Chapter 117: A Hundred Years Passed, Soul Wraith Changes Hands

Four Seas City.

The city sat atop a sea island. The island was small and remotely located. It only drew the covetous eyes of various powers because it concealed a mid-grade spirit vein and boasted no formidable guardians.

Thick city walls surrounded the city. A massive spiritual light barrier was connected atop the walls, shrouding the entire city and covering most of the island's surface.

From time to time, cultivators entered or exited the city, either on foot or skimming low through the air. Among these people were sect disciples, rogue cultivators, and also cultivators from Lingchuan who had come to the Abyssal Sea seeking opportunities. Four Seas City served as a convenient resting stop.

At the main city gate, a young man who had just established his foundation was pestering a white-haired, veteran Foundation-Establishing cultivator. Judging by their attire, they appeared to be guards of this city.

"Old Feng, tell me more, won't you?"

Curiosity filled the young man's eyes.

"I was born too late, I didn't make it back for those times. Last time you told me about the great war between our Tianyuan Sea and Lingchuan, just listening got my blood pumping. This time, tell me something else."

Upon hearing this, the Feng surnamed Foundation-Establishing cultivator stroked his beard, casually taking a city entry jade token handed over by someone nearby. He waved his hand to return the token and let the person pass, then slowly began to speak.

"What should I tell? How about this old man tells you the origins of Four Seas City?"

"Sure! I just arrived in Four Seas City not long ago, I've been wanting to hear about it."

Old Feng smiled, as if reminiscing. Only after a moment did he slowly speak.

"Actually, Four Seas City was established not long ago at all. So short, it can only be traced back to after those Divine Lord seniors arrived to seal away the blood mist calamity of Heavenly Abyss Mountain."

He raised his hand and pointed at the ground beneath their feet.

"This island under our feet wasn't called Four Seas Island originally, and there was no Four Seas City either. It was called Soul Wraith Island."

A flicker of surprise crossed the young Foundation-Establishing cultivator's face.

"Soul Wraith Island? You mean that one belonging to the Ancestor of Soul Wraith who fled from battle?"

Old Feng nodded slightly, letting out a sigh.

"Yes, that's him. That once imposing Ancestor of Soul Wraith Island, Jiuyou."

He narrowed his eyes, as if recalling those long-gone years.

"Back in the day, he could be considered quite a figure. With his lifespan nearly exhausted, he suddenly broke through and became a Mid-Nascent Soul grand cultivator who dominated his region. After that, while holding the line in the Tianyuan Sea, he slew several Eighth-Rank Great Demons in succession. Later, when he participated in the great battle between the Abyssal and Lingchuan lands, he killed several Nascent Soul experts with a single strike. He was glorious for a time. Back then, some even honored him as the number one cultivator below Late Nascent Soul."

Old Feng paused, his tone growing heavier.

"Unfortunately, no one could have expected that a figure like him would actually flee from battle during that match back then. He caused our Tianyuan Sea to sacrifice so many people, so many experts died. It took over a hundred years to gradually recover..."

The young man listened intently, unable to resist pressing further.

"What happened after that? How did Soul Wraith Island become Four Seas City?"

Old Feng let out a sigh.

"Afterwards? Afterwards, those Spirit Transformation Divine Lords acted and quelled the blood mist disaster. The Tianyuan Sea was stable again, but the resentment in people's hearts had nowhere to go. Someone had to take responsibility for this catastrophe, right? Those big shots naturally wouldn't admit fault, so all the blame was directed at Grand Ancestor Jiuyou who had fled from battle."

He shook his head.

"The disciples of Soul Wraith Island were either killed, scattered, or switched allegiances to other sects. A great sect, just like that, fell apart. Later, other powers saw the value of the spirit vein on this island and jointly built this Four Seas City. Speaking of which, this place is much livelier than it used to be."

The two chatted away while checking the jade tokens of those entering the city.

A figure in green robes had appeared before Old Feng at some unknown moment.

Old Feng was vividly recounting the old tales to the young cultivator while reaching out his hand. But after waiting for a long while, he never received the jade token from the person.

Suspicion arose in his heart, and he looked up.

What met his eyes was a tall, handsome young cultivator. His green robes rustled in the wind, hands clasped behind his back, his aura completely restrained, revealing nothing of his depth.

Old Feng extended his Divine Sense to probe, yet found himself completely unable to see through this person's cultivation. This was most likely a Golden Core senior, or even higher.

He dared not show any negligence, hurriedly clasping his fists and speaking.

"May I ask if this senior is visiting Four Seas City for the first time? To enter the city, you need a Four Seas jade token. If you don't have one, senior, you can apply for one here, it only costs ten low-grade Spirit Stones."

