txolops Chapter 104 Jixia City, the Alliance of Defenders of the Way
Chapter 104 Jixia City, the Alliance of Defenders of the Way
After leaving Xiaomei Mountain, Li Ping did not choose to return directly to Fenglan Immortal City.
His trip had two purposes: first, to pay tribute to his deceased master and settle the old friends of Jiang Kingdom; second, to collect the materials needed to pass on the third-level alchemist's legacy.
These materials include three thousand-year-old spiritual herbs and a third-order spiritual fire; neither can be missing.
Fortunately, the demonic cultivator had given him a thousand-year-old spiritual herb, which saved him some trouble; he only needed to find two more.
Even so, he searched for more than a year inside and outside Fenglan Immortal City, and even attended the city's once-every-five-years grand auction, but still did not hear a single word about the thousand-year-old spiritual medicine.
As for third-tier spirit fire, he did know some information about it.
The third-tier Fiery Arrow Eagle that perished in the Immortal City during the previous beast tide should have had a third-tier beast fire growing within its body.
However, that beast fire fell into the hands of a Core Formation True Person, and with his current cultivation level and status, there was absolutely no way he could get his hands on it.
Li Ping knew all too well that if he continued to be trapped in Fenglan Immortal City, he might never be able to gather the remaining thousand-year-old spiritual herbs and third-tier spiritual fire in his lifetime.
The skill level of alchemy directly relates to whether he can break through to the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment, the late-stage of Foundation Establishment, and even the final Core Formation.
Such an important matter could not be taken lightly.
Actually, to be honest...
Although the Immortal City is deep in the Cloud Mist Mountains, it is only guarded by a Core Formation cultivator, making it a remote and impoverished place in the entire Western Wilderness cultivation world.
Thanks to the advantageous location of the Cloud Mist Mountain Range, the city has relatively abundant low-level cultivation resources. However, the truly scarce high-level resources are not only few in number, but are also firmly controlled by True Person Fenglan, a Core Formation True Person.
With his Foundation Establishment stage cultivation, he had absolutely no chance of getting involved.
……
It was only after repeatedly weighing the pros and cons that Li Ping made up his mind to make a trip to the "Jixia Immortal City," a place widely recognized as a sacred site in the Western Wilderness cultivation world.
Jixia Immortal City not only rules over the largest country in the Western Wilderness, the Qi Kingdom, but is also recognized as the strongest force in the Western Wilderness. Its city lord is also known as the "Number One Cultivator in the Western Wilderness".
Back when the Nine Carts Kingdom was conquered by the Blood Shadow Sect, it was this number one cultivator in the Western Wilderness who rallied the other kingdoms of the Western Wilderness to form the Immortal Alliance, the "Guardians of the Dao Alliance"!
For nearly two hundred years, it is under the leadership of the Defenders Alliance that the various forces in the Western Wilderness have united as one and worked together with one heart and one mind.
To the east, they blocked the advance of demonic cultivators from the west; to the north, they defended against the invasion of the Turks; and to the west, they repelled the onslaught of beast tides!
Amidst the chaotic situation, they protected this paradise of cultivation in the Western Wilderness.
As the headquarters of the Defenders Alliance and the foundation of the Qi Kingdom's rulers, Jixia Immortal City can be considered the absolute core of the entire Western Wilderness cultivation world.
A large number of high-level cultivators gather here, and its prosperity far surpasses that of Fenglan Immortal City.
Not to mention the millennium-old spiritual herbs and third-order spiritual fire that Li Ping urgently needs, even Foundation Establishment Pills, various magic treasures, and rare spiritual items that help cultivators form their cores can occasionally be found here.
That's why Li Ping believed that if he wanted to gather enough materials for the third-tier alchemist inheritance, Jixia Immortal City was his greatest opportunity.
Of course, he didn't expect to be so lucky. Before even reaching Jixia Immortal City, he had the good fortune to obtain a thousand-year-old Jade Condensation Grass in the underground of Little Plum Mountain.
Now, he only needs to find one more thousand-year-old spiritual herb and one third-tier spiritual fire to achieve his goal.
Besides searching for materials, Li Ping had another plan: he intended to go to Jixia Immortal City to ask a weapon refiner to refine the second-grade mid-level snake fang in his possession into a flying needle magic weapon.
It's not that I don't trust Wu Feng, the weapon refiner; it's just that he spends most of his time in the Immortal City before he reaches the Core Formation stage.
As for flying needles, these kinds of sneaky magical tools used for surprise attacks, their power relies entirely on the word "stealth." Once the enemy is on guard, these kinds of magical tools are difficult to use effectively.
Therefore, Li Ping did not want too many people in the Immortal City to know that he possessed such a magical artifact.
Whoosh!
As Li Ping activated his spiritual power, the Floating Shadow Shuttle beneath his feet suddenly emitted a sharp sound, its speed increased dramatically, and it transformed into a streak of light, speeding towards the direction of Jixia Immortal City in the eastern part of Jiang Kingdom!
……
With the spiritual power supplied by spirit stones, the shuttle can fly continuously without interruption, unlike cultivators who need to stop midway to recover their mana. Its flying speed far exceeds that of Foundation Establishment stage cultivators.
In just a few days, Li Ping traversed several countries and arrived in the State of Qi!
After quickly determining the direction, the shuttle flew directly towards Jixia City.
Standing on the flying shuttle, Li Ping had already used the "Disguise" ability attached to the "Nine Tribulations True Spirit Holy Scripture" to disguise himself as a handsome, tall, and upright immortal.
His demeanor was completely different from his previous unremarkable appearance; he was practically a different person.
