Mortal's Purple Sky Cave Heaven

Chapter 447 Heavenly Guard
The fact that ten unfamiliar ascended cultivators returned to Tianyuan City openly together would be shocking, but it was still much better than them appearing one by one abruptly.

Moreover, obtaining the Dust-Extinguishing Pill is an insurmountable hurdle if one wants to move around in the outside world and eliminate the otherworldly aura on their body.

Sooner or later, all the women will serve as Qingming Guards in Tianyuan City.

Upon hearing this, Xiang Zhili and Feng Laoguai were both stunned, their expressions of surprise no less than when they first met Nie Zhaonan.

"Junior Brother Nie is truly a person of great fortune." Xiang Zhili's lips twitched, and he couldn't help but feel a little envious.

Before he left the mortal realm, the highest cultivation level among his junior brother's Daoist partners was only the late Nascent Soul stage. What incredible fortune it would take to help them all advance to the Divine Transformation stage in just a few hundred years—even the vast majority of Void Refinement cultivators couldn't achieve that.

Nie Zhaonan smiled faintly and didn't say much. The mere fact that he had a master at the Integration Stage was enough to spark speculation and explain many things.

The other four Nascent Soul cultivators, who were Xiang Zhili and Feng Laoguai's team members, did not utter a single word from beginning to end. They simply listened silently, and they all understood that the person in front of them was no ordinary Void Refinement cultivator.

Their mouths were agape in astonishment, and their faces showed varying degrees of joy.

They were almost completely exhausted, and their originally difficult journey back was now safe and sound thanks to the presence of such a powerful figure. Their lives were saved.

The two female cultivators secretly glanced at Nie Zhaonan with gleaming eyes, as if they would offer themselves to him without hesitation if he merely beckoned with his finger.

However, someone of Nie Zhaonan's cultivation level would not be interested in ordinary female cultivators, so he naturally ignored them.

Driven by Nie Zhaonan, the Azure Spirit Shuttle was incredibly fast, many times faster than a Nascent Soul cultivator piloting their own escape light.

What would normally be a journey of more than a month for Xiang Zhili and his group was completed in just five days, when they flew to the vicinity of Tianyuan City.

This left Xiang Zhili and the others, who were recuperating on the deck and had witnessed the whole scene, speechless.

When the Azure Spirit Shuttle came to a quiet stop high in the sky, Nie Zhaonan stood on it, looking at the Tianyuan City in the distance, which seemed as huge as a mountain, and a complicated expression appeared on his face.

After staying in the True Dragon Realm for five hundred years, he still came here.

At this moment, Wang Ning, Yuan Yao, Ling Yuling, Nangong Wan, Nie Ying, Chen Qiaoqian, Xin Ruyin, Song Yu, and Bing Feng stopped their meditation and came out of the quiet room to Nie Zhaonan's side, watching him curiously and silently.

The women were all exceptionally beautiful, each with their own unique charm, like celestial flowers vying for attention, their beauty enhanced by the contrast of each other.

Not far from the city wall, a teleportation array several meters in size stood prominently on the ground.

A dozen or so Qingming Guards, dressed in blue armor, stood on either side of the magic circle.

This is the teleportation array for entering Tianyuan City.

Because the city wall here faces the wild and desolate area, there is no city gate at all. Ordinary people can only enter and leave Tianyuan City through a series of teleportation arrays.

Suddenly, the magic array flashed, and a figure in golden armor was teleported out and flew straight towards Nie Zhaonan and his group.

Not far from the Azure Spirit Shuttle, after the light of the escape stopped, the gaunt-faced, golden-armored Heavenly Guard immediately clasped his hands in a fist salute and said in a slightly respectful tone:

"May I ask which senior in the Integration Stage you are? I am Yu Xuzi, and I have come out of the city to welcome you."

Xiang Zhili and his group of six glanced at Yu Xuzi with strange expressions, their hearts filled with complex emotions, and remained silent.

It's true that only seniors in the Integration Stage possess a heaven-reaching spiritual treasure like the Azure Spirit Shuttle, but this is undoubtedly an exception. It's reasonable that this Heavenly Guardian made a mistake in his guess.

“Fellow Daoist Yu Xuzi, this is Nie Zhaonan, and this flying shuttle belongs to me.” With his powerful divine sense, Nie Zhaonan could tell at a glance that Nie Zhaonan’s cultivation level was at the mid-stage of the Void Refinement realm, and he said with a slight movement of his lips.

Upon hearing this, the Heavenly Guard named Yu Xuzi's expression changed immediately, and his eyes revealed surprise.

"Fellow Daoist Nie, are you telling the truth?" Yu Xuzi suddenly appeared in front of Nie Zhaonan like a ghost, and asked politely.

“Of course.” Nie Zhaonan nodded.

