritual herbs, fire-attributed beasts, and other treasures.

Because of this, cultivators from all over the region frequently came here to hunt beasts, search for treasures, gather spiritual herbs, and explore the dangerous mountain range.

As a result, although Blazing Flame City was not particularly large compared to some ancient cities of the Central Region, it was extremely lively.

Merchants could be seen everywhere, selling weapons, pills, talismans, formation plates, beast materials, and various other cultivation resources.

Cultivators constantly entered and left the city, and even ordinary mortals had become accustomed to seeing powerful cultivators passing through the streets.

The closer one got to the Blazing Flame Mountains, the more prosperous the city became.

At this moment, on a large open ground near the western side of the city, hundreds of people were standing quietly.

They were waiting for someone.

Many cultivators who happened to pass nearby noticed the unusual gathering and couldn’t help slowing down. Some even stopped completely, curious about what was happening.

Then, a powerful spiritual fluctuation suddenly swept across the sky.

Everyone raised their heads. A huge flying ship emerged from the distant clouds.

The enormous vessel moved through the sky at tremendous speed before gradually slowing down as it approached the city.

Its dark spiritual wood reflected the sunlight, while complicated formations covering its surface continuously flickered with faint spiritual light.

The moment they saw the flying ship, several people immediately recognized its origin.

"That’s..."

"Azura Heaven Sect!"

"The disciples of Azura Heaven Sect have arrived!"

The surrounding cultivators immediately became excited.

After all, Azura Heaven Sect was one of the seven great sects of the Central Region. Even ordinary cultivators had heard of its name.

At the front of the crowd, an old man wearing luxurious robes raised his head and revealed a smile.

He was the City Lord of Blazing Flame City.

Beside him stood several important figures of the city, all waiting respectfully for the arrival of the Azura Heaven Sect.

The flying ship slowly descended until it hovered several meters above the ground.

A moment later, the door opened and several elders stepped out first.

The moment the elders appeared, the City Lord immediately stepped forward and cupped his hands.

"Welcome, esteemed elders of Azura Heaven Sect. It is an honor to receive you."

"Haha, City Lord Luo, there is no need to be so polite."

One of the elders smiled and returned the greeting.

Afterward, thousands of inner disciples began leaving the flying ship in an orderly manner.

The sight immediately attracted even more attention from the surrounding cultivators. A thousand inner disciples of one of the seven great sects was not a small force.

Even though most of these disciples were young, every one of them had gone through strict selection before being allowed to participate in the wilderness training. Their strength was far beyond that of ordinary cultivators of the same age.

The City Lord naturally understood this.

He exchanged a few more words with the elders before personally arranging for the disciples to be escorted toward their accommodations.

"Since the wilderness training officially begins tomorrow, there is no need for the disciples to enter the mountains today.

I have already prepared accommodations for everyone. They may rest in the city for the night and enter the mountains tomorrow morning."

The elders nodded. "Then we will trouble City Lord Luo."

"It is my honor."

After the arrangements were made, the disciples began moving toward the city.

Long Feng followed the crowd while casually observing his surroundings.

The city was far more lively than he had expected.

Although he had previously visited cities near the sect, this place still felt different. Perhaps it was because of the enormous number of cultivators gathered here for the same reason.

The City Lord personally led the elders toward another direction while the disciples were escorted by city guards and several city officials toward their accommodations.

Before leaving, City Lord Luo lowered his voice and spoke to the elders.

"Esteemed elders, the Vermilion Flame Sect has already arrived."

Hearing this, the expressions of several elders changed slightly. One of them narrowed his eyes.

"Already?"

"Yes," City Lord Luo replied with a faint smile. "They arrived not long ago. Their disciples have already been settled in another part of the city."

The elder nodded.

"I see."

The City Lord glanced at them before continuing.

"Considering the relationship between your two sects, I have arranged for the disciples of both sides to stay in completely different areas.

They should not encounter each other unless they deliberately seek each other out."

"Good."

The elder’s expression became slightly more relaxed.

"That will save us some trouble."

With that, the group continued walking.

Meanwhile, Long Feng and the other disciples were completely unaware of this conversation.

The accommodations arranged by Blazing Flame City were quite impressive.

