Chapter 530: A City of Sanctuary Amid the Broken Sea

High above the heavens, on the right flank of the lead Zhulu-class cruiser, white light gathered at the bow of the massive 1,200-meter warship—it was building up energy for its main cannon.

City Guard Group Chat

“Second Uncle, are you really going to let them go? They’re just a handful from the Swordslave Clan—what’s the harm in killing them?”

The young man’s words had barely left his mouth when the Zhulu-class cruiser captain in charge cut him off immediately.

“Enough! Stand down!”

Faced with his uncle’s reprimand, Song Qing could only hide his frustration as he cancelled the main cannon’s charge.

Song Qing had always respected his second uncle—not just because Song Zhengyan always looked after him, but also because Song Zhengyan was a famous genius in Dragon Abyss City. He’d become a Zhulu-class cruiser captain before the age of three hundred—a rare feat—and his reputation was well-established.

Glancing at his nephew through the communication projection, Song Zhengyan noted the dissatisfaction in Song Qing’s eyes but saw no trace of anger or darkness. His tone softened as he explained:

“Right now, this is a turning point for us to make Dragon Shark City famous. We’re a neutral city—so long as no one stirs up trouble within our borders, we absolutely can’t be the first to attack. That’s the basic rule for a city like ours. Only if we strictly uphold this rule will word of our fairness spread among other races. As long as we keep this, Dragon Shark City will truly take root here on the North Shore of the Broken Sea!”

Then Song Zhengyan turned their attention back to the Swordslave Clan members who were leaving in the distance.

“Those Swordslave clansmen just now had the intent to hunt us, but they never actually crossed into the area we’ve marked out. So they can’t be killed. Got it?”

After hearing this, Song Qing and the eight other city guards finally understood.

“We understand, Second Uncle! For the family’s next hundred, even thousand years, we’ll never make such a mistake again!”

……

Watching the ten battleships soar away overhead, the Third-Tier Snakefolk bowed deeply. To the Song Family’s guard team, this might’ve been an effortless favor, but for those saved, it was nothing short of a life-changing debt.

“Father…”

Enduring his wounds, the Third-Tier Snakefolk quickly regrouped with his wife and children.

“Let’s go—straight for Dragon Shark City. It’s not fully finished yet, but I hear some districts have already opened. As long as we can sell that item, we’ll be set for centuries.”

The Second-Tier female Snakefolk hesitated.

“That thing’s worth a fortune. Otherwise, those Swordslave clan members wouldn’t have chased after us. Isn’t it risky to sell outright?”

“Don’t worry. Back in the tribe, I asked around—Dragon Shark City has outstanding order, way better than Bronzehorn City a million miles away. I even heard that six months ago, a Second-Tier outsider managed to sell a Silver Oddity and they’re still living safely in the city!”

It’s like a mirage—what you see seems so close, but the journey takes forever.

Even though they spotted the towering outline of Dragon Shark City from afar, the four Snakefolk pushed on for three whole days before they finally arrived.

That was only because the Third-Tier Snakefolk and his wife took turns carrying their children to keep up their pace. Otherwise, it would’ve taken even longer.

North Gate of Dragon Shark City—the number of outsiders arriving was staggering. Blending into the crowd, the four Snakefolk were unremarkable.

Honestly, even Third-Tier and Second-Tier Snakefolk were nothing special here. With a single glance, the Third-Tier leader spotted numerous Fourth-Tier outsiders—and even a Fifth-Tier Seahorse among them.

But despite how many outsiders there were, everything was orderly. No chaos, just one disciplined line.

It wasn’t just the deterrent of the Starry Sky Dragon Shark who’d shown itself a year earlier; you could also see it in the unfinished wall on the left side of the North Gate.

There, more than a dozen giant outsiders—each ten thousand meters tall—were working non-stop on the construction. Two of them towered a hundred thousand meters, and while they radiated a crushing presence, they labored patiently, helping to build the city.

“I knew it—a city guarded by a Sovereign is on a completely different level…”

Seeing this, the Third-Tier Snakefolk finally felt at ease, genuinely hopeful for his tribe’s future.

Their Snakefolk tribe was small, just a lesser fourth-tier group on the North Shore, with only two Fourth-Tier members. They were one of the countless minor forces scattered along the Broken Sea’s edge.

