Early in the morning, shortly after dawn, on a street in Shrek City, beneath the boldly written characters "Tang Sect," the main gate suddenly opened.
A young man glanced at the sun rising in the east, stepped out of the gate, and was about to turn back to close it when he noticed a figure already standing in the courtyard.
"Senior Brother."
Beibei looked at Huo Yuhao, who stood at the entrance, a hint of worry flashing in his eyes. "Although the Three Great Empires and the Sun Moon Empire have reached a peace agreement, our relationship with them isn't good. Won't it be dangerous for you to go there?"
Although the Tang Sect Leader was Tang Ya, Beibei handled most of the Tang Sect's affairs, big and small. Over time, he had developed an aura of authority simply by standing there.
However, to Huo Yuhao, Beibei was still the same gentle and amiable person as before, and his words were filled with concern.
"Don't worry, Senior Brother. I still have some means of escape, and I won't be going alone this time."
Hearing Huo Yuhao's words, Beibei thought for a moment before nodding gently. "Alright. Be careful on your journey."
"Mhm." Huo Yuhao nodded, then closed the Tang Sect gate and walked toward the outskirts of the city.
Upon reaching outside the city, Huo Yuhao oriented himself, and two wings, thin as cicada wings, unfurled from his back, carrying his body into the air.
Since the war two and a half years ago, when several Sun Moon Empire Soul Master legions were left in Shrek City, the Shrek Academy Soul Guidance System had developed rapidly.
Huo Yuhao had progressed even faster, combining the magic of another world with Soul Guidance Devices and successfully creating a ninth-grade Soul Guidance Device with only Spirit Douluo cultivation. This flying Soul Guidance Device was his latest achievement.
Looking down at Shrek City, Huo Yuhao flew southward.
After the last continental war, relations between the Three Great Empires had eased considerably, and border control was no longer as strict as before. After Huo Yuhao crossed the border, he hadn't flown for long before a bustling city came into view.
What entered his sight first were not city walls, but towering buildings.
The city had long since expanded beyond its walls. Roads divided the buildings into districts, with a steady flow of people moving along them.
For Huo Yuhao, the only city without walls he had previously seen was Mingdu, when he went to the Sun Moon Empire to participate in the Elite Competition. Within the territory of the Three Great Empires, this was his first time seeing a city whose walls had been absorbed into the city itself.
However, the people here had long grown accustomed to the arrangement. Even without the protection of city walls, they did not feel particularly unsafe.
"Your Excellency, please stop. Ahead is Gengxin City in Liujin Province. Please state your identity."
Before Huo Yuhao could approach further, two soldiers with flying Soul Guidance Devices glowing on their backs rose into the air and intercepted him.
Huo Yuhao calmly glanced upward. Although nothing was visible to the naked eye, through mental detection he knew that the skies above Gengxin City were covered with ultra-high-altitude detection Soul Guidance Devices.
The advanced Soul Guidance Devices obtained from the Sun Moon Empire Soul Master legions were not limited to humanoid models. In fact, most had been disassembled by Shrek Academy and then re-manufactured based on their principles.
When Wang Nan agreed to leave those Soul Guidance Devices at Shrek Academy, one of his conditions was that any breakthroughs would be shared with him. Therefore, Huo Yuhao was not surprised that Gengxin City possessed such detection devices.
"Hello, I am from Shrek City." Huo Yuhao had no intention of making things difficult and took out his identification from his storage Soul Guidance Device.
One of the soldiers examined it carefully for several moments before respectfully handing it back. "Your identity has been recorded. Welcome to Gengxin City, the City of Metal. We hope you will have a pleasant stay."
"Additionally, flying is prohibited over Gengxin City. We hope you understand."
Huo Yuhao nodded and landed as instructed, continuing forward on foot.
He soon realized that the buildings here were far taller than those in other cities, and traces of Soul Guidance Devices could be seen everywhere. Some were devices he had never encountered before.
With his eyesight, he could tell that while some of the novel devices appeared strange, they did not contain particularly profound technology. However, even low-grade Soul Guidance Devices being produced in such quantities was not something ordinary craftsmen could achieve.
Some of these devices were even useless to Spirit Masters, instead serving ordinary people without spirit power.
Occasionally, soldiers patrolled the streets. Without exception, they were equipped with various Soul Guidance Devices, enough to deal with most intermediate- and low-level Spirit Masters.
Continuing down the long street, Huo Yuhao finally saw the original city walls of Gengxin City.
These walls were far inferior to those of Star Luo City and no longer served a defensive purpose. Instead, they had become a historical landmark.
Passing through the city gate, the buildings inside the walls finally displayed characteristics of the Star Luo Empire.
The tall city walls divided the city into two distinct areas: the outer district, filled with tall buildings and novel Soul Guidance Devices, and the inner district, which retained much of the empire's original appearance.
Although some shops and residences also had Soul Guidance Devices installed, they largely preserved their traditional designs.
The tallest structure in the city was undoubtedly the Duke's Mansion, with the three gilded characters "Duke's Mansion" hanging above the gate. A soldier in armor stood guard outside, spirit power flowing around him, his cultivation clearly not low.
"Duke's Mansion…"
Huo Yuhao was no stranger to these characters, but what he saw now felt different from the image in his childhood memories.
He paused for a moment before stepping forward.
"Hello. I am from Shrek City and have come to see Duke Heaven's Equal."
The soldier bowed slightly. "I apologize, but the Duke is not in the mansion at this time."
"Then when is he likely to return?"
"That, I'm not sure. May I ask what your business is?"
Huo Yuhao frowned slightly. The Star Luo Empire had asked both him and Wang Dage to travel to the Sun Moon Empire. Wang Nan should have received notice in advance. Why was he absent now?
As he pondered this, a noisy commotion arose from a nearby street.
Turning his head, the first thing he saw was a lavishly decorated building with a conspicuous hammer emblem hanging from it.
He was no longer the naïve youth he once was. He immediately recognized the symbol as that of an auction house.
"I don't know where the Duke has gone," the soldier said. "Since you are from Shrek City, perhaps you could try inquiring there."