Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

With a complicated expression, Lin Zhao put away the letter and then returned to Qinglan Immortal City with it.

The day he returned to Qinglan Immortal City coincided with the city's once-in-a-century auction.

The scene here is much more lively than the previous Tongming Immortal City.

The spirit lanterns on both sides of the immortal city have been replaced with glazed frost lanterns, their pale blue light spreading from one end of the street to the other, making it feel as if you are stepping on a thin layer of ice.

Thirty-six suspended platforms floated in the air, each supported by an array, slowly rotating.

The screen displays phantom images of various spiritual objects—alchemy furnaces, magical treasures, cultivation manuals, jade slips, and rare spiritual materials—the phantom images flickering in and out of the light screen.

This method was said to have been learned from Zhongzhou, and crowds poured in from all directions.

The carriages of aristocratic families stopped at the East Gate. A nine-headed firebird pulled a carriage carved entirely of white jade. The spiritual wind created when the firebird folded its wings made the goods of the street vendors rustle.

Flocks of spirit boats from various sects flew over the Azure Mist Ancient Forest, their hulls swirling with runes. Occasionally, a wisp of spiritual pressure would be released, causing the cultivators below to instinctively fall silent for a moment.

The inns in the immortal city were no longer sufficient, so they had to set up some temporary accommodations in the ancient forests outside the city.

The city lord's stewards were extremely busy, especially the group responsible for receiving Nascent Soul True Monarchs—at least three Nascent Soul True Monarchs had attended this auction.

Each arrival was accompanied by an imposing aura, with a rainbow beam shooting straight from the clouds into the immortal city. The city's protective array automatically parted to make way, and the city lord's official personally went out to greet them.

Qinglan Immortal City is renowned throughout Yunzhou for its alchemy and longevity-enhancing spiritual items, and its centennial grand auction has brought out its most prized treasures.

A single fourth-tier life-extending pill can extend one's lifespan by three hundred years.

This single pill attracted several Nascent Soul stage cultivators to bid on it.

Not to mention those Core Formation cultivators whose lifespans were nearing their end, their eyes were bloodshot, and the clamor of various auctions almost shook the Immortal City.

Just as the city was bustling with activity, Lin Zhao walked alone on the road leading to the city lord's mansion. He was dressed in an ordinary blue robe and blended into the crowd without attracting any attention.

Nobody noticed him.

As for the widely circulated rumor from two years ago—the story of refining a third-grade top-quality pill using Ghost Crystals—it seems to have really just been a rumor.

No one mentions it anymore, or rather, no one dares to mention it.

Two years ago, cultivators who went to the Nether Bone Domain after hearing that news were almost all wiped out in the chaos of the Nether Bone Domain's unification.

The Immortal City side is completely burying its head in the sand, as if it has never spread any information or guided anyone to the Nether Bone Domain.

The immortal city was bustling with activity, and the clamor of the auction overshadowed all the old stories.

As for the turmoil in the nearby Nether Bone Domain, they pretended not to know anything about it.

Immortal City felt that the Nether Bone Domain wouldn't dare to do anything.

Ghost cultivators are not allowed to leave the Nether Bone Domain; this is a rule of Yunzhou, a rule set by the Yunhai Cangming Sect.

They don't understand, or rather, they don't want to understand, one thing.

The rules are set by the sect, and naturally, they can be broken by the sect's Nascent Soul cultivators.

Lin Zhao shook her head.

His letter has been submitted for almost two years, but Qinglan Immortal City keeps delaying.

Ultimately, Lin Zhao was merely a Core Formation cultivator, and True Monarch Qingyuan did not personally descend upon him.

Ordinary cultivators outside the sect do not have a deep understanding of True Monarch Qingyuan. They only know that he has a high status, but after all, he only has the title of "mid-stage Nascent Soul".

In addition, Qinglan Immortal City is a place where many people come to seek pills and medical treatment. With so many people seeking help, people have become arrogant. Although they don't say it, they are somewhat proud of themselves.

Simply put, it means they've never been beaten.

-----

He crossed the main street and headed towards the city lord's mansion.

Wei, the steward in charge of receiving guests at the city lord's mansion, recognized him at a glance. He had an excellent memory, especially for those people who could not be offended.

"Fellow Daoist Lin."

Deacon Wei stepped forward, a flawless smile plastered on his face.

His tone was respectful to the point of humility, "You've arrived. May I ask what brings you to the City Lord's Mansion?"

Lin Zhao was too lazy to waste any more words. He took out a letter from his storage bag and handed it over.

Deacon Wei's face changed instantly.

Last time it was this young cultivator from the Cloud Sea Cangming Sect.

A letter enraged the four Nascent Soul cultivators, and afterwards, several Core Formation forces in the Immortal City were eradicated. This matter spread like wildfire within the City Lord's Mansion.

Now another letter has arrived.

"Fellow Daoist Lin..."

Deacon Wei did not reach out to take it; his smile froze on his face. "Please don't make things difficult for me. I really dare not accept this letter."

"You won't accept it?"

Lin Zhao's tone was indifferent.

He took the letter back and opened it himself.

It was still a blank sheet of paper, with no words on it.

There are only sixteen marks, each of which is a spiritual energy imprint at the Nascent Soul level.

When Deacon Wei saw the marks on the paper, he was frozen in place, his pupils contracted sharply, and his lips moved slightly but no sound came out.

The sixteen Nascent Soul level auras showed no sign of being concealed.

The Nascent Soul level fluctuations spread from the letter, the air in the City Lord's Mansion suddenly stagnated, the spiritual energy began to go out of control, the teacups on the table trembled, and the paintings on the wall moved without wind.

The fourth-order array restriction of the city lord's mansion was forcibly triggered by this fluctuation, and countless runes lit up from the walls and the ground, forming layers of light walls—the defensive array was automatically activated without anyone attacking it.

Three streaks of light simultaneously shot out from different directions deep within the mansion; they were the guardian cultivators of the city lord's mansion, all at the peak of the Core Formation stage.

The three peak Core Formation cultivators were menacing, eager to see which fool would dare to make a move in the City Lord's Mansion.

They've even brought out their trump card, ready to strike at any moment.

"Who dares to be in the City Lord's Mansion—"

Before the man could finish speaking, he saw the white paper in Lin Zhao's hand and the sixteen Nascent Soul marks neatly arranged on it.

Their expressions changed even faster than Steward Wei's. They instantly put away their magical artifacts and then retreated in unison, even faster than when they came.

At that moment, they only wished they had two more eyes.

A joint letter from sixteen Nascent Soul level beings—is this something that Core Formation cultivators like them can even read?

Even a single glance at it will shorten your lifespan.

He stood up and said, "I've left the things behind. As for the matter, Qinglan Immortal City can handle it themselves."

Wei Zhi was taken aback for a moment, then hurriedly and frantically cast spells to open all the restrictions that had been activated in the City Lord's Mansion. The formation automatically withdrew its spiritual light, as if it were lining up to see him off.

After Lin Zhao left, Steward Wei stood there, staring at the blank sheet of paper on the table, his expression extremely unpleasant.

The guards nearby snapped out of their daze, and one of them tried to say something, but was interrupted by Deacon Wei raising his hand.

"You guys, don't leave yet."

"Huh? Why—"

"You've all seen this. No one is leaving until the True Lords give the order."

The faces of the three peak Core Formation stage cultivators immediately darkened.