Heavenly Fate City on Sealed Fate Planet, also known as the Sleepless City That Never Sleeps, is a massive cultivation city built by Cloud Heaven Sacred City on Sealed Fate Planet.
Most of the people gathered here are family-based cultivators and small cultivation sects. The truly powerful major sects are located in other parts of Sealed Fate Planet, occupying various auspicious locations. Of course, they also have contact points in Heavenly Fate City.
The entire Sleepless City is built on a huge platform. It is said that it was built by a group of experts organized by the Cloud Heaven Sacred City, who forcibly carved out the mountains and filled the valleys here. It is divided into two parts: the ground and the air.
The name "Sleepless City " comes from the fact that Heavenly Fate City has no night. There are seven huge Heavenly Pearl beads that provide illumination. These seven Heavenly Pearl are celestial artifacts that not only provide light but also form the protective force of the Sleepless City. It is because of these seven Heavenly Pearl that the cultivators of Sealed Fate Planet suspected the existence of immortals in Cloud Heaven Sacred City.
Heavenly Fate City has an excellent urban planning system; it can be described as a garden city, with all kinds of Rare Flowers and Exotic Herbs and plants planted in every corner of the city, and you can smell the faint fragrance of flowers anywhere in the city.
This was Li Qiang's first time in Heavenly Fate City. He had traveled to many places, but he had never seen a cultivation city as beautiful as this before. He couldn't help but sigh with admiration. No wonder Fu Shan had once said that this was an unusually developed city with very little technological influence. It was a city built entirely using the methods of cultivators, hundreds of times better than the so-called great cultivation cities of Linming Planet. This was a true cultivation city.
After entering the city, almost all the cultivators landed on the streets, with only a very few still flying in the sky.
Ba Kalang explained, "Brother Li, once you enter the Sleepless City, only experts at the Spirit Severing Realm and above can fly. Other cultivators cannot fly. The Heavenly Pearl of the Sleepless City restricts the power of low-level cultivators. Hehe, so those who can fly in the Sleepless City are all top-level cultivators."
The streets were crowded with people, mostly cultivators, and the atmosphere throughout the city was extremely peaceful.
There are very few mortals here, unlike the cultivation cities of Linming Planet, where mortals and cultivators live together. Most of the cultivators here are migrants. The planets near Sealed Fate Planet are full of mortals, and generally only those who have achieved success in cultivation will come to Sealed Fate Planet.
Qi Hongya asked, "Are we going to the main fort's garrison?"
Li Qiang shook his head and said, "I'll go to the Ancient Sword Academy's headquarters first. Oh, Old Madman, have you been there before?" As he spoke, he put on the headdress of the Ancient Sword Academy.
Geng Feng smiled and said, "I've been here a few times, but always in a hurry. I recognize the place, and I know the Chongxuan Sect's headquarters. We've been there before, invited by Senior Fu."
Mei'er clung to Ling Baihui's arm, the girl extremely nervous. Ling Baihui also felt uneasy, but seeing Mei'er so nervous, she calmed down and kept whispering to Mei'er, trying to distract her.
Li Qiang said, "Alright, Old Madman, lead the way. Is Kalang coming with us too?"
Ba Kalang and Qi Hongya whispered a few words to each other, then Bakalang said, "Let's go back to the main fortress first. Hehe, I haven't been back for a long time either. My disciples are going to participate in the Grand Competition, and as an elder, I should at least share some of the sect's affairs. I'll come to visit Brother Li when I have some free time."
After saying their goodbyes, Ba Kalang and Qi Hongya departed.
Li Qiang suddenly felt a little nervous and a little expectant. He couldn't quite explain his feelings. Although he had never lived on Sealed Fate Planet Sealed Fate Planet, he had long regarded it as his second home.
Li Qiang couldn't help but say, " Old Madman, I wonder how Zhao Hao, Paben, Nashan, Tange, and Zhao Zhi are doing? Sigh, my brothers... I really miss them."
Geng Feng, shaking his messy hair, grinned widely and said, "Those brats, they're really something else. They always swarm in when they fight. Damn it, I've never seen any cultivators like them, all of them so unruly, haha."
In fact, he had developed a very deep bond with these people at the Ancient Sword Academy. They would fight and play together all the time. If it weren't for the fact that he had come out to train in order to improve his cultivation, he would have been reluctant to leave them.
Li Qiang said, " Old Madman, tell me the way."
Geng Feng pointed west of the city and said, "See that pillar? The silver one... that's the Ancient Sword Academy's headquarters in Sleepless City."
