Chapter 1079: Chapter 330: Fellow Lan, Have You Seen My Senior Brother Ghost Mastiff?

"In the remote land... medicinal herbs are somewhat cheaper." Blue Caiwei explained softly, her eyes never daring to meet Zhou Qing’s gaze.

Zhou Qing nodded in understanding.

For ordinary Divinity Transformation Cultivators, saving up some Spirit Stones is indeed not easy, unlike him who became wealthy after the battle in the Lightless Sea.

Jin Mantang still owes him a few hundred Top-Grade Spirit Stones.

Thinking of this, he said cheerfully, "Then we shall go to the Imperial City together, maybe we can meet the Senior Brother."

"But..." Blue Caiwei’s voice suddenly lowered, "The Mastiff’s whereabouts are uncertain, you might not be able to wait for..."

"No matter." Zhou Qing shook the sect’s Token in his hand.

"With this item, as long as Senior Brother is within sensing range, he will surely receive the message. Besides, he’s gone to find medicine; he’ll return eventually."

Blue Caiwei reluctantly nodded, her eyes flashing a trace of scarcely noticeable panic.

Zhou Qing then took out the Flying Ship. Once activated, the three leapt onto it, swiftly heading in a certain direction.

Sailing amidst the sea of clouds, Luo Lingling gently stroked the old hen while looking at Blue Caiwei on the deck, who was closing her eyes for healing, a frown creasing her brow.

She gently petted the chicken’s comb and transmitted the message, "Xiao Qing, this person seems off."

Zhou Qing looked forward and imperceptibly nodded, "I’ve noticed. Hopefully... Senior Brother is safe and sound."

...

Four months later, when the Flying Ship pierced the last stretch of cloud sea, the scene before them made Zhou Qing and Luo Lingling stand up simultaneously.

Even the old hen flapped its wings, jumping onto the railing, its eyes reflecting the dazzling golden light, clucking in surprise nonstop.

"Is this... the Imperial City?" The two unconsciously held their breath—this was no ordinary city, but truly a Pocket World refined into reality!

Despite having mentally prepared, the sight before them far exceeded their imagination.

First, the outermost layer of ninety-nine ring-shaped mountain ranges lay like coiled dragons, with a bronze-cast Observatory standing atop each peak.

At the base of each mountain, seventy-two Spiritual Qi veins surged like silver serpents, with the emanating Spiritual Qi forming rainbow mists in the low sky, through which cultivators riding Magical Artifacts could be vaguely seen coming and going.

"Are those the medicinal fields?" Luo Lingling suddenly pointed southeast.

They saw a vast plain divided into countless rhomboid regions, each planted with Spirit Medicine of various grades.

Some Spirit Medicines were even inhaling solar essence, with each pulsation of their fruits causing small Spiritual Qi tides.

The Flying Ship continued forward, passing through the mountains to a vast inner sea.

The seawater presented an eerie glazed color, with the shadows of giant beasts occasionally flashing beneath the surface.

"Look above the clouds!" Luo Lingling excitedly pointed toward the sky. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Above, tens of thousands of floating islands were arranged according to the pattern of the Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams.

Each island was enveloped in differently colored Barriers, faintly revealing pavilions and towers hidden within.

At the very center of these islands, a Divine Tree towering to the sky pierced the cloud sea, with countless bird-nest-like cultivator Cave Mansions built upon its branches.

Zhou Qing couldn’t help but swallow, feeling like a country bumpkin who had come to town, amazed by what he saw.

Thus, the journey continued, passing countless mountains, lakes, and rivers, and when the Flying Ship approached the actual walls of the Imperial City.

They realized that what they had seen earlier was merely the peripheral landscape of the Imperial City.

Stretching between heaven and earth now was a city wall fashioned from black iron and star sand, standing ten thousand feet tall.

The wall was densely engraved with Array runes, which now shimmered with golden light as the sun rose.

Every thousand feet stood a floating arrow tower, atop which were embedded unknown mirrors, refracting sunlight into rainbow-colored beams that wove a splendid net through the clouds.

What was more breathtaking were the nine layers of palaces suspended above the Imperial City.

A base sculpted from a single piece of Cyan Jade supported the sprawling halls, with seventy-two dragon pillars propping up a dome that pierced the heavens.

At the topmost layer, nine ethereal golden dragons were faintly visible amidst the cloud sea, and each tail swipe caused Spiritual Qi disturbances spanning hundreds of miles.

Zhou Qing was stunned for a long while.

On this journey, he had seen countless grand cities, but compared to the Imperial City before him, those cities were akin to toys made of sand by children.

He took a deep breath, suppressing the shock in his heart, as he maneuvered the Flying Ship to gently descend...