Seeking Immortality in a Bizarre World-Chapter 558 - 553 Daqian Kingdom, Bizarre Demons Long Endure_1
The figures of a man and a Kylin stumbled and tumbled from the sky.
The Mo Lin’s realm was not stable enough; after three months of Void Wandering and desperate flight, it had already reached its limit.
Just upon entering this unknown world, the Demon Fusion Technique could no longer be maintained, and they reverted to their original separate forms.
"Recall!"
The Heaven and Earth Mountain and Sea Pearl absorbed the exhausted Mo Lin, as Jia Ren flapped the wings on his back, easing the force of his fall from the sky.
Only when his feet touched the soft black earth did he finally breathe a sigh of relief, as if a great burden had been lifted.
Three months of a death chase, with nerves stretched taut, had been utterly exhausting.
The experience of being on the brink of life and death, liable to be consumed by a death storm at any moment, was something he never wanted to endure a second time.
Jia Ren forcibly suppressed the discomfort in his body and spirit, released his Divine Soul, and began to sense the unknown world around him.
Uncertain of his whereabouts, he knew he had to remain vigilant at all times.
He didn’t want to escape a tiger’s den only to fall into a wolf’s lair.
There is nature’s spiritual energy here; thankfully, it’s not a world devoid of spirit.
I don’t sense any Bizarre Demon’s aura. I wonder what kind of place this is and whether any Bizarre Demons exist here.
He had been fleeing in the void for a considerable time and might have long since left the boundaries of the Mysterious Realm.
This place was most likely not the Mysterious Realm nor any of its affiliated Secret Realms. As for where he was, he would have to find out for himself.
Jia Ren attempted to communicate his intent with heaven and earth, hoping to borrow their power to reduce his Spiritual Power consumption, but discovered... he couldn’t manipulate the nature’s spiritual energy in the slightest.
He tried to circulate the Heavenly Treasure Spirit Cultivation Technique to absorb the nature’s spiritual energy.
A bizarre scene unfolded: the nature’s spiritual energy, as if possessing its own consciousness, refused to enter his body.
What was happening?
Jia Ren had lived for many years, yet this was the first time he had encountered nature’s spiritual energy that could not be absorbed into his body.
Such a thing was unheard of!
What kind of strange world was this?
Before he could recover from the shock, he faintly sensed someone approaching. With no time for further thought, he quickly erased his traces and used the Bewildering Spirit Bead to conceal his aura.
His figure merged into a tree, becoming one with it.
This was a Divine Skill obtained from killing an unknown Demon Cultivator, and it possessed a considerable concealment effect.
Two Cultivators dressed in tight, azure clothes and wearing Golden Dragon badges flew over.
They sensed an anomaly in the spiritual energy here and had come bearing an Azure Light Divine Mirror, its surface clearly reflecting everything that had transpired.
Jia Ren and Mo Lin’s figures appeared on it, as if truly present, revealed in minute detail.
"Kylin?!"
Both men locked their gazes on the ink-black Kylin, their faces alight with excitement.
A Divine Beast has appeared! And it’s the auspicious Kylin! If we can bring it back to Daqian, we’ll surely receive a great reward from the ruler.
In the next moment, the Kylin vanished into a pearl that faintly bore the image of mountains and seas.
The two men, realizing the pearl’s extraordinary nature, finally shifted their gazes to its owner.
If we catch this person, we can definitely seize the Kylin!
Before they could glean any more information, the man’s figure twisted and vanished without a trace.
The Azure Light Divine Mirror could not detect even the slightest hint of him.
"He’s gone!"
"We must find this person!"
Jia Ren, silently merged with the tree, observed the two men.
He couldn’t understand their words; there was a language barrier.
However, relying on the power of his Divine Soul, he could roughly comprehend their meaning.
The two exuded an aura of the Divinity Transformation Stage, which suggested that cultivation was possible in this world.
The inability to absorb nature’s spiritual energy might simply be due to using the wrong method.
Otherwise, it would be impossible for anyone to reach the Divinity Transformation Stage.
