Chapter 103: Chapter 103: Jixia City, Daoist Guardian Alliance

After leaving Little Plum Mountain, Li Ping chose not to return directly to Fenglan Immortal City.

His trip had a twofold purpose. First, he wanted to pay respects to his late master and check on old acquaintances in the Jiang Kingdom. Second, he needed to gather the materials required for the legacy of a Tier Three Pill Master.

These materials included three millennium-old Spirit Medicines and a Tier Three Spiritual Fire, both of which were indispensable.

Fortunately, the Demon Cultivator he’d met earlier had gifted him one millennium-old Spirit Medicine, which saved him some effort. He only needed to find two more.

Even so, he had searched in and around Fenglan Immortal City for over a year, even attending the city’s grand auction held once every five years, but he had yet to hear any news of millennium-old Spirit Medicines.

As for a Tier Three Spiritual Fire, he did have a lead.

The Tier Three Fierce Arrowhead Eagle that had perished at the Immortal City during the last beast tide should have possessed a Tier Three beast fire.

However, that beast fire had fallen into the hands of a Core Formation Master. With his current cultivation and status, Li Ping had absolutely no chance of obtaining it.

Li Ping knew perfectly well that if he remained confined to Fenglan Immortal City, he might never gather the remaining millennium-old Spirit Medicines and the Tier Three Spiritual Fire in his entire life.

Moreover, his proficiency in the Alchemy Dao was directly tied to his future ability to break through to the Mid-stage and Late-stage of Foundation Establishment, and eventually, even Core Formation.

It was far too crucial for him to treat lightly.

The truth was, although the Immortal City was located deep within the Cloud Mist Mountain Range, it had only a single Core Formation Cultivator watching over it. In the entire Western Wilderness Cultivation Realm, it was considered a remote backwater.

Thanks to its strategic location in the Cloud Mist Mountain Range, the city had a relatively abundant supply of low-tier cultivation resources. However, truly rare, high-tier resources were not only scarce but also firmly controlled by the city’s one Core Formation Master, Fenglan Master.

At his Foundation Establishment Stage cultivation, he had no chance whatsoever of acquiring them.

...

It was only after carefully weighing the pros and cons that Li Ping made up his mind to make a trip to Jixia Immortal City, the acknowledged holy land of the Western Wilderness Cultivation Realm.

Jixia Immortal City not only ruled over the Qi Kingdom, the largest nation in the Western Wilderness, but it was also the region’s acknowledged strongest power. Its City Lord even held the illustrious title of "Number One Cultivator of the Western Wilderness."

Years ago, after the Jiuche Kingdom fell to the Blood Shadow Sect, it was this very cultivator who rallied the other nations of the Western Wilderness. They united to form an Immortal Dao alliance: the Daoist Guardian Alliance!

For nearly two hundred years, under the leadership of the Daoist Guardian Alliance, the various powers of the Western Wilderness have stood united as one.

They fend off Demon Cultivators from the east, defend against invasions by the Tuluo People from the north, and repel the impact of beast tides from the west!

Amidst this chaotic landscape, they have protected the Western Wilderness, preserving it as a haven for cultivation.

As both the headquarters of the Daoist Guardian Alliance and the seat of power for the Qi Kingdom’s rulers, Jixia Immortal City was the undisputed heart of the entire Western Wilderness Cultivation Realm.

Countless high-tier cultivators congregated there, making it far more prosperous than Fenglan Immortal City could ever hope to be.

It wasn’t just items Li Ping desperately needed, like millennium-old Spirit Medicines and Tier Three Spiritual Fires. Even Foundation Establishment Pills, all kinds of Magical Treasures, and the rare Spiritual Objects that could help a cultivator reach Core Formation would occasionally appear for sale.

For this very reason, Li Ping believed that if he wanted to gather the materials for the Tier Three Pill Master legacy, Jixia Immortal City was his best chance.

Of course, he never expected his luck to be *this* good. Before he had even reached Jixia Immortal City, he had already stumbled upon a millennium-old Jade Frost Grass beneath Little Plum Mountain.

Now, he only needed to find one more millennium-old Spirit Medicine and one Tier Three Spiritual Fire to achieve his goal.

Besides searching for materials, Li Ping had another goal. He planned to go to Jixia Immortal City and commission an Artifact Refiner to forge the Tier Two Middle Grade snake fang he possessed into a Flying Needle Spiritual Artifact.

It wasn’t that he distrusted the Artifact Refiner Wu Feng; the main reason was that he would be spending most of his time in Fenglan Immortal City until he reached Core Formation.

The power of an ambush weapon like a flying needle relied entirely on the element of surprise. Once an enemy was prepared, such a Spiritual Artifact became much less effective.

Therefore, Li Ping didn’t want too many people in his home city to know he possessed such a weapon.

WHOOSH!

As Li Ping channeled his Spiritual Power, the Floating Shadow Shuttle beneath his feet let out a sharp cry. Its speed surged, and it transformed into a streak of light, streaking toward Jixia Immortal City, which lay to the east of the Jiang Kingdom.

...

Powered by Spirit Stones, the Flying Shuttle could fly continuously. Unlike cultivators, it didn’t need to stop and recover Magical Power, allowing it to travel far faster than a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator could on their own.

In just a few days, Li Ping crossed several kingdoms and arrived in the Qi Kingdom!

After getting his bearings, the Flying Shuttle headed directly for Jixia City.

Meanwhile, Li Ping, standing on the Flying Shuttle, had already used the Transform Appearance ability that came with his Nine Tribulations True Spirit Scripture cultivation technique. He had disguised himself, taking on the handsome, noble features of a celestial being.

