Seeking Immortality in a Bizarre World

Yang Shengwu is in Lingyuan City?!

Yun Niang doesn't recognize me?

Jia Ren's appearance has been disguised and isn't his true form. It's only natural she doesn't recognize him. She might even mistake him for a roguish scoundrel.

"I wonder if Yang Shengwu, my fellow Daoist, is present?"

Previously, I had thought of gathering accurate information, and now, I have found the source of that information.

"Senior, you know my husband?"

"I do not know you, Senior..."

Yun Niang was stunned for a moment. She looked at Jia Ren with a strange expression, certain she did not recognize this person.

"Years have passed since we last met, and I never expected to see Yang Xiaoyou again. Take me to him."

Jia Ren was still on the wanted lists of True Fire Palace and other Sects. Once his identity was exposed, endless troubles would follow. Lingyuan City was filled with oddities at every turn, necessitating vigilance.

"I didn't expect him to know a Golden Core Senior. I will take you to him immediately," Yun Niang said, a look of both surprise and delight on her face.

She hurriedly left the private room to ask for leave.

Yun Niang seemed to be having some difficulties. With the Insect External Incarnation's sharp hearing, Jia Ren could faintly make out, "Don't you want your salary anymore?!"

"If you don't wish to work, Lingyuan City is never short of people. There are plenty of cultivators who would snatch the opportunity!"

"What? You know a Golden Core Senior?"

"The restaurant is not without sympathy. We'll give you a few days off..."

The restaurant Steward, seeing Yun Niang's connection to a Middle Stage of the Golden Core Cultivator, changed his attitude completely.

"In Lingyuan City, where cultivators abound, living isn't easy. The residence is a bit far..."

The two left the restaurant. Enshrouded by the Wind Control Skill, they dashed towards the southwest. After traveling more than thirty li, they arrived at Green Lake Street, Slender Willow Lane, in Tingjiang District.

The living conditions here were good, with blue-tiled courtyards filled with abundant Spiritual Power, even surpassing that of Spirit Lands by a fraction.

In the courtyard, Jia Ren also encountered Yang Shengwu, from whom he had been parted for ages.

He had aged somewhat, his hair considerably whiter, and his face carried an air of twilight. Yang Shengwu was at most in his sixties. As a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, he should have a lifespan of two hundred and fifty years and ought to be in his prime.

Why does he give off the feeling of having not much life left? Is this the price paid for making a wish?

What was most unbelievable was his palm. His left hand was incredibly strange. It emanated a cold chill, and on it grew a plant that was all too familiar—a Snow Lotus, deeply rooted in his flesh and blood.

How could a Snow Lotus grow on a person's body?! A Snow Lotus isn't a Parasitic Trickster Blossom; it's just ordinary Spiritual Medicine. So why would it grow on a cultivator's body? What kind of evil technique is this?!

"Yun Niang, how come you're back?" Yang Shengwu asked. "And who is this fellow Daoist?"

Yang Shengwu was both surprised and happy to see Yun Niang return. However, upon seeing the unfamiliar Golden Core Cultivator with her, he couldn't help but be cautious.

"You don't recognize each other?" Yun Niang looked at Yang Shengwu, then turned her head toward Jia Ren, her heart filled with shock and wonder. She knew this man was an old acquaintance of her husband and a Golden Core Cultivator, perhaps capable of offering help. She hadn't expected that... they didn't recognize each other. What is this person's purpose?

"Why did you deceive me?" Before Yun Niang could continue, Yang Shengwu had already shielded her behind him.

"Fellow Daoist Yang Shengwu, do not panic. Though this is our first encounter, we are, in a way, old acquaintances."

Lingyuan City is troubling. There are too many Nascent Soul Cultivators, and there's no guarantee it's free of high-order cultivators from the Great Sects. Problems stemming from the Profound Realm Key are beyond my ability to resolve; I must proceed with caution.

"My disciple's surname is Jia, and you are close friends. It was only after seeing Yun Niang today that I learned Fellow Daoist Yang is here."

