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Chapter 9 – Arrival at the Highest City in the World
A broad official road stretched beneath the twilight sky, and along its dusty path, a rather unremarkable freight carriage had pulled over by the roadside. In the distance, the towering outline of the city's walls could already be seen.
They were so close to their destination—yet the carriage stopped here. It was… somewhat strange.
"We've arrived," the old coachman sitting up front turned his head toward the rear of the cart, calling out.
From among the stacked crates and bundles emerged a slender young boy and a graceful woman with gentle features.
"Uncle, this is the fare. Please take it," the boy said, hopping lightly off the cart and approaching the coachman with several silver soul coins clutched in his palm.
The old man quickly waved his hand with a chuckle. "Ah, little fellow, that won't do. You were the one cooking for us the whole journey! Being able to give you and your mother a ride—why, that's my good fortune. How could I take your money?"
"Thank you, Uncle."
Huo Yuhao didn't insist. Smiling, he gave a polite bow and returned to his mother's side.
The old man glanced at the woman, Huo Yun'er, and couldn't help sighing in admiration. "Such a well-mannered child at such a young age. Truly admirable. Are you sure you don't want me to send you both into the city?"
At his words of praise, a faint look of guilt appeared on Huo Yun'er's face. She reached out and softly brushed her son's hair, offering the man a warm nod.
"We still have some other matters to attend to. There's no need to trouble you further. Thank you for taking care of us along the way."
"Ah, traveling the world, one should always lend a hand where one can. Think nothing of it. Farewell then, little one."
Waving cheerfully, the old man clucked his reins, and the carriage rolled slowly away into the distance.
"Mom, let's head into the city too," Huo Yuhao said quietly once the carriage had vanished from sight.
In truth, they had no other business to attend to—it was merely an excuse. Huo Yun'er had only wanted to avoid letting anyone inside the city see them arriving together with the old man, lest he be implicated later.
Although it was unlikely that the Duchess would be able to trace them here, being cautious was always better than regretting later.
At her son's words, Huo Yun'er finally returned to her senses. A faintly self-mocking smile tugged at her lips before she took his small hand in hers and began walking toward the grand city ahead.
She never would have imagined that the words her son spoke when they left the Duke's Mansion—"I'll protect you, Mother"—would come true so soon.
As Duke Dai Hao's personal maidservant, Huo Yun'er had known little of the outside world. A month ago, when she and Yuhao first stepped out from the gates of the White Tiger Duke's Estate, the confusion and fear in her heart had been indescribable.
Yet her son, only six years old, had handled everything with astonishing calm. Under his arrangements, after transferring between several carriages, they had quietly left the Star Luo Empire and crossed into the territory of the Heaven Dou Empire.
And today, they had finally reached its capital—Heaven Dou City, known as the Highest City in the World.
The whole journey felt like a dream.
As for why they came here, that had been Huo Yuhao's decision. Among all the major cities on the continent, the safest were always the imperial capitals and Shrek City. Star Luo City was naturally out of the question—it was within the Duchess's sphere of influence. The Heaven Soul Empire was too weak, and Sun Moon Empire… he didn't even need to think about that one.
Eliminating all other options, only Shrek City and Heaven Dou City remained. In terms of security, Shrek would undoubtedly be the best choice—but Huo Yuhao needed to make money. And for that, Heaven Dou City was more suitable.
Zhu Lu hadn't brought much money with her that day to the Duke's Mansion, so the storage wristband she left him contained only about two hundred gold soul coins. For an ordinary person, that was an enormous sum—enough to live frugally for years in a small town.
But Huo Yun'er's body had been worn down by years of toil in the Duke's household, leaving many hidden ailments that required medicinal herbs to treat. Moreover, after being reforged by the Sin of Arrogance (Pride), Yuhao's young body was in a critical stage of growth and required far more nutrition than normal. Those hundred or so gold coins looked plentiful, but once they started spending, they'd drain quickly.
