Mortal's Purple Sky Cave Heaven

Chapter 517 Cloud City
“I think Fellow Daoist Lei is not bad either, but he lacks a suitable Xuan Tian treasure.” The Crystal Clan woman suddenly said this for some unknown reason.

"How could such a tremendous opportunity as the Xuan Tian Treasure fall into the hands of us Void Refinement cultivators? Even if there were a chance, it would be pitifully small and negligible. Fellow Daoist Wen, let's get down to business." Nie Zhaonan chuckled, speaking half-jokingly.

His fellow Daoists were all quite skilled at maintaining their composure, and none of them showed any unusual expression as they listened to Nie Zhaonan's blatant lies.

The Crystal Clan woman nodded, as if she had already thought it through, and said slowly:
"Among the thirteen clans of Tianyun, the Crystal Clan has always been responsible for setting up the array that complements the Guanghan Token. Fortunately, I have a good relationship with the elder in my clan who is in charge of setting up this array. If I step in, you only need to pay the corresponding spirit stones. However, I also have conditions. There are quite a few ancient beasts of the Saint rank in the Guanghan Realm, as well as many other dangers. Therefore, after entering the Guanghan Realm, I hope you will take good care of me."

"I've long heard that the spiritual energy in the Guanghan Realm is more than ten times denser than that in the Spirit Realm, and the spiritual herbs and fruits within are all things rarely seen in the Spirit Realm, not to mention the caves that seem to belong to immortals. Once I enter, I will naturally do my best to obtain any opportunities. If Fellow Daoist Wen were to travel with me, regardless of whether our goals are aligned, even if we were to obtain any treasures, it would be difficult to divide them among us," Nie Zhaonan said calmly after a moment of silence.

After entering the Guanghan Realm, with his and Yue Li's cultivation levels, it was almost like entering an uninhabited place. Treasures were also easily obtained. He didn't have the habit of giving away the treasures he obtained to outsiders for free.

A strange light flashed in the Crystal Clan woman's eyes; she naturally understood the meaning behind Nie Zhaonan's words, and couldn't help but smile as she said:

"Fellow Daoist Lei, you've underestimated the Guanghan Realm. Although immortal caves and remains have been discovered within it, no truly useful treasures or cultivation techniques have been left behind. In other words, it's not a place where just anyone can enter and obtain heaven-defying treasures. Even spiritual herbs and fruits are mostly hidden in secret places, requiring careful searching."

"Is that so? Although I have never entered the Guanghan Realm, I believe I have some skills," Nie Zhaonan said, half-jokingly.

Upon hearing this, the Crystal Clan woman's mind raced for a moment before she finally spoke without hesitation:

"Since Fellow Daoist's attitude is so resolute, then this humble woman will not force you any further. As Fellow Daoist said, it is indeed somewhat inappropriate for both parties to search for treasures together. How about this, as long as Fairy Ice Phoenix helps me obtain the treasures in a treasure land in the Guanghan Realm, this transaction will be completed."

"What do you think, Feng'er?" Nie Zhaonan did not immediately agree, but instead asked Bingfeng beside him.

Ice Phoenix smiled and said softly:
"Fellow Daoist's conditions are not excessive. Although there are some dangers in the Guanghan Realm, I am confident that I can protect myself."

"Then thank you very much, Fairy." The Crystal Clan woman replied with a smile, then glanced around and said with some concern:

"Fellow Daoists, the Horned Chi Clan will not easily give up their pursuit of the Guanghan Token. This is not a place to stay for long. Let's leave together first."

“Okay.” Nie Zhaonan nodded, offering no further comment.

After the Crystal Clan woman greeted her two Qing Clan companions, she led Nie Zhaonan and his group and flew away towards the horizon.

A dozen or so streaks of light flashed and then disappeared without a trace on the horizon.

Just as Nie Zhaonan and his group were heading towards a city of the Thirteen Clans of Tianyuan, in a city that had recently been conquered by the Horned Chi Clan, three high-ranking members of the Horned Chi Clan were discussing related matters in a grand hall.

A woman with a full head of green hair and a withered old man stood on either side of a golden chair in the main hall.

A young woman who appeared to be in her early twenties was sitting in the chair.

This woman had a beautiful face, but her skin had a metallic, pale silver color. Her beautiful eyes moved with delight, and her pupils were a deep purple-gold, so much so that they caused a slight stinging pain to anyone who looked at her.

The small horn between her eyebrows, a few inches high, was crystal clear and exceptionally exquisite.

