Celestial Wind City is a subsidiary of the "Jiuxiao Immortal Palace" in Wu Country. This sect has been passed down for millennia, once having produced a Celestial Venerable of Divinity Transformation. Today, it is still overseen by a Great Cultivator at the late-stage Nascent Soul, making it one of the foremost powers in Wu Country.
As an important Immortal City at the junction of the Eastern Domain and the Great Wilderness, it acts like a melting pot gathering influences from all over the Eastern Domain, blending various cultures and traditions into its streets and alleys.
Upon stepping out from the Teleportation Array Pavilion, Chen Sheng was immediately captivated by the scene before him—the architectural styles lining the streets were vastly different.
There were the ornate and elaborate buildings with upturned eaves typical of Yue Country, the round tent-style shops characteristic of the Yuan Country grasslands, and even the unique stilted seafront buildings from the coastal regions of Wu Country, all arranged with an eye for contrast, sketching a unique silhouette...
The streets were bustling with people, a cacophony of footfalls, vendors calling out, and magical artifacts clashing together, creating an extremely lively atmosphere.
Cultivators dressed in various attire flitted amongst them. Yue Country cultivators preferred the simple elegance of blue and white Daoist robes. In contrast, Yuan Country cultivators mostly wore shorts and tight-fitting outfits suitable for riding and archery, with colors primarily in the grassland's green hues. Meanwhile, Wu Country cultivators' robes were often embroidered with multicolored ocean wave patterns.
Chen Sheng's gaze swept over the crowd and noticed many cultivators who were half-human, half-demon—tiger-men with robust builds and arms covered with fine yellow-brown fur, steadily walking through the streets.
A graceful fox-woman was chatting and laughing with a cultivator beside her. Her pointed fox ears, covered in snow-white fur, occasionally trembled lightly.
Behind her, a fluffy white fox tail naturally dangled, its tip adorned with soft pink fur, reminiscent of red plums in snow, exceptionally striking.
As she passed by a jewelry shop, she paused, picking up a hairpin inlaid with a red ruby and trying it on in front of a copper mirror, her fox ears slightly leaning forward, her eyes full of adoration.
There were also cultivators with snake tails—part human, part snake. The lower half of their bodies was a blue snake tail covered in scales, slithering agilely on the ground, while the upper half wore exquisite brocade robes, standing in front of a magical artifact shop haggling with the owner.
...
Such half-human, half-demon cultivators were not commonly seen in other parts of the Eastern Domain. Only a city like Celestial Wind City, so close to the Great Wilderness, could one encounter so many of these diverse cultivators.
They coexisted peacefully with human cultivators. Occasionally, one could see human and demon race cultivators walking together into taverns or shops, clearly already accustomed to each other's presence.
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Chen Sheng secretly marveled, understanding why Celestial Wind City was described as the gateway fortress to the Great Wilderness. This inclusive atmosphere was unparalleled by other Immortal Cities.
At the same time, Chen Sheng also noticed that the strength of cultivators in Celestial Wind City was noticeably higher than in other cities in the Eastern Domain. Qi Cultivators were scarce on the streets, dominated almost entirely by Foundation Establishment and Golden Core cultivators.
Chen Sheng understood inwardly, "This environment is far too perilous for Low Tier Cultivators."
There was a reason Celestial Wind City bore this name. The air outside the city occasionally held a hint of biting wind essence, which was the remnant of the Great Wilderness's unique void winds.
This void wind was extremely fierce; even just its remnants could easily tear through a Qi Cultivator's Protective Spiritual Qi. If a slightly weaker Foundation Establishment Cultivator were inadvertently swept into it, they too might be injured.
The harsh environment naturally eliminated Low Level Cultivators!
Of course, risk often coexists with opportunity. With Celestial Wind City being so close to the Great Wilderness, even just its outermost region contained abundant resources.
Outside the city, the forests were home to many Spirit Grasses that could only thrive near the Great Wilderness, aged long with excellent medicinal properties. Deep within the forests were various ore veins, Gold Essence... enough to serve as core materials for crafting magical artifacts.
Moreover, on the borders of the Great Wilderness, spatial rifts occasionally appeared, and from these rifts might fall relics of Ancient Cultivators...
These resources were enough to drive Foundation Establishment and Golden Core cultivators to madness and supported countless cultivators to practice and struggle here, hoping to use the resources of the Great Wilderness to break through bottlenecks and further advance.
However, even though the strength of Celestial Wind City cultivators was not insignificant, the number of Nascent Soul Cultivators remained extremely few.
Chen Sheng discovered through Divine Sense probing and information previously gathered that in the entire Celestial Wind Immortal City, there were only a handful of Nascent Soul Cultivators.
Most of these Nascent Soul Cultivators, like him, were only temporarily stopping here. Besides the Nascent Soul Cultivators of the "Jiuxiao Immortal Palace," almost none would reside in the city long-term.
After all, for Nascent Soul Cultivators, although Celestial Wind City's resources were rich, they could no longer meet their cultivation needs. Only deep within the vast and mysterious Great Wilderness could opportunities exist that might aid them in breaking through realms.
Chen Sheng stayed in Celestial Wind City for only half a day, finding a information agency called "Celestial Secret" to gather intelligence on the Great Wilderness.
