Chapter Eighty-Four: The Lord of Black Tortoise City

Yan Chen heard Ye Zihan say that, and his heart finally settled. Yan Chen often came to Black Tortoise Marsh, so his impression of Black Tortoise City was rather good, at least far better than other places in the Beast Region. Especially now that Ye Zihan had already stirred up trouble in Black Tortoise Marsh and become the center of attention, going to the city lord’s residence in Black Tortoise City was indeed a wise choice.

“Then let’s follow him in now. I think the lord of Black Tortoise City should mean us no harm.” Yan Chen was quite skilled at handling human relations; at the very least, he would not offend others lightly. It was always better to be worldly in such matters.

Chen Yiyan also slowly followed Ye Zihan and the others toward the city lord’s residence in Black Tortoise City. Though unruly and proud, he still had his principles when it came to etiquette: as long as no one offended him, he would not offend others. That was Chen Yiyan’s creed. Although he had already slain countless young experts in Black Tortoise City, the city lord there seemed not to hold it against him.

For Yan Chen’s group, though the assassins that night were either dead or wounded, a few still managed to escape. What vexed Ye Zihan and the others most was that they still did not know who stood behind this attack.

“Brother Yan Chen, do you know where those assassins who came after us were from? There were even experts at that level among them. It seems we’ll be in danger from now on,” Chen Yiyan could not help but think about this on the way to the city lord’s residence. Ye Zihan and the others had assumed the assassins were after him, but he truly did not recognize them.

Yan Chen glanced at Chen Yiyan and smiled. “Brother Chen Yiyan, weren’t those assassins your old enemies? What puzzles us is how you managed to offend such formidable people.” After saying this, Yan Chen smiled as well. He genuinely knew nothing of the assassins’ origins, and Chen Yiyan did have enemies all over the Illusory Divine Continent, so his words were not without basis.

Chen Yiyan nodded. “I knew you’d think that. But I truly have never seen the techniques those assassins used. They are absolutely not my enemies, on that I can be certain.” He still held to his view. Those assassins were indeed not disciples of the enemies he had killed, though it was not impossible that some enemy had hired them as assassins.

Ye Zihan looked back at Yan Chen and said to Chen Yiyan, “Yan Chen, Yiyan, there’s no need to argue about this now. Let’s go to the city lord’s residence first. We can ask the city lord of Black Tortoise City; perhaps he knows something.” At present, Ye Zihan had placed the answer on the city lord’s shoulders. His instincts told him that the city lord must know where these assassins had come from.

Anyone bold enough to cause trouble within Black Tortoise City was certainly no ordinary person, and within the Beast Region not just anyone could create such havoc. Even places like Black Tortoise Marsh and Black Tortoise City were not somewhere these cultivators could simply come and go as they pleased.

Yan Chen felt Ye Zihan made sense. By the usual customs of Black Tortoise City, its lord should have long ago come forward to stop the assassinations, yet the entire city had remained silent. That was certainly no coincidence. It had to be a plot, or something of the sort.

Chen Yiyan nodded. “That is my thought as well. I just don’t know whether the city lord of Black Tortoise City is willing to be frank with us. But even if he refuses to tell us, one day we will still discover the black hand behind the attempt on our lives.” Chen Yiyan was the kind of person who dared to love and hate without restraint. Even if danger lay ahead, he would not hesitate.

“Honored heroes Yan Chen and Ye Zihan, the city lord’s residence is just ahead. On behalf of our city lord of Black Tortoise City, I welcome your arrival.” At that moment, the servant from the city lord’s residence pointed ahead and introduced the place to them.

Ye Zihan followed the direction of his finger and looked over. The city lord’s residence was not as enormous as he had imagined, but it was by no means small. Its towering walls rose several meters high, while the houses around it were only half that height, giving the residence the illusion of a crane standing among chickens.

Night had already fallen, and the city lord’s residence of Black Tortoise City was hung with bright red lanterns, peaceful and quiet, in stark contrast to the little inn where Ye Zihan and the others had been fighting and killing.

Soon, Ye Zihan, Yan Chen, and the others followed the servant into the city lord’s residence. For Ye Zihan and company, this was their first time entering it. They had never expected the city lord of Black Tortoise City to invite them, much less that tonight’s assassins would give them the chance to step inside. They could not tell whether this attempt on their lives was fortune or calamity.

The area around the residence was filled with Black Tortoise City guards. Most of them were cultivators at the Three Powers stage, while the leader was at the Four Symbols stage and possessed considerable strength. Even so, none of them dared relax their vigilance, for protecting the city lord’s residence was their duty.

The group passed smoothly through the guarded gate and slowly made their way toward the reception hall of the city lord’s residence. The servant had already departed after simply showing them the way; the time had come for Ye Zihan to meet the city lord of Black Tortoise City, and it was certainly inconvenient for servants to remain here.

