Chapter 0729 – The Era of Immortal Cities

Of course, it's not that Life Maps (命图) are inherently stronger than Life Aperture Divine Abilities (命窍神通)—rather, the Life Map can directly mobilize a vast number of divine abilities from across one's body, allowing them to fuse and evolve into new divine powers. This creates transformations that are unpredictable and incredibly domineering. Some heaven-defying divine abilities don't even require the condensation of a Life Map to unleash destructive might—such as the Innate Yin-Yang Eyes. Without a Life Map, they can still display terrifying power.

At this moment, Yi Tianxing broke through to the Life Map Realm (命图境).

The Life Map Realm doesn't have many subdivisions. Instead, it's a process of constantly perfecting and refining the Life Map. Technically, it can be divided into three stages: Map Condensation (凝图), Star Pointing (点星), and Scroll Painting (画卷).

At the beginning, forming a Life Map is called the first level of Map Condensation.This is only the initial stage of condensing the map. The next step is continuous refinement and enhancement.

Afterward comes the Star Pointing stage. What does this mean? It means transforming the mirrored moons of the Life Apertures within the Life Map into Life Aperture Stars (命窍星辰)—turning illusion into reality. These stars will appear like those hanging in the void of the Divine Sea.

Once achieved, the Life Map becomes filled with true Life Aperture Stars, able to freely absorb the essence of heaven and earth, and fuse natural laws and Daoist principles into itself. At this point, the Life Map is no longer illusory but takes physical form. It becomes like a personal divine artifact, residing inside the body and nearly indestructible.

Upon completing Star Pointing, the power of the Life Map surges dramatically, drawing in the energy of the world and refining itself in the process. Eventually, it becomes a complete Scroll Painting.

In this phase, the Life Map becomes like a living scroll—vivid and lifelike, real rather than illusory. You can control it as freely as moving your own arm, manipulating divine powers at will.

This is the final stage: Scroll Painting—"Observing the painting is like observing the heavens!"

When the scroll painting gains life and rhythm, it can evolve further into a Manifestation (法相), allowing a breakthrough into the Manifestation Realm (法相境).

Advancing through the Life Map Realm relies on insight and comprehension of the laws and Dao of heaven and earth. The more one comprehends, the faster one can condense Life Aperture Stars in the Life Map—and the faster the Life Map evolves.

Just like back then when he saw the Life Map Golden Sand Kingdom (金沙国度) from the High Priest. When unfolded, it was like entering a boundless desert world. Every change within reflected natural laws and divine abilities. The blowing wind was a divine ability; the moving sand was also divine. Whatever the user willed would become reality.

Moreover, with a Life Map, it naturally generates a devouring force, allowing the Life Apertures to absorb natural laws and Daoist essence at ten times the previous speed or more. It acts like a magnet, constantly drawing in surrounding forces.

This brings tremendous benefits to the growth of Life Aperture origins.

"Indeed, a world apart. The Heavenly Office Position (天地业位) and Destiny Feedback (气运反哺)—no wonder Fate Dynasties can become the top forces in the world. This is a shortcut to the pinnacle. Thirty-six times the normal cultivation speed... every moment my body is absorbing energy and insights from the world.The Life Map is like a core energy engine, powering the Life Apertures like perpetual motion machines—constantly growing and being refined."

Yi Tianxing silently pondered, feeling deeply moved.

"Each realm truly opens a new world."

All of this took only moments, though it sounds lengthy.

From the moment the Heavenly Office Position descended, and the Destiny Feedback began, to his advancement into the Life Map Realm—it all happened in an instant. No one else in the hall noticed. Yi Tianxing, however, did not immediately open his eyes.

He remained silently experiencing the transformation brought by the Life Map Realm.

Before he knew it, more than two hours had passed.

In the Heavenly Court Hall, Huang Chengyan and others had finally completed the preliminary structure of the Great Yi Dynasty's bureaucratic system.

"Your Majesty, we've drafted the framework for the Nine-Rank Six-Department System, but the final implementation requires your confirmation,"Huang Chengyan said.

Then, he explained the proposed official hierarchy.

