Chapter 77: The Great Li Dynasty (3/5)

Besides the Fasting Pill, after a brief moment of thought, He Song decided to sell all the lower-grade spirit talismans he carried. With the spirit stones gained from this sale, he purchased two medium-grade Earthen Fortification Talismans. The talismans originally remaining on He Song, along with those scavenged from Chen Zhou’s storage pouch, totaled eight. Each sold for five spirit stones, so eight amounted to forty stones, just enough for two medium-grade Earthen Fortification Talismans. These talismans possessed formidable defensive power; should any unforeseen trouble arise, they could protect and preserve his life.

Yet, two talismans were clearly insufficient. Thus, He Song dipped into his savings once more, spending another forty spirit stones to buy two more Earthen Fortification Talismans. Altogether, he now had four medium-grade talismans. Though he still felt it was not quite enough, his wallet held only a little over sixty spirit stones. The remainder would be needed for the foundation materials of his array.

Had a year not passed, bringing with it an annual stipend of over a hundred spirit stones, He Song would not even have the means to craft the array’s foundation. Now, with resources so scarce, he could do nothing more.

Casting his gaze across the market stalls, He Song sighed inwardly, turned, and walked toward his home. With his purchases complete, it was time to leave the Immortal Market and seek a place beyond its bounds to cultivate his spiritual fields.

Soon, back at his own dwelling, He Song employed the Earth-Burrowing Technique and Breath-Concealing Art, silently slipping out of the Immortal Market and heading toward the surrounding mountains.

As its name suggests, the Earth-Burrowing Technique allowed one to sink beneath the ground and move through the earth. However, a cultivator needed to reach the Foundation Establishment stage to awaken their divine sense and scan the surroundings; while in the Qi Refining stage, one could only rely on their spiritual power to sense their environment.

Thus, after using the Earth-Burrowing Technique, if one wished to inspect the surface, they either had to poke their head above ground and observe with their own eyes, or employ Object-Control Art, using detached spiritual power to sense the surroundings. Observing with the naked eye offered many advantages: greater range and, because there was no fluctuation of spiritual power, excellent concealment. Using Object-Control Art caused faint spiritual fluctuations, and the sensing range was limited to the distance one’s spiritual power could travel from the body.

Therefore, cultivators in the Qi Refining stage who used the Earth-Burrowing Technique would periodically emerge from the soil to look around.

Fortunately, with this technique, even if one encountered rocks or debris underground, they could pass straight through, avoiding any worries of injuring themselves underground. Among ordinary folk, this ability was ignorantly called the "Wall-Passing Technique."

Thus, as He Song repeatedly surfaced to observe his surroundings, burrowing ever onward, he swiftly distanced himself from Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market, moving at speed toward its northwest.

The northwest of Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market was a direction He Song had long decided upon for cultivating spiritual fields. Few cultivators traveled that way, ensuring that even if he opened spiritual fields, the chance of being discovered was very low. Naturally, this became He Song’s preferred location.

Heading northwest, He Song proceeded underground, unnoticed, quickly leaving Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market far behind, and soon came upon a mortal city.

This city was called Xiancheng.

He Song's figure quietly appeared within the city, drawing no attention. Soon after, several silver ingots and gold nuggets appeared in his hand. He casually tossed these into his storage pouch, then stepped out from the shadows and began leisurely wandering through this unfamiliar city.

As a transmigrator, He Song was naturally curious about the mortal cities of this world. As a cultivator, simply activating the Breath-Concealing Art ensured that his identity would not be discovered, while he also possessed strong abilities for self-preservation. There was no need to fear any danger from mortals. Naturally, He Song wished to take a proper look at the mortal realm of this world.

If possible, perhaps he could enjoy mortal life alongside his cultivation. With plenty of time, he did not have to rush his training like other cultivators.

The silver and gold he had taken came from the home of a wealthy family he passed beneath while burrowing. For cultivators, mortal gold and silver were easily acquired. This was why such currency was never accepted in Immortal Markets. If everyone acquired gold and silver as He Song had—simply taking it from the homes of the wealthy—market prices would collapse overnight.

Xiancheng was not large. Though He Song wandered and paused throughout his journey, observing the customs and people, deepening his understanding of this world, he eventually completed a thorough tour of the city within several hours.

At the end, He Song entered a bookstore, rapidly flipping through its volumes.

After some time, He Song ascended to the grandest restaurant in Xiancheng, chose a window seat, ordered a pot of tea, and began to drink alone.

He Song had no passion for alcohol. Cultivators drinking wine—how crude. Tea was the appropriate pastime for one pursuing immortality.

The reason he came to the restaurant was simply because, in certain scenes, the protagonist would overhear conversations about secret treasures emerging, sect wars, or grudges in the martial world. Thus, He Song hoped that he too might hear some useful news.

While eavesdropping, his mind recalled information about the city and the surrounding mortal kingdoms, information he had memorized earlier in the bookstore and now arranged in his thoughts.

This place was called Xiancheng, a city under the rule of the Great Li Dynasty. The Great Li Dynasty stretched for thousands of miles, encompassing Qingyuan Immortal City and several surrounding Immortal Markets—a vast region.

Within this region, the Great Li Dynasty reigned as the king of mortals. And Qingyuan Immortal City was the colossal entity controlling the fate of the dynasty itself. The domain of Qingyuan Immortal City defined the territory of the Great Li Dynasty.

In this world, there were no prohibitions against cultivators approaching mortals. Within their sphere of influence, immortal sects or noble families would support a compliant dynasty to govern the mortals, while also fostering awe and longing for the cultivators among the common folk.

If someone obtained immortal fate by chance, they would flock to Immortal Markets or Immortal Cities, becoming new blood for the cultivation world.

This was why Immortal Markets and Cities constantly saw independent cultivators joining their ranks.

The Great Li Dynasty where He Song now resided, far from being a true mortal dynasty, was better described as a puppet regime under the control of Qingyuan Immortal City. Its purpose was to supply the cultivation world with enough independent cultivators to replenish new blood.