Chapter 720: From the Same Hometown? (2 in 1)
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
His senses — such as his vision, hearing, touch, and divine sense — were all heightened to a large extent. Under the nourishment of the Heroic Soul’s power, w.a.n.g Zhong could feel countless cells in his body splitting and evolving to strengthen his physical body.
w.a.n.g Zhong did not show much joy or surprise in reaching the Heroic Soul Stage, yet he could not help a faint smile appearing. Once you grasped how vast the universe was and compared it to your achievements, you would feel insignificant. w.a.n.g Zhong still had a long way to go on his cultivation journey. He looked forward to hitting all the milestones and eventually reaching the peak; that would surely be a grand achievement. Maybe when he reached that level, he could really delve deeper into the universe to unravel its mysteries.
The changes to his body slowly stopped. The period of accelerated growth in his power after he had broken through into the next level was over, and what he needed now was to acc.u.mulate and deposit power. He could sense someone traveling toward him at a high speed.
w.a.n.g Zhong was unsure of the situation, but he was secretly antic.i.p.ating what would happen next while staying alert. Although the person coming was strong, the fact that he could sense his arrival meant that he was not much weaker than the person. Having just casted his Heroic Soul, w.a.n.g Zhong was rather eager to try out his power.
Molton knew that the other party had sensed him and did not hide himself. He wasn’t intending to anyway, but something didn’t feel right. He could only feel the power of someone at the Initial Heroic Soul Stage. Where was the expert he was looking for?
Molton looked around for a while, but there really was no one else. There was only someone who looked like he belonged to the Federation. He could tell with one glance whether someone was from the Federation or the Empire; their looks and aura were completely different… Wait, why did this guy look familiar?
Molton sized up w.a.n.g Zhong, and vice versa. w.a.n.g Zhong didn’t expect to meet someone from the Federation in this kind of place, and from the badge the person wore, he appeared to be someone from the Potter clan.
“Are you w.a.n.g Zhong?” Molton asked tentatively. It was easy to recognize him since Laura mentioned him so many times.
This person spoke the Federation language fairly well. How did this person know him?
w.a.n.g Zhong became more shocked after the person took off his cloak. It was a young man who seemed to be Asian, and under his cloak, he dressed like he was from the Federation. However, w.a.n.g Zhong was very sure that he had never seen this man before, let alone know him. “I’m w.a.n.g Zhong. Who are you?”
That man laughed loudly and extended a hand to w.a.n.g Zhong enthusiastically. “The name’s Molton, Molton Potter.”
Seeing w.a.n.g Zhong’s look of doubt, Molton added, “I’m Laura’s brother. She talks about you every day. She thought you were dead! What brings you to the Empire?”
Molton wanted to know what was going on. What kind of situation was this? “Oh right, where’s the expert?”
Molton received permission from his teacher to visit Earth for a year, but his time here was ending soon. He had been cultivating at Tutankhamun this whole while. At first, he thought that at his level, this trip would be easy and nothing would be dangerous. He even planned to make a trip down to the Kaiser Empire. Despite that, ever since he was saved by Mu Zi from a grave situation, he was attracted by the dangers Tutankhamun posed and had been staying there for most of the year. He intended to stay there until his time on Earth was up. His only regret was that he did not get a proper chance to thank Mu Zi.
It was his last few days here, and 10 days ago, he heard that a little bald guy fought a beast tide successfully at the Katchirda Village. He thought that it could be the same little bald guy that had saved him, the one at the hotel in the oasis back then. He traveled south as he wanted to see his interesting savior again. As he was pa.s.sing by this area, he was drawn to the drastic power fluctuations caused by w.a.n.g Zhong breaking into the Heroic Soul Stage. He arrived there only to discover w.a.n.g Zhong, whom his sister was obsessed with and who had turned the Federation’s CHF upside down.
Molton had always kept tabs on news relating to the Federation. The Skylink here was still usable, even though it only worked sometimes. He knew what was going on with w.a.n.g Zhong, a.s.sa.s.sin, and even the things that happened between w.a.n.g Zhong and his sister, Laura. Using his ident.i.ty as a Holy Disciple, he had long found out that w.a.n.g Zhong was banished to a dangerous place in the Fifth Dimensional World, somewhere that humans had a zero survival rate in. He didn’t expect to meet him in the middle of the desert, and that this guy actually reached the Heroic Soul Stage…
Molton marveled at this strange coincidence.
w.a.n.g Zhong shrugged, “I didn’t feel the presence of any expert. I cast my Heroic Soul by coincidence.”
