Celestial Peak

White Dragon City, the city that is situated nearest to White Dragon Valley. This was the first destination Wang Ling and the others must pass through before going in to the White Dragon Valley.

The Midnight Eagle went ahead and entered the city. After entering, they landed in front of an inn named, White Dragon Inn. The inn was the biggest in the area and had countless of rooms.

Wang Ling and the others checked in to the inn and settled in for a while. They had reached White Dragon City early in the morning but they wouldn't be entering the White Dragon Valley just yet as they needed to first collect information in regards to the strange incidents in the valley.

"The White Dragon Valley is a large place that is dangerous and have many savage beasts and even spirit beasts. It is uncharted place and we need to be careful when we move, we should prepare before we enter it so this day is going to be a day where we should prepare ourselves." Fang Guan explained as he acted the leader of the expedition.

At the moment, he was strongest of the group so he was in command.

Lu Lin was same cultivation stage as him but Fang Guan was still stronger. With a body that has been refined many times. Fang Guan can fight against a nascent soul stage practitioner if he really tries.

If he paired up with Lu Lin, they might even be able to slay nascent soul stage enemy. Wang Ling still can't fight with a nascent soul stage enemy with his current strength, but he can still run so it didn't matter to him if he meet with one.

However, he was still, of course very cautious to his moves. This place was not the Piercing Heaven Empire capital city but the cultivation world where death is as common as the skies.

He had run amok in the Piercing Heaven Academy and domineeringly named himself as the strongest of the outer circle. But here where nascent soul stage or even saint stage cultivators might show up, Wang Ling dare not overestimate himself.

Even experience has its limits. If he met with someone that can kill him in the blink of an eye. Wang Ling need not think of even escaping as he would surely die even if he struggled to the best of his abilities.

Wang Ling agreed with Fang Guan's arrangement and went out to gather information. While Fang Guan left by himself, Wang Ling followed Lu Lin into the city to look around. Zi Liang was of course alarmed by his presence but Lu Lin did not mind.

"Where are we going?" Wang Ling asked curiously.

"To a place called White Dragon Emporium, we can find almost everything we want in that place. Whether it be martial techniques or information, we can find it there." Lu Lin explained.

Wang Ling nodded his head in understanding the matter. If they wanted to gain enough information then the best place to be would be in was the White Dragon Emporium.

While walking, Wang Ling noticed the number of people in the White Dragon Valley were more than he had thought. Based on what he had read, the White Dragon City was bustling, but bustling was understatement to explain the number of people in front of him.

They had yet to even reach the White Dragon Emporium yet the people walking pass by him already numbered at hundreds. Although the wide streets made it comfortable to walk around, Wang Ling still felt inconvenient.

"The White Dragon Valley has been acting in the weirdest ways possible. It is understandable why there are so much people around here, if an ancient ruin appears or if a hidden realm is discovered, these people wants to be there so they can make a profit and gain benefits." Lu Lin passively explained from the side.

With the White Dragon Valley one of the most mysterious place in the entire continent that hold countless benefits. The strange of occurrences of the valley was sure to attract the attention of both wandering cultivators and different sects, academies and even empires.

Wang Ling saw that many people were moving in groups and were wearing matching clothing. They must be from the same place who hold the same goals as his group.

They soon reach the White Dragon Emporium where it was even more bustling than the outside. Lu Ling entered the emporium with Wang Ling and started looking around.

Aside from martial techniques and information, there were also spirit plants and pills. There were also savage beasts being sold here, from an [Iron-back Panther] that was till a child to a fully adult [Dragon Elephant] that had reached over five meter large could be found in that place.

The emporium was large, too large in fact. The number of people entering and leaving this place were too many yet the place never felt cramped. Wang Ling and Lu Lin enjoyed observing the items but bought nothing, Zi Liang on the other hand bought everything that made her mouth curve into a smile.

"You shouldn't be spending too much spirit stones by buying such things, what you are doing is just wasting resources. Only buy those that has use… and not that bear skin that's only good for decoration. If you can't even refrain from buying such things, your heart will not be tempered and your temperament is going to worsen."

Zi Liang turned her head to Lu Lin and felt her cheeks become warmer. Putting down the bear skin that was on her hand, Zi Liang moved by Lu Lin's side and tried her best to fight against the temptation.

Wang Ling just quietly followed by Lu Lin's side and never said anything to the two. He was as silent as a ghost and if not for his impeccable aura, he might as well have been air.

After walking for a while, the three of them reached an inconspicuous stall named: "White Dealings". This was the information stall that Lu Lin was talking about.

In the stall, there was one old man that was calculating his profits through an abacus. The old stall owner was unkempt and looked like he had not taken a bath for a week or two, with his disheveled hair, he looked more than a beggar than an information broker.

As if the stall owner sensed the presence of Lu Lin and the other two, he said without raising his head.

"What is it do you wish to know? For you to seek my guidance, I trust you know my currency."

"Do not worry Elder, I brought enough stellar stone to compensate you." Lu Lin reassured the elder.

"Speak, why have you come to my humble stall? What is it that you want to know?"

"I wish to know the current happenings of the White Dragon Valley. Especially about the resonating roars and cries of the Dragon and Phoenix."

