Chapter 47: Skyfall City

In the ancient and simple room, Shi Yan looked somewhat dazed, standing by the window for a long while before slowly closing it.

Returning to his seat, Shi Yan appeared listless, not continuing to touch the girl in his arms, but only drinking wine.

"Master Yan, was that the team from the Beimeng family just now?" Karl, a Wu of the Shi family, asked casually.

"Uh-huh." Shi Yan replied, continuing to drink silently.

Han Zhong stood by the window, frowning as he looked at Shi Yan, his eyes somewhat strange. After a moment of hesitation, he said, "Brother Yan, do you... know that woman on the warhorse?"

Shi Yan nodded, finishing the wine in his cup in one gulp. "Yes, I do know her. We walked out of the Dark Forest together. As you know, during that time, demonic beasts were rampant, and the power of one person is limited, so we had to find companions."

Han Zhong, being a veteran, seeing that he had no interest, his eyes turned and guessed that there must be something between him and Diyalan.

Sitting over, Han Zhong waved his hand at the women beside him. "You ladies, please step out, we need to talk about something."

Several alluring young women stood up with a smile and quickly left the room.

After the room was left with only the Shi family Wu, Han Zhong said, "Brother Yan, I don't know the woman's background, but it seems that Beimeng Ce is interested in her. If she is willing to be with Beimeng Ce, you shouldn't think too much about it."

"Yes, there are so many women in the world. There's no need to make an enemy of Beimeng Ce over one woman. The Beimeng family is the most powerful in our Merchant Alliance, and their strength is truly formidable. Beimeng Ce is a precious gem of Beimeng Shang, and provoking him would be unwise." Karl also sincerely advised.

Karl was the small leader of this group of Wu, with a cultivation level of the Second Heaven of Xiantian. Because Shi Yan had won his favor, he spoke kindly.

"Old Han, who are those two old men?" Shi Yan did not answer but looked at Han Zhong.

"Yin Kui and Jiushan are master and apprentice, both at the First Heaven of Nirvana. No one knows where they come from. In the past, they always served the head of the Beimeng family, Beimeng Shang. After Beimeng Ce was born, because he possessed two martial souls and his cultivation advanced very quickly, Beimeng Shang was afraid that something might happen to Beimeng Ce during his growth, so he arranged for Yin Kui and Jiushan to protect him."

First Heaven of Nirvana! Shi Yan's heart trembled.

The head of the Shi family, Shi Jian, only had a cultivation level of the Third Heaven of Nirvana.

In the vast Merchant Alliance, with a population of millions and countless Wu practicing martial arts, those who could truly reach the Nirvana realm were as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns, countable on one hand.

Two Nirvana realm powerhouses, doing nothing else, always protecting Beimeng Ce, he was truly favored.

"In our Merchant Alliance, the Beimeng family's strength is greater than the combined strength of the other two major families. The Beimeng family has a multitude of experts, and talented young people keep emerging. Beimeng Shang himself is at the Heavenly Position realm. Provoking the Beimeng family will not end well."

Seeing that Shi Yan did not speak, Han Zhong, fearing that Shi Yan might act rashly, reiterated the Beimeng family's strength.

"Uh-huh, I understand." Shi Yan was silent for a moment, then nodded, his expression returning to normal. He smiled, "Old Han, don't worry. I know what I can do and when I need to be patient."

"Uh-huh, it's good that you understand." Han Zhong sighed in relief. "Do you want the girls to come back in?"

"No, I'm not in the mood. Let's drink."

"Alright, let's drink, come on!"

...

The Merchant Alliance is very special, a unique country managed by noble families, Wu, mercenaries, merchants, and various civilian groups.

There is no formal army, no official positions, and no official structures.

The Merchant Alliance has many noble families, hundreds of large and small mercenary groups, thousands of merchants, wandering Wu, and civilians tired of war...

The Merchant Alliance never participates in the wars between the Flame Empire and the Divine Favor Empire, making it relatively peaceful compared to those two countries.

However, if a foreign country tries to cause trouble in the Merchant Alliance, all the forces within will unite to resist.

In the history of the Merchant Alliance, both the Flame Empire and the Divine Favor Empire have coveted the wealth of the Merchant Alliance and sent troops to invade, but they were all defeated by the combined forces of the major noble families and hundreds of mercenary groups!

The Merchant Alliance, this unique country, is very decentralized and has no central management, but once a common enemy appears, it will immediately unite.

Here, with many powerful noble families, hundreds of formidable mercenary groups, and wealthy merchants, once these forces unite, the power they form is extremely terrifying, even the Divine Favor Empire and the Flame Empire can only admit defeat.

If the Merchant Alliance only united to resist external enemies, the combined strength of all these forces would be enough to crush either the Flame Empire or the Divine Favor Empire!

The Merchant Alliance has a special geographical location, with the Dark Forest to the south, the Silent Swamp to the north, the Cloudy Mountains to the west, and the Endless Sea to the east.