Seeing Nie Zhaonan's calm and unperturbed expression, Yu Xuzi was also unsure of the situation and tentatively asked:
"Fellow Daoist, it's rather ostentatious to so openly control a flying shuttle of the Tongtian Lingbao rank."

It wasn't just ostentatious; it was like a child parading through the streets carrying gold nuggets.

There are very few Heavenly Treasures among both the human and demon races. Anyone who possesses a treasure of this rank is a powerful being in the Integration Stage.

Any old monster who can cultivate to the Integration stage is a decisive person. If they learn that this flying shuttle is in the hands of a cultivator in the early stage of Void Refinement, they will definitely try to seize it.

“Lord Tianwei, Senior Nie was originally just a Void Refinement cultivator. He could kill a Carapace Tortoise of the same level with a wave of his hand. We were only able to save our lives because of Senior Nie’s rescue,” Old Monster Feng explained.

In front of other Void Refinement cultivators, he naturally couldn't address Nie Zhaonan as 'fellow Daoist'.

His gaze fell on the six pale-faced people, who looked as if they had truly suffered a great calamity. Yu Xuzi was stunned for a moment, "So it was you. It seems you really encountered a great danger this time."

Judging from their words, they also recognized Xiang Zhili and the other six.

Then, he looked at Nie Zhaonan, his expression becoming serious, and slowly said:

"Since they all say that Fellow Daoist could easily annihilate the Armored Tortoise, it seems that this is indeed true. Fellow Daoist's supernatural powers are probably beyond my imagination. Logically speaking, with Fellow Daoist's strength, you should have already become famous among both humans and demons. Why have I never heard of Fellow Daoist's name? I have been stationed here for tens of thousands of years, why have I never seen Fellow Daoist?"

The Jia Yuan Turtle is a savage and ferocious beast with an extremely strong shell for defense. Even if he encountered it, he wouldn't be confident in killing it.

Thus, he could roughly judge the strength of the person in front of him, who was definitely much stronger than him, a mid-stage Void Refinement cultivator who was a level higher.

Upon hearing this, Nie Zhaonan simply smiled slightly and slowly said:

“It is normal that you do not know me, fellow Daoist. I am an ascended cultivator from the lower realm. Due to some unforeseen circumstances, I have been stranded outside. This is the first time I have returned to my clan with my fellow Daoists.”

Upon hearing this, the withered Yu Xuzi's pupils shrank, and he was startled to realize what was happening. He swept his divine sense over Nie Zhaonan and then looked at the group of beautiful Daoist partners beside him. The weakest of them all had the cultivation of the peak of the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm, while the strongest had the cultivation of the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm or above.

Sensing that the group indeed possessed an otherworldly aura, and were undoubtedly ascended cultivators, Yu Xuzi was momentarily at a loss and stood frozen in place, having never encountered such a thing before.

"Does Fellow Daoist Yu Xuzi find anything else amiss?" Seeing that he hadn't responded for a while, Nie Zhaonan asked calmly. Yu Xuzi chuckled dryly and said cautiously:
“There is nothing wrong with it. However, I am currently serving as a Heavenly Guard in Tianyuan City. Although you fellow Daoists are undoubtedly cultivators of my human race, there have been countless examples over the years of people who have encountered great calamities on their ascension journey, had their bodies possessed by extraterrestrial demons, and attempted to infiltrate Tianyuan City. Your identities need to be verified before we can confirm them.”

Secretly, he had already activated a communication jade tablet within his body to notify several Golden Guards of the same rank, in case of any unforeseen circumstances.

“Senior Nie, every cultivator who returns to Tianyuan City, regardless of who they are, must have their identity verified by the ‘Spirit Disk’ before they can enter the city,” Xiang Zhili explained at the opportune moment.

"I'm just doing this as a formality, please don't take offense, fellow Daoist," Yu Xuzi said slowly.

“That’s natural.” Nie Zhaonan nodded, and the women naturally didn’t object.

Upon hearing this, Yu Xuzi's expression relaxed, and he suddenly raised his hand, sending out a ball of white light.

Nie Zhaonan stared intently and saw that it was a transparent magic plate the size of a palm.

The surface of the talisman is engraved with three pale gold characters: 'Yi Ling Pan'.

"Fellow Daoist, you only need to scan the Spirit Disk with your divine sense," Yu Xuzi said.

Nie Zhaonan nodded, and a wisp of divine sense was quietly released and entered the strange spirit plate. Instantly, a faint blue light flashed in the transparent plate.

“Indeed, fellow Daoist is indeed a cultivator of my human race!” Yu Xuzi said with a smile.

Next, Wang Ning, Yuan Yao, and the other women also released their divine senses one by one to complete the verification.

"All six of you, release your divine senses together." Finally, the Heavenly Guard named Yu Xuzi gave the order to Xiang Zhili and the other five without any politeness.

"Yes!" The group of six naturally had no reason to refuse, and after a moment they were completely certain of their identities.

