206: Chapter 25 Heavenly Craft City

That deathmatch at Falling Eagle Ravine really nearly cost me my life, damn it.

Even now, as Chen Zilong recalled it, he felt a chilling cold seeping out from the marrow of his bones.

That old ghost Huang Chen, at the Great Circle of the Late Nascent Soul Stage, was truly no joke; he had almost finished him off right then and there.

If he hadn't risked the collapse of his Primordial Spirit at the final moment to forcibly activate that half-mastered 'Nine Heavens Tribulation Light', he would be the one lying at the bottom of the ravine feeding wild dogs right now.

But the price paid was simply too high.

At this moment, he was sitting atop a rented, slow-moving 'Green Scale Camel', swaying along the official road leading to 'Heavenly Craft City'.

This thing's speed was much slower than his own flight, but it had the advantage of being steady and effortless, perfectly suited for a 'seriously injured patient' like him.

His face was still as white as paper, and his aura was extremely weak. Using even a bit of spiritual power caused his meridians to sting as if pierced by needles. The several cracks deep within his Primordial Spirit were like time bombs, jumping out from time to time to remind him not to get ahead of himself.

"Damn it, this injury... I'm afraid it won't heal without a year or a year and a half."

Chen Zilong spat, fished a jade bottle from his robes, poured out two 'Spirit-Nourishing Pills' for tempering the Primordial Spirit, and tossed them into his mouth without looking.

The medicinal pills melted into a warm current upon entering his mouth, barely soothing the discomfort of his Primordial Spirit, but it was just a drop in the bucket.

He knew that relying on pills alone wouldn't work. He had to reach the Pill Mansion as soon as possible to find higher-level pills or methods to radically cure this Primordial Spirit injury; otherwise, his future path of cultivation would be in jeopardy.

He touched the hidden storage ring at his waist. Inside were the 'spoils of war' plundered from the Wang Family and the Xuan Yin Sect. Spirit stones were piled into a small mountain, and there were plenty of various materials and magical treasures. It could be considered a windfall.

The exorbitant fee for using the teleportation array in Heavenly Craft City should no longer be a problem.

He now just hoped that no more trouble would arise on the way, so he could smoothly board the teleportation array to 'Lingxiao City'.

People were coming and going on the official road, a mix of cultivators, merchant caravans, and Mortals.

Chen Zilong restrained all his aura, dressing like a down-and-out rogue cultivator, blending into the crowd inconspicuously.

However, his ears were filled with various discussions.

"Did you hear? Over at Falling Eagle Ravine, the commotion a few days ago was terrifyingly loud! It's said that Nascent Soul ancestors were fighting there, and the battle shook the heavens and earth!"

"Not just heard! I have a distant relative who's a traveling merchant. He passed by that area and came back saying Falling Eagle Ravine looks like it was struck by lightning now; half of the cliffs on both sides have collapsed! Tsk tsk, that scene..."

"I wonder which immortals were fighting... The western part of the Southern Border hasn't been peaceful lately. Over at Qingyan City, a 'Demon King' named Chen Zilong just appeared and wiped out both the Xuan Yin Sect branch and the Wang Family, and now here..."

"Shh! Lower your voice! The Xuan Yin Sect's wanted posters are posted everywhere, and the reward is terrifyingly high! Who knows where that bringer of death has run off to? Don't bring trouble upon yourself!"

Listening to this, Chen Zilong's face showed no expression, but he sneered in his heart.

The Xuan Yin Sect's movements were indeed fast.

However, in his current wretched state, even his own mother probably wouldn't recognize him standing right in front of her, so he wasn't afraid of being identified.

But this wanted poster...

It seemed he would have to act cautiously in Heavenly Craft City. It was a place of mixed influences, and there was no guarantee there wouldn't be Xuan Yin Sect spies.

The Green Scale Camel walked unhurriedly as the sun gradually tilted toward the west.

Chen Zilong leaned against the camel's back, closing his eyes to rest.

In reality, his divine sense was like the most alert spider, spreading out in threads within a hundred-zhang radius. Any slight abnormal fluctuation of spiritual power or prying eyes could not escape his perception.

This was a habit he had developed over many years, especially during times of weakness like this.

After traveling for another seven or eight days and crossing several treacherous mountain ridges, the view ahead suddenly opened up.

A vast plain, appearing as if split open by a giant axe, appeared ahead. At the end of the plain, a majestic city, like a crouching giant beast, spanned the horizon.

The city walls were not made of ordinary brick and stone, but were built from dark green giant stones shimmering with a metallic luster. They were tall and thick, covered with complex formation patterns and talismans, with spiritual light faintly flowing over them.

The city gate was bustling with traffic. The auras of the entering and exiting cultivators were generally not weak; Golden Core and Nascent Soul Stages could be seen everywhere, and one could even occasionally feel the obscure pressure of a Nascent Soul Cultivator flashing by.

This was 'Heavenly Craft City', famous in the Southern Border for artifact refinement and controlled by 'Tiangong Pavilion'.

It was said that countless master artifact refiners gathered in the city, with all kinds of ingenious magical treasures and war puppets emerging in an endless stream. Even the city's protective array integrated top-tier artifact refinement and formation paths, making it as solid as gold.

Chen Zilong dismounted the Green Scale Camel ten miles outside the city, paid the rental fee, and walked toward the city gate.

