The Unorthodox Tomb Raider

"No, if they want to find me, they can just come to me directly. They won't go through all this trouble."

"Where is this Tianhuo City?" Although Fang Yun had traveled to many places, this was the first time he had heard of this place name.

At this moment, Wang Hai sighed softly, paced around the courtyard a few times, and said, "They didn't have this name before; it was changed later. All I know is that this place was created by a group of mysterious people and is located on the westernmost edge of the continent."

"I heard that the place is a gathering place for talented people, and the first group to arrive were herbalists who came to collect herbs. As a result, the art of tempering and refining pills became very popular there, so it was renamed Tianhuo City."

"Oh? There's such a place."

Fang Yun immediately became interested, wondering what this place was like and if he could discover something interesting if he went.

"Don't worry about it. Since this person took her away and left a note, whether or not he wants your 100,000 gold coins, I guess he won't hurt your sister for the time being. Otherwise, there would be no need for him to do so much useless work."

Upon hearing this, Wang Hai felt somewhat better, but he was still deeply remorseful, and his sorrowful expression lingered for a long time.

Chapter 707 Heading to Skyfire City

Tianhuo City is located in a remote area, and the journey is extremely long, with mountains and rivers to travel. Fortunately, both Fang Yun and Wang Hai are skilled practitioners with real strength, so they did not feel too tired along the way.

Moreover, Fang Yun saw many rare and wonderful sights along the way. When he arrived at the entrance of the Kunlun Mountains, the surrounding environment continued to change.

“I haven’t been to these places much before, but I didn’t expect this place to be like a paradise. The air here seems to be much fresher and more invigorating than inland areas.”

Wang Hai nodded and said, "To be honest, when I was a child, some members of my family used to come here to do business and trade. But later, everyone found it troublesome and gradually stopped. Over the years, I don't know how much scenery we have missed."

"There is a destiny at play here. Perhaps something unexpected will happen during this trip to Skyfire City."

Fang Yun was optimistic, and this place was completely unfamiliar to him, which made him even more curious.

Fortunately, Wang Hai had a map of the area, and the two of them followed the map, wandering around the entire mountain range for three whole days. Finally, in a mountain hollow, they suddenly heard a commotion.

Fang Yun walked to the edge of the mountain and looked toward the source of the sound. He saw that at the foot of the mountain not far away, there was an extremely magnificent city that seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see.

"arrive!"

The two looked at each other and saw the excitement in each other's eyes.

This kind of place is impossible to find without someone you know or someone giving you a tip. The two of them were able to find it entirely thanks to this map.

Some say that this city is a land beyond the reach of civilization, a new continent for mortals who yearn for freedom to settle down, which is why it is hidden so deep, so that it does not want the world to flock to it.

When Fang Yun arrived at the gate of Tianhuo City, he looked up and saw that the city wall was made of black rock and was about five zhang high. The huge plaque and the gate tower showed the extraordinary nature of this city.

Although there were guards at the city gate, they did not obstruct the normal passage of the visitors. The guards only glanced at Fang Yun and his companion a few more times before making way.

Upon entering the city, Fang Yun was greeted by an unprecedentedly bustling scene. Along the streets, in addition to the shops, there were various stalls selling animal hides, antiques, and medicinal herbs, making it even more prosperous than the markets outside.

As for the many merchants walking on the street, Fang Yun could roughly sense that most of them were martial arts practitioners or magic practitioners. There were many Grand Martial Masters here, and even quite a few high-level Martial Champions.

It can be said that this place is full of experts. If Fang Yun and his companion were considered rare experts in the outside city, then here they would be just ordinary people.

"I never imagined that Tianhuo City would be so large, gathering so many experts from all directions. It's a real loss that I didn't come here to inquire beforehand," Wang Hai remarked.

"No rush. There will be plenty of opportunities to do what you want in the future. Right now, the most important thing is to find out where your sister is."

Wang Hai nodded, then took out the photo from his pocket and looked at it. He had found it in Wang Xiaoya's room, printed more than ten copies, and carried them with him, waiting to go out and ask about it.

