The Imperishable Celestial Capital's people were horrified to discover they had been placed under house arrest. Not only could they not leave their quarters, but they were also cut off from all communication with the outside world.
It was as though the place where they resided had been completely severed from the rest of the world.
…
Jiang Chen naturally knew nothing of what had transpired in the Glass Royal City. After departing from the Glass Royal City, he and Huang'er had blended in among various groups of rogue cultivators. The journey had been entirely uneventful, and they had encountered no obstacles whatsoever.
When they reached the borders of the Glass Royal City once more, the Imperishable Celestial Capital's forces had already withdrawn from Wanyi City. The city had since returned to its former state.
Jiang Chen and Huang'er passed through Wanyi City without the slightest impediment.
The last time, when they had fought their way from the Myriad Phenomena Territory to the Glass Royal City, they had endured untold hardships over the course of more than half a year.
This time, however, their mood was entirely different. There were no obstacles along the way, and they had no fear of being recognized. The journey was smooth beyond measure.
To make matters even better, Jiang Chen's current speed was far from ordinary. Even without activating the Divine Feather Wings, the Wings of the Golden Cicada alone carried him at tremendous velocity.
As they passed through each territory, no matter how lively the events transpiring there, Jiang Chen did not linger.
Before long, Jiang Chen and Huang'er arrived at the Red Cauldron Central Domain.
From the Red Cauldron Central Domain, the Myriad Phenomena Territory was no longer far away.
Although now was not the time to seek vengeance against the Red Cauldron Central Domain, Jiang Chen still decided to pay a visit to the imperial capital of the Red Cauldron Empire.
At the very least, he could gather some intelligence on the Red Cauldron Central Domain's movements and pick up any new information.
The moment they entered the Red Cauldron Central Domain, Jiang Chen immediately sensed that the security here had grown far more stringent than before. Checkpoints lined every route, and the vigilance was exceedingly strict.
Throughout the cities of the Red Cauldron Central Domain, wherever crowds gathered, there were wanted posters bearing Jiang Chen's name, as well as wanted posters concerning the Danqian Palace.
What Jiang Chen had not expected was that the bounty on his head actually ranked first—higher even than the bounty on the Palace Master of the Danqian Palace.
This did not surprise Jiang Chen in the least. The last time at Weeping Infant Valley, he had slain so many sect leaders from across the Myriad Phenomena Territory and mailed all their severed heads to the Red Cauldron Emperor. It would be strange indeed if the Red Cauldron Central Domain did not despise him to the bone.
However, Jiang Chen now possessed both exceptional skill and audacious courage. Faced with such a hefty bounty, he remained entirely unfazed as he and Huang'er entered the imperial capital of the Red Cauldron Empire.
After so much time had passed, returning once more to the Red Cauldron Empire's imperial capital, Jiang Chen's hatred for the Red Cauldron Central Domain had not diminished in the slightest.
Although the Red Cauldron Central Domain was merely an accomplice of the Imperishable Celestial Capital, the atrocities they had committed in the Myriad Phenomena Territory exceeded even those of the Imperishable Celestial Capital.
It could be said that every catastrophe that had befallen the Myriad Phenomena Territory in succession was inextricably linked to the Red Cauldron Central Domain.
Upon entering the Red Cauldron Royal City, Jiang Chen and Huang'er were in no hurry to check into an inn. Instead, they strolled toward the Dragon Phoenix Restaurant they had visited before.
At this Dragon Phoenix Restaurant, they had previously made an appearance. It was here that Jiang Chen had happened to witness the Third Prince of the Red Cauldron Empire meeting with Elder Gui of the Imperishable Celestial Capital. The two parties had been discussing the matter of the Longevity Pill formula's ownership. It was also here that Jiang Chen had obtained the confirmed news that Gouyu and the others had indeed been sold to the Glass Royal City.
This place was practically a gathering point for every sort of news from across the Red Cauldron Central Domain. From royal secrets to street rumors, every kind of information could be heard here.
The Dragon Phoenix Restaurant occupied the most prosperous and bustling district of the Red Cauldron Royal City. The crowds were endless and the traffic of carriages constant—a truly spectacular scene.
Before the two of them even reached the entrance of the Dragon Phoenix Restaurant, they saw that the open area outside had been packed wall-to-wall with people.
At first glance, it looked as though the crowd was about to lay siege to the restaurant. The sight was downright intimidating.
Jiang Chen and Huang'er exchanged a look of mutual astonishment.
A place for dining and drinking—however popular it might be, the bustle should have been on the inside. So why were there so many people crowding the entrance?
Though puzzled, they did not casually approach anyone to ask. Instead, they drew closer and quietly listened to what the crowd was discussing.
"I say, is this how you at the Dragon Phoenix Restaurant run your business? Money from powerful nobles counts as money, but our money doesn't?"
"Exactly! Why do they get to enter first?"
"You all talk a big game about treating nobles and rogue cultivators equally, but at the end of the day, you're just discriminating against us rogue cultivators!"
"Sigh, forget it. Rogue cultivators are rogue cultivators—don't even think about competing with those noble families."
"That's true. An auction like this was never meant for us poor rogue cultivators. Let's just go. They're charging such an outrageous price for a single entry ticket—it's daylight robbery!"
"It's not just the price. We have to stand here in line—thousands of us fighting over a thousand tickets. Meanwhile, those noble families don't even need tickets. They just waltz right in."
After hearing the various complaints from these rogue cultivators, Jiang Chen had a pretty good idea of what was going on. As it happened, their timing today had been remarkably fortuitous—the Dragon Phoenix Restaurant was actually holding some kind of auction?
But weren't auctions supposed to take place at auction houses?
Why would the Dragon Phoenix Restaurant be hosting one instead?
In any case, Jiang Chen was here to gather intelligence, and the auction held little interest for him.
He and Huang'er stood among the crowd for a moment but did not see anyone they recognized. They exchanged a glance, stepped out of the crowd, and prepared to head elsewhere.
They had not gone far when a group of people on the roadside came to a halt.