The scale of Jiucang City far surpassed any martial city in the Tianshan Domain or the East Lin Domain. It spanned an immense area, stretching for thousands of miles.
Imagine that.
A great city spanning thousands of miles, entirely composed of tall buildings and palaces, stretching as far as the eye could see. Even a Golden Core realm martial lord, flying at full speed, would take several hours to cross it.
Such a large city would have a population of tens of millions, with a significant proportion of martial artists, making it more likely for powerful individuals to emerge.
Ling Fan was unfazed.
The prosperity he had witnessed in his previous life far exceeded Jiucang City by a hundredfold!
Those true Saint Cities, Emperor Cities, and even Dao Cities where Heavenly Venerates resided, those were the true celestial sights, with boundless and magnificent vistas, the epitome of prosperity.
However, for the demon horse and the toad, this was an eye-opener. They were so captivated by their stroll through the city that they didn't want to leave, lingering and reluctant to depart.
Ling Fan let them have their way.
After all, with their strength, as long as they didn't cause trouble for others, it was a blessing. He didn't need to worry about them.
He found a riverside restaurant to stay in, intending to use the time before the Saint Forging Assembly began to familiarize himself with and study the martial dao rules of the Jiucang Domain.
The demon horse and the toad roamed Jiucang City for three full days and nights before they were thoroughly drunk. The toad swayed its head, and the demon horse stumbled along, tripping every three steps.
Finally, emboldened by the alcohol, the toad fearlessly jumped onto the demon horse's back. The demon horse, also completely intoxicated, didn't get angry and buck the toad off.
When Ling Fan saw the toad sitting on the demon horse and arriving at the restaurant, he couldn't help but chuckle. He casually sent out a stream of spiritual power, recording the scene.
When these two rascals sobered up, he would show them this spiritual power recording. He wondered how hilarious the scene would be then.
Indeed.
These two fellows snored like thunder for an entire day.
Upon waking, they saw the scene Ling Fan had recorded with his spiritual power, and the atmosphere immediately became extremely awkward.
"Damn it!"
Then, the demon horse's eyes widened, filled with murderous intent, and it glared fiercely at the toad, "Little toad, if I don't beat your toad shit out of you today, I'll write my name backward!"
"You, you, you, gentlemen use words, not fists. Calm down, you were drunk, it doesn't count! Besides, you didn't object. If you had said no at the time, I wouldn't have dared to ride you, you fierce god, even with the heart of a bear and the guts of a leopard!"
The toad squawked, sensing trouble, and began to sprint away on its bandy legs.
However, the toad's speed was no match for the demon horse. The demon horse unleashed its speed, and in almost the time it took to flick a finger, it caught up to the toad. A fierce beating ensued, and from the restaurant above, only the sounds of miserable wails echoed far and wide, chilling the teeth of those who heard them.
Finally.
The demon horse, having vented its anger, lowered itself with a proud stride.
The toad, on the other hand, crawled on the ground using all four limbs, looking utterly pathetic.
"I'm so miserable!"
The toad cried out pitifully.
Ling Fan merely smiled and ignored it.
The toad sighed dejectedly and had no choice but to… as a toad, to heal its wounds in solitude.
A day passed.
Suddenly, a guest arrived.
It was the Divine Mechanism Envoy from the Divine Mechanism Tower of Jiucang Domain, who had previously gone to the East Lin Domain to notify Ling Fan about the Saint Forging Assembly.
Upon seeing Ling Fan, the Golden Core peak expert from the Divine Mechanism Tower immediately knelt on one knee and respectfully said, "Pavilion Master Ling, the Saint Forging Assembly is about to begin, with top experts from the ten domains and Quasi-Saint giants gathered. To allow these giants to familiarize themselves with the Saint Dao rules within the Jiucang Sacred Cave in advance and prepare themselves, our tower is hosting a Hundred Saints Banquet tonight. We invite you to grace us with your presence!"
"Hundred Saints Banquet?"