· ·········Request flowers· ···

"We've walked for so long, we should recover our strength first. How about we go to the restaurant next door?"

At this moment, Fang Yun pointed to a restaurant by the roadside. The building was five stories high, with an antique architectural style, and a pleasant aroma was wafting from it.

"I'll listen to you, Young Master Fang."

The two entered the restaurant and walked all the way to the fourth floor, where they found a seat by the window. From there, they could see the street scene outside.

......... ........ ...

A moment later, the waiter brought over the menu, and Fang Yun casually ordered a few items and poured himself a cup of tea.

"In my opinion, your sister's abduction this time might really be related to this Heavenly Fire City. Otherwise, why would he choose to come to this remote and isolated Heavenly Fire City instead of going anywhere else?"

"Therefore, we only need to look for the answer in the characteristics of this Heavenly Fire City. Think about it, what is the biggest difference between Heavenly Fire City and other places?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Hai said, "Is this place more prosperous, with more people?"

"No, the most distinctive feature here is that there are a great many people like us who practice martial arts or magic, and yet so many people live together peacefully without causing any trouble. This shows that the forces behind this city are not simple."

"One theory is that there's a sect-like organization here that specifically trains cultivators like this. Another is that there's official support involved. But as you saw when we passed through the city gate, the guards weren't very strong; they seemed more like temporary personnel."

Chapter 708 Wang Xiaoya's Whereabouts

Upon hearing this, Wang Hai also thought it made sense, so he immediately asked the shopkeeper, "Brother, I'd like to ask if there are any places in Tianhuo City where martial arts and techniques can be taught?"

As he spoke, Wang Hai took out some more banknotes and handed them to the boy.

A smile immediately appeared on the child's face. He said, "Sir, you've come to the right person. Our place is called Heavenly Fire City. It was discovered by several alchemy masters who built this treasure land. After many years of construction, it has finally become what it is today."

"And the skills of these masters were not lost, and were all learned by later generations. After learning them, they established their own sects. Now, there are at least seven or eight sects in the Tianhuo Train '987', each with considerable strength."

Upon hearing this, Fang Yun frowned slightly. He hadn't expected that there would be so many sects in such a place. When he first entered the tomb raiding business, there were only nine families in the whole country at its peak. How could there be so many?

If there are so many, finding someone will be a bit troublesome.

At this moment, Wang Hai took out the photo of Wang Xiaoya that he had brought, handed it to the waiter, and said, "Waiter, your place is always packed with people, you must be very well-informed. I wonder if you've seen this girl before?"

"Not long ago, about a week ago."

The waiter took Wang Hai's photo and examined it carefully for a while, but couldn't figure it out.

"I'm sorry... As you know, there are so many people here every day, I really don't remember."

Upon hearing this, Wang Hai immediately added, "She's easy to recognize. She has a small mole on the back of her neck, and she has a sweet appearance. She's about seventeen or eighteen years old."

"I'm sorry, I really haven't seen her before. But if she comes in the future, I can pass on a message for you."

The waiter said.

Wang Hai could only thank him; finding someone in such a large place was indeed like finding a needle in a haystack, and it wouldn't be easy.

"Let's think this through more carefully..."

Wang Hai was talking to himself when a cold shout suddenly rang out beside him.

"Who are you? What do you want with Wang Xiaoya?"

Upon hearing this, Fang Yun and the other person immediately turned around and saw several young men and women sitting at a table not far away. One of the women was staring at the photo that Wang Hai had just taken out.

Wang Hai immediately stood up, walked over, and said with a smile, "Young lady, do you know Wang Xiaoya? I am her brother, and I have come here to find her."

"Oh." Upon hearing this, a hint of coldness flashed in the woman's eyes. "So you are her poor relatives from her small town. What a deep bond between siblings! You've even come all the way here to find your sister."

Fang Yun was displeased upon hearing this, as the woman's tone clearly carried a hint of contempt. He turned to the waiter and asked, "Brother, may I ask who those people are?"

A hint of fear flashed across the waiter's face as he said, "They are the people from the sect you were looking for. Although there are many sects here, there are only two leaders: the Lotus Sect and the Azure Peak Sect. Those people are from the Lotus Sect."