"Celestial Secret" was quite renowned throughout the Eastern Domain, with branches in many countries, and even Nascent Soul Cultivators overseeing them!
When Chen Sheng entered the "Celestial Secret" shop, the cultivator in charge of reception initially wore a somewhat professional smile. Still, upon sensing the faint pressure of a Nascent Soul from Chen Sheng, the expression instantly turned respectful, promptly leading him to the VIP room on the second floor.
"Honored senior, please enter!"
The VIP room was elegantly furnished, with tables and chairs crafted from precious Spirit Wood, the air faintly scented with incense, capable of calming one's Heart Spirit.
An elder with white hair, wearing a grey robe, emerged from the inner chamber. He was the head of "Celestial Secret" in Celestial Wind City, with cultivation already at late-stage Golden Core.
Upon seeing Chen Sheng, the elder hurriedly bowed and saluted, his tone extremely respectful:
"I was unaware of the visit of the Nascent Soul Senior, I apologize for not welcoming you from afar, and I hope the Senior will forgive me."
Chen Sheng waved his hand and sat directly on a chair:
"No need for excessive courtesy."
"The purpose of my visit this time is to gather some intelligence on the Great Wilderness, especially recent developments concerning the Demon Court, space rifts, and ancient relics."
The elder dared not be negligent and quickly retrieved a Jade Scroll from his Storage Ring, presenting it to Chen Sheng with both hands:
"Senior, this is the recent intelligence on the Great Wilderness organized by our 'Know the Secrets'... all compiled after dispatching our scouts for on-site investigations, with very high accuracy."
Chen Sheng took the Jade Scroll and inserted his Divine Sense into it.
The intelligence within the Jade Scroll was indeed detailed, not only with descriptive text but also accompanied by simple maps indicating the specific locations and danger levels of various places.
He compared this intelligence with the intelligence the Sect had on the Great Wilderness and found that most of the content matched. Only a few newly emerged space rifts and relics were absent from the Sect's intelligence, indicating they had appeared only recently.
Chen Sheng nodded with satisfaction, took out fifty High Grade Spirit Stones from his Storage Ring, and handed them to the elder:
"Very well, this is the payment for the intelligence."
When the elder heard that Chen Sheng intended to pay with Spirit Stones, he quickly waved both hands, his humble smile deepening, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes bunching together:
"How could you say such a thing, Senior! It is our honor to have you gracing our 'Know the Secrets' with your presence, how dare we accept your Spirit Stones?"
As he spoke, he bowed again, his gaze cautiously falling upon Chen Sheng. Seeing no displeasure, he continued:
"To be honest, our great Tributor, Celestial Secret True Monarch, has always instructed—whenever a Nascent Soul Senior visits, all required intelligence is free, we only ask to remember the Senior's name."
"First, to demonstrate our 'Know the Secrets' respect for High Tier Cultivators, and second... so that should there be any news regarding the Senior in the future, we can notify you at the earliest opportunity and offer a modest service."
When he spoke of "Celestial Secret True Monarch," there was a hint of reverence in the elder's tone, clearly esteeming the great Tributor highly.
He took a quick glance at Chen Sheng, his tone carrying a tentative note:
"So, may this junior be bold enough to ask for the Senior's distinguished name?"
Upon hearing this, Chen Sheng pondered briefly, knowing that intelligence agencies like 'Know the Secrets' recording Cultivators' names was not malicious, but more to maintain relations with High Tier Cultivators for future interactions.
Moreover, with his whereabouts traveling through the countries via Teleportation Arrays, it wouldn't be private to those with intentions.
So, Chen Sheng slowly opened his mouth, his voice calm yet commanding an unquestionable authority:
"From Yue Country, Micro-Image. You need only report this name to Celestial Secret True Monarch, nothing more need be said."
When the elder heard "Micro-Image," his heart stirred—could it be the "Three Extremes True Monarch" who was the subject of recent widespread rumors? He quickly nodded in response:
"Yes, yes, yes, this junior has noted it down! Please rest assured, True Monarch, this junior will report it truthfully and not speak a single extra word."
As he said this, he bowed again, even more respectfully than before:
"If in the future, the Senior requires intelligence support in the Great Wilderness, simply contact our 'Know the Secrets' branch at the edge of the Great Wilderness with a Communication Jade Scroll, and I assure you, no matter how urgent the news, we will deliver it to the Senior as swiftly as possible."
Chen Sheng nodded slightly, saying no more, he got up to bid farewell.
Seeing this, the elder hurriedly stepped forward, personally opening the door of the VIP room for Chen Sheng and escorting him all the way to the door: "Take care, Senior."
Chen Sheng merely waved his hand, and his figure disappeared at the stairway.
The elder stood at the door, only relaxing and wiping the cold sweat from his forehead after Chen Sheng's presence could no longer be felt.
Being able to host a Nascent Soul True Monarch was quite stressful, as Nascent Soul True Monarchs often had peculiar temperaments, and any slight misstep could provoke a thunderous wrath.
He quickly took out a Communication Jade Scroll from his Storage Ring, swiftly inscribing the words "Yue Country, Three Elements Dao Sect, Micro-Image True Monarch, acquiring Great Wilderness peripheral intelligence," then sent the Jade Scroll into the void, flying towards the headquarters of Know the Secrets.