He needed to first inquire about the exact location of the teleportation array, the conditions for its use, and the next opening time.

The process of entering the city was smoother than he had imagined.

The guards only performed a routine check of his identity jade token.

Chen Zilong used a forged jade token from a small family.

He paid the entry fee and was allowed through.

Heavenly Craft City had a strong commercial atmosphere; as long as one didn't clearly show hostility or violate city regulations, there generally wouldn't be excessive questioning.

The scene inside the city was even more prosperous.

The streets were wide, lined with shops, and signs and banners of all kinds were displayed.

"Hundred Refinements Pavilion", "Divine Weapon Workshop", "Thousand Mechanisms Tower", "Spiritual Material Shop"...

A faint smell of burning metal and the strange fragrance of spiritual materials permeated the air.

The sounds of hawking, bargaining, and the clanging of forging were constant.

Chen Zilong even saw several tall puppets of various designs patrolling the streets or carrying goods.

He found a clean but inconspicuous inn to stay in and then began to inquire around.

Information was quickly gathered: the ancient teleportation array leading to 'Lingxiao City' was located in the restricted back mountain area of the Tiangong Pavilion headquarters in the city center, directly controlled by Tiangong Pavilion.

It opened only once a month, and the next opening was in five days. The usage fee was high, requiring a payment of fifty thousand high-grade spirit stones per person, or equivalent heavenly treasures and rare artifact refinement materials.

Furthermore, one needed to apply in advance, undergo an identity check, and sign a contract promising not to harm Tiangong Pavilion's interests during the teleportation process or shortly after arrival.

Fifty thousand high-grade spirit stones was not too large a sum for the current Chen Zilong.

The identity check was a bit of a hassle, but his forged identity jade token was well-crafted and should be able to pass.

The biggest problem was whether his current state of unhealed heavy injuries would attract extra attention.

A 'rogue cultivator' who appeared to have only a Golden Core aura but was willing to spend a fortune to use a long-distance teleportation array was inherently a bit suspicious.

"I can't worry about that much anymore."

Chen Zilong made up his mind.

He needed to leave this land of trouble in the Southern Border as soon as possible and head to the Central Domain.

The threat of the Xuan Yin Sect was like a sword hanging over his head, liable to fall at any moment.

He had to take the risk.

The next day, he took enough spirit stones and went to the Tiangong Pavilion headquarters to apply.

The process was a bit smoother than expected. The one who received him was a deacon at the Nascent Soul Stage, whose attitude was quite polite.

When checking the identity jade token, the deacon looked at him a few more times, seemingly a bit puzzled by his pale face and weak aura, but ultimately said nothing.

He paid the spirit stones, signed the contract, and received a bronze token representing his qualification.

Everything was settled; he just had to wait five days for the teleportation array to open.

Chen Zilong breathed a small sigh of relief, returned to the inn, and continued his secluded healing.

He didn't dare to be the least bit careless, setting up simple early-warning Restrictions inside and outside the room.

However, just the day before the teleportation array was to open, trouble still found its way to his door.

At dusk, Chen Zilong was adjusting his breathing in his room when a warning sign suddenly arose in his heart.

He opened his eyes, and his divine sense quietly probed out.

In the lobby downstairs, three cultivators had arrived, dressed in uniform black martial attire with an inconspicuous small cauldron pattern embroidered on their chests.

The leader was a middle-aged man with a sinister expression and a Late Nascent Soul Stage cultivation, while the other two were at the Golden Core Great Circle.

They sat casually in a corner drinking tea, but their gazes scanned the guests in the lobby intentionally or otherwise, especially those lone cultivators with hidden auras.

Chen Zilong's heart sank.

He recognized that small cauldron pattern; it was a less commonly used secret mark of the Xuan Yin Sect!

These three guys were Xuan Yin Sect spies!

How did they find this place?

Did the identity jade token reveal a flaw?

Or did he accidentally leak his aura when entering the city?

Or maybe...

It was just a routine inspection?

He immediately restrained all his aura, becoming like a rock, even slowing his heartbeat to the extreme.

At the same time, his mind raced through options.

Force his way out?

In his current state, his chances of winning against one Late Nascent Soul and two Golden Cores were not great.

Moreover, once a fight started, it would inevitably alert the Heavenly Craft City guards, and his teleportation qualification would surely be ruined.

Hide?

The room was only so big; if the other party came prepared, it would be easy to be exposed during a search.

While he was weighing his options, the sinister middle-aged man seemed to receive some kind of transmission. He frowned and gave his two subordinates a look.

The three did not come upstairs to search but instead got up, settled their bill, and hurriedly left the inn.

Chen Zilong didn't dare to be careless. His divine sense followed them until they disappeared around a street corner before he slowly withdrew it.

Fine beads of cold sweat had already seeped from his forehead.

That was close!

It seemed the other party might have only obtained some vague clues and was searching the nearby area, rather than having confirmed his location.

But this also meant that the Xuan Yin Sect's net had already been cast over Heavenly Craft City.

Using the teleportation array tomorrow would likely not be peaceful.

He took a deep breath, a cold light flashing in his eyes.

No matter what, he had to take that teleportation array.

Whoever dared to block his path...

Then they couldn't blame him for being ruthless.