Nine Nether Dragon Emperor

"This guy sure has a loud voice! Fortunately, no one here recognizes me, or I wouldn’t have a moment of peace!"

Tens of miles away, Ning Xuan stopped and muttered to himself. Then, looking at the strange city gate ahead, he swaggered inside.

The saying goes that the best place to hide is in a crowd. Although the two city gates ahead were bizarre, the city itself was bustling with people. Once inside, even if Zang Peng chased him here, it would be some time before he could be found. Moreover, the moment he exited the teleportation passage, his body had twisted in an incredible way, sending him in the opposite direction. He and Zang Peng were almost certain to be heading in completely different directions.

"Whoa, there’s something strange about this gate!"

As he walked across the iron-chain suspension bridge, Ning Xuan had just approached the gate when he suddenly felt an oppressive sensation. The people passing through were all stern-faced and emotionless. He took a closer look.

Why do these two gates look so much like shackles?

The thought flashed through his mind, and his eyes brightened.

What kind of weirdo designed this city gate? I bet most of the people in this city aren’t normal. After all, you could feel something was off from a distance, yet everyone still walked right in.

"Such a place seems perfect for laying low," he murmured, striding forward.

The city had no guards or even a name, so Ning Xuan entered smoothly.

"Wholesale secret manuals! You can’t lose, you can’t be cheated!"

"Come on over, take a look! We’ve got every kind of Magical Treasure you could want!"

"Step right up, don’t miss out! Pick any Otherworldly Creature you like!"

...

As soon as Ning Xuan entered, he was met with the cries of various hawkers. His eyes instantly widened. It wasn’t people hawking goods, but one Otherworldly Creature after another—and they were all speaking! Looking around, he saw wide streets, neat shops, and passersby who, if they chose not to buy something, would put it back exactly where they found it.

"Whoa, unmanned shops! The integrity of the people here is unbelievably high. Did I stumble into Utopia?" Ning Xuan murmured to himself.

To be honest, he was a little bewildered. This city was completely different from what he had imagined.

Ning Xuan stopped a pockmarked woman who looked to be in her forties. "Excuse me, ma’am," he asked, "can you tell me what’s going on here?"

The moment the woman saw Ning Xuan, her face lit up. She asked enthusiastically, "Young man, where are you from? Do you have a sweetheart? If not, I can introduce you to someone."

This level of enthusiasm was more than Ning Xuan could handle. Wriggling out of her grasp, he said with a smile, "Thank you for your concern, but I already have ten wives at home."

Upon hearing this, the woman’s face turned ashen, as if she had seen a ghost. She let out a scream and vanished in an instant.

Around him, others who had overheard the exchange also began to give him a wide berth. Some looked at him with pity in their eyes.

Ning Xuan was baffled. He hadn’t done anything. What was wrong with these people?

Just then—

RUMBLE...

A deep rumbling sound erupted as the earth began to shake. In a matter of moments, the shops on both sides of the street slammed their doors and shutters. The Otherworldly Creatures guarding the stalls opened their massive jaws and swallowed their wares whole. Then, one after another, the creatures took to the skies, eager to flee this troubled place.

On the long street, Ning Xuan found himself surrounded by an Enforcement Squad mounted on giant Otherworldly Creatures. The leader leveled a spear at him, his voice booming like thunder. "Seize him!"

Instantly, two people landed, one in front of Ning Xuan and one behind. The one in front held a cangue, while the one behind swung a set of shackles that whistled through the air.

"Hold on!" Ning Xuan snapped. "If you’re going to arrest me, you at least have to give me a reason!"

"Do you know where this is?" the leader asked.

Ning Xuan shrugged. "I just arrived. The name of the city isn’t written on the gate, so how could I possibly know?"

"Let me tell you, this is the Dali Realm! We specialize in training interrogation experts for the Emperor! Anyone who comes to the Dali Realm must abide by its laws—even if you’re royalty!"

"Then you’ve made a mistake," Ning Xuan immediately replied. "I just got here and haven’t done anything. There’s no way I’ve violated your laws."

"Our laws in the Dali Realm state that a commoner may have at most one wife and one concubine. Yet you claim to have ten! How is that not a violation of the law?!" The man’s eyes were sharp as a hawk’s, seeming to pierce right through him.

Ning Xuan was dumbfounded. He finally understood the meaning of "a loose tongue brings trouble." A casual joke had managed to put him at odds with the laws of the Dali Realm.

This takes ’ridiculous’ to a whole new level!

"It was just a joke! Where’s that woman?" Ning Xuan looked around, but the pockmarked woman was nowhere to be seen. He felt a wave of helplessness.

"Whether it was a joke or not will be determined at the tribunal! Seize him!" the leader’s attitude remained firm.

BANG!

Ning Xuan vanished from his spot, reappearing an instant later only to slam right into one of the city gates, which had closed without him noticing. The resounding crash left Ning Xuan himself a little stunned. The city gate hadn’t shattered!

Impressive! It seems there’s more to this nameless city than meets the eye.

Just then, an enormous Majestic Pressure swept over him from behind, like Mount Tai itself crashing down. It was accompanied by the whistling of shackles surging toward him.

Ning Xuan flickered out of the way and shouted, "Stop! I have a clear conscience, so what’s the harm in going with you?!"

At his words, they actually stopped. As he was escorted away, Ning Xuan caught glimpses of pity and regret in the eyes of the onlookers scurrying to the sides of the street. This made him raise an eyebrow, but he quickly followed it with an indifferent smile.

That tribunal is hardly a Dragon Pool or a Tiger’s Den. Besides, even if it really were a Dragon Pool and a Tiger’s Den, I would still dare to charge right in!

On the way to the tribunal, Ning Xuan kept trying to start conversations. "Hey, buddy, who made the laws for the Dali Realm anyway? One wife and one concubine? The person who wrote that law must have been some kind of hopeless romantic, right? Forget Cultivators, even Martial Artists are full of vigor and vitality. What are they supposed to do if they’re not satisfied?"

Regrettably, no one paid him any mind. He did, however, see that many of the closed shops had cracked their shutters open a sliver to watch him. Whenever this happened, Ning Xuan would smile and wave, which would promptly scare them into slamming their shutters closed, not daring to peek out again.

This continued until they passed a certain area where Ning Xuan saw women dressed to the nines, fearlessly flirting with the guards, preening and posing.

Instantly, Ning Xuan had an answer to one of his earlier questions.

So that’s it! If they’re not satisfied, they come to a den of pleasure like this!

As he looked around, he saw the entire street was filled with a sultry atmosphere.

Impressive. It seems the people living here are all pros at enjoying the good life!