The Yang family members were quite quick, finishing packing everything they needed in half a day. There were still many things to organize at the base, but they wouldn't be of much concern to them in the future. They didn't intend to get involved in everything.
After helping Qiu Ping become a level seven ability user, Qi Zhiheng stopped paying attention to matters on Earth.
The city had just changed hands, so they couldn't leave for too long.
Qiu Ping was somewhat reluctant to see Yang Yijie's family leave with these two unfathomable individuals, as Yang Yijie was a valuable asset. However, Qi Zhiheng had helped him become a level seven ability user, more than enough to be a leader in the base.
Besides, even if he wanted to stop it, he had neither the standing nor the ability to do so.
The members of Yang Yijie's team expressed their reluctance at his departure, but Qi Zhiheng did not intend to reveal the affairs of the cultivation world to others. Taking a few people with spiritual roots with him was not a big deal, but each of these people had families, and their families had relatives, which would amount to dozens of people. The cultivation world was dangerous; he could protect Yang Yitian's parents, but he might not be able to protect other people's parents. If he lost people's hearts because of this, it would become a hidden danger.
Qi Zhiheng led Yang Yitian's family away from the base first. After resting briefly in a random spot, he opened up the domain of rules and created a spatial rift, through which the flying spirit boat entered.
With the location of Zhongzhou Ascension City, Qi Zhiheng quickly found the spatial node, broke through it, and appeared at the location where they were "in seclusion".
Qi Zhiheng said, "We'll take them out first and then come back through the city gate. Otherwise, it'll be hard to explain why they're in Shengxian City."
The Yang family naturally agreed. After Yang Yitian affixed invisibility talismans to them, Qi Zhiheng also used his soul power to isolate them from outsiders to prevent them from being discovered.
The main reason they didn't use the Concealing Breath Pill was that Yang's parents lacked spiritual power, and Yang Yijie and Yang Yicen's cultivation levels were too low to control even if they used the pill. Furthermore, even without the pill, Qi Zhiheng could still sense their location using his soul power.
Qi Zhiheng announced his departure from seclusion and summoned Xiong Shuang to inquire how many days they had been in seclusion. Only then did he learn that they had actually only been in seclusion for five days.
It must have been caused by Qi Zhiheng reversing the time difference that made them leave for more than ten days, while only five days have passed here.
In addition, Xiong Shuang brought another piece of news. Yan Qingcheng's Yan Yinyue and Ning Xiu had come to visit and had already stayed in Shengxian City for a day.
He mainly wanted to ask Qi Zhiheng whether he should go see the two guests now.
Qi Zhiheng asked, "Why are they here? Is it an emergency?"
Xiong Shuang replied, "Reporting to the City Lord, City Lord Yan and Deputy City Lord Ning from Yanqing City have come to offer their congratulations. They said they were happy to see you become the City Lord and brought gifts."
Qi Zhiheng nodded and said, "I'll go see them now." He had originally intended to take Yang Yitian's family out first, but now that the guests had arrived, he should receive them first. Otherwise, if the other city lords in the city knew that he was leaving people unattended and instead going out to do something, they would definitely feel slighted. It just so happened that the Yang family had just arrived in the cultivation world and needed to rest and adapt to the spiritual energy here.
When Yang Yitian learned that Qi Zhiheng was going to entertain the guests, he said, "You go and entertain the guests. After my parents have rested for a while, I will take them out for a trip and then come back."
Qi Zhiheng was relieved. Yang Yitian was, after all, a Mahayana stage cultivator, so there shouldn't be any major problems. He agreed.
After resting for a while, Yang Yitian and the rest of the Yang family went out with their men. Y, X, D, J.
Qi Zhiheng also went to see Yan Yinyue and Ning Xiu.
Yan Yinyue was still dressed as a woman, and standing with Ning Xiu, they looked quite like a pair of celestial beings.
"Lord Yancheng, Fellow Daoist Ning, how have you been?" Qi Zhiheng sat down in a chair and poured himself a cup of spiritual tea. They had known each other for a while, so he wasn't particularly formal.
"Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Qi, on winning Ascension City." Yan Yinyue offered her congratulations first, then said, "However, the name you chose for your city is rather unkind. Aren't you afraid that the first-class cities will cause you trouble?"
Qi Zhiheng said, "I accept your congratulations, but I think the name of this city is quite suitable."
Yan Yinyue underestimated Qi Zhiheng's shamelessness, and the group chatted about the current situation of the city.
Finally, Yan Yinyue brought up another matter: "Does your city need any Mahayana cultivators to help defend it?"
"Hmm?" Qi Zhiheng asked with some doubt, "With a Mahayana cultivator willing to defend the city, would you really be willing to give it to me?"
"There's no such thing as a free lunch," Yan Yinyue said helplessly. "There are indeed people at the Mahayana stage, but unfortunately, we can't recruit them with our abilities."
Qi Zhiheng: "Lord Yan is too modest. Yan Qingcheng has so many resources, and even you can't attract them. How could I possibly do so?"
Yan Yinyue said, "You don't know this. We don't have the capital to attract them, but you can, because the other party's conditions may be the only ones you can afford."
"Does the other party want pills?" Qi Zhiheng guessed.
"Smart!" Yan Yinyue said, "You know about Ning Xiu's previous injuries. I kept the news from him because I was afraid Chi Qing would play some tricks. After all, I can't be with him all the time. But quite a few people knew about his injuries. You also know what happened later. He showed up at the exchange meeting, and others naturally knew about his recovery. That's why some people came to ask who treated him."
Qi Zhiheng asked, "Was that Mahayana cultivator injured?"
“The Mahayana cultivator wasn’t injured, but his son was. Well, it can’t really be called an injury; it seems to be congenital, and he can only rely on pills to prolong his life,” Yan Yinyue said. “If you can help his son prolong his life, he will naturally be willing to come and take charge of your city.”
According to Yan Yinyue's description, the other party had been a guest elder in a first-class city. At the same time, that first-class city provided him with pills to prolong his son's life. However, some time ago, that first-class city found a new Mahayana cultivator. Although his strength was relatively weaker, the price he asked for was low, and at least he did not need top-grade pills to prolong his son's life.
Therefore, they stopped providing pills to the Mahayana cultivator, who, unable to obtain them, had no choice but to leave the city.
Qi Zhiheng said, "Do cultivators really value offspring so much?" Although he himself valued his son, he always felt that once one reaches the Mahayana stage of cultivation, the bond with family would become weaker.
Yan Yinyue recounted the story of this Mahayana cultivator: "It is said that this son was born to his wife, but his wife's aptitude was too poor. Her cultivation level remained at the peak of the Golden Core stage, unable to cross that threshold, and she died a hundred years ago."
"Then wouldn't he just be watching his wife grow old and die?" Qi Zhiheng thought for a moment, looking at the image of an old woman dying.
Yan Yinyue said, "Isn't there a youth-preserving pill?"
Qi Zhiheng then steered the conversation to his son, who was at the Mahayana stage: "What exactly is wrong with his son?"
"He was born with a flawed dantian and a damaged spiritual root."
"A ruptured dantian? A damaged spiritual root?" Qi Zhiheng was somewhat confused. "There are such illnesses?"
If the dantian and spiritual root are damaged, there are elixirs that can treat them. But if the dantian is naturally damaged, repair is useless, and the spiritual root is also incomplete? He had never heard of such a thing before.
He then asked, "What kind of pills did they take before?"
"Having consumed the low-grade, mid-grade, and high-grade longevity pills of level eight, the only way to extend your lifespan next time is to take the top-grade level eight longevity pill."
"No wonder that city didn't want him to stay any longer; these level eight top-grade longevity pills aren't so easy to obtain." Qi Zhiheng suddenly realized.
So this so-called "relying on pills to prolong life" really is just that—relying on pills to prolong life! He thought it was some kind of injury that required pills to heal and keep him alive, but it turns out it's because he can't cultivate and thus prolongs his life.
