txolops Chapter 585 Friends! A Level 2 Cultivation Nation! Zhao Kingdom!
Chapter 585 Friends! A Level 2 Cultivation Nation! Zhao Kingdom!
As soon as he finished speaking, the Eighth Prince turned around and looked at Chen Fan, his incredibly bright eyes reflecting a sky full of stars:
"Do you know which type of person is the most regrettable? It's not the first type, nor the second type, but the third type. Because the first type of person at least got what they wanted, and the second type of person at least never went against their conscience. Only the third type of person lives their whole life for others, and dies without ever knowing why they lived."
Chen Fan paused slightly in the hand holding the wine glass.
Qin Zhan's words seemed to be a sigh, but in reality, they were a warning to him!
"What does Your Highness mean?" he asked calmly.
Qin Zhan grinned, a smile carrying the wisdom and composure of a seasoned soldier: "I didn't mean anything by it, just a few drunken ramblings. Don't take it to heart. But there's something I truly want to tell you: you're not cut out to be a swordsman. You're too resourceful, too good at hiding your true intentions. Of all the people I've met, those who can endure for decades and then strike with earth-shattering force are few and far between. Someone like you is destined not to remain subservient forever. So I'm not helping you, I'm betting on you. I'm betting that you'll go far in the future, betting that when you arrive in Zhao, you'll remember that Yu the Great had a friend like me."
Chen Fan paused for a moment, then raised his glass and clinked it against Qin Zhan's before drinking it all in one gulp.
He didn't say anything to express his gratitude, nor did he make any promises, but Qin Zhan saw the answer in his eyes.
Some things don't need to be said; a glass of wine is enough.
As the night deepens, the stars gradually disappear.
The charcoal fire on the low table gradually burned out, leaving only a pile of dark red embers.
Qin Zhan downed the last jug of strong liquor, stood up, patted Chen Fan on the shoulder, and strode back to his cabin.
Chen Fan sat alone at the bow of the ship for a while, then got up and returned to his cabin.
Over the next two days, Yu Wang's boat flew at full speed and finally passed through the sea of clouds.
A majestic mountain range soon appeared on the horizon ahead, its peaks even more imposing and magnificent than the Tian Duan Mountains, their snow-capped summits gleaming dazzlingly silver in the sunlight.
Beyond the mountains lay a vast, boundless plain. A dense network of rivers crisscrossed the plain, with countless acres of spiritual fields, and the concentration of spiritual energy in the air was noticeably higher than that of the Great Yu.
The capital of the Zhao state was located in the center of this plain.
Even from hundreds of miles away, Chen Fan could clearly see the outline of the city.
The city wall is over two hundred feet high and is made entirely of white spirit jade. The wall is covered with dense array patterns, each of which is more than ten times more complex than the defensive array of the Great Yu Imperial City.
At each of the four corners of the city wall stands a tower a hundred feet tall, with a huge spirit stone array eye floating on top of the tower, emitting a soft spiritual light that envelops the entire city in a semi-transparent protective shield.
There were faint runes flowing on the protective shield. Chen Fan had only seen similar descriptions of those runes in Danyangzi's manual!
Refinement-level array runes!
The architecture within the city is truly breathtaking.
The palace at the very center was magnificent, its roof paved with a single piece of golden jade, gleaming in the sunlight like a sun fallen to earth.
Dozens of floating islands are scattered around the imperial city, each with palaces and pavilions, connected by rainbow bridges, with mythical birds circling among them, making it look like a fairyland.
This made Chen Fan sigh, realizing that the foundation of a second-level cultivation country was indeed incomparable to that of a first-level cultivation country.
The sheer size and concentration of spiritual energy of this imperial city alone are enough to overwhelm the Great Yu Imperial City by more than ten times.
The Yu King's boat slowly landed at a huge post station outside the imperial city.
Dozens of spirit boats of various sizes were already moored in the post station, each one ornately decorated and bearing the logos of various countries.
Chen Fan's gaze swept across the area and he saw that the spirit ships of the three kingdoms of Great Yan, Great Chu, and Great Qi had arrived first.
