Chapter 311: Chapter 178: Divine Dragon City (2)

With Iron Head standing guard, Yang Jing was quite at ease. He boarded Dong Qingtao’s Flying Boat with his other disciples and Zuoqiu Feng.

The Flying Boat piloted by Dong Qingtao was quite magnificent. Its hull was carved with patterns of flying dragons and adorned with jade and pearls.

The Flying Boat was very spacious, capable of seating more than thirty people. Six Maids were already waiting on board.

Yang Jing and his companions stepped onto the Flying Boat, and with Dong Qingtao at the helm, they flew toward Divine Dragon City.

At the speed of the Flying Boat, a distance of a hundred li was covered in the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn.

Divine Dragon City was immense. Looking down from high above, it spanned nearly two hundred li. Yang Jing activated his Bright Qi Talent and could see a colossal Array enveloping the entire city.

Endless Spiritual Qi surged forth from a Spirit Vein, drawn into the Grand Array.

The buildings in Divine Dragon City weren’t particularly tall, reaching twenty zhang at most. The most striking feature was a beautiful mountain peak. The peak was a full thousand zhang high, and exceptionally steep and precipitous.

Amidst the swirling clouds and mist, one could faintly make out a continuous complex of palaces built into the mountainside.

"This is Dragon Head Peak. The summit is the Cave Mansion of the Sovereign of our Dong Kingdom, and below it is our kingdom’s White Dragon Academy. Only the most outstandingly talented disciples of the Dong Family are permitted to enter the academy and cultivate Daoist Techniques."

Dong Qingtao said, his face full of envy.

His talent was only considered high-level, and since he wasn’t from the direct lineage, he had no qualifications to set foot in the White Dragon Academy. His entire cultivation was taught to him by an Elder from a collateral branch.

"The Dragon Transformation Pool is inside the White Dragon Academy."

A No-fly Array was active within Divine Dragon City, so after entering, Dong Qingtao put away the Flying Boat. The group switched to a carriage and rode toward the White Dragon Academy.

Chi Yu curiously lifted the carriage curtain to admire the streetscape.

From what he could see, the prosperity of Divine Dragon City far surpassed that of Celestial Square Marketplace. The many unique Spiritual Objects and Spiritual Materials exclusive to the Dong Family drew in countless merchants who flocked to the city.

Among these, the most popular items were Scales shed by Dragon Beasts and collected Dragon Blood. The Scales were an exceptional material for crafting Defensive Spiritual Artifacts, while Spiritual Ink made from Dragon Blood was considered the finest of its kind.

As for the Pearls from the sea that contained pure Water Element Spiritual Qi, various Spirit Waters, and Spiritual Ores—they were all displayed directly on shelves outside the shops to entice customers.

"A strategic gem of the southeast, a metropolis of the Three Dongs... Divine Dragon City has enjoyed such prosperous and magnificent scenery for tens of thousands of years."

Dong Qingtao gazed at the picturesque bridges among misty willows, the green curtains of the lakeside pavilions fluttering in the breeze, and the magnificent ten-li expanse of lotuses upon the sparkling waters of Yellow Dragon Lake, speaking with considerable pride.

Yang Jing had the carriage stop. He spent a Spirit Stone to buy a large basket of lotus seed pods from a young child by the roadside.

A Maid offered to peel the lotus seeds for him, but he stopped her.

He peeled a lotus seed and placed it in his mouth.

A wisp of pure Water and Wood Spiritual Qi bloomed in his mouth. The lotus seed was refreshingly sweet, without the slightest trace of bitterness.

"Excellent lotus seeds! Fellow Daoist Dong, what does ’metropolis of the Three Dongs’ mean?"

Yang Jing peeled another lotus seed, intending to feed it to Chi Yu, but Zuoqiu Feng snatched it and popped it into her own mouth.

Yinjiao quickly grabbed a lotus pod as well, shelled a seed, and fed it to his junior sister.

"The ’Three Dongs’ refer to the three direct lineages that have produced Sovereigns. For tens of thousands of years, every Sovereign of the Dong Kingdom has come from one of these three branches," Dong Qingtao explained.

After tens of thousands of years of growth and expansion, though the Dong Family was a single clan, it had long since been stratified into ranks of high and low, noble and common.

Some of the more remote branch families hadn’t produced a single Cultivator in sixty years and were simply struck from the Dong Family’s official genealogy.

Yang Jing nodded.

Traveling through Divine Dragon City actually took far longer than the journey outside its walls.

By the time they reached Dragon Head Peak, nearly an hour and a half had passed. There were simply too many carriages in the city, making it impossible to pick up any speed.