Li Qiang then noticed that there were many huge pillars of various colors. He asked curiously, "Does the Chongxuan Sect also use pillars as its marker?"
Mei'er stood not far behind Li Qiang and said, "Brother, the Chongxuan Sect is represented by black pillars in the south of the city. Look." She pointed in another direction.
Li Qiang turned his head and saw a black pillar, which looked quite far away. He hesitated for a moment, then said, "Let's go to the Ancient Sword Academy first."
Li Qiang waved his hand, and a golden light enveloped the group, teleporting them away instantly. The surrounding cultivators were startled, knowing that teleportation was impossible in the Sleepless City Never Sleeps unless one was a super expert at the Mahayana or Loose Immortal level. The crowd couldn't help but start discussing among themselves.
Just then, a golden light flashed, and the Old Immortal Tianshi arrived with his puppet. He made no attempt to conceal his immortal status, and his unparalleled aura caused most of the surrounding cultivators to collapse.
The Old Immortal Tianshi arrived in the Sleepless City, he immediately alarmed the cultivation masters of the Cloud Heaven Sacred City, and the streets were thrown into chaos.
Although this was Qian Shanyong's sphere of influence, Qian Shanyong kept a low profile and rarely showed himself in front of cultivators. Tianshi had an eccentric temper and acted as he pleased. He didn't care what the cultivators thought and just arrived in a very aggressive manner.
He had been tracking Li Qiang for a long time, but every time he went to a new place, he would find nothing, so his anger was growing.
Soon, cultivators from the Sacred City arrived and respectfully invited the Old Immortal Tianshi to his residence in the Sacred City.
The news of the Old Immortal Tianshi's arrival at Sealed Fate Planet quickly spread back to the Sacred City. He had barely settled in when Qian Shanyong arrived. It should be noted that the Old Immortal Tianshi was a very famous figure in the Immortal Realm.
Tianshi was stunned when he saw Qian Shanyong. He didn't expect this to be Qian Shanyong's territory. No matter what, Qian Shanyong was Luo Heaven High Immortal. No matter how arrogant Tianshi was, he would not go against Luo Heaven High Immortal.
Upon seeing the Tianshi, Qian Shanyong couldn't help but smile. He knew who the Tianshi had come for, but he feigned ignorance and asked, " Tianshi, what are you doing here?"
Before Tianshi could speak, a flash of golden light appeared, Dainan Fengyu appeared before him.
Dainan Fengyu chuckled, "Oh, old immortal, what brings you here? You've come to Brother Qian's territory, are you planning to rob a few cultivators?"
Tianshi inwardly groaned; he hadn't expected there to be two immortals here. His inverted V-shaped eyebrows twitched slightly, and he said with a bitter expression, "You two sworn enemies have actually come together? Sigh, am I seeing things?"
Dainan Fengyu and Qian Shanyong both burst into laughter.
The Old Immortal Tianshi was secretly annoyed, but he said calmly, "I didn't expect that Lord Gan would have such leisure time, acting as a backer for cultivators in this realm. Are you planning to cultivate a group of disciples to dominate the Immortal Realm?"
Qian Shanyong's expression changed slightly; Old Immortal Tianshi's words had a hidden meaning. Unless it was with the Azure Emperor's permission, immortals could not return to this realm. One important reason was that the cultivators that immortals trained in this realm would naturally form a power after ascending to the Immortal Realm, posing a great threat to other immortals. Therefore, even Old Immortal Tianshi did not dare to openly train cultivators.
Qian Shanyong said coldly, "What I do is none of your business, Tianshi. Speak, what brings you here?"
The Old Immortal Tianshi sighed, his frustration beyond words. He said helplessly, "Can't I come looking for someone? Hmm, perhaps you know someone named Li Qiang. Have you seen him? Maybe he's not a cultivator. I still can't figure out what this guy does, that he could break my Brilliant Swift Immortal Formation. Hmph, if I see him, I'll make him regret ever being born." He gritted his teeth in hatred.
Qian Shanyong glanced at him disdainfully, "Still so petty. I know who Li Qiang is, I know Fengyu, I know Gu Xing and Lord Xuan Long, and besides, the Azure Emperor... he knows him too. What do you want to do with him?"
Tianshi's expression was hilarious; his eyebrows were almost turned into vertical ones, making Dainan Fengyu Yu burst into laughter.
The Old Immortal Tianshi was extremely shocked. The person Qian Shanyong mentioned was a remarkable figure even in the Immortal Realm. In particular, hearing that the Supreme Azure Emperor of the Immortal Realm also knew about this Li Qiang made him feel a chill.
