Chapter 116: Spirit Abyss City, Abyss Spirit City

Ye Yun Nation, located in the western part of Lingchuan, was nothing more than an unremarkable small country among many, controlled by the Heavenly Demon Alliance, one of the four great alliances of Lingchuan.

At the westernmost tip of this nation lay a deep mountain gorge near the Blood Demon Valley.

Deep within the gorge, six stone pillars stood tall in an open clearing. Around the pillars, cultivators in blood-red robes patrolled back and forth, the highest among them being no more than Late Golden Core.

Suddenly, a flash of white light erupted from the six stone pillars.

A beam of brilliant light landed precisely in the center of the pillars, slowly materializing into a human figure.

Jiuyou's face flickered in and out of view within the glow. He took a deep breath, his gaze sweeping calmly across the unfamiliar surroundings.

In the distance, the four Golden Core cultivators stationed to guard this place hurriedly flew over. They assumed another Nascent Soul elder had been dispatched by their sect.

But before the four could even get close, several beams of gold-green light pierced through their dantians in an instant. The four collapsed almost simultaneously, their eyes losing all signs of life.

At the same time, countless purple spirit insects swarmed out from the center of the stone platform, quickly spreading throughout the entire gorge. Wherever they passed, screams erupted. The remaining disciple guards had not the slightest power to resist, their bodies covered in the insect swarm, their souls devoured in the blink of an eye.

The entire process took only a few breaths.

Not a trace of living presence remained in the whole valley.

Jiuyou's mind stirred slightly, recalling the Soul-Eating Insect swarm. He raised a hand and destroyed the teleportation array at this location. A flash of multicolored light flickered across his body as he donned the Heavenly Wind Robe and vanished from the spot.

Several months later.

Deep within a mountain range, there lay a valley wrapped tightly by layer upon layer of peaks.

There had originally been no spiritual vein beneath this valley, yet the spiritual energy here was exceptionally dense. A city had been built encircling the many peaks, enclosing the valley within its walls. Cave dwellings and houses could be seen everywhere, and beneath the terrain, a massive spirit-gathering formation had been laid out.

Above the sky, streaks of light in every color interwove, with spirit birds, spirit beasts, merchant convoys, and spirit boats all on display.

A gray-blue streak of light shot over from the distance and hovered mid-air. Jiuyou revealed his form, gazing from afar at the prosperous city before him.

Though he had heard passing mentions of it from other cultivators before, he could not help but feel astonished upon seeing it with his own eyes.

This mountain range was called the Thousand Gorge Mountain Range. This valley was named Thousand Glows Valley, precisely the place where he had first arrived after riding the ancient teleportation array from the Tianyuan Sea. Back then, this place had been barren and desolate. In just over a hundred years, it had actually become this prosperous.

It was even more bustling than Thousand Leaf City. After all, this city had been built jointly by Lingchuan cultivators and Abyssal Sea cultivators, so naturally, it could not be compared to something like Thousand Leaf City, which was constructed by loose cultivators.

Jiuyou felt a surge of emotion well up inside him. He transformed into a streak of cyan light, concealed his aura, and slowly approached the city.

According to the information he had gathered.

Around a hundred years ago, during the Nascent Soul competition at Yi Feng Valley, both allied forces harbored their own hidden agendas, and the battlefield shifted with every passing moment. In the end, Lingchuan achieved a great victory, driving the Abyssal Sea Allied Forces all the way back to the Northern Heaven Alliance and gradually squeezing their living space.

But the Abyssal Sea Allied Forces were not lacking in foundation. Even at a disadvantage, they managed to hold their ground against the Lingchuan cultivators for several years. Both sides suffered heavy losses among their high-tier cultivators, and the casualties among mid and low-tier cultivators were simply countless. The Abyssal Sea side gradually lost steam and fell back step by step.

Just as the Abyssal Sea cultivators were being beaten back in retreat, five legendary Spirit Transformation cultivators suddenly appeared. No one knew where they had come from, only vaguely hearing that they had arrived from the other side of the Blood Demon Valley.

Under the mediation of these five Spirit Transformation cultivators, both sides were forced to set aside their hatred and shake hands in peace.

Afterward, the five Spirit Transformation powerhouses traveled through the ancient teleportation array to the Tianyuan Sea, thoroughly resolving the blood mist calamity, reinforcing the seal, and casting Heavenly Abyss Mountain back into the spatial rift.

Countless cultivators witnessed the means of the Spirit Transformation powerhouses with their own eyes, utterly awestruck as if seeing gods. After that incident, the five Spirit Transformation cultivators simply disappeared, and no one knew where they had gone.

With the living space of the Tianyuan Sea restored, the Abyssal Sea people naturally returned as well, rebuilding their defensive lines, sects, and cities on the various islands. For a moment, it seemed as if they had returned to the state before the blood mist had erupted.

The difference was that a bridge now connected the Tianyuan Sea and Lingchuan: the ancient teleportation array.

Lingchuan's ancient heritage was more complete, with alchemy, formation arts, and other cultivation pursuits more prosperous than those of the Tianyuan Sea. The Tianyuan Sea, in turn, boasted inexhaustible demon beast resources and spiritual treasures hidden in uncharted waters.

Over the past century, both sides had slowly learned to let go of their hatred, using the teleportation array to exchange goods and complement each other's strengths. For a time, both regions recovered rapidly from the wounds of war, presenting a scene of harmony and joy.

To commemorate this history, the Lingchuan continent established this city in Thousand Glows Valley, naming it Spirit Abyss City. The Tianyuan Sea side also built a similar city, named Abyss Spirit City.

