An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

Chapter 896: Dragon Abyss Immortal City; Assessment Task (I)

But there was no mistake. This ruined city before them was indeed the renowned Dragon Abyss Immortal City.

When the Primordial Devil Sect still stood, it was one of the most important and prosperous cities under its control. In those days, high-tier cultivators came and went in droves, and powerful experts were as numerous as flood dragons hidden in the abyss.

Its fall traced back to the great war.

After the fall of the Primordial Devil Sect, Blood Hermit was the first to act. He personally went to Dragon Abyss and slew a Sage stationed there. That battle was brief but devastating. Nearly half of the city was reduced to ruins. Over the following century, cultivators of the Myriad Immortal Society carried out repairs bit by bit. This ceaseless effort restored the city... and, at the same time, resulted in a suboptimal outcome. After all, rogue cultivators worked without overall planning. They repaired what needed immediate fixing and moved on. They did not build with the long-term vision of great sects, and neither did they take into consideration the greater picture. A city of this scale required a fourth-tier formation grandmaster to oversee full reconstruction, yet such a figure was nowhere to be found.

Many rogue cultivators were skilled in various arts, but experts in formations were rare, and a fourth-tier formation master was unlikely to even exist in the Northern Sea right now. In addition, the Three Hermits who led the Myriad Immortal Society rarely managed its affairs. They came and went randomly, with only Moon Hermit showing up regularly. Because of this, the so-called main city of the Myriad Immortal Society had become the rather unremarkable place it was today.

”Adept, do not worry. Dragon Abyss City might look a bit rundown from the outside, but it has got everything within. All the facilities are there,” Zhang Jiadi reassured him.

Luo Chen glanced around, taking in the busy streets and rows of unfamiliar shops. At a closer look, he felt a little more at ease. Things were not quite as bad as they seemed.

”As for cultivation lands... Well, the spirit veins here were destroyed during a battle between the Sages. They did try to repair them afterward, but only one fourth-tier cave residence was restored. The rest of the spirit energy just spread out across the city, forming scattered second-tier cave residences.”

Luo Chen frowned. ”Then how are Adepts supposed to cultivate?”

Zhang Jiadi was entirely unfazed by this pointed question. He simply raised his finger to point toward the distance. Luo Chen followed his gesture and looked up. Beyond the tall city walls, he could see a mountain range with its peaks rising and falling on the horizon. ”What’s there?”

”The Hidden Dragon Mountain Range!” Zhang Jiadi said with a hint of envy. ”That used to be one of the Primordial Devil Sect’s branches. There are several fourth-tier spirit veins running through the mountains. It is truly a proper spirit land. Most high-tier rogue cultivators in the society and demon hunters at three stars or above choose to cultivate there.”

Hearing this, Luo Chen finally breathed a sigh of relief. After all, this was one of the major forces of the Northern Sea. If it did not even possess its own cultivation land for cultivators of every realm, that would have been simply disgraceful. But how incredible must have been the Primordial Devil Sect, then? The Hidden Dragon Mountain Range sported multiple fourth-tier spirit veins, and it was merely an outer branch! Had this been in the Eastern Wilderness, it would have drawn fierce competition from the upper sects!

Luo Chen could only sigh. A Holy Land truly possessed immense wealth. Something they’d casually managed on the side had become the very foundation of the Myriad Immortal Society. The other leftovers from the war likely allowed many to profit as well.

Seems like I must go to the Hidden Dragon Mountain Range.

Luo Chen kept these thoughts to himself. He followed Zhang Jiadi and his wife to their residence in Dragon Abyss City. It was a modest two-courtyard house with tasteful decoration. It did not look as shabby as they had described earlier. After all, they were mid-stage Initiates; even as rogue cultivators, they would not live poorly. Moreover, the couple had earned far more than ordinary rogue cultivators through private dealings, so this courtyard was well within their means.

After they returned, Zhang Jiadi offered his own cultivation chamber to Luo Chen, but Luo Chen declined. The difference between low-grade and mid-grade meant little to him when the spirit land was just second-tier. That evening, the couple prepared a banquet for Luo Chen and Heavenjade. During the meal, Luo Chen asked in detail about Dragon Abyss City and the Hidden Dragon Mountain Range.

”The master of Dragon Abyss City is that legendary nine-star demon hunter. After breaking through to the Nascent Soul Realm fifty years ago, he’s been in seclusion in the city’s fourth-tier cave residence, to stabilize his new realm... supposedly.

”No one really knows his actual name. Back when he was a demon hunter, he went by Dragon Abyss. He probably chose the alias after seeing the scale of Dragon Abyss City. The only reason the city can stand in the Northern Sea without a grand defensive formation, and still serve as the society’s main city, is that he’s here.

”As for the Hidden Dragon Mountain Range... getting in isn’t easy. Even Adepts have to take part in the Three Oceans Defensive Line campaigns just to qualify, and that’s only the first step.