The Old Immortal Tianshi was extremely troubled. He asked in bewilderment, "Just who is he?"
Qian Shanyong seemed pleased; he was satisfied that he had made this strange Tianshi uncomfortable. He said calmly, "Who is he? Heh, he's someone you can't afford to offend."
The Old Immortal Tianshi glared, "Someone I can't afford to offend? Bah! I'll provoke him anyway, do you know where he is?"
Dainan Fengyu couldn't help but tease, "Provoke him? Hehe, he and Brother Qian both dared to fight, so he shouldn't be afraid of you, right? I'll give you some free information: I heard that this Li Qiang is the disciple appointed by the Azure Emperor. Hmm, if you see him, just go ahead and destroy him. Anyway, this fairy doesn't like this kid either. Oh, by the way, I heard you captured a group of cultivators and are on Goulan Planet?" Actually, Dainan Fengyu didn't know much about this, but she still deliberately brought it up.
This is what Old Immortal Tianshi is most annoyed about right now. Although he doesn't mind capturing some cultivators to play with, he is very wary of killing them. He never expected that Bi Wuzi would sabotage him, not only killing all the cultivators he captured, but also turning them into puppets. This matter has almost become a thorn in his side.
He said resentfully, "Aren't you all doing the same thing? Laughing at me? Forget it."
After saying this, the Old Immortal Tianshi suddenly realized what was happening and exclaimed in surprise, "What? The Azure Emperor took him as a disciple? What a joke! This is the first time I've ever heard of an immortal taking a disciple... Uh, why is that?" A feeling of helplessness suddenly welled up in his heart. How could he have encountered such an unapproachable person? Now he was truly in a dilemma.
Qian Shanyong said, " Tianshi, I know why you're looking for him, hehe." He laughed strangely.
Tianshi asked warily, "What?"
Dainan Fengyu said thoughtfully, "He broke your Brilliant Swift Immortal Formation? Did he take something you were hiding... Oh, I see... No wonder."
Qian Shanyong laughed and said, "I guessed it the moment I saw Tianshi's furious expression, haha!"
Qian Shanyong and Dainan Fengyu said almost in unison, " Suppressing Tranquility Intent Origin!"
The Old Immortal Tianshi was practically driven mad by these two. He stood up in a fit of rage and yelled, "So what! Suppressing Tranquility Intent Origin was lent to me by Heavenly Lord Lijin, but this brat stole it. Of course I'm going to chase after him!"
Dainan Fengyu said with a grin, "Lend it to you by Heavenly Lord Lijin? Impossible. But I have some bad news for you: the Reverse Passage has opened. Hehe, Tianshi, what are your thoughts?"
Dainan Fengyu had actually said that on purpose, and sure enough, the Old Immortal Tianshi's expression changed drastically. He sat back down helplessly and said incredulously, "It's open? Whose grand gesture is this?"
Qian Shanyong said calmly, "Besides the Azure Emperor, who else has such spirit?"
The Old Immortal Tianshi seemed somewhat nervous, but he wasn't stupid. Seeing Dainan Fengyu's mischievous grin, he suddenly said, "I remember the fairy seems to have offended the Heavenly Lord Baidie... Yes, the Heavenly Lord Baidie! This... what are the fairy's thoughts on opening the Reverse Passage?"
Dainan Fengyu jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, angrily cursing, " Tianshi! You bastard... you..."
Qian Shanyong reached out to stop Dainan Fengyu and advised, "Alright, you two stop arguing. Li Qiang will definitely come back. I'll take care of finding him then. You go and ask for Suppressing Tranquility Intent Origin. I reckon he'll return it to you, but..." He left the rest of his sentence unfinished, his eyes fixed on Old Immortal Tianshi.
Knowing that Qian Shanyong held leverage over Qian Shanyong, the Old Immortal Tianshi said helplessly, "What suggestions do you have?"
Dainan Fengyu immediately realized that Qian Shanyong was helping her find an accomplice.
Qian Shanyong said with a grin, " Tianshi, how about I invite you to visit Cloud Heaven Sacred City?"
The Old Immortal Tianshi glanced at Dainan Fengyu and said, "Alright, I'm always wandering around anyway, so I'll just sit on your turf for a while."
Qian Shanyong said, "Don't worry, Tianshi, I will definitely not let you suffer any losses." After saying that, he waved his hand, and the three of them disappeared without a trace.
Li Qiang, along with Geng Feng, Mei'er, and Ling Baihui, landed with incredible accuracy under the pillar. He discovered that the area around the pillar was a large open space, completely deserted.
