Monarch Of Time

Chapter 1021 Heading to the core region

A few hours after his discussion with the short bald Dao Emperor, Shun Long had already arrived in front of the imposing city gates of the Northern Sovereignʼs city.

He hadnʼt paid any attention to this the last time he was here, but this time, he realized that the city guards manning the gates were all late-stage Dao Kings while the ones overseeing the entire process were peak-stage Dao Kings instead.

In fact, Shun Long could also sense the auras of a few early-stage Dao Emperors hidden further inside, inspecting everyone near the gates with their powerful soul sense. Ordinary Dao Kings would naturally be unable to sense it, but how could something like that escape Shun Longʼs soul sense?

Back in Zhong city, a peak-stage Dao King was qualified to become a captain of the city guards but in the Northern Sovereignʼs city, it seemed that such a cultivation base was only sufficient for one to serve as an unassuming, ordinary guard instead.

After paying the guards a fee of 700 middle-grade spirit stones, 100 for every person in his group, Shun Long heard from the guard in the lead the customary phrase that was repeated to all newcomers who entered the city for the first time

ʼʼWelcome to the Northern Sovereignʼs stronghold, fellow Daoists. Before you enter the city, make sure to remember and always abide by the rules the Sovereign herself has set; First, fighting within the city isnʼt prohibited, but that rule only applies to the streets of the city. Fighting inside stores, inns, restaurants, or any other establishment is not allowed and will be met with punishment by the city guard if you are found out. Secondly, your stay within the city can be indefinite but should you choose to leave for any reason, you will have to pay a fee of 100 middle-grade spirit stones to enter again regardless of how long or short your previous stay was, so keep that in mind too. Other than that, you are free to roam the city and do whatever you want, as long as you donʼt approach the Northern Sovereignʼs manor.ʼʼ

The tall guard clad in bronze armor had an apathetic look in his eyes as he explained the rules to them, as if he had repeated those lines countless times already. His gaze didnʼt even linger on the old man in front of him or the group of peak-stage Dao Kings behind him for more than a second before he turned towards the rest of the people standing in line behind them.

However, to the middle-aged guardʼs surprise, the old man in front of him didnʼt enter the city right away. Instead, he took out a few more middle-grade spirit stones and handed them to the guard before he said with a smile

ʼʼYoung friend, I want to use the teleportation formation here. Doesnʼt the Northern Sovereignʼs city have one as well?ʼʼ

Nodding his head, the middle-aged guard looked at Shun Long and answered promptly, this time his voice clearly more energetic than before

ʼʼIndeed. If senior wants to use the teleportation formation, youʼll have to go to the headquarters of our city guard at the heart of the city.ʼʼ The middle-aged man then fiddled with the 100 middle-grade spirit stones in his hand for a bit, before he stored them inside his spatial ring and continued

ʼʼHowever, the price to operate the teleportation formation for seven people will be very expensive, so if senior isnʼt in a hurry I suggest you rent an early rank 7 magic beast and travel on its back.ʼʼ

Waving his hand, the old man didnʼt say anything else and simply nodded his head as he walked past the guard, leading the group of middle-aged men and women behind him into the city.ʼʼ

Of course, Shun Long already had a rough idea of how much it would cost to transport seven people from the Northern Sovereignʼs city to the core region of the central continent, and it was indeed a price that most peak-stage Dao Kings couldnʼt afford. In fact, even Dao Emperors would feel the pinch of taking out so many spirit stones at once. Fortunately, though, the last thing that Shun Long lacked right now was precisely spirit stones.

..

The streets of the Northern Sovereignʼs city were just as bustling and full of life as the last time Shun Long was here. Clearly, the rumors of the Northern Sovereign gathering an army had done nothing to diminish the liveliness of this place. Nascent Soul stage cultivators, Dao Kings, and even Dao Emperors could be seen everywhere around them as they entered the numerous shops populating the streets.

This time however, Shun Long had no plans of visiting any of the shops. He had ended up clearing out the ʼMyriad Pills pavilionʼ the last time he was here and had more than enough medicinal herbs for now. At the very least, until he broke through to the Dao Emperor realm he wouldnʼt go around looking for any herbs.

After walking through the crowded streets for more than an hour, Shun Longʼs group eventually arrived in front of an eye-catching building not too far from the Northern Sovereignʼs estate.

The city guardsʼ headquarters may not have been as grand or eye-catching as the powerful Sovereignʼs estate, but in terms of size alone, it could definitely rival the Sovereignʼs opulent mansion. After asking Shun Long a few perfunctory questions, the guards at the entrance soon showed everyone inside, guiding them to where the teleportation formation was located.

Unsurprisingly, the large formation was placed at the very depths of the city guard headquarters and was heavily fortified by many powerful protective formations. Not just concealing or defensive formations, but even some terrifying killing formations had been placed everywhere around it, ensuring that no one could get close to it without permission from the city guard.

As they walked deeper inside, Shun Long even sensed the auras of dozens of powerful Dao Emperors standing guard at the depths of the hall, ones that were much more powerful than those guarding the city gates! Clearly, the protective measures the city guard had taken to ensure the safety of the teleportation formation could effortlessly suppress even some of the first-rate sects of the northern region.

However, the aura that ultimately attracted Shun Longʼs attention and made him narrow his eyes didnʼt come from a Dao Emperor, nor did it come from any of the powerful killing formations in this place. Instead, it belonged to a handsome young man seated just a few dozen meters away from the formation itself, sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed. Although the man looked peaceful and at ease, the powerful aura coming from his body was one that was simply incomparable to any of the Dao Emperors Shun Long had met before. Even Jiang Tianfang or Xuan Bo couldnʼt possibly compare to this person!

Indeed... the city guard had a Sovereign realm expert protecting this place!

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