What is an immortal?

In an instant, vast streams of mysterious spirit light descended from the sky, softly falling into Yuan Ming's body like gentle rain.

The sensation of being bathed in a hot spring, floating on clouds, once again surged into his heart, making him feel incredibly comfortable.

Nourished by this power, his divine skills also began to undergo subtle changes.

Especially the Life and Death Reincarnation Path divine skill, which, after absorbing a large amount of the Power of Dao, first began to reveal its differences.

A Dao Seal with intertwining black and white light formed in Yuan Ming's Sea of Consciousness, its flowing and blending light appeared to have a mysterious resemblance to the Yin Yang Tai Chi Diagram.

However, the boundary between this black and white light was not so clear, and each lacked the presence of Yin-Yang fish eyes, as if it represented a more profound Dao of yin-yang fusion.

Meanwhile, the other Dao Seals within Yuan Ming's body also began to shine under the nourishment of this Power of Dao, embarking on a new round of advancement.

Among them, the progress of the Primordial Dao Seal was particularly remarkable; its light grew increasingly intense, seemingly containing an infinite strength, waiting to erupt completely at some future moment.

As it slowly rotated, it seemed like a bottomless pit, silently absorbing more than half of the falling Power of Dao, like trickling streams flowing into the sea.

With the increasing absorption of the Power of Dao, the power of the Primordial Dao Seal became more apparent, greatly enhancing its devouring capability.

Whenever it operated, the vast suction seemed like a wild wind sweeping through, vaguely appearing as if it would also absorb and devour the surrounding Dao Seals, but ultimately it did not succeed.

When the last of the Power of Dao was fully absorbed, Yuan Ming only felt the flow of energy within his body become smoother, and his cultivation realm stabilized.

Twenty years of hard cultivation were not wasted, but rather brought him abundant gains.

During these twenty years, his Divine Soul Power surged, and his Soul Cultivation Realm advanced by leaps and bounds, further progressing to a higher level.

Meanwhile, his Mana also significantly advanced, now reaching the mid-stage Dharma manifestation realm, exuding an indescribable might with every movement.

Additionally, after years of enlightenment and cultivation, the practice of the Five Elements Dao Fruit achieved modest success.

Within his Dantian, five half-real, half-illusionary gourds formed, shimmering with the light of the five colors—green, red, yellow, white, and black—gently floating like five stars, shining brilliantly.

Only the progress of Body Cultivation appeared somewhat slow, still remaining at the Undying Body Early Stage level.

...

Seven days later, Yuan Ming slowly stepped out of the secret chamber.

Outside, Hua Zhi, Lei Yu, and Wang Fulong, among others, had been waiting for some time, and upon seeing him emerge, they all stepped forward to offer congratulations.

"Congratulations to the City Lord on successfully breaking through, advancing to a higher level," they all said in unison.

Yuan Ming smiled and nodded, responding, "During my retreat, I troubled you all with the burden of responsibilities. The peace in White Emperor City is truly due to your efforts."

"The City Lord praises us too much. We simply followed the governance policies you left, acting according to plan. We do not dare to take credit," Wang Fulong modestly said.

Yuan Ming heard this and lightly smiled, refraining from further words.

His gaze swept over the group, noticing that Hua Zhi and Lei Yu's auras were stable and their cultivation advanced, clearly reaching the Level 5 Peak, just a step away from Level 6, bringing him great comfort.

Meanwhile, although Wang Fulong, He Xiuwen, and Zheng Heng had made some progress, comparatively, they still seemed lacking.

Yuan Ming, after inquiring about the recent situation in White Emperor City and the movements of the Demon Clan, then called upon the Five Elements Child, extracting some rare Spiritual Medicines from the Shura Palace's Spiritual Medicine Garden to distribute as rewards to the group.

After a round of encouragement, the group gradually dispersed.

After everyone had left, Wang Fulong and He Xiuwen stayed behind.

Seeing this, Yuan Ming knew the two must have something important to discuss, so he asked, "Is there still more to discuss?"

"To report to the City Lord, in the past two days, the City Lords of Yin Mountain City, Black Tiger City, White Eagle City, and Luwan City, either personally or through envoys, have sent congratulatory gifts," Wang Fulong stepped forward, clasping his hands.

"Oh? Who came personally?" Yuan Ming raised an eyebrow and asked.

"The City Lord of Yin Mountain City, Long Shan, came in person. However, as you were still in retreat, he stayed in the city for two days and then left. Upon leaving, he also took away the Dark Child left in the city," Wang Fulong reported in detail.

"This is a gesture of allegiance, offering a pledge. Good, accept the gifts from these cities and choose appropriate return gifts from the treasury to demonstrate the reciprocation of courtesy," Yuan Ming said with a smile.

"The Dark Child from other cities and sects in the city have mostly been withdrawn, but some are still observing. We have begun investigating the backgrounds of these Dark Child, most have been identified and recorded, ready to be cleansed at any time. However, a few remain deeply hidden, requiring further digging," Wang Fulong nodded in agreement and continued.

"No need to rush with these small fry. Is there anything else?" Yuan Ming said, shaking his head.

"In half a month, White Emperor City will host a large-scale auction, jointly initiated by Ten Thousand Goods Immortal Trip, Sky Eagle Chamber of Commerce, and over a dozen other chambers of commerce. As organizers, we are responsible for all matters. At that time, various businesses will send many rare items for auction. As the organizers, we have the priority purchase rights to select one piece from these auction items," Wang Fulong considered and said.

