Chapter 48

After a moment of respite, Jiang Yan let out a faint sigh.

"As expected, geniuses emerge in succession. Your talents are simply born for immortal cultivation."

Hearing Jiang Yan say this, the group immediately became somewhat excited.

Jiang Yan smiled, stood up, and said:

"Since that is the case, let us not waste any more time."

"Everyone, follow me to the Shushan Blessed Land."

37. The Fake Immortal Blessed Land: Jueyun Karst; The True Immortal Blessed Land: Shushan

With a flick of his cloud-patterned sleeves, the space was shattered before everyone's eyes.

A pitch-black, profound opening appeared, which then instantly became suffused with a layer of tranquil, pristine cloud mist.

From within the opening, the sounds of birds and the fragrance of flowers drifted out.

A refreshing, heart-soothing fragrance wafted into everyone's noses.

Immediately after, Zhongli and the others sensed an indescribably vast elemental energy brewing within the blessed land.

Even the small amount that leaked out caused their own elemental energy to become active.

"What dense elemental energy!"

Ganyu exclaimed in admiration, and Jiang Yan smiled:

"You call it elemental energy? That is somewhat one-sided. I fear that what you perceive is merely one insignificant elemental attribute within the spiritual Qi."

"Once you formally begin immortal cultivation, you will be able to perceive a power far more inclusive and vast than elemental energy; elemental energy is but an insignificant branch of it."

"That is spiritual Qi."

"Spiritual Qi is the foundation of immortal cultivation and the essential energy source for all cultivators."

"The denser the spiritual Qi, the better the environment for cultivation. Therefore, I have inscribed quite a few Spirit-Gathering Arrays within the Shushan Blessed Land."

"Drawing spiritual Qi from the Sea of Quanta, the effect is excellent."

"At this moment, the concentration of spiritual Qi in the Shushan Blessed Land is already quite considerable."

"Even if one does not cultivate, living here for a long time can prolong life, strengthen the body, and dispel fatigue."

"The marvelous uses of spiritual Qi are endless; you will understand once you begin your cultivation."

Hearing this, Ganyu felt a touch of envy.

"Spirit-Gathering Arrays? The methods of cultivators are truly miraculous."

Jiang Yan turned his head, looking at Ganyu with a gentle smile.

"If you begin cultivation, Ganyu, with your talent, you will soon be able to inscribe Spirit-Gathering Arrays yourself."

"Of course, if you need one, I can help you inscribe one at your home or workplace right now."

Ganyu's eyes immediately lit up like little stars, blinking as she looked at Jiang Yan.

"Really? Thank you, Jiang Yan!"

Calculating in her heart, Ganyu suddenly wondered if she should wear something nice at home while waiting for Jiang Yan.

Jiang Yan, not thinking so deeply, nodded slightly and stepped into the blessed land.

"Everyone, follow me. The Shushan Blessed Land is too vast, and the Seven Peaks are not easy to navigate. Furthermore, I released quite a few fierce beasts yesterday as a trial."

"If you accidentally get lost, it could be somewhat dangerous."

The group thought back to what Alice had said yesterday about Jiang Yan capturing so many Archons in one go.

Their mouths twitched, and they followed him more closely.

Somewhat dangerous?

It was likely extremely dangerous!

Even if Zhongli got lost, he might not return in one piece.

Just imagining walking along and turning a corner to encounter an Archon—

Even Zhongli felt that might leave some psychological trauma.

And...

In a place with such abundant spiritual Qi, would those Archons become even stronger?

If those Archons accidentally escaped the blessed land, wouldn't it be a catastrophic disaster for Liyue?

Thinking this, a sense of worry began to permeate Zhongli's heart.

Jiang Yan naturally saw what Zhongli was worried about and simply reassured him:

"Do not worry. Although those fierce beasts were brought into the blessed land by me, without my permission—unless those beasts possess strength greater than mine—there is absolutely no possibility of them leaving."

"Even if they were to leave, I have inscribed Soul-Locking Curses into their souls; even if they became stronger than me, I could still control them."

"Since I intended to bring such fierce beasts here, I naturally made thorough preparations."

Hearing this, Zhongli breathed a sigh of relief, then suddenly became interested in Jiang Yan's so-called Soul-Locking Curse.

"The Soul-Locking Curse is..."

Jiang Yan fell silent. After a moment, appearing somewhat reluctant to speak, he said vaguely:

"It is a rather sinister technique. An existence controlled by the Soul-Locking Curse will, for the rest of their life, unless they destroy their own soul and Dao foundation to be reborn..."

"Otherwise, they will be controlled by the Soul-Locking Curse forever."

"You do not need to know too much; this type of curse is generally used to deal with those demons who have committed countless evils."

"In the past, the Shushan Demon-Locking Tower suppressed countless demons that plagued the world, so naturally, some methods were needed to control them."

Zhongli nodded slightly and did not ask further.

It sounded like a demonic cultivation technique, but he did not feel there was a problem with that.

Spells have no distinction between righteous and evil; it only depends on how the user employs them.

Zhongli trusted Jiang Yan's true nature.

It was just a pity...

He ultimately could not bring himself to use such a curse to control Azhdaha and the others.

He wanted Azhdaha to regain his reason, not to become a controlled, walking corpse.

However, he imagined there were many such spells within Shushan.

Zhongli was not in a hurry.

"Alright, let us go in."

Jiang Yan looked at Ningguang and the others, saying softly:

"Does your army need to follow along?"

Ningguang pondered for a moment and said softly:

"If the army enters rashly, will it disturb the tranquility of Shushan?"

"That will not happen. Shushan is vast; it certainly won't mind this many people."

Ningguang bowed slightly and said:

"Then I shall trouble you, Mr. Jiang Yan."

Without further ado, Jiang Yan waved his hand, and the entrance to the blessed land doubled in size.

"Follow me."

Having said that, Jiang Yan stepped into the blessed land first.

Immediately after, the group crossed the portal one by one. A moment later, the large crowd from Jueyun Karst vanished, entering the Shushan Blessed Land.

After a momentary, trance-like darkness, the view before them suddenly opened up.

Looking at the world ahead, even the well-traveled Zhongli could not help but widen his eyes in a daze.

Ningguang and the others remained somewhat composed, merely rubbing their eyes in disbelief.

The Millelith soldiers all had their mouths agape, looking as if they had been stunned silly.

The place where they appeared was on a high, sheer cliff.

In front of the cliff stood a massive white jade gate that seemed to reach the heavens.

The two gate pillars were simple, without any flashy patterns.

Only at the very top, on the plaque almost submerged in the sea of clouds, were two large characters carved with vigorous, sharp strokes.

Shushan!

They did not recognize these two characters, but anyone who saw them for the first time would clearly understand their meaning.

It was likely another method used by cultivators.