Qi Zhiheng was somewhat troubled: "But I don't have any of these level eight longevity pills on hand right now." It wasn't a question of whether the longevity pills could be refined, but rather that the level eight longevity pills contained a longevity flower, which he didn't have.
"I haven't finished yet." Yan Yinyue smiled wickedly: "Besides this level eight longevity pill, we also need other pills, namely pills that can temporarily repair the dantian. Although his son's spiritual root is incomplete, he can still cultivate, otherwise he wouldn't be able to take level eight pills. The problem is that these pills are very expensive and the materials are hard to find."
Qi Zhiheng was speechless: "Then this Mahayana stage is quite expensive."
Yan Yinyue: "Didn't they bring their son along to help you defend the city? Their son is already at the Nascent Soul stage."
"That might still be somewhat useful."
"I'm still not finished."
"You say it," Qi Zhiheng said, completely exasperated.
Yan Yinyue: "Although the other party is in the Nascent Soul stage, due to the deficiency of spiritual roots, the power he can exert is probably only at the Foundation Establishment stage level, and it also greatly affects his lifespan, allowing him to enjoy only 30% of the normal Nascent Soul stage lifespan."
"Then what's the point!"
"It's not very useful."
"You're useless, yet you still say that!"
“But he has a powerful father.” Yan Yinyue picked up her teacup and took a sip, showing no sign of offending Qi Zhiheng.
"Never mind, I don't have the pills they need anyway, so it doesn't matter." Qi Zhiheng waved his hand. He and Yang Yitian were enough for now, and they didn't need so many people for the time being.
Yan Yinyue said, "No, I haven't finished speaking yet."
Qi Zhiheng couldn't help but roll his eyes: "Please just say it all at once this time!"
Yan Yinyue explained, "Although you don't have the spiritual herbs to refine pills, there are some in the secret realm. A large secret realm will be opening soon, and there might be Longevity Flowers and Thousand-Weaving Dew in it. Someone found them in this secret realm before."
"What's the point of talking about something so far in the future?" Qi Zhiheng was not willing to waste time on others.
Yan Yinyue said, "Are you sure you don't want someone to help you guard the city? This city is guarded only once every ten years. If you and your partner happen to be in seclusion, it would be equivalent to handing the city over to us."
A cultivator in the Mahayana stage might go into seclusion for over a hundred years, so it's not impossible that Qi Zhiheng and Yang Yitian would go into seclusion at the same time.
Most importantly, Yan Yinyue felt that Yang Yitian had just entered the Mahayana stage, and even without going into seclusion, he might not be a match for other Mahayana stage cultivators.
Qi Zhiheng thought about it and realized that he had indeed been in seclusion with Yang Yitian many times. He wondered if Yan Yinyue's jinx had come true.
"Could you introduce me to the necessary herbs first? If you can find the herbs I need, then we can talk about it." Qi Zhiheng didn't have much hope for this.
Yan Yinyue immediately said, "Then send a message to him outside the gate right now and tell him to come over."
Qi Zhiheng: "..."
Yan Yinyue's message was quickly sent out.
In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the other party appeared in front of the city gate of Shengxian City.
"At this speed, they must have been waiting around for a long time, right?" Qi Zhiheng stood up and went to the city gate with Yan Yinyue and Ning Xiu to greet them.
This Mahayana cultivator's surname was Chu and his given name was Huaifeng. Beside him was a pale-faced young man, who should be Chu Huaifeng's son.
Qi Zhiheng welcomed the people into the city.
The group sat together.
Chu Huaifeng was indeed tall and strong with a handsome face. Although he was a late-stage Mahayana cultivator, he did not show arrogance or contempt because he was an early-stage Mahayana cultivator. Instead, he politely cupped his hands and said, "I have long admired Master Qi's name. Meeting you today, I find you to be extraordinary."
His son, Chu Lin, bowed to Qi Zhiheng, Yan Yinyue, Ning Xiu, and the others, saying, "Junior Chu Lin greets the three seniors."
After the introductions, everyone got down to business.
Qi Zhiheng requested that Chu Lin's physical condition be examined.
Chu Huaifeng naturally agreed.