When they were still thousands of miles away from Jixia Immortal City, Li Ping put away the Floating Shadow Shuttle, transformed into a streak of azure light, and continued on his way.
Soon after, a huge black dot suddenly appeared at the end of a vast plain in his field of vision.
As Li Ping approached, the black dot gradually grew larger, revealing the blurry outline of a giant city. (A good name is hard to imagine in a novel, but all can be found in "Eternal Life Begins with Inheriting the Hundred Arts of Immortal Cultivation.")
Although it was still somewhat blurry, its immense scale had already instilled an invisible sense of pressure in Li Ping's heart.
As he flew closer, he finally saw the entirety of this celestial city.
Unlike the layout of Fenglan Immortal City, which is built around Qinglong Mountain, this first immortal city in the Western Wilderness cultivation world is built directly on a towering mountain that reaches into the clouds, forming a magnificent mountain city.
It has no traditional city walls, but rather a series of houses arranged in a staggered pattern, rising layer by layer from the foot of the giant mountain and spiraling into the depths of the clouds. The dense cluster of buildings covers the mountain like dragon scales, creating a breathtaking sight.
As for the area above the mountainside, it was already covered by thick clouds and fog, making it impossible to see the interior.
Although Li Ping had some understanding of the layout of Jixia Immortal City from the information he had read, the written descriptions were ultimately too thin and far less impactful than the real scene before him.
"Donghua Mountain, Jixia Immortal City! No wonder it's a top-grade third-tier spiritual vein!" He gazed at the magnificent scene before him and sighed inwardly.
Continuing to fly towards the Immortal City, the escape lights of other cultivators gradually appeared around them, red, blue, purple... all different colors, but all heading in the same direction.
However, the owners of these streaks of light, after scanning Li Ping with their divine senses, all showed surprise and took the initiative to lower their flight altitude, not daring to fly higher than him.
Li Ping glanced down and immediately realized that all the controllers of these escape lights were Qi Refining stage cultivators, with not a single Foundation Establishment stage cultivator among them.
Clearly, even in the Jixia Immortal City, where cultivators gather, Foundation Establishment stage cultivators are considered rare and powerful, enjoying various privileges that lower-level cultivators do not have.
"Indeed, no matter where you go, strength is the foundation for earning respect." Li Ping felt a slight pang of regret. He ignored the Qi Refining cultivators who were deliberately avoiding him and simply sped up his flight towards the Immortal City.
A moment later, he finally arrived at the edge of Jixia Immortal City.
Upon reaching this point, it was impossible to continue flying.
The entire Donghua Mountain was enveloped by a large-scale protective array of the third-grade superior quality. If one were to fly around recklessly, it would be highly likely to trigger the array's autonomous counterattack, with unimaginable consequences.
Li Ping, of course, did not dare to act rashly. Based on the information he had consulted before coming to Jixia Immortal City, he carefully searched the outer perimeter of Donghua Mountain and soon found the reception area specially set up by the Immortal City.
What comes into view is a gray-blue stone hall. According to records, there are hundreds of such reception halls, evenly distributed in various locations outside Donghua Mountain, to facilitate the entry of cultivators from different regions into the city.
Li Ping calmly walked into the stone hall. With a quick glance, he saw several cultivators dressed in blue robes standing inside.
The monks were all busy with their own tasks.
One of the cultivators, with a refined appearance, scanned Li Ping with his divine sense and sensed the Foundation Establishment stage aura emanating from him. He was immediately startled, stepped forward, and showed a respectful expression: "Junior greets Senior! Welcome to Jixia Immortal City. Judging from your appearance, it seems to be your first time entering the city?"
Li Ping nodded slightly, his tone calm: "Indeed, this is my first time here. Take me to get my identity jade token."
"Yes, senior, please follow me." The cultivator dared not delay and quickly agreed, leading Li Ping to a counter on one side of the hall.
Behind the counter sat a cultivator with half-white hair and beard. When he saw Li Ping coming over, he quickly stood up to greet him. Then, following the procedure, he checked the information and entered the spiritual power imprint. In less than half an incense stick's time, a warm white jade tablet was handed to Li Ping.
The jade pendant felt slightly cool to the touch, and one could see the information recorded on it by probing with one's divine sense.
Yan Buping comes from the Yue Kingdom and is in the early stage of Foundation Establishment.
This was the identity Li Ping had prepared for this trip.
After receiving his identity jade token, Li Ping, guided by the steward in the hall, proceeded along a wide passageway behind the stone hall.
He soon arrived at a gate that was shimmering with a pale blue light.
After verifying his identity, the array gate flashed and slowly opened. Li Ping stepped into it, and in the next instant, he had passed through the array barrier and truly entered the territory of Jixia Immortal City.
……
As soon as I stepped into the Immortal City, I sensed the aura of a Foundation Establishment cultivator on his body.
In the blink of an eye, a group of cultivators with only the initial stage of Qi Refining gathered around with bright eyes.
"Please wait, senior! Are you new to the city? If you need directions, I know the area very well!"
"Senior, I am a local cultivator and am more familiar with the environment of the Immortal City than they are."
"Senior, please choose me! I've lived in Jixia Immortal City for three years. I can point out which street has high-grade pill shops and which market has cheap spiritual materials with my eyes closed!"
……
As these early-stage Qi Refining cultivators surrounded him, they kept promoting themselves, hoping to be chosen by Li Ping.
The lively and somewhat competitive scene gave him a strange feeling, as if he wasn't in the number one immortal city of the Western Wilderness cultivation world.
Instead, as soon as I stepped out of the train station, I was surrounded by a group of motorcycle taxi drivers soliciting passengers.