Jia Ren did not reveal his true identity. Yang Shengwu should be able to discern the underlying message.

"So, you're Brother Jia's master! Please forgive my poor reception." Yang Shengwu quickly concealed his left hand within his Taoist Robe, his face breaking into a radiant smile. "Senior, please come inside."

"Jia Ren is your disciple? What is his Cultivation Level now? Does he still frequent Smoky Willow Lane?" Yun Niang, momentarily stunned, asked perplexedly.

Her memory was intact after her resurrection, and she still remembered past acquaintances.

The resurrection methods of the Wish Bizarre are indeed exceptional.

"Prepare tea immediately to welcome our esteemed guest."

Yang Shengwu sent Yun Niang away and turned to Jia Ren, his expression excited.

Since this 'master' of Jia Ren didn't recognize Yun Niang, the visitor could only be Jia Ren himself. It was a deliberate slip, meant to be caught, and Yang Shengwu easily understood. Although he didn't know why Jia Ren needed to conceal his identity, Yang Shengwu was willing to help him maintain the pretense.

"I didn't expect to find you when I came to Lingyuan City. The marvels of this city are beyond imagination."

Jia Ren watched Yun Niang's departing figure, then slowly withdrew his gaze.

The methods of the Wish Bizarre are truly astounding, preserving the memories of those it resurrects.

"Senior... if you have nothing important to do, it would be best to leave Lingyuan City as soon as possible. This isn't a place for the kind-hearted." Yang Shengwu continued, "The sooner, the better. Once you're in too deep, there's no chance of leaving..." he advised earnestly.

This was the lesson and experience of someone who had been through it all. Others wouldn't listen, dazzled by the splendor of Lingyuan City, thinking it's a shortcut to the heavens, oblivious to the hidden dangers lurking in the shadows. Jia Ren has always been cautious. He wouldn't dabble in any dangerous affairs. As long as this warning is delivered, he will surely keep his distance.

"I'm quite interested in Lingyuan City. I happen to be seeking information about this place," Jia Ren stated. "I also have someone I want to resurrect..."

Jia Ren wanted to resurrect Zhang Peng Peng; the premise was that the price could be borne. Without understanding the workings of Lingyuan City and gaining clarity about the Wish Bizarre, he would definitely not make contact with it.

"Sigh... very well, I'll tell you," Yang Shengwu relented. "You must be amazed to find that in Lingyuan City, while there are millions of cultivators, there isn't a single mortal... It's because all mortals here made wishes to the Wish Bizarre and became cultivators. Most of them were mortals who had lived in Linyuan for generations, and they were the first to discover the miracles of the Wish Bizarre. The Wish Bizarre transformed this wasteland and created Lingyuan City—the city of miracles..."

Linyuan was originally the territory of the Seven Seas Tower, where they settled a large number of mortals. These mortals reproduced, providing the Town Demon Alliance with tribute and descendants of exceptional talent. This was also a way of making good use of otherwise barren land, not letting it go to waste. A thousand years went by, and the nature's Spiritual Energy of Linyuan remained the same, still a wasteland that cultivators shunned. The appearance of the Wish Bizarre rewrote the future of Linyuan's million mortals and, with the Wish Bizarre at its core, led to the creation of the unparalleled Lingyuan City.

"Senior, you must have noticed something peculiar: very few people ever leave Lingyuan City... It's not that they don't want to leave, but rather... they *cannot* leave. When you make a wish to the Wish Bizarre, aside from paying a severe price, there's another, more important reason: the Wish Bizarre is not omnipotent! It can only realize wishes within the scope of its power's influence, and that area *is* Lingyuan City."

Are wishes only limited to Lingyuan City? No wonder the troubles from the True Fire Palace haven't come knocking. It wasn't that the Great Sects were using the Wish Bizarre, but rather that its capabilities were too limited in reach.

