The guard of honor gradually left. Led by the twelve Great Elders and escorted by three thousand imperial guards, Wu Qi and his company continued their journey along a wide road. The imperial palace of Great Yu was a big place. Apart from the main road that cut through its center, the rest of the place was filled with mountains and rivers, and not even a small path could be found between the thick growth of flowers. It seemed that the only way to travel between palaces was to fly.
There was a flavor of barbarism and primitiveness to the scenery along the way. Phoenixes made their nests atop trees hundreds of thousands of feet tall, and flood dragons dwelt in deep pools beside the road. Occasionally, groups of three to five feathermen warriors could be seen gliding across the sky, casting their fierce glances everywhere. And every so often, rare fowls and beasts jumped out of the bushes next to them, growling fearlessly at them before turning and leaving.
