The only thing he knew was that the city had a large relation to cultivators that ascended from lower realms.
As these thoughts came to mind, he became restless.
He was contemplating whether he should enquire the cultivators on the outside about Deep Heaven City's circumstances, as well as what they did with ascended cultivators like himself.
Just as he was pondering these matters, an old man’s voice sounded from outside the room, “Fellow Daoist, I am an old man by the name of Liu Hedao. Would you like to chat for a bit?”
Han Li paused for a moment and smiled.
He wouldn’t have to take the initiative to come out. Someone had already come over to befriend him.
“So Fellow Daoist Liu has come to take a visit. I, Han, am honored to have you!” With that said, he waved the medallion in the direction of the door.
A wave of silver mist rushed out and the large door creaked open by itself.
A man with a dark complexion and white hair stood outside the door.
“So you were surnamed Han. I hope you won’t take offense at my sudden visit.” The old man smiled and spoke with a polite tone.
“Hehe, how could I? Even if you didn’t come, I planned on heading out anyways.” As Han Li was long experienced throughout his journey of cultivation, he didn’t believe himself to be superior to this Old Man Liu and he replied with a beaming smile,
As such, the two began to chat as if they were friends for years.
“From that esteemed nephew, I heard that the heaven guards personally brought you back to the city. You must be a cultivator that recently ascended from a lower realm. Which mortal realm would that be?” Old Man Liu suddenly asked.
“Which... realm? I’m not too sure about what the spirit realm calls the many lower realms, so I don’t know how to answer that. How about this? I’ll give you an answer when I come to understand this better. Could you help me with that?” Han Li glanced at him with a smile.
He wasn’t about to easily give answers about his true origins. After all, during his time in the mortal realm, he was involved with a few superiors in the spirit realm. Regardless of whether it was the Soaring Sky Beast or the Wolf King Tian Kui that Silvermoon mentioned, they weren’t people that he could currently provoke.
Old Man Liu laughed, “How foolish of me. You’ve only entered the spirit realm recently. Of course you wouldn’t know. However, the initial generation of ascended cultivators all possess astonishing potential. Their chances of accomplishing Spatial Tempering is far greater than the descendants of ascended cultivators like me and those native to the spirit realm. They are viewed with importance by the elders. Most of them don’t need to undergo examination and are directly appointed as Dark Azure Guards.”
“Initial generation of ascended cultivators? Could Brother Liu explain that to me,” an odd expression appeared on Han Li’s face and his smile waned.
“It isn’t a secret. In truth, Brother Han will soon figure this out after only staying in the city for a bit of time.” Old Man Liu chuckled.
He continued, “The initial generation of ascended are those that enter the spirit realm like Brother Han. They are Deity Transformation cultivators that ascended from their realms. The dense otherworldly aura you carry will take three hundred years worth of Earth Cleansing Pills to cleanse. The direct descendants of ascended cultivators will carry a portion of this otherworldly aura. So long as they enter Nascent Soul-stage, they will also encounter two-colored tribulations. As for descendants like me, they would have to rush to Deep Heaven City and take an Earth Cleansing PIll to vanish their otherworldly aura, or else they will perish. Once the otherworldly aura is cleansed, you’ll be able to leave the city. About five generations after the ascended arrive, their bloodline will not longer carry the otherworldly aura and be considered the same as a native cultivator.”
Han Li blinked and asked, “In that case, Brother Liu should’ve already cleansed himself of the otherworldly aura since you’ve entered Deity Transformation-stage. Why did you stay?”
“Brother Han already sees a problem. That’s right, even if we’ve cleansed ourselves of otherworldly aura, there aren’t many that are willing to leave Deep Heaven City of their own accord. I don’t know more than a few. Not only us, but those native to this land that entered the city also aren’t willing to leave.” The old man answered with a chuckle.
“Oh? How interesting. Could you tell me why?” Han Li’s heart stirred, but he still wore a friendly smile.
The old man said with a deep tone, “It’s quite simple. In Deep Heaven City, the speed of cultivation is doubled compared to other areas. Items found in the three regions and seven lands are certain to be found here. There are even things unique to our city. Brother Han should realize what I am saying.”
Chapter 1318: Zhao Wugui
“What? Could it be that this place has sacred areas with dense spirit Qi?” Han Li asked with roused spirits.
“Hehe, there are several of these cultivation sites throughout the city. But we only have one that is equivalent to those found in the three sovereign’s main cities. But what is important is that not only do we have a stream of materials from the lands of humans and demons, but the city is also the sole entrance between those lands and the wilderness. As a result, there are countless rare treasures that are brought back from the wilderness. A vast majority of cultivators sell or exchange these materials. Even medicines that allow for advancement over a single night are on the market. However, their price makes them something that could only be looked at.”
The old man briefly paused before adding, “There is also another reason why the cultivators of this city aren’t willing to leave it. Every ten years, the Deep Heaven City cultivators listen to someone from the council of elders explain the worldly Dao. It can answer some doubts about cultivation. And all of the elders are at Integration stage cultivation. Nobody else has the same opportunities we do. Hehe, that is why those that join the city don’t often wish to leave.”
