Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 768

The pavilion had ten floors, each with its own entrance, and a thirty-zhang [approximately 100 meters] high main gate at the bottom. A silver plaque with the words ‘Flying Spirit Hall’ was hung on the gate. The giant took Han Li and flew into the fourth floor.

Inside was a small main hall, with six or seven corridors leading in different directions. Cultivators of various attire were chatting and laughing in small groups. A quick glance revealed that they were all in the early stage of the Deity Transformation realm, just like him. When Han Li and the turquoise-eyed giant entered, their gazes immediately turned towards them.

“Oh, isn’t that Fellow Daoist Zhuo? Is this the new companion?”

A white-haired old man with a bluish face spoke with a smile.

“Senior Liu, it’s you. This person was personally brought from outside by Lord Tianyu and is not yet a cultivator of this city.”

As soon as the turquoise-eyed giant entered the Flying Spirit Hall, his previous solemn expression vanished, replaced by an extremely polite one. It was a bit strange.

“A cultivator from outside, could it be from the Flying Spirit Squad?”

“Which lower realm did he ascend from?”

“Hmm? A cultivator in the early Deity Transformation stage? Even the first ascenders were at least in the late Deity Transformation stage, weren’t they?”

The cultivators in the early Deity Transformation stage spoke one after another, scrutinizing Han Li with strange looks. However, Han Li quietly smiled and cupped his fist at them, though he was quite agitated inside.

‘Could they also be ascenders from the lower realms? It seems like it, but also not… But if they were cultivators from the Spirit Realm, why would they be here?’

The turquoise-eyed giant vaguely answered the cultivators’ questions and led Han Li out through one of the corridors. He then guided him to a residence with several rooms.

The rooms were connected, with only one door leading outside, giving it the feel of a small cave. There was a secret room for cultivation, a pill refining room, and a room for forging.

The room he was to stay in was sealed with a restriction that could only be opened with a special token.

Han Li nodded in satisfaction.

Seeing this, the turquoise-eyed giant told him a few restrictions, left the token, and then left, saying he had other duties. His plan to hold him back and inquire about the situation in Sky Abyss City was foiled.

Now, he was leaning back in a wooden chair in the reception room, fiddling with the token, and thinking about the events that had occurred since the tribulation.

Originally, according to his plan, he should have undergone the Lesser Heavenly Tribulation and found a secluded place with dense spiritual energy to cultivate in secret. Reaching the Void Refinement stage and getting closer to immortality was his priority.

However, ascendant cultivators had the aura of another realm, and they had to endure a terrifying Lesser Heavenly Tribulation. It was truly frustrating.

Even if he had survived the first tribulation using all sorts of methods, he would not be able to survive the second. So, without much hesitation, he had followed the two golden-armored cultivators to Sky Abyss City.

But now that he was here, everything was very different from what he had expected. He was naturally uneasy about what might happen in the future. The only thing he had learned was that there were quite a few cultivators like him who had ascended from the lower realms in Sky Abyss City.

No matter how much he thought about it, he felt uneasy. He wondered if he should go out and ask how Sky Abyss City operated and how the other ascendant cultivators lived.

While he was pondering, a voice of an old man suddenly came from outside the restricted door.

“Is the cultivator inside? This old man is Liu He, and I came to have a chat.”

Han Li couldn’t help but smile at the sound. It seemed someone wanted to befriend him without him having to make the first move.

“Since Fellow Daoist Liu has come, I would be glad to. It is an honor for Han.”

Han Li replied, and as he pointed the token towards the door, a silver light shot out, and the door opened. The white-haired old man standing outside the door entered the main hall.

“You have the surname Han. I was worried I might be bothering you by coming so abruptly.”

The old man smiled and greeted him politely.

“Haha, not at all. If Senior Liu hadn’t come, I would have gone to you.”

He welcomed the guest with a joyful expression. The two of them chatted in a friendly atmosphere, as if they were old friends.

