Chapter 285
Chapter 285
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 285
Chapter Title: Muyun Market City, Smoky Haze Cave Residence
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Whoosh...
The boat, like a spirit serpent, cut through the sea of clouds, flying towards the red sun. It left a trail of azure light, a magnificent sight to behold amidst the clouds.
On the Spirit Serpent Boat, twenty large cages hung in a full circle, with another twenty-six smaller cages stacked on top.
Gao Peiyao sat cross-legged at the bow, piloting the spirit boat, making it soar swiftly through the clouds.
Chen Jianghe, Jiang Ruxu, and Zhuang Xinyan were squeezed into a cramped space, practically pressed against one another.
The Spirit Serpent Boat was small to begin with, and now it was loaded with so many spirit turtles.
It was already quite impressive that it could still accommodate the four of them.
These spirit turtles were cultivation resources Chen Jianghe had meticulously raised; he couldn't leave them behind at Clearwater Cove no matter what.
Although he still had five Second Revolution Spirit Nurturing Pills, these spirit turtles were all on the verge of breaking through to the late-first-tier.
They were the primary resources for him to construct the barrier of his soul sea.
He could fully utilize the Mystic Turtle Soul Armor from the forty-six spirit turtles to break through to the sixth level of the *Soul Sea Essence Solidification Scripture*.
The five Second Revolution Spirit Nurturing Pills were meant for cultivating the sixth level of the *Soul Sea Essence Solidification Scripture*.
"Brother Chen, we should buy a spirit boat in the future. It's so fast and very useful."
Zhuang Xinyan sent a voice transmission to Chen Jianghe.
Whether it was the exterior or the interior of the Spirit Serpent Boat... well, the interior was impossible to see for now, filled with spirit turtle cages, but the exterior was truly beautiful.
Coupled with its high practicality,
both Zhuang Xinyan and Jiang Ruxu were quite tempted. They had plenty of spirit stones, and if the opportunity arose, they could genuinely consider buying a spirit boat.
"That's a possibility, but we'll need to wait for the right opportunity to buy one."
Chen Jianghe replied via voice transmission.
Spirit boats were a rarity in the Tiannan Domain; even the direct descendants of top-tier immortal clans didn't possess them.
This spoke to their preciousness.
When Gao Peiyao had won the Spirit Serpent Boat at auction, it was a damaged flying vessel. Later, by a stroke of luck, she acquired Cloud Essence Stone, which allowed her to restore it.
However, this had led her to offend the Lu Clan.
She was identified as the murderer of Lu Qingming and believed to possess the second-tier puppet inheritance that was the foundation of the Lu Clan.
In truth, Gao Peiyao had seen through the Cloud Essence Stone as bait dangled by the Lu Clan, but so what?
The Cloud Essence Stone was useful to her; it could repair her spirit boat.
As for the Lu Clan's misunderstanding, she paid it no mind. A mere vassal clan of the Tiannan Sect wouldn't dare send a Core Formation expert after her.
As long as it wasn't a Core Formation expert, Gao Peiyao feared no one.
A hundred breaths later.
The Spirit Serpent Boat flew out of the Immortal Gate Market City's territory, heading southwest at a speed so great that even Chen Jianghe, flying on his sword with all his might, couldn't match it.
It was almost as fast as Xiao Hei using the *Profound Earth Rock-Splitting Escape*.
For Xiao Hei to use the *Profound Earth Rock-Splitting Escape*, he needed to cast a spell, but the Spirit Serpent Boat only required spirit stones and steering.
Gao Peiyao wasn't stingy with her spirit stones, so this time, she was powering the boat with mid-grade spirit stones.
At full speed, it was even a sliver faster than the sword flight of an ordinary False Core rogue cultivator.
However, it was currently slightly slower than a False Core rogue cultivator.
The Spirit Serpent Boat was carrying too much cargo; cages of spirit turtles hung all around its hull, and the interior was also filled with them.
