CHAPTER 655: CHAPTER 646: CULTIVATION IMMORTALITY IS ALSO ABOUT WORLDLY WAYS

"Alas! The cultivation of immortality..." Gongxi Yanchang let out a soft sigh, "must also cultivate human relations and worldly wisdom."

The City Lord’s Wife smiled upon hearing this and said, "Precisely because we’re not yet immortals and still in the realm of humanity, we must be mindful of ’human’ relations and worldly wisdom. If we could truly sever all earthly bonds and avoid worldly causes and effects, we’d be close to becoming immortals. Anyway, I’ll go call Jin’Er, the Wilderness is about to descend, and we should prepare to set off at any time."

Watching the lady’s departing figure, Gongxi Yanchang frowned slightly. If he could connect with a rare Alchemist in this world, could he seize the opportunity for a greater enterprise?

From the way the Alchemist asked for remuneration for refining the Soul Nourishing Pill for Jin’Er, it seemed he was not a greedy person.

As such, the advantage is that he’s not greedy, so he won’t make exorbitant demands, and the City Lord’s Mansion has the foundation to support it; the disadvantage is that since he’s not greedy, it’s hard to persuade him with money, so forging deep connections requires other forms of capital.

"I wonder what kind of Human Race Cultivator that Mr. Jiang really is..." he mused silently, looking up at the increasingly dim sky as the sun set, eagerly anticipating the meeting tonight.

The sky grew darker, and the demon beasts that roamed the Wilderness by day all returned to their nests.

The smaller, more cautious demon beasts finally dared to come out for a breath of fresh air, looking for food, and contesting territory. The previously quiet Carefree City came alive as night fell with the brightening lanterns.

"No matter how many times I see it, it’s still fascinating," Xie Chenyuan strolled leisurely along the street, playing with the tassel of his jade pendant and said to Bai Yunqi with a smile, "Look at this vast city, during the day it’s like a Ghost City, devoid of human presence and sound, but at night, the lights flicker, and laughter, chatter, and commerce suddenly appear.

The key is that these are all demon beasts cultivated into human forms, some with imperfect transformations, and I can easily see their true identities. Clearly, they are demons, yet they insist on living and acting like humans, speaking in Human Race language. Isn’t that interesting?"

Bai Yunqi glanced at him speechlessly, "Brother Xie, I am also a demon, not a human."

"Hahaha, Brother Bai, don’t take offense, I meant no mockery. I just find it peculiar that in this vast Demon City, at first glance, everyone looks human. An unknowing mortal would surely think it’s a Human Race city. Yet, within, many demon cultivators hate humans while adopting their appearance, it’s indeed strange."

"There are actually two reasons." Bai Yunqi patiently explained, "Firstly, Brother Xie also knows the saying ’humans are the spirit of all things.’ Demon cultivators transform into human forms to ascend another level by borrowing human essence. Of course, it is also said that Human Race techniques for Ascension are nearly lost, and only by transforming into human form to practice the high-level cultivation techniques left by humans can one possibly undergo Tribulation Crossing and achieve Ascension."

This theory is widespread, and Xie Chenyuan naturally acknowledged it with a nod.

Bai Yunqi paused, gently tapping his palm with the Gold-Scattering Fan, and smiled, "However, this explanation does not truly account for the reason why Demon City resembles a Human City. If it’s only for cultivation, why not transform only when practicing and remain in original form at other times?

This is the second reason, which may not have occurred to Brother Xie as a Human Race member, yet it’s quite simple.

Tell me, Brother Xie, we often fight side by side, slaying demon beasts. Besides the profit chain formed by demon cores making demon cultivators reluctant to stop, can you think of another reason why some demon cultivator factions actively encourage the demon beast slaying industry chain?"

Xie Chenyuan was taken aback by the counter-question, "Letting demon beasts breed rampant, making the Wilderness World unsustainable?"

"Exactly! There are highly intelligent ones among demon cultivators who know they can’t let demon beasts breed unchecked. Keeping the numbers in check is essential. After all, most demon beasts are violent and extremely destructive. If left unchecked, a single ordinary Mist Horse could consume half a mountain’s vegetation overnight. Before long, the Wilderness would turn into a desert."

Surprised at how the topic shifted, Xie Chenyuan felt bewildered.

Bai Yunqi laughed, "Because the bodies of demon beasts consume a lot! Before cultivating to the state of Fasting, the large bodies of demon beasts require an incredible amount of food. To gain more energy than consumed, to fill their bellies, the small, exquisite humanly made meals just won’t suffice. They could do nothing but resort to the most primitive means, even devouring small demon beasts whole with skin and fur.

Small-bodied demon cultivators might manage, and ordinary demon beasts without intelligence are certainly fine, and those like Yun Mo who have enough food daily don’t care, but more large, intelligent demon cultivators, being pursuers of the Dao, can’t endure living like savages.

If they can transform, they can gracefully dine in spacious, beautiful restaurants and taverns. Human-sized energy needs are much less, so unless necessary, demon cultivators won’t reveal their original forms, or they’d have to spend every day either devouring for sustenance or on the hunt for enough food."

"I see, I’ve learned something new," Xie Chenyuan responded, suddenly enlightened, "In other words, unless a demon beast cannot transform, it won’t use its original form in battle, right?"

"That’s also correct, unless the other party has enough energy to maintain its original form in battle. Take me, for instance, the Venerable Family provides everything I need, so I don’t worry about energy replenishment, and thus prefer to fight in my original form for stronger attack power, ensuring a quick victory."

