Chapter 588 - 323: Jade Yuan Immortal City

Fortunately, Lü Zhong still had the Insect Queen, Baqiong.

With a Tier Four Demon Insect on his side, coupled with the aid of the Mountain Shaking Ship, the Bihai Sect was as solid as a rock. They even had the strength to spare for a declaration of war against Changchun Valley.

At Lü Zhong’s behest, Su Caocao had already made her move against Changchun Valley, formally beginning the process of annexation.

Their sole target was Changchun Valley. This wasn’t because Lü Zhong lacked ambition, but because he was wary of the Gui Miao Immortal Sect from Central Earth. As he was only at the Early-stage Nascent Soul, this was the only course of action he could take.

Only by standing high can one see far.

It was only after reaching the Nascent Soul Stage and learning more of the Cultivation Realm’s secrets that Lü Zhong understood. On the surface, the conflict between the Daoist Sect and Changchun Valley appeared to be a dispute between two Daoist Lineages. In reality, it was a delicate balance of power, a stalemate between two evenly matched rivals engineered by the greater Immortal Sects as a method of control.

If he were to disrupt the balance of power in the Southern Barbarian lands, he would most likely bring a fatal disaster upon himself.

It would be better to focus on his cultivation for now. Once his cultivation reached the Late-stage Nascent Soul and he had the confidence to confront the Gui Miao Immortal Sect, it would not be too late to plan the unification of the Southern Barbarian lands.

As for the Incarnations lurking within the various Southern Barbarian Sects, Lü Zhong didn’t let them stay idle. He decided to seize this rare opportunity and have them climb as high up the ranks as possible. It would be best, of course, if they could become high-ranking sect officials, or even attain the position of Sect Leader.

...

「Seven long years passed in the blink of an eye.」

On this day, Lü Zhong let out a long sigh of relief.

"Phew, my cultivation is finally restored!"

Carefully sensing the surging, pure Magical Power flowing within his body, a smile finally appeared on his face. But then he looked at the still-slumbering Shuini, and his expression grew solemn again.

Seven years had passed, and not only did Shuini show no signs of waking, but she was actually growing weaker by the day.

If this continued, she would likely perish in less than a century.

There was no time to waste. Lü Zhong immediately entered the Gray Mist Space and, using his True Retrospection ability, began to investigate the reason why Shuini had yet to awaken.

In the time that followed, aside from his daily meditation exercises, he spent all his remaining time on this task.

「Two years passed in a flash.」

After numerous attempts, Lü Zhong figured out the reason.

It turned out that a small black insect had somehow appeared on Shuini’s Primordial Spirit. It was currently emitting pulses of Black Light, greedily and without restraint, absorbing her Primordial Soul Power.

If he wasn’t mistaken, Shuini had been "parasitized."

’Then why am I unharmed?’

At this thought, Lü Zhong reviewed his memories.

After being swallowed by the "darkness," it was no coincidence that he and Shuini had appeared in the same stomach sac.

Along the way, Shuini had used some unknown means to forcibly awaken and reunite with him. After several failed attempts to escape, she had exhausted all her strength and was forced back into a deep slumber.

This also explained why, when he had woken up earlier, he had found Shuini lying beneath him.

’So that’s what happened...’ Lü Zhong gently stroked Shuini’s face, a soft light appearing in his eyes. He then gave a slight smile, an inexplicable warmth filling his heart.

He then continued to review his memories.

Only then did Lü Zhong understand that he hadn’t been treated differently. Rather, after being swallowed by the "darkness," the Wood Thunder Seal in his Sea of Consciousness had activated. The moment the parasitic insect entered, it was blasted to smithereens by the Thunder Seal.

Thanks to the Wood Thunder Seal, he had been spared from being parasitized.

Not only that, but after absorbing the parasitic insect, his Primordial Spirit had been strengthened considerably. This manifested as an increase in the range of his Divine Sense Projection by five zhang and one chi.

’So, how can I remove the parasitic insect from her Primordial Spirit?’

From his observations, the parasite and Shuini’s Primordial Spirit were connected by nigh-imperceptible Spirit Silks, making them almost a single entity. If he used brute force to remove it, he would definitely damage her Primordial Spirit. A cultivator’s Primordial Spirit was exceptionally important; even the slightest damage could lead to a life-or-death crisis.

Therefore, to deal with the parasite, he first had to find a suitable method.

Lü Zhong didn’t feel he was without options to solve this problem. After all, he had the Gray Mist Space and was an Alchemist proficient in the Alchemy Dao. By using True Retrospection to experiment with different formulas, finding a solution shouldn’t be too difficult.

