My Celestial Ascension

As soon as the sun rose, Yuan and his group finished breakfast and prepared to leave, heading toward Yellow River City, one of the largest and most important cities of the Lionheart Empire. Yellow River City also boasts a massive port for ships and serves as a business hub where many trading companies fiercely compete to become the most powerful in the Empire.

Yuan quickly dismantled the massive tent and stored it in his system storage. With a wave of his sleeve, a powerful gust of wind blew across the ground, extinguishing the fire and clearing everything away.

Once everything was in order, Yuan approached his wives, who were waiting for him in an open area. With a smile, he asked, "Is everyone ready to leave?"

"We're ready," his wives replied in unison, smiling along with Little Zoe.

Yuan then turned to Miss Zara and asked, "Are you ready as well, Miss Zara?"

"I-I... I'm ready," Miss Zara stammered, her face slightly rosy. She avoided meeting his eyes, feeling awkward.

'I can't believe I'm about to fly with him… This is so embarrassing! I hope he doesn't touch me inappropriately when I ride his flying sword,' Miss Zara thought, looking uneasy.

Yuan retrieved his Empyreal Oblivion from his system storage and tossed it into the air. The sword hovered in place as if unaffected by gravity.

'Huh?' Miss Zara was startled as she suddenly felt two strong arms wrap around her waist. In the next moment, she found herself standing on the flying sword, hovering above the ground.

Xi Meili retrieved her own flying sword from her spatial ring and picked up Little Zoe before leaping onto it. The little girl's eyes sparkled with excitement, thrilled to soar through the sky and dance among the clouds.

This would be the second city Little Zoe had ever visited. Before traveling with Yuan and his wives, she had never left her home, making today's journey all the more exciting.

Without delay, Yuan and his group soared into the sky, moving toward Yellow River City at incredible speed—twice as fast as before.

After traveling for a week on the flying sword, Miss Zara had grown used to high-speed air travel. However, she still felt awkward about Yuan's arms wrapped securely around her waist.

'I hope he doesn't touch anywhere else… but, he does have a nice scent. It's so comforting… Ahh! What am I even thinking?' Miss Zara scolded herself, her cheeks flushing red.

Hours later, they spotted a massive city beside a river nearly ten kilometers wide.

"Is that Yellow River City?" Yuan asked Valeria, pointing to the distant, sprawling metropolis.

Valeria followed his gaze and nodded with a smile. "That's right. It's Yellow River City. You can already see the numerous ships at the port. Most of the shops belong to powerful trading companies that control many merchants."

"I see… Well, even if we wanted to tour the city, we can't. We have to get to the Imperial City before the auction starts," Yuan sighed. He had hoped to explore the city, sample local cuisine, and enjoy the famous street foods, but there was no time for leisure, even with his beloved wives.

A few minutes later, they arrived at the city gate and descended slowly, immediately drawing the attention of the crowd waiting in line to enter the city.

"W-Who are those people? Did they just descend from the sky?"

"T-They were flying?! How is that even possible?"

The people in line began to murmur among themselves, struggling to believe their eyes. Even the guards at the gate were stunned, their mouths hanging open in disbelief.

As Yuan and his wives approached the gate, one of the guards managed to snap out of his daze and quickly became alert.

"The entry fee is fifty copper coins per person," the guard announced, blocking their path.

Before Yuan could retrieve some silver coins from his system storage, Valeria placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Let me handle this," she said, stepping forward and fixing the guard with an intimidating gaze.

"Let us into the city immediately. Don't you recognize me, or should I slice you up?" Valeria asked with a wide grin.

The guard's body stiffened when he recognized Valeria. His legs began to tremble, and a wave of fear swept over him.

'Oh no! Of all the people in the world, why did I have to offend 'her'? I'm doomed!' he thought, feeling his soul about to leave his body. 'I've never heard of anyone surviving after angering Lady Valeria… My head will surely roll on the ground any moment now!'

