Mana 5 Chapter 4

True to Wenxi’s prediction, our group encountered no other trouble on our way to Blueheavens. They’d truly thought that one contingent of immortals could take us down.

Though, I was straining even my own ability to restore myself with cultivation rather than sleep.

Traveling with six wives wanting to cultivate and four horny mana beasts was exhausting.

One morning on our trip, I found myself laying under a sticky, sweaty pile of bodies when Wenxi knocked on the door politely before sticking her head in.

After living in the small carriage for two weeks, we had moved past a lot of formalities. After all, the carriage wasn’t soundproof. Seeing me at the bottom of the pile of naked women only caused her to raise an eyebrow. “Blueheavens is within sight. I thought you might like to see the city before we enter. And maybe clean up a bit.” She smirked as she turned to leave.

“One moment.” I worked to untangle myself before wiping myself off with an old robe. I pulled a fresh robe out of my spatial ring and stepped out of the bedroom, walking over to Wenxi..

She paused and pointed out the front facing window.

My mind refused to understand what I was seeing for a moment.

What I called cities were sprawling metropolises. There were tall buildings in the center, and then buildings grew further apart as they spread out, with countryside sprinkled around.

What I was looking at seemed to span the entire horizon. I couldn’t make out land that wasn’t part of the city, like how at the edge of the ocean the world seems to disappear into only water.

From the hill we were on, the city spread out before us was so massive I could not clearly see either side, nor could I see the end. And a massive opalescent blue wall wrapped the entire city.

“That’s Blueheavens?” I asked. I knew the answer, but it was a good way to fill the moment as my brain caught up.

“Yes, and the Feng Family runs the whole thing.”

Murdock hadn’t been small, but suddenly I was understanding why the Su family treated it like a backwater town.

Compared to Blueheavens, even the sects’ floating mountains would seem small.

“How many people live there?”

“Tens of millions.” Wenxi answered smoothly, almost as if she’d been anticipating the question. “Everyone's first time seeing it is quite a shock.”

Michelle stepped sleepily out of the bedroom, her robe askew and threatening to let one of her breasts free. But the moment she looked out the window, she didn’t have an ounce of sleepiness in her eyes. “Wow! Now that is a city. It might have a larger population than all the sects combined.”

I snorted. “Wenxi says tens of millions. Given that the Ferrymen were less than ten thousand cultivators, I’d agree. There are likely more people in that one city than our entire region of the mortal world.”

Suddenly, I felt far smaller, but I was also excited.

This was a place with opportunity, a place to grow in power and become something within the Immortal World.

“Wenxi, how many cities are there like this?”

“Ten major cities dot the world.” She replied.

“Incredible. Are they all ruled by a family like the Feng family?” I asked, wondering if my family ruled one of them.

She shrugged. “I don’t know the intricacy of them all. Learning about Blueheavens was enough education for my lifetime.”

I nodded in understanding. Truly, learning about a city this size was already a monumental task. “That’s fine. We’ll learn soon enough. Michelle, go wake everyone up. They need to see this.”

My first wife turned back into the bedroom and roused the rest of our group. They all meandered out, most in similar states of skimpy and sheer clothing. But their eyes cleared quickly as they took in the approaching city.

“It’s so beautiful.” Mei bounced on the balls of her feet. “Do we get to play in the whole city?”

“No. See that second wall further in? We are going in there, and you four will have to hide for now. I need to keep you as my secret weapons.” I told my mana beasts, who pouted at my response.

Aurora rubbed Mei’s back. “That’s okay. We’ll just play The Game. We used up all our victories on this trip, anyway.”

“Oh.” Mei’s ears perked up. “Dibs on the first round. I need to earn back my vouchers.”

I raised an eyebrow at their antics. One of these days, I’d go up to their soul palaces and snoop on what The Game was, but not now. Drawing them back into my soul palace, I let them continue their fun.

