Chapter 279 - 268: Sun’s Immortal City

Chapter 279: Chapter 268: Sun’s Immortal City

Jiang Xu was actually much faster than the Sun Clan Cultivators he was tracking, so while on the move, he deliberately paused in the villages beside these Spirit Fields to gather some information.

After gaining a basic understanding of the local situation, Jiang Xu finally figured out why this area was so vastly different from the fringe regions.

It turned out that all the mortals here shared the surname Sun. They were directly affiliated with the Sun Cultivation Clan, enjoying the benefits of the clan’s resources and care.

Just as Elder Liu had mentioned before, Cultivation Clans were able to ensure a continuous line of Spirit Roots in their bloodline, allowing new Cultivators to emerge generation after generation.

This was because clan members with Spirit Roots intermarried, greatly increasing the probability of producing offspring with Spirit Roots.

However, even under these conditions, the chance of giving birth to a child with a Spirit Root was still far lower than that of having a child without one. This meant that not every child of the Sun Clan could embark on the path of Cultivation.

’Faced with this problem, how should the clan properly handle its mortal children who lack Spirit Roots?’

The chasm between immortals and mortals was far more than a mere turn of phrase; it was a tangible social reality.

When a mortal witnessed their relatives and fellow clan members possessing power and Lifespans far beyond ordinary people, feelings of inferiority and loss were almost unavoidable.

They often fell into self-doubt and emotional distress. Finding self-worth and a reason for living in such an environment became a major challenge for the mortals in a Cultivation Clan who lacked Spirit Roots.

The Sun Clan had clearly taken a series of measures to address this issue.

For instance, they established exclusive villages for descendants without Spirit Roots. They also vigorously developed agriculture and trade, providing a good living environment and educational resources. This allowed these mortals to play an important role in the secular world.

Through managing clan industries and serving the clan, they organically integrated mortal life with the cultivation system. This allowed every clan member, with or without a Spirit Root, to find their own place and sense of belonging within the clan.

After tailing those few Cultivators for another stretch, Jiang Xu finally followed them to their destination—Sun’s Immortal City.

This so-called "Immortal City," despite its slightly exaggerated name intended to showcase the clan’s glory and depth, was truly the most magnificent city Jiang Xu had ever seen. Its scale and grandeur were breathtaking.

Sun’s Immortal City was majestic and spectacular. Its walls, built from Profound Ice Stone, were inlaid with crystal-clear tiles that reflected the sun and moon, emitting a faint luminescence as if stars had fallen to the mortal world.

The gatehouse was an ornate structure of carved beams and painted rafters, its high eaves curving upwards like the beaks of birds. The dragon and phoenix totems carved upon it were astonishingly lifelike.

The city’s streets were wide, clean, and well-planned, bustling with carriages and a ceaseless stream of pedestrians. Cultivators on Flying Swords soared through the air, while mortals drove horse-drawn carriages through the streets below.

A dazzling array of shops lined the streets, selling all kinds of rare Spiritual Materials, Magical Artifacts, and daily necessities, all of which showcased the Sun Clan’s immense power and abundant resources.

In the city center towered a grand ancestral hall. The building, resplendent and magnificent, reached toward the clouds with an air of solemn dignity. Inside, where statues of the Sun Clan’s ancestors were enshrined, the lingering scent of incense mingled with the sound of bells and drums.

Several imposing Cultivation Academies and Training Grounds surrounded the ancestral hall, and from them, the continuous murmur of lessons being taught could be heard.

Although there were guards at the city gate, they were just standing there.

Jiang Xu watched the endless stream of Cultivators and mortals entering and exiting the city, and no guards were collecting an entrance fee.

’It really shows they’re all one big family. They’ve even waived the usual entrance and exit fees.’

As Jiang Xu entered the city, he scanned it with his Spiritual Eye Technique.

’If you want to judge the level of the power within a city, you just need to look at the array covering it.’

’A Golden Core Influence would use a Tier Three Array.’

’A Foundation Establishment Influence would only use a Tier Two one.’

