Living steadily in the world of gods and mystery

Chen Li didn’t just rush on his way without care.

Every few hours, whenever he saw a market or a cultivation city, he would fly down to inquire about his current location, since the map given to him by Xiao Yuan was quite crude, and it was easy to go in the wrong direction if he wasn’t careful.

Chen Li traveled intermittently, flying and stopping all along the way.

The further east he went, the more densely populated it became.

He continued until just before nightfall, when he landed in a market to rest for the night, intending to continue his journey the next morning. Although he was physically and energetically capable of traveling overnight without any issue, nighttime was inherently more dangerous and made it easier to lose one’s way.

The market, though small, had everything that one could need.

The streets were bustling with people coming and going.

After asking around, he learned that he was within the domain of the Catching Moon Sect and hadn’t flown in the wrong direction.

He had no intention of lingering, so he found the only inn in the market, got a room, ate something hastily, and then went straight to bed.

The night passed without incident.

Early the next day, Chen Li set out on his journey again.

The local customs here were not much more peaceful than those of the Returning True Sect. Along the way, Chen Li had already seen several clashes from afar, and those were just among the Foundation Establishments. There were countless more amongst the Qi Cultivation cultivators.

Being naturally cautious, he made sure to keep his distance whenever he saw escape lights in the sky, and thus his journey went smoothly.

...

Red Pillar City.

The largest cultivation city of the Fire Cloud Sect.

After intermittent flying, Chen Li finally saw his destination in the distance on the evening of the third day.

It was an incredibly grand cultivation city.

More than a dozen times larger than Luoluo City, with high-rise buildings and large halls closely packed together, it appeared from a distance like a giant beast lying prostrate.

Red Pillar City, true to its name, was dominated by an enormous fire-red spirit tree at its center, which caught the eye.

Chen Li estimated it was several hundred to a thousand meters tall.

About seventy to eighty meters thick, its surface was covered in cracks.

The radiant red leaves forming a complex array that shaded half the city. The top was shrouded in clouds, giving it an elusive appearance. In the evening’s dusky light, the entire tree shimmered with a mystical glow, as if ablaze with flames.

Whether it was caused by the tree or not, the closer he flew to the city, the stronger the subtle fragrance in the air became, making one feel refreshed and clear-headed, with a sense of well-being.

"This tree..."

Chen Li’s heart stirred, and he used his Qi-watching Skill.

He witnessed an astonishing scene.

He saw a giant vortex of Spiritual Energy that looked tangible, revolving slowly around the tree. Even the entire city defense array seemed to be arranged with this giant tree as its center!

"Hiss!" Chen Li inhaled sharply.

"This tree, it must be more than just Third Order!"

A flicker of awe passed through Chen Li’s mind.

He had seen Second Order demon trees when pioneering lands in the Returning True Sect.

But compared to this, they were like minor shamans in the presence of a high priest, not worth mentioning at all.

This existence.

Was beyond his understanding.

Upon arriving here.

The sky was full of escape lights, various types of flying boats crossed the sky, and the main roads were bustling with people, incredibly lively.

A few miles from Red Pillar City.

Chen Li landed well ahead of time, used his Fortune Seeking and Disaster Avoiding Skill, and proceeded on foot.

The city wall, more than twenty zhang high and made of gray-white stone, was mottled and severely weathered, with layers of stone powder stacked up to several meters thick at the base. These traces of the years attested to the city’s ancientness and the vicissitudes it had gone through.

This great city was surely more than a thousand years old!

Unlike Luoluo City and White Stone City.

There was an entrance fee here.

Fortunately, it wasn’t expensive.

One low-grade Spirit Stone per person.

After paying the fee, Chen Li casually entered the city. The entire city was built upon a massive Third Order Spirit Vein, with rich Spiritual Power everywhere, comparable to any area of the Returning True Sect’s mountain gate.

The shops on both sides of the street were lined up one after another.

The roads were crowded with pedestrians shoulder to shoulder—every street was packed with people, creating a bustling atmosphere.

Foundation Establishment cultivators were almost a common sight here, nothing out of the ordinary, and occasionally one could even encounter a Golden Core, which left Chen Li both shocked and admiring of the strength of the Nascent Soul sect that dominated this region.

The thriving scene here inevitably reminded him of his previous life.

He wasn’t in a hurry to find a place to stay and decided to take a casual stroll first, getting an idea of the local prices.

He found that the Magic Artifacts of the Second Order, which needed to be auctioned for in White Stone City, were openly displayed here just like First Order Magic Artifacts, treated as common goods.

"Shopkeeper, how much for this Second Order Magic Artifact?" Chen Li asked, pointing to a silver-gleaming flying sword.

"Fellow Daoist has good taste. This sword is the Second Order Mid-grade ’Chill Light Sword,’ made from iron essence and Spirit Silver. There are five major Arrays inscribed upon it, including Breaking Spells, Sharpness, Wind Transformation, Levitation, and Size Adjustment. It’s priced at eight Top-grade Spirit Stones," the shop owner introduced enthusiastically.

If it was before the war,

the prices of Second Order Mid-grade magic artifacts, which were usually higher than ten, this price would have undoubtedly been very cheap.

Now, however, the prices on both sides are not much different.

Not very attractive.

"What about this one?"

"This is a Second Order Top-grade flying sword, the ’Azure Cloud Sword’... priced at 32 Top-grade Spirit Stones." 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

"Do you have any top-grade Second Order flying swords?"

"We don’t have top-grade Second Order flying swords in this store, but we do have a few mid-grade ones. Would the esteemed guest like to take a look?"

"What are their prices?"

...

"What kind of Magic Artifact is this? It has such a strange shape?"

Chen Li kept asking a myriad of questions without the intention to buy.

Seeing the shopkeeper’s face grow increasingly sour and his attitude worse, Chen Li quickly left the store and went to another.

Flying swords were not rare here.

Chen Li soon found the Second Order Top-grade flying sword he wanted to buy.

The price wasn’t too expensive either.

The most expensive one cost only eighteen Top-grade Spirit Stones,

and the cheapest was just fourteen.

However, Chen Li’s thoughts had changed by this time.

No longer interested in Second Order Top-grade flying swords, since he’d come all this way, why not go for the best and buy a Third Order sword?

Flying swords were cheaper than Magic Artifacts, and even the Third Order ones were estimated not to be too expensive. With 172 Top-grade Spirit Stones in hand, he should have enough to buy a Third Order Low-grade one.

However, swords of this level were only available at auction houses.

After asking around, Chen Li found that there were many large and small auction houses here, with one taking place tomorrow.

He then casually settled in a guesthouse for the night.

The guesthouse was of ordinary quality, but the price was not low.

A single day cost one Mid-grade Spirit Stone, which could be enough for an ordinary Qi Cultivation Loose Cultivator to spend for a year, and even Chen Li felt the pinch.

"Living here is really not easy!"

He ordered some food, ate a simple meal, and then returned to his room.

...

"Whew!"

Chen Li exhaled a breath of turbid air and slowly lowered his hands, concluding his cultivation session.

He checked his game panel.

"Realm: Foundation Establishment Third Layer: 28/100"

"Progressed a little more."

"If not for the expenses being so high, living here would be quite nice!" Feeling the rich Spiritual Energy here that was no different from his own cave abode, Chen Li thought to himself.

If it came to safety, possibly not even the Returning True Sect could compare to this place.

ps: Phew! I’ve been so engrossed in reading these past few days that I finally caught up!