Molton thought that w.a.n.g Zhong didn’t seem like he was lying and concluded that he must have sensed wrongly. This might have been an abnormal phenomenon caused by a solar eclipse. My G.o.d, how embarra.s.sing. He sensed flames, but it was probably just that this guy’s Dharma Idol was related to flames.
Once the two of them sorted out their ident.i.ties, they became friends. Molton had a carefree personality and shared many common traits with Laura. He was very easy to get close to, and after a short conversation, they already considered themselves close friends. Molton asked about how w.a.n.g Zhong was sent to the cursed lands, and w.a.n.g Zhong gave a rough outline of the process, leaving out the details about Gong Yi. w.a.n.g Zhong trusted the Potter clan, and — though this was his first time seeing Laura’s brother — he heard a lot about him during his time at Copperfield. He knew that Molton was a generous and open person; he was definitely unlike the playboys of the Federation.
Molton didn’t care how w.a.n.g Zhong survived but asked about w.a.n.g Zhong’s Dharma Idol since he had the right to bring w.a.n.g Zhong to the Holy Land. w.a.n.g Zhong had already pa.s.sed the “test” and was thus allowed to go to the Holy Land. He was on his way back to the Holy Land anyway; it was just that he needed to know more about the Dharma Idol.
He was a little disappointed upon seeing w.a.n.g Zhong’s Dharma Idol, a Flaming Spirit King. Honestly, the Federation would like it, but this Flaming Spirit King’s power was too one-sided. It only had one fire element, and there wasn’t much power of the natural laws attached to it.
w.a.n.g Zhong didn’t bother explaining. His situation was unique since his Dharma Idol was not born out of his own consciousness. The quality of his Spirit King was a cut above others.
Molton could feel the power of the Flaming Spirit King, and frankly, it was not bad, but that was all. Albeit disappointed, but as w.a.n.g Zhong was qualified to go to the Holy Land, he would help him on behalf of his sister.
“It’s time for me to return to the Holy Land. I’m going back once I see Mu Zi at Katchirda Village.” Molton was very happy to receive news about Mu Zi from w.a.n.g Zhong. He had come specially to see Mu Zi; it would be such a pity if he wasn’t able to see him. The rules of the Holy Land were very strict, and it had taken him a great deal to convince his teacher to let him go to Earth. Now that it was time to return, he would not be able to go to Earth again anytime soon. “w.a.n.g Zhong, what are your plans? If you want to go to the Holy Land, I can bring you there.”
Actually, w.a.n.g Zhong would be better off staying in the Empire. If he went back to the Federation, the Zhao Family and Gui Family would not let him off easily. With his Dharma Idol, he would not be well off in the Holy Land either.
w.a.n.g Zhong was already tempted when he heard that Molton was from the Holy Land. After he casted his Heroic Soul, he originally decided to go back to the Federation to search for a way into the Holy Land. However, w.a.n.g Zhong felt the need to clarify a few things if Molton was the one bringing him in. He did not want to land Laura’s brother in trouble. “Are you sure this is fine? Will the Federation Parliament and the 10 Great Families make things hard for you?”
“The Parliament and the 10 Great Families?” Molton laughed out loud. “If things went according to their wishes, you would have been dead by now, instead of being banished to the cursed lands. Your name was on the list of those qualified to enter the Holy Land. Although the Holy Land seemed to ignore this matter, it was just because they didn’t want to deal with you directly in front of everyone. They put a lot of effort to banish you to those lands under the pretense of ‘training,’ just so that they won’t be blamed for this matter. Now you’ve already pa.s.sed the trial since you cast your Heroic Soul and Dharma Idol. So come with me to the Holy Land after I see the little bald guy!”
Molton’s voice was full of confidence. He was glad that w.a.n.g Zhong actually thought of his well-being, but he was not someone who backed down in the face of adversities!
w.a.n.g Zhong was filled with curiosity toward the Holy Land, while Molton seemed to know everything about it. As they traveled south toward Katchirda Village, w.a.n.g Zhong gained some basic knowledge about the Holy Land by listening to Molton’s incessant nagging.