“Someone from my family should be there to meet us at the main gates.” Wenxi explained as we hit the bottom of the hill. Everyone’s eyes were on the long line of carriages waiting to enter. “We’ll go to that shorter line on the left.”

“Perks of being with an ancient family.” Kat patted Wenxi on the head.

The girls chatted idly as we waited. A few went to get ready, using the shower in turns and getting dressed in matching blue robes. We still wore the colors of Ferrymen; it just felt right.

I wore my blue robe with gold borders, a sign that I was above the sect's clan politics. It also looked rather good on me.

Dressed and no longer smelling like sex and sweat, we reached the gate. A man in white robes with a black border rushed to meet our carriage. “Wenxi, it is so good to see you.”

He looked over her shoulder at me.

“Glad we had an uneventful journey.” I smiled and stepped out next to Wenxi, putting a possessive arm over her while my seven women piled out behind me.

The man took them all in, his eyebrows rising.

“Ah, you must be Isaac. We’ve heard so much about you.” The man bowed. “Please, Miss Wenxi, we should head to the family home.”

“After you.” Wenxi failed to bow, so I assumed the man must be a servant rather than anyone in the family.

We were swiftly taken from the gates and led through a passage that went over the outer ring. It was busy, and I could sense cultivations rising from the masses below us.

Doing a quick scan, most were below the third rank. They all scurried back and forth, working.

If this were similar to systems in the mortal world, I knew it would be difficult for one of them to rise out of their current station into a higher ring.

“That is one of Feng City’s colleges.” Wenxi pointed at one building. It was a massive structure that was built into the inner wall. “Many people from the lower rings train there, and if successful in their cultivation, they may be adopted into one of the ancient families.”

“Joy. They work themselves to the bone, only to become a servant.” Thea was unamused.

I couldn’t help but notice how our guide twitched at the comment.

“It isn’t like that.” Wenxi argued. “Once in an ancient family, they can raise their kids in the family. Their children will have a better, brighter future.”

I didn’t take the bait and participate in the conversation. I agreed with Thea, but we were unlikely to change any opinions at that moment.

Might was right, and the ancient families were a collection of power. They were always right.

We crossed the bridge we’d been walking on; only a few others passed us going the other way.

“That is the Su family estate.” Wenxi pointed out a collection of buildings made of the same opalescent blue stone as the walls. The Su family estate rivaled the size of Murdock. “There are twenty thousand residents of the family.”

“No wonder you have so much competition and division among the family.” I commented as we descended into the second ring, over the checkpoints for the second wall.

This ring was far less busy than the first. People walked more casually and often stopped to talk.

But it was still a city, with a plethora of buzz in the air.

“Wenxi Su,” a voice called out, and our group stopped.

Wenxi paused and turned to the broad-shouldered man that had spoken. His arms looked like they belonged on an ape rather than a person. “Malcolm Kong.”

Standing to his side was a woman with Su family robes. “You aren’t going to acknowledge me, cousin?”

“Toshi. Pleasure to see you again. Where’s the rest of your gaggle of men?” Wenxi’s voice held a tone of bitterness.

“Still upset that I have so many men, when you can’t even get one?” Toshi batted her eyelashes at me. I had to admit that she was built sinfully. And her body almost seemed to bend unnaturally as she moved, emphasizing her rather enormous assets.

I realized after a moment that she was using a movement technique purposefully designed to attract, or rather distract, someone. “Pleasure to meet you Malcolm, Toshi.” I did my best to remain polite.

“No, the pleasure is all mine.” Toshi cooed, using her movement technique to get me to look down her robes at her bountiful cleavage. “Do you see something that would be more to your liking than my cousin? Now that you’ve made it into the city, there are plenty of better options.”

She rubbed up against me with a smirk.

It was a strong technique, but after having sex for two weeks nearly nonstop and being tempted by all manner of poisons and seductions, it fell flat compared to my wives, very flat.

It was like a perfume that smelled great the first time, but was sickly sweet the next.

