Arrival at Purple Heaven Capital

The Eastern Wilderness was vast beyond compare; its expanse simply could not be measured or explained by human language and common sense.

Yan Kingdom stretched two thousand li from north to south and three thousand li from east to west. Though such territory was already extremely vast, it was insignificant within the Eastern Wilderness. There were countless such kingdoms throughout the Eastern Wilderness.

The bustling and prosperous human world seemed so tiny upon the land of the Big Dipper. Without Domain Gates, even cultivators would find it difficult to traverse it all.

Within the valley of the Qingwei Sect stood an enormous altar, engraved with many profound and unfathomable Dao Runes. These Dao Runes formed the foundation for Domain Gates to span the Eastern Wilderness.

At Jiang Yun's current realm, he could already draw upon the force of heaven and carve a teleportation Domain Gate.

But having never put it into practice, he truly did not dare experiment on himself. If the formation patterns he carved proved unreliable and sent him straight into a forbidden zone, that would be quite a disaster.

Nearly a hundred people were already waiting atop the altar. Jiang Yun held Xia Weier's hand as they stood quietly to one side, waiting for the Domain Gate to open.

For the time being, Jiang Yun had no desire to speak with these cultivators. He was studying the Dao Runes on the Qingwei Sect's altar.

With the Nine Secrets: Zu in his cultivation and several complete Emperor Scriptures for reference, Jiang Yun could be said to possess abundant theoretical knowledge of Dao Runes.

But when it came to practical application, he might be even less reliable than Black Emperor. He ought to learn from the Qingwei Sect's advanced practical experience.

Xia Weier stood obediently beside Jiang Yun, tightly holding his hand without making a sound to disturb him.

After roughly an hour, another group of people arrived, and the Domain Gate finally opened.

As the Domain Gate opened, the massive altar began to draw energy. The "Source" buried underground burst into radiance.

Dense spiritual essence, too thick to disperse, flowed toward the altar in wave after wave.

The mysterious jade gleamed translucently. The Dao Runes engraved upon the altar seemed to come alive, trembling continuously as though they had all gained sentience. They shone brightly, manifested, and surged forth.

Space twisted and continuously collapsed, after which a pitch-black gateway opened. The Domain Gate had successfully opened, leading to the central region of the Eastern Wilderness.

Most of the people on the altar were not riding a Domain Gate for the first time, so no one made a fuss. They stepped into the void one after another.

Jiang Yun and Xia Weier entered along with the crowd. Although he had ridden the Nine-Dragon Interstellar Flight before, he had been separated by the bronze coffin.

This was his first time physically crossing through a Domain Gate, so he could not help but feel curious.

The Domain Gate slowly closed, and Jiang Yun appeared in silent nothingness, like eternal darkness and boundless silence.

Who knew how long passed before specks of light appeared ahead within the void.

The ancient city of Purple Heaven Capital had arrived.

Purple Heaven Capital was one of the ten great ancient cities of the central Eastern Wilderness. Countless legends had been left behind there since ancient times, and some even claimed that this ancient city had fallen from the Immortal Realm.

By coincidence, among the Primordial King Clan that would emerge in the future,

the young master of Valley of the Gods shared this ancient city's name: Purple Heaven Capital.

If Ye Fan fought Purple Heaven Capital in Purple Heaven Capital, that would be interesting.

This was a colossal city renowned throughout the world. Jiang Yun and Xia Weier emerged hand in hand from the Domain Gate. They would stay here for two days, until a Domain Gate headed for Flat Rock City opened within the city.

Walking through this ancient city, Jiang Yun felt as if he had come from the mountains into a modern metropolis.

There were countless rare treasures and exotic artifacts along the way. Even materials for second-, third-, and fourth-turn Golden Cores were for sale, making Jiang Yun green with envy.

Unfortunately, his purse was empty. The several hundred jin of Source Stone on him were nowhere near enough, so he could only feast his eyes.

Along the way, they passed several pleasure houses. To be honest, Jiang Yun was somewhat curious—purely curious, that was all.

"Young Master Liu, please come in. Xiayi, Qing'er, and the other three have been waiting for you for quite some time."

"It has been so long, Young Master Wang. You have taken a lovely new wife, yet you have not forgotten people like us. We will arrange it for you right away."

"This young master has a noble brow, the gait of a dragon and tiger, and extraordinary bearing. You are truly an outstanding hero among men. Would you care to come in and comprehend the Great Dao with our female cultivators?"

A bearded young man was pulled inside by an attendant soliciting customers.

Through the resplendent gates adorned with carved beams and painted rafters, cultivators constantly streamed in and out.

Jiang Yun even saw a sallow, emaciated middle-aged man stagger out while supporting himself against the wall.

It truly was a den of demons.

Jiang Yun led Xia Weier past like an immortal couple, and no one came to pull him inside.

Xia Weier also noticed that Jiang Yun kept glancing to the side.

A faint blush appeared on her jade-like face as she gently pinched Jiang Yun's arm.

Jiang Yun came back to himself and smiled awkwardly:

"I was only curious. With celestial beauties like you and Lan'er by my side, how could I possibly care for those common women? Do not be angry, Weier."

"Hmph." Xia Weier gave a soft response, though it was unclear whether she believed him.

Fortunately, she had come out with Jiang Yun. Otherwise...

Before he knew it, Jiang Yun had led Xia Weier into an area filled with stone workshops.

All the great holy lands had branches in Purple Heaven Capital. This was a street for gambling on stones.

What could ease one's worries but sudden wealth? Once he obtained the Source Heavenly Book, these stone workshops would no longer be stone workshops—they would be his warehouses.

Jiang Yun did not personally buy any Source Stone. He had always steered clear of such things.

Thousands upon thousands of Source Stones lay before him. Aside from their differing sizes, Jiang Yun found them all

to look quite similar. How could he possibly tell the good from the bad?

He merely silently observed the contest between stone buyers and merchants. Those who won were naturally overjoyed, while those who lost wore regretful expressions.

People's desires rose with a single cut of the stone and fell with another. Great joy and deep sorrow could be seen everywhere in these stone workshops.

The owners of these stone workshops appeared quite amiable. When customers won, they offered congratulations; when customers lost, they spoke words of comfort.

Jiang Yun had not yet been drawn in by these stones.

Yet as Xia Weier watched the scenes unfolding in the stone workshops, curiosity appeared in her eyes, and she seemed eager to give it a try.

Which attendant working here was not skilled at reading people's expressions? They could easily tell who wanted to buy and who did not.

Seeing Xia Weier's expression, one immediately stepped forward to make a recommendation.

"Fairy, would you like to pick out a few stones? The stones from our Ziwei Sect are no worse than those from the holy lands' stone workshops here in Purple Heaven Capital."

Jiang Yun sensed someone approaching and looked toward him, only to discover that he was merely a market attendant in the Bitter Sea Realm.

He relaxed his guard.

"Young master, would you like to select a few stones for this fairy?"

The stone workshops opened in Purple Heaven Capital all had powerful backing.

Although Jiang Yun's gaze had been intimidating just now, the attendant was not afraid. After all, he had served renowned elders and great experts before.

Jiang Yun also noticed Xia Weier's eager expression and could not help but feel a headache coming on. Could Xia Weier have the makings of a gambler?

"Weier, should we buy a few and give it a try?"

Jiang Yun tentatively asked Xia Weier for her opinion.

"Can we?"

Xia Weier looked expectantly at Jiang Yun with bright eyes utterly free of impurity.

"Of course. Weier, just go pick some out."

It was rare for Xia Weier to take an interest in something, so Jiang Yun agreed on the spot.