Chapter 263: Pulling Favor

The City Lord, with a stern expression, transmitted to his subordinates, "Make a big fuss over trivial matters, let us have a laugh."

The Jie Dan cultivator who shouted couldn't help but mutter; since he began his cultivation path, he had only heard of sudden enlightenment and never seen it with his own eyes.

When the City Lord also transmitted to all present Jie Dan cultivators, urging them to quickly sit in meditation, massive spiritual energy vortices surged from all directions, targeting the Demon King Bai Jing.

With a breath in and out, the spiritual energy silently entered its massive body, and Jiang Yu and the other cultivators also benefited from these vortices, their absorption and refinement speed increasing imperceptibly.

Only Jiang Tu felt something was off; the spiritual energy was dense, yet why did much of it fly away before entering the body?

He wanted to pause cultivation to see what was happening, but the Dragon Soul within the Dragon Pearl, having discerned the cause, urged him to continue; otherwise, tonight's anomaly would benefit others.

On the other side, the City Lord's eyes shone brightly, fixed unwaveringly on Bai Jing.

When Master Wu scattered high‑quality spiritual stones for his disciples to set up spirit gathering arrays, he gestured, and the two Nascent Soul cultivators of the City Lord's residence joined him, continuously forming one small gathering array after another around the cultivating cultivators.

Two hours later, two or three early‑stage Jie Dan cultivators present seized the favorable wind and advanced on the spot to the mid Jie Dan stage.

Bai Jing also, at this moment, with the City Lord's massive deployment of spiritual stones, smoothly entered the Ninth Level Great Perfection.

If she could progress further, the chance to achieve Transformation to Divine might arise, though it remains uncertain.

Unfortunately, Jiang Yu suddenly regained clarity, the sudden enlightenment ending; she looked around and saw more than ten Jie Dan cultivators sitting nearby, still cultivating.

Then she heard Senior Master transmit, "Introspect your cultivation level and dantian."

Jiang Yu obediently complied; as her spirit entered the dantian, she immediately saw the dantian expand slightly, and the tri‑colored Golden Core of metal, water, and fire shone brighter than before.

She subtly adjusted her spiritual power, feeling her cultivation become more solid, and the speed at which she formed fireball technique increased by two points.

Then a briny sea breeze blew in, tinged with a faint sour, foul odor.

Only then did Jiang Yu realize that during her recent cultivation she had inexplicably cleansed her marrow again; she hurriedly invoked the Pure Dust Technique to cleanse.

Jiang Tu also woke, "Jiang Yu, what did you suddenly enlighten?"

"What sudden enlightenment? I just thought you were idly waiting for people, so I cultivated a bit," Jiang Yu said, feeling nothing herself.

When Senior Master Fu Ju asked her to record the feeling of sudden enlightenment onto a jade tablet for sect disciples to reference, she was at a loss for how to write.

"Simply start from the moment you stood at the sea," True Lord Fu Ju said, looking at her more solid cultivation with satisfaction.

At this moment, the repeatedly awakening Jie Dan cultivators also approached, each wanting to ask Jiang Yu for a share of her sudden enlightenment experience.

Jiang Yu wanted to refuse, but True Lord Fu Ju took the initiative on her behalf, considering it a favor to Jiang Yu; after all, sudden enlightenment is rare and unpredictable, and even the experiencer sometimes cannot grasp what happened.

With this development, the City Lord's side clearly showed threefold enthusiasm toward Heavenly Origin cultivators; the City Lord also invited Jiang Yu and Guo Jue, who had just entered mid Jie Dan, to become guest ministers of Zhuiyuan City.

Given such a good opportunity, Jiang Yu knew she agreed without even needing to read the Senior Master's gaze, and she cheerfully nodded in acceptance.

The City Lord, also very courteous to subordinates, personally engraved identity jade tokens for the two of them, and the welcome gifts were generous.

Guo Jue was still consolidating his cultivation, and his teacher accepted the identity jade token on his behalf.