“Those benefits!” Han Li felt joy at the explanation, but he soon frowned and asked, “But why are there so many high-grade cultivators guarding the city?”
“In addition to human cultivators, there are also large quantities of demon cultivators that guard the city. They occupy the other half of the city. And apart from that, there are large quantities of demon beasts and body refiners. Half of those low-grade existences originated from the city, while the other half comes from the outside. Our council of elders consists of over ten Integration-stage cultivators. With such astonishing might, the city has naturally become a target of the wilderness’ outer tribes and true spirit level existences. The elders have arranged and extremely powerful and profound Immortal formation forcing successive generations of outer invasions to first go through the city. If so much power wasn’t garrisoned here, the outer tribes would exterminate us. I heard that if we were to truly fight with the outer tribes, most of the city would be eradicated.” Old Man Liu wore a solemn expression.
When Han Li heard this, his expression faintly changed. “More than half eradicated?”
“There is no need for Brother Han to be so worried. An outer tribe invades us once anywhere from sixty thousand years at the earliest, to a hundred thousand years at the latest. Against such a long period, there is no need for you to be worried. If there is truly an invasion, then you’d be out of luck and could only fight to the death. As for anybody that flees that Deep Heaven City’s guard, they will be jointly pursued by both demons and humans. Since there is a smooth life in the city, it is natural to have a bit of danger with it. However, the last invasion of Deep Heaven City took place thirty thousand years ago. We will have another twenty thousand years before we have to worry about anything.
“So it was like that. In that case, I was brought here to Deep Heaven City so I could be profited from.” Han Li stroked his chin with a pensive expression.
“Of course. Initial generation ascended have far higher odds o
f entering Spatial Tempering than natives and descendants like me. Each ascended cultivator is viewed with great importance by the elders and aren’t easily let go. Furthermore, over the past few years, there have been fewer ascended cultivators appearing at the Spirit Flight Tower. I heard several of the elders send spiritual sense threads down to the lower realms to investigate the matter, but they hadn’t succeeded. Since Brother Han came from a lower realm, did you notice anything strange?”
When Han Li heard this, he suddenly recalled the matter with the Elder Devil and felt his heart tremble, but he maintained a normal expression and answered, “Nothing. My world was quite normal.”
“That is a pity. If Brother Han was able to come up with a reason, he would be heavily rewarded. However, of the cultivators that ascended recently, they also had no clues. I only heard in recent years that the demon clans discovered something. As a result, the elder council shouldn’t interrogate you much over the matter.”
Han Li smiled and then asked, “Ah yes, Brother Liu mentioned something about the Dark Azure Guards. Could you tell me something about them? Are they the ones I saw wearing azure armor?”
“That’s right. Dark Azure Guards are a mid-grade existence in our city, and I am one of them. They command ten black-armored guards. Dark Azure Guards require Deity Transformation-stage cultivation, but not all Deity Transformation-stage cultivators are Dark Azure Guards. Brother Han should realize the difference.”
“I have an idea. They either lack leadership or aren’t skilled in battle, I think.”
“That is correct. Now that we’re on the topic, there are two types of Deep Heaven City guards. There are those that appointed missions on a fixed schedule and may make arrangements for themselves during other times. But these guards aren’t given many spirit stones during their ten-year tenure and are often found wanting more, but there is very little danger.
The other kind undergo missions that are assigned by the council of elders. Each finished mission will give good benefits. Not only spirit stones but treasures, medicine, and other treasures are rewarded. Of course, these missions are far more dangerous, and most often relate to outer tribes in the wilderness. One must make careful consideration before agreeing. However, after each completed mission you don’t need to take another assignment anywhere from decades to a century. You’ll be able to peacefully cultivate for longer periods of time. Of course, the two posts aren’t rigid and you can change your posts as you wish. ”
“Many thanks for Brother Liu’s pointers.” Han Li said with a calm expression.
The old man chuckled and waved his hand. Then they chatted for a while more before the old man stood up and departed.
After the old man left, Han Li’s smile faded and he walked into the secluded room and medicated in silence.
As for the dark-skinned old man, he returned to where the other Deity Transformation cultivators were chatting.
When they saw the old man, they all walked over to him.
“Did Brother Lu acquire any information from him?”
“Information? That man is tight-lipped. Apart from acknowledging he is someone who ascended from a lower realm, he said nothing else. I only answered a few of his questions.” The old man shook his head with a helpless expression.
“Hehe, it is only natural for him to be cautious when Brother Liu came knocking on his door. He only just arrived in the spirit realm. However, we don’t have any intentions other than befriend him. After all, the ascended have high potential...”
The Deity Transformation-stage cultivators continued to chat pleasantly as if they had no evil intentions towards Han Li. As for Old Man Liu, he simply smiled in silence.
On the morning of the next day, Han Li sat motionlessly in the secluded room before suddenly opening his eyes.
He then walked out into the living room and used his command medallion to open the main door.
There was a white-clothed cultivator standing there with a blank expression.
