Chapter 020
Chapter 20: Upper Capital City
Of course, this identity was not something an ordinary cultivator would know, and it was directly reported to Upper Capital City by Hong Jian.
No matter how much importance Wang Jie held, Hong Jian would never allow Wen Zhao to enter Upper Capital City under a concealed identity. That would be irresponsible to all of Blue Star.
The trial takers still stood on the opposite side of Blue Star.
Two hours after their arrival, another flying craft descended, and out came a familiar face.
Lian Fei.
Wang Jie did not expect to run into her again—truly, what a coincidence.
Lian Fei spotted Wang Jie and the others off in the distance, separated by a barrier. She hesitated for a moment before walking toward them.
“Why did you send out false signals?” Lian Fei asked.
Wang Jie raised an eyebrow. “You’re still worried about that?”
Lian Fei fixed her gaze on him. “With your strength, you could’ve easily left that place without needing to send any signal. But you did, which means only one thing—you were leading us down the wrong path. Back then, you were hiding your identity, so I suspect you encountered Hu Guan and were forced to lead us astray. Otherwise, I can’t think of another reason.”
“And that battle with the mutated eagle’s nest—was that you too?”
Wang Jie did not deny it. A smart person didn’t need his answer, but neither did he need to confirm it.
Lian Fei didn’t expect a direct answer. She could read his face and knew the truth already.
She frowned and glanced at Wen Zhao. “A trial taker?”
Wen Zhao briefly met her gaze but said nothing.
“No wonder you’re kept apart,” Lian Fei remarked. “There are indeed quite a few trial takers outside. Some have even allied with trial takers, but it’s rare to see someone openly bring one like this.”
Wang Jie couldn’t help it; bringing Wen Zhao to Upper Capital City required this arrangement. Of course, Lian Fei could jump off the flying craft halfway, but that would make Upper Capital City aware of Wen Zhao’s issue, and Hong Jian wouldn’t be able to keep it under wraps.
Since the truth couldn’t be hidden, Wang Jie chose to be open about it. What he needed was Wen Zhao’s strength. As for how things would unfold afterward, that depended on the Upper Capital City conference.
“You are Lian Qin’s daughter, one of the Five Extremes, right? If you’re here, does that mean Lian Qin is coming too?” Wang Jie suddenly asked.
Lian Fei met his gaze. “Why bring up my mother?”
“Just asking.”
Lian Fei shifted the topic. “Where’s the mutated eagle egg?”
Wang Jie chuckled. “I’m kept separate, not imprisoned. Are you interrogating me?”
Lian Fei replied, “I want to buy it. What’s the price?”
“You can’t afford it. I have money to spare.” With this, Old Five and Old Nine puffed their chests in pride.
Lian Fei took a moment to size Wang Jie up. “Money? Really?”
Even Wen Zhao glanced at him instinctively.
“Wang Jie,” Lian Fei continued, “If you’re willing, you could join my Southern Base. This is a formal invitation. Think about it.”
With that, Lian Fei turned and walked away.
“Wait,” Wang Jie said, suddenly struck by an idea. He looked at Lian Fei, who seemed curious, and then glanced at Old Five and the others.
Never mind. He had lost face before; Wen Zhao had forced him to recover. He would push on.
Battle techniques were important.
“Buying the mutated eagle egg isn’t impossible, but you need to show sincerity first.”
Lian Fei raised an eyebrow. “What sincerity?”
“Write me a proposal letter.” Wang Jie said.
The scene went completely silent.
Everyone stood there, stunned. Even the cultivators guarding them stared in disbelief, unsure if they had heard correctly.
Lian Fei rubbed her ears. “What did you say?”
Wang Jie was calm. After all, everything was for battle techniques. If the Heaven and Earth Luo Xuan Finger was that powerful, the Starry Finger had to be terrifying too. Yes, terrifying.
“I said—write me a proposal letter. Make it sincere.”
Lian Fei looked at him with an odd expression.