The Elder raised his head for the first time and looked at Lu Lin's eyes before speaking seriously, "That information is not going to be cheap."

"One thousand stellar stones for the information." Lu Lin said decisively.

The Elder smiled at Lu Lin's decisiveness and started speaking.

"The resonating roars and cries of the Dragon and Phoenix does indeed have a significant relation to this occurrence. Just as you know, the White Dragon Valley appeared a hundred years after the old era was destroyed by the strongest celestial.

"With the destruction of the old era, the new and more flourishing era where the spirit qi is denser and treasures became numerous. However, amidst the flourishing era, our continent that had just been formed after the 'Great Descend' was blessed by the presence of the White Dragon and Black Phoenix.

"The two fought and the White Dragon won, with the victory of the White Dragon, the Black Phoenix disappeared. To honor the White Dragon's triumphed over the Black Phoenix, the valley that had formed from the aftermath of the two beast's fight was name after it.

"According to legend, the Phoenix and Dragon that had fought left a treasure in the depths of the valley. The treasure was formed as the blood of the two beasts coagulated together, the blood of the two beasts is the treasure and containing both the blood of the Dragon and Phoenix, it let out the roars and cries s of the two.

"The Dragon once left a few words that resonated across the entire continent: "With the roars of the cries and roars of the Dragon and Phoenix, the greatest treasure will be born." Is the words that had been uttered that day."

The Elder spoke of the legend as if he was trying to inform the ignorant Zi Liang who listening intently beside Lu Lin. Zi Liang did not know about this legend. Wang Ling who was beside her was also pretty ignorant about this matter as the information he got from books were sorely limited compared to the Elder's tales.

After the pause, the Elder continued speaking.

"The legend had been thought as false but at the tenth month of yesteryear, the resonating roars and cries of the Dragon and Phoenix started to come out of the White Dragon Valley.

"At first it only happened every now and then and others thought that it was just some beast. But as time went on, the roars and cries became louder and frequent, and today, the roars and cries happens every time high noon and midnight comes."

The Elder paused once more and Lu Lin who was listening asked, "So, does it really have anything to do with the treasure that was left by the two beast? If it really does, is the treasure real then?"

The Elder smiled as he teasingly said, "What do you think? With the resonating roars and cries of the Dragon and Phoenix do you think it's real? After an unknown number millennia of silence, the White Dragon Valley has finally made a sound, now, do you think the treasure is true? If so, then what kind of treasure do you think it is?"

Lu Lin shook her head, "This junior thinks it is true, but as for what kind of treasure is formed… I also have no idea what it is. Please enlighten me."

"There are only quite a handful of power who knows about it but the treasure's been seen in the depths of the White Dragon Valley. A week ago some rogue cultivator once saw a crimson ball of light hanging by the deepest part of the valley, when he saw the ball of light, it was noon.

"As you might have guessed already, the resonating roars and cries of the Dragon and Phoenix suddenly erupted from this ball of light. The rogue cultivator almost died as the roars and cries almost made his soul dissipate, thankfully, he was save by me and told me his story before dying."

Lu Lin's face brightened as she learned of this information. After hearing the story, Lu Lin said her thanks and handed over one thousand stellar stones to the Elder. The Elder happily took the stellar stones and then turned to Lu Lin.

"I have taken a liking to you little girl. As a bonus, I'll let you learn something nice. The powers that knows about this information had already moved and entered the White Dragon Valley.

"There are five of them, [Colossus Sect], [Tiger Domination Sect], [Soaring Wind Empire], [Blood Saber Cult], and the [Dragon Sword Dojo]. They are searching for the treasure and is willing to do anything to get their hands into it."

With that, the elder went back to doing calculations with his abacus and disregarded Wang Ling and the others. Lu Lin turned to look at Wang Ling and Zi Liang.

"As you have heard, our Piercing Heaven Academy is not the only one who wants to enter the White Dragon Valley. Fang Guan and I wanted to rest for today but it seems like we can't do that, Junior Brother Wang, please get Fang Guan and tell him that we need to move now.

"We shall meet in the Northern Gates of the White Dragon City." She instructed Wang Ling before turning to Zi Liang, "Zi Liang, you are with me, follow me and we will ready the Midnight Eagles."

The three of them separated and Wang Ling went to find Fang Guan. However, finding Fang Guan was no easy task as the White Dragon City was too large and he was unfamiliar with the place.

Wang Ling took a long time before managing to find Fang Guan at a restaurant called White Dragon Restaurant, he was drinking alcohol while listening to the conversations when Wang Ling found him and told him what Lu Lin had told him to tell him.

By the time Wang Ling and Fang Guan reached the Northern Gates, it was already nearing high noon. Hurrying along, Wang Ling and the others was just about to mount the Midnight Eagles when a soul piercing roar and screech echoed from the depths of the White Dragon Valley.

Roarrrrrrr!

Skriiiiiiiii!

The overbearing roars of a Dragon and the piercing cries of a phoenix reverberated in the ears of Wang Ling and the people of White Dragon City.

[This expedition is getting dangerous.]

Wang Ling became cautious as he knew that dealing with beasts like Phoenixes and Dragons were not simple.