“I’ll pass. Sharing isn’t my style, at least not with that brute behind you. And I do have standards.” I chuckled and my wives made sounds of agreement, making themselves known.

Toshi’s eyes flickered behind me at the seven other beautiful women. Each of them easily rivaled her without stooping to lowly techniques.

When her eyes moved back to me, they had lost their seductive sheen, now narrowed.

Suddenly, she reeled back as if she’d been hit. She widened her eyes as she looked at me, clutching her cheek. “You hit me!” She yelled it out, trying to gain the attention of everybody nearby.

“Let’s move on.” I motioned for Wenxi to continue. The last thing I wanted was to be caught up in Toshi’s petty tricks.

“Someone stop him. He hit me.” She screamed. Two men jumped in our path. The two blockheads were equipped with a spear and an ax.

A sigh slipped from my lips. “Hang back girls.” Both of these men had been at the ready. She clearly was part of another plan to stop me from getting to the Su family estate. And once again, they hadn’t planned enough.

I was enough to handle these two, not to mention it would be a good show of force.

“Is Toshi related to Tuomo?” I asked Wenxi as a crowd gathered.

“His daughter.” Wenxi sighed. “This is too much.”

“What are the limits of what I can do here? Can I kill her?” I asked.

Unfortunately, Wenxi shook her head. “No. You may defend yourself and those with you, but you may not kill. Since you are portrayed as the aggressor here, it is in your best interest to just defend yourself and defeat them.”

“Got it. Thanks.” I let my foot slide along the pavement as I fell into a martial stance. “Come on then. No use in waiting.” I beckoned the two men forward.

A crowd had formed, so I used the chance to prove myself in the new city.

One man stabbed forward with his spear, a rush of wind following it as he empowered it with his fifth rank abilities.

The other man darted behind me at the same time, his ax swinging for my back.

Filling both my palms with metal mana, I spun and blocked both strikes with my palm before I clamped down on both the weapons and spun yet again.

Both men were tugged forward, but they were seasoned fighters. They knew better than to let me draw them close.

They abandoned their weapons, allowing me to toss them to the side as the two men cracked their knuckles.

“I have done nothing wrong. Her claims are false. You have no reason to attack me.” I spoke loud enough for the entire crowd to hear.

“Nonsense! He slapped me.” Toshi cried out. The two men nodded in agreement.

“I witnessed you assault that woman. Time to die lecherous scum.”

“Assault? How the hell has this escalated to assault?” Wenxi cried out.

The crowd was of mixed opinions, but nobody seemed ready to rush to either of our side’s aid.

The men moved to strike again.

I was forced to block and dodge their strikes as their fists and knees blurred forward.

Jumping, I kicked off one of their knee strikes, clearing myself into the air and giving me a break for just a moment. Even though we had just exchanged a dozen attacks, it had occurred in the blink of an eye.

“Dragon’s claw.” I formed a massive gold dragon claw in my mind’s eye, smashing it down on the two men.

Both of them struck out with their own techniques. Between their combined efforts, they disrupted my single attack.

Using the force of their attack, I let myself be blown back and land away from the two of them, once again recalculating.

They charged through the crowd to attack me again. I really couldn’t figure out how I was the aggressor in any of these situations.

My hands became like swords wreathed in metal mana as I defended myself and struck back, leaving shallow cuts on the two men while they continued to press me backward.

Their own attacks had the brutal markings of the earth element. The tough bastards weathered my attacks and pressed forward until my back was against the wall.

Then they struck together, speaking of years of coordinated fighting.

The strength of earth welled up as their fists flew side by side.

Neither of us had displayed our best techniques, but at the same time, I was done playing with them.

The gold dragon bloodline flared to life on my forehead as I caught both of their hands, crushing them in my own claw-like grip and twisting them to the side. Satisfied, I smashed them into the ground.

People commented and clapped, acting like they’d been watching a performance and not a potentially deadly fight.

But in a world where might was right, I’d won.