Qi Zhiheng also saw the hole in Chu Lin's dantian, which was covered by a layer of something like a fine mesh, but the spiritual energy that had just entered it did not leak out.
He then examined the other person's spiritual root. His spiritual root was quite good; it was a single spiritual root, but it was only half the length of other people's spiritual roots, as if it had been cut in half, with a very clean cut.
Qi Zhiheng said, "I do have a formula here for a pill that can temporarily repair the dantian, but its effect will certainly not be as good as the level eight Thousand Weaving Pill. However, it should be enough to sustain you until the end of the secret realm. I wonder what Fellow Daoist Chu thinks?" He had already figured out that the net in Chu Lin's dantian had probably been consuming the tribe for quite some time.
"Just name your reward, Master Qi. As long as I have it, I won't be stingy." Chu Huaifeng was originally worried about this matter, but he didn't expect Qi Zhiheng to solve his problem directly. Regardless of whether it can solve his son's problem in the end, he won't lose out by coming here.
Qi Zhiheng said, "I can refine even the best grade eight pills. What I lack are the materials. Let's talk about the spirit herbs when we enter the Great Secret Realm. Once we have the spirit herbs, we can discuss the terms."
"Master Qi is a straightforward person. Longevity flowers are quite rare for pills, but Thousand-Weaving Dew is easier to obtain. Even if we can't find it in the secret realm, we can buy it from other cultivators." It's just that longevity flowers are a bit difficult to obtain. Which cultivator doesn't want to have a longer lifespan to have a better chance of breaking through to the next level? Buying longevity flowers is really not an easy task.
Qi Zhiheng nodded and first refined some pills for Chu Lin to regulate his body. After learning about the other party's condition, he wanted to see if there was a solution in the books he had collected.
Chu Huaifeng decided to stay and help Qi Zhiheng with the pill refining for the time being. He figured he could leave later if he didn't find what he wanted after leaving the secret realm.
Qi Zhiheng didn't see anything wrong with having an extra ally in the city. After the group finished discussing business, Qi Zhiheng noticed that Yang Yitian had brought his family back.
Qi Zhiheng arranged accommodations for the newly arrived Chu family father and son. Yan Yinyue and Ning Xiu had been out for a few days, and immediately decided to take their leave and return home.
Before leaving, Yan Yinyue also exchanged some pills with Qi Zhiheng. She packed them up and took them with her.
Qi Zhiheng was fairly satisfied with the spiritual herbs he had received.
After making arrangements for the Chu family father and son and seeing off Yan Yinyue and Ning Xiu, Qi Zhiheng returned to his residence.
Yang Yitian is currently teaching Yang Yijie and Yang Yicen the cultivation methods of the cultivation world.
Yang Yitian's parents were resting in their room.
They were both ordinary people, and it was inevitable that they would be a little tired after going out, not to mention that they were not young anymore.
Qi Zhiheng does have some lower-grade longevity pills, which would be best given to Yang's parents in the future.
This secret realm is called the Immortal Palace Secret Realm. Inside the realm is the ruins of an Immortal Palace, and only cultivators at the Mahayana stage or above can enter.
Both he and Yang Yitian can enter this time, but they still need to hand over some resources to buy the qualification.
Since only those at the Mahayana stage can enter, the number of slots is relatively ample. After all, the calculations are conducted in the Central Continent, and the number of Mahayana stage cultivators is also limited.
The opening of the secret realm is not far off, less than three months away. Entry slots can be purchased now. Qi Zhiheng doesn't need to worry about this, as Chu Huaifeng has already made preparations. He has three slots, enough to bring both Qi Zhiheng and Yang Yitian.
Qi Zhiheng almost clapped his hands in delight! This saved him the trouble of buying resources to enter the secret realm.
During these three months, Qi Zhiheng would occasionally browse through books about special constitutions in his spatial dimension, trying to find a way to treat Chu Lin.
His attic was filled with books, which gave him some clues.
He found a solution for the incomplete spiritual root. The treatment method was somewhat painful, requiring the spiritual root to be first pulverized, leaving only a small part of the root, and then using the Spirit Shaping Pill to help reshape the spiritual root.