Perhaps he could learn from these two where this place was and gather more intelligence.
Just as Jia Ren was about to make a move, he sensed something and paused.
A gigantic black crow swooped down, a Void Refining Stage Cultivator standing on its back.
This person was clad in a black robe, their face hidden beneath a black hood, revealing only a pair of deep, dark eyes that resembled an abyss.
"Crow God Cult?!"
Upon seeing the Cultivator riding the black crow, the pair’s expressions changed drastically, and they each drew their Golden Mace Magical Treasures.
Before they could activate their treasures, a cacophony of disruptive cawing echoed, disorienting their minds.
"All Qian Long Guard deserve to die!"
The Cultivator on the crow waved his hand, and countless streams of black qi transformed into a tide of crows, completely engulfing the two men, who stood frozen in place.
After the crow tide passed, not even bones remained.
"Kylin? Interesting!" the black-robed cultivator mused, dispatching a large number of crows to search the area.
Jia Ren hesitated for a moment but decided against action.
This was a Mid-stage of Void Refinement Cultivator with unknown techniques; caution was paramount.
Physically and mentally exhausted, he was far from his peak, retaining at most twenty to thirty percent of his strength. If he couldn’t defeat this Cultivator quickly, a prolonged battle would attract trouble.
There were many ways to learn about this world; there was no need to risk himself.
The optimal plan was to use his Insect External Incarnation to act while his main body recovered within the Heaven and Earth Mountain and Sea Pearl.
Having encountered two Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators and one Void Refining Stage Cultivator, combined with the unusual nature of this world’s spiritual energy, alerted him to the fact that this world was extraordinary.
Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators and Void Refining Stage Cultivators were one thing, but if he attracted Body Integration Realm or Mahayana Stage Cultivators, the trouble would be immense.
The Insect External Incarnation, relying solely on the Bewildering Spirit Bead, had no absolute guarantee of slipping past unnoticed; it was safer for his main body to act.
Jia Ren did not linger, fearing he might attract more trouble.
He cautiously avoided the crows, repeatedly confirming he wasn’t being followed before quietly departing.
Proceeding with extreme caution for dozens of miles, he eventually spotted a small town in the distance.
The town wasn’t large, home to about a thousand ordinary people, none of whom possessed even a hint of Spiritual Power.
Jia Ren disguised himself as a traveling merchant, found a shop, and used the Bewitching Soul Technique to control the owner and gather information.
"What world is this?"
"I only know of the Daqian Kingdom," the shopkeeper replied. "This is Black Bull Town, part of Wuhu City. The Daqian Kingdom was established tens of thousands of years ago and has numerous immortal masters..."
Daqian Kingdom?
Jia Ren thought of the two dead Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators and the Qian Long Guard mentioned by the Crow God Cult cultivator.
A kingdom where Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators serve as mere enforcers? Such a thing is inconceivable in the Mysterious Realm.
There were kingdoms in the Mysterious Realm too, but they were mostly small, ordinary countries, tools used by Sects to control mortals and maintain order.
They only managed mortals, at most supporting a contingent of Low-Order Cultivators as enforcers.
Whether in the Sealed Land or the Mysterious Realm, kingdoms held little significance and certainly didn’t exert much influence over Cultivators.
At least, in Jia Ren’s mind, they barely registered.
The Daqian Kingdom of this world was clearly not weak; the Qian Long Guard actually consisted of Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators.
Too incredible!
Jia Ren recovered from his shock and carefully pondered the unusual aspects.
Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators were considered Earthly Immortals by many, with lifespans of two thousand years, free to roam the world.
For such high-level Cultivators to act as lackeys? No one would willingly do so.
If something is abnormal, there must be a hidden reason!
Why does the Daqian Kingdom wield such formidable control? Could it be related to the nature’s spiritual energy possessing its own ’will’ and refusing to be absorbed? Could the Daqian Kingdom control whether Cultivators can absorb nature’s spiritual energy, meaning one cannot cultivate without the kingdom’s recognition? If so, it would make perfect sense for Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators to serve the Daqian Kingdom.
