First Arrival in Linglong

After spending several days sightseeing in the city.

Chen Sheng finally left the city and began selecting a suitable location—to establish a Secret Abode.

Cloudwalk Mountains.

Within a vast mountain forest.

Chen Sheng rode a cloud of green light and slowly descended from the sky, landing beneath a cliff.

He surveyed the surrounding terrain.

A clear spring flowed beside the cliff. Mountains surrounded three sides, while dense forest stretched across the fourth.

It was absolutely desolate, a place ordinary people could scarcely reach.

Moreover, after Chen Sheng's repeated investigations,

the spiritual energy fluctuations within a radius of more than ten miles were exceedingly faint. It could be called a land devoid of spiritual energy.

It would be exceedingly difficult to attract cultivators here.

Chen Sheng nodded in satisfaction.

"This place will do."

As he spoke,

he released the three Bronze Puppets from his Storage Bag.

He issued them orders and put the puppets to work as laborers.

Then,

Chen Sheng began manipulating his Dharma Artifacts.

He carved out stone chambers and installed mechanisms...

Time slowly passed.

In the blink of an eye, half a month had gone by.

The Secret Abode had been completed.

The Secret Abode Chen Sheng established was divided into two levels, one open and one hidden.

The visible level imitated the tomb of a worldly king or noble.

It was arranged with worldly mechanical arts and filled with layer upon layer of traps.

The inner chamber was piled high with worldly gold and silver.

There were also all manner of jewels that would drive ordinary people mad with desire.

It looked extravagantly luxurious, yet it was worth only a dozen or so Spirit Stones.

The hidden level,

was where Chen Sheng's true resources and inheritance lay.

It was concealed within a perilous mechanical trap.

Using a Spirit-Severing Jade Box alongside a concealment formation, he completely sealed away all spiritual energy fluctuations.

Even if a cultivator searched with divine sense, they would find it difficult to discover.

Chen Sheng nodded with satisfaction.

"Time to go."

With that said,

Chen Sheng rode the Azure Cloud Shuttle, streaking away like a flash of green light.

When he had come, he had carried a "huge" fortune.

Naturally, he had been cautious and prudent.

Now, on his return journey,

he carried nothing of value and had nothing to fear.

It would already be good enough if he did not take the initiative to rob others.

If some blind fool truly crossed his path,

it would be the perfect chance to test the Trump Card he had painstakingly cultivated for years!

Endless yellow sand stretched beneath surging heat waves.

A small caravan struggled across the sea of sand.

Several red-and-yellow banners were fixed beside the saddles of the lead camels, snapping sharply in the wind.

A vigorous, forceful character for "Chen" was clearly embroidered upon them, particularly eye-catching.

Suddenly,

a piercing whistle rang out.

Along the crest of the dunes,

dozens of ghostlike riders suddenly emerged.

Their heads were wrapped in scarves, Curved Blades in hand, their eyes fierce and vicious.

"They're the Sand Scorpions bandits!"

The chief guard's expression changed drastically, and he immediately roared,

"Form up!"

Not long after,

the bandit leader at the front spurred his horse forward.

He pointed the tip of his blade at the caravan, his gaze sharp as an eagle's and predatory as a wolf's as he spoke with utter disdain.

"Leave the goods behind, and I'll spare your miserable lives."

At the center of the caravan,

a middle-aged man in a blue brocade robe stepped out from the crowd.

He was Chen Huajiao, the leader of this convoy.

Forcing himself to remain calm, he clasped his hands and called out,

"Honorable heroes!"

"I am Chen Huajiao, a descendant of the Chen clan of the Yan Mountains."

"Trade is not easy. How about I offer thirty percent of the cargo's value as passage money, and we forge a good relationship?"

The leader gave a savage grin, spittle flying from his mouth.

"Thirty percent? Are you feeding beggars?"

"I want it all!"

Before his words had even faded,

he abruptly waved his hand.

"Kill!"

In an instant,

Curved Blades swarmed like locusts, and hoofbeats thundered like rolling thunder!

The piercing clang of weapons colliding echoed across the dunes.

Though the caravan guards fought desperately, the bandits were fierce and brutal.

Several martial arts experts were also mixed among them, and their attacks were especially ruthless.

The guards fell like cut grass.

Chen Huajiao gritted his teeth and raised his longsword, straining to block an incoming slash.