There are also problems; this method is somewhat dangerous and may fail!
If you fail, you'll become an ordinary person forever.
Of course! Besides that, he had another problem: he didn't have the spiritual herbs needed for the Spirit Shaping Pill!
Everything depends on fate.
Qi Zhiheng figured it out and stopped worrying about it for the time being.
As for repairing the already damaged dantian, that is indeed quite difficult. He will have to rely on luck to find a way to save it. It's not that he can't find a solution himself, but the risk is too great. He can't guarantee that his method will be effective, since this is not something that can be solved with just one pill.
Although he didn't find a complete solution, he did find a way to soothe Chu Lin's body during this time, which at least made Chu Lin feel a little better.
Although Chu Lin seemed to be alive and normal, albeit with a pale face, Qi Zhiheng knew that Chu Lin's dantian was already damaged, and the rampage of spiritual energy must have made him feel terrible.
However, Qi Zhiheng showed no sympathy, after all, when he cultivated the Five Elements Body Forging Technique, the pain he had to endure was far more intense than the pain Chu Lin was experiencing now.
Qi Zhiheng prepared the pills for Chu Linpei purely to repay the secret realm quota given by Chu Huaifeng. If he wanted to get it himself, he would probably have to pull some strings. After all, he was unfamiliar with the Central Continent, and bribing people here and there would be another expense.
With Qi Zhiheng's help, Chu Lin's pain has lessened considerably, and his complexion is probably rosier than before.
Seeing the changes in his son, Chu Huaifeng was in high spirits and repeatedly expressed his gratitude to Qi Zhiheng.
Qi Zhiheng actually admired Chu Lin quite a bit. After all, the pain he experienced only lasted for a few years, while Chu Lin had been in pain for at least several hundred years.
The consequences of enduring this are either that you can't hold back and end it all yourself, or that enduring it eventually becomes a habit.
If Qi Zhiheng can alleviate some of the other person's pain, that's good.
Three months is an extremely short time for cultivators, and before they knew it, the day for them to set off had arrived.
During this period, most of the Mahayana cultivators will enter the secret realm, and there may even be Tribulation Transcending cultivators, so Qi Zhiheng is not worried about others causing problems with his city. He also left behind some Integration stage cultivators, who can handle minor issues.
The location is quite far away, so they will be transported there via a teleportation array.
Small towns like Qi's naturally don't have teleportation arrays. At least second-tier cities would have them. Qi Zhiheng arranged a time with Yan Yinyue, Ning Xiu, and the others to travel together to the nearest second-tier city to enter the teleportation array.
He traveled very quickly, and it took him five days to reach their originally planned second-class city.
The process from entering the city to being teleported went relatively smoothly.
However, the teleportation cost a considerable amount of spirit stones.
Qi Zhiheng's spirit stones were running out quickly. He had a section in his space where he could grow many thousand-year-old and ten-thousand-year-old spirit herbs. These herbs needed spiritual energy to grow, and simply absorbing spiritual energy from the air wasn't enough for the lush vegetation. He had to use spirit stones to nourish them, which made his spirit stone supply somewhat strained.
This is only an eighth-grade pill. If we add ninth-grade pills to the space in the future, it will probably cost even more spirit stones. Moreover, Qi Zhiheng is not very keen on selling pills. After all, selling so many top-grade pills will always arouse suspicion.
It's not a big deal for a Mahayana cultivator to occupy a city; that's how everyone does it. But he can refine a large number of top-grade pills, so he might be recruited by other powerful forces.
Qi Zhiheng put these aside for the time being and planned to go into the secret realm to take a look, hoping to find one or two spiritual veins with spirit stones.
After passing through the teleportation array, the group saw a group of Mahayana cultivators gathered nearby.
This can truly be called a gathering of the strong. The city exchange meeting has indeed seen a significant number of Mahayana stage cultivators, most of whom are far beyond what we see now. At least three-quarters of the Mahayana and Tribulation stage cultivators from the Central Continent have gathered here, which gives you an idea of the dangers and opportunities within this secret realm.
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