noffsinger Chapter 77 Tianxing City, Seclusion
Chapter 77 Tianxing City, Seclusion
The moment they stepped out of the Starry Sky Palace, Yuan Yao and Yan Li both gasped, their beautiful eyes filled with shock.
They were not standing on flat ground, but high up, on the fiftieth level of the holy mountain.
Beneath your feet are layers upon layers of blue stone steps and exquisite pavilions, half-hidden by clouds and mist, like a giant dragon winding its way down the black peak, all the way to the enormous circular white stone city at the end of your vision.
The city wall, hundreds of feet high, was built entirely of solid white granite, shimmering with a faint, protective aura against the backdrop of the sea of clouds.
As they subconsciously looked up, a terrifying pressure that sent shivers down their spines suddenly descended!
The mountain above was completely enveloped by an extremely dense layer of colorful light, and several even more magnificent palaces could be vaguely seen hanging behind the light. Thick beams of colorful light shot straight into the sky from the mountaintop, which was the core of the Star Palace City Protection Array.
"Do not use your divine sense to investigate."
Mu Chunfeng waved his hand, creating a protective shield that enveloped the group. His deep voice rang in the two women's ears, carrying a hint of solemnity.
"The area above the fiftieth floor is the core forbidden area of the Star Palace. Apart from the elders of the Star Palace, outsiders are strictly prohibited from flying over or spying on it. The oppressive aura just now was the backlash from the mountain-protecting formation against the divine sense probing."
Yuan Yao and Yan Li turned pale with fright and quickly looked away, no longer daring to overstep their bounds.
Mu Chunfeng remained calm, but a hint of apprehension flashed in his eyes.
In just the brief moment he lingered outside the Starry Sky Palace, he sensed no fewer than three or four powerful divine senses, belonging to the late Core Formation stage or even suspected to be Nascent Soul stage, sweeping past him in the shadows.
Here, Core Formation cultivators seem to be just the starting point; the true power holders are the Star Palace Elders who hide in the clouds and regard all living beings as ants.
"Let's go down the mountain to rent a cave dwelling, and while we're at it, we'll buy you two living rings."
Snow Demon led the way, with Spring Breeze following behind, as they walked step by step down the wide bluestone mountain path.
The sacred mountain has a total of eighty-one floors, and the spiritual energy becomes more concentrated as you go higher.
The upper 50 floors are not open to the public. Among the cave dwellings that are rented out, the 40th floor is the area with the highest spiritual energy, and usually only seniors in the late Core Formation stage or even the Nascent Soul stage will inquire about it.
Mu Chunfeng planned to rent a cave dwelling on the fortieth floor, since the more spiritual energy he had, the better. He wouldn't hesitate to choose a higher cave dwelling because of concerns, since he still had Xue Mo, a Core Formation cultivator, backing him up.
Descending all the way to the foot of the sacred mountain, a magnificent stone palace appears at the edge of the square, with the three ancient characters "Shuwu Hall" hanging above the palace gate.
This is the place where the Star Palace is specifically responsible for leasing out the sacred mountain cave dwellings.
Upon entering the hall, several white jade cabinets are set up on both sides.
Mu Chunfeng walked straight to an empty counter.
Behind the counter, a lean, mid-Foundation Establishment stage steward in Star Palace uniform was idly toying with a jade slip. Seeing a guest arrive, he slightly raised his eyelids, his tone carrying the characteristic arrogance and businesslike manner of a Star Palace disciple:
"Rent a cave dwelling? Let's make this clear first: cave dwellings on the Holy Mountain are rented for a minimum of one hundred years, with no partial rentals. For floors below the thirtieth level, the minimum rent is eight hundred spirit stones per hundred years; for floors thirty-one to thirty-nine, the rent ranges from two thousand to three thousand spirit stones per hundred years. You will receive the token after you pay the spirit stones first."
Mu Chunfeng remained calm, unconcerned about the other party's attitude, and simply said, "I want to rent a cave dwelling with more than forty floors, preferably one with complete facilities and high-level restrictions."
"Above the fortieth floor?"
The steward paused for a moment, looked Mu Chunfeng up and down, and when he saw that Mu Chunfeng was only at the late stage of Foundation Establishment, a hint of disdain flashed in his eyes.
Just then, the Snow Demon strode up to Mu Chunfeng and revealed his early Core Formation stage cultivation.
Upon sensing the Snow Demon's Core Formation stage cultivation, the steward immediately dropped his previous contempt and put on a smiling face: "So it's a senior renting a cave dwelling. The fortieth floor and above, I'll find it right away."
As he spoke, he took out a jade slip and began to search through it carefully with his divine sense.
Before long, he spoke again: "Senior, there are currently two empty rooms on the forty-seventh floor and one on the forty-fifth floor. However, the one on the forty-fifth floor is more complete in terms of its design than the other two. It not only has cultivation rooms, alchemy rooms, weapon forging rooms, but also rooms for cultivating spiritual herbs and spirit beasts."
"Let's take the forty-five-story one," Snow Demon said coldly.
"Okay, senior."
The steward looked at the Snow Demon with a fawning expression, his hands quickly inscribing a silver token: "The rent for this forty-five-story cave for a hundred years is a total of three thousand five hundred spirit stones. Senior, what do you think…?"
Without a word, the Snow Demon casually tossed out a storage bag.
