Chapter 495 - 494- Archon City

Archon City was a rather large city with a population of over fifteen million people. Its steadily growing population had made it a major center of trade and commerce for the surrounding regions. As its fame continued to spread, many large sects and famous cities had formed alliances with it, eventually working together to construct a massive Relocation Rune that could be used to teleport people and goods to various parts of the county.

Of course, there were limitations to its range. The Relocation Rune could only transport people and goods across a certain distance before another array had to be used.

Before Grey and Iria came within ten thousand meters of the city, Grey retrieved the Mosasaur back into his Sea of Consciousness.

In a city as large and prosperous as Archon City, a Mosasaur as enormous and eye-catching as his would undoubtedly attract the attention of the various forces residing within the city. There were certainly high-level cultivators lurking around, and if Grey openly displayed the Mosasaur within their territory, it was almost certain that someone would attempt to investigate or even attack him.

It was always better to avoid unnecessary trouble.

Grey and Iria soon reached the tall brick walls surrounding the city and made their way toward the entrance. Before entering, Grey donned a dark hood that concealed most of his face and body. Iria similarly pulled her hood over her head, hiding her features from the surrounding gazes.

When they reached the city entrance, they were both asked to pay a fee of one Spirit Stone. The guards also asked them several routine questions regarding their identities and purpose for entering the city before handing each of them a small ticket.

The ticket was only valid for one day.

If they remained within the city beyond that period without purchasing another ticket or leaving the city, they would either be fined heavily or imprisoned.

Grey couldn’t help but compare the daily entrance fee to the one charged in Sky Mist City.

Thirty Spirit Coins.

Compared to one Spirit Stone every day, Sky Mist City’s fee was considerably cheaper.

However, Grey quickly concluded that there was a reason for the difference. Archon City was an enormous city with a population that dwarfed Sky Mist City, and the number of merchants, travelers, cultivators, and powerful forces entering and leaving the city every day was far greater.

Sky Mist City was primarily a place for cultivation, while Archon City was a true grand city built around trade, transportation, and commerce.

After receiving their tickets, Grey and Iria were also given a map of the city. Several important locations and areas of activity had been clearly marked on it.

It wasn’t difficult to locate the Relocation area.

Unfortunately, it was approximately four hours away from the city entrance on foot.

Grey’s eyes narrowed slightly when he saw the distance.

They would also have to pay a substantial fee to use the teleportation array.

Without saying anything, Grey and Iria accepted their tickets and passed through the enormous entrance.

As they moved deeper into the city, Grey casually glanced upward.

Several figures stood on top of the thick brick wall.

They hovered a few feet above the wall, their bodies suspended effortlessly in the air. All of them wore identical clothing, making it obvious that they belonged to the city’s guards.

Grey quietly sensed their cultivation levels.

The beginning stages of the Foundation Establishment realm.

One guard alone wasn’t enough to frighten him.

However, there were more than thirty of them stationed along the wall, their positions spread out so that they could watch over almost every section of the city’s entrance. Their presence immediately extinguished any reckless thoughts Grey might have had.

Moreover, he seriously doubted that these thirty-odd guards represented the entirety of the city’s defensive forces.

There were undoubtedly stronger cultivators stationed elsewhere.

Archon City had survived and prospered for so long for a reason.

The moment Grey and Iria passed through the massive city gates, they were greeted by a cacophony of noise.

The sounds of wooden carts being dragged through the streets mixed with the constant chatter of pedestrians. Vendors loudly advertised their goods from both sides of the streets, while the occasional cry of merchants urging passersby to purchase their products could be heard above the rest.

The streets were crowded.

Cultivators walked alongside ordinary mortals, merchants carried goods from one district to another, and groups of travelers could be seen moving through the city with hurried expressions.

The sheer number of people made Archon City feel almost alive.

Grey and Iria’s arrival also attracted the attention of several vendors.

"Young cultivator, come and take a look!"

"We have high-quality Spirit Herbs!"

"Young lady, this is a rare—"

However, their voices quickly became quieter when they noticed the clothing Grey and Iria were wearing.

The vendors exchanged glances before silently retreating.

Grey observed their reactions from the corner of his eyes but didn’t comment.

Their objective was the Relocation Array.

They had no reason to waste time.

Flying was also prohibited within Archon City. Anyone caught flying without authorization would immediately be attacked by the guards and killed on the spot.

That was one of the warnings the entrance guards had given them.

Grey found the rule somewhat troublesome, but he didn’t have much of a choice. He and Iria could only travel through the streets on foot.

As they walked through the crowded streets, they passed several dark alleys and narrow passages between buildings.

It was during this time that Grey suddenly detected several hostile gazes locking onto him.

His expression remained unchanged.

He casually turned his head and glanced in their direction.

A group of slum-dwelling tramps and several young children were staring at him.

Their gazes were malicious.

