A City of Immortal Cultivators

"Inner City? You know about the Inner City?" Yang Zhengshan looked at the pageboy in surprise.

"Heh-heh, I've only heard a few rumors myself. I don't know if they're true!" The pageboy chuckled sheepishly.

Yang Zhengshan gave a soft laugh and said casually, "Tell me about the Outer City!"

Hearsay was naturally no better than what he knew himself.

Although this was his first time in Wanbao Immortal City, that did not mean he knew nothing about it. In fact, he knew quite a lot about Wanbao Sect. After all, he had two friends from Wanbao Sect—Zhongli Yue and Zhongli Xiayi.

The two had mentioned Wanbao Sect to him before and revealed plenty of information about it.

Thus, he had a fairly good understanding of the inner workings of Wanbao Sect.

By comparison, he knew very little about the Outer City of Wanbao Immortal City. He only knew that there were five Immortal Clans in the Outer City, all of which had deep ties to Wanbao Sect.

"Has True Person ever heard a saying?"

"What saying?"

"East City Sun Family refines immortal pills, South City Bai Family forges Spirit Artifacts, West City Liu Family welcomes guests from all corners, North City Qin Family guards the eight passes, and Central City Zheng Family's path reaches heaven."

"What does that mean?"

"It means exactly what it says. The Sun Family excels at alchemy, the Bai Family excels at artifact forging, the Liu Family makes friends with heroes from across the world, and the Qin Family commands the City Guard and guards the eight passes—that is, the eight city gates of the Immortal City!"

"As for the Zheng Family's path reaching heaven, it is said that the Zheng Family Ancestor is an honored guest of Wanbao Sect!"

The pageboy lowered his voice, looking extremely mysterious.

Yang Zhengshan found it amusing. The five Immortal Clans each had a Golden Core cultivator, and all five were honored guests of Wanbao Sect. He could not say how lofty their positions were, but he could be certain that they all held considerable status within Wanbao Sect and had extremely close relationships with it.

Thus, the saying that the Central City Zheng Family's path reached heaven was inaccurate. Perhaps the Zheng Family had some unknown connection with Wanbao Sect.

As for the rest, there was nothing particularly unusual about them.

The Sun Family's skill at alchemy and the Bai Family's skill at artifact forging were both perfectly normal. Every Immortal Clan had a few areas in which it was especially outstanding.

The Liu Family's practice of making friends throughout the world probably had something to do with the family's character. Perhaps the Liu Family's Golden Core Ancestor was a bold and generous man who enjoyed making friends and forming good connections.

The Qin Family, however, was rather interesting. It actually commanded the City Guard of the Outer City. When Yang Zhengshan had entered the city earlier, he had seen cultivators patrolling the walls. Quite a few of them were Foundation Establishment Cultivators, while the ordinary soldiers were Golden Body Realm Martial Artists.

Moreover, there were quite a lot of City Guard soldiers, probably tens of thousands.

The Qin Family's ability to command the City Guard of the Outer City was enough to show how much Wanbao Sect trusted it.

"Besides these Five Great Immortal Clans, are there any other forces in the Outer City?" Yang Zhengshan continued asking.

"Uh, there are many forces in the Outer City. Even if I talked for Three Days and Three Nights, I might not finish. Take our South City, for example. There are more than a hundred Immortal Cultivation Families within the city, along with many sects, merchant associations, and so on."

"Heh-heh, take our Immortal Fate Inn, for example. Our owner is one of the Great Clans—the Yuan Family. More than twenty members of the Yuan Family have joined Wanbao Sect. Some hold positions at Wanbao Trading Companies in other places, some hold positions in the Immortal City, and some hold positions within the sect itself. That's also why our owner can run an inn in such a prime location!"

The pageboy sold out his own employer without the slightest principle. However, this information was not particularly important. Anyone could find it out with a little asking around.

He probably also thought it was not important information, which was why he had told Yang Zhengshan everything without reservation.

Yang Zhengshan nodded slightly and did not take it to heart.

Wanbao Immortal City was Wanbao Sect's base. Naturally, the Big and Small forces in the Immortal City all had one connection or another with Wanbao Sect.

