Flying from the borderlands to Stormtower takes a while, especially since there’s no direct Teleportation Gate—so Evan Chu and Blue‑Shade God‑Venerable have to rely on their own flight. Evan almost summoned Old Goldwing or Storm Roc as a mount, but he held back, wanting them to keep cultivating inside the Timewheel Bracelet. Sometimes, you just have to grit your teeth and make sacrifices for the future.
After a while, Blue‑Shade God‑Venerable said, “Evan, I remember you picked up a Soul Crystal at the Rainbow Court auction, right? That thing’s the key to the Soul‑Spirit Realm. If you’re dead set on going, I’ll tag along and watch your back, no problem.”
Back then, Lord Frostbane and I entered that place when we were just at the early God‑Venerable Realm. I doubt it’s as dangerous now, but that trip left a shadow in my heart. Just thinking about that domain still gives me chills.”
“The Soul‑Spirit Realm pops up wherever it wants—there’s no fixed entrance. Even if I wanted to go, I’d need the opportunity. Forget it, let’s talk about this later. How far are we from Stormtower?” Evan Chu asked, keeping his mind focused on the task ahead.
“At our speed, we’ll make it in one more day. I gotta say, your Wind Element mastery is getting scary good, Evan. I’m starting to see you in a whole new light.” Blue‑Shade God‑Venerable laughed, half teasing, half impressed.
“I absorbed that wind elemental crystal I got at the Rainbow Court auction, so Windshift leveled up. Still haven’t hit the final stage, though—these rare elemental crystals don’t exactly grow on trees. Let’s find a spot to rest. Using Windshift nonstop is no joke.” Evan Chu said, stretching his sore limbs.
“There’s a city up ahead. Why don’t we stop for a drink? This place is famous all across the God Realm—wait till you see it, your jaw’s gonna hit the floor.” Blue‑Shade God‑Venerable said, his eyes twinkling with mischief.
“What’s so special about it? Is it crawling with beauties? Or is it some weird men-only city?” Evan Chu joked, tossing out wild guesses just to mess with Blue‑Shade.
“This city’s Freewind Sect territory, and let me tell you—the name says it all. The Blossom Quarter is a pleasure paradise, overflowing with gorgeous women. As long as you’ve got enough Violet Cloud Crystals or God Crystals, you can live it up however you please. No one dares mess with you, and there’s always someone ready to protect you.”
But if you try anything funny without cash, you’re dead meat. The city’s also got a massive slave trade—gods with weak cultivation get sold off as slaves, men and women both. If a female slave’s even a little pretty, she’s snatched up right away, especially if she’s a virgin. Plain or non-virgin women? Locked up in cages and sold like livestock. The God Realm’s got no mercy for the weak.
Male slaves? All about strength and age. Some folks shell out just to have them as servants—they work for you, never complain, never get paid. Pretty twisted, huh?” Blue‑Shade God‑Venerable shook his head.
“Seriously twisted. Hard to believe a place like this exists in the God Realm. Still, let’s check it out—might as well see how the other half lives!” Evan Chu grinned, trying to keep things light.
“So what’s your pick—Blossom Quarter or Slave Ward? The city’s split right down the middle: one for pleasure, one for slaves.” Blue‑Shade God‑Venerable nudged Evan, his grin wicked.
“Let’s hit the Slave Ward first. Maybe I’ll find someone worth saving—and who knows, they might be useful if I ever build up my own sect.” Evan Chu replied, half joking, half serious.
“Honestly, I figured you’d go straight for the beauties. But hey, if you’re set on the Slave Ward, let’s roll.” Blue‑Shade God‑Venerable chuckled, clearly amused.
But deep down, Evan Chu felt bitter. So many fight their whole lives just to ascend to the God Realm, only to wind up as chattel or worse. Compared to living free as a top dog in the Immortal Realm, the God Realm’s cruelty hit even harder. Was this really the paradise everyone dreamed of?
Soon, Evan Chu and Blue‑Shade God‑Venerable reached the city’s main road. In the God Realm, flying is strictly forbidden inside city limits—doesn’t matter if you’re a late-stage God‑Venerable like Blue‑Shade. And with this being Freewind Sect territory, rules are rules. Freewind Sect’s power is right up there with Shadow Divine Palace.
From afar, Evan Chu sized up the city. It was huge, rivaling Azure Moon City, with walls towering sky-high and rows of red-armored guards standing at attention. What really stunned Evan? Every guard was at the God-King Realm. If Freewind Sect can use God-Kings as city guards, what kind of monsters are in their main stronghold?
“Bro, who’s stronger—Freewind Sect or Shadow Divine Palace?” Evan Chu whispered, still reeling from the sight of God-Kings guarding the city. Just imagining Freewind Sect’s main city gave him chills.
“They’re about even, honestly. Shadow Divine Palace used to be called Shadow Divine Temple, but after Frostbane Imperial Palace fell, the temple master thought ‘temple’ was bad luck and changed it to ‘palace.’ Some folks still say ‘temple,’ some say ‘palace.’ Freewind Sect’s sect master gets along with the palace master—if they wanted to team up, they could do it in a heartbeat.” Blue‑Shade God‑Venerable explained.
Before long, they reached the city gate. The entrance fee was steep—three hundred lower-grade Violet Cloud Crystals, way pricier than Rainbow City. Clearly, only the rich or powerful came here; all the men strutting down the main road were decked out in fancy clothes.
After paying up, Evan Chu and Blue‑Shade God‑Venerable entered. The streets were wide and spotless, but not a single street vendor was hawking wares—this was the only city Evan had ever seen like that. It felt almost… unnatural.
After about three hundred meters, the main street split in two. Blue‑Shade God‑Venerable grinned, "These two roads are the Blossom Quarter and the Slave Ward. Which one do you think leads to the Slave Ward?"
Evan Chu didn’t answer right away. He watched the crowd—more women walked the left street, while the right was almost all men. Something clicked, and he couldn’t help but laugh.
“Left side’s gotta be the Slave Ward, right? Did I guess it?” Evan Chu asked, half uncertain, half playful.
“Wrong! The left’s the Blossom Quarter, the right’s the Slave Ward. You saw all those women on the left and figured the pleasure district would be full of men, right?” Blue‑Shade God‑Venerable laughed.
Evan Chu flushed. “That’s exactly what I thought. So why is it like this?”
“It’s totally normal to think that way. The Blossom Quarter has tons of women—some are there to drag out their men, some just got their freedom, and some are scouting for a spot to join in. Everyone’s got their reasons.” Blue‑Shade God‑Venerable explained.
The Slave Ward’s all about selling slaves. Female slaves are rare—any with a bit of beauty gets sent straight to the Blossom Quarter. It’s violent and bloody, too. Sometimes slaves fight to the death for a shot at freedom; deaths are common, so very few women go there.” Blue‑Shade God‑Venerable said.
Suddenly, it all made sense to Evan Chu. “Let’s go see what makes the Slave Ward so different. We’re already here—no harm in taking a look!”