“Greetings Senior!” Han Li didn’t dare to neglect him and saluted him with both hands.
This was the pale-faced man in golden armor from before, but now he exchanged the armor for Confucian robes. The harsh aura from his body had eased and he gave a more humble impression.
“Fellow Daoist Han, there is no need to be so polite. I’ve only just arrived. Since Brother Li is busy with other matters, I will be the only one to see you today. My name is Zhao Wugui.” The Spatial Tempering cultivator appeared to be far friendlier than the day before.
Surprised, Han Li hastily addressed him as “Senior Zhao.” He then invited him into the room and gave him the main seat in the living room.
As soon as Zhao Wugui took a seat, he offered Han Li an azure jade pendant, “Since you’ve been here for half a day, you must have questions. I’ll keep the long story short. As an ascended cultivator and someone who was able to persist against two-colored tribulation for so long, you must possess powerful abilities. As such, I’ve already had you apply for the position of a Dark Azure Guard. This is your identity token. Keep it well. When the time comes, you’ll take over third squad fifty-six. They are the small group of four you saw at the teleportation hall the day before.”
Han Li didn’t immediately reach out for it and hesitantly said, “As someone who's just arrived, there is much I don’t understand. Isn’t it a bit rash for me to suddenly be appointed to that position?”
Zhao Wugui chuckled, “Fellow Daoist Han doesn’t need to be so modest. Every ascended cultivator is appointed a Deep Azure Guard when they come to the city. They are mostly all extremely competent. As for your understanding of the city, you will know everything about it after living here for a year.”
Han Li’s eye stirred and he eventually took the jade pendant. “In that case, I won’t decline it.”
Under close examination, he noticed silver rune patterns inscribed on it. It also had the golden characters “third squad fifty-six”
When Han Li took the jade pendant, Zhao Wugui nodded with satisfaction. Afterwards, he began to explain some of the general knowledge regarding the city. Some of it had been mentioned by Old Man Liu the day before, and some of it was new. It was very useful, of course.
Zhao Wugui took out a white jade slip from his storage pouch and handed it over to Han Li, “Alright, I’ve said enough. This is only a place where ascended cultivators are kept temporarily. It isn’t appropriate for long term use. All cultivators at Nascent Soul-stage and above are given their own residence in Deep Heaven City. However, you’ll have to strive for the better ones. You know more when you make arrangements at the Jade Fault Pavilion. This is a map of the city. Take a good look at it. For the first month you come to the city, there is no need for you to immediately take an assignment. But in a month, you will be assigned a set of Deep Azure Armor.” Then he bid farewell.
Han Li respectfully thanked him and walked him out.
Chapter 1319: Jade Fault Pavilion
When Han Li went back inside, he took the jade slip into his hand and pressed it against his forehead, sinking his spiritual sense into it instantly.
A moment later, his expression changed.
Han Li swept his spiritual sense through it with a changing face, “Deep Heaven City is actually this large. It appears even larger than the capital cities in the three human regions.”
He then stroked the jade slip in his hand for a moment more and casually left the room.
Regardless, he first headed to the Jade Fault Pavilion and make arrangements for his cave residence. From what Zhao Wugui said, there should be something strange about it.
A bit of his interest was piqued.
Just as he committed the location of the Jade Fault Pavilion to memory, he left the pavilion in an azure streak.
As he swept past a dozen giant nearby pagodas, Han Li took a hidden glance at the various cultivators he spotted on the way.
He saw cultivators wearing various sets of armor, but they most commonly appeared near
the huge buildings. Those farther away were wearing common cultivator attire from the spirit realm. It was unknown if they had taken off their armor or if they were cultivators not part of the city.
However, there was something he was certain of. You are normally required to wear armor when you enter the huge pagoda. Furthermore, Han Li discovered that yellow and white-armored body refiners used the first few floors of the huge pagodas. The yellow-armored body refiners only possessed mid-grade cultivation while white-armored body refiners had high-grade cultivation.
The number of them entering the huge pagodas was far beyond the cultivators wearing black and azure armor.
When Han Li saw this, he came to understand a bit.
It appeared that Deep Heaven City’s military force was due to the countless soldiers stationed at the huge pagodas. The yellow, white, black, azure, and golden armor were all clear classifications of their fighting power.
After Han Li took a few glances at the huge pagoda and the soldiers, he turned his attention over to his objective.
After about an hour of flight, Han Li eventually caught sight of an extremely tall city wall in the distance. Then, the light around his body darkened and he dropped down to an unremarkable three-story building below him.
Although the building was small and plain, many cultivators were bustling in and out of it.
Han Li simply stopped and placed and examined the building and the streaking lights of flying cultivators for a moment more before he approached the gate.
The pagoda gate’s signboard, the Jade Fault Pavilion”, was written in bold artistic lettering.
Han Li glanced at the sign with narrowed eyes for a long while before he slowly stepped inside.
The first floor had a large hall that was over a hundred meters wide. There were several dozens of cultivators standing in the hall, looking at a huge screen shining in azure light at the very end of the room.
A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality c1-2248 Page 734