Chapter 51: Faded Truth Fountain

Feng Zhiming looked up at the everbright sun which hung over his head, Southhaven Spire was similar but also different to Wildland city.

The buildings and structures had many more windows and openings, there were bodies of water placed periodically throughout the city that emanated some sort of chill to regulate temperatures.

As he walked through the city he noticed that the atmosphere was much more welcoming, there were far more mortals here than there had been in Wildland city.

*Bump*

As he was taking in the surrounding environment someone grazed his shoulder, as they walked by.

"Forgive me fellow cultivator haha." The man gulped down the bottle of alcohol he had in his hand and continued to walk with the woman he had on his left arm.

"Wasn't he supposed to demand my death or something?!" He asked himself internally, people here seemed more relaxed and less on edge.

Madam Hua noticed his confused gaze as he examined the city and its inhabitants.

"The southhaven Spire is governed and has its laws upheld, people trust them. Unlike Wildland city which is lawless in the most literal sense."

Feng Zhiming nodded as he saw two men wearing matching desert patterned robes, walking by his group with serious expressions.

They didn't even stop to pay respects to Madam Hua, a heavenly Eye cultivator.

"The honorable city lord was once a loose cultivator, after achieving the Dao Lord realm he built Southhaven Spire and declared it his domain." Ellia added as he tied a piece of cloth around his forehead.

As Feng Zhiming looked closer at the cloth he noticed it also had the same spiritual inscription as his robes, one designed to regulate excess Yang energy.

Lyra waved her hand in the fountain they'd come across, casting ripples through the otherwise continuously flowing waters, she also gave her opinion on the subject of the city lord.

"Of course both the orthodoxy and the unorthodox factions have tried to sway him but he told them both to screw off."

Feng Zhiming nodded but his attention was unconsciously drawn to the fountain.

The fountain embodied a unique idea, a man was looking down and his expression was invisible, water sprouted from his hands.

In contrast, beside the man, another man had his eyes raised to the sky as he held his hands out in front of him, praying, the water actually originated from his eyes rather than his hands.

It was unlike anything Feng Zhiming had seen before.

"Interesting fountain isn't it?" Madam Hua chimed in as she saw Feng Zhiming's gaze linger once more.

"Is it interesting to the Madam?" Feng Zhiming deflected the question, he knew when he was being assessed.

"This piece of art was purchased by the city lord a long time ago, around three hundred years ago. He spent nearly 500,000 spirit stones."

She also ignored Feng Zhiming's question as she spoke.

"It is named as the something of truth. Unfortunately the word before of truth is long faded and unclear, so it's merely referred to as the faded truth."

Feng Zhiming analyzed the name clearly engraved in an archaic font upon the front of the sculpture, although he understood the message he didn't understand just what truth they were referring to.

"This has far too many interpretations for this to actually be concluded upon." Feng Zhiming shrugged his shoulders and gave up his analysis.

Lyra chimed into the conversation with a smug tone in her voice.

"Of course it would be easy if you asked the sculptor."

He wanted to say something but she was correct, it would be the best way of interpreting it.

"Indeed, now if we could only figure out who sculpted it we would be able to do that." Madam Hua ended the argument with that statement, as she began to turn her head towards a tower that stood out compared to the rest of the city, strangely enough it was the only tall structure within the entire city.

"Well I've overstayed it seems."

"Overstayed, but we just got here?" Lyra asked, obviously confused.

"It's unbecoming for a Heavenly Eye cultivator to remain in another faction's territory for too long, I'll wait for the three of you at the entrance to the heart."

She took a step and vanished.

"So much for a powerful escort." Feng Zhiming thought as he turned to look at Ellia walking towards someone.

A man with a hat that seemed a little too big for him turned to look at the approaching trio.

"We require safe passage to the heart." Ellia asked the man as he handed him a small bag of spirit stones.

The man with the hat looked them all up and down and handed the bag back.

"I don't transport heathens!" he yelled at them as he spat on the ground, dangerously close to Ellia's foot.

Lyra began to raise her hand, no doubt to commit some sort of aggression.

"Don't." Feng Zhiming whispered as he intercepted her wrist and returned it to its resting position.

"He's right, the city lord will not take kindly to aggression in the city." Ellia actually agreed with Feng Zhiming and led Lyra away from the man.

Feng Zhiming instinctively moved his head as the man with the large hat swung at him. He was also in the Ethereal Core stage so the swing itself had called forth attention towards them.

Feng Zhiming had merely evaded and the man fell to the ground, while clutching his leg in pain he began to yell.

"Guards! Guards!"

The two men that had walked by him earlier reappeared and did not have an amicable expression to say the least.

They grabbed Feng Zhiming by his shoulders and tried to bring him to his knees.

"Fellow cultivators, surely we can talk this out?"

No response, just an increased pressure from the guards began to weigh upon him. The guards were both at the Ethereal Core stage so they didn't pose any real threat to him.

He was now faced with a unique dilemma, to go along with the guards or kill them and flee the city, they still needed directions and transport to the heart, they could not warp space to travel like Madam Hua and other Heavenly Eye cultivators.