Chapter 634 Guo City
They were the only three who had reached the peak of the Great Martial Mentor Realm, which was one step away from the Innate Grandmaster Realm. However, even for them, the Giant Bear was so fierce that they could barely gain enough time for the others to escape.
In the blink of an eye, the bear was only 30 meters away from them.
As it opened its big mouth, a foul smell filled the air.
The rest of the group turned away and fled. Gu Xing’er, Gu Shaochu, and Hua Huai’an summoned all their Qi while throwing their weapons at the beast. The white bone spear flashed across the air with a dazzling light, but the Giant Bear reacted quickly. It swiped its giant claws and fended off the attack…
“Oh no, this beast has already reached the Demon Prince Realm!” Gu Shaochu realized with a shock that the Giant Bear was even more powerful than they had imagined.
“Run… run for your life while you still can. We are doomed today…” Hua Huai’an was at his wits’ end.
A demon as powerful as this one was not something they could fend off. Luck was against the caravan, as there was little chance for them to survive. Even if they did, it was impossible to make a comeback.
However, an unexpected change suddenly appeared—
“Roar… Howl.”
The roaring bear suddenly came to a stop when it was less than 10 meters away from the crowd. A trace of doubt and fear flashed in its scarlet eyes as it howled desperately.
The beast at the Demon Prince Realm acted as if it had faced the most terrifying thing in the world. It turned around and fled, screaming.
In the blink of an eye, it disappeared into a rock hill in the distance like a beaten dog and was nowhere to be seen.
People from the caravan and the escort agency looked at each other in surprise, as if they had just woken up from an absurd nightmare.
“What happened?” Gu Xing’er’s beautiful eyes were full of confusion. “Why did it suddenly retreat as if it was frightened?”
“I don’t know either. Something scared it away… Do we have anything that could deter the demon?” Hua Huai’an and Gu Shaochu were also confused and scared.
However, they did not notice that a cold light had flashed across Ding Hao’s eyes just now. An invisible force was instantly transmitted to the divine senses of the Giant Bear.
Ding Hao suggested. “Let’s get out of here quickly, lest the beast comes back!”
Only then did the crowd recover from the shock and bewilderment.
“Hmph, what a timid scholar.” The hot-tempered Gu Xing’er glared at Ding Hao with some disdain. She loudly ordered the armed escorts to pack up and prepare to leave as soon as possible.
In everyone’s eyes, this was another sign of Ding Hao’s timidity.
But his suggestion was reasonable. No one knew whether the terrifying double-headed bear would come back or not, so it would be better to leave as soon as possible.
A few minutes later, they continued their journey.
After the delay, they arrived at the largest human settlement in Earth Province before lunch—
Guo City.
It was the most prosperous city in Earth Province, where the inspector of the Holy Palace of Mysterious Frost was stationed. The Crouching Tiger Sect, the largest martial arts sect in the province, was also located there. This city had existed for around 4,000 years, and it was home to countless experts. It was heavily guarded and protected by top-grade defensive measures.
But when he entered the city, Ding Hao felt the tense atmosphere.
The inspection at the city gate was very strict. The inscription defense formations inside and outside the city were also secretly activated, as if they were guarding against some terrifying enemies.
Although he noticed the oddity, Ding Hao did not deliberately inquire about it.
Along the way, he had been to many places and learned different customs. The journey provided him a rare chance to relax and enrich his life. Besides cultivation, he could observe the world outside Snow Province. After all, hard work and relaxation had to be well-balanced.
One had to make a reservation at the s.p.a.ce gate in advance to use the paid service of transmission formation in Guo City.
Not long after they entered the city, Hua Huai’an arranged accommodation for everyone. He then took his men to the s.p.a.ce gate in a hurry.
Meanwhile, the armed escorts took the Blood Demon Wolf skin to the market. Ding Hao had a quick meal and stayed in the inn for more than four hours. He stretched himself and went out with Evil Moon for a walk in the city.
Earth Province was hundreds of thousands of miles away from Snow Province, so the local customs differed vastly.
Comparing with Snow Province, it had a much milder climate and richer resources. The streets were crowded with well-dressed people in cotton and silk clothes. In Snow Province, the clothes were mainly made of animal hide and fur.
It was a busy street full of pedestrians.
The buildings on both sides varied in architectural style, unlike the ones in Snow Province which were mostly stone buildings.
Ding Hao was overwhelmed by the bustling scene.
Along the way, they heard all kinds of shouting and bargaining. It was very lively.
It turned out that they had come to the largest free trading market in Guo City.
