Chapter 298 - 162: Weiyun Immortal City of Guangyuan Realm (Part 2)

Chapter 298: Chapter 162: Weiyun Immortal City of Guangyuan Realm (Part 2)

The Immoral Taoist, clearly knowing the ropes, waved his hand. The other Daoist didn’t dare to pester him, just cupped his hands and retreated. The Immoral Taoist then steered the gourd and flew straight away.

Xuzhuang glanced at the man, realizing he was a cultivator who had formed a Golden Core, and a rather profound one at that. He couldn’t help but ask in surprise, "The Guangyuan Realm has attendants like this? Is this an arrangement made by the Guangcheng Dojo?"

As they spoke, the Wine Immortal Gourd had already flown away from the high platform. Xuzhuang looked down to see a vast, majestic city sprawling below him, its borders stretching beyond the horizon. Tall pavilions pierced the heavens, and exquisite abodes coiled like serpents. Winding corridors twisted and turned, resembling honeycombs and whirlpools. An unknowable number of structures, perhaps tens of millions, stood tall.

The architecture was fantastical and unrestrained, glowing with the light of treasures and glazed hues. Every building could be called magnificent and wondrous. Cultivators flew about openly, making no effort to conceal themselves. Clearly, this majestic city was a metropolis built entirely for cultivators.

Even in the Profound Yellow Realm, while Immortal Cities and marketplaces were not uncommon, none were on such a grand scale. Xuzhuang couldn’t help but marvel at the sight.

The Immoral Taoist laughed. "This is Weiyun Immortal City, known in the Guangyuan Realm as the crossroads of all realms. That attendant Daoist just now was arranged by the city’s treasure merchants."

"In the Guangyuan Realm, aside from the Guangcheng Dojo and the two Taoist Sects passed down from True Monarch Guangcheng, the most powerful factions are these treasure merchants. This is especially true for the eleven whose reputations are certified by the Guangcheng Dojo. All of them have extraordinary origins..."

He glanced at Xuzhuang and added, "Your Tai Su sect actually has operations in Weiyun Immortal City, but they only buy, they don’t sell. That’s why they aren’t listed among the eleven."

Xuzhuang nodded thoughtfully. He had, of course, heard a little about these matters, but since his duties were not in the Upper Dharma Hall, he wasn’t particularly well-informed.

Seeing that Xuzhuang had no more questions, the Immoral Taoist didn’t linger. He briefly got his bearings, then steered the gourd south.

After a short while, an Immortal Mountain that stretched across the city came into view. The Immoral Taoist suddenly made a few pinching motions with his fingers, then descended toward one of the mountain peaks.

Before they had even landed, the gate to a cave residence on the peak suddenly swung open. A stern-faced, middle-aged Daoist holding a duster strode out. He looked up, his mouth opening as if to speak.

Seeing things were about to go south, the Immoral Taoist preemptively shouted, "I divined that you were living on this peak, Senior Brother, so I came straight here to find you!"

At the exact same moment, the Jide Taoist declared in a deep voice, "I divined that you would arrive today, Junior Brother, so I came out specifically to welcome you!"

A strange expression crossed Xuzhuang’s face. ’So that’s it,’ he thought. ’Now I finally understand why the Immoral Taoist always has to say something like that. Turns out masters of divination like to compete with each other this way...’

The Immoral Taoist didn’t even put away his Wine Immortal Gourd, and the Jide Taoist made no move to invite them inside. The two rather eccentric Primordial Spirit masters looked ready to start bickering right then and there, so Xuzhuang could only wait on the side.

Unexpectedly, after a brief spat, the Jide Taoist gave a cold snort and turned back into his cave residence.

The Immoral Taoist chuckled slyly, then turned around. "Xu the Kid, I have other important business to attend to, so it’s not convenient for me to bring you along. Just find a place to stay in the cave residence. Don’t feel you need to stand on ceremony with my senior brother."

Xuzhuang simply acknowledged the instruction and leaped off the Wine Immortal Gourd. Without another word, the Immoral Taoist flickered and vanished from sight.

Although Xuzhuang had only interacted with this Zhenren a few times, he was already familiar with his personality and didn’t take offense. He circulated his power to dispel the lingering aroma of wine from the Wine Immortal Gourd and was surprised to find his Magical Power had actually increased by a sliver over the course of the journey. A small smile touched his lips.

Xuzhuang straightened the sleeves and hem of his robes, then walked into the cave residence.

To his surprise, the Jide Taoist was in the main hall, sitting upright on a chair. When he saw Xuzhuang enter, his expression softened considerably compared to how it was outside. "Young Friend Xu," he said, "it’s been a while."

Xuzhuang performed a cupped-fist salute and replied, "It is I, your junior. Greetings, Zhenren."

The Jide Taoist nodded. "This Han Yuan Cave was a gift from a good friend of mine. The spiritual ambiance is extraordinary. Feel free to stay here for the time being, Young Friend. I guarantee it will not hinder your cultivation."