Being faster than a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator on their sword was already very impressive.
"Brother Jianghe, we've left the territory of Immortal Gate Market City. We need to be more careful."
Gao Peiyao sent a voice transmission, reminding Chen Jianghe to remain vigilant.
Although Immortal Gate Market City was in decline, the Tiannan Sect had not yet moved north, so no rogue marauders or demonic cultivators dared to act recklessly.
But now that they had entered the territory of Feng Kingdom, it was uncertain if there would be danger.
Although Feng Kingdom was doing its utmost to deal with rogue marauders and demonic cultivators, it was always right to be cautious.
"Mm, I understand."
Chen Jianghe acknowledged.
He had been in a state of high alert all along, afraid of encountering any danger.
If they were just ordinary rogue cultivators, it wouldn't be a big deal.
According to Ruan Tieniu's letter, Feng Kingdom was very safe now; even rogue cultivators dared to travel alone between the major prefectures.
Rogue marauders were no longer an organized force.
Those with strongholds had all been wiped out by Feng Kingdom.
The same went for demonic cultivators.
But he was no ordinary rogue cultivator. He was a Talisman Grandmaster, and with him was an Alchemy Grandmaster.
It was easy to attract the prying eyes of rogue marauders.
An hour later, the Spirit Serpent Boat entered the territory of Xichuan Prefecture.
The Spirit Serpent Boat flew swiftly above the clouds. Shortly after entering Xichuan Prefecture, it passed over Duobao Market City.
Ruan Tieniu was in Duobao Market City.
After its expansion, Duobao Market City had become the capital of Xichuan Prefecture; it could no longer be called a mere market city.
It covered a vast area. If not for the large population of mortals,
it could have been called Duobao Immortal City.
Another two hours passed.
They had now entered the heartland of the Western Territory. Activating his Dharma Eye, he peered through the mist and clouds, looking down from the Spirit Serpent Boat.
He could see vast, interconnected swamps.
But a thousand li later, the landscape changed to vast, desolate deserts.
Within this vast, desolate desert, there was an oasis, likely a market city established by cultivators.
After passing through this desert region, they immediately entered an area of continuous mountain ranges.
"The terrain of the Western Territory is so varied. Swamps, deserts, and mountains, all within a journey of ten thousand li."
Chen Jianghe sighed inwardly.
A little over an hour passed.
The Spirit Serpent Boat once again entered a continuous mountainous region.
"Brother Jianghe, we're almost there."
Gao Peiyao turned her head and said, "The Spirit Serpent Boat has entered the Muyun Mountain Range. We'll be at Muyun Market City soon."
"Peiyao, thank you."
Chen Jianghe clasped his hands in thanks.
The distance between Immortal Gate Market City and Muyun Market City was sixty thousand li. If he, Jiang Ruxu, and Zhuang Xinyan were to fly slowly,
it would likely take them several days.
But traveling on Gao Peiyao's Spirit Serpent Boat took just a little over seven hours, which was incredibly fast.
Even if any rogue marauders had targeted them, before they could even react, their quarry would already be a hundred li away.
Fast and safe.
The idea of owning a spirit boat took root in Chen Jianghe's mind.
"I'll have to find a way to buy a spirit boat in the future. It's not just about the speed; it's mainly about the safety."
Another short while passed.
The Spirit Serpent Boat came to a stop above a cluster of mountains.
Looking down, he could see buildings nestled in the valley between the mountains, below the clouds.
This was Muyun Market City, a market built within a mountain valley.
Standing on the Spirit Serpent Boat and looking west, beyond a few mountain peaks, was an endless expanse of turquoise water that met the sky.
The turquoise water stretched to the heavens, the sea and sky merging into one color.
To the west of the Muyun Mountains lay the vast and boundless Starfall Sea.
Thus, Muyun Market City was home to many 'spirit thieves'—cultivators who ventured deep into the Starfall Sea to steal spiritual items guarded by demonic beasts.
