Chapter Sixty-Three: Celestial Cloud Pavilion

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Upon the boundless sea, an island nation emerged before their eyes. The city itself was but a phantom, its outlines indistinct, with only the wharf standing real and clear. The sailors aboard the Sky Commander dropped anchor, securing the ship at the dock. Xuan Jiuyuan manipulated the altar, lifting the divine light barrier outside the Sky Commander, allowing guests to come and go freely.

“The Sky Commander will be docked in the Ancient Yue Kingdom for a day to replenish supplies before setting out for the Yu Kingdom,” Li Feiyu explained to Xu Zhong. They had conducted thorough research before arriving and knew this well.

“Ancient Yue is not inferior to Yu, save for its lack of land,” Tang Yuan remarked. “But the boundless sea is constantly changing. I’ve heard that lost relics of ancient civilizations sometimes emerge as this world merges into the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands.”

“Perhaps someday, Ancient Yue will be as prosperous as Yu,” he continued, as they all disembarked from the Sky Commander.

Xu Zhong passed through the wharf, surrounded by many laborers vying for customers. Ancient Yue seemed to uphold ancient customs, a nation of the Way, unlike Yu, where the immortal and mortal realms were separate.

Not far from the wharf, pristine white city walls rose, immaculate and spotless. Every hundred feet along the walls stood a watchtower, equipped with ballistae and cultivators.

Beyond the walls, tall buildings soared. Within the city, the streets crisscrossed like flowing jade belts, reaching every corner.

“Ancient Yue is almost a city-state,” Fang Yuan observed as she curiously watched the bustling surroundings.

The city appeared endless, its towering structures densely packed, with watchtowers serving as connecting nodes, bridging distances of a thousand miles.

“Wow!” Fang Yuan stared wide-eyed at the sky above.

Countless rivers flowed overhead, their waves surging. Even in all the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands, she had never seen such a spectacle.

“Is it fresh water?” Yun Yong looked up. “The boundless sea is, after all, an ocean, lacking fresh water. So powerful practitioners employ their arts to draw fresh water endlessly from the world, supplying this city.”

Xu Zhong glanced around. This should have been Chang County, but it bore none of its familiar features, transformed into something grand and unfamiliar, even more prosperous than the Nine Cities.

Along the ten-mile avenue, shops and commercial buildings lined the streets, carriages thronged, birds sang, and the place bustled with life.

“Feng Xun possesses such ability,” Xu Zhong marveled, but at the same time, he wondered, “How could someone so capable cause Ancient Yue to fall?”

Cultivators flew back and forth above the city, escorting goods and procuring rare items.

“Hm?” Xu Zhong noticed, “There seem to be no mortals here?”

Chang County had once been a small town in Yangshuo, mostly populated by mortals with few cultivators, yet since leaving the wharf, he hadn’t seen a single mortal.

Here, the people all carried some measure of spiritual energy, either having cultivated the Way or opened the Five Luminary hidden chambers—strange indeed.

“Sir, are you from Chang County?” Xu Zhong approached a shop, whose owner was an elderly man radiating a faint spiritual aura, clearly having cultivated the Way.

“You’re from Yu Kingdom, aren’t you?” The old man glanced at Xu Zhong. “Most visitors don’t know the name Chang County. They prefer to call it Tianyuan.”

He continued, “Nowadays, even we don’t consider ourselves Yu Kingdom people.”

“Why?” Xu Zhong asked.

“The Lord of Tianyuan taught us the methods of cultivation, granting us longevity, letting us claim land and open shops, trading with cultivators from the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands. Look at me: three years ago, I was just an old man waiting to die. Now, I am a cultivator.”

“If fortune favors me, I might even open the Five Luminary hidden chambers and extend my life.”

He added, “We no longer worry about taxes or officials. When we were Chang County folk, life was hard. Now, as Tianyuan people, life is good…”

Xu Zhong could only remain silent for a long while.

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At that moment, a squad of soldiers in azure armor, wielding spears and brimming with strength, marched past Xu Zhong and his companions escorting a shipment of goods.

“Looks like Tianyun Pavilion has received new stock,” the old man told Xu Zhong and his friends. “Young man, as half a fellow townsman, let me advise you: if you have money and time, try your luck at Tianyun Pavilion.”

“I’ve heard they’ll soon get a batch of Five Elemental Spirit Roots, Celestial Sand, and Panlong Root.”

Five Elemental Spirit Roots are rare treasures for cultivators at the Five Luminary stage, accelerating the process of opening hidden chambers.

Celestial Sand is a prized item for cultivators at the Unity stage, increasing the chances of forming a golden pill.

At the Unity stage, one must integrate the mysteries of the Five Luminary hidden chambers with their powers, ultimately refining a golden pill.

The Five Energies converge upon the One.

The “origin” is power.

The “One” is the golden pill.

As for the Panlong Root, Xu Zhong had never heard of it.

“I’ve heard a bit about Panlong Root,” Li Feiyu recalled. “My family said some cultivators, before the True Essence stage, plant Panlong Root in their Niwan Palace. Their souls attach to the root, and over time, the soul condenses into a divine soul.”

