Besides the Hao Yuan Sect, Zhang Ling had, of course, considered several other similar forces, but after careful consideration, he felt that the Hao Yuan Sect was the most suitable.
After all, the Hao Yuan Sect was a force within the Cangyun Kingdom and the first sect he had joined. Although he had originally been coerced by his nominal master, Wei Shen, there was still some sentimentality involved. He thought that returning to the Hao Yuan Sect would be the easiest.
He was originally from the Cangyun Kingdom and had a clean background.
As long as the Heavenly Wind Ancestor was a smart person, he would definitely not reject him, a small disciple from the sect, who had become a Nascent Soul cultivator.
Perhaps he could even see some old friends, coupled with some personal reasons. Therefore, Zhang Ling planned to return directly to the Hao Yuan Sect, which was currently the best option.
Such a moderate-sized force would not pose any threat. On the contrary, he could use the sect's power to search for what he needed, saving a lot of time traveling around, and cultivate in peace.
Zhang Ling considered this in his heart and entered the Lai Xian Pavilion. After walking a few steps, he arrived at a long counter. Immediately, a Golden Core stage elder asked, "Which immortal city does this fellow Daoist plan to go to?"
"Yanxia City," Zhang Ling replied calmly.
"Oh, Yanxia City, that's quite far. The teleportation fee is eight thousand spiritual stones per person," the elder said with a smile after glancing at him.
Zhang Ling's eyes only flickered slightly. Without any expression, he patted the storage bag at his waist, and one spiritual stone after another fell onto the counter.
The elder's face lit up with joy. It was rare to see a cultivator who paid the spiritual stones so readily. He glanced at the number of spiritual stones, waved his hand to collect them, and took out a black spiritual talisman to hand over.
"Fellow Daoist, please. The teleportation array to Yanxia Immortal City is teleportation array number seven."
Zhang Ling took the teleportation talisman, turned his head, and glanced at the nearby teleportation arrays. He saw the seventh teleportation array, which already had three cultivators on it, two men and one woman, all with Golden Core strength.
He flashed and stood on it as well. The three of them also looked at him.
Teleporting one person and teleporting ten people consume the same amount of energy.
Zhang Ling heard the teleportation fee and muttered in his heart, the teleportation fee here was almost twice as high as in Liuyun Sea.
The teleportation fee of eight thousand spiritual stones per person was indeed very high. Basically, this kind of teleportation array, at most, teleports no more than ten people each time it is activated.
The Yanxia Immortal City that Zhang Ling was going to was located on the southwest side. It was extremely far from the northernmost Ye Guang City. If he flew directly there with his Nascent Soul cultivation, he would have to cross more than a dozen countries. It would take a month or two.
And there were very few long-distance teleportation arrays in other places. Only the twelve immortal cities of the human race had these teleportation arrays, most of which were built by ancient cultivators.
Because several immortal cities had been breached by the alien demon race, many ancient teleportation arrays had been destroyed. This was also a major reason for the high teleportation fee.
Fortunately, Ye Guang City was remote, and most of the teleportation arrays were well preserved. And once the alien demon race invaded, most of the teleportation arrays would be closed. They could not be teleported at will.
After waiting for a while, eight people were gathered, and it seemed that it was time for teleportation. Two deacon disciples standing next to them did not delay at all. They cupped their fists and said to Zhang Ling and the other eight people, "Fellow Daoists and seniors, please activate the teleportation talisman, and we will activate the teleportation array."
After the teleportation array was activated, black and white light flashed before Zhang Ling's eyes, and the scenery became distorted. He could also hear some strange wind noises and a strong sense of oppression from all directions, which made people extremely uncomfortable.
As his cultivation increased, he could also clearly feel the spatial pressure during the teleportation. He squinted his eyes and could see strange scenes in the pressure.
But in the blink of an eye, these visions disappeared. Zhang Ling only swayed slightly, and his body stood firm.
The other cultivators next to him were not as calm as he was. Several of them were pale and their faces were green. People with lower cultivation could not open their eyes at all during the teleportation.
The light of the teleportation array gradually dimmed, and the surrounding environment became clear.
Zhang Ling took a look and saw that it was still a dim stone hall, just like the Lai Xian Hall in Ye Guang City. But there were more noisy whispers, and the number of cultivators was also much larger.
He flashed and walked off the teleportation array, ready to leave directly.
But suddenly, he seemed to have discovered something and stopped. He turned his head and looked at a stone table not far away, behind which sat a woman with her hair in a bun and wearing black military uniform.