’But right now, the most important thing is to find a way back to the Southern Barbarian lands.’

Without the resources of the Bihai Sect, it was impossible for Lü Zhong to refine any Pills. His cultivation speed had dropped to a crawl.

If this went on, he would inevitably be stuck at the Early-stage Nascent Soul forever.

Lü Zhong had previously asked the Zhao, Wang, and Gao Clans to inquire about a route back to the Southern Barbarian lands. But the three clans were just insignificant Qi Refining Small Families whose members had never even left Xiyang Country. How could they possibly find information about inter-regional travel?

Fortunately, it wasn’t a complete dead end. They had heard that one could get related news at Jade Yuan Immortal City on Yellow Path Mountain.

Thus, Lü Zhong’s next step was to head to Jade Yuan Immortal City.

As for his previous promise, he had no intention of going back on his word.

It had to be said that for the Zhao, Wang, and Gao Clans to have coexisted for several hundred years, they were quite adept at judging situations. He had previously suspected that the three families might cause some trouble while he was healing and recovering his cultivation.

But as it turned out, these three families, or at least the Clan Leaders who led them, were remarkably clever.

’Families like these are only missing a single opportunity to soar. In light of how diligently you’ve guarded me, granting you a small fortunate encounter is no issue...’ Lü Zhong’s eyes showed his appreciation. He took out a pile of items that were miscellaneous junk to him, placed them together with some Foundation Establishment Pills, and then used the Sleeve Universe Technique, vanishing along with Shuini.

It wasn’t until several days later that the Zhao, Wang, and Gao Clans discovered Lü Zhong’s departure.

Upon receiving this news, the three Clan Leaders hurried to the cave residence. When they saw the three Foundation Establishment Pills and the large pile of treasures, they were all stunned into place.

After they understood what had happened, their hearts filled with complex emotions. They exchanged a look, then all turned to the south and bowed deeply in unison.

...

「Two months later.」

Lü Zhong finally entered the territory of Yellow Path Mountain.

The distance from Molin Lake to Yellow Path Mountain was merely tens of thousands of li. The reason he had spent so long on the road was because, during his routine experiments along the way, he had found a way to remove the parasite.

The method was actually quite simple.

By stimulating it with Tribulation Thunder at a specific frequency, the Spirit Silks the parasite had extended into Shuini’s Primordial Spirit would begin to wither irreversibly.

Once the connection between the parasite and the Primordial Spirit was broken, it could be easily removed, allowing Shuini to awaken from her slumber.

However, a new problem arose.

While stimulating the Primordial Spirit with Tribulation Thunder could cause the Spirit Silks to wither, it would also harm Shuini’s Primordial Spirit at the same time.

’It seems that while gathering information on returning to the Southern Barbarian lands, I’ll also need to collect Spiritual Objects that can nourish the Divine Soul. I can’t let the Tribulation Thunder damage the foundation of her Primordial Spirit.’

Fortunately, the two tasks could be carried out simultaneously without interfering with each other.

It would simply require more of his Heart and Spirit.

As he flew and thought, the number of rainbow streaks of light flying through the surrounding sky gradually increased.

Descending below the oppressive black clouds, a magnificent, brilliantly lit city finally came into view. It stood atop a mountain peak, shrouded in a world of ice and snow.

This was his destination—Jade Yuan Immortal City.

Jade Yuan Immortal City belonged to the Little Yuan Palace, and its scale was slightly smaller than that of Changchun Immortal City. The architectural style here was vastly different from the Southern Barbarian lands. Perhaps due to the influence of the Northern Border’s frigid climate, there were no open-air pavilions or terraces to be seen; all the buildings were tightly sealed, consisting of little more than thick walls, doors, and windows.

And this had created the unique fortress-tower architecture of the Northern Border.

The so-called fortress-towers, as the name implies, had the appearance of a Dock Fortress.

Lü Zhong suppressed his cultivation to the Early-stage Core Formation and landed on the ground early. He didn’t need to queue with the low-level cultivators. He only needed to register at the gatehouse, and a Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Little Yuan Palace would respectfully present him with a Jade Token.

By simply carrying this Jade Token, he could move about Jade Yuan Immortal City without obstruction.

Upon entering the city, a wave of Spiritual Qi immediately washed over him.

The entire Jade Yuan Immortal City was built on a massive Tier Four Spiritual Vein. In terms of Spiritual Qi density alone, although it was not as good as the inside of a Nascent Soul Sect, it was superior to Changchun Immortal City.

Turning, he headed to the bustling central commercial district.

Lü Zhong did not, as he usually did upon arriving in a new place, take time to experience the local culture and customs. Instead, he headed straight for a shop that sold information.