Sovereign of the Three Realms

The towering, manliest of men, giant had revealed his tender side when bringing up his daughter.

Jiang Chen smiled blandly, “Aren’t you worried that I’ll pocket your items?”

“I must’ve been stupid or blind to have treated Hou Ole Third like a brother, but my eyes don’t lie this time! An extraordinary person like you would never be interested in what I have! Moreover, you’re not like the others in Winterdraw!” The towering giant declared. 

“I’m no different. I’ll wipe out anybody who threatens me.” Jiang Chen smiled coldly. 

“No no no! That’s precisely why you’re different! You only retaliate when provoked and won’t initiate a fight. You’re not hostile like a ravenous wolf! At the very least, there’s still some humanity inside of you, but that’s not a good thing to have. This is a place where only beastly instincts can help you survive and prosper!”

Jiang Chen frowned. “That’s enough. This isn’t the first time you’ve warned me of this. I have my bottomline. If I abandoned all of my humanity in return for beastly instincts, it’d be better that I don’t leave for the rest of my life.”

That was the honest truth. 

He’d ventured to Myriad Abyss Island in the first place to find his lover. Like the sun, she filled his life with light and hope. If he had to lose his humanity and become a beast so that he could leave this place, what was the point of finding Huang’er? 

What difference would it make if Huang’er was freed from House Xiahou’s clasp, only to fall into the claws of a beast?

Humanity was literally the only line separating humans from beasts.

“Hand over your items. If I manage to escape this place, I’ll pay Six Leaf City a visit.”

The towering giant stared at Jiang Chen for a long time as though he was seeing a monster. When he came back to his senses, he brought forth a storage ring and handed it to Jiang Chen.

“My daughter should be twenty-three this year. She was only five when I was exiled to Winterdraw,” the towering giant muttered to himself. “She’s much more talented than I. It’s a pity that she hadn’t been born to a better life. She definitely would’ve been a peerless genius if she’d been born to a noble household…” He lamented as he staggered away from Jiang Chen’s sight.

Jiang Chen couldn’t help but feel a little woeful upon seeing the giant’s towering back.

He didn’t check the contents of the ring, but it was most likely cultivation resources. When fathers risked their lives for their children, it was usually to bring home better cultivation resources.

Putting the ring away, Jiang Chen collected his feelings and mediated to put himself in an impertable mentality.

About an hour passed before he picked himself up and continued forwards.

Winterdraw was extremely vast even though it was merely an island. Even with the God’s Eye, Jiang Chen could see nothing but rows after rows of mountain ranges, the end nowhere in sight.It might not be as vast as one of the Upper Eight Regions, but it’s definitely comparable to a lower region.

To think that the sole purpose of this island was to incarcerate criminals. What a luxurious gesture!

Myriad Abyss Island is a lot more complicated than I thought. Jiang Chen had imagined as a single collection of islands with countless cultivators living on them. By the looks of it, he'd underestimated its vastness. It was definitely no smaller than the mainland in the Divine Abyss Continent.

And worst of all, nobody knew exactly how many isles there were in Myriad Abyss, and how far out it spanned. This was a most frightening aspect. 

The Divine Abyss Continent was extremely vast, but the lands and borders had been mostly defined in the ancient age.

Of course, the human domain was merely the tip of the iceberg compared to the rest of the continent. If Rejuvenation Isles’ penitentiary island was already so vast, one could only imagine how vast the entire collective was.

And it was only a second to third rate faction in Myriad Abyss Island! Isles of this caliber were extremely common and aplenty. All Jiang Chen could do was calm himself down to ensure that he wasn’t overly hasty.

Escaping Winterdraw won’t be easy and I don’t have an abundance of time to waste. Huang’er is waiting for me and Veluriyam still needs my counsel. All will be lost if I’m trapped here for too long.

Without those considerations, Jiang Chen might’ve chosen more wary and conservative method. He’d at least get to the bottom of the situation before making any moves.

Unfortunately, time waited for no one. He’d have to be a lot more proactive from now on.He didn't hide his speed for the rest of the journey. It wasn't because he wanted to show off or anything, he simply wanted to avoid any more encounters. Just as Hou Old Third had said, almost everyone on this island would leap to take his life.

The best way to deal with this issue was to avoid all everyone. Even if he did encounter someone, he could simply frighten and deter any pursuers with his overwhelming speed.Hundreds of miles later, he finally made it out of the mountain ranges and spotted some buildings in the horizon. It seemed to be a city.

