Chapter 59: Such a Heavenly Pride? No Desire at All

The order was given, and the whole team immediately sprang into efficient action.

Gu Xuan Ce and the other four Supremes, without any delay, performed a salute to Gu Yuan and Gu Linjiang.

Then, leading fifty dark guards of the Supreme Saint Realm, they turned into more than fifty streaks of light and flew toward various parts of Zui State.

Their task was heavy: to complete a carpet‑style survey of the entire Zui State in the shortest possible time.

This not only required great power.

It also demanded an extremely high mastery of formations, geography, and spatial laws.

Fortunately, the team had Gu Xuan Ce, a Supreme at the pinnacle of formation Dao,

as well as four equally ranked strongmen to assist,

plus fifty dark guards whose cultivation far surpasses even the strongest force of this world's Patriarch Supreme Realm, serving as labor.

Completing this mission is merely a matter of time.

"Grand Elder, shall we set out as well?"

Gu Yuan watched their departing backs, then turned to Gu Linjiang and said,

"Yes, Young Master."

Gu Linjiang bowed slightly.

In the next instant, the quasi‑immortal artifact Nine‑Dragon Incense Carriage, drawn by nine ancient dragon emperors, glided silently to Gu Yuan's side.

The carriage doors opened automatically,

revealing an interior space lavish to the extreme.

Gu Yuan, without hesitation, flicked his robe aside and stepped inside.

Gu Zhangfeng and Gu Yunlan, the two protectors, like the most loyal shadows, flanked him left and right, following closely.

Grand Elder Gu Linjiang, Gu Jiang and others stood respectfully on either side of the carriage, serving as guards.

The remaining fifty dark guards turned into streams of black shadows,

silently merging into the void, firmly guarding the entire carriage at its core.

"Roar—!"

As Gu Yuan settled, the nine ancient dragon emperors, normally used as beasts of burden, let out a soul‑shaking dragon roar in unison.

Each of these true dragons, placed here, is countless times more terrifying than their founder‑patriarch‑level strongmen.

Now they are merely used to pull the dragon carriage.

At this moment, with a gentle flick of their tails, they tear through space, dragging the carriage, and vanish instantly.

……

Inside the Nine‑Dragon Incense Carriage.

Gu Yuan reclined comfortably on a soft couch crafted from ten‑thousand‑year warm jade,

playing with a crystal‑clear vermilion fruit in his hand.

Through the carriage window, he watched the rapidly receding desolate scenery, his mind utterly calm.

He felt a modest anticipation for the upcoming journey to the Ancient Immortal Ruins.

"Young Master, according to that junior cultivator's memory, thirty thousand li ahead lies one of Zui State's largest ancient cities, called Wangxian City."

Gu Linjiang's voice came from outside the carriage.

"It is said that it is the indispensable route to the Ancient Immortal Ruins, gathering the majority of Zui State's Daoist tradition forces."

"Oh? Wangxian City?"

Gu Yuan raised an eyebrow, intrigued.

"Then we'll just pass by for a look," he said lightly.

Coincidentally, he also wanted to see the customs of this world and what those so‑called Heavenly Prides truly were.

"Yes."

Gu Linjiang replied, and the carriage's speed eased slightly.

……

Wangxian City.

One of the oldest and most magnificent cities of Zui State.

At this moment it was engulfed in unprecedented bustle and merriment.

All because the Ancient Immortal Ruins are about to awaken in this era!

Such a golden age naturally draws countless people to gather here, intending to use Wangxian City's teleportation array to enter the legendary treasure‑filled land, perhaps even a place of opportunity to become a saint.

In an instant, the city teemed with people, traffic flowing like rivers of carriages and horses.

War chariots and flying boats of various Daoist traditions, rarely seen in ordinary times,

were now visible everywhere in the sky.

All kinds of rare treasures and exotic beasts, used as mounts, paraded through the market.

Boisterous beast roars, full of bragging, rose and fell.

On the most bustling street at the city's center, the tallest and most luxurious tavern,

was now occupied by a group of young people with strong aura and splendid attire.

They were the holy sons and divine maidens of the top Daoist traditions of Zui State, the first generation, the pinnacle Heavenly Prides of the younger generation.

At this moment, they sat high atop the tavern, toasting, pointing at the realm, full of vigor.

"Hahaha, Brother Li, I heard you just recently closed your seclusion and have already grasped three hundred principles in the Sixth Realm inquiry, so the title of Zui State's first first‑generation may fall to you—congratulations, congratulations."