More importantly, their eyes repeatedly moved toward his clothes and storage items, clearly trying to determine whether Grey and Iria carried anything valuable.

Grey stared at them coldly.

The moment his gaze landed on them, the expressions of several people changed.

A chill instantly ran down their spines.

One after another, they instinctively backed away.

Very few of them were cultivators, and those who were had only reached the First or Second Level of Qi Accumulation.

They weren’t even qualified to attract Grey’s attention.

Yet among those malicious gazes, Grey noticed one that was oddly peculiar.

It belonged to a young girl.

She had dark-colored hair and sharp eyes that seemed completely out of place on her dirty face. Unlike the others, she didn’t retreat when Grey looked directly at her.

Instead, she calmly met his gaze.

There was a faint glint within her eyes.

It reminded Grey of a hungry wolf patiently waiting for the perfect moment to pounce on its prey.

Grey’s eyes narrowed slightly.

He recognized that gaze.

He had seen the exact same sharpness in his own eyes back when he had still been in the Qi Accumulation realm.

The young girl gave him that same feeling.

She wasn’t simply staring at him because she wanted to rob him.

There was something else hidden beneath her gaze.

Even with her dirty body and stained face and hair, the girl didn’t seem to care about her appearance in the slightest.

She simply continued locking eyes with Grey.

Neither of them spoke.

Neither of them looked away.

Eventually, Grey and Iria continued walking, leaving the girl behind.

Grey didn’t think too much about it at first.

Instead, another question entered his mind.

How did these tramps survive in a city like Archon City?

They obviously couldn’t afford to pay one Spirit Stone every day.

Even if they robbed the ordinary people passing through the streets, the amount they earned would probably not be enough to cover the daily entrance fee.

Grey eventually came to the conclusion that the tramps were likely being used by some of the hidden forces within the city.

It wasn’t unheard of for homeless people to suddenly disappear during the night.

Sometimes, mutilated corpses and mangled bodies would be discovered the following morning in different parts of the city.

Archon City might appear prosperous on the surface, but beneath that prosperity was undoubtedly a darker side.

However, none of that was Grey’s business.

He had no reason to involve himself in matters that had nothing to do with him.

As they continued walking, the sun gradually began to set.

A warm golden glow spread across the city, illuminating the buildings and streets.

However, the enormous city walls blocked a large portion of the sunlight from reaching the streets below.

As a result, darkness descended upon Archon City considerably earlier than it would have in the surrounding areas.

The streets slowly became dimmer.

Lanterns began to light up one after another, casting flickering illumination across the bustling streets.

Grey and Iria continued walking in silence.

Then, without warning, Grey suddenly changed direction.

He stepped into one of the dark alleys beside a building.

Iria was taken aback by the sudden movement, but before she could ask anything, Grey turned his head and gave her a small nod.

Remain quiet.

Iria immediately understood.

She didn’t ask any questions and followed him into the alley.

The two stood silently in the darkness.

A short while later, a dark blur suddenly shot through the shadows.

It moved with remarkable speed, approaching them without making the slightest sound.

When the blur was approximately five feet away from them, it suddenly changed direction.

Instead of continuing toward Grey and Iria, it passed beside them and disappeared into another section of the alley.

Grey’s expression didn’t change.

A split second later—

Whoosh!

A faint whistling sound suddenly rang through the darkness.

An extremely sharp glint flashed toward Grey.

It was a blade.

Grey calmly raised one hand.

His finger moved forward almost casually.

Clang!

The sharp sound of metal striking something hard echoed through the alley.

The dagger was knocked away by Grey’s finger and spun through the air before falling heavily onto the ground.

Only then did its appearance become clear.

It was a black dagger.

The entire blade had been coated in black paint, making it extremely difficult to distinguish from the surrounding darkness.

Grey glanced at it for a moment.

Poison?

He didn’t immediately know.

Before he could inspect it further, another sound suddenly rang out.

Whoosh!

A blade cleaved through the darkness and shot directly toward Iria.

Iria’s expression remained calm.

She didn’t retreat.

Instead, she methodically raised her fist and struck forward.

Bang!

The force behind her attack was substantial. The blade was knocked aside, while the attacker was sent flying backward. The figure crashed heavily onto the ground with a thud.

Her head struck the hard surface of the alley with a dull thud. She immediately lost consciousness. Grey and Iria approached her.

When Grey got close enough to see her face clearly, his eyes narrowed. He recognized her. It was the young girl with the sharp eyes whom he had noticed earlier.

However, she now looked completely different. Most of her face had been painted black, allowing her to blend almost perfectly into the darkness of the alley.

Her dark hair was also covered in grime, while her thin body was concealed beneath dirty, tattered clothes.

Yet even after being knocked unconscious, there remained an unusual sharpness within her expression. Grey stared at her silently.

The hungry wolf he had sensed earlier had finally shown its fangs.