: Cloud Whale

Author: Gu Zhenren

Date: 2024-08-25

: Cloud Whale

White clouds surged like ocean waves as a Cloud Whale slowly appeared on the horizon. Its body was immensely vast, nearly occupying half the sky. Under the blue heavens, its colossal form cast a faint shadow over the mountainous terrain.

As the Cloud Whale drew closer, its enormous shadow gradually covered the foot of Huoshi Mountain.

"Look! What is that?" The citizens of Huoshi Immortal City pointed at the sky, exclaiming in astonishment at their discovery.

"Such a massive demon beast, with an aura at the Nascent Soul level! Run! A Nascent Soul-level great demon is attacking the city!"

However, before this panic could spread, Fei Si's voice resounded throughout the city. He assured the people that there was no need to worry—it was not a demon beast but a Cloud Whale, the transport of the Flying Cloud Kingdom's merchant caravan.

Upon hearing this news, the citizens buzzed with discussion. Fear quickly dissipated, replaced by excitement and curiosity.

Everyone knew about the Cloud Merchants: the Flying Cloud Kingdom's merchant caravans were famous for traveling across the four seas and throughout the entire cultivation world. Their reputation was excellent and widely trusted.

"But this is the first time I’ve seen Cloud Merchants using a Cloud Whale as transport. Clearly, this is a large-scale caravan."

"So that’s a Cloud Whale? It’s enormous, truly awe-inspiring."

Many cultivators used their various techniques to look up at the sky, carefully observing the Cloud Whale.

The Cloud Whale’s head was round and broad, its massive forehead seemingly capable of encompassing the entire sky. It had a pair of enormous eyes, as blue as sparkling gems and as large as small lakes, exuding tranquility and wisdom.

The fins on its sides resembled vast white feathers, gently stirring the air and whipping the surrounding clouds into vortices with each slight movement. Its tail fin was exceptionally wide and powerful; every gentle sweep seemed capable of propelling the entire sky.

The Cloud Whale glided through the heavens, its speed varying from slow to fast. The natural clouds in the sky seemed to heed its call, gathering around it to form magnificent cloud streams. The Whale’s immense body moved gracefully through these streams, as if it were the guardian of this realm, serene and unhurried.

Although the Cloud Whale’s life force was at the Nascent Soul level, it did not exert any sense of pressure. Instead, it brought a feeling of peace to those who beheld it.

Suddenly, the Cloud Whale emitted a low, distant call, as if the sound originated from the depths of the sky, piercing through the clouds with a primal, pure force that reached the deepest parts of people’s hearts.

At the moment the Whale’s call echoed, the entire sea of clouds fell silent. Countless citizens of Huoshi Immortal City stopped speaking, listening attentively to this heavenly sound.

The Cloud Whale passed quietly through the sky, gradually approaching Huoshi Immortal City. Sunlight streamed down, filtering through its body and transforming into a soft radiance, as if even the blazing sun had grown gentler because of it.

Nearly all the citizens of Huoshi Immortal City looked up at the Cloud Whale. Every movement of its fins and tail was elegant and composed, full of natural grace, as if it were one with the sky.

It was truly a wondrous sight!

Finally, the Cloud Whale came to a slow halt, suspending itself high in the sky, maintaining a safe distance from Huoshi Immortal City. Although the Cloud Merchants had a worldwide reputation for trustworthiness, the Cloud Whale was, after all, a Nascent Soul-level entity, and caution was still necessary. Thus, it consciously remained in the sky.

Shortly after, a group of people emerged from within the Cloud Whale and slowly flew toward Huoshi Immortal City.

In the city, Fei Si ascended to meet them. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the two parties converged mid-air.

Fei Si was not surprised. The Cloud Merchants’ formal notice had been delivered over ten days prior. Only after receiving Meng Kui’s approval did Fei Si permit this Cloud Merchant caravan to come to Huoshi Immortal City for trade.

"Lord Fei Si, I am Song Fuli. It is truly an honor to have the opportunity to do business in Huoshi Immortal City!"

Fei Si nodded with a smile, carefully examining the Golden Core cultivator before him. Song Fuli was a middle-aged man with an ordinary appearance, broad nostrils, and tiger-like eyes that shone brightly. He gave off the impression of a battlefield warrior rather than a merchant.

After exchanging greetings, Fei Si requested to inspect Song Fuli’s Cloud Merchant identity token and the official document issued by the Flying Cloud Kingdom.

Fei Si carefully examined the identity token and unrolled the document to check for the seals of the Flying Cloud Kingdom and the Southern Bean Kingdom. Once everything was confirmed, he returned the items to Song Fuli.

"Mr. Song, this way, please." Fei Si led Song Fuli back to Huoshi Immortal City.

Song Fuli, accompanied by several people, followed Fei Si into the city. Meanwhile, the other half of his group gestured behind them, directing more people to emerge from the Cloud Whale.

A large number of cloud beasts of various forms—cloud horses, cloud oxen, and others—pulled countless cargo containers in a long, single-file formation, slowly flying toward Huoshi Immortal City.

