Chapter 381 - 351: Beast City

Chapter 381: Chapter 351: Beast City

"Chixia City..."

Chu Mu gazed at the distant, cloud-piercing mountain range as he unfurled a paper booklet in his hand.

He had received the booklet upon entering the port, and it detailed information about the island.

According to the booklet, while Chixia Island was vast, its only city, Chixia City, was built upon the Chixia Mountains in the center of the island.

On the map, Chixia City was depicted vividly.

The mountains stretched on endlessly, and the pavilions and towers were built along their contours. Though called a city, it had no walls.

The booklet stated that Chixia City was managed quite leniently. There was no No-fly Zone Restriction and none of the strict regulations found in the Great Chu Cultivation Immortal World. The only rule was that fighting was forbidden within the city.

The problem was, without clearly defined borders for Chixia City, this prohibition was obviously a bit vague.

After a moment’s observation, Chu Mu couldn’t be bothered to overthink it. He leaped into the air, wreathed in flickering crimson flames. Employing a touch of the Human Sword Unity Technique, he transformed into what looked like a crimson blade, streaking across the sky and vanishing in the blink of an eye.

The fiery light lasted for only a dozen breaths. As more Cultivators appeared in the vicinity, he switched from the Human Sword Unity Technique to a standard Flying Escape Technique.

After flying for a short while, Chu Mu suddenly halted in mid-air, his gaze fixed on the ground below.

This place was still some distance from Chixia City, yet there was a city here.

The city covered a large area and was clearly protected by an Array Prohibition. A faint, watery-blue light screen enveloped it, sealing it off from the outside world.

From the outside, it was impossible to see what the city’s interior looked like.

Chu Mu looked at his booklet. The Chixia guide, meant to detail the island’s features, only mentioned this place in passing, offering no real description.

"Beast City?"

Chu Mu silently read the name recorded in the booklet, his brow furrowed.

’A city for raising Spirit Beasts?’

The thought came and went. Chu Mu couldn’t be bothered to dwell on it. With a surge of Magical Power, he flew off once more.

Although Chixia City had no No-fly Zone Restriction, Chu Mu still descended slowly from the sky as he reached its edge.

The city was bustling. Even at the very edge, the din of voices was overwhelming. A glance revealed a network of intersecting streets, lined with an endless sprawl of pavilions and buildings of all shapes and sizes.

Resplendent light screens from Artifact Techniques extended from the shops lining the streets. The street itself was a world that seemed both fantastical and yet logical.

There were Demon Beasts as large as small hills, lumbering step by step down streets over a hundred feet wide. Giant snakes, often over a hundred feet long, coiled by the roadside. There were also Cultivators who maintained their bloodline mutations: some with human torsos and snake tails, others with human bodies and bull heads. Some stood over ten meters tall, while others were as short as dwarves...

More than that, all sorts of Demon Beast auras swirled around the Bloodline Cultivators. Just like on the mainland, the vast majority of Bloodline Cultivators were accompanied by Demon Beasts of all shapes and sizes, large and small.

In fact, it was even more common and more... bizarre... than in the Cultivation Immortal Realm on the mainland.

In the Great Chu Cultivation Immortal World, he would have been quite conspicuous walking into any Marketplace with his Demon Beast, Wangcai.

But here...

It seemed utterly insignificant...

Even though he had seen much on the mainland, the sight of Chixia still left him in a bit of a daze.

Ever since crossing the Chu River, he’d had the strange feeling that he hadn’t entered a Cultivation Immortal Realm, but a Demon Realm full of Spiritual Demons.

But that was clearly just an illusion. Demon Beasts below Tier Four could not develop Spiritual Wisdom comparable to a human’s.

The difference between human and demon was undoubtedly clear.

Chu Mu rubbed Wangcai’s head. The cold touch of its silver Armor strangely put his mind at ease.

He stepped forward, making no effort to conceal his Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment Qi Cultivation, or his Body Refining Cultivation, which was equivalent to the Late Stage of Foundation Establishment.

This went against his usual habits, but the Vast Sea Cultivation Immortal World was, after all, different from the Great Chu Cultivation Immortal World.

In the Great Chu Cultivation Immortal World, having a low Cultivation wasn’t terrifying. As long as you knew your place, stayed in a Marketplace, and kept a low profile, you were unlikely to face any danger.

But in the Vast Sea Cultivation Immortal World...

Just look at the bizarre scene before him. With all these Bloodline Cultivators of varying Cultivation levels, no one could know what kind of negative corrupting effects their diverse Demon Beast Bloodlines had.

Irritability, bloodlust, short tempers, domineering attitudes...

For these Cultivators who couldn’t avoid the negative corrupting influence of their Demon Beast Bloodlines, things like rationality and calmness were undoubtedly rare qualities.

Being attacked suddenly while walking down the street, even when minding your own business, was certainly not a rare occurrence in the Vast Sea Cultivation Immortal World where the path of bloodline Cultivation was prevalent...

He had witnessed it firsthand on his journey, and had even personally experienced it while concealing his Cultivation.

Revealing one’s Cultivation was the greatest deterrent.

No matter how short-tempered or irritable someone was, they would tend to calm down when faced with a higher Cultivation level.

As for those in the Foundation Establishment Realm, or even the higher-level Golden Core Bloodline Cultivators...

If they couldn’t avoid or suppress the negative corruption of their bloodline, it would be impossible for them to break through to such realms.

When he revealed his Cultivation, the vague agitation in the surroundings seemed to quiet down instantly as he walked past.

