I forge immortality with a pagoda.

The vast mountain range undulates like the spine of a giant dragon. A majestic city, built entirely of black boulders, stands between two mountain passes, its imposing presence resembling an ancient, lurking monster silently watching over all living beings.

The city walls soared into the clouds, with numerous arrow towers atop them and crenellations resembling teeth.

A faint, pale blue halo, like ripples on water, enveloped the entire city.

This is the protective formation of the capital of Huayang. Even if an ordinary Golden Core cultivator were to arrive, it would be difficult to break through it by brute force.

At this moment, soldiers stood in rows before the majestic city gate, checking every person entering the city.

Even cultivators like Shen Yu and his two companions, who came from sects, could not escape the customs during this extraordinary time and had to line up in the long, winding queue to wait for inspection.

The teams being questioned moved slowly. At the front of each team was a table, behind which sat a cultivator dressed in a Yin-Yang Daoist robe, with several armored soldiers with sharp auras and long spears standing beside him.

If any pedestrian moves too slowly or acts suspiciously, the captain of the armored soldiers will immediately shout to maintain order and speed up the investigation.

Suddenly, a loud shout came from the front of the group, drawing the attention of everyone around.

"Immortal! This humble Taoist truly does not know what this 'Huayang Token' is. At the moment, this humble Taoist is burdened with important matters and must borrow your esteemed territory's inter-state grand formation. I am willing to pay extra for the talismans; could you please grant me this favor and allow me to pass?"

A simply dressed Taoist priest, sweating profusely, pleaded earnestly.

The cultivator sitting behind the desk was named Cui Wangtian. He snorted coldly, unmoved. "Enough talk. The laws of my Xuzheng Immortal Sect are strict. Anyone who wishes to enter the city recently must present the 'Huayang Token' for verification before being allowed to pass. This is an ironclad rule, and there is absolutely no room for leniency."

"Alas! This is a disaster! A major blunder!" The Taoist priest stamped his feet repeatedly, extremely anxious. "May I ask, Immortal, where should we go to process this token?"

Cui Wangtian said calmly, "In the strategic locations of the various kingdoms in the Central Region, there are offices specifically for issuing Huayang decrees, which can be done without entering the city. The nearest one is three hundred miles to the east; you can go there yourself."

He paused, then added, "Remember to bring enough money for the talismans."

"You need to pay for the talisman?" The Taoist priest's face grew even more bitter. "I wonder how much this token will cost?"

Cui Wangtian slowly extended two fingers. "Two hundred."

"Two hundred?!" The Taoist priest's voice suddenly rose. "Two hundred talismans for such a broken wooden sign? There are so many cultivators traveling through Huayang Kingdom. If we charged each one two hundred, what an astronomical sum that would be! How is that any different from highway robbery?"

His impassioned words immediately caused a stir among the people in line, with many cultivators who also felt the fees were too high echoing his sentiments, making the scene somewhat noisy.

Cui Wangtian remained expressionless, his tone displeased. "Hmph, ignorant! Our Immortal Sect maintains this inter-state array for your use, and the revenue from it is already meager. The annual maintenance costs are astronomical, making it a losing proposition. Now, we're charging two hundred talisman coins for making these identity tokens to supplement our expenses. What's wrong with that? Besides, recently, demonic creatures have been causing trouble, capable of transforming into human form and sucking the essence and vitality of cultivators at night. The Immortal Sect issued this token to thoroughly investigate your identities, also to protect your lives!"

The Taoist priest in the plain robe was about to argue when Cui Wangtian impatiently raised his hand to interrupt him: "I have said all I need to say. Do not make a scene and disrupt the order. Leave at once!"

He gestured slightly to his left and right, and the two armored soldiers behind him, as tall as iron towers, immediately understood. They strode forward, grabbed the Taoist priest who was still struggling and shouting, and dragged him to the end of the line without saying a word.

Faced with two armored warriors at the peak of Qi Refining, the Taoist's struggles seemed futile and powerless.

The surrounding cultivators either showed sympathy or had sneers on their lips, all adopting an attitude of watching from the sidelines.

Even those who had spoken up earlier now kept their mouths shut. No one was willing to offend the dignity of the Xuzheng Immortal Sect and get themselves into trouble for the sake of an unrelated passerby.

Shen Yu took in the whole scene and couldn't help but shake his head slightly.

He looked at the line ahead of him, his heart sinking slightly.

They were in the same queue as the Taoist priest, and the steward in front of them, dressed in a yin-yang Taoist robe, was impartial and incorruptible. He seemed to be a formidable person, which was not good news.

Before long, it was Shen Yu and the other two's turn.

After explaining his identity and purpose to Cui Wangtian and presenting him with Yue Jianxin's jade token from the Lu Jing Sect Elder, the latter frowned and looked troubled.

"Fellow Daoist Yue," Cui Wangtian said carefully, his tone softening, "it's not that I'm intentionally making things difficult or unwilling to let you pass. It's just that the rules of the Immortal Sect are as firm as a mountain, and there's no room for joking under the ironclad orders. If I were to let you into the city like this, I would not escape the responsibility of dereliction of duty and would be severely punished."