Since a thousand inner disciples of Azura Heaven Sect had arrived at once, the City Lord had reserved an entire large area of the city for them.

Several luxurious hotels had been booked in advance.

Each hotel was large enough to accommodate hundreds of people, and the rooms were much better than ordinary inns. Every room contained a simple spirit-gathering formation, allowing disciples to cultivate while resting.

As soon as they arrived, the disciples began choosing their rooms.

Long Feng glanced around casually before looking toward Bai Liying.

"You choose this one."

"Me?" Bai Liying looked at him.

"Yes, and I take this one"

Long Feng pointed toward the rooms in front of each other.

Bai Liying immediately understood what he meant. Her eyes flickered slightly before a faint blush appeared on her beautiful face.

Naturally, she knew Long Feng did not simply want a convenient arrangement.

Although she understood his intention, she did not refuse.

After settling her down, Long Feng entered his room. The room was considerably better than he had expected.

There was a large bed, a wooden table, several chairs, a small cultivation area, and even a separate bathing room. The spiritual energy inside was also slightly denser than outside because of the small spirit-gathering formation engraved beneath the floor.

Long Feng glanced around before nodding.

"Not bad."

He had spent several years inside Azura Heaven Sect and was accustomed to good accommodations, so naturally he wasn’t easily impressed.

After putting down a few belongings, he walked back outside.

The sun was still hanging high in the sky. It was nowhere near evening.

Long Feng glanced toward Bai Liying’s room and knocked on the door.

A moment later, the door opened and Bai Liying came out to looked at him.

"Let’s go outside."

Long Feng smiled. "We have an entire afternoon before tomorrow’s training. Sitting inside a room would be boring."

Bai Liying thought for a moment before nodding.

"Fine."

The two soon left the hotel together.

They were not the only ones with this idea. Many Azura Heaven Sect disciples had also left their accommodations and begun wandering around the city.

After all, the wilderness training would last an entire month. Once they entered the Blazing Flame Mountains, they would have little opportunity to enjoy the comforts of the city.

Naturally, everyone wanted to take a final look around before leaving.

Long Feng walked beside Bai Liying through the busy streets.

As they went deeper into the city, Long Feng couldn’t help feeling slightly impressed.

The streets were wide and clean, with buildings constructed from dark-red stone. Many of the decorations also carried a fiery style, matching the atmosphere of the Blazing Flame Mountains.

Because the mountains were filled with resources, almost every street contained shops related to cultivation.

There were weapon shops, pill shops, herb stores, beast-material stores, talisman shops, and even several large auction houses.

"Compared to the last time I came near this region, this city seems even more prosperous."

Long Feng glanced around.

"It must be because of the Blazing Flame Mountains."

Bai Liying nodded.

"Probably. The mountains attract countless cultivators every year. Wherever there are cultivators, there will naturally be businesses."

"That’s true."

The two continued walking. They occasionally stopped to look at interesting items displayed by roadside shops.

At one point, Long Feng suddenly noticed several young men walking out of a nearby shop. They were wearing red robes. A flame-shaped symbol was embroidered on their chests.

Long Feng’s eyes narrowed slightly as he immediately recognized them.

They were disciples of Vermilion Flame Sect.

The four young men also noticed Long Feng and Bai Liying.

The expressions on their faces immediately became somewhat unpleasant when they saw the Azure-blue robes of Azura Heaven Sect.

One of them snorted coldly.

"Hmph."

The four young men ignored Long Feng and looked toward Bai Liying.

Seeing such a beauty, their eyes brightened slightly.

Bai Liying was wearing a simple Azure Heaven Sect robe, yet her beautiful appearance and mature temperament naturally attracted attention.

The four exchanged glances. One of them even revealed a faint smile.

Long Feng noticed their reactions immediately, but decided to ignore them.

However, he noticed something else. He didn’t see any of Vermilion Flame Sect’s guys on the way here.

It seemed the City Lord had indeed deliberately separated the disciples of both sects.

Considering the rivalry between Azura Heaven Sect and Vermilion Flame Sect, that was probably a wise decision.

Otherwise, before the wilderness training even began, there might already have been a conflict.

Long Feng didn’t bother paying attention to them and continued walking with Bai Liying. Neither side wanted to create unnecessary trouble in the middle of the city.