Chapter 85: Steady Development

The two female cultivators paled even more at the sight of this.

Zhao Xuanyuan's legs were trembling as well. In his two hundred years of cultivation, he had never seen such a bizarre and terrifying method of killing. Moreover, the long-faced old man in front of him didn't seem like a good person.

His attacks were drenched in blood and drained people's life essence.

And if even his servant was so ruthless, how terrifying must the "young master" he spoke of be?

They had just escaped the dragon's den, only to fall into the tiger's lair!

But now, they were at the mercy of others, and there was no choice but to follow this brutal figure for the time being.

With trepidation, Zhao Xuanyuan and his two junior sisters followed Mo Chengkong to their destination. When they arrived, they were surprised to find that the person standing there wasn't the fearsome brute they had imagined, but a graceful young man in green robes.

"Senior sister, he's really good-looking," the younger junior sister of the Clear Breeze Sect whispered.

"Junior sister, be quiet," the older senior sister quickly scolded, though she also thought the young man in green was handsome. But who could tell if he was a benevolent figure or a ruthless killer?

Li Changsheng smiled faintly. He wasn't some cruel person. He had sought them out simply because they were the first people he encountered in the Southern Li Dynasty.

He just wanted to learn more about the situation in the Southern Li Dynasty.

Half an hour later, Li Changsheng and Mo Chengkong were on their way again.

According to Zhao Xuanyuan, they were currently in Ming Province, one of the thirteen provinces of the Southern Li Dynasty. The Southern Li Dynasty was vast, and even just Ming Province spanned hundreds of thousands of miles.

The strongest force in the Southern Li Dynasty was, of course, the Southern Li Imperial Court. In Ming Province alone, there were several factions with Transcendence Tribulation cultivators at their helm.

The three most powerful forces in Ming Province were: the Northern Marquis's Estate, the Grand General's Estate, and the Pure Yang Sect.

As Zhao Xuanyuan explained, both the Northern Marquis's Estate and the Grand General's Estate were backed by the Imperial Court, while the Pure Yang Sect relied on its own strength and held a transcendent position in Ming Province.

If it weren't for the Imperial Court backing the Northern Marquis's Estate and the Grand General's Estate, they wouldn't even be on the same level as the Pure Yang Sect.

Half a month later.

Li Changsheng and Mo Chengkong arrived in Pearl City, the largest city in Ming Province.

"Old Mo, you're from the Immortal Realm. Are the cities there as grand and majestic as this one?"

Looking at the thousand-zhang-high city wall, Li Changsheng quietly asked the old man beside him.

"Young Master, this old servant was only an outer disciple of the Blood Demon Sect in the Immortal Realm. I mostly secluded myself in the sect and rarely ventured outside."

"But I've heard that many of the major cities in the Immortal Realm can accommodate hundreds of millions of cultivators, with countless experts among them. Pearl City may be impressive in the mortal world, but it's probably nothing special in the Immortal Realm."

Mo Chengkong replied in a low voice.

"That makes sense."

Li Changsheng nodded and then cautioned, "Old Mo, in the future, don't go around using such bloody and menacing methods. It makes you look like a bad guy."

"Even though you can now muster the strength of a Transcendence Tribulation cultivator, I'm just a small Unity cultivator with no connections here. If we offend a major force, we might die without even knowing how."

'Who in the entire Cangqing Realm has a stronger backer than you?' Mo Chengkong thought to himself. Standing behind Li Changsheng was an Immortal King, a figure of unparalleled stature even in the Immortal Realm. Even the leader of his Blood Demon Sect would have to bow before such a being.

Mo Chengkong forced a smile, making his already ugly face even more unattractive.

"Young Master, don't worry. This old servant has been suppressed for thousands of years and hasn't acted in a long time, so I was careless."

"Hmm."

Li Changsheng nodded and stepped into Pearl City.

Pearl City was enormous, with ancient buildings lining both sides of its streets. The buildings were engraved with defensive and reinforcement formations, and the streets themselves were dozens of meters wide.

The streets were bustling with cultivators, some riding exotic beasts, while others set up stalls along the sides, calling out their wares. It wasn't much different from a mortal city, except for the identity of the vendors and the items they sold.

After renting a cave abode in Pearl City and spending three days exploring, Li Changsheng sold off some of the materials he no longer needed.

Many of the materials from Tiannan Region fetched higher prices in the outside world, especially the tens of thousands of years old spiritual herbs harvested from the secret realm. They sold for twenty percent more than in Tiannan Region, netting him twenty million spirit stones.

After selling off the unused materials in his storage bag, Li Changsheng's net worth increased by over two hundred million spirit stones.

Half a month later, the Herbal Pavilion opened for business in Pearl City.

The shop's annual rent was three hundred thousand spirit stones, located on one of the most bustling streets in the city.

The Herbal Pavilion didn't just sell pills; it also offered spirit talismans and formation arrays. Additionally, Li Changsheng had mastered three of the four major arts of cultivation—alchemy, talisman-making, and formation-crafting—all at the seventh rank.

The quality of the goods he sold was far superior to those of other shops in the city, and it didn't take long for the Herbal Pavilion to build up a solid reputation.

Three years later, the Herbal Pavilion had firmly established itself in Pearl City, earning over a million spirit stones in daily profits.

Along the way, the Herbal Pavilion's success attracted jealousy, and some tried to cause trouble. However, Mo Chengkong took care of all of them.

There was even a Great Ascension cultivator who came to stir up trouble, but he mysteriously disappeared that same night.

Over time, people became aware that the Herbal Pavilion had a powerful expert guarding it, and no one dared to cause trouble anymore.

At the top floor of the Herbal Pavilion.

"Hah!"

Li Changsheng let out a long breath.

He collected the freshly refined pills from the cauldron into a jade bottle.

"After refining this batch of pills, the Herbal Pavilion should have enough stock for a while."

Over the past few years, apart from refining various high-grade pills, formation arrays, and talismans, he had spent most of his time secluded in his cave abode, cultivating various divine abilities and techniques.

The Cangqiong Sword Canon was too profound and required reaching the Immortal stage to practice.

During these years, Li Changsheng had focused on mastering the Void Slaughter Sword Canon, which he had obtained from Luo Changqing. This sword canon was the true foundational technique of the Diamond Sect. Although the Nine Revolutions Divine Demon Art was more powerful at its peak, it was also far more difficult to cultivate.

The Void Slaughter Sword Canon was the technique practiced by successive leaders of the Diamond Sect.

Over the years, he had also recruited some people in Pearl City to help out, including one fifth-grade alchemist and two fourth-grade talisman masters.

There were also some lower-grade alchemists, talisman makers, and formation masters. Now, Li Changsheng only needed to refine high-grade materials.

"Young Master, Miss Lin from the Northern Marquis's Estate is here and wishes to see you."

A voice came from outside the door.

"The Northern Marquis's Estate?"

Li Changsheng frowned slightly. Over the years, he had kept a low profile and never actively sought to befriend anyone. Instead, he quietly observed the happenings in the Southern Li Dynasty.

Thanks to the simulations, he knew far more than the average cultivator.

He knew that the Li Emperor, who was still in his prime, didn't have much time left. In fact, the current Crown Prince of the Southern Li Dynasty would eventually sacrifice a million cultivators to open a passage to the Demon Realm in exchange for power.

In previous simulations, Li Changsheng had some interactions with the Northern Marquis's Estate. However, ever since arriving here, he had never contacted them. He hadn't expected someone from the Northern Marquis's Estate to come to him.

"Take her to the VIP room. I'll be there shortly."