At the center of Spirit Abyss City stood what had once been a mountain a hundred miles tall, now leveled flat by the mighty power of great cultivators. The ancient teleportation array lay fully exposed.

Besides the circular stone platform in the middle covered with carved runes, twelve heaven-reaching stone pillars of cyan color surrounded the platform, each towering over three hundred zhang in height. The entire array bore some resemblance to the one Jiuyou had taken before.

This was the true appearance of the large-scale ancient teleportation array.

"One teleportation, fifty mid-grade Spirit Stones per person."

At the entrance of the teleportation array, a burly man clad in heavy armor and holding a long halberd spoke in a grave tone.

Before the man stood a scrawny fellow. Upon hearing the price, the man's eyes went wide.

"What? Fifty mid-grade Spirit Stones? Why not just rob people? Even those Golden Core seniors probably wouldn't be willing to part with that much at once."

The armored man shot him a disdainful glance and snorted coldly.

"This is an ancient teleportation array. Every single activation consumes a massive amount of Spirit Stones. It activates once every five years, and each activation only lasts for the duration of one incense stick. There's still half a month until the next one. If you think it's too expensive, then don't ride."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the crowd queuing behind the scrawny man, and let out a chuckle.

"Besides, if you don't ride, plenty of others will. Countless people long for the rich maritime resources of the Abyssal Sea. You think they're missing just you? Go or don't go, it's your choice."

The scrawny man's face showed visible struggle, but in the end, he gritted his teeth and took out a Storage Pouch from his waist, handing it over.

The armored man scanned it with his Divine Sense, nodded in satisfaction, and accepted it. He pointed toward a pavilion on the left side of the teleportation array.

"Go over there to register and receive your teleportation jade token. Come back in half a month. Remember, if you're late, you'll be out of luck."

The scrawny man departed. Before long, a middle-aged man in a golden robe stepped forward.

The armored man immediately straightened his attitude with added deference. The middle-aged man had not concealed his aura, and he could tell this was a Golden Core senior, so naturally, he could not afford to be negligent.

Just as the man was about to step forward, a breeze suddenly swept past before his eyes. A flash of cyan light exploded between the two of them, and a young man in a green robe materialized from within.

The cyan streak of light converged, and Jiuyou stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping coldly over the armored man.

The man was about to ask a question when an overwhelming pressure from a Late Nascent Soul Grand Cultivator crashed down upon him. His legs went weak involuntarily, and cold sweat instantly soaked his back.

"Se... Senior..."

The armored man's voice trembled, all traces of his earlier arrogance gone. The cultivators waiting in line also scrambled back, keeping their heads low, not daring to breathe too loudly.

Jiuyou paid him no attention. He casually dropped fifty mid-grade Spirit Stones and walked straight toward the registration office.

The registration office was a modest stone hall, where a gray-robed old man sat inside, his cultivation at Mid-Golden Core. Sensing that overwhelming pressure, the old man hurriedly rose to his feet.

"Senior wishes to teleport to the Abyssal Sea?" the old man asked cautiously.

Jiuyou nodded slightly.

"Please leave your name here, Senior, for registration purposes."

Jiuyou picked up the jade brush and wrote two large characters on the bamboo slip: Gui You.

Gui You. The old man silently recited the name, not daring to ask further questions. He respectfully presented a teleportation jade token with both hands.

"Senior, please keep this safe. In half a month, the teleportation array will activate on schedule. Present this jade token to board the platform."

Jiuyou took the jade token and turned to leave.

Half a month later.

Before the teleportation array, a crowd bustled. Nearly a hundred cultivators waited there, ranging from Foundation Establishment and Golden Core, along with a few Early Nascent Soul cultivators.

Jiuyou stood at the very front, and no one dared to contend with him for position.

At high noon.

The twelve heaven-reaching stone pillars lit up simultaneously, blazing with intense cyan light. The runes on the circular stone platform seemed to come alive, flowing along their carved patterns. A vast spatial force surged from the array, as if it were about to tear the entire heavens and earth apart.

"Board the platform!"

The armored man bellowed.

The crowd filed in one after another. Jiuyou stepped onto the center of the stone platform and embedded his jade token into a recess before him. The jade token flashed with spiritual light, connecting with the runes on the platform.

Twelve beams of light shot into the sky, converging overhead into a colossal screen of light that enveloped the entire teleportation array.

The light grew brighter and brighter, more and more blinding.

Jiuyou felt his feet grow light as his entire body was lifted by an invisible force. The space around him began to twist and stretch, fracturing into countless bizarre, dazzling fragments.

He knew he was traveling through the void.

He did not know how much time had passed, but the light gradually faded, and his feet sank down as they touched solid ground once more.

Jiuyou opened his eyes.

Before him lay a cultivator city almost identical in scale to Spirit Abyss City. The same stone pillars, the same stone platform, the same runes. The only difference was that the distant horizon was no longer green mountains and clear waters, but an endless expanse of azure sea.

The Tianyuan Sea.

Abyss Spirit City.

Jiuyou stepped onto the edge of the stone platform and looked around.

The sea breeze rushed in, carrying a salty, briny scent. In the distance, faint outlines of several islands were visible on the sea surface, dotted with glimmers of spiritual light.

A hundred years ago, he had fled this sea region to seek a path to survival, only to be chased in disgrace after the Nascent Soul competition, nearly losing his life and cultivation. Now, he was a Late Nascent Soul Grand Cultivator, returning home in glory.

Jiuyou took a deep breath, transformed into a streak of cyan light, and shot swiftly toward the direction of Soul Wraith Island.

The sea wind howled, and the streak of light flashed like lightning.

Behind him, Abyss Spirit City grew smaller and smaller, gradually vanishing beyond the edge of the horizon.