The closer they got to Dragon Head Peak, the more congested it became.

They even had to pull aside and yield whenever they encountered the carriage of a Golden Core Cultivator.

At the foot of Dragon Head Peak, the first thing they saw was a majestic mountain gate. A flight of stairs paved with white jade began at the gate and snaked upward like a white dragon, disappearing into the clouds and mist.

Two Dong Family disciples in plain robes stood guard before the mountain gate, barring entry to any unauthorized individuals.

"They are all students of the White Dragon Academy."

Dong Qingtao explained to Yang Jing, afraid that Yang Jing might mistake them for ordinary Guards and inadvertently cause trouble by slighting them.

Yang Jing gave a noncommittal nod.

’These two White Dragon Academy students both have Foundation Establishment Cultivation, and their foundations seem quite solid. However, they cultivate the Great Cave Spirit Scripture. I wonder what their relationship is to Dong Xixian.’

"Gentlemen, this distinguished guest has come bearing a Dragon Transformation Order. Please release the Restriction and allow us to ascend the mountain."

The student on the left raised an eyebrow.

"How is it that we were not informed of a distinguished guest’s arrival? Since you’ve come with a Dragon Transformation Order, you’ll just have to wait. I will go up the mountain to report to my master. Once he gives his approval, then we will let you pass."

Without waiting for Dong Qingtao’s response, he turned, stepped onto the White Jade Steps, and vanished into the clouds with a few quick leaps.

"But... Brother, we’re holding a Dragon Transformation Order, you can just let us through! This Minister Yang is a friend of Young Master Dong Xiji!"

As a steward at the docks, Dong Qingtao was no inexperienced rookie. He knew that if they actually waited here, there was no telling how long it would take.

The two were clearly making things difficult for Yang Jing on purpose.

That’s why he had hurriedly brought up Dong Xiji’s name.

The remaining disciple replied:

"We are merely being cautious. When Third Brother Dong learns of this, he will understand."

After speaking, he closed his eyes to meditate, turning a deaf ear to anything else Dong Qingtao had to say.

Yang Jing witnessed this but didn’t grow too angry. He restrained Zuoqiu Feng, who was about to lose her temper.

"The Dragon Transformation Order is a token issued by the Dragon Taming Dong Family to win over other Noble Families, a policy established by a past Sovereign. Yet now, disciples of the Dong Family treat it as worthless, refusing to even acknowledge the order over some private grudge. With the struggle between the ’Three Dongs,’ it seems even a great, flourishing tree like the Dong Family has its hidden rot," he said softly.

Upon hearing this, the White Dragon Academy student could no longer remain composed. He nearly leaped up like his pants were on fire.

Such malicious, accusatory words were beyond the pale. If they were overheard by others, both he and the senior brother who had just gone up the mountain would be flayed alive.

"You... what nonsense are you spouting... I’ll lead you up the mountain right now... Just don’t say such things again!"

The student immediately opened the gate’s Restriction.

Dong Qingtao returned, looking dejected. As one of Young Master Xiji’s Guests, he had hoped that by hosting Yang Jing, he might make Young Master Xiji remember his name. He never expected to stumble right out of the gate.

If they had been blocked at the gate by two White Dragon Academy disciples, it wouldn’t have been his own face he’d have lost, but that of Young Master Xiji.

The White Jade Steps were under a Restriction that only permitted one to ascend on foot.

Yang Jing and his disciples had taken little more than two hundred steps when they saw him—the disciple who had claimed he was going to report to his master. He was sitting cross-legged on a white jade step, drinking wine and eating meat, his face gleaming with grease.

He looked up and saw Yang Jing’s group approaching, and his expression changed.

"Junior Brother, why did you let them up?"

Before the other disciple could say a word, Yang Jing walked up and pressed his palm against the first disciple’s shoulder.

"Resting after just a few steps? You really need to work on cultivating your physique."

The disciple frantically checked his shoulder and breathed a sigh of relief when he found nothing amiss.

He was about to flare up, but the other disciple grabbed him. After a brief exchange via Divine Sense, he let the matter drop.

"Since you’re already on the mountain, you might as well follow us."

The flight of White Jade Steps was long. The moment one set foot on them, an invisible power began to press down. At first, it weighed only a few pounds and was barely perceptible, but further up, this invisible power grew to feel like a thousand pounds pressing down on one’s shoulders.

The two disciples had hoped to see Yang Jing’s group make a fool of themselves, but to their surprise, everyone in the party appeared completely at ease. Even Chi Yu, who looked no older than a young child, was hopping and skipping effortlessly up the White Jade Steps.

It was as if the Restriction on the White Jade Steps had no effect on them at all.