Cangwu Immortal City. Outside the cave dwelling area, there stands a palace.
The palace is called “Feixian Palace,” and it is specifically responsible for the buying and selling of cave dwellings in Cangwu Immortal City.
Moreover, every one million years, the owners of these cave dwellings must come to this palace to replace the jade tokens used to enter and exit their cave dwellings.
This measure is to confirm the identity of the immortals residing in the cave dwellings.
Because the cultivation environment within the Immortal City’s cave dwellings is too advantageous, it often happens that, after the owner perishes, the cave dwelling’s jade token ends up in someone else’s hands.
By relying on the token, a non-owner can also enter the dwelling to cultivate.
Hence, the once-per-million-year token replacement is intended to re-verify the identity of whoever is currently residing in the cave dwelling.
Feixian Palace is divided into four levels, each covering a vast area.
At the entrance to the first level, there is a large crowd of Mahayana immortals passing in and out; this level corresponds to D-grade cave dwellings.
In general, if a Mahayana immortal grits their teeth, they can manage to purchase one.
At the entrance to the second level, very few immortals come and go.
This level corresponds to C-grade cave dwellings.
Essentially, only a handful of peak Mahayana immortals or, more often, Golden Immortals can afford one.
And Golden Immortals can already roam freely across a domain; even in an Immortal City, they hold some status.
As for the entrances to the third and fourth levels, they remain silent.
The third level corresponds to B-grade cave dwellings, which only relatively powerful Golden Immortals can purchase.
And the fourth level corresponds to A-grade cave dwellings.
This is also the highest-ranking cave dwelling type under Cangwu Immortal City’s rules, and only Jade Immortals have the foundation to afford one.
A few top-tier Golden Immortals can also take them, though they are even more rare than Jade Immortals.
Lin Yuan took one glance and directly ascended to the fourth floor of Feixian Palace.
The fourth floor was spacious and expansive. As Lin Yuan stepped in, two alluring female immortals came forward to greet him.
“Greetings, Immortal Lord,” they said respectfully.
Though the fourth floor of Feixian Palace does not bar entry, any immortal who dares to come up here must be sufficiently confident in their strength.
“I lost my cave dwelling’s jade token and am here to get it replaced,” Lin Yuan said calmly.
The entry token to the A-grade cave dwelling in Cangwu Immortal City had already fallen into the hands of fiends with Yun Zhenzi’s death.
However, each Immortal City’s cave dwellings are bound to the identity of a specific immortal, and the method of confirming one’s identity is by verifying their soul aura.
Even if the token is lost, as long as you have the same soul aura, it can be reissued.
“Please tell us the cave dwelling’s serial number, Immortal Lord,” one of the female immortals said, her heart stirring as her attitude grew still more respectful.
Coming to the fourth floor of Feixian Palace just for a token replacement? That meant the lost token had to be for a A-grade cave dwelling. This young Immortal Lord before her wasn’t here to inquire about buying one—
He already owned one.
“Cangwu A 365437,” Lin Yuan announced the serial number.
Even for Yun Zhenzi, this was one of his few top-grade cave dwellings.
“Please wait for a moment, Immortal Lord.”
The female immortal quickly checked the records. Feixian Palace has a complete record of all cave dwellings.
“Immortal Lord, please infuse your soul aura into this soul stone.”
The female immortal on the right took out a gray stone, speaking respectfully.
This gray stone was known as a soul stone, used specifically to replicate and record the aura of one’s true soul essence.
When Yun Zhenzi purchased his A-grade cave dwelling, he had already imprinted his own soul aura onto it.
To replace the jade token, Lin Yuan had to produce the same soul aura matching the one inside the soul stone.
Buzz, buzz, buzz.
At a single thought from Lin Yuan, Yun Zhenzi’s Jade Immortal consciousness sent out a wisp of soul aura and merged it into the soul stone.
Not long after, the female immortal holding the soul stone nodded respectfully.
“You meet the requirements for replacement, Immortal Lord. Please wait for a moment.”
With that, she bowed and left, returning moments later.
“Here is your cave dwelling jade token,” she said, taking out a white jade token and handing it over with deep reverence.
“Mm.” Lin Yuan nodded, put away the jade token, and then left Feixian Palace.
Upon leaving Feixian Palace, Lin Yuan headed straight into the cave dwelling area.
Cangwu Immortal City’s cave dwelling area is covered by numerous killing arrays.
Anyone who doesn’t meet the requirements and dares to intrude will be instantly killed by the arrays.
Since Lin Yuan carried the cave dwelling’s jade token, he naturally had the right to enter.
Back in Feixian Palace, within a certain mysterious space on one of the floors, a middle-aged man was quietly meditating.
He was the Palace Master of Feixian Palace, one of the major powers in Cangwu Immortal City.
“Huh?”
Sensing something, the middle-aged man quickly opened his eyes.
“The jade token of cave dwelling Cangwu A 365437 has just been successfully reissued?”
“Palace Master,” a figure formed beside him and nodded, “Just a moment ago, someone entered that A-grade cave dwelling.”
Any A-grade cave dwelling in Cangwu Immortal City is renowned. It’s either owned by a Jade Immortal or one of those top-tier Golden Immortals who stand a good chance of becoming a Jade Immortal.
“If I remember correctly, that particular A-grade cave dwelling has remained silent for nearly ten million years,” the Palace Master of Feixian Palace mused, “and its owner is Yun Zhenzi.”
Given his position, he’s able to look up all cave dwelling records.
“Yun Zhenzi? Rumor had it that he perished in the last Great Immortal-Demon War. Who would have thought he was still alive?”