"Brother Jianghe, if you plan to stay long-term, you can rent a cave residence in the Muyun Mountain Range. It's quite convenient, similar to Thousand Mountains Market City."
Gao Peiyao glanced at Chen Jianghe, then at Jiang Ruxu and Zhuang Xinyan, and spoke.
"Mm, I'll enter Muyun Market City first and decide after looking around," Chen Jianghe said.
"I won't be going into Muyun Market City."
Gao Peiyao took out a storage pouch and handed it to Chen Jianghe without saying what was inside.
But Chen Jianghe had already guessed.
A sweep of his spiritual sense confirmed his suspicion: it was indeed a talisman treasure, a fire-attribute offensive one.
After accepting the storage pouch, Chen Jianghe took out five Purple Lightning Cloud-Piercing Talismans and fifteen Yimu Soul-Binding Talismans and gave them to Gao Peiyao.
Their talisman transaction was thus complete.
Gao Peiyao had given him fifty sets of top-grade second-tier talisman materials, with ten sets and a talisman treasure as payment.
In return, Chen Jianghe would draw forty top-grade second-tier talismans for her.
"Brother Jianghe, you can go find a place in Muyun Market City first. I'll wait for you on the Spirit Serpent Boat for a while."
Gao Peiyao accepted the talismans and said to Chen Jianghe.
"Thank you."
Chen Jianghe nodded, then led Zhuang Xinyan and Jiang Ruxu off the spirit boat, heading towards Muyun Market City to find a place to stay.
There were still forty-six cages on the Spirit Serpent Boat.
He couldn't possibly carry the cages into Muyun Market City and attract attention.
The terrain of Muyun Market City was quite complex. Fortunately, flying was not prohibited in the city; otherwise, getting around would be very inconvenient.
The valleys formed by eighteen intersecting mountain peaks served as the eighteen main streets of Muyun Market City, with some narrow alleyways as well.
Within these valleys were rows of irregularly shaped buildings, including trapezoidal pavilions and triangular towers.
Only spirit craftsmen and spirit architects could have built them. If it were mortals, constructing such complex and irregular buildings in these valleys would have been nearly impossible.
Because it was spread across numerous valleys, Muyun Market City appeared very large, several times bigger than Immortal Gate Market City.
It was slightly smaller than Thousand Mountains Market City, however.
After all, Thousand Mountains Market City was built atop mountain peaks, the exact opposite of Muyun Market City.
Entering the market city,
one could see many cultivators flying about. Cultivators came and went from the various buildings, creating a bustling scene.
In the past, the first place to look for upon entering a market city was the Hundred Treasures Pavilion. But things were different now. South of the Heaven-Connecting River, the first stop was the Treasure Pavilion.
The Treasure Pavilion of Muyun Market City was a massive seven-story tower, situated at the intersection of the eighteen valleys.
It was also the lowest point in terms of elevation.
If there were a flood, this place would definitely be the first to be submerged. However, floods were not a terrifying prospect for cultivators.
With Chen Jianghe's current cultivation level, he could flood Muyun Market City himself.
By casting the Minor Cloud and Rain Art, he could create a downpour over a ten-li radius. The rain cloud might be small, but with his profound magical power, he could sustain a torrential storm indefinitely.
Near the Treasure Pavilion, he found a guide and decided to first head to a real estate agency to find a place to stay.
Gao Peiyao was still waiting above, and he couldn't delay her for too long.
They arrived at the real estate agency.
He discovered that the residences here were completely different from those in other market cities.
The habitable buildings seen in Muyun Market City were actually inns, restaurants, or shops for the hundred arts of cultivation.
The actual living quarters were inside mountain caves.
There were many cave residences within the eighteen mountain peaks; it seemed the mountains had been hollowed out by the Ji Clan back in the day.
From the outside, these cave residences appeared as mere cave entrances, seven chi wide and one zhang high, but upon entering, one would discover a whole new world within.
The space inside the cave residences was vast.