A Late Stage of Foundation Establishment Cultivation and a Tier Two Middle Stage Demon Beast were enough to make every Qi Cultivation Realm Bloodline Cultivator on the street calm down completely.

The city’s construction along the mountain contours undoubtedly made its layout extremely complex. The streets intersected, rose and fell abruptly, and wound left and right, just like the famous mountain cities of his previous life.

If not for the powerful Divine Sense of the Foundation Establishment Realm, he felt he might have actually gotten lost.

Walking along the street, he saw shops that were either deserted or bustling. The shops themselves were diverse, selling all sorts of Spiritual Objects.

It was like glancing at flowers from a galloping horse; a cursory look around one corner revealed an entirely different scene around the next.

"Senior."

Just as he turned a corner onto another street, a voice suddenly called out from the side of the road.

Then, a wiry man walked up quickly and bowed respectfully to Chu Mu.

Chu Mu turned to look at the man. His Cultivation was equivalent to the Middle Stage of Qi Cultivation. The back of his exposed hands were covered in scales, and faint scaly patterns were visible on his cheeks. His pupils were grayish-white. He was quite a startling sight.

"Senior, is this your first time in Chixia?"

The man asked, then, clearly afraid Chu Mu might misunderstand and get angry, he quickly explained, "This junior is Chang Er. I grew up in Chixia City and know it like the back of my hand. If Senior is new to Chixia and needs anything, or if you’re looking for a specific place, this junior can be your guide."

Finally, the man glanced cautiously at Chu Mu and added, "I only need two... no, one Calming Pill as payment."

"Alright."

Chu Mu studied Chang Er thoughtfully for a moment, nodded, and slowly voiced two requests.

"Lead the way. I expect to be staying in Chixia City for some time."

"Also, I need to visit the largest shop in the city that sells Cultivation Techniques and Pill Recipes."

"Rest assured, Senior! This junior was born and raised in Chixia City. I know all about these things."

Unable to hide his delight, Chang Er immediately stepped forward to lead the way respectfully.

"This mutation of yours, is it a side effect of bloodline corruption, or a special effect of your Cultivation Technique?"

Chu Mu asked casually, glancing at the jarring scales on Chang Er’s body.

Hearing Chu Mu’s question, Chang Er’s expression darkened. He shook his head and said, "To be honest with you, Senior, it’s a negative side effect of bloodline corruption."

"It’s like this for all of us low-level Bloodline Cultivators. We don’t have Secret Skills or Cultivation Techniques that can suppress or prevent bloodline corruption, so we have to take Elixirs periodically to keep it in check."

"If we can’t suppress it in time and the corruption becomes too severe, our bodies will gradually demonize. Although our Combat Power increases significantly after demonization, the bloodline corruption also gets much worse."

"If we can’t properly suppress the bloodline corruption, in the end, we’ll turn completely into a mindless Corpse Demon..."

"This is the fate of all us Low Tier Bloodline Cultivators..."

Chu Mu asked, "If that’s the case, then why did you choose the path of bloodline Cultivation in the first place?"

"Senior, you must be new to our Vast Sea Cultivation Immortal World, right?"

Chang Er looked at Chu Mu. As their conversation deepened, he seemed to have grown a bit bolder.

"Why do you ask?"

Chu Mu was slightly puzzled.

"In this Vast Sea Cultivation Immortal World, where can you find pure humans? People like us are born with Demon Beast Bloodline. We’re destined to walk the path of bloodline Cultivation from birth."

"Sigh, someone like me is actually one of the lucky ones. At least I could enter the Cultivation Immortal Realm and eke out a meager existence."

"If I didn’t have Cultivator parents to protect me at birth, I would have been thrown into that Beast City long ago to become human livestock, and I’d have no idea when I’d be refined into a Human Pill..."

"Human livestock?"

Chu Mu was shocked and suspicious.

Chang Er said nonchalantly, "That Beast City outside the city, the ones living inside are all human livestock."

"They live without worrying about food or drink, supplied with dense Spiritual Qi. Every so often, someone even comes to cast aphrodisiac spells..."

"When they reach their teens, when their Qi and Blood is at its peak, they’re dragged out and refined into Human Pills."

"I’ve also heard there’s a special Fertility Secret Technique inside that can make newborn infants grow to adulthood in just a few years..."

"Look, in an Elixir shop like this one, the cheapest things for sale are the Human Pills..."

Chu Mu’s expression was unreadable. "You mean Qi and Blood Pills, right?"

"I think so. Anyway, we all just call them Human Pills."

Chu Mu looked at the Elixir shop to the side. The so-called Human Pills were on the most conspicuous wooden shelf in the shop. Compared to other Elixirs, they were indeed extremely cheap.

Their effects were crude, but for Low Tier Cultivators and Low Tier Demon Beasts, if nothing else, at least... they were sold in bulk and filled you up...

Chu Mu let out a long breath. He didn’t feel melancholy, nor did he feel any particular pity for their plight.

After all, this was something fated and long-expected.

In the Great Chu Cultivation Immortal World, the reason mortal commoners could exist in peace was, fundamentally, because their existence was meaningless to the Cultivation Immortal Realm and to Cultivators.

With no conflicts of interest, they could naturally survive in relative stability. Even if Cultivators viewed mortals as insignificant as weeds, it wouldn’t endanger the existence of the entire mortal world.

But for Bloodline Cultivators and Demon Beasts, it was clearly different.

It was simply... demand... creating a market.

After all, in this Cultivation Immortal Realm, there was nothing as cheap and inexhaustible as mortal humans.

...