After passing through the gate, they had officially arrived at the Ninefold Celestial Gate.
Li Ye had assumed this place would be sparsely populated, with nothing but a rolling sea of clouds and golden bridges and jade corridors standing beneath the sunlight, steeped in immortal grace.
Yet once he truly entered, he was startled to discover that beyond the golden bridges and jade corridors flickering in and out of view amid the cloud sea, many cultivators were traveling in groups, chatting and laughing.
It was no less lively than the Winter Market he had visited before.
It somehow gave him the strange feeling that he had arrived at some tourist attraction.
On closer thought, even the name—Ninefold Celestial Gate—sounded rather like a gimmicky scenic destination.
His expression therefore turned subtly strange.
"Surprised?" Su Ya burst into laughter. "This is one of the Blessed Grotto-Heavens most beloved by the disciples. Cultivators are here at nearly every moment.
"There are even cave abodes for sale here, and none of them come cheap."
After speaking, he gazed at the majestic sight of the rolling cloud sea in the distance. "When I first began cultivating immortality, this was the sort of scenery I imagined. I suppose other cultivators felt the same."
"Senior Brother is absolutely right."
That was indeed true.
Li Ye also felt that this sort of scenery suited the words "cultivating immortality" perfectly.
He had not expected so many cultivators to enjoy this style as well.
"Then shall we continue forward?" Li Ye suggested. "This junior brother truly wants to take a proper look around and admire the magnificent cloud sea."
"Let's go!" Senior Apprentice Jiang waved a hand.
The group proceeded along the jade corridor, chatting and laughing.
Along the way, Su Ya continued introducing the Ninefold Celestial Gate to him: