Chapter 312: Leaving Shu City, Arriving at the Central Capital (42k, please subscribe)

The year begins, and the new spring arrives.

Du En begins to clean up the aftermath, putting on a set of fourth-tier clothes and trousers he refined himself, then layering his Azure-Dark Dharma Robe back on, and finally tying up his hair simply, while simultaneously activating the cave dwelling's layout to make it rapidly self-repair.

The commotion from this artifact refining was actually quite significant, but because the flow of spiritual energy was normal, the fifth-tier cave dwelling appeared very reliable, with no ripples leaking outward, attracting no extra attention.

As the cave dwelling recovered, he looked at his panel.

【Age: 42/1133】

【Spiritual Root: Low-Grade】

【Cultivation: Nascent Soul Early Stage (22/100)】

【Cultivation Method: Azure-Yellow Dharma Canon (Mastery 24800/30000)】

【Spells: Meteor Rock Technique (Small Achievement 0/100000), Sandstorm Technique (Initial Glimpse 0/20000), Ice Breath Technique (Perfected to the Extreme), Profound Armor Giant Statue (Initial Glimpse 0/20000), Ten Thousand Defense Technique (Initial Glimpse 0/20000), Phoenix Red True Flame (Proficient 5/50), Grass and Wood Into Forest (Initial Glimpse 0/20000), Spell-Devouring Spirit-Plucking (Initial Glimpse 0/20000)】

【Divine Ability: Burying Death, Flourishing Life (Mastery 0/300)】

【Hundred Arts: Gathering and Appraising (Grandmaster 0/500), Culinary Arts (Grandmaster 0/500), Spirit Seeking (Mastery 0/300), Artifact Refining (Mastery 0/300)】

Since breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage, in the nearly one year that has passed, the changes have actually been quite numerous.

Divine abilities and skills have each made progress, all spells have been replaced and re-cultivated, and his strength and foundation have clearly advanced several steps further.

However, when it comes to the specific numbers, one cannot help but stare for a moment, only to see one sentence within them.

Time is not enough!

Especially that long list of spells with drastically inflated numbers, which have increased tenfold again; they are all now waiting to be fed, just waiting for him to pile up those already quite exaggerated numbers.

The only reason the secret technique Phoenix Red True Flame could be used with proficiency right from the start is because Du En faced the Phoenix's Lingering Hatred head-on; as for the five points of proficiency already present, that is the foundation of the Golden Flame Technique.

This corresponds to a secret technique at the level of Daoist arts; its proficiency bar is no longer a simple numerical inflation, but rather leans toward the form of divine abilities and hundred arts.

Speaking of this in detail, it is also within reason and not too unexpected.

Because Meng Changqing had mentioned before that divine abilities are considered a special type of Daoist art.

Through the books in the Shu City Scripture Pavilion, one can also piece together the general development trajectory of Daoist arts from mere fragments of information.

Simply put, it is to ponder them, to learn them...

In short, as long as it is no longer just a pure tenfold pile-up of numbers, that is fine; otherwise, like now, while the improvement of his cultivation realm remains rapid, it is very difficult for his spells to keep up and be fully maxed out.

Getting more specific to the Phoenix Red True Flame, perhaps because Du En took a shortcut in re-cultivating it, the way to accumulate proficiency is to be burned by the Phoenix fire!

Open up one's mind, do not resist, personally endure the burning, pull chestnuts from the fire, and obtain all sorts of profound mysteries from it.

Endure one burning, with a duration of no less than one hour, and one can increase one point of proficiency.

That Phoenix's Lingering Hatred is indeed very troublesome, so naturally, it requires the full recovery cooldown period of his own divine ability to eliminate the hidden dangers and accumulate healthily.

Therefore, he can increase one point every ten days.

"Since the proficiency bar is not actually long, it is not considered slow, so there is no need to act in haste; this is very appropriate."

Involving the Phoenix's Lingering Hatred, Du En was not anxious or rash, only steady and proceeding slowly.

After examining his current situation, he nodded slightly to himself, and his thoughts naturally shifted.

"Then, it is time to say goodbye to this place for now."

Although because the time spent living here was too short, his spiritual root has not yet been nurtured to mid-grade, that is merely icing on the cake and not something to dwell on too much.

What's more, there are major events developing over at his sect, and Meng Changqing seems to need his assistance; having always taken the benefits provided by the other party, it is time to repay them.

Moreover, Du En also really wants to know why the Falling Feather Immortal Sect would abruptly raise prices before, and by as much as five times at that.

This will only severely and drastically worsen the situation of those at the bottom.

Therefore, Du En is going to leave this southern Shu City and head to the Falling Feather Immortal Sect's Central Capital headquarters.

In other words, this journey ends here.

Or rather, only the Central Capital stop remains.

As for other places in the Falling Feather Immortal Sect's main territory, one would think they are all cut from the same cloth, with the same core, at most just changing their appearance; there is no longer any need to go and travel through them.

As for those outside the main body...

Du En walked slowly out of the cave dwelling, and amidst the rumbling sound of the Dragon-Severing Stone falling behind him, he looked up at the stars in the night sky.

Through his recent wandering in the Scripture Pavilion, he already knew that the five great immortal sects, besides having their main territory on this cosmic central star known as the Ancestor of Ten Thousand Stars, had long since reached their hands into the boundless starry sky.

This realm is not a world of a round sky and square earth, but a universe of stars and heavens.

Every bright star in the night sky, besides the sun, has cave-heaven stars and blessed-land domains where spiritual energy gathers, and without exception, they are all now under the control of the five great immortal sects!

"If there is a chance in the future, I can go and take a look."

Du En thought, withdrawing his gaze.

He sealed the cave dwelling and left this place.

He first went to say goodbye to Tang Wenren, but found the latter was working diligently, so he just left a message and turned to leave directly, not going anywhere else, heading straight toward the teleportation plaza.

Because of this small episode, unsurprisingly, the news was quickly transmitted upward.

Naturally, the gazes of the great cultivators shifted over in unison, paying close attention, filled with anticipation and goodwill.

The Shu City Lord, True Person Zhenhong, the actual ruler of this Falling Feather southern land for the past thousand years, also cast his gaze over at this moment, the meaning of which appeared somewhat complex.

Du En set off to leave, heading for the Central Capital headquarters to meet Meng Changqing again... this will profoundly affect the future destiny of these upper-echelon figures of the southern land!

Amidst the agitation of his heart and under the gaze of everyone, even though the great cultivators and True Person Zhenhong were not actively exerting pressure with malice, as the time of their gaze accumulated, it would still gradually increase the influence.

Gazes also have substantial power!

Because once the Spirit Severing stage is reached, the level of the cultivator themselves will undergo a significant transformation; in every action, they will invisibly pull and interfere with the surroundings, forming a kind of invisible pressure.

This is not their subjective intent and can be restrained and controlled, but it is difficult; if there is a slight relaxation or a brief pause, it will emerge, causing terrible pressure on the target of their attention.

Only when reaching the True Person level can one master this perfectly.

At the same time, for this kind of pressure that is not actively displayed, lower-level cultivators like those at the Golden Core stage actually cannot perceive it because they are too weak; only those at the Nascent Soul stage, who are beginning to approach them, can clearly capture it, or rather, be significantly affected by it.

A normal Nascent Soul stage cultivator would have long since been crushed by the invisible pressure at this moment.

However, Du En was calm and composed, showing no signs of anything unusual; his every move was completely unaffected, which was a perfectly normal state of affairs.

He had experienced the might of a True Monarch, and experiencing Phoenix Remnant Hatred was even more of a common occurrence, so naturally, he would not be disturbed by this bit of non-subjective, malicious pressure now.

He remained just as full of vigor, and seeing him again, True Person Zhenhong—this True Person who was nearing the end of his life—felt his thoughts become even more complicated for a moment.

Du En did not care about these people's moods; he went straight to the teleportation plaza, offered a perfunctory greeting from a distance, then took out his identity token and stimulated it with his magic power.

Hum!

The teleportation plaza was activated, and then.

Boom—

Accompanied by a shocking, explosive sound, the invisible pressure was torn apart. High up in the ten-thousand-mile sky, walls of white iron fell one after another, starting from the east and falling along the cardinal directions all the way to the northeast, forming an octagonal, Eight Trigrams white iron pillar that reached straight into the sky.

Such an obvious commotion naturally drew the gaze of everyone throughout the city. For a moment, everyone subconsciously leaped into the air, only to fall back to the open ground in shock and fear after seeing this scene, fit only to look up and gaze in awe.

"The Heaven-Reaching Pillar!"

"The traveler Du is going to the Central Capital!"

"The Central Capital... what kind of place is that, really? It makes one so curious and yearning!"

People spoke in hushed voices, all of them feeling a sense of longing.

Because that was the center of the Falling Feather, the true core hub!

And Du En saw it.

As the white iron pillar disassembled and retracted, he had already arrived at the location, seeing with his own eyes that empty, cold, and silent Central Capital.

Unlike other cities within the territory of the Falling Feather Immortal Sect, this central hub capital had no signs of human life at all, no human voices echoing; there was only cold, emotionless steel and iron.

Black steel and white iron, engraved with Dao principles, densely packed with furnishings—even the ground was made of this cold steel. Although it contained unspeakable power, it lacked any human touch; it looked like a city that was not built for people, nor built by people.

"So this is the Central Capital, is it?"

Du En could not help but think this.

"Yes, this is the Central Capital, or rather, the Central Hub of the Heavens and Earth."

Meng Changqing's voice rang out from ahead. That Foundation Establishment perfection clone appeared in Du En's field of vision, revealing the true situation of this so-called Central Capital: "It is a decisive battle treasure built specifically for hegemony, which has not been put into use even now, preset to be able to erupt with power far exceeding the Great Vehicle stage and serve the purpose of settling the world!"

The scene was quiet, and the perspective shifted.

Du En did not resist, letting Meng Changqing lead the perspective.

Then, he saw from afar in the high sky.

