"Really? Could it be that there's a cultivation sanctuary here with dense spiritual energy?"
"Hehe, our city certainly does have several cultivation sanctuaries, rivaling even the main cities of the Three Sovereigns. But that's only one aspect. The most important thing is that this city not only has a constant supply of materials from the Three Regions and Seven Lands, but it's also the only entry and exit point for our human and demon races into the Wilderness. All high-ranking cultivators who travel to and from the Wilderness must pass through this city. As a result, the rare and wondrous materials brought back from the Wilderness are innumerable. Most cultivators simply sell their Wilderness haul here or trade for what they need. There are even spirit medicines that can advance one's cultivation overnight — though the prices are high enough to make us sigh from afar."
The old man paused briefly, then continued:
"Beyond that, another major reason cultivators in this city don't want to leave is that every ten years, our Heavenly Abyss City cultivators have the opportunity to listen to an Elder of the Elder Council discourse on the Heavenly Dao and Laws, and may even ask questions about their cultivation doubts. These Elders are all Integration stage cultivators — outsiders can hardly have such an opportunity as we do. Hehe, so once cultivators join this city, very few are willing to leave."
"So many benefits! But with so many high-ranking cultivators garrisoned here, there must be some special purpose, right?" Han Li was delighted after hearing this, but his brow furrowed almost immediately.
"In addition to cultivators, this city also permanently garrisons a large number of high-ranking demon cultivators, who occupy the other half of Heavenly Abyss City. Besides them, there are also large numbers of spirit beasts and body refiners. Among these lower-ranking beings, half are trained within the city itself, while the other half are dispatched from the Three Regions and Seven Lands. Add to that the dozen or so Integration stage cultivators of the Elder Council, and this city's formidable power naturally targets the foreign races of the Wilderness and those True Spirit-level existences. The grand immortal formation laid down by our predecessors is far too profound — throughout history, when foreign races have invaded the territories of our human and demon races, they could only breach through this single entry point. Without stationing such a powerful force here, wouldn't we be wiped out by those alien races in an instant? I've heard that once a real war with the foreign races breaks out, it's common for more than half the city's inhabitants of both races to be wiped out." The old man surnamed
"More than half wiped out!" Han Li's face changed slightly upon hearing this.
"No need to be alarmed, Brother Han, or overly worried. The intervals between each foreign race invasion range from over a hundred thousand years on the long end to sixty or seventy thousand years on the short end. With such long intervals, what is there to worry about? If you're truly unlucky enough to encounter an invasion, then you can only fight to the death. Any Heavenly Abyss City guard who deserts in battle will be hunted down by both races working together. Since you wish to enjoy the city's conveniences, taking on a bit of risk is only natural. The last time Heavenly Abyss City was invaded by alien races was thirty thousand years ago. For the most part, within the next ten to twenty thousand years, you and I have nothing to worry about." The old man surnamed Liu smiled faintly.
"I see. So being brought here to Heavenly Abyss City is actually a blessing in disguise for me." Han Li stroked his chin, a contemplative look on his face.
"Of course. First-generation ascended cultivators have a much higher rate of advancing to Void Refinement than we descendants and native Spirit World cultivators. The Elder Council attaches great importance to every ascended cultivator who arrives and will not easily let them go. Moreover, in recent years, for reasons unknown, the number of ascended cultivators received by the Spirit Flight Platform has started to decrease. I've heard that several Elders even sent avatar fragments to lower realms to investigate the cause, but it seems they weren't successful. Brother Han, you also came from a lower realm — did you ever notice anything unusual?" the old man suddenly asked.
"No. Everything in the
"That's a pity. If Brother Han could provide something useful, you'd surely receive a generous reward. But cultivators who've ascended in recent years also haven't turned up any clues. I've only heard that some time ago, the demon race apparently obtained some information. So the Elder Council probably won't bother asking you further, Brother Han." The blue-faced old man didn't find anything wrong with Han Li's answer and merely expressed his regret.
Han Li smiled faintly upon hearing this, then asked:
"By the way, you mentioned the Azure Guard earlier,
"Correct — they are fellow cultivators who wear the Azure Guard battle armor. In our Heavenly Abyss City, the Azure Guard is already a mid-ranking position. Someone like myself, who can command ten Black Iron Guards, is merely a minor leader. An Azure Guard must be a Deity Transformation cultivator, but not every Deity Transformation cultivator is an Azure Guard. You should understand the difference, Brother Han."
"I do, to some extent. I imagine some fellow cultivators at the Deity Transformation stage either aren't skilled in combat or have other duties assigned to them."
"Good, you understand. To explain, our Heavenly Abyss City guards have two types of duties. One is simply completing your assigned rotation duty at regular intervals, with the rest of your time free to arrange as you please. However, the spirit stones distributed to this type of guard each year are fixed and modest, so naturally one's means are rather tight — though the advantage is there's generally no danger. The other type involves taking on special missions issued by the Elder Council. For each completed mission, the rewards not only include spirit stones but can even be rare treasures such as pills or artifacts. Naturally, these missions carry great risk, and most are related to the Wilderness or foreign races, requiring careful consideration. But completing just one mission is enough to exempt you from any rotation duties for decades or even a hundred years, allowing you to cultivate peacefully for extended periods. Of course, these two types of duties are not set in stone — you can switch between them at any time." The old man explained everything to Han Li with perfect clarity.
"Thank you for the guidance, Elder Liu." Han Li's face betrayed no unusual emotion, but he offered his thanks verbally.
The blue-faced old man laughed heartily and waved his hand dismissively, then chatted with Han Li for a while longer before finally rising to take his leave.
After seeing the old man out and watching him depart, Han Li's smile faded. He returned to the room and stepped into the secret chamber, settling into a cross-legged position.
He gently closed his eyes, and his entire being seemed to enter a state of meditation.
Meanwhile, the blue-faced old man walked out into the corridor, where several other Deity Transformation cultivators were already waiting.
Upon seeing him emerge, they immediately gathered around.