"Is the Lotus Sect very powerful? How strong are they?" Fang Yun asked again.

The waiter, sweating profusely, said, "Sir, I think you'd better not provoke them. The Lotus Sect has dozens of peak Martial Arts masters, its sect leader is a Di Xuan master, and there's also the legendary Heavenly Xuan Ancestor in charge. Their strength is beyond the imagination of ordinary people like us..."

Fang Yun responded with an "oh" and then heard the waiter continue, "Among the people you saw, the man and woman are the most important. The girl is the granddaughter of Chu Xingtian, the third elder of the Lotus Flower Sect, and the man is the closed-door disciple of the first elder. Neither of them can be offended."

"Oh, is it so?"

Fang Yun remained noncommittal, picked up his teacup, and took a sip of tea.

Now that we know Wang Xiaoya is in the Lotus Flower Sect, I'll just take Wang Hai directly to the sect gate to demand her back. I still don't believe that a small sect like the Lotus Flower Sect would dare to openly snatch someone.

"Brother, I advise you to go home and wait for news. Since our elder has taken a liking to your sister, it is her good fortune and destiny. When the time is right, he will naturally reunite you and your sister."

At this moment, the young man spoke up, clearly quite impatient with Wang Hai's interruption.

"That's true, but this is my sister's first time traveling far from home. Putting everything else aside, I want to make sure she's safe, otherwise I won't feel at ease," Wang Hai said with a dry laugh.

"What do you mean by this? Do you think our Lotus Flower Sect would bully your sister? What do you take our Lotus Flower Sect for?"

The young man suddenly stood up and slammed a cup of tea on the ground. The waiter immediately went over and said with a smile, "Master Lin, this man is from a small town. He's new here and doesn't know any better. Please don't take offense at him. I'll bring you another pot of our signature tea. Please calm down..."

Chapter 709 Lotus Sect

Although Wang Hai didn't want to swallow his anger, he held back. After all, his sister was still in their hands, and he couldn't act rashly until he saw that she was safe.

At this moment, Fang Yun also walked over from the side and said to the group of people, "Gentlemen, we will definitely pay you a visit in the future."

Then, amidst the disdainful gazes of those men, Fang Yun patted Wang Hai on the shoulder and left.

"Don't rush this matter. Now that we know your sister is in the Lotus Sect, things are much easier. Maybe there really is an elder who saw your sister's talent and took her away without permission."

Even so, Wang Hai was not a naive man, and said, "Even so, no matter how strong the Lotus Sect is, it cannot go against my sister's wishes. If my sister is not happy here, then no one can stop me from taking her away."

Fang Yun nodded and said, "Of course. Let's get some rest today, and I'll go with you to the mountain gate to demand the person tomorrow morning."

Afterwards, the two found an inn in Tianhuo City to stay at. While having dinner, they heard that the Lianhua Sect was about to hold a grand event, which was said to be a gathering of young talents, and that a prize had been offered, which was said to be quite valuable.

Fang Yun didn't care about all that. He just needed to find Wang Xiaoya first. As for the Lotus Sect, their highest combat strength was only a Heavenly Profound Realm cultivator, which was far inferior to those hidden sects. Learning from them wouldn't be of much value.

It would be better if Fang Yun trained them himself than if they taught them.

Moreover, the few Lotus Sect disciples I saw this morning also reflect that the Lotus Sect is not a good place either.

So, Fang Yun and Wang Hai decided to go up the mountain tomorrow to check things out. If Wang Xiaoya didn't ask to stay here, they would have to take her away.

No matter how nice this place is, it's unacceptable to bring someone along without their consent.

Soon, the night passed, and the sun once again hung high in the sky above Tianhuo City. People in the city started going to the market very early. Fang Yun went downstairs and saw a group of people who seemed to be discussing something, occasionally mentioning the Lotus Sect in their sentences.

"When you go to the Lotus Sect, what kind of gifts do you plan to bring? I've already thought about it. We can't afford those expensive things, but we can still find some simple ones."