Ding Hao was intrigued. He continued walking toward the market.
There were caravans and merchants from nearby provinces, trading all kinds of rarities. He had been in Snow Province since the time-travel. For Ding Hao, the Land of Infinity had always been mysterious. It was a good opportunity for him to explore this world.
“Come and have a look. The best inscription armor made by the forging master of Fire of War. A rare treasure. You can have it for one high-grade mysterious crystal…”
“An ancient artifact that came from the ruins of Fufeng. Definitely a top quality antique from the primordial time. It is only for the fated one!”
“An ancient sword for sale. A hundred gold ingots for those who can appreciate its value. And those who don’t, can’t have it even for a thousand gold ingots.”
“Open for business today. 10 percent off for everything. Come and take a look. You won’t regret it…”
Walking among the crowd, Ding Hao could hear the vendors hawking. On both sides of the street, people were selling all kinds of things.
Ding Hao even saw that some low-level demonic beasts were for sale. Because of their lovely look, they were also put in cages and sold as pets.
Some odd-looking martial artists sat on the ground with a piece of black cloth in front of them. They claimed that the rusty items displayed on the cloth were artifacts discovered from the Primordial Sect ruins. Only connoisseurs could have them.
Ding Hao stayed and studied them for a while.
He found that there were many artifacts from ancient times, but they had no practical value aside from their age. After seeing the precious antiques in Fake G.o.d City, these items were worthless and uninteresting to Ding Hao.
Along the way, Ding Hao enjoyed the fun of sightseeing.
His storage s.p.a.ce was filled with treasures. There was no need for him to search for more here.
After a while, they gradually entered the depths of the market.
There were fewer street hawkers and more big shops there. Those who went there were real martial artists. They cried loudly, trying to sell all kinds of living creatures. Their main business was to sell things collected from the dead demons, including fur, Demonic Crystals, and bones.
Many demons were so peculiar that Ding Hao had never seen or heard of them before. Their dead bodies were piled up, filling the air with the smell of blood.
Quite a few young demonic beasts were being sold publicly in iron cages.
Once these cubs grew up, they could become great fighters and strong support for martial artists. The purer their bloodlines were, the higher the price of the young demons would be. They were in such high demand that once they appeared, buyers would race to get them.
Ding Hao indulged himself in the bustle, which he had not experienced before.
Evil Moon, the Fat Cat, clearly enjoyed the scene very much. He lay on Ding Hao’s shoulder and squinted his eyes, snoring comfortably.
Just then, a sudden piercing noise came from up ahead.
Ding Hao’s heart skipped a beat when he recognized that it was the voice of Gu Xing’er, the Black Rose.
A few meters ahead of him, Gu Xing’er said coldly, “One gold ingot for one piece. No bargaining. If you want it, buy it. If you don’t want, get lost.”
“Hehe, little girl, you don’t come from Earth Province, do you? This Blood Demon Wolf’s skin is not complete, nor is it tanned. Half a gold ingot is already a decent offering. Sell these 600 pieces of wolf skin to me and we’ll be fine. Otherwise, hehe…”
An ear-piercing voice rang out at the same time.
Ding Hao followed the crowd.
He saw Gu Xing’er in tight black armor. She and three armed escorts were confronting a group of martial artists.
Behind her was a pile of thick wolf skin taken from the beasts that had been bitten to death by Evil Moon in the day. There would have been more than 600 pieces if they had not been interrupted by the Double-headed Giant Bear. They were brought by Gu Xing’er to be sold here.
But somehow, she clashed with some people.
There were 30 warriors on the opposite side, all dressed in the style of Earth Province.
The leader was a middle-aged scholar in his 40s, wearing a splendid robe with a green-jade b.u.t.terfly fan in his hand. Despite his vulgar look, he acted as if he was a charming man. He scanned his eyes up and down Gu Xing’er’s body, drooling over her. The man was obviously a lecher.
“It is my business. I will make the call if I see fit. Do you want to force a deal?” Gu Xing’er said disdainfully, “Besides, I’ve inquired about the price here. It’s one and a half gold ingots for a piece of Blood Demon Wolf skin. I have already cut down the price because I am in a hurry. Don’t be unreasonable. If you don’t want to buy it, get out of here!”
“You have got quite a temper.” The middle-aged scholar with a pointy chin snorted coldly and said menacingly, “To tell you the truth, the young master of the City Lord had his eyes on this batch of goods. Half a gold ingot a piece is already a generous offer. Don’t be ungrateful, outsiders. Otherwise, you can ask now, who in Guo City dares to compete against our young master.”