Chapter 701: Stronghold Seventeen, Views In The Extraterritorial Region, The Barracks Gate

“This is Stronghold Seventeen.”

Chu Kuangren observed as the pa.s.sersby roamed around the streets that were flanked by rows of tenement inns. There were no stark differences between this place and any ordinary city.

However, he mobilized his Emperor Thought and soon noticed something strange about this place.

He realized that this city was not built on any ordinary land, but instead, the entire city was floating in s.p.a.ce!

Having made the same observation, Emperor Jin Xuan gave Chu Kuangren a look before the duo dashed into the sky.

When Emperor Jin Xuan and Chu Kuangren approached peak height, they stumbled upon a formless barrier that separated the city from the rest of the universe. As they pa.s.sed through the barrier, the first thing that greeted Emperor Jin Xuan and Chu Kuangren was the convoluted streams of spiritual qi.

The spiritual qi streams held myriad forms of qi within them. Any ordinary cultivator would struggle to even survive in the middle of the spiritual qi stream, what more to absorb them.

Fortunately, Emperor Jin Xuan and Chu Kuangren were both Emperors who would not be affected by the spiritual qi stream.

The spiritual qi stream was the least of their surprise.

In the midst of the cold, isolated universe, the remarkable stronghold floated below them.

From the inside, the city seemed like it was built just like any others. Yet, from the outside, the city was protected by layers upon layers of fortification that formed a dark enormous fortress wall!

The fortress wall was carved with countless runes. They also noticed that there were several powerful cultivators stationed above these walls.

“So this is Stronghold Seventeen?”

“Wow, what a magnificent city.”

“Look, over there.”

Emperor Jin Xuan exclaimed as he pointed into the distance.

Chu Kuangren looked over.

In the distance, they saw a planet covered in shades of white and blue. It was the Firmament Star!

The entire Firmament Star was enveloped in a thin layer of golden forcefield, which Daoist runes hovered on its surface. They were designed to protect this planet from danger.

Chu Kuangren inhaled deeply and cast his Emperor Thought as far and wide as it could go. He noticed that apart from Stronghold Seventeen, there were also several other similar strongholds within a billion kilometers radius.

From what Chu Kuangren understood, the great ones of Firmament Star had built a total of eighty-one strongholds to guard its own territory outside of Firmament Star.

“Haha, we’re in the Extraterritorial Region now. I can already feel my heart pumping!” Emperor Jin Xuan exclaimed with excitement.

As he stared at the planet where he was born, the thought of fighting a war for his homeland inspired him to no end.

“Let’s head back.”

Chu Kuangren suggested.

In a flash, he returned to the teleportation camp of Stronghold Seventeen.

“Hey, newcomer.”

A cultivator near the camp noticed Chu Kuangren and Emperor Jin Xuan’s arrival. From their expressions and demeanor, he could tell that they had just arrived from out of the region.

“Yes.” Emperor Jin Xuan nodded.

“Newcomers, please report yourselves at the barracks. Once you’ve obtained your soldier tag, you’ll officially begin your journey here in Stronghold Seventeen. I wish you all the best.”

The cultivator advised kindly.

“Thanks a lot.”

“You’re welcome. See you soon on the battlefield.”

…

Chu Kuangren and Emperor Jin Xuan spent some time strolling around Stronghold Seventeen.

They noticed that not all of the cultivators around here were Emperors. In fact, the Emperors only made up a minority of them.

While there were dozens of millions of cultivators in this stronghold, most of them were from the Honourable Realm and Sage Realm.

These Honorables and Sages were the descendants of cultivators who were stationed in this stronghold during the archaic era. They had spent their entire lives in this stronghold solely dedicated to the cause of defending Firmament Star.

“This is the barracks.”

Chu Kuangren and Emperor Jin Xuan arrived before a giant steel gate.

“Why’s the gate closed?”

Emperor Jin Xuan was puzzled. He straightened his back and yelled, “I am Emperor Jin Xuan, and I’ve come to register myself. Please open the gate!”

“You’re welcome to enter, but you’ll have to open this gate on your own.”

A voice came from the other side of the gate.

Chu Kuangren and Emperor Jin Xuan could see several cultivators arriving above the wall. Their unusual auras indicated that they were all Emperors.

Those cultivators were staring mischievously at Emperor Jin Xuan.

“I wonder what this new Emperor is made of.”

“Hehe, let’s see if he manages to move this gate. But look at the person beside him. His aura feels a little peculiar.”

“Hm, indeed. I’m surprised I can’t tell what realm he’s in. Judging from his age, I don’t even know if he has ascended into an Emperor.”

“I don’t know if he’s an Emperor, but… I do know he’s one handsome-looking person. He’s far more attractive than anyone I’ve ever seen.”

An Empress gulped and said.

The remaining Emperors took a closer look at Chu Kuangren and were equally shocked by his extraordinary appearance.

Emperor Jin Xuan was aware that this was a gimmick by the Emperors to test out their newly arrived rookies.

He laughed out loud and rubbed his palms against each other. “Will I have to pay for this gate if it goes down?”

Upon hearing that, the Emperors above the wall smiled mischievously. A thin-looking Emperor answered, “If you manage to destroy it, I’ll foot the bill on your behalf.”

“Alright, then!” Emperor Jin Xuan let out a low grunt as he activated his Emperor qi and launched a golden fist sign onto the gate.

As the fist sign struck the gate with a boom, the momentum shook a thin layer of dust off the gate. However, the gate remained sealed with layers of Daoist runes and was not even ajar.

“Holy sh*t. How heavy is this gate?!”

Emperor Jin Xuan muttered under his breath.

His fist technique was enough to blow dozens of mountains open, yet it did nothing to move this gate!

“Again!”

Emperor Qin Xuan refocused his Emperor qi as golden Daoist runes began to manifest around his body. Then, he unleashed a violent surge of energies towards the steel gate. “Charging Cavalry Fist!”

With another fist blasted forward, Emperor Jin Xuan used his Emperor qi to send forth a blast of energies that rivaled the combined momentum of ten thousand cavalry armies onto the steel gate. The door buzzed loudly following the successive blasts.

The Emperors above the gate smiled cheekily. They knew Emperor Jin Xuan had used up all of his power.

“He must have just recently ascended into the Initial Emperor Realm. Although I can tell he’s just a Rank One Initial Emperor, his foundations are decent. He possesses a High-grade Emperor Core and wields the Epic Dao. With his potential and enough training, he’ll soon be a formidable soldier of Stronghold Seventeen.”

“Indeed. This will be interesting.”

Down below.

Emperor Jin Xuan was out of breath as he stared at the gate before him with shock. “This gate is too heavily fortified. My Emperor Technique can barely scratch it!”

“How about I give it a try?”

Chu Kuangren chuckled lightly and said.

“Go ahead. I’m at my wit’s end anyway.”

Emperor Jin Xuan was defeated.

His dreams of raining fury over the battlefield were crushed by a steel gate as soon as he arrived. It was not an easy moment to process.

“Hey, the other one’s making his move.”

“Oh, it seems like he’s an Emperor too.”

Only an Emperor would want to give it a go after witnessing the indestructible quality of the steel gate.

The Emperors stared closely at Chu Kuangren, their interests piqued.

Chu Kuangren stepped before the gate and lifted his palm, where his Emperor qi converged within. After that, he gently launched it forward.

Boom!

A shocking explosion ensued!