He paused briefly, then said, "How about this, you gentlemen, follow me into the city first and settle down at 'Yifeng Pavilion' for the time being. I will send someone to obtain entry tokens for you. Is that alright?"

Upon hearing this, Yue Jianxin pondered for a moment and then nodded in agreement.

Although he was straightforward, he was not a reckless fool who was ignorant of worldly affairs. He knew that when you are in someone else's territory, you must abide by their rules.

Moreover, Cui Wangtian's willingness to let them enter the city first and wait was already a lenient gesture and a considerable concession.

Seeing that Yue Jianxin agreed, Cui Wangtian's expression softened slightly. He summoned another steward to take his place, and personally led Shen Yu and the other two through the heavily guarded city gate into Huayang City.

Once you enter the city gate, your view opens up dramatically.

Before me lay an extremely spacious, giant plaza paved with lapis lazuli slabs, exuding grandeur and magnificence.

With Cui Wangtian leading the way, the group traveled without any obstacles. The city patrol soldiers and even some low-level cultivators they encountered along the way stopped and bowed to them with respect.

As the capital of Huayang Kingdom, this place is the core of the Central Region and one of the most powerful and influential cities in Dongling Prefecture.

The streets are lined with pavilions and towers, with buildings standing side by side. There are shops selling elixirs, magical artifacts, spiritual materials, inns and restaurants, and even some elegantly decorated brothels, making it difficult to choose.

Those who can open shops in such prime locations not only possess strong personal resources, but also have powerful connections behind them.

Monks dressed in various colors thronged the streets, coming and going like a never-ending machine.

Due to the city's no-fly zone, everyone tacitly chose to walk, and no one dared to take to the air and break the rules.

According to Cui Wangtian, in addition to the luxurious shops on the main street, there are two large markets in the city, the West Market and the East Market, which are mostly small vendors and are far smaller than this place.

After walking for a short while, the group turned onto a quieter side road and arrived at the entrance of an inn called Yifengxuan.

This place is not located on the main street, and the environment is quite elegant. Next to the inn is a well-maintained garden with pleasant scenery.

"This Yifeng Pavilion is specially designed to accommodate fellow cultivators from various immortal sects," Cui Wangtian explained. "Each guest room is equipped with a small spirit-gathering array, which is somewhat beneficial to cultivation. It is quite a good place to stay."

After saying this, he stepped into the pavilion first.

Several servants and a steward immediately came forward and bowed respectfully.

Cui Wangtian casually waved his hand and instructed, "These are distinguished guests from the Lu Jing Sect in the Southern Region. Arrange three excellent rooms for them and make sure they are treated with the utmost care and respect."

"Yes! We will obey the Immortal Master's decree!" Everyone responded in unison, bowed, and stepped aside.

"Fellow Daoists, please stay in this pavilion for a while," Cui Wangtian said, turning to Yue Jianxin and the other two.

Yue Jianxin frowned slightly. "Judging from Fellow Daoist Cui's intentions, it seems that the entry permit cannot be processed immediately? We will have to wait some time? Fellow Daoist Cui, to be honest, our disciples from the Lu Jing Sect are in grave danger, their lives hanging in the balance. We are urgently needed to go to their rescue. We really cannot delay."

Cui Wangtian said, "Fellow Daoist Yue, I did not mean to delay. It is just that the process of obtaining this token is quite complicated. Even if we go through the back door, we will not be able to deliver the token to you until tomorrow morning."

He glanced at the three of them and said, "If you were to go to the offices outside to handle this yourselves, not to mention the long queues of three to five days, even if you were willing to pay extra to cut in line, you would still have to wait at least another day or two."

"I've heard that the express fee has been driven up to a thousand talismans outside. Compared to that, it's much faster for me to handle it."

He cupped his hands and said, "I urge you fellow Daoists to bear with this for the night."

Upon hearing this, Yue Jianxin knew that what he said was true, and returned the greeting with a cupped hand: "Very well, since this is the procedure, I will not insist. Thank you for your trouble, Brother Cui."

"Fellow Daoist Yue, you're too kind. It's just my duty."

Cui Wangtian returned the greeting, then turned and left Yifeng Pavilion without lingering any longer.

For him, allowing Shen Yu and the other two to enter the city and settle down first, and promising to personally deliver the tokens the next day, was already more than enough, and no one could find fault with it.

After Cui Wangtian left, Yue Jianxin looked at Shen Yu and said, "I know you are worried about your fellow disciples and extremely anxious. But the situation is beyond our control right now, and being impatient is useless. Just wait patiently for the night to pass."

Shen Yu took a deep breath, suppressing his anxiety, and said, "Yes, Master, I understand."

At this moment, the innkeeper who had been waiting on the side finally dared to step forward respectfully, lead the three upstairs, and properly settle them into three superior rooms.

Shen Yu's room was located on the east side of the inn. When she opened the window, the lights of the eastern market town could be faintly seen in the distance.

He did not slack off in his cultivation. After simply putting away his personal belongings, he got up and left his room. He went to the next room and gently knocked on Cui Youxin's door.

During his travels, he never stopped studying ancient immortal texts.

Now, he has mastered more than 90% of those thousand-plus ancient characters, with only the last 10% yet to be fully understood. He will take this opportunity to ask Cui Youxin for guidance.

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