A torrent of thoughts surged through his mind.
Make bold hypotheses, then carefully seek verification.
The next step was to verify his speculations.
If his assumptions were correct, what kind of treasure could the Daqian Kingdom possess to control the world’s nature’s spiritual energy? It must be an Immortal Treasure, and one of an extremely high grade!
And what exactly is the Crow God Cult? If the Daqian Kingdom truly holds absolute control, there should be no room for other transcendent factions to exist.
Mortals had limited knowledge. Spending their entire lives in Black Bull Town, their perspectives were constrained, making them unable to provide Jia Ren with more useful information.
Jia Ren didn’t linger in Black Bull Town and quickly departed.
He headed towards the much larger Wuhu City.
Wuhu City was far more substantial than Black Bull Town; he could faintly sense dozens of figures exuding Spiritual Power Fluctuations within the city.
Most of these auras were concentrated around individuals holding official positions, such as the County Head and the County Magistrate.
Occasionally, he sensed Spiritual Power Fluctuations from a few wealthy households.
Beyond that, there were Taoist Temples and a place called the Zhenyuan Office.
The Spiritual Power Fluctuations from those in official positions were mostly between the Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment levels. The Taoist Temples were roughly similar, with few Foundation Establishment Cultivators.
Only the Zhenyuan Office concealed the auras of Golden Core Cultivators.
Interesting!
Can one only cultivate by becoming an official?
If only officials affiliated with Daqian could cultivate in this world, possessing absolute strength and ruling power, how could ordinary people possibly resist?
After a moment’s hesitation, Jia Ren still avoided the government offices and entered the residence of a wealthy family from which he sensed Spiritual Power Fluctuations.
He made his way to the room of the wealthy man, who was at the Mid Stage of Qi Cultivation. The man was sitting cross-legged in meditation, a stick of Ning Shen Xiang (Spirit Concentration Incense) burning in the chamber.
The man did not sense Jia Ren’s intrusion. A light application of the Bewitching Soul Technique easily brought him under control.
Unlike methods such as the Soul Searching Technique, which forcibly searches a target’s soul and can cause severe consequences—ranging from imbecility in mild cases to soul disintegration in severe ones—the Bewitching Soul Technique had its limits, effective only on mortals and Low-Order Cultivators.
"What is your identity? How does one cultivate?"
The man answered without reservation, providing a full account.
"My name is Bao Datong. I am a wealthy man in this town, in charge of three gambling houses, two brothels, four restaurants, and a thousand acres of farmland.
"I acquired the qualification to cultivate by spending nearly all my fortune on incense money donations to the Taoist Temple. This allowed me to receive their empowerment, thereby opening the door to cultivation."
Empowerment from a Taoist Temple? Can Taoist Temples also grant the qualification to cultivate?
"Apart from this, are there any other ways to cultivate?" Jia Ren asked, ready to confirm his suspicions.
"The power of the city officials comes from the Qian Country. It is granted by the imperial court, allowing them to become immortal masters.
"There are only two paths to becoming an immortal master: one is to join Daqian and become an official of the imperial court; the second is to enter a Taoist Temple, either by being accepted as a disciple from a young age or by offering a substantial sum for empowerment. Beyond these, there are no other ways."
Jia Ren fell silent, inwardly relieved that he hadn’t transmigrated into Daqian.
Otherwise, merely stepping onto the path of cultivation would have cost who knows how many years, and the restrictions along that path would have been even greater.
"What about the Zhenyuan Office?"
The Zhenyuan Office was the strongest presence he’d sensed; it was undoubtedly significant.
"The Zhenyuan Office is a government agency found in every region of the Daqian Kingdom. It represents the power dispatched by Daqian, specifically responsible for suppressing Bizarre Demons and evil spirits in various locales.
"I almost forgot, joining the Zhenyuan Office also offers a chance to become an immortal master, but very few who join survive even a year."
Bizarre Demons? I’ve already entered another cultivation world, and you’re telling me there are still Bizarre Demons?!
