Chapter 80: The Traveling Palace

The Fire Jiao raced ahead on clouds of flame. Behind it, Ji Hao stood atop a great roc, urging his mount to keep a distance of just over a hundred yards from the Fire Jiao. Further behind Ji Hao, hundreds of massive flying mounts soared in orderly lines, each bearing several boys and girls of similar age to Ji Hao. They were the three thousand young servants handpicked from the Fire Crow Tribe.

The sky was heavy with crimson clouds, and a hurricane swept torrents of rain upon them like whips, lashing mercilessly at the group. Those of weaker constitution could barely keep their eyes open under the onslaught, and some frightened girls began to cry in terror—but their sobs were instantly swallowed by the howling wind.

Not everyone was as exceptional as Ji Hao, who had been riding crows through the forests since the age of three or five. Among the three thousand youths, only a dozen or so had any experience with riding flying mounts. The rest had never even hunted alone in the woods; they were children who had only just grown up and never left the protection of their parents.

Suddenly thrust upon these ferocious, rarely seen flying beasts, soaring high in the sky, more than ten miles above the ground, and battered relentlessly by wind and rain, it was already remarkable that these youths managed to cling to their mounts and not be blown away.

After flying at breakneck speed for a long while, the Fire Jiao finally slowed at the harsh command of the middle-aged man riding it. Turning back with disdain, the man shouted at Ji Hao, "What a bunch of stinking, filthy country bumpkins—useless trash! And those little girls, what are they crying for? Cry again and I'll have you all whipped to death right here!"

Pointing viciously at Ji Hao, the man barked, "Boy, keep these lowly slaves in line. If any of them makes a mistake, you'll get a beating too. If you're lucky, you'll just have your bones broken; if not, you'll be beaten to death. What are the lives of country bumpkins like you worth anyway?"

Ji Hao's fury blazed, and a spark of fire seemed about to shoot from his eyes. Yet the words of Ji Zhuo, Ji Xia, Qing Fu, and even Ji Yang's endless admonishments echoed in his mind. Swallowing his anger, Ji Hao lowered his head respectfully and replied, "Yes, sir, I'll keep them in line."

The roc drew level with the Fire Jiao. Ji Hao took a beast-hide pouch the size of a human head from his waist and tossed it lightly to the middle-aged man.

The man looked at Ji Hao in surprise, then opened the pouch for a glance. His harsh, severe face suddenly split into a radiant smile, and his tone softened considerably. "Well now, I didn't expect you to be so sensible—much better than your tribesmen. Heh, my name is Ying Yan. You can call me Uncle Yan. If you need anything, I'll look after you."

Pleased, Ying Yan weighed the pouch in his hand and hung it on his belt with satisfaction.

From then on, the Fire Jiao's pace slowed, and the journey became much less arduous for the youths. Though the rain still prevented them from opening their eyes, at least they were no longer at risk of being blown away by the storm at any moment.

Ji Hao could not help but smile wryly. Inside the beast-hide pouch were the finest fifty pieces of fire jade marrow he had painstakingly selected from Cold Creek Valley. These top-grade fire jade marrows were small, each no larger than a grown man's thumb, but each contained more fire essence than an ordinary piece the size of a water vat.

While in Cold Creek Valley, Ying Yan had been impossible to please, finding fault with everything and speaking with the utmost cruelty.

Throughout the journey, Ji Hao had had no chance to speak with Ying Yan. Finally, when the man slowed the Fire Jiao, Ji Hao hurriedly offered him the fifty pieces of finest fire jade marrow. As expected, Ying Yan immediately transformed from a harsh "supervisor" into a kindly "elder."

"Bribery—who in the whole Fire Crow Tribe understands such things? Even Grand Shaman Ji Kui isn't all that cunning," Ji Hao thought to himself, grumbling inwardly about Ji Xia, Ji Zhuo, and the others.

They flew northwest for a full day and night without rest, covering more than twenty thousand miles. Some youths clinging to their flying mounts were already stiff with exhaustion, foaming at the mouth. After circling three towering mountains arranged in a trigram formation, a vast blue lake suddenly appeared before them.

From atop his flying mount, Ji Hao activated his Golden Crow Divine Sight, clearly seeing countless lotus-like flowers, each as large as a human head and nearly translucent, blossoming gracefully across the lake in the rain.

These flowers resembled lotuses, but their petals were layered in the hundreds. In the downpour, their petals displayed extraordinary resilience. Countless raindrops bounced off the petals like sparkling beads, scattering in all directions. The surface of the lake was alive with crystalline droplets ricocheting back and forth—a scene of breathtaking beauty.

By the lakeshore, an immense force had carved a magnificent palace directly into the towering cliffs that reached the clouds.

What Ji Hao saw was a steep staircase, ten yards wide, leading straight from the grassy shore up to the palace entrance halfway up the mountain. The rain-soaked steps ascended in a direct line—nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine in all—culminating in a grand plaza before the palace.

At the plaza's edge, where the steps ended, stood a massive, ancient archway carved with ferocious beasts, exuding a wild and mighty aura. Beneath the hundred-yard-tall archway stood nearly a hundred imposing warriors clad in bronze armor, each holding a bronze spear, with fierce war-beast mounts resting at their feet.

These warriors all had sharp, watchful eyes and exuded a murderous air; flames curled beneath their feet, suspending them three feet above the ground. Not one stood upon the earth.

Ji Hao swept his divine senses over these guards and could not help but marvel. These gatekeepers were as powerful as the five strongest of his personal slaves—each one an elite warrior who had half-stepped into the Great Shaman realm!

Beyond the archway, across the wide plaza, eight formidable warriors in red copper armor stood guard before the palace gates carved into the cliff. All were masters of the Great Shaman realm, their presence even more commanding and domineering than Ji Xia's.

At their feet lay eight Fire Jiaos, each exuding such a fierce aura that Ji Hao instinctively tensed up, his very breath constricted.

"Hurry up, hurry! Don't just stand there—get down quickly!" The Fire Jiao landed before the archway. Ying Yan leapt off, clapping his hands and barking, "Don't stand there gaping, you ignorant brats! Hurry up and get down!"

He turned urgently to Ji Hao. "We're short on hands here. This palace hasn't been used in over a hundred years. The young master finally remembered it and wants to come here to enjoy the flowers. Get it cleaned up quickly before the young master arrives."

Ji Hao shook his head helplessly. Under Ying Yan's command, he ordered the selected youths of his tribe to begin their assigned tasks.

***

Ji Hao and the young master are innocent!

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