Qin Zhan changed into his black iron battle armor and, along with Chen Fan and two lieutenants, disembarked from the spirit boat.
As soon as I stepped onto the bluestone ground of the post station, a strange, sarcastic voice came from the side.
"Oh, isn't this Qin the Madman of Yu the Great? Why are you leading the team yourself this year? I thought you were killed by the demonic cultivators of the Boundless Sea at the border."
The speaker was a fat, middle-aged cultivator wearing a purple robe embroidered with gold. His face was full of fat, and his eyes narrowed into slits when he smiled.
He was followed by seven or eight Nascent Soul stage cultivators, each with an arrogant expression.
This person was none other than the Fourth Prince of the Great Yan Kingdom, Yan Yunfei, who was leading the delegation this time and had a cultivation level of mid-stage Nascent Soul.
Qin Zhan glanced at him and grinned, "Fatty Yan, you're still alive, how could I possibly die first? I heard you got a real dressing down in front of everyone by your older brother at the Great Yan Kingdom competition last time. What, are you trying to avoid the limelight in Zhao this year?"
Yan Yunfei's smile froze, a flash of annoyance crossing his eyes, but he quickly regained his smiling expression.
"Qin the Madman, your mouth is still as foul as ever. I won't stoop to your level. But speaking of which, what's wrong with your Great Yu this year? Bringing a Core Formation stage cultivator to participate in the selection? Are you really out of options, or have you given up entirely?"
The Yan Kingdom cultivators behind him burst into laughter, their eyes filled with disdain as they looked at Chen Fan.
Before Qin Zhan could speak, another voice took over the conversation.
The speaker was Chu Nanfeng, the leader of the Chu Kingdom. He was a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, dressed in a blue robe and as refined as a scholar, but the cold glint that occasionally flashed in his narrow eyes made him someone not to be underestimated.
He waved a folding fan and said with a smile, "Brother Yan, you are mistaken. It's not that Da Yu has no one this year, but that he has sent a true master. This Fellow Daoist Chen single-handedly annihilated the Yunzhou-Leizhou allied forces in the Valley of Ten Thousand Demons and also killed Wang Teng, a direct descendant of the Wang family. His achievements are remarkable, and he is no ordinary Core Formation cultivator."
His words sounded like he was speaking up for Chen Fan, but in reality, every single one of them was pushing Chen Fan into a dangerous situation.
Sure enough, Yan Yunfei's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and he looked Chen Fan up and down a few more times, his smile becoming even more meaningful:
"I see. Killing the Wang family? Tsk tsk, the Eight Great Families have considerable influence in Dayu. This Fellow Daoist Chen is quite bold. But that makes sense, with Qin the Madman protecting you, the Eight Great Families really wouldn't dare to do anything to you."
Chen Fan stood calmly behind Qin Zhan, ignoring the sarcastic remarks.
Jiang Yuanxiu, who was leading the Qi state delegation, did not join in the commotion.
This person was the nephew of the King of Qi, with a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivation. He had a resolute face and was taciturn. He simply cupped his hands to Qin Zhan as a greeting.
The Qi cultivators following behind him all had cold expressions and unwavering gazes, exuding a military-like aura of solemnity.
As the elders leading the four great nations exchanged pleasantries, a commotion suddenly arose at the other end of the post station.
The two spirit boats landed simultaneously.
A ship, entirely black, with its hull covered in hideous demonic patterns, stood at the bow with a blood-red banner embroidered with a giant skull.
As the spirit boat landed, a chilling demonic aura spread in all directions, causing cultivators with lower cultivation levels to immediately feel chest tightness, shortness of breath, and unease.
The other vessel was entirely dark green, its hull constructed from some unknown bone material, with a banner painted with insect patterns hanging at its bow.
As the spirit boat landed, countless tiny rustling sounds could be faintly heard emanating from inside, as if thousands of insects were crawling at the same time, sending chills down one's spine.
The people from the boundless sea and the vast desert grasslands have arrived.