“I heard from Fellow Daoist Zhuo that Lord Tianyu personally brought you from outside the city. Then you must be a cultivator who has just ascended from the lower realms. May I ask which lower realm you came from?”

Old Man Liu changed the topic as they were chatting.

“Which lower realm… Actually, I don’t know how the lower realms are called in the Spirit Realm, so it’s difficult to answer. How about this, I will answer you after I understand the situation here.”

Han Li smiled with a glint in his eyes. He was not in a position to reveal his origins lightly. Ever since he was in the Mortal Realm, he had been involved with powerful figures of the Spirit Realm.

The main body of the Heavenly Orchid Tree, as well as the Heavenly Kui Wolf King that Yin Yue had mentioned, were not opponents he could handle.

“Oh, this old man was careless. You must be unfamiliar with everything since you just arrived in the Spirit Realm. But do you know that the first ascendant cultivators like you all had tremendous potential? They had a higher chance of reaching the Void Refinement stage than the descendants of ascendant cultivators like us or the native cultivators of the Spirit Realm, so they were highly valued by the elders. Perhaps you will be appointed as a Qingming Guard without any special tests.”

The old man chuckled.

“First ascendant cultivators? Could you explain that in detail?”

“It’s not a secret, so of course, I will explain it to you. In fact, you will soon find out after staying in this city for a while.”

Old Man Liu smiled and continued.

“In fact, the first ascendant refers to a Deity Transformation stage cultivator who has come from the lower realms to this realm, like you, Fellow Daoist Han. Because they have the aura of another realm, they must take one Purging Pill every year for over 300 years to completely remove it. And the direct descendants of the first ascendant also have a slight aura of another realm for several generations. So, when they reach the Nascent Soul stage, they will face the same two-colored tribulation. In my case, as a second-generation descendant of a first ascendant, I had to come to Sky Abyss City as soon as I reached the Nascent Soul stage and suppress the aura of another realm with Purging Pills, or I would have died immediately.

Once the aura of another realm is completely gone, they can leave Sky Abyss City, but it takes about five generations after the first ascendant to become a complete native cultivator without the aura of another realm.”

“I see. But why are you, a Deity Transformation stage cultivator, still here? You must have already washed away the aura of another realm.”

Han Li blinked his clear eyes and asked.

“Fellow Daoist Han, you are getting to the heart of the matter. Cultivators like us in the Deity Transformation stage have already washed away the aura of another realm. But as far as I know, not many people willingly leave Sky Abyss City. This is true for both the first ascendants and the descendants of ascendants like us. Even the native cultivators recruited from the Three Territories and Seven Lands do not want to leave Sky Abyss City.”

“Oh, that’s interesting. Could you tell me why?”

Han Li asked with a genuine curiosity and a smile.

“The reason is simple. The cultivation speed in Sky Abyss City is more than twice as fast as in other places. Moreover, our Sky Abyss City possesses not only the items that can be obtained from the Three Territories and Seven Lands but also items that cannot be obtained. I think you understand now, Fellow Daoist Han.”

The old man winked meaningfully.

“Could it be that this place is a sacred land for cultivation with dense spiritual energy?”

Han Li was startled.

“There are indeed several sacred lands for cultivation in this city. They are not even inferior to some of the main cities of the Three Sovereigns. But more importantly, this city has abundant materials flowing in from the Three Territories and Seven Lands, and it is the only entrance where both the Human and Demon races can go to the Great Desolate World.

Any high-level cultivator who enters or leaves the Great Desolate World must pass through this city, so the many rare materials they bring back from the Great Desolate World are traded here.

There are even spiritual medicines that can help you advance to a higher realm overnight. Of course, the price is too high, so it’s just a sigh.”

After saying this, the old man paused for a moment and then spoke again.

“Besides this, there is another important reason why cultivators do not want to leave this place. Every ten years, the cultivators of Sky Abyss City can listen to a lecture on the Heavenly Dao Law given by one of the elders of the Elder Council. You can even ask them questions directly. These elders are all in the Fusion stage, so you would never have a chance to meet them in other places. So, why would the cultivators who have entered this city want to leave?”

