Chapter 2137: Night Dark City

Handing these individuals over would certainly earn a reward, but any stolen items would also have to be surrendered. Even a generous reward would only amount to a few dozen divine coins at best. How could that possibly compare to the profit gained from directly robbing the target?

Upon refining the rings, he discovered that while the bandits possessed over two hundred divine coins, Inch-Ash's ring alone contained more than four hundred. This brought the total to over six hundred, not including the elixirs, spiritual herbs, and weapons also found. It appeared this individual had plundered numerous wealthy merchants over the years; otherwise, he wouldn't have accumulated such a substantial fortune.

By leaving Inch-Ash for the other party to handle, he effectively relinquished the credit. This would allow the City Lord's Mansion to account for the situation to the city's residents. Furthermore, having saved the City Lord's daughter, it was highly likely the City Lord would be too embarrassed to ask him for anything further. It was precisely due to these considerations that he deliberately bound everyone, leaving them alive.

"He's a formidable character!" The two shadowy figures from the City Lord's Mansion watched the group vanish into the night, then observed the agitated crowd before them, and couldn't help but nod. Tasked with protecting the young lady, they had witnessed the entire incident. Even they couldn't discern whether the young man's methods were simply peculiar or if his strength was genuinely formidable.

"Report this matter to the City Lord…" After a moment of contemplation, one of the shadowy figures instructed, "Additionally, send someone to retrieve these ruffians and execute them publicly!" "Understood!" The other figure transformed into a wisp of smoke and vanished.

With their swift horses, the group traveled rapidly. In less than half an hour, a massive city wall appeared before them. "This is Nightfall City?" Zhang Xuan's eyes gleamed. The city that lay before them far surpassed any they had seen previously in scale and scope; it was even grander than Starfall Island. Its gray city walls stretched for an unknown distance, and a colossal formation enveloped the entire area, imbuing it with an aura of mystery.

Teacher Mo Yun nodded. Although his injuries were severe, he had brought healing medicine with him, anticipating danger. After half an hour of regulating his internal energy, he had recovered considerably.

Retrieving a special pass token, the group entered the city. As soon as they passed through the city gate, Zhang Xuan immediately noticed a stark difference from the outside. Outside, fierce winds raged, and the cold was bone-piercing, with spiritual energy almost nonexistent. Here, however, it was warm as spring and permeated with invigorating spiritual energy. Despite being separated by just a wall, it felt as though they had entered two distinct worlds.

"This grand formation is truly profound…" Zhang Xuan marveled. To achieve such complete isolation with just a wall, the formation enveloping the city walls was clearly extraordinary. Even he, in his current state, would be unable to replicate it. It would likely require a cultivation level of at least a Celestial God to accomplish this.

"Cities capable of sustaining life were personally constructed by powerful Divine Kings under the command of the Nine Emperors, after spiritual energy began to decline!" Teacher Mo Yun explained. "Unless such a powerful being intervenes, these formations are indestructible, ensuring the survival and better lives of many."

Zhang Xuan nodded. He had initially thought an ordinary Celestial God could achieve this, but it seemed he had been mistaken. With a Divine King personally involved, it was no wonder the formation was so stable.

Without a word, he took a deep breath, opening all his pores. True enough, countless streams of spiritual energy descended from the sky, permeating his skin. His previous fatigue and weariness gradually disappeared.

"The spiritual energy of the God Realm is indeed powerful…" Just a brief absorption had such a profound effect, causing Zhang Xuan to nod in silent acknowledgment. Having spent twenty days in the God Realm, Zhang Xuan had previously relied solely on wild vegetables and other food for a paltry amount of spiritual energy, causing his cultivation to stagnate. Now, he truly experienced the potent effect of the God Realm's spiritual energy. While not as pure as true divine spiritual energy, it was still remarkably effective for cultivators and vastly superior to the mercury-like spiritual energy found in the Azure.

Despite it being the dead of night, the city streets were still bustling with traffic and pedestrians. Even the weakest individuals strolling through the city had reached the Pseudo-God level, and such low-level cultivators were surprisingly rare. No wonder Teacher Mo Yun had been so astonished upon seeing them. It now seemed that in the God Realm, individuals were born with Pseudo-God strength, and upon reaching adulthood, they could break through to true Godhood simply by absorbing divine spiritual energy. Super experts who appeared only once every few millennia in the Azure were utterly insignificant here.

"Thank you, Brother Zhang, for saving our lives!" Back inside the city, where they were safe under the city's rules, Teacher Mo Yun breathed a sigh of relief, his face etched with gratitude. He had initially believed the young man was merely an ordinary God, but unexpectedly, he possessed an impressive array of abilities.

Not only Teacher Mo Yun, but Wu Xiaoxiao, who had been there earlier, also displayed a complicated expression, her face flushing crimson as she wished she could disappear into the ground. She had always believed that this person merely relied on his teacher's strength to interact with them, and that his own abilities were meager, far inferior to hers. She never in her wildest dreams imagined that Inch-Ash, whom her father had attempted to capture numerous times, would fall into his hands! It was laughable how she had repeatedly mocked him before. He had simply chosen not to retaliate; otherwise, ten of her wouldn't have been a match.

"If you hadn't guided us, we might still be trapped on Spiritual Opportunity Mountain, unable to leave!" Zhang Xuan said with a smile, taking another leaf from his pocket. "This contains more insights into the flaws in your cultivation technique!"