"To implement the Nine-Rank system, we must determine the titles and grades. We propose:

The heads of the One Gate, Three Courts, and Seven Halls as First-Rank Officials.

The heads of the Six Departments as Second-Rank.

Within the departments, positions ranging from Third to Fifth Rank should be established."

"Moreover," he added, "on the Eternal Continent, countless races coexist. Our dynasty is not like ordinary kingdoms. The environment is unique—our territory consists of villages, towns, and Immortal Cities, and the wilderness is filled with dangerous beasts and monsters. That's not going to change."

"So relying on rural structures as in the previous world—towns surrounded by villages—won't work. Teleportation arrays now connect settlements, forming a network."

Huang spoke slowly and clearly.

"Exactly," Jia Xu added. "This arrangement actually facilitates governance. Instead of scattered rural populations, everything becomes clear-cut and easier to manage. In the future, all villages and towns should be upgraded into Immortal Cities (仙城). These will serve as the foundation to rule their regions. Villages and towns can be removed entirely from the system."

This, in his view, would be a natural progression for the Great Yi Dynasty.

As a Fate Dynasty, its rulers could not be based in mere villages or towns. Immortal Cities had a higher stature and greater command. They could serve as strongholds to suppress surrounding beasts and threats.

With each giant city stabilizing a region, the Great Yi would form a civilization of Immortal Cities—a City-State Era (城邦时代).

Yi Tianxing listened attentively, nodding from time to time.

He fully agreed with Jia Xu's vision: with the dynasty's power, they could reorganize the realm into a network of Immortal Cities, using teleportation arrays as the veins of communication. This would form a true cultivator civilization.

"A single city can dominate a region."

"In the wilderness, it can resist invasions and suppress monsters."

"This would be an unprecedented imperial system."

"You're all right," Yi Tianxing nodded."The surrounding towns and villages have already submitted. Their Destiny Pools still exist, but their Destiny Spirits now return to the Dynasty, no longer individual. We can upgrade any of them to Immortal Cities at will—and without triggering a Heavenly Tribulation."

"But to rule with Immortal Cities, we must redefine territories and decide how much area each city governs."

Previously, building towns and villages didn't require much planning. As long as the land was suitable, a Village Order could be used. Many of these are now located near one another.

If all are upgraded into Immortal Cities, they must be spaced out. Otherwise, their purpose of ruling a region is lost.

"Your Majesty, if you truly wish to govern by Immortal Cities, I have a proposal," Jiang Ni suddenly spoke."If we can adjust their placements and coordinate their orientations using formations... it might be possible to form a grand geomantic formation (风水大阵)."

Immortal Cities aren't normal structures. They're akin to heavenly treasures, connected to the land's spiritual energy and natural forces. Once rooted, they bond with the very environment.

If arranged with feng shui principles, they could serve as nodes in a great formation. Such a creation would be unprecedented—a world-defining feat. Even Jiang Ni couldn't help but feel a thrill at the thought.

For any feng shui master, this was an irresistible challenge.

"Using Immortal Cities as formation nodes for a grand feng shui array?"

Yi Tianxing's eyes flashed with brilliance. He instantly understood the implications.

If it could be done, the benefits would be astronomical.

"Daoist Jiang, this is no joke. Such a formation is undoubtedly powerful—but the Great Yi Dynasty won't stop at ruling a single region. We will expand constantly. Wouldn't that disrupt the formation over time?"

"I possess a supreme feng shui formation diagram," Jiang Ni replied firmly."No matter how large the territory grows, the formation can expand with it. The larger it becomes, the stronger it grows."

"This formation is something I've never intended to reveal. Its structure is profound, and its requirements immense. But by using Immortal Cities as nodes, we can bypass the need for natural land features.If Your Majesty allows me to attempt this, I am willing to formally join the Great Yi Dynasty."

There was a rare determination in Jiang Ni's eyes—the obsession of a true feng shui master.

Cultivating via meditation is the slow path. For a feng shui practitioner, creating large-scale formations is the shortcut. When a formation is completed, it feeds back power into the master, accelerating cultivation.

Creating a supreme feng shui grand array—this was a temptation Jiang Ni could not resist, even if the chance was slim.