What surprised Ye Zihan and Chen Yiyan most was that this servant who had led them here was actually at the Five Elements stage. It seemed Black Tortoise Marsh truly was a land blessed by heaven and earth. Even a servant in the city lord’s residence had reached that level; then what realm had the city lord of Black Tortoise City attained? Ye Zihan and Chen Yiyan both very much wanted to uncover the answer.

“Haha, I, Lin Lei, welcome all the young heroes. I never expected Black Tortoise Marsh to receive several young heroes tonight. This is my son, Lin Dong. Dong’er, come out and meet these friends.” At that moment, the city lord of Black Tortoise City, Lin Lei, and the young city lord, Lin Dong, came out to greet Ye Zihan and the others.

Ye Zihan looked at the city lord before him. He could not discern what realm this man had reached, but his instincts told him that the city lord of Black Tortoise City was a dangerous person, at the very least an expert above the Dark Void stage.

Even the Dark Void stage was already something Ye Zihan could only look up to, let alone an expert beyond it. A master of the Seven Stars stage, or perhaps the Eight Trigrams stage, would be among the first rank of experts on the Illusory Divine Continent, utterly beyond what Ye Zihan, Yan Chen, and the others could contend with now.

What made Ye Zihan and the others’ eyes light up was that the young man Lin Dong was also an impressive young expert. He stood on roughly equal footing with them, all of them at the Five Elements stage. Even so, Ye Zihan and the others did not dare look down on the young man before them.

As the one second only to Lin Lei in Black Tortoise City, Lin Dong would not normally appear before the public so easily, which made it unsurprising that Yan Chen and Chen Yiyan had not seen him before. What Chen Yiyan did not understand was why, when he had dominated the martial arena in Black Tortoise City, this young city lord had not appeared. That had left him puzzled for an entire day.

“Hello, my name is Ye Zihan. This is my brother Yan Chen, and this is my newly acquainted brother Chen Yiyan. May I ask why the city lord invited us here?” After speaking, Ye Zihan glanced up at the sky. The moon was dark, the wind was high, and this was certainly no ordinary night.

“Ha ha, good. Truly a courageous young man. I, Lin Lei, am very pleased to meet you all. Tonight we heard that assassins disturbed your rest. As the city lord of Black Tortoise City, I have invited you here to calm your nerves. If there has been any poor hospitality in Black Tortoise City, I ask all the young heroes to understand.” As the city lord of Black Tortoise City, Lin Lei certainly knew everything that had happened tonight, and he had long since formed his own judgment regarding the assassins’ origins. At the very least, he was a man who understood the situation.

Lin Lei had not expected Ye Zihan and the others to actually repel the assassins’ attack. That was indeed an unimaginable feat, and now not a single one of them had suffered fatal injury. To withstand such a fierce assault from the other side was certainly not something ordinary people could accomplish, which was why he had invited Ye Zihan and the others into the residence for a talk.

“I am Lin Dong, the young city lord of Black Tortoise City. Welcome. Please come in and take a seat. You must be Brother Chen Yiyan, yes? I have long heard of you—the young expert who swept through Black Tortoise City. Your reputation truly thunders like a great name.” After speaking, Lin Dong finally let his gaze linger on Chen Yiyan. He was also a spirited young expert, and though Chen Yiyan’s arrogance stirred some impulse in his heart, he ultimately restrained himself.

Because Lin Lei did not want his son to be too much in the spotlight. Lin Lei understood very well that tall trees catch the wind, and he would not let his son go out and stir up trouble. That was why Chen Yiyan had been able to act so presumptuously in the martial arena of Black Tortoise City for a while.

Yet Lin Lei had not expected that Ye Zihan and Yan Chen would suddenly emerge, and then draw the assassins’ pursuit as well. It was truly too dramatic. Even for him, a city lord seasoned by long experience, this was enough to make him frown in bewilderment. Now he wanted to learn the background of Ye Zihan.

He knew Yan Chen’s background, but Ye Zihan’s he did not. Especially now that Chen Yiyan and Ye Zihan were both evenly matched experts, if Lin Dong were to fight them, even he himself was not certain he could defeat Ye Zihan, for Ye Zihan’s techniques were not something ordinary people could comprehend.

At the Four Symbols stage, Ye Zihan had already been evenly matched with Chen Yiyan, and now the two of them had even joined forces to kill many experts at the Five Elements stage. That was truly earth-shaking. Without some backing to rely upon, Ye Zihan and the others could never have survived until now.

Particularly that calmness in the face of assassins—it already far surpassed the composure one would expect at their age. In Lin Lei’s view, Ye Zihan must have encountered something extraordinary, otherwise he would not be so unruffled, nor could he possibly have withstood the assassins’ attempt to kill him.

“The city lord flatters us far too much.” Ye Zihan had no choice but to exchange pleasantries now. With the host before him, he still needed to observe proper courtesy.