The citizens grew excited, some even raising their hands and cheering. They chattered animatedly.

"No wonder the area west of the city was cleared out so early."

"It seems the City Lord’s Mansion had already made arrangements. That area was specifically reserved for the Cloud Merchants to set up their shops."

"I’ve never seen such a large-scale merchant caravan before. I wonder what kind of新奇 items they’ve brought. It’s really something to look forward to."

Huoshi Immortal City grew lively.

At Ning Zhuo’s residence, the sixteen-year-old young cultivator stood by the window, gazing at a corner of the sky.

"The Flying Cloud Kingdom’s merchant caravan?"

Ning Zhuo also showed a hint of anticipation. In fact, he had always held a favorable impression of the Flying Cloud Kingdom, as his mother hailed from there.

Song Fuli and Fei Si traveled together. During their descent, Song Fuli looked down at Huoshi Immortal City and noticed a scar—the ruins left behind from the recent Golden Core melee.

Song Fuli expressed concern: "I wonder how your City Lord views the recent Golden Core conflict?"

Fei Si quickly reassured him: "Lord Meng Kui simply did not intervene. The earlier conflict was far from warranting his action! Please rest assured, your caravan is safe. Everything is under the control of the City Lord’s Mansion."

Song Fuli sighed lightly: "Huoshi Immortal City is a newly established city, and due to the presence of the Lava Immortal Palace, the city’s protective formation is not yet complete."

"The emergence of the Lava Immortal Palace might be a good thing. Perhaps it’s an opportunity to reconstruct the city’s grand formation?"

"But before that, I hope the merchant caravans entering the city have the ability to protect themselves."

Fei Si nodded slightly, glancing at the several cultivators behind Song Fuli. These cultivators had rather fierce demeanors—some with scars on their faces, others with cold, piercing eyes—clearly all skilled in combat.

For Cloud Merchants to travel the world and conduct business everywhere, they naturally possessed strong martial prowess. The Nascent Soul-level Cloud Whale was one layer of protection, and these caravan guards and cultivators were clearly the second.

Fei Si pondered: "As long as your caravan adheres to the previously agreed-upon standards, carrying equipment that meets or falls below the standard, we will acknowledge it."

Song Fuli smiled: "That’s good."

He needed to conduct business here to earn money, while the City Lord’s Mansion, represented by Fei Si, needed to meet the demands of the large number of external cultivators. The resources provided by Huoshi Immortal City alone were insufficient to satisfy the massive needs of these external cultivators.

After all, Huoshi Immortal City was still a new city and had never accommodated so many external cultivators before. Previously, the city could be self-sufficient, but now the demand was too great. Businesses in various industries were booming, yet they still struggled to meet the buyers’ needs.

This had led to a series of security issues, increasingly affecting the City Lord’s Mansion’s ability to maintain stability in Huoshi Immortal City.

The Cloud Merchants would earn money, the cultivators would obtain ample supplies, and the City Lord’s Mansion would stabilize security while also collecting substantial taxes.

This was a win-win situation that everyone desired.

Thus, the Cloud Merchants were warmly welcomed as soon as they arrived. They quickly set up numerous shops, tents, and even constructed tall buildings in the cleared area west of the city.

From the very first day of business, the Cloud Merchants’ goods sold out rapidly!

By the second day, Ning Zhuo, wearing an ordinary mask artifact that slightly altered his appearance, left his residence and headed to the Cloud Merchant shops in the western part of the city.

In just one day, the western part of the city had undergone a dramatic transformation. Shops of all sizes stood tall, bearing the distinctive features of the Flying Cloud Kingdom. These pure white, gray-white, and mottled white buildings were generally tall and slender, as if striving to touch the clouds.

In comparison, the buildings in Huoshi Immortal City were constructed to be broad and sturdy, giving a sense of solidity. Thicker buildings were better at insulating against heat, which was necessary given the generally high temperatures around Huoshi Mountain.

The Flying Cloud Kingdom, on the other hand, had a more temperate climate but frequent rain and thunderstorms. Taller buildings there helped collect rainwater and harness lightning and strong winds.

As Ning Zhuo walked among these shops, he experienced the exotic ambiance of the Flying Cloud Kingdom. The crowd flowed around him, and his ears were filled with the noisy sounds of haggling and lively banter.

The entire Huoshi Immortal City had entered a festive, celebratory atmosphere because of the Cloud Merchants’ arrival.

Ning Zhuo chose a materials shop and entered. He needed to purchase some cloud material to refine into his Floating Cloud Handkerchief.

The clouds produced by the Floating Cloud Handkerchief weren’t just a result of magical power; each activation also consumed the cloud threads stored within the handkerchief.

The materials shop was bustling with activity, with many people purchasing such basic materials. After inquiring about the prices, Ning Zhuo bought some floating clouds and some floating cloud threads.

Floating clouds were considered raw materials, while the floating cloud threads had undergone processing and were slightly more expensive.

(End of )