Xie Chenyuan grew more excited at this, "Brother Bai, the colossal Flood Dragon Zombie in the Flood Dragon Tomb! We’ve tried and failed several times with it; it must be guarding a treasure for constant energy replenishment. Also... considering it’s a resurrected zombie, unable to stray too far from its tomb, the treasure for replenishing energy must be nearby!"

"Exactly." Bai Yunqi mused, "I’ve been considering this too. The Spiritual Energy in the Flood Dragon Tomb isn’t exceptionally abundant, yet it is peculiarly active. I’m curious about what kind of treasure it is that allows such a colossal Flood Dragon Zombie to remain active for such a long time. Once this matter is settled, we’ll explore the tomb again!"

Ever since gaining the usage rights to the tomb’s Key, Bai Yunqi has been eager to make a significant discovery.

However, with the Flood Dragon Tomb being a cautious advance, so far he had neither found the treasure hidden by the Shen Family nor found a secret treasure to present to the Venerable Family, which made him a bit anxious.

Especially after discovering that Yun Shu could explore the void freely, Bai Yunqi felt increasingly like the most useless person in the small courtyard, urgently needing to achieve something to prove he wasn’t just freeloading.

Xie Chenyuan had a hard-earned opportunity at the Flood Dragon Tomb, so of course, he hoped to explore as deeply as possible within it.

The more they discussed, the more excited they became, naturally not in the mood to linger too long at the City Lord’s Mansion. After clarifying their purpose, they soon brought a family of three to the small courtyard Jiang Yuan bought.

"This place is good for entering the bustling area or retreating to peace and quiet. Mr. Jiang’s residence is indeed nice," Gongxi Yanchang praised as soon as he entered the alley.

Like other cities, the closer you get to the center, the more expensive the houses and courtyards become.

The City Lord’s Mansion occupied the best and largest position, so naturally, the small courtyard Jiang Yuan purchased seemed a bit lacking. He gave his wife a look, and she immediately understood—there would be more reason to visit next time, delivering a better and bigger courtyard to this Alchemist gentleman!

After all, as the City Lord of Carefree City, if he couldn’t produce a few fine courtyards, wouldn’t that be utterly embarrassing?

"Venerable Family, Mr. Gongxi, the City Lord of Carefree City, along with his wife and daughter, have come to express their gratitude," Bai Yunqi introduced both parties.

Gongxi Yanchang, upon taking a look, felt a jolt in his heart, thinking that he had wasted his money on the pill formula.

In his imagination, someone who could make disciples of the Cloud Concealment Sect and the fierce White Snake Demon submit with respect must be a venerable cultivator. But when he saw Mr. Jiang, whom he had been longing to meet, he found him to be a figure looking no more than around twenty years old!

It is well known that the Human Race has a short lifespan and ages quickly. Only by having taken a Youthful Appearance Pill could he maintain such a youthful appearance. It couldn’t possibly be that he achieved such cultivation at just twenty-something years old, making the painstakingly acquired pill formula seem like a waste.

The Youthful Appearance Pill occupies an awkward position in the alchemical world. Though impressive, apart from maintaining a youthful appearance, it has no other effects, and one pill in a lifetime is sufficient. Yet it is still a sought-after and rare pill—many Demon Cultivators who have grown long white beards have never encountered one.

For an Alchemist who has already consumed a Youthful Appearance Pill, gifting this kind of formula is somewhat meaningless.

Moreover... huh? A multitude of thoughts flashed through Gongxi Yanchang’s mind in an instant, followed by a brief pause; why couldn’t he sense even a hint of Spiritual Power from Mr. Jiang?

Logically speaking, Alchemists, Artifact Refiners, and other such cultivators with special skills tend to have slightly lower combat abilities. After all, it’s hard to be of two minds on the cultivation path—focusing solely on the Alchemy Dao makes other aspects suffer.

The person opposite couldn’t possibly be a non-cultivator without Spiritual Power, so the only explanation was that he possessed a significant treasure capable of concealing his aura entirely.

"An Alchemist indeed," he marveled secretly, feeling even more that the gifts he brought paled in comparison.

It stands to reason, being a reputable Alchemist with a high success rate in alchemy, he would be pursued by cultivators wherever he went; ordinary items couldn’t possibly catch his discerning eye.

"I hope Mr. Jiang doesn’t laugh; this Carefree City is a remote and impoverished area, even as City Lord my purse has its limits," Gongxi Yanchang, after some polite words, promptly offered his prepared gift with both hands. "This is a formula for the Youthful Appearance Pill, along with some aged Demon Cores, a small token of respect. I hope Mr. Jiang will not disdain them."

Youthful Appearance Pill?!

Jiang Yuan’s eyes lit up at once; this was a treasure! Ever since entering the Wilderness World, he had wanted to obtain one to preserve his youth eternally but had never found a trace of the Youthful Appearance Pill. He hadn’t expected an unexpected gain this time.

[Youthful Appearance Pill Formula: Refined from eighty-one kinds of precious Spirit Medicines, consuming one can maintain one’s current appearance without aging. It can be used in the Alchemy Room. Note: The Youthful Appearance Pill is effective only for appearance, with no other enhancements and cannot change appearance.]

[Three-Colored Demon Pill: Demon Core from the Advanced Monster Phantom Demon Horse, can be used in medicine, artifact refining, or for nurturing an Artifact Spirit...]

...

As expected of the City Lord, no matter the humility, his gifts are quite merry with an Advanced Monster’s Demon Core.

Since the other party was so courteous, Jiang Yuan glanced at the ongoing side mission, smiling as he said, "Meeting is fate. The City Lord brings both the pill formula and Demon Core as expressions of gratitude. If I do not accept, it would be ungracious. In that case, let me gift something to your daughter as a token of goodwill."

Saying so, he took out the "Mission Designated" item from the Storage Bag.