Because their strength was weak and every nearby trading city was a million miles from their home, each trip for trade was dangerous. Over the centuries, more than a hundred capable Snakefolk had been lost this way.

“But this is better—Dragon Shark City is only tens of thousands of miles away from the tribe. Things will finally get easier now.”

Just as the Third-Tier Snakefolk was imagining a brighter future, a cold command rang out in the universal Starsea tongue.

“Entry fee: one strand of first-tier Floating-Land Origin per person!”

The Snakefolk reacted quickly, offering a strand of second-tier Floating-Land Origin.

“Hi, there’s four of us in total.”

The one collecting the fee was a Second-Tier Doomstar race. He took their strand of second-tier origin and quickly handed back four strands of first-tier Floating-Land Origin.

“A one-to-eight conversion? That’s way more reasonable than Bronzehorn City’s one to five!”

Muttering to himself, the Third-Tier Snakefolk led his family straight into the city.

The first thing he did inside the city was rent a temporary place for his family, then, without even tending his injuries, he hurried over to the trading street.

Currently, only the northern district of Dragon Shark City was open, but even though it had only been a few months, the number of outsiders gathered there was already astounding.

With limited experience, the Third-Tier Snakefolk had a vague sense of the item’s value but was new to markets this grand. The bustling streets and sea of outsiders made him nervous. In the end, he just rented a stall and set out the treasure he’d acquired by chance.

Thanks to having a clan elder for a second uncle, Song Qing held a respected place in the Hidden Vein and had far more experience than most in his generation.

So, after finishing a month-long patrol duty, he didn’t rush off to rest. Instead, he went straight for the trading street, hoping to get lucky.

“Wait…is that a Secret Arts Inheritance Stele?”

A startled exclamation caught Song Qing’s attention instantly.

Everyone knew the value of a Secret Arts Inheritance Stele. If this one was genuine, he had to have it—its worth could shape the Hidden Vein, even the entire Song Family.

Pushing his way through the crowd, Song Qing quickly spotted the Third-Tier Snakefolk and the ancient-looking stone stele with its faint sword aura on the stall.

The stele was small, as if it had been chopped in half, leaving only a short fragment.

But Song Qing had returned to the Dragonspine Main Branch before and studied the Dragonspine and unnamed Secret Arts Steles—so he recognized it at a glance.

“It really is a Secret Arts Inheritance Stele—and probably tied to sword techniques. But it looks incomplete!”

Now sure, Song Qing hurried to contact his second uncle through the Torch Network.

The Hidden Vein had spent over two years here on the North Shore, so of course they’d set up a basic Torch Network.

Though the setup was rather simple and not that secure, usually they relied on warship communication, rarely using the Torch Network for anything too confidential.

No sooner had Song Qing notified his second uncle than a booming hum rang in his ears.

“I want that stele—how does ten strands of sixth-tier Floating-Land Origin sound?”

Someone had already verified the stele’s authenticity and was eager to snatch it up.

The Third-Tier Snakefolk shook his head, about to reply, when another voice chimed in.

“A Red Starsea Oddity tailored for serpentine outsiders—here are its properties.”

That offer clearly tempted the Third-Tier Snakefolk.

Seeing this, Song Qing grew anxious, desperately hoping his second uncle would hurry over.

But for some reason, Song Zhengyan had yet to show up.

As the Third-Tier Snakefolk seemed ready to agree to the new deal, Song Qing forced himself to stay calm and quickly considered what treasures he might have that could catch their interest.

Thanks to his uncle’s support, Song Qing himself had plenty of valuable things.

An idea flashing in his mind, he suddenly spoke up:

“One Snake Spirit Blood-Refining Fruit—can I exchange it for the stele?”

The name alone made the Third-Tier Snakefolk snap his attention onto Song Qing, his snake eyes shining with interest. Clearly, the Snake Spirit Blood-Refining Fruit was hard to resist.

That sudden shift made the Snakefolk reconsider his earlier offer.

The abrupt turn of events enraged the Fifth-Tier outsider who was about to buy the Secret Arts Inheritance Stele.

In a flash, the presence of a Fifth-Tier being crashed down on Song Qing.

Song Qing turned pale as he mustered all his eldritch energy to resist.

Just then, he sensed a faint ripple in space beside him. Before he could turn, the crushing pressure abruptly vanished.