It was not just Wanbao Immortal City. Throughout the entire Wilderness of Ten Thousand Waters, many forces could trace some connection to Wanbao Sect.

These connections should not be underestimated. They formed the foundation of Wanbao Sect's rule over the Wilderness of Ten Thousand Waters.

It could even be said that the vast majority of Immortal Cultivator forces throughout the Wilderness of Ten Thousand Waters were Wanbao Sect's vassals. Although they did more than provide Wanbao Sect with low-level resources, they also formed a protective barrier for it, blocking invasions from other forces.

If the Wilderness of Ten Thousand Waters were viewed as an imperial dynasty, then Wanbao Sect would be the Imperial Court, while the Five Great Immortal Clans would be equivalent to the Six Ministries, helping Wanbao Sect handle all kinds of mundane affairs. The Immortal Cultivation Families in Treasure City would be small yamen, all of them crowding around Wanbao Sect's Imperial Court. Meanwhile, the Great Clans and Powerful Clans throughout the Wilderness of Ten Thousand Waters would be the county offices and Prefecture Offices in various regions, governing the local areas for Wanbao Sect and providing it with tax revenue.

Although these Great Clans and Powerful Clans did not need to pay tribute directly, the commercial plundering carried out by Wanbao Trading Company was far more ruthless than direct taxation.

Simply put, the entire Wilderness of Ten Thousand Waters served Wanbao Sect.

Afterward, Yang Zhengshan asked many more questions, and the pageboy answered each one.

Although the pageboy's status was not high, he knew quite a lot. Even if most of what he knew was hearsay, it still provided Yang Zhengshan with plenty of information and gave him a clearer understanding of Wanbao Sect, Wanbao Immortal City, and the Wilderness of Ten Thousand Waters.

In the end, Yang Zhengshan felt that he had learned enough. He rewarded the pageboy with another Spirit Stone, then let him withdraw.

Over the next few days, Yang Zhengshan wandered around the city every day. After exploring South City, he explored West City; after West City, East City, and then North City. Finally, he entered through the second city wall and took a stroll around the Immortal Clan District.

In fact, the Immortal Clan District did not only contain the Five Great Immortal Clans. It also housed many Immortal Cultivation Families, which were likewise core forces of Wanbao Immortal City.

Most of them were descendants of Golden Core cultivators—in other words, their ancestors had once produced Golden Core cultivators.

That was why they were qualified to live within the second city wall.

After several days of investigation, Yang Zhengshan gained a deeper understanding of Wanbao Immortal City.

How should he put it?

Wanbao Immortal City was an excellent place. Whether for Immortal Cultivation Families or Rogue Cultivators, it was a relatively ideal place to live.

There were abundant resources and opportunities here. As long as one had talent and was willing to work hard, one had a chance to Achieve Success.

However, Wanbao Immortal City also had its flaws. Competition there was extremely fierce.

The higher one climbed, the fiercer the competition became.

An Innate Martial Artist could easily find a job in the city, while a Foundation Establishment Cultivator could live quite well in the city as long as they had even a little skill.

But it was not easy for an Immortal Cultivation Family to establish itself in the city, because all the city's industries already had owners. If one wanted to possess an industry of one's own there, one had to withstand the covetous eyes of countless people.

Moving from the Outer City into the area within the second city wall—the Immortal Clan District—was even more difficult. The simplest method was for a family to produce a Golden Core cultivator. Wanbao Sect would naturally invite that family to settle in the Immortal Clan District. Apart from that method, nearly every other option could be ignored.

Thus, a chain of contempt had formed. The Immortal Clans looked down on the Immortal Cultivation Families in the Immortal Clan District, those families looked down on the Immortal Cultivation Families in the Outer City, and the Outer City families looked down on the Immortal Cultivation Families outside the city.

In fact, besides the Five Great Immortal Clans, there were also people at the very top of the pyramid in Wanbao Immortal City: the Immortal Clan Disciples from Wanbao Sect.

Wanbao Sect also had Immortal Clans of its own, such as the Zhongli Family.

Compared with the Zhongli Family, the Five Great Immortal Clans seemed rather insignificant.