“Such good conditions… But there must be a special reason why this city keeps so many high-level cultivators here?”

Han Li was greatly pleased inside, but he frowned and revealed his curiosity.

“Half of the cultivators in this city are high-level demon cultivators. There are also many demon beasts and spirit bodies. Half of these beings are raised in this city, and the rest are supplied from the Three Territories and Seven Lands. If you also consider the dozen or so Fusion stage cultivators of the Elder Council, it is truly an astonishing force!

The immense power of this city is naturally to deal with the external races of the Great Desolate World and some True Spirits. The super-large immortal formation laid out by our ancestors is so profound that the external races that invaded the Human and Demon races all flocked to the only entrance of this city.

If such a force had not gathered here, we would have already been destroyed by the external races. I heard that once a war breaks out, it is common for most of those gathered in this city to die.”

“Most of them die?”

Han Li’s expression became subtle upon hearing those words.

“There is no need to be too surprised or worried. The invasions of other races occur at intervals of tens of thousands of years, or at least 60,000 to 70,000 years. There is no need to worry about it since they invade only once in such a long time! If we are unlucky enough to be invaded by external races, we just have to fight for our lives.

Any guard who flees from Sky Abyss City before a battle will be hunted down and eliminated by both races. If you have benefited from the city, it is only right to take that much risk. Still, it has only been 30,000 years since Sky Abyss City was last invaded by other races, so there is no need to worry too much for the next 10,000 or 20,000 years.”

“I see. Then it can be said that my coming to Sky Abyss City is a blessing, not a disaster.”

Han Li stroked his chin and fell into thought.

“Of course. The first ascendant cultivators have a high chance of reaching the Void Refinement stage, so they are highly valued by the Elder Council and are not easily neglected. Moreover, for some reason, the number of ascendant cultivators accepted by the Flying Spirit Squad has been decreasing in recent years. I heard that some elders have even sent their avatars to the lower realms to investigate the cause. Of course, I haven’t heard of any successful cases. Since you just came from the lower realms, did you notice anything strange?”

“No, everything was normal in the Mortal Realm where I was.”

At the old man’s question, Han Li suddenly thought of the Ancient Devil, but he answered calmly.

“That’s a pity. If you had known something, you would have received a great reward. The ascendant cultivators who have ascended in recent years also seem to know nothing. I heard that information came from the Demon race a few years ago, so the Elder Council probably won’t ask you about this.”

“What is the Qingming Guard that you mentioned, Senior Liu? Are you referring to the cultivators in blue armor that I met earlier?”

“That’s right. The cultivators wearing the Qingming Battle Armor are the Qingming Guards. The Qingming Guards are considered to be of the middle tier in our Sky Abyss City, so even someone like me can command ten Black Iron Guards.

The Qingming Guards must be appointed from the Deity Transformation stage, but not all Deity Transformation stage cultivators are Qingming Guards. You understand the difference, right?”

“I think I understand. Some Deity Transformation stage cultivators who are not good at combat take on other roles.”

“The duties of our Sky Abyss City guards are divided into two types. The first is to take turns performing guard duties at regular intervals, and they are free for the rest of the time. However, these guards do not receive much spirit stones, so they live in poverty. But there is no danger in their daily lives.

The second duty is to perform special tasks assigned by the Elder Council. Even if they complete just one task, they receive not only spirit stones but also rare rewards such as pills and treasures. However, they do much more dangerous work. Most of the tasks are related to the Great Desolate World or other races. But if they complete one of these tasks, they can cultivate in peace for almost decades or even a hundred years, so it is worth considering. Of course, both duties are not fixed, and you can change them whenever you want.”

“Thank you for your guidance.”

Han Li thanked him without any change in his expression. The old man with the bluish face chuckled and got up from his seat.