The wilderness was barren, with all spirits extinct.

The central region of the Falling Feather Immortal Sect was just like this: dead, devoid of spiritual energy, and lacking any vitality.

In this land spanning tens of thousands of miles, only the black steel rising from the ground and the white iron floating in the air were the only two abrupt colors.

It sat entrenched in the position of the core hub, plundering vitality and spiritual energy, cold and ruthless.

Building after building of various designs rose from the ground, facilities that looked like they were built for people were densely packed, and there were white iron structures in the air, like floating immortal mountains and blessed lands; yet the only thing missing was the existence of people as the main subject.

This capital city, nearly one hundred thousand miles in size, had always been so devoid of human presence—abrupt, strange, yet domineering and peerless, making one unknowingly submit and fear it.

And today, a voice that resonated quite well with it rang out calmly within.

"The full name is too much of a mouthful."

Is that your only impression?

Meng Changqing's face twitched. He brought the perspective back and dispersed his technique, then could not help but nod: "I think so too. They actually think so too, so we all unanimously call it the Central Capital; it seems simple and easy to remember."

As the words fell, the atmosphere turned somewhat cold.

Du En stood inside the teleportation plaza, while Meng Changqing stopped outside it. The black steel-paved ground had no seams or boundaries, appearing natural and seamless, yet at this moment, there seemed to be an insurmountable chasm between the two.

Remaining silent like this, watching Du En's unrepentant, calm posture, Meng Changqing finally admitted defeat with a sigh. Rubbing his temples, he gave a cold laugh and spoke first.

"Back at the Hub City, you really did a number on me, using my name to extort everyone everywhere!"

Even though their conflict had not yet been resolved, he still acted in his own way, being maverick and unceremonious. When he received the report earlier, he couldn't help but go, "Huh? Huh? Ah?"

From asking for a prize during a spar, to explicitly asking for merit, to engaging in marketing after breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage...

Especially this last one, which was another case of stumbling into success; it actually helped him, this Meng fellow, build a foundation of popular support in the Southern Hub City ahead of time. Do I need you to help me like that?

Also, are you very lacking in self-awareness?

He still wanted to continue asking like this.

Du En directly interrupted him beforehand: "If someone offers themselves up to be extorted, naturally one should extort as much as possible; it would be a waste not to. As for the last one, I didn't think that much about it at first, but the outcome is still good, and I also took the opportunity to complete the task given by the resolution."

Right!

It was precisely because the outcome was good that Meng Changqing couldn't help but brood over it!

Last time the outcome was good, this time the outcome was also good—where do so many "good outcomes" come from? What if the outcome had been bad?!

But it just so happened that there was no bad outcome, which was the most infuriating part. Then, upon realizing this, he would feel ashamed, and through this shame, thinking of Du En's unrepentant nature, he would again feel awkward and annoyed...

"You're still holding onto your reasoning!"

Meng Changqing's tone was somewhat complicated, and then he seemed to become somewhat mischievous and smug: "However, you're helpless against Phoenix Remnant Hatred now, aren't you! Although I actually started from the point of view of compensating you when I secretly gave you that special treatment, whether this fire can actually be lit is hard to say!"

"Oh?"

Du En asked back calmly, though it was only a single syllable.

Meng Changqing chuckled, but amidst the floating white iron mountains, the light seemed scattered, making him appear silent and gloomy at this moment.

"Phoenix Remnant Hatred—what do you think it hates?"

"Everything that exists now."

"Correct. She is the Venerable Deity of the Five Virtues, the only true phoenix, yet she could only watch helplessly as the five virtues of the world were lost, weeping alone in sorrow, unable to do anything. Thus, for the ten thousand spirits and ten thousand sects that led to this, especially those five great immortal sects and five great supremes, she had only deep hatred and resentment. So, when she fell at the hands of the supremes, this hatred could no longer be suppressed, becoming that unceasing, undying Remnant Hatred—a Dao principle!"

"... To eliminate and extinguish it, unless the world returns to clarity, right?"

"Correct!"

Meng Changqing had been acting according to the situation, and considering Du En's circumstances and conditions, that was why he specifically chose the secret technique of the Phoenix Red True Flame.

It is about following reason and following interest, using both methods simultaneously, teaching with earnestness, guiding with patience, and planning slowly, so as to make him accept the principles and concepts of one's own faction, so that everyone can strive and work together for a clear universe, and stop engaging in unscrupulous operations.

It was clearly completely unnecessary to do that, unnecessary to be so radical and despicable!

Especially the matter of Chang'le City last time.

"The so-called 'delays lead to changes', it is better to settle it as soon as possible, and, only when it is settled in my own hands, can I be most at ease."

You are still as stubborn as a mule!

Meng Changqing listened to the words from the opposite side, which were just as they had always been, with no intention of changing at all, and his temples could not help but start throbbing.

Then, he immediately fell into astonishment.

Because Du En's pupils had just changed quietly, with crimson spreading, dotting the pupils into gold.

Although it was fleeting, he could not have seen it wrong!

(End of this chapter)