The town bustled with activity, and the market was teeming with people. Crowds shuffled through the streets in high spirits, many families strolling around leisurely.
As the largest town in the southern region, Huangde City boasted a population exceeding 400,000 at its peak.
The city was a mix of all types—commoners, nobility, scholars, and wandering cultivators who occasionally graced the streets.
It was just after the New Year, the ti of glittering lanterns and lively celebrations.
Perforrs from all around had gathered in Huangde City. What they couldn’t earn in several months elsewhere, they could make in just a day or two here.
Stalls lined the streets, vendors calling out their wares amid rising steam from snacks and hot foods.
It was a picture of mortal life at its most vibrant.
At the entrance to the marketplace, hundreds of onlookers gathered, their curiosity piqued as they surrounded a fully loaded cart.
A short, rotund man erged from the cart, casting a proud, self-satisfied gaze over the crowd.
Everyone in Huangde City knew of the Baolai Chamber of Comrce. Every year, around the third day after New Year’s, they would arrive with an array of rarely seen treasures to display in the town.
Though many of the items were likely nothing more than the imaginative works of craftsn, they were undeniably captivating.
"Co one, co all, behold wonders and treasures from across the lands!"
Manager Kong Yong called out in a loud voice, drawing the crowd closer. Carefully, he retrieved an item from the cart.
"Corals from the North Sea, renowned for their five vibrant colors. These are among the finest of the fine and can typically only be found within the North Sea Dragon Palace."
The crowd erupted into gasps. The coral in Kong Yong’s hand was indeed exquisitely beautiful, its faint radiance shimring under the sunlight.
However, sharp-eyed onlookers noted sothing amiss about the coral’s hue.
"The five colors seem only to coat the surface, with no pigntation in the core. What a pity—its value is greatly reduced if used solely for coloring purposes."
After a few energetic calls, Kong Yong sold the coral to a wealthy patron of the city.
Next, he unveiled a crystalline Glazed Glass Lamp, claiming it ca from the Western Regions, though its engravings bore a resemblance to artifacts rumored to hail from the Isles of the Endless Star Sea.
Kong Yong’s goods were part truth and part fabrication, but no one dared call him out.
Every trade had its unwritten rules; when it ca to antiques and treasures, value lay in the beholder’s discernnt. If soone made a poor judgnt, paynt was already exchanged, no refunds entertained.
"Manager Kong, what’s in the wooden crate at the back of your cart? Show us!"
Soone in the crowd playfully yelled, sparking laughter. Kong Yong chuckled heartily, commanding his assistants to haul out the heavy crate, which lifted an enormous burden off the two weary horses pulling the cart.
"This item is divine. I personally witnessed a celestial phenonon in the lands between the North and the South, where a teor fell into the mountains. It was excavated and turned out to be..."
"An otherworldly exiled immortal!!!"
The children gasped in astonishnt while the adults exchanged skeptical looks.
An exiled immortal? How could such a being be locked away in a re wooden crate? Surely, this so-called teor was a fabricated story ant to boost sales.
Kong Yong, noticing the crowd’s disbelief, snorted in disdain.
"I said it’s an exiled immortal, so it is! Today, I’ll open your eyes to the truth!!!"
With a sneer, Kong Yong painstakingly set the crate upright before slowly opening it. Imdiately, a dazzling light spilled forth.
The crowd was thrown into a startled uproar.
They stared in amazent at the contents, an eerie silence falling over the marketplace.
Inside the crate was a man of otherworldly looks, garbed in seamless celestial robes. On his forehead rested a stone ball resembling the Moon Palace, one side radiating yin energy, the other yang, its pale halo rippling outward.
The exiled immortal was enshrined within thick crystalline layers, giving him an even more divine appearance.
"This exiled immortal is impervious to water and fire, unscathed by swords and blades. He must truly be an immortal from beyond the mortal realm."
People began to kneel on the ground, muttering fervent prayers. The crowd broke into chaos as nobles, officials, and wealthy rchants desperately waved their silver notes, each eager to claim the immortal for themselves.
They were frenzied at the thought of taking the immortal ho. If he awakened, he might bestow the opportunity to achieve immortality upon them.
"Manager Kong, sell him to ! I’ll give you my entire collection of treasures!"
"Kong Yong, we’ve been friends for years. Surely you won’t let a stranger take him? My uncle serves as a third-grade official at court—he can open doors for you in the future."
"This cannot fall into mortal hands. Kong Yong, co with to petition the emperor himself. His Majesty greatly prizes celestial artifacts; unimaginable rewards await you."
......
Malicious glances swept over Kong Yong. Everyone knew what an exiled immortal represented.
Sweat beaded on Kong Yong’s brow. His gaze darted briefly to the exiled immortal, but his expression remained calm as he enthusiastically continued his elaborate narrative.
Just then—
An old man holding a Spirit Detecting Talisman approached, surrounded by dozens of guards. The wealthy rchants and officials parted respectfully to make way.
"Manager Kong, I’ve already inford the Upper Immortal of the Qingcheng Sect, the Mountain Continent Sage. He will arrive in Huangde City in a few days."
"Excellent. I’d intended to offer this to the Qingcheng Sect from the start. Many thanks, Elder Tong." Kong Yong clasped his hands in respect, his tone utterly deferential.
"No trouble at all. Have the exiled immortal brought to the mansion. Handle him with utmost care—no rough movents."
Tong Yu gently stroked his white beard, adding, "Manager Kong, you’re welco to join us at the mansion. When the Mountain Continent Sage arrives, you’ll undoubtedly get your due reward. Cough cough."
"Many thanks for the recomndation, Elder Tong."
Kong Yong realized his plan had succeeded, and he exhaled a long sigh of relief.