The Zhongli Family held an extremely high position within Wanbao Sect. Its ancestor, Duobao True Monarch, was one of Wanbao Sect's higher-ups. Moreover, the Zhongli Family had two young Golden Core cultivators, which was enough to ensure that it would flourish within Wanbao Sect for generations.

Yang Zhengshan had originally wanted to see whether he could help the Yang Family enter Wanbao Immortal City, but after learning more about the situation, he abandoned the idea.

The reason was simple: the power structure of Wanbao Immortal City was extremely stable, making it difficult for outsiders to break in.

Even if Yang Zhengshan could establish a foothold in the Immortal City with the Zhongli Family's help, he would still have to deal with a pile of trouble.

The Five Great Immortal Clans would never sit by and watch an outsider enter the Immortal City to seize their interests, and Wanbao Sect probably would not want an unfamiliar Immortal Clan entering the city either.

Although the Zhongli Family was powerful, it still could not act arbitrarily within Wanbao Sect.

Besides, there was not much meaning in the Yang Family entering Wanbao Immortal City. If they only wanted to do business, they could purchase shops in the Immortal City at any time and conduct all kinds of business. There was no need to squeeze into such a complicated society.

Of course, if they only wanted to run a small business in the Immortal City, there was no need for Yang Zhengshan to appear personally. His purpose in coming here was to reach a cooperation agreement with Wanbao Sect, or rather, to cooperate with Wanbao Trading Company.

Wanbao Sect and Wanbao Trading Company could not be treated as one and the same. Wanbao Trading Company was merely Wanbao Sect's trading house. Although Wanbao Trading Company was Wanbao Sect's primary industry, it could not represent Wanbao Sect.

Yang Zhengshan stayed in Wanbao Immortal City for half a month before taking out his Communication Talisman and activating it.

The Communication Talisman transformed into a streak of Spiritual Light in his hand and immediately flew toward the Inner City.

However, the Spiritual Light did not enter the Inner City. Instead, it stopped before the Inner City's gate.

The communication light seemed to be drawn by something. It wobbled into the gate passage, then vanished without a trace.

Clearly, the Inner City's Formation had intercepted the communication. However, this was not a problem; it was merely the normal procedure.

One should not forget that Wanbao Sect's core was in the Hundred Realms Cave Heaven. A Communication Talisman could not possibly enter the Cave Heaven, so Wanbao Sect had arranged for dedicated personnel to receive communications at the Inner City gate.

After sending the communication, Yang Zhengshan waited in the small courtyard of the Immortal Fate Inn.

He prepared tea and waited for Zhongli Xiayi to arrive.

However, he waited for more than half a day without seeing Zhongli Xiayi. Instead, an unfamiliar guest arrived.

A Foundation Establishment Cultivator who looked extremely young.

The Formation around the small courtyard was triggered. Yang Zhengshan waved his hand and opened it, allowing the young Foundation Establishment Cultivator inside.

"This junior, Zhongli Jue, pays his respects to Senior!"

Zhongli Jue looked about twenty years old, but his true age was not much greater. He should have been around eighty. Yet he possessed a Foundation Establishment Middle Stage cultivation, which was enough to show how outstanding his talent was.

He was tall and straight like Green Bamboo, wearing a Moon White Brocade Robe. Silver-threaded clouds adorned the hem, and as it swayed lightly with his steps, faint golden Spiritual Light flowed through the patterns, carrying a layer of clear radiance.

His hair was held up by a Mysterious Jade Hairpin, whose tip was carved into a small Snow Lotus. Fine Star Crystals dotted the lotus petals, giving off a soft, lustrous glow beneath the sunlight. An Ink Black Sharkskin Belt was tied around his waist, with a Warm Jade Pendant the size of a pigeon's egg hanging from it. Complex spiritual patterns were carved into the pendant, which was likely a protective magical treasure.

His handsome face was refined rather than ostentatious, with a straight, elegant nose and slightly pale lips. When he raised his eyes, his gaze was clear yet held an unhurried confidence. Every gesture carried the Spiritual Clarity and nobility of an Immortal Cultivator, making everything about him seem perfectly natural.