"Thank you…" Teacher Mo Yun's eyes lit up. Along the way, he had already modified his cultivation technique based on the flaws Zhang Xuan had previously identified, and he had indeed felt changes in his body, becoming stronger and feeling his power circulate more smoothly. This alone proved the veracity of Zhang Xuan's insights. To pinpoint so many errors in his cultivation with just a glance, that Master Yang Xuan… truly was unfathomable! Perhaps this was why all of his students were exceptional, especially Zhang Xuan, who, despite being a realm lower than him, had effortlessly subdued Inch-Ash.

"Since you've just arrived in Nightfall City, you probably don't have a place to stay yet. Why not come back to the academy with me? I can arrange lodging for you…" Teacher Mo Yun suggested with a slight hesitation. "No need, Teacher, we wouldn't want to trouble you. You all should head back and rest early!"

Waving his hand, Zhang Xuan directly declined. His sole purpose in accompanying them had been to find the nearest city. Now that they had arrived, there was no longer a need to stay together. After all, he had just outmaneuvered Inch-Ash. Even if the City Lord felt too embarrassed to reclaim the storage ring and stolen divine coins, he would undoubtedly approach them with various inquiries. Their identities were the last thing they wished to expose. He still hadn't fully grasped the God Realm's stance on ascended beings, so it was best to wait until he understood more before making further plans.

"Well… alright then!" Seeing Zhang Xuan's refusal, Teacher Mo Yun assumed his teacher had other arrangements. He said no more and, taking his students, bade farewell to the group.

"Let's go!" Zhang Xuan said no more and walked forward. "Young Master, where are we heading?" Sun Qiang asked, stepping closer. "First, we'll find a place to settle down. After that… our top priority is to gather information on how to obtain divine spiritual energy to help you all break through!" Zhang Xuan instructed. The immediate course of action was not anything else but to find a way to acquire divine spiritual energy to facilitate everyone's breakthroughs. Only once they successfully broke through would they possess the means to protect themselves in this world; otherwise, they would continue to be a liability.

"Alright!" Sun Qiang nodded. Finding lodging was his specialty, and it wasn't long before the group settled into a very spacious courtyard, with ample room for everyone. The price was reasonable too, only two divine coins per month. It was through this rental that Zhang Xuan realized the immense purchasing power of divine coins; one divine coin could be exchanged for a thousand virtual divine coins, which were sufficient for most everyday transactions. "Although there's no divine spiritual energy here for breakthroughs, the spiritual energy in this place greatly benefits cultivation. You've all been exhausted for days, so cultivate for a bit and then get some rest!"

Two hours after they had settled into the courtyard, dawn was already approaching. After giving instructions to the others, Zhang Xuan went directly into his room and sat down cross-legged. With a thought, he peered into his storage ring, and moments later, a pile of elixirs and medicinal herbs appeared in his palm.

These items must have been plundered by Inch-Ash, but now they all served Zhang Xuan's purpose. He took each herb into his hand, examining it, and quickly discerned their names. They were indeed very precious, but none of them were the Hempmarrow Beast Blood he desired. Since he had already obtained the Azure Beast Ancient Grass, his natural course of action was to find the Hempmarrow Beast Blood and focus on improving his soul first. Even if he couldn't reach the Celestial God realm as described in the Library, attaining the High-grade God level would still be excellent.

The more he learned about the God Realm, the more his sense of crisis intensified. Neither he nor his students or parents could afford to face any harm. Lacking the specific medicinal herbs he sought, his gaze fell upon the elixirs; some were for healing, others for replenishing internal spiritual energy. He took out the three bottles of spiritual energy replenishing elixirs, labeled "Divine Essence Pills." These pills, when consumed, could replenish one's divine essence.

This "divine essence" was the divine power within him, equivalent to the true qi of the Master Teacher Continent or the immortal qi of the Azure. Besides these items, the storage ring also contained several books, which he quickly read through, gaining a foundational understanding of the God Realm. Most of the information aligned with what Teacher Mo Yun had shared, though the books offered greater detail.

For instance, these Divine Essence Pills were incredibly valuable, despite their limited potency. Due to the dissipation of spiritual energy, many of the herbs used to create them had died out, making each pill cost at least one divine coin, and even then, they were rarely found on the market. Similar to the Immortal Essence Pills and Primordial Force Pills of the Azure, these were used to enhance a cultivator's cultivation and were similarly categorized into four grades: Low-grade, Mid-grade, High-grade, and Peerless-grade. For ordinary God-realm cultivators, Low-grade Divine Essence Pills were sufficient for their needs, while Mid-grade elixirs were only necessary for those who had reached the Celestial God realm.

"Let's try…" With a thought, he took out an elixir, consumed it, and his internal energy began to circulate, gradually refining the rich spiritual energy contained within. The cultivation technique he had comprehended during his decisive battle with Master Kong's clone — "Yi Yi's brotherhood, Wei Wei's servant-master power!" — continuously rotated within his body. The master-servant bond and brotherly affection intertwined, flowing within him like a vast net, forming a unique cultivation trajectory. It was as if a completely new cultivation system had been constructed, unlike any other technique. His cultivation, which had just broken through to the God realm, gradually stabilized under the slow nourishment of this spiritual energy, becoming increasingly solid and condensed, and his entire aura grew stronger.