A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality: Immortal Realm
Chapter 800: Thriving Business Hub

Several months later.

Han Li and Shi Chuankong had arrived at a highland with black soil stretching as far as the eyes could see.

It was a very dry and arid place, and the occasional gust of wind would sweep through, raising up huge clouds of black dust.

Upon reaching this place, Shi Chuankong was clearly looking a lot more relaxed, and Han Li was also feeling quite relieved upon seeing this.

After departing from Preeminent City, the two of them had been constantly on the move. Thankfully, Shi Chuankong was quite familiar with this area, and the two of them had changed directions several times on the way here while also avoiding the usage of teleportation arrays for fear of being intercepted.

Their cautious approach appeared to be paying off, and the journey thus far proved to be quite smooth. They hadn't encountered any more of Shi Zhanfeng's forces, but nor had they received any further news from Shi Pokong.

Around two more months passed by, and on this day, two enormous mountains appeared on the horizon up ahead. Nestled between the two mountains was a black city, and Han Li could tell that it was quite a large one.

They were already deep in the highlands at this point, and the environment here had become even more unforgiving, with gusts of ferocious black wind sweeping through the air in all directions, sweeping up pieces of debris as large as small mountains. Anyone below the Nascent Soul Stage would undoubtedly be killed in this hostile environment, but of course, a storm of this degree could simply be ignored by Han Li and Shi Chuankong.

In contrast, the area in a radius of hundreds of kilometers around the city nestled between the pair of mountains was very serene and peaceful, and it seemed that the storm raging outside was being kept out by some type of restriction.

"We're finally here," Shi Chuankong declared with an elated expression.

"This is Grain Mountain City? The climate here is terrible, and the devilish qi isn't very abundant, nor are there any favorable geographic features in the area like ore mines. Why did you decide to construct a city here?" Han Li asked with a puzzled expression.

"I didn't construct Grain Mountain City, it was once inhabited by the Sand Clump Tribe. Tens of thousands of years ago, they moved away from the city, and I purchased it. It took a great deal of effort to mold it into its current form. The environment here is indeed quite hostile, but it also serves as a natural barrier of sorts, does it not?" Shi Chuankong countered with a smile.

"I don't think that's the key factor that influenced your decision. According to the map of the Devil Realm that you gave me, Grain Mountain City is situated at a point where the routes leading to several major cities meet, and it's also not far away from the Ten Hazards Mountain Range, so it's an ideal business location," Han Li analyzed.

"You truly know me better than anyone else, Brother Li!" Shi Chuankong chuckled.

"Are we just going in like this? This city may be your territory, but you've been away for a long time, so there's no guarantee that things are still the same compared with when you left it," Han Li said.

"It'll be fine. I've already contacted my trusted subordinates in the city, and they've assured me that the city is still untouched for now," Shi Chuankong replied with a confident smile.

"Alright, I'll follow your lead then," Han Li said with a nod.

As they approached the city, it began to rapidly expand in their field of view, and even though the city was made to look rather diminutive compared with the two mountains on either side of it, it was still quite an enormous and majestic city.

The walls of the city were thousands of feet tall, and streaks of light were frequently entering and exiting the city, containing different types of flying boats.

Some giant carriages had also begun appearing on the ground, and to Han Li's surprise, it appeared far more lively and bustling here than even Black Weasel City.

As Shi Chuankong gazed upon the giant city up ahead, a hint of excitement and pride began to surface in his eyes.

In order to avoid attracting attention, Shi Chuankong intentionally slowed down his flying carriage, so it took them a while to reach the edge of the city.

Looking in from the outside, the city was filled with tall buildings and orderly streets that were teeming with activity, far more so than in Black Weasel City and Preeminent City.

There were also around a dozen giant jade pillars hovering in the air above the city, and all of the pillars were etched with countless black runes, giving them the appearance of some type of array tool.

Around the pillars was an enormous black light barrier that encompassed the entire city, as well as a large area outside of it, keeping the ferocious storms at bay.

The city had eight gates situated in the east, west, south, north, southeast, southwest, northeast, and northwest. At this moment, all eight gates were open, and there were long lines of flying boats and flying carriages waiting at the gates to enter the city.

"It looks like even eight gates is still not enough. I'll have to construct a few more city gates so that people can enter and exit the city faster," Shi Chuankong murmured to himself upon seeing this.

Instead of descending onto the ground to join the line, the flying carriage flew straight toward the interior of the city at Shi Chuankong's behest.

