The weakest martial artist? One punch and he's leveled up a whole realm!

The north side of the capital city.

There is a continuous mountain range.

And above this mountain, there was another floating mountain.

It is called the Nine-Layered Palace!

The nine-tiered palace complex stretches from the ground all the way up to the clouds.

Each palace is built upon a floating stone.

These floating stones are supported by suspended stone platforms powered by spiritual energy.

The city walls, made of white jade, gleamed softly in the sunlight.

The ground of the nine-tiered palace was not paved with ordinary stones, but with polished spirit stones.

When you step on it, you will feel a faint spiritual energy feedback, like walking on warm silk.

This place is more like a city within a city.

When Ye Xiao and Grandpa Hei arrived here.

It was already the morning of the second day.

On Ye Xiao's shoulder, Xiao Shuanghan was fast asleep.

Last night, after the show ended.

Ye Xiao used the "Teleport" skill to summon back Xiao Shuanghan, who was playing hide-and-seek with a bunch of warriors.

As for Ning Qiu, his original plan to seize the dragon servant also failed.

In the end, he slunk back to where he belonged with his legion.

"Uncle Hei, this Nine-Layered Palace truly lives up to its name; it's like entering a celestial palace!"

The two were currently in the first area of ​​the Nine-Layer Palace.

It is also the entrance point to the entire nine-tiered palace.

Grandpa Hei nodded and said, "Of course! This Nine-Tiered Palace is one of the places in the human world where spiritual energy is gathered in the highest concentration."

"It would be no exaggeration to describe this place as a paradise on earth."

Ye Xiao observed the surrounding environment.

The city is filled with spiritual plants, gushing springs, and a faint spiritual aura permeates the air.

The aroma is so strong that even a single breath here can prolong one's life.

But it seems that Ye Xiao didn't see any ordinary people in this place.

Grandpa Hei stopped and looked at Ye Xiao beside him.

Ye Xiao's gaze was sweeping over this city within a city.

"Uncle Hei, this nine-tiered palace shouldn't be accessible to just anyone, right?"

"This nine-tiered palace has another name."

"What?"

"Immortal City!"

"A celestial city?" Ye Xiao stared at the old man in surprise. "Could it be that immortals live here?"

The old man nodded with a smile, but the smile on his face gradually turned into sarcasm.

"There are no immortals. They are just the delusions of a bunch of self-important mortals."

"This nine-tiered palace is called the Nine-Tiered Palace to the outside world, but in essence it is a city within a city within the capital. The people inside call it the Immortal City, which is essentially an expression of their arrogance."

"Therefore, those who can enter this immortal city are either high-ranking officials or their descendants, or members of prestigious royal families. At the very least, they must be at least at the eighth realm to be allowed entry!"

After Ye Xiao listened to Grandpa Hei's explanation...

He finally understood the sarcastic meaning behind the old man's smile.

And the most ironic part.

And it's right ahead.

Grandpa Hei led Ye Xiao toward the first level of the Nine-Layer Palace.

Ahead, a city gate stood prominently.

But it was just a city gate.

There were no walls surrounding it.

The purpose of the city gate is to show all visitors what this place is!

"Immortal City!"

Two large, gilded characters hang high above the plaque above the city gate, exuding a rich spiritual aura that makes them instantly noticeable!

"Uncle Hei, I've really broadened my horizons today! I've seen a lot!"

The world before him had a tremendous impact on Ye Xiao.

Because this is different from the human world he is familiar with.

They are two completely separate worlds.

He even wondered if ordinary people, after exhausting their entire lives, were only glimpsing a corner of the true heavenly palace.

At that moment, Ye Xiao saw children chasing and playing in the city.

These children were born with a silver spoon in their mouths.

Without any effort, they obtained something that countless people could never have in their entire lives.

The guards at the city gate wore standard silver-white spirit armor, with spirit swords hanging at their waists, and their eyes were like those of eagles.

The guards were all at the tenth level of the martial arts realm.

In the outside world, this is something that people wouldn't even dare to imagine.

"Ye Xiao, what are your thoughts upon seeing this scene?"

Grandpa Hei looked at Ye Xiao beside him and asked a question.

Ye Xiao gazed at the luxurious immortal city ahead.

"Do my feelings... matter?"

"Maybe."

.......

After entering through the city gate.

What comes into view is a main street.

Ye Xiao learned from the old man in black that the main street was called "Tongtian Avenue".

When I heard this name.

Ye Xiao found it inexplicably ridiculous.

Within this nine-tiered palace, no, this celestial city.

Everywhere is filled with the dreams of immortals held by ordinary mortals!

On both sides of this main street are various shops.

But the shops here.

Unlike the bustling, modern urban shops in the capital city.

The shops here are mostly old-fashioned buildings.

Moreover, the names of these shops all resonate with the atmosphere of the celestial city.

Elixir shops, magical artifact shops, cultivation technique pavilions, spiritual food pavilions...

Pedestrians came and went, including scions of noble families dressed in fine clothes, rogue cultivators carrying long swords, and mysterious guests wearing masks.

At a tea stall on the street corner, several elderly men were playing chess, the crisp sound of chess pieces hitting the board particularly clear amidst the noise.

If it weren't for the fact that Old Man Hei had given Ye Xiao a heads-up before he came in...

Ye Xiaozhen thought he had come to a large cosplay event area.

When Ye Xiao walked past the medicine shop.

He saw a large crowd inside, with many people spending lavishly to compete for the newly launched elixirs.

The number of spirit stones these people casually pulled out was equivalent to a lifetime's worth of an ordinary person's life outside.

The old man said, "Everything is expensive in the Immortal City. Here, spirit stones are not money, but life itself."

Ye Xiao was already feeling uncomfortable.

He asked, "Uncle Hei, where does Grand Secretary Jiang reside?"

The old man replied, "It's located in the ninth palace. Judging from the location, you don't seem to like it much here?"

"You should know that this place is a place that countless cultivators dream of settling down in."

"Don't you feel honored?"

Ye Xiao understood the irony in Old Man Hei's words.

He scoffed at the idea: "I have absolutely no interest in it, nor do I feel honored; I just find it pathetic."

"Why is it so tragic?" the old man continued to ask.

Ye Xiao said, "It's a sad state of affairs in this world."

.......

The birth of the nine-tiered palace was tinged with blood and tears.

Five hundred years ago.

The Human Alliance was formed.

Among them, one of the three founders was Xuanyuan Cang.

He was standing on the same ground where Ye Xiao was standing, which at that time was an empty space with nothing.

Behind him stood the heads of the twelve noble families at the time.

He said one thing.

"I want to build a city that future generations will look up to for 30,000 years."

There was no fervor in Xuan Yuancang's eyes, only an almost cold calm.