He then gestured to the surrounding walls. "You may choose any room for yourself, Young Friend. Those two rooms protected by restrictive seals are occupied by two other young friends, so you cannot select those."

Xuzhuang looked up. The layout of this cave residence was quite different from the common style in the Profound Yellow Realm. It had two levels, with the main hall in the center. Stairways and corridors were carved into the four surrounding walls, leading to over a dozen chambers. As the Jide Taoist had said, two of the upper chambers were shimmering with the spiritual light of protective seals.

The Jide Taoist then recited an incantation. "This is the spell to operate the seals and to enter and exit the cave residence. If you wish to visit the Immortal City, Young Friend, you may come and go as you please."

A thought struck Xuzhuang. ’I know Zhong Shenxiu was also invited by the Jide and Immoral Taoists as a helper for their appointment. It seems he isn’t in the cave residence right now. Perhaps he’s gone into the Immortal City.’

Without dwelling on it, Xuzhuang raised his hands in a salute. "Thank you, Zhenren. This junior will remember it."

The Jide Taoist gave a slight nod and said no more. With a light flick of his sleeve, he vanished without a trace.

Seeing this, Xuzhuang didn’t linger in the hall. He went to the second level, chose a chamber at random, opened it, and slowly stepped inside.

The chamber’s furnishings were rather simple. Besides a stone couch, there was only a stone dais. On it sat a plain, sooty-black incense burner, and next to it was a jade box.

Xuzhuang casually turned the burner’s lid. A stream of incredibly pure Spiritual Qi immediately flowed out from the holes. ’The Jide Taoist was being too modest,’ he thought. ’While this spiritual ambiance isn’t an exotic Spiritual Truth, it’s certainly of great benefit to a Nascent Soul Cultivator’s progress.’

Xuzhuang then opened the jade box. Inside was a Glazed Ball. Within the ball, an energy swirled, shifting between five different colors. He raised an eyebrow slightly and probed the Glazed Ball with his Spiritual Sense. As he expected, he felt a wisp of Five Elements Essence, which was instantly invigorating.

The Five Elements are the foundation of all matter and are suitable for the cultivation of most Taoist True Skills. For Xuzhuang, this was, of course, especially true.

’Perhaps it was due to their shared sect affiliation,’ Xuzhuang mused, ’but for Primordial Spirit True Men like the Jide Taoist and the Immoral Taoist to treat a junior with such courtesy was already exceedingly thoughtful.’

Xuzhuang nodded to himself and sat down on the stone couch. He contemplated for a moment but did not immediately begin his meditative cultivation. Instead, with a shake of his shoulders, he split off his Dharma Body.

’Cultivation is, of course, the highest priority,’ he thought, ’but one can’t just shut oneself away from the world. Having just arrived in a Great Thousand World like the Guangyuan Realm—one on par with the Profound Yellow Realm—it would be a shame not to experience it.’

’Besides, I’m quite curious about Weiyun Immortal City, this so-called crossroads of all realms. Since refining my Three-Element Dharma Body has made things so much more convenient, I might as well send it out for a look.’

After leaving the chamber, Xuzhuang’s Dharma Body activated the seal and departed directly from Han Yuan Cave. Without a second thought, it summoned a streak of escape light and flew back the way it had come.

Although Weiyun Immortal City was vast, Xuzhuang’s Escape Technique was exceptional, and he had a clear destination in mind. In the time it took to drink a cup of tea, he spotted eleven towering pavilions in the distance. Each had its own unique architectural style and occupied its own district, and every single one was bustling with countless cultivators coming and going without end.

’Back in the Divine Continent’s Cultivation Realm,’ he recalled, ’the goods circulated in the marketplaces rarely included even the items needed by Nascent Soul Cultivators. Things like Primal Truths, Primal Essences, and especially magical treasures, were practically nonexistent. At my current level, there was almost no point in visiting marketplaces or merchant pavilions to buy treasures.’

’But this Weiyun Immortal City, the crossroads of all realms, is different. The people coming and going are, at the very least, Nascent Soul Cultivators who risk their lives traversing the void. Even Primordial Spirit True Men are not an uncommon sight. Clearly, the same logic doesn’t apply here.’

’The Immoral Taoist mentioned that there were eleven treasure merchants in this Immortal City whose reputations were certified by the Guangcheng Dojo, all with extraordinary origins. He even compared them to the Tai Su Pavilion. That naturally piqued my interest.’

Xuzhuang swept his gaze over the eleven pavilions, about to choose one of the extraordinary merchants at random. Suddenly, his eyes narrowed, fixing on a rather unimpressive-looking suspended building below.

He descended from his streak of light, appearing in an instant beneath the small suspended building. Looking up, he saw two rather crudely written words: Bianlan Pavilion!

’So this is the Guangyuan Realm. It even has this kind of "treasure" merchant?’ Sensing the chaotic and unconcealed Demonic Qi emanating from within, Xuzhuang raised an eyebrow. He stepped onto the suspended staircase and made his way up to the Bianlan Pavilion.