PCJ – Chapter 755 Return to Yan City

Zhang Jiaohua stayed in Mount Jiangxian for nearly half a year, and by now, dozens of the Yuan family’s youths had become cultivators. He was preparing to leave this place.

Over these six months, the Yuan family had continuously gathered intelligence from outside, and Zhang Jiaohua himself occasionally went out as well. He had already gained a very clear understanding of everything within a radius of a thousand li around the area. As for how vast the Immortal Realm truly was, Zhang Jiaohua did not know, but from what he had seen within just this thousand-li range, he was certain that it was not even the tip of the iceberg.

This thousand-li region was said to be called the Abandoned Lands in the Immortal Realm. The Abandoned Lands stretched far beyond this range—no one knew exactly how vast it was. What Zhang Jiaohua did know, however, was that it was a place isolated from the world; once one entered, it was extremely difficult to ever leave.

The reason was simple: to the north lay endless frozen tundra, with arctic cold so extreme that even cultivators could hardly withstand it. To the south stretched an infinite desert, the opposite extreme, where the temperature grew ever hotter; at its deepest point lay volcanic regions, with heat so intense that even cultivators could not endure it. To the east was not cold or heat, but an endless ocean. And one should not imagine sailing out—for ordinary ships could not possibly withstand the attacks of the deep-sea immortal beasts. To the west lay an endless forest, inhabited by immortal beasts far beyond what ordinary cultivators could deal with. Even the skies around the Abandoned Lands were ruled by immortal beasts. Although the surroundings were perilous, the inside of the Abandoned Lands was relatively safe. Zhang Jiaohua was preparing to travel around within it, hoping to find a way out.

When they learned Zhang Jiaohua was preparing to leave, the Yuan family naturally tried their utmost to keep him. Yuan Suihu said, “Immortal Master, if you need anything, just give the word—my Yuan family will spare no effort to fulfill it. Why not stay with us a little longer?”

“It’s time. Patriarch Yuan, you needn’t try to keep me. You should know that I cannot stay on Mount Jiangxian forever. Now your Yuan family already has dozens of cultivators and has become one of the prominent clans within Juxian Village. If fate allows, we will naturally meet again.” Zhang Jiaohua had already made up his mind.

Knowing this, Yuan Suihu dared not press further. “Immortal Master’s arts are profound. Along the way, surely nothing could threaten you. But the world is full of trifles—if you do not disdain it, my son could accompany you to render humble service.”

Zhang Jiaohua rejected without hesitation: “No need. A cultivator acts as his heart desires, unbound by worldly ties. Each person has their own fate. If Yuan Rui can one day transcend the mundane, there will naturally be a chance for him to meet me again.”

After checking through his belongings, Zhang Jiaohua departed that very day, drifting away like the wind.

Yuan Suihu sighed with regret, “What a pity… If the Immortal Master had stayed with us a little longer, our Yuan family could have produced even more cultivators. Truly a pity.”

Yuan Rui watched Zhang Jiaohua’s departing figure and said in a deep voice, “One day, I too shall be like the Immortal Master, roaming the Immortal Realm at ease.”

Zhang Jiaohua flew for several hundred li in one stretch, then descended in the mountain forests outside the largest city of the Abandoned Lands—Yan City. Over the past half year, his greatest discovery had been this very city.

Yan City was the largest city in the Abandoned Lands, with a population of several million. It was a city of cultivators. Although not every resident was necessarily a cultivator, its rulers and elites certainly were. The City Lord of Yan City was its strongest cultivator—rumored to be the first in the Abandoned Lands to break through to the Spirit Transformation Stage. Now his cultivation had already reached the peak of Spirit Transformation, and at any time he could step into the Void Returning Stage.

The people of the Abandoned Lands all carried various flaws in their natural endowment—though not always as severe as the Yuan family’s defect of lacking a proper lower dantian, there were always other limitations. To reach the Spirit Transformation Stage was already extraordinarily rare. It was said that up to now, no cultivator in the Abandoned Lands had ever reached the Void Returning Stage.

When Zhang Jiaohua arrived at the gates of Yan City, two city guards barred his way.

“Show your entry token! Or pay a spirit stone!”

Zhang Jiaohua flicked his sleeve, and the two guards were instantly blown away—only to land back exactly where they had been standing. In that entire process, they had no chance to resist. To become a guard of Yan City, one had to be at least in the mid-stage of Essence Refinement. But before Zhang Jiaohua, they had no chance of resistance.

The two guards turned pale. They could not even discern this man’s cultivation. Yan City was a cultivator’s city—those of higher cultivation naturally enjoyed greater privileges. If Zhang Jiaohua had been displeased and killed them with a wave of his hand, no one would have pursued the matter. Even City Lord Wan Jiqing would simply replace them with new guards. There was no shortage of cultivators eager for these positions, since the spirit stones they collected daily went straight into their own pockets.

Zhang Jiaohua had already investigated the most fundamental law of the Abandoned Lands: might makes right. Blowing away the two guards caused no disturbance—on the contrary, those around considered it perfectly normal. Even if he had killed them outright, it would have been no more than commonplace. High cultivation meant being above others, and those above had no need to show courtesy to those below.

The two guards, instead of showing resentment, immediately dropped to their knees in terror, kowtowing and begging for mercy: “Spare us, Immortal Master, spare us!”

Zhang Jiaohua couldn’t even be bothered to pay attention to such opportunists. He strode straight into Yan City.

“Immortal Master! Immortal Master!” A sharp, wiry youth hurried after him. He looked to be about twenty years old, though in the Immortal Realm, appearances were hardly a reliable measure of age, as cultivators greatly extended their lifespans through practice.

“What is it?” Zhang Jiaohua stopped and turned, sweeping his gaze over the newcomer.

“Immortal Master, this must be your first time in Yan City, isn’t it?” the man didn’t answer directly but instead asked in return.

“How do you know?” Zhang Jiaohua asked in surprise. He had gone to great lengths to appear as though he were no newcomer.

“That’s easy—I guessed,” the man replied.

“First tell me your name, and what exactly you want from me.” Zhang Jiaohua locked his divine sense onto him.

“My name is Wen Xiaoqun. I was born and raised in Yan City. That’s why I could tell at a glance that it’s your first time here. The reason I sought you out is simple—I know this city inside and out, and there will surely be times when you’ll find my knowledge useful.” Wen Xiaoqun spoke quickly and smoothly.