The divine soul marks the Sublimation stage.

There’s a saying: ‘With a divine soul, one’s courage soars; by morning, one travels the Northern Sea, by night, the Cangwu Mountains.’

That is about the divine soul.

A divine soul can exist apart from the body and roam the world in a single day.

In the past, Situ Nan, after forming his divine soul, wandered out and accidentally became trapped in the Dragon Capital Cave Heaven.

Panlong Root helps cultivators condense the divine soul.

In other words, it increases the chance of reaching the Sublimation stage.

Chatting thus, Li Feiyu and the others unwittingly followed the soldiers escorting goods to Tianyun Pavilion.

Tianyun Pavilion was the largest building in Tianyuan City.

Its towering structure, pure white walls, and life-sized pi xiu statues at the entrance were guarded by formidable sentinels, each radiating powerful energy.

“They’re all at the True Essence stage, without exception.” Yun Yong used his eye technique to discern their cultivation.

“Who would have thought such a grand marketplace could exist on the boundless sea,” Tang Yuan remarked. “One might think we’re in the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands.”

The three characters of ‘Tianyun Pavilion’ were written in a powerful and flowing script. Just one glance conveyed an overwhelming aura, as if dragon roars echoed in their ears.

“The calligrapher must be highly cultivated, with the bearing of a master.”

The person Yun Yong spoke of seemed quite different from Xu Zhong’s impression of Feng Xun.

“Are you here for the Tianyun Pavilion auction?” a graceful woman emerged from within. “Your information is quick—the goods have barely arrived, and you’re already here.”

“Indeed, we’re here for the auction,” Tang Yuan replied, striking up a conversation.

“But you’re a bit early,” the woman said softly. “Please come inside; there are vacant rooms upstairs for you.”

The group followed her into Tianyun Pavilion.

“What items should we pay attention to in this auction?” Tang Yuan asked.

“If I’m not mistaken, you are all Unity stage cultivators,” the woman seemed to see through Xu Zhong and his companions. “Since you’re at Unity, you should focus on Celestial Sand, Taibai True Iron, and Taixuan Flowing Liquid.”

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Xu Zhong noticed that as she mentioned Taixuan Flowing Liquid, the others’ breathing grew noticeably heavier.

“Here is the auction list.” She handed out auction papers to Xu Zhong and the others. “The Unity session is on the fourth floor and will begin in about an hour. In the meantime, you’re free to conduct private trades.”

She led them to the fourth floor of Tianyun Pavilion and opened several private rooms for them.

Each room contained a precious jade that could display the auction hall in real time.

“I never expected Taixuan Flowing Liquid to be up for auction,” Fang Yuan said, checking her storage pouch and sighing, “Sadly, I don’t have enough money.”

“Me neither!” Tang Yuan and Li Feiyu exchanged glances, each reading ‘broke’ in the other’s eyes.

“Forget it,” Yun Yong said abruptly. “Even if we pooled all our possessions, we probably couldn’t buy a single drop of Taixuan Flowing Liquid.”

“What exactly is Taixuan Flowing Liquid?” Xu Zhong asked.

Li Feiyu explained, “Taixuan Flowing Liquid is extracted from the external Five Elements. It is the essence of Heaven and Earth, formed when energy is sensed, and takes a thousand years to condense a single drop.”

“Don’t underestimate it—a single drop, taken, can connect one to the mysteries.”

The mysterious is that which influences myriad things yet remains invisible; it is the Way of Heaven, the Way of Earth, the Way of Man.

In short, it connects to the Way.

Taixuan Flowing Liquid is, simply put, a treasure born from the resonance of the Great Way.

“Though it doesn’t increase cultivation, it improves one’s constitution, allowing the body to become one with the Way, enhancing fortune, and has miraculous effects—reviving the dead, restoring flesh to bone.”

“As long as one’s spiritual light isn’t extinguished, Taixuan Flowing Liquid can bring them back.”

Hearing this, Xu Zhong exclaimed, “Isn’t this a one-time miracle?”

“Exactly!” Li Feiyu nodded. “Now you see how precious it is!”

Not to mention its ability to improve constitution and luck, just this last effect is enough for people to spend everything to obtain it.

Xu Zhong was tempted.

He carried the fate of another, and could not bear it; a single misstep could mean death and the loss of his path. If he could acquire such a treasure…

Xu Zhong’s heart stirred.

But when he looked at his own shriveled storage pouch, he could only console himself.

“But why is such a treasure included in the Unity session?” Xu Zhong asked.

The group fell silent.

“Perhaps when the Taixuan Flowing Liquid was unearthed, it was contaminated.”

Everyone looked at Yun Yong.

“I’m just guessing,” Yun Yong replied, unfazed.

“No,” Fang Yuan shook her head. “I just think you make a good point.”

“The Unity stage’s Niwan Palace is not yet opened—perhaps the contamination relates to the Niwan Palace,” Tang Yuan murmured.

“The lady said the fourth floor has a platform for independent trading. I have some items I don’t need; I’d like to see if I can exchange them for something worthwhile. Do you want to come and have a look?”