Chapter 863

Chapter 863: Exploration (Part 2)

The Qianxing Immortal City spanned a radius of about ten thousand miles, filled with towering mountains and deep ravines, mostly covered by lush and verdant primitive forests, creating a breathtaking natural landscape.

However, deep within the mountains often lurked great beasts and beast kings, along with unpredictable Evil Spirits; even Nascent Soul true immortals would not dare to venture alone for fear of facing death.

Wang Chen understood the dangers well, so he proceeded with great caution during his exploration.

After some searching, he did not encounter any great beasts or beast kings, but he saw quite a few magical beasts, mostly at the level of transformed beasts and spirit beasts, which posed no threat to him at all.

Of course, the materials from magical beasts could be sold for spirit stones, but Wang Chen’s standards had risen significantly; trifling materials were not worth his urgent efforts. He preferred to gather more information about the surrounding area first.

In fact, compared to magical beasts, Wang Chen was more eager to discover high-quality mineral deposits.

For example, fine gold mines, purple copper mines, spirit stone mines, and so on.

At the very least, a mysterious iron ore mine would do.

A large mine could yield profits in the millions or even hundreds of millions, more than enough to fill ten teleportation arrays!

Unfortunately, mining is a task that requires specialized skills; discovering mineral veins hidden underground involves a lot of knowledge and rich experience.

Although Wang Chen had read some related books and knew methods for identifying minerals, he had not struck lucky and found nothing after three days of searching, which made him give up that line of thought.

However, on the fourth day, Wang Chen made an unexpected discovery: a small immortal city!

This immortal city was nestled within a canyon surrounded by mountains, covered by towering trees. If he hadn’t seen streams of escaping lights, it would have been difficult to notice.

After searching for three days, Wang Chen felt somewhat weary and was glad to find a place to rest.

He wanted to see if there were any business opportunities in the city.

The situation in Qianxing Immortal City was quite complex; for the time being, Wang Chen did not plan to return to avoid being entangled with the Wang family again.

Discovering this immortal city would make it much easier for him to pursue any future endeavors.

Wang Chen landed about ten miles outside the city.

In a secluded area with no one around, he donned the Thousand Transformations technique to change his appearance and suppressed his aura to the peak Purple Palace level.

The immortal city ahead was only the size of a county; the ranks of the cultivators inside would not be very high, and there probably weren’t many Golden Core cultivators. If Wang Chen entered in his true form, it might attract trouble.

By keeping his cultivation at the peak Purple Palace level, he would neither draw attention nor be underestimated, striking just the right balance.

He also changed into a hunter’s outfit.

Following the long stone path, Wang Chen quickly reached the city gate.

The immortal city had only one entrance, backed by a steep cliff, while towering mountains rose on both sides, located at the end of a great canyon, or could also be seen as its starting point.

The geographical environment was quite unique.

Buried deep in the canyon, most of the city was shrouded in lightly mist and did not receive sunlight, resembling a paradise.

Nevertheless, it was still quite lively.

As Wang Chen walked through, he saw spirit fields and farms on both sides, planted with a large quantity of rice, as well as some orchards and medicinal gardens.

At the city gate, Wang Chen looked up and saw the golden characters "Ling You" etched into the wall above.

Ling You City?

Wang Chen searched his memory but found no relevant information.

In fact, within the ten-thousand-mile radius governed by Qianxing Immortal City, small immortal cities like this were abundant.

Most of these "yellow" level immortal cities submitted to Qianxing Immortal City, regularly offering vast resources in exchange for protection.

For instance, if they were attacked by powerful demons or evil spirits, they could seek aid from Qianxing Immortal City.

There were also small immortal cities established by loose cultivators; although they acknowledged Qianxing Immortal City as their sovereign, they were not always obedient.

Additionally, there were towns controlled by bandits.

However, Ling You City was clearly superior to those towns; it was built against the mountains with an imposing presence and was protected by formations.

A brass mirror was prominently hung above the city gate, and everyone entering the city had to be scanned to ensure they posed no threat before being allowed in!

After being verified and paying a spirit fragment as the entry fee, Wang Chen entered Ling You City.

The layout of this immortal city was quite impressive; the houses and buildings were arranged in an orderly fashion, with the main street and narrow alleys intersecting, the ground clean and well-maintained, and many trees and flowers planted throughout.

There were numerous shops along the streets, displaying various colorful signs, and some attendants stood at the door, calling out to attract customers.

Wang Chen chose a busy inn and walked in. As soon as he sat down, an attendant approached him: "Esteemed guest, may I ask what you would like to eat?"

Wang Chen replied, "First, bring me a pot of spiritual wine, and then serve me two of your signature dishes."

After forming his Golden Core, he could go months without eating or drinking, or simply survive on yellow essence and ganoderma.

Eating ordinary spirit dishes was of little benefit.

However, Wang Chen still enjoyed delicious food and did not suppress or neglect his desire in this regard.

The memories from his past life remained forever imprinted in his soul!

"Certainly!"

The inn attendant replied cheerfully, "Then I’ll bring you a pot of our homemade Hundred Flowers Drunk, along with a roasted spirit lamb leg and a carp from the dark river. What do you think?"

"The price is a bit high, but I guarantee it’s worth every spirit stone!"

He dealt with customers daily, having honed his sharp perception for identifying them.

Although Wang Chen’s attire was quite ordinary, the aura he exuded was enough to prevent anyone from underestimating him.

He was definitely someone who could afford spirit stones!

Wang Chen showed no concern: "Good!"

The attendant quickly delivered a pot of spiritual wine to him.

Wang Chen held the pot and poured himself a cup, noticing the wine had a golden amber color, with a rich aroma filled with spiritual energy.

Oh?

This Hundred Flowers Drunk was quite interesting.

Wang Chen raised his goblet and drank it all in one go. After savoring it for a moment, he couldn’t help but nod: "Not bad."

The wine was not of a very high grade, but its flavor was excellent, with an intoxicating aroma of flowers that was delightful.

Wang Chen took another sip and surprisingly tasted something different.

At that moment, he suddenly sensed something unusual.

Turning his head, he saw an old cultivator with white hair standing outside the inn, staring intently at the Hundred Flowers Drunk on Wang Chen’s table, a look of extreme greed on his face.

When their eyes met, the old cultivator immediately displayed an awkward expression.

"You again!"

The inn attendant also noticed the man and hurried over to chase him away: "Go on, don’t block the doorway and affect our business!"

The old cultivator retreated sheepishly, but his eyes kept glancing toward Wang Chen.

Seeing this, Wang Chen smiled and called the attendant: "Give that elderly gentleman a pot of Hundred Flowers Drunk. Put it on my tab."

The attendant was startled and hesitated: "Esteemed guest, one pot of Hundred Flowers Drunk costs ten Intermediate Spirits."

The price was indeed not cheap.

Wang Chen couldn’t be bothered with small talk and directly tossed out thirty Intermediate Spirits: "Just add it all together."