A young man in a purple robe with a handsome face raised his cup and laughed at the white‑clad youth on the main seat.

The white‑clad youth called Brother Li was named Li Haoran, a contemporary holy son of the Tianxian Sacred Land, the foremost Daoist tradition of Zui State.

He heard that, gave a faint smile, raised his cup in return:

"Brother Wang, you overpraise me. The mere three‑hundred minor principles are nothing compared to the legends of those ancient freaks who grasped a thousand Dao at the sixth realm and forged an unparalleled Dao foundation; we are still far behind."

Though his words were modest, the proud hue in his eyes could not be concealed.

"Brother Li, you are too modest! With your talent, probing a thousand Dao and challenging the supreme sect leader is only a matter of time!"

"Exactly! With the opening of the ancient Xian relic site, the greatest opportunity inside belongs to Brother Li!"

The surrounding Saints and Divine Maidens all chimed in, their flattery never ceasing.

Li Haoran listened to the praise, his smile widening; he lifted his cup, about to say something.

At that moment!

"Roar—!"

Nine roars, as if from the primeval chaos, filled with supreme majesty and tyrannical dragon‑like resonance.

Without any omen, the sound thundered over the sky of Wangxian City!

That voice seemed to contain a terrifying power that obeyed the speaker's will!

In an instant, the entire Wangxian City, every beast and feral creature that had been roaring and showing off, fell silent as if a duck's throat had been grasped.

They crawled on the ground, bodies trembling.

In their huge eyes shone fear and submission born from the depths of their bloodlines!

As if they had beheld their emperor!

Inside the tavern, the previously noisy atmosphere suddenly froze.

All the Heavenly Elite's smiles hardened on their faces.

They looked up in horror, gazing toward the window.

There, above the gray‑hued Heavenly Dome,

nine beings they had only ever seen in ancient texts,

divine steeds beyond description,

were pulling an ancient carriage exuding chaotic aura, slowly advancing!

Those nine beings were as massive as mountains, their bodies cloaked in golden scales,

each scale engraved with Dao runes.

Their heads bore towering dragon horns, an awe‑inspiring presence; between the opening and closing of their dragon eyes seemed to swallow sun, moon and stars!

Just the aura they emitted

sent every Heavenly Elite present into a shiver of heart‑pounding dread and soul‑quaking!

"This… is… a true dragon?!"

A Divine Maiden gasped, clutching her mouth with jade hands, eyes full of disbelief.

"No! How could this be! Weren't true dragons extinct since the ancient Xian era?!"

"And… and there are nine of them! My god! Who could have such grand design to use nine true dragons to pull a carriage?!"

Everyone was left speechless by the shocking sight before them.

The supreme lineage and strongest mounts they boasted of were merely a single drake with a thin vein of true‑dragon blood.

Yet now they were using nine pure‑blood true dragons as draft beasts!

The gap was no longer a difference of clouds and mud.

It was a difference between fireflies and a bright moon!

"Look! That carriage… that carriage is forged from the legendary Chaotic Heavenly Gold! The flowing patterns on it are… are Primordial Dao markings!"

"Legends say even the original celestial founders possessed only a small piece of companion Chaotic Heavenly Gold— to make a single carriage, what wealth is this!"

A Saint well‑versed in forging stared at the rustic carriage, his voice trembling.

"Which ancient family, hidden for countless eras, has finally emerged?!"

Li Haoran's expression grew exceedingly solemn.

From those nine true dragons and that carriage,

he felt a terrifying pressure that made him gasp for breath.

He had no doubt that any one of those nine true dragons could easily erase him, along with the entire Heavenly Star Sacred Land, from Sin Province!

While everyone was stunned and speculating about this sudden river‑crossing dragon,

the Nine‑Dragon Agarwood carriage slowly halted above Wangxian City.

Then, a plain, young voice, tinged with impatience and disappointment, sounded from within the carriage, clear to every ear.

"Such Heavenly Elite? Let's go."

As the words fell, an indescribable terrifying pressure swept over from the carriage!

Inside the tavern, all the Heavenly Elite, Li Haoran included, felt a massive pressure and fell to their knees with a thud!

The feeling was as if they were being struck by a cultivator before they had even begun cultivation!

A single thought from the other side could annihilate them!

The whole Wangxian City fell into dead silence under that sentence.

Everyone stared at the carriage in the sky with a god‑like fear.

Yet the carriage seemed to have done only a trivial, almost disappointed act.

Under everyone's gaze, it continued unhurriedly toward the direction of the ancient Xian relic site.

Until its silhouette vanished completely on the horizon.