The gaunt old man and the green-haired woman were both at the peak of the Void Refinement stage, but they were obedient and respectful in front of this woman.

"What, still no news?" the woman suddenly spoke, her voice clear and melodious, but her expression was icy.

"Reporting to Venerable Li, since Fellow Daoists Qingming and Chixiao were teleported there, there has been no further news. The teleportation array connecting the warship is also no longer responding, so it must have been destroyed. They are most likely dead as well." The withered old man's face twitched as he respectfully replied.

"Much worse than expected? That's unlikely. Qingming and Chixiao's strength far exceeds your expectations. Even if a Saint-level being attacked them, they wouldn't be too late to send a message. However, it's certain that something happened to them. That Crystal Clan member had at least three Guanghan Tokens. If we can really succeed, we will have made a great contribution." The woman frowned and said slowly.

“Your Excellency is right. The Guanghan Token can be said to be the greatest opportunity on the Thunderous Continent. The reason why our Horned Chi Clan is so powerful is largely due to it. Given the importance of the Guanghan Token, it is worth any price to pay. As soon as we receive the news, we will immediately arrange for two more teams to be sent there.” The green-haired woman also respectfully chimed in.

"Well, just in case, I'll do it myself." The woman nodded, but before she could finish speaking, a buzzing sound interrupted her.

The gaunt old man hurriedly reached into his sleeve and found a communication token in his hand, which was the very token that emitted the buzzing sound.

He dared not delay and probed it with his divine sense, but after only a breath, his face immediately turned pale.

"Hmph, what's gotten into you so disrespectful?" The woman's eyes flashed, and she said with a hint of contempt.

"The squad leader below sent word that all eight fellow Daoists, including Qingming Chixiao, have perished!" The withered old man hesitated for a moment, but immediately replied truthfully.

"What exactly happened?" the woman asked coldly.

"Suddenly a group of demon cultivators appeared, and one of them, an Ice Phoenix of the ninth rank of the Upper Clan, made a move and killed all of you fellow cultivators," the withered old man replied cautiously.

"Impossible! Among the various races in the Spirit Realm, the individual strength of human-demon cultivators is only average, far from being a match for our race's peers. How could that ice phoenix possess such strength? Could it be hiding its cultivation level?" the green-haired woman said, somewhat disbelievingly.

"The human and demon races are indeed not strong, but they will always produce a few prodigies. Don't you know Nie Zhaonan, whose fame recently spread throughout the entire spirit realm?" the withered old man said to the green-haired woman.

"You mean, this group of people from both the human and demon races are not ordinary beings of the same level?" the green-haired woman asked thoughtfully.

"How could ordinary human and demon cultivators possibly reach the Thunder Continent? Yet they dare to interfere in the affairs of my Horned Chi Clan. Even if there is indeed a human among them, Fellow Daoist Nie, so what? Our clan's Mahayana Ancestor will take action himself; there is nothing to fear. Pass down the order to inform the spies hidden among the Thirteen Clans of Tianyuan to investigate the whereabouts of that group of human and demon people. If necessary, they can take direct action." The woman surnamed Li glanced at her two subordinates and gave the order.

"Yes!"

"As ordered!"

The green-haired woman and the gaunt old man naturally bowed and accepted the order.

After several days of travel via a hidden teleportation array inside a mountain, Nie Zhaonan and his group finally arrived at a giant city.

"This is Cloud City?" Nie Zhaonan, bathed in silver light, looked up at the distant sky. "Indeed, as the name suggests, Cloud City is a city suspended in the air. Cloud City is not only the third largest city among the Thirteen Clans of Tianyun, but also the second largest city of cultivators in the Spirit Realm after Sky Island," the Crystal Clan woman standing beside him said with some pride.

They were now atop a high mountain, and hundreds of miles away in the sky, there was a giant, motionless floating city.

The city is located tens of thousands of feet above the ground, surrounded by white jade, and is constructed entirely of some unknown white material.

The city's location at such a high altitude, coupled with its enormous size, instilled a sense of awe in those who saw it for the first time.

Another eye-catching feature is the dozen or so exceptionally large, pure white spheres surrounding the giant city. Each one may not seem very big from a distance, but a quick glance reveals them to be colossal objects with diameters of tens of thousands of feet.

Noticing that Nie Zhaonan and his group's gaze had fallen on the enormous creature, the Crystal Clan woman spoke up to explain:

"Those were the result of the combined efforts of the Eternal Clan and the Stone Cocoon Clan, and were one of the trump cards of Cloud City's defense, war puppets in the early stages of their combined power."