The cave residences rented by Foundation Establishment cultivators were typically about one mu in size, with all the necessary facilities.
All sorts of formations were also included.
"You two take a look."
Chen Jianghe handed the brochures of the Muyun Mountain Range's cave residences to Zhuang Xinyan and Jiang Ruxu, letting them decide which one to rent.
Both women smiled, took the brochures, and began to look through them seriously.
Before long, the two had gone through eighteen brochures and selected three cave residences for Chen Jianghe to review.
"Brother Chen, what do you think of these three?" Zhuang Xinyan asked in her gentle voice, looking at Chen Jianghe.
He looked at the illustration of the cave residence Zhuang Xinyan was pointing to with her slender finger.
He took in all the information provided.
This cave residence was not small; the interior space was ten mu, and the formations within were all top-grade second-tier.
It was much better than both Golden Ao Mountain in Thousand Mountains Market City and Clearwater Cove in Immortal Gate Market City.
The formations at the Clearwater Cove villa were low-grade second-tier, arranged with the help of Liu Zhiyi, whom Gao Peiyao had asked after being paid three Origin Spirit Pills.
At Golden Ao Mountain, only the defensive formation was top-grade second-tier; the rest were low-grade.
The second cave residence was even larger, spanning thirteen mu.
However, not much could be discerned from the brochure.
Muyun Market City was great in every way, except that it lacked the mirror formations of Thousand Mountains Market City, which could project images of the available residences in the mountains.
"Take us to see these three cave residences."
Chen Jianghe said.
"Of course. This way, Seniors."
The female receptionist from the agency spoke respectfully. When she saw the guide was about to follow, she frowned.
"You wait here."
The guide stopped in his tracks and didn't follow.
He was only a third-level Qi Refining cultivator; he certainly didn't dare to offend a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator from the real estate agency.
"Senior, which one shall we see first?"
As they left the agency, the beautifully dressed female cultivator asked respectfully.
"The Smoky Haze Cave Residence."
"Very well."
Before long, under the female cultivator's guidance, they arrived at the Smoky Haze Cave Residence. It was located in the mountain peak closest to the Treasure Pavilion.
The residence was situated at the base of the mountain. The entrance was one zhang and two chi wide and three zhang and three chi high, with a door of greenish-red copper.
It was forged from Refined Bronze and Blood-Red Refined Copper.
Both were low-grade second-tier spirit materials.
She activated the formation and they stepped inside. It instantly felt like they had entered another world. The space was twelve mu in area and thirty-three zhang high, filled with dozens of unique landscapes and an elegant environment.
Within a courtyard, there were all sorts of facilities: a smithy, an alchemy room, a training chamber, and a talisman-drawing room.
And there were two sets of each.
This meant that while Jiang Ruxu was refining pills, Chen Jianghe could use the other alchemy room to do the same.
"Senior, the Smoky Haze Cave Residence is the finest in our Muyun Market City. The environment is refined, the layout is excellent, and it is perfectly suited for you and your two wives to live in."
Hearing the female cultivator's words, both Zhuang Xinyan and Jiang Ruxu blushed and cast a subtle glance at Chen Jianghe.
"Brother Chen, let's take this one."
"It's a bit expensive, isn't it!"
Chen Jianghe had also taken a liking to the Smoky Haze Cave Residence.
He figured the other two residences were probably similar, so there was no need to see them.
The cave residence was excellent. It had isolation formations and duplicate facilities. For Chen Jianghe, the Smoky Haze Cave Residence was quite ideal.
He could let Xiao Hei and Latiao out to cultivate, and he could also raise the spirit turtles.
The only issue was the rather high price.
It cost three thousand spirit stones a year.
There were no spirit fields or streams here, no way to generate any income.
The main advantage was that the formations were top-grade second-tier.
Stronger defense, better privacy, and a more beautiful environment.
"Let's take this one, then!"
Jiang Ruxu said, looking at the female cultivator from the agency.
