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Chapter 5080 Free Trade Area
After passing the plaza, they came upon a mountain with a flat summit where a grand palace was built. This was the residence of Pill Valley’s disciples.
Seeing this residence, even Long Chen couldn’t help but feel impressed. This was what he called living well. Each disciple had their own palace, and although the exterior didn’t seem large, the interior was spacious thanks to the spatial formations. Every palace was well-equipped with everything they needed.
It wasn’t forbidden for visitors to enter the palaces, but after entering, they could only look—touching anything would displease the owner. Each residence was meticulously designed, featuring its own refining room, training room, meditation room, activity room, and eight attendants, all maintained to the highest standard.
Bai Yingxue stared enviously, as did Feng You and Hu Xiaoyu. However, Long Chen told them not to be deceived by appearances.
“What you see here is just for show,” Long Chen said. “Pill Valley wants us to see only what they want us to see. I doubt ordinary disciples actually live like this.”
Long Chen pointed out that no sect would let others see their disciples’ residences unless it was to show off. If these disciples were truly living in such luxury, why would they scheme against him for the Sun Flame? Their actions spoke against the image they were trying to project.
Long Chen told them to take a look, but there was no need to take it seriously. When the sunlight touched someone, it always showcased their brightest side while casting everything bad into the shadows.
The three of them understood what he was saying. At this moment, Feng You smiled bitterly, reflecting on how, despite having someone like Long Chen by her side, she still clung to her own folly. This stubbornness had resulted in the loss of many lives among her people. She felt full of guilt when she thought of that.
Sensing her turmoil, Long Chen said, “As a leader, you will always face difficult decisions. Making a wrong decision isn’t the most frightening thing.”
“Then what is?” asked Feng You.
“It is the lack of courage to make a decision,” said Long Chen.
Feng You nodded. Although the logic made sense to her, she knew that making decisions that could determine other people’s lives required a courage not everyone possessed, especially after a previous failure.
“Long Chen, have you made wrong choices?” asked Feng You.
“In my eyes, there is no such thing,” Long Chen replied. “I always act according to my heart. Right and wrong aren’t my focus. Back then, I led the Dragonblood Legion into battle with over ten thousand people. Now, fewer than eight thousand remain. Can you tell me if my decisions were right or wrong?”
Feng You was startled and then smiled bitterly. “Even someone like you can’t be perfect? Then there’s no chance for me.”
Long Chen said, “Since when has perfection existed in this world? No one can predict the future. The decisions you make may seem correct now, but after ten, a hundred, or a thousand years, can you still be sure that your decision will still be deemed right?”
He looked at Feng You and continued, “The answer is no. No one can guarantee that. Since it’s impossible, there’s no need to get tangled in the notions of right and wrong. Seeing my brothers die is a pain that cannot be described. But after that pain, I wiped away my tears and continued advancing into the darkness with a smile. We learned long ago that those of us who survive must honor our fallen brothers by living even better lives. We strive to break through the darkness and witness a beautiful dawn.”
Hearing this, Feng You was deeply moved, and the knot of sadness within her heart melted like snow in the sun. The questions that had previously eluded her became clear.
In truth, what Feng You was experiencing was something Long Chen had faced long ago. Hence, Long Chen only needed to say a few words to help her see through her struggles.
Feng You’s expression lightened, and the old brightness returned to her eyes, as if she had been freed from a curse. The air around her seemed different now. Seeing this, Hu Xiaoyu’s eyes grew red. She knew that the old Feng You was back.
At this moment, Bai Yingxue found that she had gained a greater understanding of Long Chen. His strength was a natural result of who he was, not luck. It manifested in many areas, and he appeared to have no weaknesses.
“Thank you,” said Feng You solemnly.
If other people weren’t around, she would have hugged him tightly. He had helped her countless times and had given her a new lease on life.
“You’re being too formal, no? Is there any need for such words between us?” laughed Long Chen.
They passed around the residences of the disciples and arrived at another plaza. Although this one was much smaller compared to the Glacial Heaven Plaza, it was still a thousand times larger than the Long clan’s plaza.
This place was incredibly lively. Stalls lined the plaza, and the air was filled with the sounds of haggling, scornful shouts, and curses.
When Long Chen and the others arrived, a disciple of Pill Valley loudly announced, “It is forbidden to fight within the free-trade region. The overseers will immediately expel offending parties from the Glacial Heaven Domain, regardless of their status.”
The disciple had likely shouted the same warning so many times that his throat was hoarse. With every new wave of people, he repeated the announcement. Each visitor needed to be reminded that fighting was forbidden here.
The stalls in the plaza had been set up by Pill Valley for various large factions to trade their treasures. The white dragon race could have secured one stall, but they had directly declined. After all, they didn’t come here to sell something, and they didn’t have anything valuable to trade.
Despite the steep rental fee and the brief trading period, every stall was occupied, with not a single one left empty. It seemed that every available stall had been rented.
With such a high volume of people, the business opportunities were immense. However, this also meant that conflicts could arise at any moment. To manage the situation, Pill Valley had experts spread throughout the plaza to maintain order.
There was a three-vein Heaven Saint sitting in the air, overlooking the entire plaza. Given the large number of heavenly geniuses present, a one-vein or two-vein Heaven Saint would not have sufficed. They needed someone stronger to oversee this area.
At the heart of the plaza stood a very eye-grabbing building. Long Chen led his group over there. This building was dedicated to currency exchange, and when Long Chen saw the required currencies, he couldn’t help but gasp.