In other words, whether or not to prioritize purchasing and what to buy needs Yuan Ming's decision.

"Has the list of auction items been delivered?" Yuan Ming asked.

Wang Fulong nodded slightly, gently turning his wrist, and a catalog emitting a faint ink fragrance appeared in his hand.

He respectfully handed it over and said, "City Lord, this is the list for this auction, please take a look."

Yuan Ming took the catalog and began to read it carefully.

As his gaze moved, his eyes slowly brightened: "Among the Ten Thousand Goods Immortal Trip's auction items, there's unexpectedly a Demon Core of a Level 6 Mountain Turtle. Such a rare item must not fall into others' hands."

"Yes." Wang Fulong nodded in agreement.

Subsequently, Yuan Ming selected his desired items one by one from the auction items of various major chambers of commerce, such as the Golden Phoenix Blood Stone from the Sky Eagle Chamber of Commerce and the Purple Dew Red Poison Grass from the Penglu Trading House, each being a rare treasure.

Wang Fulong noted them down one by one.

"Is there still enough Spirit Stone in the treasury?" Yuan Ming set down the catalog and asked with concern.

"Rest assured, City Lord, the Spirit Stone required for these auction items is still sufficient in the treasury. Over the years, the tax operations of the City Lord Mansion have been well managed, with considerable profits. Coupled with the output from the Spiritual Medicine Garden and Shura Palace, White Emperor City's treasury has become much more abundant than most cities and some small to mid-sized sects' treasuries." Wang Fulong smiled slightly as he answered.

Yuan Ming found comfort in these words.

After their discussion concluded, Yuan Ming returned to his room.

He took out the Stealing Heaven Tripod, burned incense, and possessed Guoguo, sharing the joyous news of successfully advancing to the Life Witch with Xi Ying.

"I thought you would need at least ten more years. I didn't expect you to advance so quickly. Truly a cause for celebration." Xi Ying's voice came from the tripod, tinged with a hint of delight.

After Yuan Ming shared his newfound Divine Skills with Xi Ying, they spoke about the rare items on the list in the Jade Scroll.

"Everything on the Jade Scroll is extremely rare. In these twenty years, with the background of the Sky Eagle Chamber of Commerce, I have used every connection, yet I couldn't gather even half of the materials. What could be bought was barely a tenth. Even so, all of White Emperor City's earnings in recent years have been almost entirely invested in this." Xi Ying's voice had a hint of helplessness.

"Earlier, Wang Fulong mentioned that in recent years White Emperor City's income has been substantial, the treasury abundant. How is it that you say it's all been spent?" Yuan Ming was somewhat surprised at these words.

"The Spirit Stone in the treasury is what I left to maintain White Emperor City's daily operations, and those amounts are not even a tenth of what has truly been spent in these years. We have poured everything into purchasing the rare items on the list." Xi Ying let out a bitter laugh, explaining.

Only then did Yuan Ming understand that Xi Ying had made such a significant sacrifice for the future of White Emperor City.

"No matter how we increase income and reduce expenditure, the earnings of White Emperor City still seem hard to support such immense expenditures."

Gazing at a few autumn leaves drifting past the window, Yuan Ming, after a moment of contemplation, slowly spoke: "It's time to expand our influence and seek development beyond."

Xi Ying curiously asked, "How do you plan to do that?"

"In the Ten Thousand Demon Mountain Range, how many covet the position of master? Now that our amassed power is strong enough, it's time to strive for dominance. I think we can start by subjugating the remaining eighteen cities of the Heavenly Crane Array." Yuan Ming smiled.

Xi Ying was silent for a moment upon hearing this, seemingly contemplating the feasibility.

After a long while, she said, "Since you've ascended to Life Witch, you indeed can start engaging in this matter. Moreover, I am planning to visit White Emperor City in the near future."

"You're coming to White Emperor City?" Yuan Ming asked with a look of surprise.

"I have found a way to obtain the subsequent cultivation technique of the Moonlight Technique, and perhaps I can concurrently assist you in subjugating the other cities." Xi Ying said.

"That would be wonderful. I eagerly await your return." Yuan Ming said joyfully.

After ending the communication with Xi Ying, Yuan Ming took a deep breath, raised his hand, and swiftly cast a spell. Following that, with a flash of light before him, Shura Palace appeared.

The current Shura Palace was entirely different from before.

The walls were carefully crafted with precious timber, retaining a primitive and solemn blue-grey hue that resonated in harmony with the aura of the World Tree, blending together.

On the eaves, branches spread, and green leaves swayed lightly as if bestowed by nature, adding a unique vitality to Shura Palace.

Entering, one could feel the Spiritual Energy even more concentrated, as if stepping into an immortal realm.

Though the space hadn't undergone much change, the black clouds hovering in the sky and the occasional flicker of electric snakes added a touch of mystery and majesty to Shura Palace.

Strolling at ease, Yuan Ming soon arrived at the location of the World Tree.

This giant tree, though now much reduced in size, still towered majestically, piercing the clouds. Looking up, its lush and layered foliage almost shrouded the entire sky.

And beneath the shade of the World Tree stood an elegant green bamboo, emanating a faint spirit light, as if surrounded by a halo.