The figure by his side couldn’t help but exclaim.
Yun Zhenzi was rather famed among the Jade Immortals.
Had he not been besieged by more than a dozen fiends, with his strength, even if he couldn’t defeat them, he could have at least escaped unscathed.
“It appears the fiends’ pollution from Devil Abyss didn’t completely finish him off.”
The Palace Master nodded.
He quickly surmised what had likely happened.
Nearly ten million years ago, Yun Zhenzi’s true form perished at the hands of numerous fiends, whose pollution stripped away most of his resurrection methods.
But with Yun Zhenzi’s skills, he definitely had one or two deeply hidden means of revival that resisted the pollution.
After nearly ten million years, these methods finally reached the conditions needed to restore him, so Yun Zhenzi successfully returned.
Such occurrences are not at all rare among Jade Immortals.
Having reached the rank of Jade Immortal, how could they be easily killed? They all have multiple backup plans.
As for these Jade Immortals who come back from the dead, the Palace Master of Feixian Palace scarcely gives it a second thought, nor would he ever meddle.
Being such a key figure in the Immortal City, he holds a status superior to that of most Jade Immortals; naturally, Yun Zhenzi’s wealth hardly interests him.
“It’s probably good news Yun Zhenzi didn’t truly die. The Great Immortal-Demon War is about to start again. We’ve already seen a clear uptick in fiends lately.”
“If Yun Zhenzi can restore his full power before the War, it will help relieve some of the city’s burden,” the Palace Master muttered under his breath.
The Great Immortal-Demon War is undoubtedly the most brutal conflict in the Immortal Realm.
To most immortals, it’s akin to entering a slaughterhouse.
Jade Immortals at least have ways to resurrect themselves.
But those below Golden Immortal are basically helpless against fiendish pollution.
Once they die, they’re gone for good.
Even Golden Immortals have difficulty preventing fiendish pollution from nullifying their resurrection methods.
Each time the Great Immortal-Demon War erupts, countless immortals fall, and many Jade Immortals also vanish.
“I’m using Yun Zhenzi’s identity to claim this A-grade cave dwelling. I’m sure the higher-ups of the Immortal City won’t be fooled for long,” Lin Yuan reflected. Because he held all of Yun Zhenzi’s memories, he understood clearly that the identity of the cave dwelling’s owner was no secret to the top echelons of Cangwu Immortal City.
“Then again, so what? I am Yun Zhenzi now.”
Lin Yuan was unconcerned. By controlling the Jade Immortal consciousness of Yun Zhenzi, Lin Yuan essentially “holds Yun Zhenzi hostage.”
Moreover, with full knowledge of Yun Zhenzi’s memories, who could possibly doubt his identity?
Yun Zhenzi is a Jade Immortal. Even in a weakened state, it would be extremely difficult for any Jade Immortal of equal level to completely suppress his consciousness.
To subdue someone on Yun Zhenzi’s level, one must be a Jade Immortal who wouldn’t bother disguising themselves as Yun Zhenzi in the first place.
Given Lin Yuan’s abilities, unless a Dao Ancestor personally intervened, it’s impossible for anyone else to see through him.
And a Dao Ancestor? Such an exalted being wouldn’t take interest in a mere Jade Immortal’s affairs.
And even if a Dao Ancestor truly did step in, Lin Yuan could simply abandon his Yang Primordial Spirit. The loss would not be that significant.
Using the cave dwelling jade token, Lin Yuan swiftly entered his A-grade cave dwelling.
It was a vast realm spanning nearly a million miles, brimming with immortal qi so dense it nearly became tangible.
If an ordinary mortal resided here, even without cultivating, over time they would find their body transforming into that of an immortal.
Lin Yuan wasn’t particularly moved by the swirling immortal qi.
Immortal qi is merely another form of energy. Now that he possessed the considerable resources Yun Zhenzi had prepared, Lin Yuan wouldn’t be lacking in energy for some time.
Rumble...
Lin Yuan arrived at the center of the dwelling and raised his gaze toward the sky.
High above, there was a faintly visible massive, irregular fissure. From it emanated incredibly dense fluctuations of the rule-based grand dao.
“That fissure likely connects to the origin of the Immortal Realm, and was opened by a Dao Ancestor,” Lin Yuan thought. Even at his peak, he’d have been unable to tear it open.
The origin of the main universe is so formidable that even a rank-twelve ultimate being can’t reach it.
But the Immortal Realm, while close to the main universe, is still only close.
A rank-twelve ultimate being can, however, forcibly open a passage from the Immortal Realm’s origin to the outside world.
In Cangwu Immortal City, only A-grade cave dwellings can directly face that irregular fissure, allowing one to closely experience the grand dao fluctuations from the Immortal Realm’s origin.
As for B-grade or C-grade cave dwellings, they can only sense these rule-based fluctuations indirectly.
“In terms of cultivation environment, this place is better than the main universe—at least for gaining insight into the rules, which are extremely vivid and straightforward,” Lin Yuan felt a slight surge of excitement.
Although the Immortal Realm can’t quite compare to the main universe overall, it’s basically wide open to him in terms of comprehending the rules, which makes it easier than trying to do so in the main universe.
“I might not be able to guarantee complete mastery of the Chaos Rule, but reaching the seventh layer of Space-Time? That should be much faster here than it would be in the main universe.”
Lin Yuan was confident.
“I’ll begin cultivating now.”
With that, Lin Yuan sat down cross-legged and began to sense the rule fluctuations emanating from the irregular fissure overhead.
Time passed in the flow of cultivation, and five hundred years slipped by without notice.
...
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