Chapter 729 - 728: For Goodness’ Sake, He’s a Profound Understanding Realm Cultivator! Why Must He Bathe!?

The East Gate of Luoping City.

City Lord Xu Hongbo stood with his hands clasped behind his back.

Behind him, nine jet-black Flood Dragons lay prostrate on the ground, harnessed to a bronze chariot intricately carved with dragons and phoenixes.

Xu Hongbo stepped aboard the chariot and waved his hand.

The nine dragons let out a low, draconic roar in unison, soaring into the sky and pulling the chariot southward.

He was heading to the East Sea Shore this time to attend a banquet held by the Sea Race.

He would also discuss a joint effort between their two races to combat the Deep Sea Sea Demons.

As he flew, Cultivators on the ground who saw the nine-dragon chariot would stop and bow, their faces filled with reverence.

Whether due to his status as a City Lord or his strength at the Celestial God Realm Peak,

no one in this part of the Southern Continent dared to show him disrespect.

Halfway through his journey, a figure in white suddenly flew toward him.

It was a Female Cultivator in a white dress, her Speed neither fast nor slow.

Completely ignoring the magnificent nine-dragon chariot, she brushed right past him.

Xu Hongbo was taken aback.

He had ruled Luoping City for thousands of years.

Every Cultivator in his domain, no matter their standing, would bow respectfully upon seeing him.

He had never before encountered a Cultivator who failed to bow upon meeting him.

’An outsider Cultivator?’

The thought surfaced in Xu Hongbo’s mind.

Driven by a flicker of curiosity, he took a few more glances at the Female Cultivator.

That one look was all it took; his eyes nearly bulged from their sockets.

His body went rigid.

’That... That’s... the Immortal Venerable!!!’

Xu Hongbo’s voice trembled.

He had once been one of the twelve divine generals under Immortal Venerable Shi Xi.

As such, her appearance was etched into his very bones.

’No, that’s not right.’

Xu Hongbo quickly forced himself to calm down.

’Immortal Venerable Shi Xi fell ten thousand years ago. Her Divine Soul was obliterated; it’s impossible for her to still be alive.’

’Besides, this Female Cultivator’s Cultivation is only at the Profound Understanding Realm.’

’It’s worlds apart from Immortal Venerable Shi Xi’s Realm in her prime.’

’Could she be... the reincarnation of Immortal Venerable Shi Xi?’

The more Xu Hongbo considered it, the more likely the possibility seemed.

He watched Gu Yuexi’s departing figure and continued to muse.

’Judging by her direction, she must be heading to Luoping City.’

’Once I’ve finished my business, I’ll return and find out what’s really going on.’

’If she really is the Immortal Venerable’s reincarnation...’

At this thought, Xu Hongbo’s heart leaped with excitement.

He abandoned his leisurely pace and accelerated toward the East Sea.

Meanwhile, Gu Yuexi and Chu Sheng, who had just brushed past Xu Hongbo, were also discussing the ostentatious City Lord.

Perched in Gu Yuexi’s pocket, Chu Sheng peeked out to watch the departing nine-dragon chariot, flicking his front legs with regret.

"Nine Flood Dragons! Every single one is at the Integration Realm."

"Just one sip would be absolutely heavenly!"

Gu Yuexi didn’t respond. Her gaze remained fixed ahead, her tone flat.

"He was one of the twelve most powerful divine generals under Immortal Venerable Shi Xi."

"I believe his name was... Xu Hongbo."

Chu Sheng asked in surprise, "If you know him, why didn’t you go say hi?"

"If we got in his good graces, we could do whatever we want here in the Southern Continent."

"We could’ve even asked him for more details about this place."

Gu Yuexi said calmly, "I am not Immortal Venerable Shi Xi."

Chu Sheng instantly understood what Gu Yuexi meant.

She wanted to draw a clear line between herself and the identity of Immortal Venerable Shi Xi.

She didn’t want to be overly influenced by who she used to be.

"Alright, fine."

Chu Sheng could understand her delicate reasoning.

"Let’s head into the city first."

Chatting as they went, the woman and the mosquito soon arrived at the gates of Luoping City.

The city gates were bustling with activity, with a constant, noisy stream of Cultivators coming and going.

Gu Yuexi scanned the crowd with a glance.

She noticed that everyone in the bustling crowd was a Cultivator.

However, the majority of these Cultivators were only at the Body Refining Realm.