“You think you can get away with something like that?” Toshi’s ape-like man beat his chest and stomped forward, his own bloodline coming to life on his forehead.

But before he could attack me, mana flared all around us.

Multiple sixth rank immortals appeared on the nearby roofs. Their cultivation pressed down on Malcolm and me to the point that neither of us could move.

I took in the men, trying to figure out who they were. I ruled out guards or members of the Su family. The sheer number of sixth rank cultivators spoke of a strength that even the Su family couldn’t bring out so casually.

And one look at their robes solidified that hypothesis.

Their robes were red at the bottom and gold on top, like a living flame.

A woman, at the fifth rank, stepped away from one of the powerful cultivators. She was wearing the same robes, but hers were more ornate, and her head was adorned with a golden crown.

Her face was pale and delicate, with cherry red lips that were currently set in a frown while her hair shifted from gold to red, framing her face.

I had no doubt that she was one of the rulers of the city, the Feng Family. The murmuring in the crowds only confirmed it.

“We had no idea that someone from the Jin family would be in our city. Apologies for the disruption.” She waved her hand, and one of the sixth rank cultivators appeared next to the two men. The men were turned into paste with a palm.

I paused, my mind trying to puzzle through what she’d said. Who was the Jin family?

Then, when I released my bloodline, I realized what had happened. They recognized my bloodline; no doubt it came from a powerful family. And we were arriving from another city.

I wondered if the Jin family was on the same level as the Feng family. I had a feeling it might be based on the reaction my bloodline had caused.

“Thank you for the assistance, but I had it under control.” I narrowed my eyes at the woman. “I am Isaac. May I know your name?”

Her brow pinched slightly at my name. “Ming Feng.”

“Well, Ming. Pleasure to meet you.” I bowed.

“Since you are known now, you might as well come stay with my family. That should keep more trouble from befalling you in our city.” She put back on a smile and tried again, but I didn’t miss the way she emphasized in her statement.

It would seem that not only was the Jin family at the same level as the Feng Family but possibly even stronger.

I didn’t get the feeling she was protecting me, but instead wanted to protect her city should something happen to me and the Jin Family retaliate.

“Thank you for the offer, but I’ve already accepted to stay with the Su family.”

Ming looked at Toshi, immediately identifying the source of the trouble. “It would seem the Su hospitality is famed indeed.” She snorted, insulting the Su Family in front of the crowd.

The crowd quickly turned, judgment on their faces as they stared down Toshi.

“Every road is bound to have a few bumps. If life were too easy, it would be boring.” I got Ming’s attention again.

She only snorted. “Do not continue to cause trouble while in this city. Your family name will only protect you so much.” She wanted to pull me away from everyone else. There was more in her stance as well. I got the sense that she may want to have a more private discussion, and I knew she could be a wealth of information.

“Thank you for your well meant warning.” I cupped my hands. “We should have lunch tomorrow. I’m sure there’s much we could discuss.”

For the first time in the conversation, she smiled. “Yes. I’d like that.”

Feeling confident that I’d read her properly, I decided to push one step further. “It would seem that this man was in the wrong.” I pointed to the brute who still hadn’t released his bloodline. “He even looks like he’s still waiting to attack, despite your intervention.”

Ming pulled her eyes away from me after lingering for another moment and focused on Malcolm. “Well? Apologize, kneel.”

Malcolm didn’t even stand a chance as eight sixth level auras crashed down on him, forcing him to the street on his hands and knees.

“On second thought, kowtow to Isaac Jin and I.” Ming demanded, tilting her chin up slightly.

Malcolm’s head smashed into the ground, but I was almost positive it wasn’t of his own volition. When it didn’t lift back up, I was sure of it.

“Glad to see he won’t be a problem in the future.” I focused on Ming, ignoring the man on the ground.

Ming and her men weren’t my strength. To have someone bow to me based on their strength didn’t feel right.

If Toshi or Malcolm bothered me again, I’d forced both of them to their knees on my own.