Chapter 145: Great Xuan Town

Coincidentally, the voice of Jue suddenly sounded: "Inside the Rivers and Mountains Bottle, your Seven Treasures Immortal Gourd seems to be stirring. Hurry up and take it out to have a look!"

Jiang Feng immediately complied. As soon as the glowing Seven Treasures Immortal Gourd was in his hand, he felt a continuous stream of power flowing from it into his body. Now that his cultivation and spiritual state had improved to a certain extent, he naturally wielded this magical treasure with even greater ease, pointing it as smoothly as his own arm.

"The third ability!" Feeling the power within the Seven Treasures Immortal Gourd, Jiang Feng was overjoyed. He realized that this truly was a blessing in disguise; just as he had been forced to choose to flee, he suddenly discovered that he was now able to unleash the third ability of the Seven Treasures Immortal Gourd.

What delighted him even more was that this ability was actually related to flight!

Lightning Bolt! That was the name of this ability. With just a brief mental scan, Jiang Feng understood the benefits of this power. Once activated, he would be able to traverse this Samsara Sea in the shortest possible time!

~

Over the boundless grasslands, numerous rivers meandered like jade ribbons. Viewed from high above, the scenery was unimaginably beautiful. Countless grassland tribes, races, and empires lived and multiplied here, nurturing an untold number of civilizations. Some ruins and remnants of divine statues represented the peak of the grassland civilization, evoking a sense of great antiquity, grandeur, and vastness.

However, Jiang Feng had no mood whatsoever to appreciate any of this. He quietly descended from the sky, his entire body enveloped in a purplish-red halo, skimming close to the ground. His aura seemed to merge completely with the earth, so that no one could detect the slightest anomaly.

This purplish-red halo was the ability of the Seven Treasures Immortal Gourd—Lightning Bolt. Earlier, when crossing the Samsara Sea, he had been moving too fast to enjoy the beauty of flight. Now that he had finally reached a grassland bordering the sea, his speed had slowed considerably, and his eyes began to wander in all directions.

Some herdsmen, grazing their livestock on the grasslands and trying to put a final layer of fat on their cattle and sheep before the arrival of winter, felt only a light gust of wind carrying dust sweep past them, stirring up withered yellow autumn grass to spin in mid-air. Other than that, they could not catch even a glimpse of Jiang Feng's figure flashing by.

Jiang Feng perfectly integrated his entire body with the earth's primal essence of Wu and Tu, blending with it like milk and water.

His goal was to shake off the sense of danger lingering behind him. Although he knew that behind him there was no one in sight, he still felt as though the Ancestor of Moon Worship was like a ghost trailing him, impossible to shake off no matter what.

At this moment, he placed Duan Xingyun inside the White Emperor's Glazed Tripod, which he then tucked into his newly plundered pouch of treasures. Operating at the absolute maximum speed he could manage, he kept his body pressed close to the earth, flying while simultaneously refining this underworld artifact, which still had four abilities left to develop!

Among all his magical treasures, this Seven Treasures Immortal Gourd was the weakest, because his cultivation had not yet reached the level required to unlock all seven of its abilities. However, once fully unlocked, the power of this gourd would be the greatest, because deep within it resided a mass of chaotic Qi that even Jue could neither clearly define nor fathom. During his flight, Jue had once tried to use underworld soul power to refine this Qi, but it had had no effect whatsoever!

This was the very first time his underworld soul power had failed. How terrifying must a wisp of Qi be if even underworld soul power could not penetrate it? Both he and Jue held high expectations and awaited the outcome with bated breath!

Ever since he began practicing the Yuanchen Soul Refining Art, his cultivation speed had doubled!

Naturally, after his Sea of Consciousness was expanded, the spiritual energy he could use to comprehend the Immortal World's Sacred Tree also increased significantly, faintly reaching twice its previous amount. Jiang Feng's current speed in absorbing primordial Qi was equivalent to two versions of himself at the third stage of the Netherworld Realm cultivating simultaneously.

If nothing went wrong, unlocking all the abilities of the Seven Treasures Immortal Gourd would have required twenty years of continuously absorbing the earth's essence to increase his cultivation; now, it would only take ten years.

However, his goal was far from being limited to this small Seven Treasures Immortal Gourd. The four words "Achieving the Underworld Monarch" constantly drove Jiang Feng forward, inspiring him never to retreat!

Moreover, his current speed of absorbing the world's spiritual energy and converting it into underworld power was also multiplying exponentially.

Previously, the "Immortal World's Sacred Tree" absorbed the world's spiritual energy, and after providing for the basic necessities of his cultivation, it still allowed him to refine the underworld power within the Rivers and Mountains Bottle for about two hours each day. Now, that had increased to four hours!

Those who practiced the Profound Heaven Secret Art undoubtedly possessed an unfathomable and formidable amount of underworld power. However, the pills consumed daily were also many times greater than those needed by ordinary practitioners of underworld power.

If not for the "Immortal World's Sacred Tree" being able to massively draw in the world's spiritual energy, Jiang Feng truly would not have been able to afford the cultivation of such a supreme immortal technique as the "Profound Heaven Secret Art."

