Chapter 2163: Night Radiance City

Qi Ling'er nodded and said, "Yes, it allows for spatial teleportation, similar to the instantaneous movement of a Divine Emperor expert. It can cross tens of thousands of miles in an instant, unconstrained by spatial boundaries. However, only city lords and high-ranking officials are qualified to use this; ordinary people cannot."

"Only city lords can use it?"

Zhang Xuan was puzzled.

If that were true, the limitations would be too great, no wonder many people were unaware.

"Yes! Actually, it's not a privilege but a means to protect the person being teleported! The God Realm is the foremost among all realms; its space is incredibly stable. Even a Conferred God King would find it difficult to tear open. Because of this, once a teleportation array is activated, it inevitably causes a massive spatial storm. Those with insufficient strength could easily be torn to ashes!"

Seeing his confusion, Qi Ling'er explained, "Becoming a city lord and possessing a city lord's token means you embody the collective power of aspiration from an entire city. Even if the storm is dangerous, it cannot harm you."

"Power of aspiration?"

Qi Ling'er said, "When people within a city abide by the city lord's rules, it signifies their unconditional trust in the city lord. If something were to happen to him, the entire city would plunge back into chaos, and people would suffer. All of this constitutes the power of aspiration! When integrated into the city lord's token, it naturally grants it an extremely strong defensive capability! Why did the newly promoted Emperor Tianzong insist on gaining recognition from the other Nine Emperors? It's for this very reason. The Nine Emperors' recognition means all life within their respective jurisdictions also recognize him, allowing him to gather even more power of aspiration..."

Zhang Xuan nodded.

It seemed that in the God Realm, the power of aspiration was very important.

Emperor Tianzong, in his opinion, should be Master Kong. Based on his understanding of this teacher of ten thousand generations—a man of vast knowledge, indifferent to fame and fortune—it was puzzling why he was now repeatedly challenging the Nine Emperors to gain the title of Great Emperor. He had been confused before, but now it seemed the primary reason might lie here.

Only by gaining acknowledgment, the so-called "legitimacy," could one gain trust and the power of aspiration.

"So, if I want to go to the Imperial City, or travel anywhere in the God Realm without obstruction, I must become a city lord?"

Zhang Xuan asked.

"Yes!"

Qi Ling'er smiled slightly.

"That's simple," Sun Qiang said. "I'll go with Xiao Jia and kill Wu Fangqing... then you'll be the city lord!"

On the way back, he had become familiar with Zhang Jia and knew his strength.

Although Wu Fangqing possessed a low-grade Divine Artifact, it wouldn't be easy to defeat him.

Zhang Xuan shook his head.

The other party hadn't done anything wrong. Killing someone for the position of city lord was not something he should do.

"Actually, there's no need to kill anyone. The God Realm may seem stable, but conflicts are everywhere, and many cities don't even have a city lord!" Qi Ling'er said. "Not to mention anything else, I am actually a city lord myself. Although the territory I govern is far smaller than Nightgloom City, my city lord's token is sufficient for teleportation!"

Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up.

Not having to seize it was naturally the best option.

It seemed that while the God Realm had rules, many people found ways around them.

As long as he could use the teleportation array to save time, becoming a city lord for a while was fine.

Along the way, he had already installed numerous family heads, hall masters, and sect leaders; adding a city lord identity was nothing.

He couldn't help but ask, "Are there any cities nearby without a city lord? Where I could compete?"

"Nightglow City, about a day's journey from here, currently has no city lord," Qi Ling'er said with a smile. "They've been competing for the position for half a year, but no one has managed to convince the masses or succeed."

Qi Ling'er was very well-informed. She added, "However, this city is even larger than Nightgloom City. Although it's a single city, it also governs three counties. The strongest cultivation among the contenders has already reached the mid-grade Heavenly God realm. Even such an expert hasn't succeeded, so the difficulty is considerable!"

"Three counties? Do these county lords have tokens that allow for teleportation?" Zhang Xuan asked.

"I mentioned this city specifically considering your current situation, Young Master Zhang. Naturally, it does!" Qi Ling'er nodded.

She knew that Zhang Xuan's purpose in becoming a city lord was for the teleportation array, and if he used it, he would likely bring the three people with him. That's why she brought up Nightglow City.

Otherwise, simply recommending any small city would have sufficed; there was no need to mention one even more powerful than Nightgloom City.

"Good then. If there's nothing else, let's depart now..." Zhang Xuan said.

"Please wait a moment, Young Master Zhang. I'll go back to prepare now and we'll depart in two hours!" Qi Ling'er nodded.

Zhang Xuan said no more and waited quietly.

Qi Ling'er was very efficient. She said two hours, but after one and a half hours, she returned to the courtyard, bringing several enormous flying divine beasts.

Everyone mounted the beasts, flying straight towards the Nightglow City she had mentioned.

"They've left?"

Upon hearing that Zhang Xuan had departed, Wu Fangqing's face was filled with disappointment. He had been hoping that with such a figure appearing in Nightgloom City, he would have an opportunity to curry favor and perhaps break through to a higher cultivation realm himself. He hadn't expected them to leave so soon.

"City Lord Wu, Young Master Zhang asked me to deliver this. He said it's a return for your gifts and assistance!" Ying Fei approached.