Yet the impact split the web between his thumb and forefinger.

His longsword flew from his hand!

The bandit leader grinned as he spurred his horse toward him, swinging his razor-sharp Curved Blade as cold light flared!

My life ends here!

Chen Huajiao wailed inwardly.

He closed his eyes in despair!

At that critical moment!

High in the sky,

Chen Sheng, clad in a plain white Dharma robe patterned with clouds, rode his Dharma Artifact as he sped past.

He suddenly caught sight of those red-and-yellow banners.

His heart immediately stirred.

Forming a hand seal, he pointed leisurely downward.

"River-Burning!"

In an instant,

dozens of tiny flecks of green ash, so small they were almost impossible to see, drifted precisely down from the high heavens.

Pfft!

The bandit leader's savage expression remained frozen on his face.

Yet a scorched mark no larger than a needlepoint appeared between his brows.

There was no torrent of blood, no shattering of sinew and bone.

Only a mass of faint, eerie blazing fire erupted from within his body.

It came as swiftly as the wind.

There was simply no time to react.

In a single breath,

his flesh and blood burned away.

Nothing remained but a heap of black charcoal, scattering on the wind.

Pfft, pfft, pfft...

The dozens of infamous bandits followed close behind.

Within moments,

beneath the yellow sand and blazing sun, they all scattered into pitch-black dust.

At the sight of this,

everyone in the caravan was stunned senseless.

They gripped their weapon hilts blankly, unable to find their vicious enemies anywhere.

Chen Huajiao also stood frozen in place.

He quickly came to his senses.

Then he abruptly looked up!

A dazzling streak of green light flashed past like a meteor.

Within that green light,

a lofty figure could vaguely be seen.

The next instant, it was about to merge with the drifting clouds at the horizon.

"It's an immortal!"

With a thud, Chen Huajiao dropped to his knees in the sand and kowtowed heavily toward the direction in which the green light had fled.

At that moment,

the others also came to their senses.

They all fell to their knees at once.

Ignoring the scorching sand beneath them, they wept openly and shouted,

"Thank you, Immortal Master, for saving our lives!"

"Thank you, Immortal Master, for saving our lives!"

One month later.

Chen Sheng arrived at a Market Town—Starry Net Market.

Along the way,

he encountered no trouble.

However, as he neared the market, he made two casual moves.

He burned to death several Qi Condensation Late-stage Robber Cultivators who had failed to recognize their betters.

Then,

Chen Sheng sold his spoils at the market.

He made a small profit.

He also found a Broker to inquire about information.

"Are there any caravans heading for Linglong Immortal City?"

"Yes!"

Chen Sheng quickly learned the details.

He selected a suitable caravan.

He prepared to travel with them.

This journey was even longer.

Most of the route passed through cultivation factions, and the danger far exceeded his journey through Yan Land.

If Chen Sheng traveled alone,

he might not even make it to his destination.

Several days later.

Chen Sheng blended in with the merchant caravan.

He looked ahead.

The destination of this journey—Linglong Immortal City.

His most cherished Eldest Daughter and Disciple had both suffered setbacks here in succession.

His lifespan was now nearly exhausted.

The Secret Abode had also been fully prepared.

He had no more worries holding him back.

Chen Sheng murmured to himself,

"What is there to regret about this mere ruined body?"

Linglong Immortal City.

From afar, it was shrouded in clouds and mist.

It was a massive city built along the mountain range, like some ferocious ancient beast.

Judging by Chen Sheng's rudimentary knowledge of formations,

the city's grand formation was linked to the terrain of the mountains, making it profoundly mysterious.

This journey

had taken more than a year in total.

The caravan leader was quite capable, and the journey had been relatively peaceful.

"Everyone, I'll be taking my leave first."

"Safe travels, Mister Chen."

Chen Sheng paid a Low-grade Spirit Stone and entered the city without incident.

The moment he entered,

Chen Sheng experienced the difference of an Immortal City.

The cultivators coming and going were far stronger than those in Qianji Market.

To say nothing else,

just look at the patrol teams dressed in blue uniforms.

Even the weakest among them were at Qi Condensation Late-stage.

Their captains were all at Qi Condensation Perfection.

After walking only a hundred paces,

Chen Sheng sensed several deep, unfathomable auras—Foundation Establishment cultivators.

"Truly a place where hidden dragons and crouching tigers abound!"