Wen Zhao silently withdrew her gaze. As expected, this guy’s mind was not all there.
Lian Fei left, unsure how to respond.
Wang Jie sighed, feeling a headache coming on. Was it really that hard? Was a proposal letter so complicated? What on earth was the “will of the defeated” about, anyway?
“Ahem, boss, isn’t this a bit hasty?” Old Nine asked carefully. Over the past two years, they had been together, but recently, Wang Jie’s mental state seemed increasingly unstable.
Old Five, with his gaze set, stared at Wang Jie. “Boss, don’t worry about the proposal letter. If you like someone, I’ll help you talk to them directly.”
Wang Jie quietly sat down, resting.
To the east, the sky lightened, and sunlight streamed through the clouds, bringing a pleasant warmth.
Another flying craft arrived, but this time, there were not just one but eight—quite the impressive display.
Wang Jie and the others looked on. It was the Leading Pillar group. Second brother had arrived.
Wherever the Leading Pillar group went, they were the center of attention, especially with the prince, who had supposedly been knocked unconscious by mutated plants, now awake. His awakening caused a stir throughout all of Hua Xia’s five major bases. As expected, Qing Zheng’s first destination was Upper Capital City.
Whether in peaceful times or during the apocalypse, Upper Capital City remained the irreplaceable center of Hua Xia.
Qing Zheng’s arrival marked the presence of the Leading Pillar group.
But what others didn’t know was that if Wang Jie wasn’t heading to Upper Capital City, Qing Zheng wouldn’t have come.
More than a hundred cultivators rode in eight flying crafts, creating quite the spectacle. And awaiting Qing Zheng was a six-seal expert.
When Qing Zheng asked to be with Wang Jie and the others, the six-seal expert placed him under confinement as well. They could be together, but he wasn’t letting anyone out.
“Boss, come on, give me a hug.” Qing Zheng leapt toward Wang Jie as soon as he entered.
Wang Jie hastily dodged.
Qing Zheng crashed into the wall and looked at Wang Jie with a grievance. “Boss, you’re still so heartless.”
Old Nine rubbed his head. “I told you, second brother, you’re loud the moment you show up.”
Qing Zheng shot Old Nine a glare. “What second brother? Call me ‘Big Two.’ I won that rock-paper-scissors match, so I’m your Big Two for life.”
Old Five leaned over with a lecherous grin. “Second brother, I’ve always been curious—after you were knocked out for two years, did the thing down there still work?”
Wen Zhao frowned.
Qing Zheng puffed out his chest. “Joking, of course it still works! Let me show you.”
Wen Zhao snapped, “Shut up, pervert.”
Qing Zheng silently pulled a game console out of his pocket.
Wen Zhao…
At that moment, another person arrived.
Outside, the Leading Pillar group’s hundred-plus cultivators spread out.
Wang Jie and the others turned to look.
A young lady dressed in a qipao walked in, tall with fair skin, her face a mix of heroism and delicacy. Her eyes moved with an enticing charm, yet her presence remained dignified.
“Little boss, this is one of the Five Extremes—Tang Jie,” the man who protected Qing Zheng quickly introduced, afraid Qing Zheng might offend her.
Qing Zheng raised an eyebrow, setting down the game console. “Five Extremes? That’s the stuff of legends.”
Tang Jie stood outside with her hands on her hips, exuding a carefree aura that contrasted with her elegant appearance. “Legendary? In front of your Leading Pillar group, I’m just a penniless shrew.”
Qing Zheng didn’t respond, but looked at Wang Jie.
Tang Jie also turned her attention to Wang Jie. Hong Jian had already sent over the information.
Wang Jie, who had stopped eight-seal trial takers, was said to possess unfathomable strength, certainly stronger than Hong Jian.
“You’re Wang Jie?”
Wang Jie nodded. “I’ve heard much about you, Tang Jie.”