Chen Jianghe had only said it was a bit expensive, which clearly meant he wasn't against it. So, Jiang Ruxu naturally felt she could make the final decision.
To her, three thousand spirit stones a year really wasn't much.
She didn't know exactly how many spirit stones she had—Zhuang Xinyan managed them all—but she knew it was a lot.
Even if they had no further income, they could live here for a hundred years without any problem.
Chen Jianghe nodded.
With his current status and cultivation, earning three thousand spirit stones was incredibly simple. Besides, the two women were not ordinary rogue cultivators either.
It was only right that they live a little better.
Squeezing into a row of caves halfway up the mountain with everyone else really didn't suit their status.
A Talisman Grandmaster, an Alchemy Grandmaster, and a future Puppet Grandmaster.
They couldn't afford to lose face.
Most importantly, Chen Jianghe needed a residence with strong privacy and ample space.
Twelve mu in area and thirty-three zhang high.
There would be no problem planting the Dragon Pattern Red Pine, and even less of a problem raising the spirit turtles.
After returning to the real estate agency, they paid thirty thousand spirit stones and registered for a ten-year lease.
Zhuang Xinyan paid the thirty thousand spirit stones.
It wasn't that Chen Jianghe didn't want to pay; his spirit stone reserves had hit rock bottom again. Buying two thousand catties of giant python spirit blood from Gao Peiyao had cost him a hundred thousand spirit stones.
He now only had twenty-one thousand three hundred spirit stones on him.
He could afford to pay for seven years.
But there was no need to quibble over thirty thousand spirit stones; it was the same no matter who paid.
Afterward, Chen Jianghe had the cultivators from the agency help deliver all the spirit turtles to the Smoky Haze Cave Residence.
"Brother Jianghe, when the unknown mystic realm opens, I'll come get you."
"Alright. Thank you for escorting us, Peiyao."
"Then this little sister will take her leave."
"Take care."
Gao Peiyao's Spirit Serpent Boat cut through the clouds, not flying towards the Tiannan Sect, but continuing west.
Further west lay the vast and boundless Starfall Sea.
What was Gao Peiyao going there for?
Chen Jianghe was puzzled, but he didn't yet know the situation in the Starfall Sea west of the Muyun Mountains.
He didn't dare to venture there rashly.
He would wait until he was more familiar with the area.
Returning to the Smoky Haze Cave Residence, he first used a formation plate to alter the layout, isolating the area for raising the spirit turtles.
As for the living quarters and such, he left them unchanged.
Arriving at the spirit turtle area, Chen Jianghe took the Dragon Pattern Red Pine out of his spirit plant pouch and then released Xiao Hei, Maoqiu, and Latiao.
"The spiritual energy here is quite rich. It's almost on par with Golden Ao Mountain."
After coming out, Xiao Hei sensed the richness of the spiritual energy and couldn't help but feel nostalgic for his days of farming on Golden Ao Mountain.
Maoqiu and Latiao also felt a bit nostalgic.
It was on Golden Ao Mountain that Maoqiu became an advanced spirit farmer, cultivating Immortal Crystal Rice.
Latiao had also hatched on Golden Ao Mountain.
He had led the earthwyrms in tilling the spirit fields.
The days were hard, and the soil was bitter, but they were filled with motivation and drive.
Now, every day was either cultivating or sleeping, which made Latiao feel like a good-for-nothing.
In fact, Maoqiu felt the same way.
Although he had started learning the way of talismans, he couldn't concentrate, and his talisman-drawing skills were stuck at the bottleneck just before becoming a mid-grade Talisman Master.
This made him very frustrated.
"Lord Turtle, I'm so useless."
"Lord Turtle, I'm even more useless."
"???"
Xiao Hei looked at Maoqiu and Latiao in confusion, not understanding what the two of them were talking about.
"If only there were spirit fields here," Latiao said. "I could lead the earthwyrms to till the soil again, and Brother Qiu could grow Immortal Crystal Rice. We could even earn some spirit stones for Master."
