Chapter 2705 - Bull-Head and Horse-Face
The two cosmic cartographers were outrageously powerful. Their short-range acceleration was unbeatable, as their realm far surpassed Meow Meow’s.
Of course, Tianming didn't regret killing the woman in the red dress, as the two behind him would have come after him whether he had killed her or not. There was no difference.
In the Xenoabyss, when you encountered each other, you became prey in each other's eyes and it was a fight to the death.
"Don't struggle. A mere orderan can't escape us," one of the two pursuers said.
"Struggling at death's door is meaningless," added the other.
The two men chasing Tianming were emotionless, their bodies radiating starlight. They appeared to be composed of stars, leaving a trail of stardust as they chased him, their orders overwhelming Meow Meow.
Meow Meow was indeed slower in absolute speed when compared to them. While it might excel in long-distance races, due to its body, it was at a disadvantage in a short sprint. The situation was quite dangerous, and Tianming couldn't help but worry.
"I can't let Ling'er pull me out of here right now because those two will wait for me to come back. Once I leave, unless I can defeat them, I won't be able to come back in.” And without order fragments, that might take several years. Plus, there was a possibility of an ambush once he came back.
As the two pursuers closed in, Tianming slapped his thigh. "I have no choice but to sacrifice one of my companions!"
Upon hearing that, Ying Huo, Meow Meow, and Yin Chen were all stunned.
"Who now?" Yin Chen asked.
"Obviously, it's you!" they replied in unison.
Yin Chen was speechless.
Tianming opened the lifebound space and instantly deployed the ten-billion-strong army of steel he had just recalled, like an unloading operation during a long-haul delivery. He didn't need Yin Chen to do anything—all he had to do was throw it out, and the steel army would act like bullets.
It was surprisingly effective; the concentrated flood of steel was even more substantial than Meow Meow's divine ability. If it was dense enough, the pursuers would likely have to smash through it to continue their chase, thus slowing them.
"Now we'll see what happens first. Will I run out of Yin Chens first, or will they give up on Meow Meow first?" Tianming began tossing Yin Chens while keeping an eye on the two pursuers.
“The Xenoabyss is really dangerous.” Every moment of being pursued was torment. The two pursuers relentlessly smashed through Yin Chens, coldly staring at Tianming with murderous intent. The grimaces at the corners of their mouths made it clear that they were confident that Tianming was doomed. They were fully self-assured.
"It's simple to replenish xeno source, so those two have good endurance. If things continue this way, I’ll run out of Yin Chens soon!" The situation was getting worse and worse. In the worst-case scenario, he might need to temporarily exit the Xenoworld! In that case, seeing Lingfeng, Qingyu, and bringing Sixth back would be indefinitely postponed.
"What should I do?" Tianming thought. However, he didn't expect that fate sometimes worked in mysterious ways. As he gazed forward, he saw a massive city on the horizon, the size of which he had never witnessed in his life.
If the small Creektown was known as a Town of Giants, then the city in front of him was a City of Giants, hundreds of times larger than Creektown. On the outskirts of the city was a bloody plaque with three characters inscribed on it.
Tianming didn't recognize the characters, but from what Qi Huan had told him, the city on the horizon was known as Commonsky City, the city he would encounter on his way to the imperial capital. Rumor had it that it had a foundationeer expert.
"It's massive!" Tianming exclaimed. He instructed Meow Meow to head for the city.
"Antiquitas Mortis’ cities are controlled by the natives. They have strict rules for outworlders. The first rule is that outworlders can’t engage in combat in the city, and violators will be put to death. If I enter, I’ll be protected!” Commonsky City was his chance to temporarily shake his pursuers off.
However, when foreigners enter Commonsky City, they need to pay soulstones every day. I don't know the specific price, Tianming thought. He had a little over eighty thousand soulstones left, and didn't know if it would be enough to last. If it wasn’t, he might be expelled.
As for the recommendation token to the Imperial Capital, he couldn't waste it here. There was no time to overthink things; he was running for his life. Commonsky City was enormous, and even though he had spotted it from a distance, by the time they reached the city gates, Meow Meow was exhausted. The two pursuers were still hot on their heels, and even Yin Chen was almost gone.
Finally, at that moment, Tianming entered the control range of Commonsky City's gate. There, he saw a bull-headed man and a horse-faced man guarding the gate. Both of them were over a thousand meters tall and covered in terrifying muscles, exuding an aura of sheer power. The two monstrous guards gave Commonsky City a domineering and imposing appearance.
"If you're entering the city, you must pay a thousand soulstones per day as an outsider! The calculation includes the time you return to the astralscape of order until you return. It's calculated based on the day you leave the city! If you can't afford it, your life will be forfeit!" the bull-headed man at the city gate announced.
“How long do you expect to stay here?” the horse-faced man asked.
“A month!”
“Hand over thirty thousand soulstones. Any excess will be returned and any deficit must be made up,” the bull-headed man said.
Tianming reached into his spatial ring to pay the thirty thousand soul stone fee. The cost might be exorbitant, but for safety, it was a necessary expense.
"This is such a rip-off. Even when I'm back in the astralscape, I have to pay fees during that time!" he exclaimed. The charges were calculated based on entry and exit times. And if he overstayed, he would have to pay with his life.
"These are the rules that outworlders must follow when entering Commonsky City. Make sure you read them once you're inside! Every extra line you read could save your life!" bellowed the bull-headed man. The two guards’ voices were so loud that it felt like an earthquake to Tianming's ears.
"Yes, yes!" he said, accepting a parchment with the rules on it and rushing into the city. He breathed a sigh of relief, thinking he was safe now. However, when he looked back, he saw the two pursuers had just passing the guards after paying their fees. They were looking at him with cold, determined eyes, following him toward the city.
Tianming hurriedly checked the parchment.
The first rule: "Outworlders are not allowed to fight in Commonsky City. Violators will be put to death." Seeing that, he felt more at ease, so he smirked at the two pursuers.
The two pursuers weren't pleased. "Commonsky City charges a thousand soulstones per day. I hope you have enough."
"My resources were initially limited, but after looking inside that sister's ring earlier, I found it had a hundred thousand soulstones. I should be able to hold out for several years!" Tianming beamed.
"You!"
The two pursuers were furious.
"You’ll die a miserable death!" one of them growled.
"I'm so scared." Tianming didn't bother with them and walked into the city.
"Two small followers, you can come along!" He was sure these two pursuers would stick to him to prevent him from leaving, so he simply stopped caring about them.
He was also sure that this city that was hundreds of times the size of Creektown would definitely have a second Qi Huan waiting for him!