Regardless of how many underworld arts within the Profound Heaven Secret Art he had already mastered, ever since his cultivation improved, he realized that this profound art was simply too vast and profound. Even a figure at the level of an Underworld Monarch could derive immense inspiration from it.

"This sense of danger is truly vexing. It has been chasing me for three days and three nights without shaking me off. I must find an opportunity to kill that so-called Ancestor of Moon Worship." While flying, Jiang Feng opened his mouth and spat out a cluster of watery light, as round and smooth as the moon on the fifteenth day of the lunar month—it turned out to be a water mirror. At this moment, a faint black speck appeared on the water mirror, chasing ever closer to him. Knowing that this was the lone commander of the Moon Worship Sword Sect, the Ancestor of Moon Worship, he grew irritated and secretly swore to eliminate this fellow.

This was a minor technique Jiang Feng had mastered after achieving preliminary success in the "Profound Heaven Secret Art." The Thousand-Mile Water Mirror Art could communicate with the moisture in the air within a radius of a thousand miles, detecting various anomalies through a water mirror without letting anyone notice a thing.

The Sea God was the ultimate master of all water sources. If Jiang Feng cultivated this to the ultimate realm, the moisture in the entire world would become his eyes and ears.

By that time, he would be able to summon the Sea God's Dharma Avatar—far different from the low-level summons of the Sea God's phantom that True Person Wanchun had used!

"Jiang Feng, this person harbors secret arts; I'm afraid we can't shake him off easily. However, past this grassland lies Great Xuan Town, the largest town in Eastern Nether. Although the forces of the Langya Chamber of Commerce are present there, they certainly wouldn't dare to act recklessly. If we conceal our tracks just a bit more, shaking him off won't be a difficult task." Jue's voice was transmitted over. "What's even more coincidental is that I took another look at the map we obtained from the Azure Emperor's Glazed Tripod. The location of the Underworld Prison shown on it appears to be right inside this Great Xuan Town."

"Great Xuan Town? Legend has it that Great Xuan Town boasts a massive market where all sorts of rare treasures and precious materials can be purchased. It's thousands upon thousands of times larger than the Central Sea Market of the Samsara Sea. There are even legends that some practitioners of underworld power have dug up fragments of ancient underworld artifacts while treasure hunting there."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Feng was quite eager to see how Great Xuan Town, as the premier town of Eastern Nether, compared to his own Jiuyan Town. "Indeed, the market of Great Xuan Town has many factions entrenched within it. Even experts from the Demonic Path conceal their identities and run businesses there, trading rare treasures for spiritual pills and wondrous medicines. As long as these demonic experts behave themselves, even though the Langya Chamber of Commerce knows about it, they don't drive them away; they merely levy heavy taxes. Every year, relying on the huge market of Great Xuan Town, the Langya Chamber of Commerce earns countless spiritual medicines and materials to support its million disciples." Jue said in a soft tone.

"Hmph, although the Langya Chamber of Commerce raises the banner of slaying demons and eliminating devils, they dare not easily disrupt their own market. Otherwise, their sect's resources would immediately run into trouble. Every day in the vast Eastern Nether Empire, an unknown quantity of medicinal pills circulates, and all these resources transform into taxes that flow into the pockets of the Langya Chamber of Commerce. It's equivalent to both the righteous and demonic paths working for the Langya Chamber of Commerce. No wonder the islands of the Samsara Sea want to open a sea market—the profits are simply too tempting." Jiang Feng secretly calculated whether he should open a market on Samsara Peak, first testing the waters by letting sect disciples conduct internal transactions and then slowly expanding it. However, this thought merely flashed through his mind; his main focus right now was cultivation. Because time was pressing and he only had eight years until his decisive battle with Hua Tiandu, he thought: "Let's go! To Great Xuan Town!"

A gentle breeze, hugging the ground, suddenly accelerated and rushed hundreds of miles away in an instant...........

"Huh? This fellow's flight has become much faster! It seems he is about to enter Great Xuan Town! Great Xuan Town is within the sphere of influence of the Langya Chamber of Commerce; we cannot kick up a huge fuss there." High up in the distant sky, a man wearing a fiery cloud robe and possessing an immortal, ethereal demeanor suddenly shifted his expression, as if sensing something.

"This person is too bizarre. I've been chasing him for three days and three nights without a single moment of rest. He's actually still holding up, and his underworld power hasn't been exhausted. You must know that even with our Golden Core cultivation, we have to absorb underworld stones to replenish our consumption." The Ancestor of Moon Worship shook his head. "This pursuit has cost me quite a few underworld stones. Later on, I'll have to recover the principal with interest from that beast Jiang Feng."

As he spoke—bang! The underworld power inside an underworld stone was completely absorbed, losing its efficacy and turning into powder.

Underworld stones were the finest spiritual stones for replenishing underworld power. Each piece was extremely valuable. In combat, possessing such spiritual stones meant one didn't have to fear running out of underworld power.