Renting a cave residence there costs a fortune. I’ve heard even the lowest third-tier cave residence goes for five hundred thousand a year. A ninth-stage Initiate could spend a whole year hunting demonic beasts and still not make that much, and most would have to make up the difference with whatever else they produce personally. As for the standard low-grade third-tier cave residence for Adepts, prices start at seven hundred thousand. Mid-grade is double that, and high-grade is a full three million a year. That is far beyond what ordinary rogue cultivators can afford.

”Of course, there are a lot of powerful cultivators training in the Hidden Dragon Mountain Range now. From what I know, there are over a hundred Adepts there. Honestly, I was shocked when I first heard the society had that many rogue Adepts.”

”Dear, that’s not quite right. Adept Luo, the thing is that... more than half of them weren’t rogue cultivators to begin with. Over the past century, for one reason or another, their sects were destroyed, their families declined, or they got squeezed out by larger forces. They had nowhere else to go. So they ended up here, just trying to get by.”

During the conversation, Zhang Jiadi was not the only one speaking. Wen Xiu would occasionally add a few remarks. Luo Chen found their description surprising at first, but as he thought about it, things started to make sense. In fact, he had met one such displaced Adept himself: Yan Nantian! He was not a rogue cultivator originally; in fact, he was a member of a long-standing cultivation family. After Devil’s Snare destroyed his family, he fled into the Northern Sea cultivation world.

Sadly, he still ended up dying a miserable death. A place like the Flying Swallow Archipelago was remote and quiet, yes, but it lacked the protection of a greater force. Even the Blue Sea Alliance’s island-linking formation did not mean much in front of immediate danger. In the end, it led to a tragic outcome where Luo Chen came knocking at the door and he had nowhere left to escape. Seen from this angle, someone in Yan Nantian’s position would have been better off joining the Myriad Immortal Society.

Wen Xiu poured wine for Luo Chen and Zhang Jiadi, then sat down and explained further, ”Not all of the Myriad Immortal Society’s Adepts live in the Hidden Dragon Mountain Range. Some are stationed on other islands. For example, Thousand Star Island always has three Adepts rotating throughout the year.”

Luo Chen nodded in understanding, then asked, ”If the rentals there are that expensive, how do they manage to stay there long-term?”

Zhang Jiadi smiled slightly. ”As I was saying earlier, star-ranked demon hunters have certain privileges.”

Luo Chen raised his brow. ”You’re saying those apply to cave residence rentals too?”

Zhang Jiadi nodded and took out his two-star waist token. ”Exactly. What I just told you is the baseline, but that baseline really only applies to ordinary rogue cultivators. Star-ranked demon hunters follow a different set of rules. Your star rank determines your discount. A one-star hunter gets a ten percent discount on cave rentals. A nine-star hunter... ninety percent off.”

Luo Chen’s eyebrows rose in surprise. He had expected a discount, but ninety percent?! In other words, a nine-star demon hunter would just need to pay only ten percent of the price?! That would mean low-grade third-tier cave residence would cost only seventy thousand a year, and even a top-grade one would be just three hundred thousand! Any competent Adept could afford that amount, and someone capable of becoming a nine-star demon hunter would never fall short.

The Myriad Immortal Society ties so many resources directly to the star rank... Seems like it’s decided. If I want to cut costs, I’ll have to become a star-ranked demon hunter, Luo Chen pondered inwardly. By all standards, he was immensely rich now. Just his spirit stones alone amounted to eighteen million, not even considering his other resources. Yet even such wealth was but a drop in the ocean before those exorbitant rents. Only by securing a high status could he sustain his future cultivation.

No matter where you go, landowners always make the most. Rental properties are the best investment, in this world or any other.

After a moment of reflection, Luo Chen rose and left the table, bringing the welcoming banquet to an end. He returned to his room but did not rest. Instead, he asked Heavenjade for the Myriad Soul Banner and examined it. Han Zhan was still busy. Ever since Luo Chen removed the dark energy from the Soul-Nurturing Wood, he had been focused on dealing with it.

According to Han Zhan, once the process was complete, he could leave the banner for good and reside within the Soul-Nurturing Wood. The banner held too many yin souls, and staying inside for long would lead to assimilation. The Soul-Nurturing Wood offered a far better medium for a lingering soul. Given a century or so, he might even restore his Nascent Soul without a physical body.

Seeing that Han Zhan was entirely unresponsive, Luo Chen took the Soul-Nurturing Wood out of the Myriad Soul Banner and handed it to Heavenjade. ”I lack a suitable enchanted treasure at the moment. I will keep the Myriad Soul Banner for now. As for Senior Han’s Soul-Nurturing Wood, keep it with you.”

Heavenjade found this unusual. In the past, Luo Chen and Han Zhan had always stayed close, yet today they were parting without even a discussion. Still, she did not question the order.

After she left with the Soul-Nurturing Wood, Luo Chen let out a faint sigh of relief. It was subtle, but the sense of release was real.