His entire bearing was so different from his previous, unremarkable appearance that he looked like a completely different person.

Still thousands of miles from Jixia Immortal City, Li Ping put away the Floating Shadow Shuttle. He then transformed into a cyan streak of Escape Light and continued on his way.

Before long, a massive black dot appeared on the horizon, at the far end of a vast plain.

As Li Ping drew closer, the dot grew, slowly revealing the indistinct silhouette of a colossal city.

Even though it was still indistinct, its sheer, staggering scale sent a palpable sense of pressure bearing down on Li Ping.

Only when he flew closer did he finally see the Immortal City in its entirety.

Unlike Fenglan Immortal City, which was built around Cyan Dragon Mountain, this premier city of the Western Wilderness Cultivation Realm was built directly upon a colossal mountain that pierced the clouds. It spiraled around the peak, forming a magnificent mountain city.

It had no traditional city walls. Instead, ring after ring of well-ordered buildings climbed from the mountain’s base, spiraling up into the very clouds. The dense clusters of architecture covered the mountainside like dragon scales, creating a breathtaking vista.

The area above the mountainside was shrouded in thick clouds, completely obscuring it from view.

Li Ping had read about Jixia Immortal City’s layout, but the written descriptions were a pale imitation, failing to capture the stunning impact of seeing it in person.

’Donghua Mountain, Jixia Immortal City! Truly worthy of a Tier Three Upper Grade Spirit Vein!’ he marveled internally, gazing at the magnificent sight.

As he continued toward the Immortal City, the Escape Lights of other cultivators began to appear around him. They were red, blue, purple—a rainbow of colors, all heading in the same direction.

However, as the cultivators within those lights swept their Divine Sense over Li Ping, their expressions invariably turned to startled respect. They all took the initiative to lower their flight altitude, not daring to fly higher than him.

Li Ping knew with a single downward glance that these cultivators were all in the Qi Refining Stage; there wasn’t a single Foundation Establishment cultivator among them.

Apparently, even in a bustling hub like Jixia Immortal City, Foundation Establishment Cultivators were still considered powerful experts. They were afforded various courtesies that low-tier cultivators did not receive.

’So it’s true. No matter where you go, strength is the only thing that earns you respect.’ Li Ping mused. He paid no mind to the Qi Refining cultivators who were deliberately avoiding him and simply accelerated toward the Immortal City.

Moments later, he finally reached the outskirts of Jixia Immortal City.

Here, it was no longer possible to fly.

The entirety of Donghua Mountain was enveloped in a massive, Tier Three Upper Grade Protective Array. Flying recklessly within it would likely trigger the array’s automated defenses, and the consequences would be dire.

Naturally, Li Ping didn’t dare to act recklessly. Following the information he’d researched before his trip, he carefully searched the outskirts of Donghua Mountain and soon found one of the designated reception centers.

Before him stood a gray-blue stone hall. According to his information, there were hundreds of such reception centers, evenly distributed around the base of Donghua Mountain to make it convenient for cultivators from all regions to enter the city.

Li Ping calmly walked into the stone hall. A quick scan revealed several cultivators inside, all wearing standard-issue cyan Magic Robes.

Each of the cultivators was busy with their own work.

One of them, a young-looking cultivator, was startled when his Divine Sense swept over Li Ping and detected his Foundation Establishment Stage aura. He hurried forward, his face full of respect. "Greetings, Senior! Welcome to Jixia Immortal City. From the looks of it, is this your first visit?"

Li Ping nodded, his tone calm. "Yes, this is my first time. Take me to get an Identity Jade Token."

"Of course, Senior. Please follow me." The cultivator didn’t dare to delay, immediately agreeing and leading Li Ping to a counter on one side of the hall.

Behind the counter sat a cultivator with salt-and-pepper hair. When he saw Li Ping approach, he immediately stood to greet him. He then followed procedure, verifying Li Ping’s information and recording his Spiritual Power imprint. In less time than it takes for half a stick of incense to burn, a smooth, white Jade Token was placed in Li Ping’s hand.

The Jade Token was cool to the touch. Probing it with his Divine Sense, he could see the information recorded within.

Yan Buping, from the Yue Kingdom. Cultivation: Early-stage Foundation Establishment.

This was precisely the identity Li Ping had prepared for this trip.

After receiving his Identity Jade Token, Li Ping followed the directions of a hall Steward down a wide passageway at the back of the stone hall.

Soon, he came to an Array Gate shimmering with a faint blue halo.

Once his identity was verified, the Array Gate flashed and slowly swung open. Li Ping stepped through. In the next instant, he had passed the array’s barrier and truly set foot within Jixia Immortal City.

...

The moment he stepped into the Immortal City, his Foundation Establishment Cultivator aura was detected. Instantly, a group of cultivators, all merely in the Early-stage of Qi Refining, surrounded him with bright, eager expressions.

"Hold on, Senior! Are you new to the city? If you need a guide, I know this place like the back of my hand!"

"Senior, I’m a local! I know the Immortal City better than any of them."

"Senior, pick me! I’ve been in Jixia Immortal City for three years! I can tell you which street has the high-tier Pill shops and which market has the cheapest Spiritual Materials with my eyes closed!"

...

As the Early-stage Qi Refining cultivators swarmed him, they couldn’t stop pitching their services, each one hoping Li Ping would choose them.

Listening to the chorus of enthusiastic greetings and seeing the eager, expectant faces all around him, Li Ping was momentarily taken aback.

The bustling, competitive scene gave him a strange sense of deja vu, as if he weren’t standing in the premier Immortal City of the Western Wilderness Cultivation Realm.

Instead, it felt like he had just stepped out of a train station and been swarmed by a group of touts hustling for fares.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.