Zuo Lie returned the sword artifact Han Yi had lent him earlier and was about to enter the Shaman's stone hut.
However, a cultivator emerged from the hut, holding a map and announcing loudly, "Fellow Daoists, I've acquired the map of Imperial Demon City! How about we form a group and travel there together?"
"For just fifty Mid-Grade Spirit Stones, you can ride our Myriad Immortals Pavilion's Human Immortal-grade Immortal Boat. It's fast, ensures you stay on course, and with more people traveling together, we can jointly eliminate any Foreign Races we encounter along the way. This will prevent the trouble of being killed halfway, respawning here, and having to start all over again."
The cultivator who stepped forward was remarkably stout for someone in his profession.
Normally, cultivators, regardless of their Cultivation Realm, achieve near-perfect control over their bodies by the Mid-Stage Qi Refining Stage. Obesity becomes practically impossible.
If a Late-Stage Qi Refining cultivator still retained a stout physique, there were only two possibilities: either they maintained it intentionally, or it was due to a rare physical constitution.
Han Yi had never heard of any physical constitution characterized by obesity. That left only one possibility: the cultivator was deliberately maintaining his bulky physique.
Zuo Lie whispered, "That's Chu Qingguan of the Myriad Immortals Pavilion."
"The Myriad Immortals Tower is a merchant guild in Great Qian," Zuo Lie explained. "It's renowned for selling every imaginable immortal treasure, hence the name, Myriad Immortals Pavilion."
"Rumor has it that the Myriad Immortals Tower is backed by one of Great Qian's Imperial Sons."
"Disciple?" Han Yi asked, unsure he had heard correctly.
"Imperial Son—a direct descendant of the Imperial Sovereign," Zuo Lie clarified gravely.
Han Yi's body stiffened. The Myriad Immortals Pavilion was actually linked to an Imperial Son of Great Qian. This was truly terrifying.
Han Yi was finally starting to understand the gravity of the situation.
"Let's go together," he said. "Chu Qingguan is right—traveling to Imperial Demon City in a group is best. Plus, we can ride the Myriad Immortals Pavilion's Human Immortal-grade flying vessel. The price isn't unreasonable, and going alone could definitely lead to trouble, especially if we're ambushed halfway. We'd miss the entire trip and regret it forever."
"But while traveling in a group, we must remain vigilant," he cautioned. "If someone tries to backstab us, it will come down to skill."
Han Yi hesitated. While the Jade Capital Grand Void Token was tempting, he knew the challenge would be far greater. According to Zuo Lie, it offered a chance to obtain a First-Grade Immortal Foundation, attracting countless Legendary Qi Refining cultivators who would converge to compete for it.
This meant that if Grand Void Light Pillars descended near the Crimson Radiance Tribe or other Foreign Races, it would be an ideal opportunity for him. After all, whether he obtained the Jade Capital Grand Void Token or ordinary Grand Void Token Fragments, his plan was to sell them to the Shaman in exchange for spiritual objects that could enhance his Root Bone. Why abandon a nearby opportunity for a distant, more difficult one?
However, if he could see this loophole, others nearby would surely realize it as well.
After some inquiries, Han Yi discovered there was indeed a catch.
While the Jade Capital Grand Void Token remained unclaimed, Grand Void Light Pillars would cease descending upon ordinary Foreign Race tribes across the entire world. They would only resume their normal activity once the Jade Capital Grand Void Token was claimed.
In simpler terms, this mechanism was designed to force all Descenders to converge and eliminate the strongest Foreign Race tribe in the Cave Heaven World.
Han Yi suddenly understood.
If the Token-Seizing Missions against ordinary Foreign Race tribes were akin to dungeon crawls, then the strongest members of those tribes would be like ordinary mini-bosses.
Obtaining the Jade Capital Grand Void Token was the final dungeon, where the strongest member of the Foreign Races served as the ultimate boss.
Having realized this, Han Yi had no choice but to join the group heading to Imperial Demon City.
Moments later, after paying their Spirit Stones, the two waited nearby. The next day, Chu Qingguan announced their departure to everyone.
For this expedition, he had gathered over a hundred cultivators, but none were Legendary Qi Refining experts. Each Legendary Qi Refining expert had chosen to travel alone, like solitary wolves.
Chu Qingguan retrieved a miniaturized Immortal Boat from his Storage Pouch. With a gentle toss, the boat expanded against the wind, transforming into a massive vessel over a hundred meters long, hovering three meters above the ground.
He leaped aboard first, followed closely by the others. Once everyone was on board, Chu Qingguan activated the Immortal Boat. Though initially slow, its speed gradually increased until it approached the full sprint of a Peak Qi Refining cultivator.
