Chapter 23: Vast Plains City. “What do you think Little Gray?” Yao Jun sat on the back as they flew away from Wan Yi. After flying a good distance away from Wan Yi, Yao Jun gently stroked Little Gray's head as he spoke. Yao Jun had no enmity with Wan Yi, nor did she give him a feeling like she was out to harm him. She gave him a very nice feeling, like she was someone trustworthy. But Yao Jun did not forget that he still had Little Gray and Little Thunder with him. As Demonic beasts, their sense for danger was much stronger than his own, so asking them if she was someone that seemed trustworthy was still something he would do. Little Gray gave a short screech, assuring Yao Jun that he did not feel anything off about her. Yao Jun gave a smile as he kept stroking Little Gray's head and indicated for him to increase the speed a little. He and Little Gray and Little Thunder were connected for life now, so he trusted them as much as he trusted himself. Wan Yi said that it would take about a week to get to the closes human city, but that was only walking speed. Yao Jun was certain that he and Little Gray could make the trip in only around two days if they sped up just a little. Time proved Yao Jun correct. After just over two days of flight, they spotted a city in the distance. Yao Jun beckoned for Little Gray to fly down and land. Once he landed, Yao Jun returned Little Gray to the Garden of Eden, proceeding on foot. He could not enter the city with Little Gray, a Demonic beast, following him. If he did, the people in the town would believe that he was someone from the Demon Race and probably end up trying to hunt him down. Yao Jun wanted to gather more information, so staying low-key for the moment was the best choice. While he did indeed contain the energy from the Demon Race, it was so well hidden that not even someone from the Demon Race noticed it without checking deeper. The city was surrounded by a large stone wall that inscribed with a myriad of different runes. These runes all connected together to form a defensive array that strengthened the toughness of the stone. The city only had two entrances, one on the north side and one on the south side. The entrances were in the form of large steel gates that were wide open during the day, but closed shut during the night. There was a large plaque hanging above the gates that read Vast Plains City. The city took it's name from the vast plain that stretched out in front of it, the plain that the Demon Race call ZhiZhu Plains. When Yao Jun arrived, it was only a bit after noon, so there were very few people outside the gate. A quick check by the guards was enough to grant him access into the city. The buildings in the town were packed closely together, the roads taking up most of the space. The roads here were at least twice as wide as they were in normal towns, easily fitting 15 men standing shoulder to shoulder. The city was arranged like this to make it easier for the soldiers to move around if the city was ever attacked by Demonic beasts or the Demon Race. Yao Jun slowly wandered the streets, focusing his ears and mental energy as much as he could, taking in all the information he could. He used his ears to gather the information that people spoke to each other, while using his mental energy to look at the thoughts that some of the non cultivators or weaker cultivators had. His mental energy was only strong enough to read the thoughts people currently had, and only if they were much weaker than him. The city turned out to be a very popular place to visit. Some people visited because they liked the thought that they were at the very edge of Demon Race territory and could see someone from the Demon Race at any moment. Other people visited because this city had something that very few other cities had, slaves. Slavery was banned on the continent, but that only meant that they were not allowed to sell humans, the Demon Race was not protected. Yao Jun had walked past several platforms where people who were from the Demon Race were lined up. The women were clad in revealing clothing and smothered in make up. The men wore ragged clothing and had obvious bruises and wounds. They were all slightly malnourished, so they were obviously not fed enough. Their gazes were all dull and lifeless, they had already accepted their reality, hoping for nothing but death. Every slave had a mark in the shape of a collar drawn around their neck. This mark prevented them from moving and acting freely, even preventing them from killing themselves. Once they were sold, their new owner would gain control over the mark, effectively becoming their god. Yao Jun would simply speed up a little as he walked past these platforms. He did not have any relationship with these people, but seeing someone deprived of their freedom and treated like something that was less than even an animal still made him uncomfortable. He wanted to help these people, but he wasn't stupid. He was weak, so very weak. If he tried to help them, he would only get himself killed or imprisoned. Many people visited this town for enjoyment, but the city itself still followed a very strict and militaristic set of laws. The city was run by a person called Zou Guanting, he was not only the city lord here, but also the commander of the Western Army. The western army defended the entire Shuren Province, the province Yao Jun was currently in, from the Demon Race. Due to this, Zou Guanting enjoyed a very high prestige and commanded a lot of respect. Yao Jun found an inn that was located not far from the city center and ordered a room for one night. He was only in the city to buy a map and gather whatever information he could, he had no intention of staying here for too long. After ordering the room, Yao Jun left the inn to buy a map. Maps were important no matter where you were, so Yao Jun quickly found a place that sold highly detailed map. The map he bought only the Shuren Province and the five closest provinces, but it was enough to locate the Xian province. The Xian Province was the largest province on the Guanyu continent, so many maps would indicate where it was located, even if the map was of a different province. After having obtained the map, Yao Jun returned to the inn and sat down in the restaurant, ordering a light meal. This continent did not use the same currency as his own Grand Quan continent, it was similar, but distinct enough that his own currency did not work here. Luckily, there was a place in town where he had been able to sell his coins for re-smelting so that he could acquire a bit of money. But since he only sold them for re-smelting, he didn't end up getting very much, the map taking a heavy toll on his funds. Sitting in the restaurant, Yao Jun once more strained his ears and mental energy, taking in as much information as he could. Most of the information was useless, often pertaining to things that happened within the town. But at times he would catch some nice tidbits of information. The only information Yao Jun obtained that he bothered to keep in mind were three separate pieces of information. One piece of information pertained to the most commonly used road that led to the Xian Province. This road was currently beset by a large number of bandits, so traveling to the Xian Province had become very dangerous. The second piece of information was about some ruins located not far from the Xian Province. There was no specific information about the ruins, only the news that some famous disciple from a well known sect had died within it. Yao Jun noted this information because these ruins had apparently been found many years ago, but were still not completely explored. Since so much time had passed without them being fully explored, there was obviously something special about them. The third and last piece of information that he bothered remembering were news pertaining to the situation between the Demon Race and the humans. It seemed that the Demon Race had initiated attacks on several cities that bordered their territory. A messenger came with a proclamation that if the humans did not evacuate the area within one year, the Demon Race would launch an attack with the intent to completely decimate the cities. After spending the rest of the day gathering information and going over the map he had bought, Yao Jun decided to call it quits. He was only two provinces away from the Xian Province, so if he was lucky he could reach it after a short half month.