There were many guards clad in suits of gray armor patrolling the city, and as soon as they spotted the approaching flying carriage, a group of guards immediately sprang into action, with their leader yelling, "Who goes there?"

Shi Chuankong stowed the flying carriage away, then flipped a hand over to summon a purple badge that was giving off a hazy purple glow.

The expression on the patrol commander's face instantly changed drastically upon seeing this, and he hurriedly extended a respectful bow as he said, "Please forgive me, esteemed guest."

He then pulled out a black flag and chanted a quick incantation before waving it through the air, releasing a streak of black light that vanished into the black light barrier up ahead.

An opening that was several dozen feet in size then appeared on the light barrier, and Shi Chuankong gave the patrolling guards a slight nod before flying into the city with Han Li.

There were no flight restrictions in the city, so there were many streaks of light whizzing through the air, and Shi Chuankong and Han Li mingled themselves into the crowd before flying toward the center of the city.

Shortly thereafter, the two of them arrived in front of a large manor.

This area was far away from the bustling streets, so it was very quiet, and there were no guards stationed at the entrance, only an elderly man in a long azure robe.

"It's so good to finally see you again," the azure-robed elderly man said in an emotional voice as he approached Han Li and Shi Chuankong.

"Long time no see, Elder Qi," Shi Chuankong replied with a faint smile, then made a hand seal to revert back to his original appearance.

"Fellow Daoist Li, this is Elder Qi. He used to serve my mother, and he's been looking after me since I was a child, so he's most definitely trustworthy. Elder Qi, this is Fellow Daoist Li, the friend I was telling you about," Shi Chuankong introduced.

Han Li refrained from removing his disguise, and he cupped his fist in a salute toward the elderly man as he said, "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Fellow Daoist Qi."

Even though Elder Qi was doing his best to conceal his own aura, Han Li could sense that he was at the High Zenith Stage.

However, what was even more surprising to Han Li was that even though there was devilish qi emanating from the elderly man's body, the devilish qi originated from immortal spiritual power, so the two of them were in a rather similar situation.

"Thank you for protecting our young master over the course of your journey together," Elder Qi replied in a solemn manner as he returned the salute.

"You're far too kind, Fellow Daoist Qi," Han Li said with a smile.

"There's no need for such formalities, Elder Qi, you're making Fellow Daoist Li uncomfortable. Let's go in, Brother Li," Shi Chuankong said, and the two of them were led into the manor by Elder Qi.

"Your Highness!"

"You're finally back, Your Highness!"

"Did you journey go smoothly, Your Highness?"

All of the servants in the manor immediately converged around Shi Chuankong to ask him questions, and Shi Chuankong replied to all of them with a warm smile, displaying none of the detached haughtiness one would expect to see in a prince.

"That's enough! His Highness has only just returned, and there are still many things that he needs to do, so give him some space," Elder Qi said in a stern voice.

He seemed to be a very authoritative figure here, and everyone immediately dispersed.

"Sorry about that, Fellow Daoist Li," Shi Chuankong said with a slightly embarrassed smile.

"What is there to apologize for? It's clear that you're very welcome and admired here," Han Li replied with a smile.

The three of them continued onward, and they arrived in a hall before taking a seat.

"Elder Qi, thank you for looking after Grain Mountain City during all the years that I've been away. I can see that the city is in far better condition than when I left it, and it's all thanks to you," Shi Chuankong said.

"You're far too kind, Young Master, I merely executed the plan that you had already devised prior to your departure. The number of shops in the city and the population have increased, but they're not all welcome, and there’s no lack of spies among them. I've been doing my best to weed them out, but the effects have been rather lackluster.

“On the surface, the city appears to be thriving, but there is already some unrest beginning to brew beneath the facade. Overall, it's nowhere near as orderly as back when you were in command, Young Master," Elder Qi replied with a sullen expression.

"If we're unable to suppress them, then let's take the opposite approach and invite them in. The entirety of the city is under my control, and if they insist on sending offerings right to my doorstep, it would be rude of me to refuse, would it not? There's no need to be concerned, Elder Qi, I'll make sure to have this taken care of," Shi Chuankong chuckled, and the sullen look on Elder Qi's face instantly faded away at the sight of Shi Chuankong's confident expression.

Han Li was rather intrigued to see this. It seemed that Shi Chuankong excelled far more in business than he did in battle.

"By the way, has there been any news from my third brother?" Shi Chuankong asked.