The Qingcheng Sect was the guardian Immortal Sect of Huangde City. Alongside the Heavenly Sword Sect, they belonged to the sword cultivation lineage. The Mountain Continent Sage held the position of Outer Elder within the Qingcheng Sect and was a Nascent Soul-stage cultivator with significant power.
Though Tong Yu addressed him as Upper Immortal in reverence, he was actually a distant descendant of the Sage. Without Spirit Roots, Tong Yu had remained in Huangde City, surviving to the age of 117 solely through the Sage’s Lifespan Extension Pills.
"Could this really be an exiled immortal?"
Tong Yu breathed heavily. He held a Spirit Detecting Talisman designed to sense spiritual objects, which usually emitted a faint warmth when near such treasures.
But in the presence of the exiled immortal, the talisman grew alarmingly hot in his hand, forcing him to instinctively drop it. The talisman imdiately ignited and burned to ashes in monts.
"It is indeed an immortal..."
He ordered, "What are you all standing around for? Bring him back to the mansion!"
Kong Yong directed his n to reload the exiled immortal onto the cart as the crowd dispersed. Wealthy rchants and officials hurried ho to make their preparations.
The Mountain Continent Sage had the authority to recruit Outer Disciples. Perhaps his good mood might even lead him to test their children’s talent for Spirit Roots.
Even those without Spirit Roots who worked as servant disciples in the Qingcheng Sect for a few years were guaranteed far greater prospects upon returning to the mortal world.
As the cart’s curtains were drawn, Kong Yong, now alone with the exiled immortal, revealed his true deanor.
He knelt on the floor, clasped his hands, and said, "Immortal, please forgive my recklessness. You appeared to in a dream, commanding to find a sect to properly place you. But I don’t know any otherworldly cultivators, so I had no choice but to resort to this spectacle."
After kowtowing several tis, he rose to straighten his robes. Glancing at the exiled immortal, he noticed a faint smile on the man’s face and even thought he glimpsed him wink. Startled, Kong Yong nearly stumbled.
"I’m glad you’re not angry with , Immortal. My actions were out of necessity."
Hearing Tong Yu urging him to hurry from outside, Kong Yong closed the crate, moved to the front of the cart, and directed the journey towards the Tong Mansion.
He occasionally glanced back, wondering what reward the immortal might bestow.
Faintly, he thought he heard a sigh from within the cart, but when he asked the assistants beside him, they showed no sign of hearing anything unusual.
"The Heavenly Dao Page actually sent back ten thousand years into the mortal world."
"This is... truly absurd!"
Lying stiffly inside the crate, Li Mo’s expression was one of frustration. It had been over ten years since he had arrived in this ancient era.
Scanning himself within and without, he noted his blood, flesh, and bones were all on the verge of collapse. Even his Three Dharma Bodies had fallen into a deep slumber.
"Ancient cultivators struggle due to their incompatibility with the post-cataclysm environnt, impeding advancent. Unexpectedly, as a cultivator from the future, I’ve encountered the sa issue!"
"Forget my Physical Body or Dharma Body—even my Spiritual Power and Divine Sense have now grown dormant."
"Damn it all."
The only thing Li Mo could still feel was his Three Immortal Bodies.
Among them, the Great Wilderness Immortal Body was slowly leading the charge, absorbing spiritual energy bit by bit to refine his blood and bones.
Yet his physical body’s strength had once reached nearly the Transcendence Tribulation Stage. At this pace, it would take four to five thousand years to restore.
"Four or five thousand years? Where would I even find that much ti? In one to two thousand years, the first great upheaval between the Immortal and Mortal Realms will erupt."
After spending over a decade in secluded cultivation, buried deep in the mountain forests, Li Mo finally conceded the limited progress he had made.
Thus, utilizing the barely accessible Da Ai Mi Tian technique, he manipulated a few cancer cells to influence Kong Yong, convincing him to bring him to one of the larger sects.
Major sects possessed Blessed Land Cave Heavens, abundant in spiritual energy.
Combined with refining their Taoist inheritances, he could expedite his recovery and potentially erge from seclusion within five hundred years.
Li Mo wasn’t overly concerned about his safety.
Though he could no longer freely manipulate his Spiritual Power, the amber-like shell ford from cancer-infused Spiritual Power encasing his body ensured near invulnerability. Even in the ancient cultivation world, no one could break it.
Not even the fabled Incense Fire Immortal before the first upheaval could harm him.
Li Mo adjusted his exterior to align with the image of an immortal. At worst, he could play the role convincingly and earn the reverence of a major sect. They would shelter him within their Blessed Land, providing him with indulgent offerings.
"Kong Yong certainly has his rits. Impressive! Even orchestrated a public unveiling of a treasure."
"But this Qingcheng Sect..."
"According to the Creation Book’s feedback, they’ll be annihilated by the Ten Thousand Demon Dao before the great upheaval ever occurs."
"Well, let it be. The Ten Thousand Demon Dao can’t touch anyway."
Glancing briefly at the Creation Book, Li Mo confird that the Heavenly Dao Page was no longer present.
"To transcend the Immortal and Mortal Realms..."
Though Li Mo had long since sealed his mories of witnessing the mortal world’s true horrors, he remained aware of the source of the upheaval. An unspeakable entity lurked within the mortal realm—unseeable, undefeatable.
Not even after attaining immortality in his original ti could Li Mo escape its grasp.
While the Heavenly Dao Page couldn’t directly grant him transcendence, it had provided him a vital opportunity.
Spiritual energy hadn’t yet grown tainted here, and the unspeakable presence had yet to fully descend.
As long as he could attain immortality in this ancient era and evade detection, there was a slim chance of survival into the second great upheaval.
"What I do now determines the course of the future. Every move I make will ripple through ti."
"The past may be immutable, but the future..."
"The future, I will overturn!!!"
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