"A Fusion-level puppet is indeed rare." Nie Zhaonan nodded slightly. Fusion-level puppets were nothing more than useless things to him, and he wasn't particularly interested in them.

Immediately, the light flashed and transformed into a streak of silver light, soaring into the sky.

The others, naturally, followed suit with equal brilliance.

When they were hundreds of miles away, they didn't have a clear idea of ​​the size of the city, but once they got close to it, dozens of miles away, the sheer size of 'Cloud City' made even Nie Zhaonan gasp in shock.

Looking at it from such close range, Cloud City almost completely blocked out most of the sky in front of us.

The Tianyuan City, which is home to both humans and demons, is like an ant compared to this city.

On the way, they also began to see the escape lights of other alien cultivators in the distance, as well as various flying magical artifacts such as beast-drawn carriages and spirit boats.

As they drew closer to the city, the number of alien cultivators surged.

It is worth mentioning that among them were not only cultivators from the thirteen clans of Tianyuan, but also quite a few people from other races.

The reason is quite simple: the thirteen clans of Tianyuan are not a single race, but a group formed by the union of thirteen races. They are far more open to other races than to clans like the Jiao Chi.

Soon, Nie Zhaonan and his group arrived at a huge city gate in Yuncheng. Ignoring the aliens waiting for inspection, they walked directly toward the gate guards.

This act, which resembles 'cutting in line,' naturally caused dissatisfaction among some people in line.

However, most of these alien cultivators were only at the Foundation Establishment or Core Formation stage. When they swept their divine sense over the Crystal Clan woman walking at the front and discovered that she was a high-ranking clan with unfathomable cultivation, they immediately fell silent and did not even dare to show the slightest anger.

The Crystal Clan woman's actions immediately attracted the attention of the guards, and several sharp, cold glints swept towards her at the same time.

However, upon seeing the distinctive crystal on the Crystal Clan woman's brow and her cultivation level far surpassing theirs, the guards were immediately horrified. The leading guard even stepped forward and bowed, saying:
"So you're a senior from the Crystal Clan! Please come in, senior!"

"Hmm." The Crystal Clan woman nodded expressionlessly, then instructed, "By the way, Fellow Daoist Lei and the others are not from our Tianyun Clan. Prepare a top-level identity token for them; I can act as their guarantor."

As she spoke, the Crystal Clan woman calmly flicked her sleeve, and a palm-sized, jet-black token flew out, heading straight for the leading guard.

"Yes, senior!" After confirming that there was nothing wrong with the black identity token, the leading guard returned it to the Crystal Clan woman with both hands.

At this moment, several guards immediately waved their magic discs slightly at Nie Zhaonan and his group.

Nie Zhaonan felt extremely faint streams of divine power instantly released from those strange magic discs, sweeping towards them.

It is necessary to conduct a simple investigation of strangers who come to Yuncheng. Nie Zhaonan naturally will not resist anything, and neither will his group of Daoist companions.

After the guards finished probing the cultivation levels of Nie Zhaonan and his group, they all felt a chill run down their spines.

Apart from one person, the others were all beings of the seventh rank or above from the upper clans. Such cultivation was extremely rare even among the thirteen clans of Tianyuan, let alone so many people traveling together.

The leading guard immediately glanced at the magic disc in his hand. Seeing no reaction from the Horned Chi Clan bloodline, he breathed a sigh of relief and said:

"Esteemed seniors! Now that Senior Wen has vouched for you and you have passed the initial test, we will immediately forge the corresponding high-level identity tokens for you. With these tokens, you will be able to travel freely throughout Cloud City, except for some highly confidential locations."

"Thank you for your trouble, sir," Nie Zhaonan said calmly.

The Nascent Soul level guard was naturally very polite, repeatedly saying he dared not accept such treatment.

About fifteen minutes later, the guards crafted jade tokens containing simple information for Nie Zhaonan and his group and handed them out.

Then the leader waved his hand, and the guards behind him immediately made way for him.

The three Crystal Clan women didn't stand on ceremony and immediately strode into the city, while Nie Zhaonan and his group followed closely behind at a leisurely pace.

"Fellow Daoist Lei, I still need to report to the elders of my clan regarding the setting up of the formation. However, I must make it clear beforehand that the materials consumed in setting up this kind of formation alone are enough to bankrupt any Saint-level being," the Crystal Clan woman suddenly said.

"Thank you very much. In that case, I have enough top-grade spirit stones." Nie Zhaonan smiled and clasped his hands in thanks.

　Thank you all for your support with your collections, recommendations, and monthly tickets!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)