Tang Jie smirked. “I’ve also admired you for a long time—the top bounty on the list. I’m curious, what exactly did you do to make Zuo Tian hate you so much? And why suddenly come to Upper Capital City?”
“Is this an interrogation?”
“Just curiosity,” Tang Jie replied with a smile. “If you don’t answer, it’s fine. As for that trial taker…” She threw something into the room, which Wang Jie caught.
“Stick this on her. We need to track her at all times.”
Wen Zhao’s eyes narrowed as she glared at Tang Jie.
Tang Jie stared back, unflinching. Both women were striking, their presence dominating the room.
Wang Jie tossed the item to Wen Zhao. “Help me out.”
Wen Zhao silently placed it on her shoulder.
Tang Jie grinned at Wang Jie. “Not bad, little brother. What’s your relationship with her?”
“No relationship.”
“She’s the one trying to take Golden Hill Base, right? Just like Hong Jian said.”
Wang Jie didn’t know what Hong Jian had said, but he was sure it wasn’t anything bad. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been merely separated—they’d have been surrounded and killed.
After Tang Jie left, Wang Jie and the others successfully entered Upper Capital City.
Compared to Golden Hill Base, the internal layout and infrastructure of Upper Capital City were much better. However, just outside the base, rows of tents stretched endlessly, as many could not enter.
In the early stages, to fend off the beast tides, all major bases hurried to build walls. The smaller the area, the better, making it harder to accommodate more people as time passed. Unless the outer safety zones were expanded.
But after ten years, only the five major bases remained. Smaller bases had been wiped out.
The human population was far too small compared to the mutated beasts. This was the cruelest reality.
At a certain location underground in Upper Capital City, a group of people stared at a screen.
Tang Jie was among them. Next to her was Bai Yuan.
“Analyzing the nature of their power will take time. This method isn’t very effective unless we can lock her in here,” an elderly figure said as he pushed his glasses, speaking low.
The screen displayed Wen Zhao’s location, and the tracker wasn’t just for positioning—it was also meant to analyze her powers.
This was a plan that Hong Jian and Upper Capital City had discussed. Otherwise, they would never have allowed an eight-seal trial taker to enter the base so easily.
Tang Jie frowned. “She’s eight-seal. We might be able to suppress her if we team up, but Wang Jie’s also a problem—he’s very strong, I can sense it.”
The old one replied, “Wang Jie is from Blue Star. He probably wouldn’t turn against us just because of her.”
“Hard to say. He has his own goals.”
Bai Yuan sat down and took a sip of tea, silently contemplating. After a moment, he put down the cup. “If I’m not mistaken, Wang Jie’s goal has something to do with Zuo Tian. As long as the Upper Capital City conference hasn’t started, they won’t leave. We’ll take our time and analyze it.”
He stood up and walked out.
The old one asked, “At this rate, even by the time the Upper Capital City conference ends, we won’t have analyzed even one percent.”
Bai Yuan waved without looking back. “We’ll talk about it then.”
…
“Upper Capital City’s strongest, Bai Yuan, one of the Three Gods, is also widely regarded as the strongest in all of Hua Xia.”
“The earliest cultivator at the start of the apocalypse, armed with a decorative sword, using slaughter as his edge, he forcefully established the Upper Capital City base.”
“It’s said that no one can withstand even three of his strikes.” These words came from the man who was guarding Qing Zheng.
Wang Jie and the others quietly listened. Since they had arrived at Bai Yuan’s territory, it was only natural to understand the strength of this renowned figure.
Old Five turned to Wang Jie. “Boss, who do you think is stronger, Bai Yuan or Zuo Tian?”
The man interjected, “Definitely Bai Yuan, that’s the consensus.”
Old Five and the others ignored him, including Qing Zheng, who looked toward Wang Jie. No one knew Wang Jie’s strength better than they did.
Two years ago, they had attempted to assassinate Zuo Tian, but failed.
Zuo Tian had shown less than half of his strength to the outside world.