As Han Yi stepped onto the Immortal Boat, a question that had been nagging at him suddenly resurfaced. He turned to look at Zuo Lie, who was gazing at the vast, primordial landscape of the primitive world.
"Fellow Daoist Zuo," Han Yi began, "ever since entering this Cave Heaven World, I've had a vague feeling that something was off, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it until now."
"Just now, that unsettling feeling suddenly resurfaced."
Han Yi's expression remained calm, suspecting that his question might simply stem from his own ignorance. To those familiar with Cave Heaven Worlds, it might already be common knowledge.
"Why are there only Qi Refining Stage cultivators in this Cave Heaven World, with no Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, or higher-level experts?"
"Moreover, the Imperial Demon City we're heading to, judging by its name, should be the main stronghold of the Demon Race's Main Branch Imperial Demon. Such a stronghold would naturally be controlled by the most powerful demons in this Cave Heaven World, teeming with formidable opponents. Wouldn't we Qi Refining Stage cultivators be walking straight into our deaths by going there?"
This doubt had lingered in Han Yi's mind, repeatedly slipping from his awareness. It only resurfaced now, aboard the Immortal Boat, as they approached Imperial Demon City.
As expected, Zuo Lie merely chuckled.
"Fellow Daoist Han, first, you must understand that this is a modified Small Thousand World."
"The rules of this world are no longer the same as those of the Jade Balance Realm or ordinary Cultivation Worlds. Rather than simply calling them 'modified,' I believe two other words describe them more accurately: 'restrictions.'"
"This is a Small Thousand World that has been transformed into a trial ground, specifically designed for Qi Refining Stage cultivators. Have you noticed that all the cultivators you've encountered are at the Qi Refining Stage, and you haven't seen a single Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator?"
"That's because this world restricts entry to Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators and above. Anyone at that level is forbidden from entering."
"These restrictions apply to human cultivators."
"Foreign Races are also subject to limitations, though theirs are based on physical size. Take the Demon Race as an example: in this Cave Heaven World, their Demonic Bodies are limited to a maximum height of ten meters. Once they reach that height, it becomes absolutely impossible for them to exceed this limit, unless their strength surpasses even that of the Transformation God Great Power who controls the True Dawn Grand Void Heaven—an obvious impossibility."
Han Yi raised an eyebrow. "Ten meters? When I participated in the Cang Tribe's raid on the Grand Void Token, their Patriarch already possessed a six-meter Demonic Body. That alone was enough to completely overwhelm any Legendary Qi Refining cultivator. If it hadn't been for the coordinated assault by over a dozen Legendary Qi Refining experts, anyone facing him one-on-one would have been instantly killed."
"With a ten-meter Demonic Body, even a large number of Legendary Cultivators wouldn't stand a chance, right?"
Han Yi expected Zuo Lie to argue, but to his surprise, Zuo Lie nodded in agreement. "That's correct. However, for reasons unknown, ten-meter Demons haven't appeared in thousands of years."
"Still, Fellow Daoist Han, no matter how formidable the Demon Race might be, this is the Jade Capital Grand Void Token we're talking about. It's only natural for the challenge to be exceptionally difficult."
"The ancient texts in the Tower record that three hundred years ago, the Jade Capital Grand Void Token fell into the Wild Shadow Mountains, the Shadow Race's stronghold. Seven hundred years ago, it landed in the Ancient Demon Sea, enraging an ancient Demon who unleashed cataclysmic fury. Looking further back, every appearance of the Jade Capital Grand Void Token has been linked to one of the Four Great Foreign Races."
"Ancient texts speculate that the Jade Capital Grand Void Token is a deliberate lure, designed to mobilize Qi Refining cultivators from across the Cave Heaven World to harvest the strongest members of the Foreign Races, thus maintaining the Cave Heaven's balance."
"The Grand Void Token itself was created for this purpose. The Grand Void Light Pillar only descends upon Foreign Race tribes on the verge of breakthrough. Descenders target the pillar, eliminating the tribe's strongest members. When the pillar shatters, fragments of the Grand Void Token scatter, sparking a fierce scramble among the cultivators."
"Though the Jade Capital Grand Void Token is of a higher grade, the underlying principle remains the same."
"Regardless, witnessing the emergence of the Jade Capital Grand Void Token is the greatest Immortal Opportunity a cultivator like us could ever encounter."
"Fellow Daoist Han, the chance to witness the convergence of countless legends is upon us."
"This won't just be a gathering of the Cave Heaven World's original legendary cultivators. With the Great Qian Immortal Kingdom's influence, even more legendary cultivators from across the land will undoubtedly flock here. This will be an unprecedented grand spectacle."