’It seems that in the Spirit Realm, those at the Body Refining Realm are considered ordinary people.’

Gu Yuexi analyzed as she walked inside.

Chu Sheng nodded in fervent agreement.

"Immortal Venerable Shi Xi once said,"

"...that in the Divine Revelation Era, Cultivation truly begins at the Spirit Awakening Realm. The Body Refining Realm is merely the entry point."

"The situation in the Spirit Realm is probably similar to Blue Star’s Divine Revelation Era."

"However, the overall power level is probably higher, given the density of the Spiritual Qi here."

The two of them entered Luoping City and strolled down the main street for a while.

They finally managed to get a more detailed sense of what a city in the Spirit Realm was like.

The layout of Luoping City wasn’t much different from the cities on Blue Star.

Shops lined both sides of the streets.

There were all sorts of businesses catering to food, clothing, housing, and transportation.

There was a dazzling variety of shops selling Elixirs, Magical Artifacts, and Spiritual Food.

There were even city guards chasing after street vendors.

A portly butcher, hawking his Spirit Beast Flesh.

Elderly men and women crowded around vegetable stalls, their haggling so loud it sounded like an argument.

The city was brimming with life.

Chu Sheng even snarked,

that come nighttime, there would probably be aunties doing their public square dancing.

He just wondered if anyone would get annoyed by the noise and summon a Water Magic Spell from the sky to douse them all.

After all, the people here...

...once they reached adulthood, even the weakest among them were at the Body Refining Third Layer.

On Blue Star, that was equivalent to being a Third-Grade Martial Artist.

By the time they had a basic grasp of Luoping City, the sky was gradually growing dark.

Gu Yuexi suggested,

"Let’s find an inn to stay the night."

"We can gather more information tomorrow."

"Whatever."

Chu Sheng nodded, unconcerned.

It didn’t matter to him where he stayed—a tree hollow, a roof beam, a pocket, he could sleep anywhere.

A minute later.

Gu Yuexi walked into the inn with the most luxurious decor and the grandest facade.

Another minute later.

She walked back out, her expression completely blank.

"No Spirit Stones. Looks like we’re sleeping on the streets," Chu Sheng remarked with a hint of schadenfreude, poking his head out of the pocket.

This was to be expected.

Although Gu Yuexi had been in the Spirit Realm for a year,

she had been brought here as a captive and kept locked away in a pavilion by the Celestial Derivation Sect.

Her every need, from food and clothing to lodging, was attended to by others.

When would she have had the opportunity to handle something like "money"?

As for Chu Sheng, that went without saying.

The moment he arrived in the Spirit Realm, he had rushed off to save Gu Yuexi without a moment’s rest.

He’d had absolutely no time to consider the problem of Spirit Stones.

’Besides,’

’is the Spirit Stone problem something a mosquito like me should be worrying about?’

In any case, Chu Sheng didn’t care. If they had to sleep on the street, so be it. He wasn’t picky.

But Gu Yuexi was different.

If they were out in the wilderness,

she could find a cave, set up a Barrier, and meditate through the night as part of her Cultivation.

A night would pass quickly that way.

She could accept that completely.

But now that they were in a city...

she absolutely could not accept sleeping on the streets!

"No. We have to find a way to earn some Spirit Stones," Gu Yuexi said firmly, standing by the side of the street.

Chu Sheng asked, confused, "It’s already late afternoon, and it’ll be dark soon."

"Why not just find some random corner and make do for one night?"

"Why are you so set on staying at an inn?!"

"We survived all those days in the wilderness. What’s one more night?"

Gu Yuexi replied, "I need a bath."

Chu Sheng was even more baffled.

"Back when we were in the wilderness,"

"didn’t you just use a simple Purification Technique to take care of it?"

"It gets you perfectly clean, even better than a real bath."

"It’s not the same."

Gu Yuexi only said four words.

Her tone was resolute, and she offered no further explanation.

With that, she spotted an imposing building not far down the street and headed straight for it.

Three large words were inscribed on the building’s plaque: Thousand Mechanism Pavilion.

’Women are such a pain,’ Chu Sheng muttered, shrinking back into her inner pocket.

’Just because they’ve got two extra lumps of flesh, all they think about is washing themselves.’

’And a single bath takes them over an hour.’

’Aren’t they afraid they’ll scrub their skin raw?!’

...