Wu Fangqing, puzzled, took the jade token from his hand. He gently tapped it, and a surge of divine power flowed in. Moments later, his eyes widened abruptly: "This... this..."

The jade token contained records of all his cultivation errors and flaws, even methods for correction. If he cultivated according to these instructions, he would surely resolve all hidden dangers in his cultivation, and even breaking through to a mid-grade Heavenly God might be possible!

"How did he know?"

He was full of disbelief.

He had only known the other party for barely a day, and they hadn't discussed anything... Many of the flaws and loopholes in his cultivation technique were things he himself had overlooked. How could the other party see them at a glance and pinpoint the root causes?

"Indeed, those with Emperor's bloodline are... not simple!"

After an unknown period, he finally sighed with emotion.

Unable to comprehend it, he could only attribute it to the Emperor's bloodline. Otherwise, he truly didn't know how to explain such an ability...

Zhang Xuan turned and left, leaving no trace and causing no major stir.

After all, he had maintained a low profile since arriving in Nightgloom City, so not many people knew about him.

Flying continuously, a day later, a massive city indeed appeared before their eyes.

It was three or four times larger than Nightgloom City, with countless towering buildings and an incalculable number of people.

Descending from the flying divine beasts, everyone entered the town. Zhang Xuan saw the dense crowd before him, like a swarm of locusts, and couldn't help but shake his head.

"The God Realm underwent a great change, and spiritual energy dispersed, reducing habitable areas outside the cities. Almost everyone has moved into cities, which is why it's so crowded here," Qi Ling'er explained. "Being able to buy a thirty or forty square meter house here means you're wealthy enough to make countless girls risk everything..."

Qi Ling'er explained, discerning his thoughts.

Zhang Xuan nodded.

This situation was somewhat similar to the imperial and magical capitals of his previous life, where everyone wanted to squeeze in. Forget houses, just a household registration could make countless girls flock there.

With the God Realm undergoing anomalies, to live stably or even cultivate, one could only enter cities, naturally leading to overcrowding.

"Where do I go to compete for city lord?"

Ignoring the throngs of people, Zhang Xuan asked.

"The reason Nightglow City hasn't settled on a city lord candidate yet isn't due to a lack of experts, but rather... a stalemate among them, preventing a definitive choice!"

Qi Ling'er continued, "There are three people in this stalemate: Lin Xie, a family disciple skilled in saber techniques; Wu Yang, a rogue cultivator skilled in sword arts; and a woman named Ming Laixiang! The first two are both at the mid-grade God realm, with extraordinary combat power. The last one, like Wu Fangqing, is only a low-grade God. However, don't underestimate her low rank; it's said she's the most formidable of the three!"

"Ming Laixiang..." Zhang Xuan nodded.

Being able to contend for the position of city lord and leave such a large city undecided for so long naturally meant she shouldn't be underestimated.

"Actually, becoming a city lord isn't that complicated. Just challenge the three individually, defeat them, and earn their heartfelt recognition, and the position of city lord will be yours!"

Qi Ling'er asked, "So... Young Master Zhang, who should we challenge first?"

In the past, the selection of city lords in Youhun Heaven required prior appointment by the Youhun Temple, and the various procedures would take several months to complete.

But now, with spiritual energy dispersed and everyone in the God Realm feeling insecure, the situation was completely different.

A city lord must possess absolute strength to protect everyone's safety. Therefore, anyone who could subdue the masses would be qualified to be city lord and gain Youhun Heaven's recognition.

After a pause, Zhang Xuan said, "Where... where can I find a mid-grade Divine Origin Pill? Let's find the pills first, then challenge them!"

"Mid-grade Divine Origin Pill?"

Qi Ling'er was surprised that he wanted such an item. After a moment's thought, she said, "Trade guilds should have them, but they're usually rare and expensive. Oh, right, I know a place that definitely has them, and in considerable quantities. It's just that the owner isn't very cooperative, so I'm afraid it might be hard to buy..."

"Oh?" Zhang Xuan looked at her. "Tell me about it!"

"It's a rogue cultivator in Nightglow City, about sixty years old. His cultivation isn't high, only at the high-grade God realm, but he's skilled in alchemy. He always consumes the pills he refines himself and never sells them. He's obsessed with chess, always looking for people to play with every day, and his chess skills are exceptional. He once declared that anyone who could defeat him in a single game of chess would be given a mid-grade Divine Origin Pill. Unfortunately... in all these years, no one has ever succeeded!"

Qi Ling'er said.

Zhang Xuan frowned. "If his cultivation isn't high, why hasn't anyone tried to rob him?"

It was strange enough for a high-grade God to possess mid-grade Divine Origin Pills, and even stranger that he dared to tell others. Wasn't he afraid of someone trying to seize them?

In other cities with established city lords and rules, no one would dare offend. But here, the city lord hadn't been decided yet, had he?

"His cultivation isn't high, but his younger brother is very powerful, said to be a God King expert in the Imperial City," Qi Ling'er explained. "He carries a life-saving jade token left by his brother. Previously, two low-grade Heavenly Gods came looking for trouble, and they were all instantly killed by the aura it emitted... Over time, no one dared to come anymore!"

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