Of course, as a man who had once ascended to godhood, Huo Yuhao was never short on ideas to earn money. After some consideration, he decided on two parallel ventures—grilled fish and soul tools.
Compared to selling soul tools, grilled fish was certainly less profitable—ten times less, perhaps—but selling soul tools wasn't simple. Rare metals were costly, and even acquiring them required significant connections. Without starting capital, he couldn't begin.
Two hundred gold coins wouldn't even buy a single jin of high-grade rare metal. So for now, grilled fish would be their livelihood. It was cheap to start, easy to sustain, and—most importantly—it could also help him unlock the Sin of Gluttony.
During their travels, both his mother and the carriage drivers had unknowingly provided him with Gluttony energy. The trigger was simple—the desire for food. Whenever someone's heart stirred with hunger or longing for his cooking, a trace of that energy would flow into his mental sea. That was also why Yuhao had insisted on doing all the cooking himself.
Thanks to the culinary skills he'd refined in the God Realm under his master, Rong Nianbing, the former God of Emotion, even the aroma of his dishes could make others' mouths water uncontrollably.
After a month of travel, one of the gray orbs within his spiritual sea had begun to shift—faintly tinted with a dim, dark yellow hue.
He had also come to understand more about how the Origins of Sin were unlocked.
Energy from the same Sin could only be drawn from the same person once every three days. Different Sins, however, were unrestricted.
For example, if someone smelled his food and felt an intense craving, that person would emit Gluttony energy. But to provide more of that same energy, three days had to pass. If, however, that person later displayed arrogance, Lust, or Wrath, each would generate new and distinct Sin energy for him.
He had discovered this quite by accident. One day, during a roadside rest, a passerby was lured by the scent of their food. Upon seeing Huo Yun'er, lustful thoughts clouded his mind, and arrogance made him spout vile words.
From that single person, Huo Yuhao received four types of Sin energy—Gluttony, Lust, Arrogance, and Wrath—all at once.
The realization had shocked him deeply.
To thank the man for his "generosity," Yuhao had graciously bestowed upon him a Destiny Judgment. What fate awaited that man afterward… depended solely on his own fortune.
He also discovered that the higher a person's cultivation, the stronger the Sin energy they provided. Back in the Duke's Mansion, surrounded by numerous spirit masters full of arrogance, he had managed to unlock the Sin of Arrogance in a very short time. Ordinary people like his mother could offer far less.
Still, even at this slower pace, progress continued steadily. Yet Yuhao noticed that after unlocking Arrogance, subsequent Sins seemed harder to awaken.
If this were indeed a rule, then once he unlocked Gluttony, the remaining five would only grow more difficult.
It almost felt like the power itself encouraged him to advance all seven Sins simultaneously. But controlling when and how others experienced those emotions was nearly impossible. Moreover, Yuhao faintly sensed that unlocking multiple sins in quick succession might place tremendous strain on his spirit. As a god, that would've been nothing—but now, in this mortal body, he could not afford recklessness.
The power of Arrogance was already immense. Without firm willpower, one could easily succumb to the temptation of unlocking more and more, eventually being consumed by one's own inflated desires—a trap disguised as strength.
Thus, perhaps this difficulty was a blessing. It gave him time to adapt—to let his mind and body adjust to each newly awakened Essence.
One step at a time. That was safer.
Even if he couldn't yet unlock the rest, his understanding of the Seven Sins from the God Realm allowed him to roughly guess their powers. For instance, Gluttony likely involved devouring…
As that thought drifted through his mind, Yuhao's focus turned inward—toward the gray sphere in his mental sea that faintly glimmered with a strange, seductive crimson light.
That was the Sin of Lust.
Recalling how the God of Lust had acted in his past life, Yuhao's expression twisted slightly. He clicked his tongue and muttered under his breath.
"Hopefully… it won't be that exaggerated."
(End of Chapter)