’A Tier Two Top Grade array. At most, this clan is overseen by a Cultivator at the Great Perfection of the Foundation Establishment Realm—a Fake Pill Cultivator.’

Jiang Xu relaxed considerably.

After all, with his current concealment skills, a Golden Core Cultivator could most likely see through his disguise with just a bit of scrutiny.

If there had been a Golden Core Cultivator in this city, Jiang Xu would have turned tail and fled immediately, not daring to try anything.

’But that makes sense.’

This so-called Sun’s Immortal City was not located in the center of Greed Wolf Island, but was a bit more remote.

’If the clan truly had produced a Golden Core Cultivator, they would have probably established their home in the center of the island.’

Jiang Xu tailed the Sun Clan Cultivators from a distance, careful to remain undetected. He noted their destination: a residential compound on the city’s east side, concealed by a complex Array.

The Array was like a mysterious, gossamer veil, shrouding the area. It caused the compound to shimmer in and out of view with the shifting light, making it impossible to see what truly lay within.

Though his vision was restricted, Jiang Xu’s keen intuition and vast experience told him that the compound concealed by the Array had to be the core territory of the Sun Cultivation Clan’s main lineage. It was where the most revered and powerful Cultivators of the clan lived and practiced their Cultivation.

He imagined it must be protected by layers of stringent defenses. Not only would there be high-level Protective Arrays, but elite clan disciples likely patrolled day and night to ensure the security of the clan’s core interests.

The residential compound was like a small world of its own, highly vigilant and fortified against any prying from the outside.

Under the Array’s concealment, a faint pressure emanated from within, silently testifying to the Sun Clan’s profound heritage and formidable power.

Currently, Jiang Xu’s skill in the Array Dao had only reached the level of a Tier One Array Master.

As for the more profound Tier Two Arrays, he primarily relied on reading detailed manuals and using the unique perceptive abilities of his Spiritual Eye Technique to understand and identify them.

When it came to breaking a Tier Two Array, he usually resorted to an unorthodox method: relying on Insect’s Soul-Devouring ability to brute-force an opening at a weak point for him to pass through.

However, this method didn’t work on all Arrays; it was more of a stopgap measure, like skirting the very edge of the rules.

Insect had an innate advantage against Arrays constructed from Spiritual Qi, but that didn’t mean it could break every type of Array.

The world’s Arrays were infinitely varied, and there were always strange, complex types that could leave even Insect helpless.

After all, the Array Dao was vast and profound, encompassing a wide range of types. There were conventional Arrays structured purely from Spiritual Qi, but also unconventional ones created by fusing all sorts of strange materials.

If Jiang Xu recklessly followed the Sun Clan Cultivators into the Array-shrouded compound now, only to encounter a barrier that Insect couldn’t handle, he’d be making a disastrous mistake.

Naturally, he didn’t dare to advance so recklessly, lest he end up trapped and full of regret.

Besides, now that Jiang Xu had found a gathering place for Cultivators, he had already partially achieved his goal.

After all, his initial goal was simply to find a way to purchase the special cultivation supplies and the Techniques and Cultivation Methods unique to Greed Wolf Island.

Now that he was in Sun’s Immortal City, with shops all around, he estimated he could easily buy everything he needed.

Jiang Xu found a secluded spot and deactivated his Concealing Breath Spell.

Before deactivating the Concealing Breath Spell, Jiang Xu looked at his appearance in a Water Mirror.

’Hmm, it’s not as handsome as my real face, but it’s still clean-cut and pleasant. Combined with the touch of Affinity I’m deliberately releasing, this look is completely harmless. It should make a great first impression on anyone.’

Jiang Xu was deeply satisfied with his abilities. He believed that in the art of infiltration, two types of people had the most talent.

One type was the person with an extremely ordinary, forgettable face that blended into the crowd. They could walk down the street, and passersby would forget their features after a single glance.

The other type was someone with a naturally friendly aura, able to quickly close the distance with strangers and gain their goodwill and trust in a short time.