“Uncle Chi!”

When he saw the familiar figure silently appear at his side, Song Qing was overjoyed.

“Are you hurt?”

Song Chi smiled and nodded.

“I’m alright!”

Relieved Song Qing wasn’t harmed, a trace of coldness faded from Song Chi’s heart, though the look he gave the opposing Fifth-Tier outsider remained icy.

His dual pupils shimmered, and with Law of Space and Law of Light swirling in his gaze, the Fifth-Tier outsider froze as if locked by a primeval beast.

“You’ve broken market rules and used your own presence to threaten others. According to Dragon Shark City’s regulations, that’s grounds for summary execution!”

Each icy word he spoke pierced the Fifth-Tier outsider like a blade.

“Since you held back and showed restraint, you can avoid death. But you’re not walking away unpunished. Do you accept this judgment?”

Song Chi then withdrew his eye power, letting the Fifth-Tier outsider move again.

“I accept! Whatever the punishment, I accept!”

Still terrified, the Fifth-Tier outsider nodded frantically, fearing Song Chi might change his mind.

“Xiao Qing, anything you need?”

At his uncle’s prompt, Song Qing thought for a moment, then brought up his own shortage of Floating-Land Origin.

“In that case, your penalty is five hundred strands of fourth-tier Floating-Land Origin and ten strands of fifth-tier. Pay up as compensation!”

……

Song Chi settled the matter with barely a thought, then turned his gaze to the ancient stele at the Snakefolk’s stall.

This fragment was incomplete, but Song Chi had a way to find the rest. As long as the other half was still on Red Star Continent, the Destiny Compass would make it easy enough to track down.

“Vendor, may I examine it up close?”

Knowing Song Chi’s elevated status, the Third-Tier Snakefolk dared not refuse.

“Of course, sir—please, take your time!”

Reaching out, Song Chi picked up the blade-marked stele and focused his mind, soon uncovering some of its mysteries.

Name: Sha Sword Secret Arts Inheritance Stele

Secret Arts: Flying Sword State (can be studied with any law comprehension over 0.1%)

Secret Arts: Sha Sword Chant (can be studied with any law comprehension over 1%)

……

It was indeed a Secret Arts Inheritance Stele—though incomplete, it still held two sword arts.

Incomplete as it was, Song Chi couldn’t judge its grade, but the value was undeniable.

After pondering a moment, he withdrew a porcelain vial.

“This is a drop of Sixth-Tier serpent outsider blood—it’ll greatly strengthen your Snakefolk bloodline. Add to that the Snake Spirit Blood-Refining Fruit. Will you trade?”

When the offer included Sixth-Tier serpent blood, the Third-Tier Snakefolk didn’t hesitate any longer.

“Deal!”

The Snake Spirit Blood-Refining Fruit could help a serpent break through a bottleneck, but with Sixth-Tier blood, he was confident of breaking through to the fourth rank.

And since he was only at the third rank, raw Sixth-Tier serpent blood was a bit much for his system—if he diluted it, even his whole family could benefit.

After the deal, Song Chi took Song Qing with him as they left the trading street.

Dragon Shark City, City Lord’s Mansion.

“This Secret Arts Inheritance Stele is broadly applicable, but it’s just too incomplete. Only two secret arts remain.”

Examining the Sha Sword Secret Arts Inheritance Stele, Song Shixing let out a long sigh.

Its value would be unimaginable if only it was whole—the effect on the family would be profound.

“Ancestor Xing, your grandson could give these arts a try.”

……

Beneath the City Lord’s Mansion, in the battleship summoning chamber.

Inside the Heavenly Ruin, Song Chi pressed his half of the Sha Sword Secret Arts Inheritance Stele against the Destiny Compass component.

Soon enough, a new starmap appeared on the compass’s base.

On this starmap, which spanned two hundred million light-years, a golden light marker shone prominently.

The golden marker wasn’t far from the Heavenly Ruin at all—in fact, it nearly overlapped with the ship’s current position.

This meant that the other half of the Sha Sword Secret Arts Inheritance Stele was also on Red Star Continent. After all, compared to a starmap 200 million light-years wide, Red Star was just over 300,000 light-years across.

This realization delighted Song Chi. As long as the other half of the stele was still somewhere on this continent, finding it would be easy.

PS: Only one chapter today.