Li Qiang laughed and said, "Hehe, are they all sleeping? How come there's no one here?"
Geng Feng took a step forward and shouted, "A few moving guys have come out! The Old Madman is back!"
Less than half a minute later, five or six cultivators rushed out of the houses beside the open space. One of them yelled, "Who dares to be so audacious as to cause trouble in our Ancient Sword Academy... Uh, it's Senior Uncle Mad! My god, Senior Uncle Mad is here!"
Li Qiang couldn't help but burst into laughter. "I didn't expect the Old Madman to be so famous, haha!"
Geng Feng looked smug and chuckled, "You know what, Fengzi personally trained all these disciples; they know me very well."
The cultivators, as expected, dared not speak out of turn. They approached respectfully, bowed, and said, "Greetings, Senior Uncle Madman."
One of them, upon seeing the headdress on Li Qiang's head, was so frightened that his legs went weak and he almost collapsed to the ground. He cried out in a trembling voice, "Abbot! This... disciple... greets Abbot..."
Li Qiang didn't recognize a single person. He laughed and said, "Who's in charge here? Let him come out and speak."
Although the disciple recognized the abbot's headdress on Li Qiang's head, he couldn't immediately recall who the abbot was. Fortunately, a quick-thinking disciple next to him said, "Please wait a moment." He then turned and ran, dashing into the back room at lightning speed. A moment later, a group of people poured out of the room.
Li Qiang spotted a familiar face immediately and shouted, " Paben! It's me!"
Among the group that emerged, the leader was Paben, Li Qiang's apprentice, who was now in charge of the Ancient Sword Academy in the Sleepless City.
Paben now looks very dashing, dressed in a black robe with a dark floral pattern, his hair is tied up at the back of his head with a blue hairpin on top of his head. His appearance has changed a lot, but some of the original features are still left in his eyebrows and eyes.
Li Qiang called out subconsciously, and after he did, he wasn't sure.
Paben paused slightly upon hearing the shout, then trembled violently as if struck by lightning, staring blankly at Li Qiang. Suddenly, he let out a roar and charged forward like lightning. He knelt down some distance away and, using his momentum, slid right up to Li Qiang.
He practically roared, "Master! Master! My master is back..."
Li Qiang was stunned. He hadn't expected the timid and cowardly Paben to express his feelings so freely; it was as if he had become a completely different person. He grabbed Paben's shoulder and said repeatedly, "Good, good, it's great to see you again."
Paben raised his head, his eyes filled with tears he was trying to hold back. "Yes, I've finally seen Master again." Among his disciples, he had the deepest affection for Li Qiang. Upon suddenly seeing Li Qiang after so long, he couldn't control himself and couldn't help but lose his composure.
Ling Baihui was completely baffled. She whispered to Mei'er, "Little sister, why is your elder brother's disciple shouting and yelling like that the moment he sees you? He doesn't seem like a cultivator at all. Hey, little sister, what's wrong with you?"
Since reaching the Spirit Marshal realm, Mei'er's emotions have become more complex. With reddened eyes, she hugged Ling Baihui's waist and whispered, "Sister Ling, they've been separated for a long time."
Ling Baihui suddenly realized something, and she couldn't help but wonder, what would happen if she could see her master again?
Li Qiang carefully examined Paben and nodded, saying, "Good, very good. You've already reached the Early Leaving the Body Stage. Paben, get up. Where are your senior brothers?"
Paben stood up apologetically. The cultivators behind him also rushed over, and one of them, who looked middle-aged, asked, "Uncle-Master, is he your master?"
Paben scolded, "He's our Grandmaster Uncle! And also the Abbot of the Ancient Sword Academy! Have you no manners at all? Come and pay your respects!"
Li Qiang couldn't help but look at Paben with new respect. Not only was his cultivation level incredibly high, but he had also become extremely charismatic. He was truly happy.
The cultivators immediately surrounded him to pay their respects, and Li Qiang hurriedly returned the greetings. He took out many high-grade crystals and gave them to everyone as gifts. In the Cultivation Realm, elders can give gifts to juniors or not, but Li Qiang was a generous person, so as long as he had something suitable, he would give it away without hesitation.
Paben said, "Master, Senior Brother Zhao Hao and Junior Brother Nashan have taken the brothers to check out the competition venue. They'll be back soon. Let's go inside and sit down. Xiaoqi, take a few junior brothers to find our eldest master and the others. When you see them, tell them that Master has returned. Hurry, hurry!" Several cultivators immediately ran outside.
