To Live

# Chapter 11: Alive

The various cities across Central Continent did not restrict flying through the air, except for certain massive Demon Race beings who were prohibited from flying in their original forms. Therefore, Shen Gui encountered no obstacles when entering the city.

Quite easily, Shen Gui entered Qingluan City.

Finding a secluded street within the city to land, Shen Gui began to slowly take in this rare major city on Central Continent that had a Golden Immortal overseeing it.

Though called a major city, it was actually not much different from the few small cities Shen Gui had passed through earlier.

A few simple streets ran through the entire city, with rough-hewn buildings sitting along both sides.

It seemed that all cities in the early Primordial Era followed this same simple, crude style.

Since that was the case...

Shen Gui looked up toward the center of Qingluan City.

The cities of this era did not yet have the many complex functions of later times.

Aside from providing residence, the cities of today had only one other function.

Barter.

At the center of every Demon Race city, there was a place where demon cultivators could exchange resources they no longer needed for resources that were useful to them.

That was also Shen Gui's destination.

As for the demon race living in this city, Shen Gui paid them no mind.

In these demon cities, aside from the guardian of each city—that is, the city lord—there were basically no other powerful existences.

They were all at the very bottom of the Primordial Era. If they lived outside, they might die at any moment without knowing how, which was why they had moved to live within the cities.

Although the spiritual energy in the cities was certainly not as rich as those blessed mountains and sacred lands, and their cultivation speed would be much slower than outside—not to mention the impossibility of encountering any opportunities—by living in the cities, they at least didn't have to worry about being killed by someone one day.

As for truly powerful existences, or those with even a modicum of self-preservation ability, they basically never lived in cities.

For them, the only function of a city was the barter ground at its center.

As Shen Gui approached the center of Qingluan City, the number of demon race beings wearing all kinds of clothing noticeably increased. Some had not even transformed into human form yet. But the vast majority of demon race beings traveled alone, with almost no one keeping company.

This was also the common phenomenon across the Primordial Era.

Throughout the entire Primordial Era, aside from cultivators of the same race or those with blood ties, the vast majority of cultivators were solitary individuals. Even with the emergence of cities, this situation had not improved much.

Even among cultivators living in the same city, aside from times when they needed something from each other, they basically had no interaction on ordinary days.

When cultivation levels were low, it was still manageable. But the higher the cultivation level, the more pronounced this situation became. Even originally close relationships could grow distant due to the increase in cultivation level.

After all, cultivation consumed resources. The higher the cultivation level, the more resources were needed.

Without connections, without bonds, one could seize resources without hesitation.

The center of Qinglun City was, as Shen Gui had expected, a huge open space.

On this open space, many demon cultivators had laid out things they no longer needed on the ground, hoping to exchange them for resources they required.

There was no universal currency in the Primordial Era yet, so basically everything was barter.

Even though the efficiency of barter trade was certainly not high, there was still a sliver of possibility—at least better than letting unused resources rot in one's hands. Therefore, many demon race beings were willing to participate in such trades.

Of course, Shen Gui had not come here for barter.

Where there were many people, there would naturally be all kinds of information.

That was why Shen Gui had come here.

After entering this trading area, Shen Gui could clearly sense that the number of powerful cultivators had also increased.

Before this, when he walked through the streets of Qingluan City, the cultivators he sensed living in the city rarely exceeded the Foundation Establishment realm.

Now that he had arrived at the center of Qingluan City, those around him were at least at the Spirit Transmutation or Void Refining realm—existences with a certain level of combat power who could protect themselves in the Primordial Era. There were even quite a few at the Immortal realm.

And most of these people were not residents of Qingluan City. They had only come here to exchange for things they needed.

After a period of time, they would leave.

They were the main body of Primordial Era cultivators. As for those existences who needed the protection of these cities to survive, without these cities in the Primordial Era, their situation would be little better than that of ants.

This was also why Shen Gui had previously sighed with emotion that Nuwa and Fuxi's city-building was a blessing for all living beings.

At the very least, they gave those beings at the very bottom of the Primordial Era a chance to live.

Not to mention whether they could become powerful in the future—but as long as they could live, there was hope.