"Exactly, exactly! I feel like drawing talismans is not as good as farming," Maoqiu chimed in.
Latiao and Maoqiu complained in unison.
Hearing this, Xiao Hei was stunned for a moment, then he too began to complain.
"Yeah! It would be great if we could go back to Mirror Moon Lake. You two don't know, Mirror Moon Lake is huge! I could raise so many fish."
"Wait, we *can* go back to Mirror Moon Lake!"
Xiao Hei suddenly looked at Chen Jianghe, bared his teeth, and sent a voice transmission: "Two-Legged Beast, why don't we go back to Mirror Moon Lake?"
"Lord Turtle has now achieved immortality! I'd like to see who dares to make turtle soup now! Lord Turtle will roast them and eat them like blood sacrifices!"
Hearing Xiao Hei's words, Chen Jianghe was taken aback for a moment, then he recalled what he had told Xiao Hei back then.
To stop Xiao Hei from constantly thinking about returning to Mirror Moon Lake,
he had woven a white lie about being hunted by a Foundation Establishment Ancestor who wanted to kill him and make turtle soup.
After Xiao Hei broke through to the mid-second-tier, he had started thinking about returning to Mirror Moon Lake again.
So, the legendary 'Foundation Establishment Ancestor' was conveniently upgraded to the late-Foundation Establishment stage.
But now, Xiao Hei had reached the peak of the second tier. Even if he lay there motionless and let a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator attack him, he wouldn't be hurt in the slightest.
Therefore, the thought of returning to Mirror Moon Lake had resurfaced in Xiao Hei's mind.
"Nearly fifty years have passed. You've broken through to the peak of the second tier, but that person has long since reached Core Formation. You'd just be serving yourself up on a platter. When you and I become immortals in the future, I'll conquer the entire Starfall Sea for you and let you raise your fish."
"Master, what about me? What about me?"
"I'll give you the entire Tiannan Domain to farm."
"And me, and me!"
"You... can till all the soil in the Tiannan Domain."
Looking at Xiao Hei, Maoqiu, and Latiao, all full of hope for the future, Chen Jianghe quietly slipped out of the isolation formation.
Just as he returned to the courtyard, he overheard the two women's private conversation.
"Senior Sister, look! Brother Chen isn't living separately from us this time. Hehe, aren't you happy?"
"I think you're the happier one."
"Of course I am! I'm not as reserved and shy as you, Senior Sister. If I'm happy, I'm happy! Pfft~"
Jiang Ruxu's lively eyes darted around, and she made a funny face at Zhuang Xinyan.
"Senior Sister, I want to move again."
"Huh? We just moved to Muyun Market City. Why are you already thinking about moving?"
"Senior Sister, think about it. The first time we moved, back on Qiyun Mountain, weren't we separated from Brother Chen by just a single wall?"
"Then when we got to Golden Ao Mountain, it was still a wall separating us, but our relationship became closer. We weren't his juniors anymore, hmph~"
"After that, at Immortal Gate Market City, we were in the east and west courtyards. And now, here in Muyun Market City, we're living together."
Jiang Ruxu's mischievous eyes twinkled. Seeing Zhuang Xinyan listening so intently, she silently moved behind her.
"If we move one more time, we won't have to wait several decades for you to share a room with Brother Chen, Senior Sister."
With that, Jiang Ruxu hugged Zhuang Xinyan from behind, her slender hands dropping down as she blew a puff of warm air into her ear.
Zhuang Xinyan shuddered, her face flushing red.
"You wretched girl! How dare you tease me!"
Zhuang Xinyan cried out in embarrassed anger, spinning around and swatting Jiang Ruxu's perky bottom. "Teasing your Senior Sister, are you? See if I don't give you a spanking!"
"I'm not! You're just afraid to admit what you're thinking, Senior Sister. Hmph... I'm brave enough to think it and say it! Hehe..."