A city? Jiang Chen was moved. Cities were often densely populated, making it much easier to gather information. He decided to pay the city a visit.

Sin City? He spotted the signboard hanging on the city gate from afar. He couldn’t help but crack up at the name. As expected of an island of exiles! Even their city’s name is full of character!

The name didn’t matter. He’d venture in even if it was called Hell City.  

“Halt.” A ferocious guard standing at the city gates blocked Jiang Chen’s way.  He became even more hostile after spotting an unfamiliar face. “Do you have a residency seal?”

“A residency seal?” Jiang Chen was taken aback. What in the world was that?

“Does that mean you don’t have one?” A guard captain asked. The eyepatch on his face made him that much more menacing.

Jiang Chen shook his head. “Indeed I don’t.”

“How dare you barge into Sin City without a seal? Do you think I wouldn’t dare execute you in public?!” The guard captain yelled belligerently.

Other city guards flooded in in groups when they heard his raised voice. They’d guessed that Jiang Chen was a newcomer due to his youth and unfamiliarity. Those in their profession were often very adept in identifying and scamming newcomers.

Jiang Chen remained nonchalant. “Does everyone in Sin City have a residency seal?”

“Obviously! Without the seal, how can we know that you’re not a spy sent by an opposing faction?” The guard with an eyepatch answered impatiently. 

“How do I apply for such a seal?” Jiang Chen kept his calm.

He wasn’t here pick a fight as his primary goal was to enter the city, to gather information. There was no need to escalate matters with the city's lackeys unless necessary.  Killing them would be as easy as killing a fly, but what about the consequences? Entering the city after a murder spree would be suicide.

The mighty dragon doesn’t contend with the local snake. Unless the situation called for it, he didn’t wish to rile up the hornet’s nest.

“How to apply?” The guard captain sized Jiang Chen up and smiled ambiguously. “Do you wish to apply for one?” 

Jiang Chen answered without moving as much as a single muscle on his face. “If that’s the city’s rule, then I shall apply for one. However, if I ever find out that you’ve lied to me…” He stared deep into their eyes. “I will remember all of you.”

The guard captain smoldered with rage. He was extremely pissed off by Jiang Chen’s attitude. “You’re a tough talker, aren’t you? So what if you remember our faces? Do you really think we’ll be threatened by a brat that’s still wet behind his ears?”

Jiang Chen smiled coldly. “Cut the crap. Where and how do I apply for a residency seal?”He didn’t want to waste any more time. The seal was most likely used for identification purposes. That shouldn’t be too difficult.

“It’ll be a total of one million sky spirit stones. You’ll be given a seal when you pay up.” The guard captain glared at Jiang Chen.

One million sky spirit stones?

Jiang Chen crowed with laughter. “One million for a seal? Are you sure there’s nothing wrong about the price?” 

“Why would it be wrong? Get one if you want!” The guard captain yelled while making rude and dismissive gestures. “Either pay up or scram!”

Jiang Chen’s face darkened. He activated the Evil Golden Eye and pierced deeply into the depths of the guard captain’s soul.

The latter trembled all over. It felt like his soul had suddenly turned into ice, his mind drawing blanks.

Fortunately, Jiang Chen showed him mercy and retracted his glare. He resumed his indifferent consideration of the captain.

Having escaped from the maws of death, cold sweat poured down the captain’s forehead.

“Are you absolutely sure that the seal costs one million spirit stones?” Jiang Chen’s cold and icy tone sounded again.

The guard captain's lips quivered. The panic in his eyes were quite apparent. He’d realized that the youth before him wasn't someone he could afford to offend, at least for now. A gaze alone had costed his life. The youth was clearly not an ordinary person.

“One million can buy you the gold-amethyst seal. In this city, gold-amethyst residents aren’t just permanent residents, they can also be involved in the city’s plans and decisions.” The guard captain’s arrogance had vanished in the face of Jiang Chen’s threatening glare.

“What about the other residency grades?”

“For one thousand spirit stones, you can get a temporary residency seal which will last for one to three months. For ten thousand, you will get a bronze seal which gives residency for ten years. For fifty thousand, a silver seal which gives residency for up to one hundred years. And lastly, for two hundred thousand saint spirit stones, you get a gold seal which gives you residency for a millennia.” The captain was extremely sincere this time round, going into every single detail and price.