Before he finished speaking, he saw the young man slowly open his mouth, his voice clear and gentle, warm as polished jade.

"Friend, the story you just told was quite interesting. Would you care to tell it to me in more detail?"

Old Feng was momentarily stunned. He didn't understand why this senior was so interested in stale old affairs, but he didn't dare question it. He quickly repeated what he had just said, adding more details, afraid of any slight negligence.

"After the battle at Yi Feng Valley back then, the Abyssal Sea Allied Forces suffered a crushing defeat. The higher-ups of the three alliances needed a scapegoat, so Grand Ancestor Jiuyou's flight from battle was blown way out of proportion. Actually, he wasn't the only one who fled at the time, but he had the greatest reputation, the highest cultivation, and his whereabouts were unknown, so he naturally became the target of everyone's attacks."

Old Feng carefully observed the young man's expression. Seeing no change on his face, he continued.

"After the blood mist disaster ended, people vented all their anger on the disciples of Soul Wraith Island. Some of those disciples were executed on the spot, some had their cultivation crippled and were expelled, and others were thrown into prison, their fates unknown.

In short, Soul Wraith Island was completely finished. As for this island, it was jointly occupied by several mid-sized powers who built Four Seas City. The city has a teleportation array connecting to several nearby large islands, and business has been quite good."

Old Feng finished telling everything he knew in one breath.

He paused, then added.

"Oh right, back then almost all the disciples of Soul Wraith Island were killed off. But one Golden Core cultivator was spared. It's said that the senior who secretly intervened had some connection with Grand Ancestor Jiuyou, which is why he came forward to plead for that Golden Core cultivator's life, allowing him to keep it."

Upon hearing this, a slight flicker passed through Jiuyou's eyes.

He didn't ask who that person was, nor did he speak again. He only nodded slightly, hands clasped behind his back, and slowly walked toward Four Seas City, the former Soul Wraith Island.

A moment later.

The young Foundation-Establishing cultivator watched the green-robed figure recede into the distance, growing smaller and smaller until it disappeared from view. He quickly turned to ask Old Feng.

"Old Feng, you just let him in like that? He never even showed his jade token."

"Shh."

Before he could finish, Old Feng softly cut him off.

"Keep your voice down. Sometimes, if a person wants to live a long life, they have to learn to turn a blind eye."

He glanced in the direction the green-robed figure had departed, his gaze complicated.

"Let's not talk about that anymore. Someone else is coming, get back to work."

Old Feng withdrew his gaze, returned to a calm state, and immediately threw himself back into the business of guarding the gate. As if nothing had ever happened.

Inside the city.

Jiuyou stood on the street, looking up at the bustling cultivator city before him.

Shops lined both sides of the street, with restaurants, pill shops, and artifact pavilions all available. People came and went, a lively scene. It was a world apart from the desolate sight when he had left back then.

Finally, a ripple stirred in his eyes.

More precisely, it was a feeling of melancholy.

After all, this was a place where he had lived for half his life.

The former mountain gate, grand hall, and training grounds were now completely unrecognizable. In their place stood unfamiliar buildings and unfamiliar faces. The few great formations he had casually laid down back then had long been dismantled and replaced with new ones.

Jiuyou collected his thoughts, his Divine Sense stealthily extending outward. In the blink of an eye, it covered the entire island. Every blade of grass, every tree, every person, every trace of aura on the island was all within the scope of his Divine Sense.

He raised his eyes, looking toward the grand hall on the peak of the island's highest mountain.

That had once been his Soul Wraith Great Hall. On the square before the hall, he had gathered his disciples countless times to "lecture" them. In the secret chamber behind the hall, he had raised Soul-Eating Insects, cultivated spiritual medicines, and broken through bottlenecks.

Now, that great hall had been usurped by others.

A brand new plaque hung above the hall's entrance, bearing three large characters: Four Seas Pavilion.

Within the hall, he could vaguely sense the auras of several Golden Core cultivators and one Nascent Soul cultivator. Presumably, these were the masters of Four Seas City.

Jiuyou did not rush up the mountain.

He withdrew his Divine Sense, stood with hands clasped behind his back, quietly at a street corner like an ordinary passerby.

The sea breeze brushed his face, bringing with it a salty, fishy scent.

He had spent over four hundred years here, walking step by step from a dying old man to where he stood today.

Now, returning to this familiar ground, everything had changed, and so had the people.

The corner of Jiuyou's mouth curled slightly, a hint of a smile that wasn't quite a smile.

Without alarming anyone, he turned and disappeared into the crowd.