The Holy Land was a distinct world hidden in the Fifth Dimension. It was named after its founder, Adalia The Holy Saint Teacher; though, there were also other things named after him, such as the Adalia s.p.a.ce, Adalia City. However, Adalia was only a discoverer and not the creator. The origin of the Holy City was still a mystery even now. It was said that when the prophet found the place, the whole city already existed. The architecture style there even greatly resembled that of Earth’s civilization; it even had a complete set of working automated systems, just that there were no people. That city and that entire world was deserted and abandoned.
Some people said that it was a projection of the Fifth Dimension World onto another world, but that statement could not be confirmed because this world was far too real, seemingly left behind by humans. Although there were many signs of civilization, a considerable part of it showed human evolution. Of course, the most important thing was not its origin, but the fact that it saved humanity and brought light to our kind.
Adalia the Prophet discovered the Holy City and trained there. Thereafter, he sent humans from Earth there too through various means. The Holy City had long since evolved from a desolate place into a large-scale city with hundreds of thousands of people.
Not only was it a unique cultivation environment, but there were still many leftover rune technologies and even dimensional technologies that one could only dream of outside of the Holy City. At least two-thirds of the existing technology that belonged to the Federation, specially those related to runes, was obtained from the Holy City. In addition, most Heavenly Soul Stage warriors resided in the Holy Land. They might travel around and venture into dimensional s.p.a.ces, but they would eventually return to the Holy Land, making the Holy Land an absolutely important place.
It was a must to know the layout and origin of the Holy Land. But the most relevant knowledge that w.a.n.g Zhong needed to know currently was that of the three supreme forces, the Tyrants, the Mystic Sect, and the Sparta Clan.
“After entering the Holy Land, you will only be a Holy Apprentice. Firstly, you have to earn the right to become a Holy Disciple. Choosing which of the three supreme forces to join is an important decision. If you want me to give recommendations…”
“Although the Sparta Clan is quite balanced, it’s where the 10 Great Families congregate, so I wouldn’t recommend it. It’s true that the teachers will not allow anything bad to happen to you and your enemies in the 10 Great Families wouldn’t dare to mess around. But seeing your enemies around wouldn’t be very comfortable for you either. To be honest, balanced cultivation methods create mediocre people. Although most of them are above average, there’s nothing special about them too. Out of all the outstanding experts that came from the Holy Land, none of them belonged to the Sparta Clan.”
Molton was rather rebellious and did not like to follow the crowd.
“Next up would be the Tyrants. Although they are small in number, their specialty is very evident. They pursue absolute power. In terms of individual ability, they are stronger compared to the Sparta Clan. It’s just that their cultivation method is a little perverse, modifying one’s body into a weird existence. Out of the three supreme forces, the Tyrants accept the most alien races as students, and many alien races who enter the Holy Land like to form groups in the Tyrants. They are ‘monsters’ anyway. Change is normal for them… Well, they are pretty perverse, but they do possess strong power. The last time someone became a Sacred Teacher in the Holy Land, that person came from the Tyrants.
“The last would be the Mystic Sect. It excels in spiritual stuff, and your spirit will be the basis of all cultivation.” Molton couldn’t help but beam with joy when he talked about the Mystic Sect. “The Mystic Sect’s dean is a member of The Patriarch Society, the only disciple of Adalia the Prophet, and is a 10th rank Sacred Teacher. Other than Adalia the Prophet whose whereabouts are unknown, this person is definitely the most influential person in the Holy Land. How can someone like this create an inferior sect? Honestly, I think the Mystic Sect is the most legitimate out of all in the Holy Land. The others…”
“Ahem,” w.a.n.g Zhong interrupted him, “Brother Molton, which force do you belong to?”
“Of course it’s the Mystic Sect! I’m not biased. The truth speaks for itself. In the Holy Land, who doesn’t know that we Mystic Sect are the best? When recruiting students every year, the Sparta Clan and the Tyrants will resort to tricking people to recruit disciples, but we Mystic Sect have never done so, and we don’t need to.”
After listening to his bragging, w.a.n.g Zhong could only believe part of it. The three supreme forces had been neck and neck in the Holy Land for so many years; it was certainly difficult to decide which was the strongest force. Some of Molton’s comments were obviously biased and could not be used as an accurate indicator. Besides, even if the Mystic Sect was really the strongest, it may not be the best. After learning more information, w.a.n.g Zhong felt that the Tyrants were pretty suitable for him.
Firstly, he would be able to stay away from disputes with the Parliament and the 10 Great Families. Although they couldn’t possibly do much to him in the Holy Land, but just like what Molton said, it would be uncomfortable for both parties to see each other every day.