Sweat poured down the guard's face, and his complexion turned ghostly pale.

"Please, Lady Valeria! Forgive me for not recognizing you sooner!" he cried, dropping to his knees and begging for forgiveness.

The crowd gasped, shocked to witness the scene unfolding before them. They were even more astonished to learn that one of the women was the Elder Sister of the current Emperor.

Valeria scoffed. "Since this is your first offense, I'll forgive you this time." She turned to Yuan and the others, her expression softening.

"Let's restock our supplies before heading to the Imperial City. I know where the local market is, so just follow me," Valeria said, taking the lead as they entered the city.

"Since you know your way around, we'll leave the navigation to you, Valeria," Yuan replied with a smile.

'Even though I already know where the market is thanks to my Divine Sense, I'll let her guide us. She seems really excited,' Yuan thought, smiling to himself.

Once inside the bustling city, Yuan and his group followed Valeria as she led them toward the local market to restock supplies. As they moved through the crowded streets of Yellow River City, their striking appearance and powerful aura drew many curious and cautious glances from the citizens. People couldn't help but keep their distance, intimidated yet mesmerized by the group's presence.

After a few minutes of navigating the lively streets, they reached the local market, where merchants sold everything from fresh fruits and vegetables to meat, spices, and other essentials. The air was filled with a mix of delicious and exotic scents.

The group carefully selected only the supplies they needed, mindful of their upcoming arrival at the Imperial City, which was just a day and a half away. There was no need to buy excess provisions.

About half an hour later, having restocked their supplies, they decided to grab a quick bite from the street vendors. The delicious aromas were too tempting to ignore, and everyone was feeling a bit hungry.

Once everyone had eaten their fill, Yuan turned to his wives and asked, "Did we miss anything? If so, think about it quickly, or else we're leaving."

"No, I don't think we forgot anything," Anna replied with a smile after double-checking her spatial ring. The others also confirmed they had everything they needed.

"Alright, then. Let's head out," Yuan said, retrieving Empyreal Oblivion from his system storage and tossing it into the air.

"Let's leave. We only have a few hours before it gets dark," Mireya added as she summoned her own flying sword and leapt onto it.

The onlookers were stunned, thinking that Yuan and his wives might be performing some kind of stunt. However, before anyone could say anything, Yuan and Miss Zara stepped onto the flying sword, and the group took off at incredible speed.

The citizens could only watch in astonishment as they vanished in a blur, leaving behind a powerful gust of wind that swept through the marketplace.

"W-What just happened?! How did they disappear so suddenly?!" someone exclaimed, still in disbelief.

"Were we under some kind of illusion magic?" someone asked, bewildered.

"It's highly unlikely," another person replied. "Mages are forbidden from casting magic inside the city. Besides, if anyone did cast a spell, the city's barrier would have detected it immediately."

"But if that's true, was it just our imagination? Or something else? Everyone here witnessed it with their own eyes, so it can't be an illusion."

"That's right. We all saw it with our own eyes."

"Those people were levitating on their swords before suddenly vanishing right in front of us," someone else added, still in disbelief.

The murmurs about the extraordinary event quickly spread to every corner of the city, even reaching the ears of the most influential figures. Speculations abounded, but no one could agree on an explanation for how so many people could disappear without a trace in the middle of a busy city.

Meanwhile, Yuan and his wives had traveled several kilometers from the city in just a few minutes. They continued to increase their speed, showing no signs of slowing down.

"I bet people were stunned when they saw us flying. I wish I could've seen their expressions and savored the moment," Little Zoe said, giggling as Xi Meili held her tightly on the flying sword.

"If you keep cultivating, you'll have plenty of chances to amaze people with your ability to fly," Yuan said with a small chuckle.

Not long after, Yuan and his wives began to descend, finding a suitable spot to set up camp. Night was approaching quickly, and they had only a short time to prepare.

"This spot is perfect," Leah said, looking at a small river flowing nearby. "We can wash up there after dinner."