"My wish was to resurrect Yun Niang. The price I paid was half of my maximum lifespan. Additionally, there's another critical point: the moment I leave Lingyuan City, Yun Niang will vanish into thin air. It's not just me; other cultivators in Lingyuan City who have made wishes face the same fate. Mortals who wished to become cultivators will revert to being mortals upon leaving Lingyuan City. Cultivators at the brink of death who wished for longevity will turn into dry bones the moment they step out of Lingyuan City. Those who wished for a higher Cultivation Level, and broke through using Elixirs and other treasures from Lingyuan City, will all... regress to their previous Realms and Cultivation Levels... Once you're ensnared by Lingyuan City, everything gained from the Wish Bizarre and the city itself will vanish if you leave, effectively trapping you here forever."

Yang Shengwu hid nothing, revealing everything he knew.

The puzzles in Jia Ren's mind began to unravel.

To many, Lingyuan City must seem like a dreamlike city of miracles. Mortals can't cultivate? Wish upon the Wish Bizarre, and rewrite your destiny. Lifespan exhausted, death imminent? The Wish Bizarre also offers a lifeline. Loved ones departed? A wish can bring them back. Treasures for advancement, highly sought after in the outside world, are within easy reach here. But miracles come at a price! Anything gained cannot be taken out of Lingyuan City. This makes the Wish Bizarre's gifts too impractical.

However, Jia Ren sharply perceived a potential loophole.

Cultivation Techniques, secret techniques, and Divine Skills—could these be retained outside Lingyuan City? Elixirs, Cultivation Levels, Spirit Stones, lifespan... these are all confined to Lingyuan City. Once outside the Wish Bizarre's sphere of influence, all such illusory gains will cease to exist. But what about knowledge-based information? Would that be forgotten upon leaving Lingyuan City? The answer to this was crucial!

"What about Cultivation Techniques, and Secret Techniques and Divine Abilities? Can they be taken from Lingyuan City?"

Yang Shengwu smiled. Jia Ren is much cleverer than I am, finding the 'loophole' so quickly.

"Great Sects like the Seven Seas Palace, Immortal True Sect, and Profound Heaven Sword Sect have all sent people to experiment, wishing for powerful inherited secret techniques... The results all ended in failure. The things granted by the Wish Bizarre are products of its twisted, bizarre power; they don't truly exist. It's like a jumble of meaningless text. Within Lingyuan City, it might be a heaven-defying Divine Skill, but outside, it becomes useless. Otherwise, the Great Sects would have seized Lingyuan City long ago, at any cost. How could there still be a place for Loose Cultivators?"

So, Cultivation Techniques and secret techniques obtained through wishes cannot be taken away? Jia Ren's idea of obtaining Cultivation Techniques and secret techniques by wishing to the Wish Bizarre was now dashed. Wish for the resurrection of Zhang Peng Peng? If that's not true resurrection, what's the point?

Jia Ren was unwilling to confine himself to Lingyuan City, nor would he entrust his future to this place. A solution must be found. He couldn't allow himself to be fettered like this. Is there a way to exploit Lingyuan City? Lingyuan City uses humans to grow medicine, cultivating the Thousand-Year Snow Lotus with an unheard-of sorcery. If these precious Spiritual Medicines were useless outside the city, why would anyone pay the price to transform humans into Medicine Men, just to cultivate Thousand-Year Snow Lotuses?! For what purpose? To earn real Spirit Stones from cultivators new to the city? No, it's not just that! To raise one's Alchemy proficiency level?! If secret techniques and Cultivation Techniques obtained here are useless outside, but Lingyuan City uses real Jiejindan Formulas and primary ingredients to create Elixirs, then the Alchemy experience gained shouldn't be flawed. With a constant supply of medicinal ingredients, how could one's Alchemy skills not improve?!

Jia Ren had found a way to exploit Lingyuan City.

In Lingyuan City, one could easily buy rare Spiritual Medicines—ones seldom seen in the outside world—at low prices.

This could help me quickly raise my proficiency level in the Four Arts of Cultivation!