This woman had a beautiful face and looked to be in her early thirties, like a young woman, but her complexion was a bit haggard. Her cultivation was not low, and she also had mid-Golden Core strength. She looked like an elder managing the teleportation array.
The woman was frowning slightly and was checking a jade slip, as if she had encountered some problem. At this time, the woman also felt something and glanced up. She saw a black-robed cultivator staring straight at her, as if with ill intentions.
The woman's face turned cold and she had a hint of anger. But when she scanned with her divine sense, she found that the black-robed cultivator had late-Golden Core cultivation. Her brows furrowed even tighter, and she thought to herself, could she have encountered some playboy?
This person's strength was not low, and she was not willing to provoke him. She could only lower her head again and pretend she didn't see him.
Even if this person really had any malicious intentions, this was an immortal city, and still an important area like the teleportation array. Unless he was a fool, he would not cause trouble here.
Thinking of this, the woman's mind flashed back to the face of the black-robed cultivator, and she felt a bit familiar, but she couldn't remember it for a moment.
Could the black-robed man be her enemy, but she didn't remember having any grudges with Golden Core cultivators. Just as she was thinking this, the woman glanced at the black-robed cultivator again.
Seeing the face of the black-robed man clearly, the woman stood up abruptly, stared at Zhang Ling, and exclaimed in surprise, "You are... Brother Zhang."
The woman's actions immediately attracted the attention of some cultivators. Zhang Ling also smiled and replied with a smile.
"Miss Mu, long time no see."
In the bustling streets, two figures were flying in the sky. A woman in military uniform was looking at Zhang Ling and saying excitedly.
"Miss Mu, I haven't been back here for a long time either."
The woman in military uniform was a acquaintance Zhang Ling had inadvertently seen when he teleported over. It was none other than Mu Xiaoyan, this girl.
Zhang Ling's mood was also quite emotional, he didn't expect to meet this woman.
"Brother Zhang, why are you so distant? Just call me Xiaoyan. Have you been cultivating in other regions these years? More than a hundred years ago, when the alien demons retreated, I inquired about your whereabouts, but only got the answer that you were missing," Mu Xiaoyan chuckled.
A slightly awkward expression appeared on Zhang Ling's face, and he roughly told the girl about his situation. Of course, he did not say that he had been teleported to Liuyun Sea, after all, this experience was too bizarre.
He only said that he and a small team went out to clear the remaining sea beasts and encountered a gust of wind that swept the sky and the earth, and was accidentally swept to Donghai Bay. Fortunately, he survived and has been cultivating there ever since.
Although this situation was not common, it occasionally happened to encounter gusts of wind at sea, but the probability of being swept into it and surviving was extremely small.
And Donghai Bay was the easternmost sea area of the Northern Plains cultivation world, and the most prosperous area of the Heavenly Sea Immortal Alliance, with many overseas resources. Therefore, many cultivators would yearn to cultivate there.
But it was separated from Yanxia County by more than a dozen countries, a distance of millions of miles.
"So Brother Zhang has been cultivating in Donghai Bay, no wonder there has been no news. Looking at Brother's cultivation, he has reached the peak of the Golden Core stage, I'm afraid he is only one step away from the Nascent Soul realm," Mu Xiaoyan blinked her beautiful eyes in surprise after hearing Zhang Ling's experience.
Then Mu Xiaoyan also told her own experience. It was also quite bumpy. At the beginning, this girl was also a disciple guarding a small array eye in Yanxia Immortal City. She had also experienced several small-scale attacks by alien demons.
And later, she almost fell when the alien demon race fully attacked Yanxia Immortal City. Fortunately, she performed well and received the cultivation of the sect and the immortal city.
She was also fortunate enough to be accepted as a closed disciple by a Golden Core cultivator of the Beast Control Sect. With the help of this master, she was promoted to the Golden Core realm a hundred years ago. As for how she became a management elder in Yanxia City today, it was also due to the relationship of the sect.
This was not strange, the Beast Control Sect that Xiaoyan joined, as well as the Hao Yuan Sect and other original nine sects, all belonged to neutral forces.
Yanxia Immortal City was managed by loose cultivators as the city lord. As long as you intend to join, it is easy to be a steward. It does not limit the original identity.
The other eleven immortal cities were the same.
During the conversation, Zhang Ling also learned that Xiaoyan's grandfather, Old Man Mu, had also long since passed away. He also got some information that he had not collected before.
Originally, the nine sect forces of the Cangyun Kingdom, Tianyang Kingdom, and Yuanfeng Kingdom's external alliance, except for the Hao Yuan Sect that he knew about. It can't be called the Nine Great Sects anymore, because there are only seven sects left.