The steward scanned the area with his divine sense, confirming the number of spirit stones was correct, and immediately presented the token with both hands: "This is the restriction token of the cave dwelling. Senior can refine it with a drop of blood. May Senior prosper in the immortal path of Tianxing City!"
"etc."
The Snow Demon didn't immediately put away the token, but instead spoke calmly, "You should be able to process residency rings for Tianxing City here, right?"
The steward was taken aback at first, then his face broke into an undisguised joy.
Unexpectedly, not only did he receive a large order to rent a high-level cave dwelling today, but he also had extra income! He glanced at Mu Chunfeng and the other two behind Xue Mo and saw that their hands were empty and they were not wearing any city entry rings. He immediately understood - they were obviously foreign cultivators who had just arrived through the teleportation array.
Recalling how generous Xue Mo had been when he handed over more than three thousand spirit stones without even blinking, the steward immediately made a calculation: This senior is definitely not short of money, and might just ask for three permanent rings!
He immediately plastered a smile on his face and replied enthusiastically, "Senior is too kind. The General Affairs Hall can certainly handle it. May I ask whether Senior would prefer a 'temporary' or 'permanent' arrangement?"
As he spoke, he deliberately emphasized the word "permanent," his eyes conveying a tacit hint.
"Three permanent ones."
The Snow Demon's voice remained calm. With a wave of his hand, he took out twenty-four mid-grade spirit stones from his storage bag and neatly stacked them on the counter with a soft "snap".
The intense spiritual light instantly illuminated the deacon's ecstatic face.
"Okay!"
He deftly bent down and took out three red rings from under the counter, along with the cave's restriction token, and respectfully handed them to the Snow Demon with both hands.
"Senior, this is the permanent residence ring of Tianxing City. It only requires a drop of blood essence to bind it to its owner. After wearing this ring, the three of you can not only reside permanently in Tianxing City and be protected by the Star Palace City Protection Array, but also freely enter and exit most public areas of the outer and inner cities without having to pay any entry fees."
Snow Demon nodded slightly, casually handed the ring to Mu Chunfeng behind him, and without saying anything more, turned and left with the three of them.
"Thank you for your patronage, senior! If there is any damage to the cave or if any items need to be added, please feel free to come to the General Affairs Hall to give me instructions." The steward bowed and saw him off with a beaming smile.
Half an hour later.
On the forty-fifth level of the sacred mountain, in front of a secluded cave shrouded in a pale silver light.
Mu Chunfeng stopped, took out the silver token, and cast a spell.
With a soft "hum", the silver light screen in front of me rippled like water, revealing a dignified and elegant quiet courtyard.
As the three entered, a gentle breeze immediately caressed their faces, carrying a faint fragrance of grass and trees, which was refreshing and invigorating.
"Such rich spiritual energy..." Yuan Yao couldn't help but take a deep breath, her beautiful eyes filled with amazement.
Mu Chunfeng nodded slightly. Although she felt a little heartache at spending so many spirit stones at once, seeing the cave dwelling made her feel that the three thousand five hundred spirit stones were well spent.
He led the two women through the small courtyard to the end of the courtyard.
Here lies a tightly closed, heavy stone door, the true inner chamber of the cave.
Mu Chunfeng activated the token again, and the stone gate rose upwards with a rumble.
In an instant, a surge of pure spiritual energy, several times more concentrated than that of the courtyard outside, rushed towards them, causing every pore on their body to open up.
Stepping into the spacious and bright hall, Mu Chunfeng looked around and saw that the hall was connected to the alchemy room, the weapon-refining room, and several quiet rooms separated by high-level restrictions on both sides. The completeness of the facilities far exceeded that of ordinary cave dwellings.
"We'll be living here from now on."
Mu Chunfeng stood in the center of the hall, turned to look at the two women, and smiled gently, "You can go to that small courtyard outside to rest and relax. Now, each of you should choose a side room to settle down."
At this point, his expression turned slightly serious: "For a long time to come, I will be in seclusion in the cultivation room, attempting to break through to the Core Formation stage. If you have nothing to do, please try not to disturb me, and also try not to leave the cave. If anything happens, just give the order to Snow Demon."
Upon hearing the words "reaching the Core Formation stage," both Yuan Yao and Yan Li trembled, their beautiful eyes flashing with undisguised excitement and reverence.
"Your humble servant obeys! May you soon achieve the Golden Core, and the path to the Great Dao be within your grasp!"
Mu Chunfeng then gave the two of them some pills for cultivation. After they left to choose a cave, he took out two sets of formations from his storage bag and gave them to Xue Mo, instructing him to place them outside the cave.
Although the cave dwelling comes with a good array, having an extra layer of protection provides extra security.
Afterwards, Mu Chunfeng thoroughly inspected the entire cave dwelling, inside and out, and only after confirming that there were no hidden dangers did he enter the core cultivation room deep in the hall, which was sealed with a heavy stone door.
"Rumble..."
As the stone door slowly closed, it completely shut out all outside sound and light. Mu Chunfeng flicked his fingers, sending several spells into the surrounding stone walls, activating all the isolation restrictions and spirit-gathering arrays within the room.
He walked to the center of the stone chamber and sat down cross-legged on the white jade cushion.
With a flick of his wrist, a fire lotus seed, gleaming with golden light and radiating a rich yang energy, appeared in his palm.
He stared at it for a moment, made up his mind, and swallowed it in one gulp. His hands quickly formed a profound hand seal, and the spiritual power in his body surged out like a raging sea.
The retreat has officially begun!