Whether it's the Silent Swamp, the Cloudy Mountains, or the islands of the Endless Sea, they all contain various minerals, medicinal herbs, metals, and other rich resources. The Merchant Alliance, as a country primarily focused on trade, is conveniently located in the center, naturally benefiting from all sides.

The Silent Swamp, the Cloudy Mountains, and the Endless Sea, while rich in resources, are also fraught with terrifying dangers.

Such as miasma, demonic beasts, toxic fog, savage alien races, and various rare natural disasters...

Because of this, to venture into these areas, one must have extremely strong martial power, so the Merchant Alliance is never short of various mercenary groups and Wu.

The Merchant Alliance has a total of nineteen cities, but the largest and most important city is Skyfall City.

Skyfall City is in the center of the Merchant Alliance, surrounded by eighteen smaller cities. The area of Skyfall City alone is almost the total area of the eight nearby cities, and its population is several times that of those smaller cities.

Therefore, Skyfall City is the center of the Merchant Alliance, and the major noble families also consider it their main family activity point.

The Shi family is no exception. Although the Shi family has properties and courtyards in the major cities of the Merchant Alliance, their roots are still in Skyfall City.

The Shi family is located in the north of Skyfall City, covering nearly a hundred acres with thousands of buildings, including artificial hills, courtyards, artificial lakes, and streams. The main branch of the Shi family resides in a quiet area at the back, with a central artificial lake and pavilions on all sides. Behind the pavilions are training grounds, gravity rooms, and ascetic halls...

The main branch of the Shi family is not large, but the collateral branches and honored guests number a hundred, plus maids and guards, the entire Shi family has nearly a thousand people residing there every day.

Every morning, whether it's the main branch, honored guests, or Wu, they all practice diligently in the various training halls and grounds.

On this day, as the rooster's crow echoed and the sky began to brighten, many Wu had already started stretching and training in the various grounds.

Shi Jian also came out of the Rock Hall, called out to Yang Hai's pavilion, and walked with Yang Hai toward the main gate of the Shi family.

Along the way, many Wu bowed in respect, and Shi Jian nodded indifferently, not slowing his pace for anyone.

Not long after Shi Jian and Yang Hai arrived at the main gate, Han Feng silently appeared behind them, standing beside Shi Jian without a word, squinting his eyes as he looked at the long corridor outside the gate.

"According to the information from Han Zhong, they should have arrived last night. Since they didn't come last night, they will definitely return today." Shi Jian frowned, muttering, "To check if that boy really reached the Third Heaven of Xiantian, I waited until midnight last night, but that brat didn't show up..."

"Maybe something delayed them on the way." Yang Hai, though inwardly scolding Shi Yan for his lack of manners, still offered an explanation.

"Feng, do you think Han Zhong's information... could be wrong?"

Shi Jian turned his head, looking at Han Feng with a hint of doubt. "It's true that martial souls can awaken in youth, and I don't doubt that. However, that boy never practiced martial arts before he was seventeen, and suddenly reaching the Third Heaven of Xiantian is too unbelievable. I've thought about it for several nights and still can't figure it out. What do you think?"

Han Feng pulled the corners of his mouth, squinting his eyes. "Although Han Zhong likes to act recklessly, he is still cautious about big matters. I don't think he would lie about this. Although... I also can't figure it out, if he said it, it should be correct."

"Uh-huh, I hope it's correct. That boy has disappointed me for seventeen years, I hope he won't disappoint me again this time."

Many Wu of the Shi family, after morning practice and breakfast, heard that the head of the family was waiting at the main gate for someone, and out of curiosity, followed and gathered at the gate, whispering to each other.

They didn't know who was coming, but guessed it might be important figures from the Beimeng family or the Zuo family, otherwise, Shi Jian wouldn't come out to greet them.

However, after waiting for a long time, no one arrived, and the Shi family Wu gradually became impatient, secretly cursing the person for being too arrogant, making the head of the Shi family wait.

Seeing the sun rise higher and higher, and the person still not appearing, Shi Jian also became worried and said to Yang Hai, "If they haven't come for so long, something might have happened."

Yang Hai smiled bitterly and shook his head, indicating he didn't know, but sighed inwardly.

In the past, although Shi Jian occasionally mentioned Shi Yan, he never showed much concern, just asking casually.

Even when Shi Yan went missing in the Dark Forest, it was Yang Hai who reminded him, and he only remembered then.

Now, hearing that Shi Yan had reached the Third Heaven of Xiantian, he had been asking about Shi Yan's news every day for the past few days and came to wait early today...

Shi Jian's sudden change in attitude made Yang Hai feel somewhat unaccustomed.

After a long time, as the sun was high in the sky and it was almost noon, the massive body of the Earth Dragon slowly appeared on the long corridor.

In front of the Earth Dragon, two people were chatting and laughing, unhurried, precisely Shi Yan and Han Zhong.

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