Seeing him like this, Yang Zhengshan thought of Zhongli Xiayi.

Zhongli Xiayi was always dressed in splendid attire as well, with exquisite makeup and jewelry that was invariably gorgeous.

Looking at the Zhongli Jue before him, there was no doubt that they were family. They even shared the same style.

"Zhongli Jue, you are Fellow Daoist Xiayi's...?" Yang Zhengshan asked.

"This junior is Aunt Xiayi's nephew."

"Her nephew? Is Zhongli Yue your father?"

"Uh, no. Zhongli Yue is this junior's eldest uncle!"

Yang Zhengshan stroked his beard, thought for a moment, and said, "Your father is Zhongli Xian!"

"That's right!" A trace of awkwardness appeared on Zhongli Jue's face.

Zhongli Yue, Zhongli Xian, and Zhongli Xiayi were siblings.

Zhongli Xian was the second-born. He was several decades younger than Zhongli Yue and more than two hundred years older than Zhongli Xiayi.

This led back to their father. Their father had not been especially outstanding. He was merely an ordinary disciple of the Zhongli Family, and before his death, his cultivation had only reached the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage.

But he had one good son, one good daughter, and one disappointing son.

The good son was Zhongli Yue. Zhongli Yue was a true prodigy. His aptitude had been exceptional since childhood. He reached Foundation Establishment at Thirty Something Years Old, Foundation Establishment Middle Stage in his sixties, and Foundation Establishment Late Stage at one hundred. At the age of one hundred eighty-three, he achieved Core Formation and became a Golden Core True Lord.

It was no exaggeration to describe Zhongli Yue as a monster.

Compared with Zhongli Yue, Zhongli Xian was utterly disappointing. Zhongli Xian had no spiritual root and could only cultivate the Martial Dao, but he had not achieved much in the Martial Dao either. At the end of his life, he was merely a Golden Body Realm Martial Artist.

As for Zhongli Xiayi, she was the result of her father's autumn blooming in old age. Foundation Establishment Cultivators had a lifespan of three hundred years, and when Zhongli Xiayi was born, her father was already two hundred eighty years old.

Zhongli Xiayi was chosen by Duobao True Monarch as soon as she was born and was raised from childhood. Only after Zhongli Xiayi had Grown Up and reached the Foundation Establishment Realm did Duobao True Monarch release her from the sect.

Zhongli Xiayi's mediocre performance before that was not because her talent was poor, but because her talent had been suppressed.

To allow her to harmonize more perfectly with the Ten Thousand Mile Brocade, Duobao True Monarch suppressed her talent and made her remain at the Foundation Establishment Realm for more than a hundred years.

With Zhongli Yue, the elder brother, ahead of him, and Zhongli Xiayi, the youngest sister, behind him, Zhongli Xian, the second son, seemed especially awkward.

That was also why Zhongli Jue had looked so unnatural when Yang Zhengshan revealed his identity.

Perhaps, deep down, he felt embarrassed for his father as well.

Yang Zhengshan saw his embarrassment and laughed heartily. "So you're Nephew Zhongli! Come, come, sit inside!"

He greeted him warmly. Zhongli Jue bowed and entered the main hall.

"When we were at Taoyuan Mountain, Brother Zhongli mentioned your father. He even said that he had failed as an elder brother and had not taken good care of his siblings." Yang Zhengshan poured him a cup of tea.

"Thank you, Senior!"

Zhongli Jue accepted the tea with perfect manners. However, after hearing Yang Zhengshan's words, he immediately raised his head in surprise. "My eldest uncle told Senior that?"

"Mm, he mentioned it in passing a few times." Yang Zhengshan's expression remained calm.

He was not lying to Zhongli Jue. Zhongli Yue had indeed mentioned Zhongli Xian to him, but had only said that the three of them were siblings. He had never said anything self-reproachful.

Zhongli Yue probably did not have much affection for his own brother, Zhongli Xian. He was a favored child of heaven who had devoted his energy and time to cultivation. He would never waste his feelings on someone unimportant.

By comparison, he had a deeper bond with Zhongli Xiayi, because he had watched her grow up. Zhongli Xiayi was more like a daughter to him.