"Now that everyone's identities have been confirmed, let's enter the city together." After putting away the Spirit Disc, Yu Xuzi moved and led the way towards the teleportation array.

With a light step of one foot, Nie Zhaonan caused the Azure Spirit Shuttle to vanish in a flash of blue light.

The group immediately moved in a flash, following the golden-armored heavenly guards, and landed on the teleportation array.

"Teleport!" Yu Xuzi waved his hand and gave the order to the Qingming Guard guarding the teleportation array without any politeness.

After a flash of light, the group of more than ten people disappeared into the humming of the magic array.

The scene before him blurred slightly, and with a flash of spiritual light, Nie Zhaonan appeared in what seemed to be an ordinary hall. He slowly walked out of the teleportation array and looked around.

Surrounded by his fellow Daoists, Nie Zhaonan naturally followed Yu Xuzi towards the palace gate.

Xiang Zhili, Feng Laoguai, and the other six Nascent Soul cultivators followed closely behind, like subordinates.

Stepping out of the hall, one is immediately confronted by a massive defensive hall hundreds of feet high. Several cultivators are coming and going from other halls around the main hall. Although the number of them is small, they are all Nascent Soul cultivators.

However, at the exit of the grand hall, two rows of Azure Guards stood guard, each holding a 'Different Spirit Disc', carefully inspecting every cultivator entering and leaving.

The group consisted of ten people, and each of Nie Zhaonan's Daoist partners was stunningly beautiful, naturally attracting the attention of passersby. However, once they realized that the leader was a Heavenly Guard, they all looked away and dared not linger.

Just then, several golden beams of light pierced through the air and rushed into the giant hall without any hesitation. When the light faded, five golden armored figures appeared, who were none other than the five Heavenly Guards.

With so many Heavenly Guards arriving in such a menacing manner, it was clear they had important business to attend to. The Nascent Soul cultivators nearby knew something big was about to happen and quickly scattered to the sides.

The leading golden-armored guard, slightly older, around fifty or sixty years old, and also the most powerful of the five, possessing the strength of a late-stage Void Refinement cultivator, stepped forward and asked Yu Xuzi:
"Where do you think that person is?"

These five Heavenly Guards were none other than those who had come after hearing the secret message from Yu Xuzi.

“This is indeed Nie Zhaonan, Fellow Daoist Nie. However, everything is fine now. I have already checked with the Spirit Compass, and his identity is beyond doubt.” Yu Xuzi introduced Nie Zhaonan to the person beside him.

"Early stage of Void Refinement cultivation?" The golden-armored Heavenly Guard, whose gaze fell on Nie Zhaonan, showed a hint of surprise in his eyes. Although he felt that this person's cultivation was too low, since he had already confirmed that he was a human cultivator, he was too lazy to ask any more questions.

Then his gaze swept over the women behind him, and seeing that they were indeed all ascended cultivators, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, but it disappeared in an instant. Finally, his gaze settled on Bing Feng:

"How come there's a fellow cultivator from the demon race here? And it seems he has some connection with the Black Phoenix Clan, one of the seven royal clans of the demon race?"

"Although I, Bingfeng, also possess the true blood of the Heavenly Phoenix, I know absolutely nothing about the Black Phoenix Clan that you spoke of, senior," Bingfeng said calmly, her expression unchanged.

“That’s right. You also have an aura from another world, so it’s normal that you don’t know about the Black Phoenix Clan. Although Tianyuan City is a place where cultivators of both human and demon races coexist, there are still clear boundaries. Since you are a demon, it is not appropriate for you to stay within the territory of my human cultivators. I will inform my fellow demons to come and pick you up later.” The leading Heavenly Guard nodded and said.

Bing Feng's expression changed, and she was about to speak when Nie Zhaonan spoke first.

"Ice Phoenix is ​​my Daoist partner, so naturally we cannot be separated like this."

The voice wasn't loud, but everyone could understand its meaning, which was unchangeable.

"At the initial stage of cultivation, you've only just arrived in Tianyuan City, yet you dare to be so presumptuous!" someone shouted.

Nie Zhaonan glanced casually at the source of the voice and saw a man in his thirties with a goatee.

This person's cultivation level is only below that of the Chief Heavenly Guard, appearing to be at the peak of the mid-stage of the Void Refinement realm.

“Fellow Daoist Huang, Fellow Daoist Nie will be our colleague from now on, why be so aggressive?” said a white-faced, beardless golden-armored Heavenly Guard.

“Zhao Wugui, you and this man are both ascended cultivators, but I, Huang Bao, am not. Why should I give him face?” the goatee-bearded man said with a forced smile.

"Enough." The head guard, his expression unchanged, spoke to stop them, then looked at Nie Zhaonan:

"Since you are Daoist partners, it is perfectly acceptable for Fellow Daoist Bingfeng to move freely within our human race's territory. However, if any trouble arises in the future, you will need to handle it yourself."

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(End of this chapter)