After receiving the jade token, Jiang Yu said, "Could you give Jiang Tu one as well? It would be convenient for our future travels."

Don't underestimate this tiny identity jade token; with it, we no longer need to ask island stewards for residence permits when entering or leaving the various islands of the Dragon Emperor.

The City Lord hesitated briefly, then heard the old shopkeeper's voice, "Arrange it; a Dragon Turtle joining Zhuiyuan Island gives us an advantage."

He added, "By the way, you're also a half‑demon descendant, yet you failed to notice its difference?"

"Old shopkeeper, don't blame me; I never paid attention to it," the City Lord replied, his thoughts still on Bai Jing, knowing she was an ally.

He then asked the nearby Jie Dan cultivator for a blank jade pendant; following Jiang Yu's suggestion, he wrote two names on the spot and had Jiang Tu carve an identity jade token.

"Thank you, City Lord. I also have a seventh‑level Azure Scale Snake friend; perhaps we could also make an identity jade token for it."

"Oh right, it's the little monk's spirit beast," Jiang Tu said, also ensuring protection for the little snake, Bilu.

Master Wu hadn't anticipated this earlier; he recited a Buddhist mantra briefly, but the meaning was clear.

"…," he said. "A single sheep is released, a flock of sheep is also released; the City Lord carved another identity jade talisman, deciding that whenever he finds someone to win over, he will discuss them individually."

Fu Ju and the other two Heavenly Origin Nascent Souls exchanged smiles, simultaneously giving a promise: any Zhuiyuan Island cultivator who goes to Heavenly Origin may receive a Dao Gate token for travel.

This completely sidelined the Heavenly Origin Demon Sect; after all, the Demon Sect's people refuse to become hostages, only the Dao Gate people are welcomed.

The two sides' six Nascent Souls further discussed additional cooperation, and True Lord Fu Ju even proposed that both sides could explore restoring another teleportation array from Heavenly Origin's South Sea to Dragon Emperor Island.

Jiang Tu was eager to hear what they said, but the Nascent Soul's sound‑proof barrier prevented him from hearing any voices inside.

"Listening too much is useless; we can't intervene," Jiang Yu said with self‑awareness, caring more about when Nan Su would return to report.

It was unclear whether her desire was too strong or the first batch of cultivators like Nan Su dared not defy the Demon Sect's secret order; after waiting nearly an hour, five streaks of evading light flew in from afar one after another.

As soon as they landed, Jiang Yu recognized the one in the middle as Nan Su, whose complexion was slightly pale—could he be injured?

Jiang Tu also saw it; the five demonic cultivators who flew in to report were all marked, "If injured, wait until the agreement is completed, we will secretly trail him and set an ambush."

But the premise is that the elder of Hehuan Sect will not bring him back to Heavenly Origin for healing.

Not long after, the first and second batches of surviving Jie Dan gathered, and the three True Lords of Xun Sect awaiting them also messaged Jiang Yu, saying the person had already returned to the desolate island from another direction.

Thus the group on the shore all boarded the City Lord's flying boat, but before departure, the awakened Bai Jing verified everyone and warmly invited Jiang Yu to sit on her back.

Jiang Yu's face showed gratitude, yet she firmly refused, joking that if she or Jiang Tu said something wrong and angered the Demon King, the other could toss them both into the deep sea on the spot.

On the flying boat, Nan Su constantly felt a beam of light intermittently falling upon him.

Looking around, he couldn't pinpoint who it was; fearing the City Lord's Nascent Souls might cause trouble, he thought for only a breath or two before turning to Master Wu.

"Jiang Tu, stop observing him," Jiang Yu said, believing the other had sensed something and deliberately approached Master Wu.

Jiang Tu could only withdraw his gaze, "Nan Su really has no shame, a demonic cultivator seeking refuge from a Buddhist master."

"Wan Jian Sect's Ling Zhen is jealous as a grudge; he also dares not approach."

"The Senior Master, being a female cultivator, dares not get close to disturb," Jiang Yu thought it somewhat amusing.