However, what Jiang Feng relied on was not underworld stones, but the spiritual energy of the world.

"Since this person possesses a white Netherworld Sacred Treasure, it's not surprising that he has a massive amount of underworld stones. Even setting aside the deep, blood-stained enmity of the Moon Worship Sword Sect, I must kill this person and seize the numerous treasures on him. Still, upon entering Great Xuan Town, I must conceal my identity, bite closely at his heels, and find an opportunity to assassinate him in secret!"

The Ancestor of Moon Worship wore a poker face, but a murderous aura suddenly radiated from his entire body!

By this time, after flying for half a day, Jiang Feng faintly sensed a profound and mighty force in the distance on the horizon, suppressing the earth's primal Qi as if it were an extremely grand and vast structure.

He quickly flew upward and looked into the distance. Right at the edge of the horizon, patches of white appeared. The closer he flew, the more he saw that those patches of white were actually city walls! Those walls were several hundred men tall, all of a pristine white color, without a speck of dust. Inside the city walls, tall buildings rose one after another from the ground.

Looking from afar, the city was densely packed with people, and outside the city, roads extended in all directions.

Even in the sky, people were flying back and forth, descending into the city. This was something impossible to see in any ordinary town. Jiang Feng wanted to see the end of the city, but as far as his eyes could reach, the city seemed to have no end at all—just tall houses standing shoulder to shoulder, wide streets, and palaces stretching for a thousand miles, with countless rivers winding through the city, their blue waves rippling.

Seeing this sight, Jiang Feng's jaw practically dropped. He had never seen such a magnificent city, stretching for thousands of miles.

Jiuyan Town was big enough; as a transportation hub, it was filled with singing and dancing, bustling traffic, shops, and countless long streets bustling with prosperity like a boiling pot of oil. But now, compared to this city spanning who knows how many thousands of miles, it was simply like a shabby little countryside market!

Indeed, just a shabby countryside market—dirty, chaotic, and backward to the extreme!

Even the residence of the Fang family, the premier clan of Jiuyan Town, could not compare to a moderately sized shop inside this city. As for cleanliness and orderliness, it fell far behind.

Not to mention the massive palaces scattered throughout the city.

"Great Xuan Town, as the premier town of Eastern Nether, is truly well-deserved! If other countries were to see this city, I'm afraid they would instantly develop thoughts of submission." While sighing in admiration, Jiang Feng manifested a physical form—not his original appearance, but rather Jue using another of his underworld arts, the "Mirage Qi Art," to transform him into a stern man dressed in black. He gradually descended into the massive city.

Because many practitioners of underworld power were flying back and forth in the sky, it was evident that this grand city did not prohibit flight.

Jiang Feng landed on a wide street within the city. Pedestrians along the roadside parted ways, casting envious gazes at him and whispering among themselves.

"This is an expert of the True Nether Realm, absolutely. I can tell by the aura on his body. It's different from those who rely on magical treasures to fly. When will I ever be able to cultivate to such a level?"

"Where would we get enough medicinal pills to cultivate to the True Nether Realm? Unless we first cultivate to the ninth stage of the Nether Scholar realm and then register at a secular martial arts school within the Langya Chamber of Commerce, there's a chance we might be recruited as outer sect disciples if we're lucky. Only then would we be issued medicinal pills and have hope of cultivating."

"Better think about how to make some money first before buying pills."

"The patrolling soldiers are coming; let's step aside!"

Clack, clack clack clack clack......... A neat rhythm of marching footsteps echoed from the other end of the street. Jiang Feng looked over and saw a squad of a hundred soldiers, all clad in yellow armor, wielding long spears, and exuding powerful strength. Surprisingly, every single one of them was at the seventh stage of the Nether Void Realm—the Inner Strengthening stage.

These were patrolling soldiers.

Every single one of them was a person at the seventh stage of the Nether Void Realm! In other towns, such individuals were already masters capable of holding their own. Even among the four major clans of Jiuyan Town, people of this cultivation level were carefully nurtured descendants. He hadn't expected that here, they merely existed as ordinary soldiers!

Seeing this spectacle, Jue let out a cold snort and said with disdain, "What kind of level is this? Back in the day, in the era when underworld soul power practitioners flourished, all soldiers were underworld soul power practitioners!"

Jiang Feng completely ignored Jue's cold gaze; he knew Jue was simply being jealous!

The Xuanhuang coin was the currency of Great Xuan Town—not gold or silver, but something made of a peculiar metal. Sometimes it was even used as currency throughout Eastern Nether.

However, the hard currencies of Eastern Nether remained medicinal pills, underworld artifacts, and magical garments.

Listening to the chatter of the crowd, Jiang Feng remained indifferent and strolled leisurely down the grand avenues of the city, searching for a shop that sold exotic medicinal herbs.

The common folk were mostly ordinary secular people. The few who claimed Jiang Feng was an expert of the True Nether Realm were at most at the level of Nether Scholars. The reason they said so was because the quality of the underworld power emanating from Jiang Feng's body had already reached the standard of the True Nether Realm!