Ling Fan chuckled.
"Where are there a hundred saints!" Ling Fan's laughter stopped as he asked.
The Divine Mechanism Envoy looked somewhat embarrassed and said, "The ten domains have no saints. The status of Quasi-Saints in the ten domains is equivalent to that of true Manifested Saints. As for 'hundred saints'... the Quasi-Saints in the ten domains combined are indeed less than a hundred, but not by much."
"I'm not going. You can go back," Ling Fan said indifferently.
Such banquets held no interest for him whatsoever.
The Divine Mechanism Envoy's forehead broke out in a cold sweat, appearing very troubled. "Pavilion Master Ling, please, no matter what, bestow your presence. Our Tower Master has given a strict order. If I cannot invite you, I fear I will be thrown into the Zijiang River tomorrow."
The Zijiang River was one of the nine rivers in the Jiucang Domain, flowing into the Jiucang Sacred Cave from the southwest.
It happened to flow beneath their restaurant.
Ling Fan remained unmoved.
The Divine Mechanism Envoy quickly said, "Pavilion Master Ling, this banquet is not just a simple invitation to the Quasi-Saint giants. Besides allowing all the Quasi-Saint giants to become acquainted with each other and to spar and verify their Saint Dao, there are also prizes! I believe you will be interested in these prizes."
"Oh? What prizes?" Ling Fan asked indifferently.
"Sacred artifacts discovered within the Jiucang Sacred Cave, specifically those that have been immersed by an ownerless Saint Dao! These were obtained by our Divine Mechanism Tower's experts deep within the Jiucang Sacred Cave when we participated in sealing that Saint Dao. We are now presenting them for the great cause of Saint Forging in our ten domains," the Divine Mechanism Envoy declared proudly, a flicker of fanaticism appearing in his eyes.
Ling Fan's expression remained calm, showing no emotional fluctuation, as if the so-called sacred artifacts could not move him.
"Not interested," Ling Fan still said.
The Divine Mechanism Envoy was on the verge of tears.
"Boss, let me go have some fun! Since there are prizes, there will inevitably be mutual competitions among Quasi-Saints. I can have a good fight with these Quasi-Saint giants from the ten domains. Under the pressure of these top Quasi-Saints, I might even break through and become stronger," the demon horse suddenly said.
Ling Fan nodded.
Since the demon horse wanted to go, he wouldn't stop it.
The Bolongju clan needed battle, endless battle.
However, the Divine Mechanism Envoy said, "Esteemed Demon Lord, it's not that our Divine Mechanism Tower doesn't welcome you. But, this Hundred Saints Banquet is an invitation for the Quasi-Saint giants of the ten domains. While you are very strong, to put it bluntly, please don't be offended, you are still slightly short of the qualification."
The demon horse cast a sideways glance at the Divine Mechanism Envoy and chuckled coldly, "You probably don't know that a few days ago, the Quasi-Saint expert Jin Lao from that so-called Heaven Mending Sect was kicked into the river by me with one hoof! If the Sect Master's projection hadn't appeared at the last moment, I would have been happily killing him, and it wouldn't have been difficult to slay him."
The Divine Mechanism Envoy's eyes widened. He looked at the demon horse, then at Ling Fan, and said, "The commotion on the river a few days ago was caused by you! I heard that a demon horse suppressed the Quasi-Saint Jin Buhuan of the Heaven Mending Sect so much that he couldn't lift himself up! In the end, the Supreme Sect Master of the Heaven Mending Sect descended, but for some reason, retreated!"
"Our Divine Mechanism Tower was investigating this matter, but the investigation results were not released, so I was unaware! I didn't expect it to be Pavilion Master Ling and your group."
The Divine Mechanism Envoy's reverence for Ling Fan deepened once again.
Their Divine Mechanism Tower claimed to know all the hidden secrets of the world, and their intelligence system was unparalleled in the ten domains, thus they knew more inside information than other experts.