Geng Feng chuckled and patted Paben on the shoulder, then said to Li Qiang, " Little Madman, do you know? Paben was third in the last Law Technique competition. In the Cultivation Realm of Sealed Fate Planet, this kid has a nickname— 'Demon Spear Paben.' He put all his effort into that strange spear. That spear was trained for him by Old Master Fu."
Li Qiang laughed, " The Demon Spear Paben? Wow, that's a pretty impressive name."
Geng Feng chuckled, "Even so, none of you are as powerful as your master. The title of 'World-Wreaking Demon King' is quite famous on Sealed Fate Planet." Only then did the disciples of the Ancient Sword Academy realize who Li Qiang was, and they all cast surprised and admiring glances at him.
Paben looked at Mei'er and Ling Baihui and asked, "Master, who are they?"
Mei'er jumped in front of Paben and said with a grin, "I'm Mei'er! Don't you recognize me, Paben brother?"
Paben exclaimed in surprise, "Oh my god, it's Mei'er! I... Mei'er, how are you?"
Mei'er exclaimed, "Brother Paben, you've changed so much! Mei'er hardly recognize you!" She had accompanied Paben home once; back then, he was a timid little businessman, and she had always felt sorry for him.
The Ancient Sword Academy's headquarters in the Sleepless City is quite large, consisting of seven interconnected platforms. Below the platforms are rooms arranged in order from low to high, with a very strange shape, as if constructed of crystals, emitting a faint light green color that gives people a refreshing feeling.
As the Ancient Sword Academy is one of the seven major sects of Sealed Fate Planet, its entire headquarters was built in a magnificent and grand manner.
Upon entering the room, Li Qiang noticed its unique features. Natural light streamed in, making the room very bright. The floor was paved with light red stones, polished to an extremely smooth finish, somewhat like terrazzo. The room was clean and sparsely furnished. Li Qiang knew that cultivators didn't need anything else during meditation.
Paben was overjoyed. He invited Li Qiang and the others to sit cross-legged, and then ordered people to bring over various spiritual fruits. He sat down next to Li Qiang and briefly recounted what had happened since they parted.
Zhao Hao and his group were sent to the Ancient Sword Academy before the battle for the Wrath of the Heavenly God on the Heavenly Court Star. At that time Paben and Hong Qian had already been left at the Ancient Sword Academy by Li Qiang to cultivate.
Because they were all Li Qiang's men, they received the care of Dean Ling Junyan, especially the current Dean Qian Chi'ou, who treated Zhao Hao and his group very well. In addition, Fu Shan and Hou Pijing also visited them frequently. Therefore, these people held a very high position in the Ancient Sword Academy.
Thanks to the help of many senior experts, Mei Youbing of Rejuvenation Valley even specially set up a furnace to refine pills, making a Primordial Yang Pill and Origin-Nurturing Pill for each of them. As a result, Zhao Hao and the others made extremely fast progress in their cultivation. Zhao Hao has already entered the Middle Leaving the Body Stage Soul realm, and Hong Qian has reached the Late Soul Formation Stage.
Paben was an exception; even the headmaster Qian Chi'ou, praised his progress. With his extraordinary diligence and hard work, he became the third-best among his brothers.
Even lazybones like Nashan and Tange have already entered the Nascent Soul Realm.
This group of guys has become the backbone of the Ancient Sword Academy.
Li Qiang kept laughing as he listened; his joy was genuine.
Ling Baihui looked on with great curiosity. She found Li Qiang very strange; he didn't seem like a cultivator at all.
Li Qiang asked, "Has Elder Sister Hua come by? And how are Niuniu and Sister Hong?"
Paben said, "Senior Hua has come a few times. Ever since Senior Fu transcended his tribulation, she left with Miss Mei and Miss Qiao..."
Li Qiang was surprised. "Why is Elder Sister Hua leaving?"
Paben smiled wryly, "Senior Hua said she was relieved to see Senior Fu successfully overcome his tribulation, so she decided to take her disciples to cultivate in seclusion as well, saying that one day she would meet Senior Fu again."
Li Qiang admired Hua Meiniang to the extreme. She truly lived up to her nickname, the Little Demoness, knowing exactly how to handle things. He couldn't help but praise, "Excellent! Elder Sister Hua is amazing!"
Just then, someone outside the door shouted, "Who's looking for me, Old Na?... Ugh, I'm exhausted from running around. This damn place won't let you fly, damn it, it's so boring... Old Pa! Old Pa! Who's looking for me?"
Nashan has arrived.