The Giant Demon Sect and the Elysium Valley Sect no longer exist. This was related to the invasion of the alien demon race. When the alien demons launched a general attack two hundred years ago, they used many previously buried spies.
Overnight, many cultivators fell, and several sects were also destroyed. Several Nascent Soul ancestors were also severely injured.
Unfortunately, the Nascent Soul ancestor of the Giant Demon Sect was actually an alien demon. In an operation, he quietly launched a sneak attack. That operation caused a lot of damage to the Nine Sects.
The Qingyun Temple ancestor of Cangyun Kingdom, the Yanhuo Sect of Tianyang Kingdom, and the Elysium Valley of Yuanfeng Kingdom were all severely damaged. Especially the Nascent Soul ancestor of Elysium Valley was directly attacked and seriously injured, lost his physical body, and almost fell.
After that, Elysium Valley withdrew from Yuanfeng Kingdom and merged into the current demonic sect, the Joyful Union Sect. Because Elysium Valley was originally a branch of the Joyful Union Sect.
As for the Giant Demon Sect's ancestor being an alien demon, he was naturally suppressed and directly disbanded on the spot. Currently, the largest sect force in the three countries is Zhang Ling's original Hao Yuan Sect.
And due to the demise of Elysium Valley and the Giant Demon Sect, the forces of the Yu Ling Sect and the Blood Bone Gate, which also belonged to Yuanfeng Kingdom, have also increased a lot. Of course, some small frictions have also occurred, and the other sects have also benefited more or less.
Fortunately, the three countries are still in an alliance state and are basically in a balanced state.
In fact, whenever the alien demon race launches a large-scale battle, this scene will happen more or less.
But generally speaking, the cultivators who defect are all alone, just greedy for the demonic energy on the alien demon race's side, or cultivating families. Like the Dongfang Ya family he met before, they belonged to a very well-hidden situation. The cultivation base was also roughly limited to below the Nascent Soul stage.
It was extremely rare for the Nascent Soul ancestor of the Giant Demon Sect to be an alien demon, this kind of extremely high-level situation.
Loose cultivators, sects, family cultivators, the connection between each other, and the destruction, etc. has happened countless times, most of which are accompanied by the cultivator's greed and many other factors. Although cultivators can be carefree in the world, riding the sword to ride the wind. But it is also difficult to escape the invisible shackles of desire, belief, etc.
......
All the way talking, Zhang Ling followed Mu Xiaoyan to the inner city of Yanxia Immortal City and entered a low mountain.
This was Mu Xiaoyan's cave in the immortal city. As soon as he came here, he felt that the spiritual energy in the mountain was much stronger than ordinary middle-grade spiritual veins. It seemed that the treatment in the city was not bad.
In fact, joining the immortal city was also a good decision, but the twelve immortal cities after all have the mission of defending against the demon race, and there was also a certain competitive relationship between each other.
This loose alliance was also quite complicated. Although it was said on the surface that loose cultivators were in the dominant position. But there was no lack of infighting among some sects.
The twelve immortal cities were a barrier built on the basis of the Lianyun Mountains to resist the alien demon race. From the Ye Guang City in the north to the Honghai City on the coast in the south, half of the immortal cities have the shadow of sects.
Of course, the strongest and most prosperous immortal city has always been the main city located in the middle section, Tianmu City. This immortal city, no matter what happens, maintains more than ten Nascent Soul cultivators sitting in town. It is said that it has also inherited some special secret techniques, and its foundation is no less than that of the great sects of the righteous and demonic ways.
Under Xiaoyan's leadership, the two fell into a bamboo forest in the mountain. Here, tall and straight purple-black bamboos grew everywhere, which seemed unusual. This was the Purple Ink Bamboo, a second-grade spiritual wood, which could be used to refine middle and upper-grade magic weapons.
Zhang Ling glanced at it and noticed that there was an area in the bamboo forest that looked like it was growing many tall Purple Ink Bamboos, but in his divine sense, it seemed a bit unreal, as if it was a change in the illusion array.
"Hehe, Brother also saw the formation that the little sister arranged, what do you think of my formation." Mu Xiaoyan, who was leading the way in front, turned her head and smiled sweetly at Zhang Ling.
"Your formation, in terms of illusion array alone, is hidden in the bamboo forest, and with the help of the spirituality of the spiritual bamboo, it can be enough to confuse the real with the fake. If you add some defense, it can also be called a high-grade formation." Zhang Ling looked at it a few more times and commented.
"Hey, the little sister's set of formations came from the hands of the Bai family. Sister Bai's reputation is very big now, she is a famous formation master, and the formations she makes are hot commodities in the nearby immortal cities."
