Ninth In the World

When they heard what Di Jiu said, all the sect masters were elated. A few of the cultivators, who had nearly attacked the Defense Array with Yi Zhen, rejoiced even more over their luck. The line was indeed fine between heaven and hell.

When Yi Zhen had led the attack on the auxiliary city’s Defense Array, almost everybody had thought it would be easy to tear the auxiliary city apart. However, the result had been the exact opposite. The people who had attacked the Defense Array were all dead, whereas the Defense Array of the Starry Sky Immortal City was not the least bit damaged.

Lu Xikun and the rest followed Di Jiu as they passed through the auxiliary city and went into the Starry Sky Immortal City, whose Defense Array was wide open.

The life-force and the thick Immortal Spirit Qi in the auxiliary city were already enough to make everybody excited. However, they were really awe-struck when they entered the Starry Sky Immortal City.

Even the Newborn Immortal Protectorate couldn’t compare to it.

The Immortal Spirit Qi was thick in the Immortal City, and its Dao law was clear. Every place seemed to be buzzing with life there. The crystal-clear Sky Bamboo River encircled the Starry Sky Immortal City as the surface of the river sparkled. The verdant Sky Bamboo growing by the side of the Sky Bamboo River exuded a prosperous life-force aura. This was the scene of a real Immortal World.

“The Immortal World’s light from providence has indeed regenerated here…” Lu Xikun knelt down in disbelief.

He had realized when he had first gone to the Newborn Immortal Protectorate that, although it possessed Immortal Spirit Qi and supported cultivation, it was like water without a source, or a tree without roots. He was an Immortal King, so he’d had a premonition that the Newborn Immortal Protectorate would be destroyed in time. It was just like a high-rise building without a supporting structure after all.

He was right. However, that day came sooner than he had expected.

All the other immortal sect masters didn’t believe that they had found hope here. Jing Luowen could understand their excitement.

Nobody knew better than them what it meant to be able to live in the Immortal World again. It was so difficult, yet it made one long for it.

Everybody felt hopeless and lost when they found out that they couldn’t see any future. The Starry Sky Immortal City, on the other hand, had made them see a future.

Di Jiu hadn’t been exaggerating when he’d said that the light from providence had originated there again. In fact, he had been downplaying it.

“Please follow me to the City Lord Manor to talk, everybody. You will have plenty of time to explore the Starry Sky Immortal City in the future,” said Di Jiu as he interrupted the sect masters’ excitement.

He was in a hurry to leave the Starry Sky Immortal City, as he wanted to take Mo Yuxuan to find the Gigantic Tripod. He felt that the sooner he settled everything in the Starry Sky Immortal City, the better.

Lu Xikun wanted very much to ask everybody to listen to Sect Master Di and go to the City Lord Manor to discuss everything. However, he suppressed himself. If Di Jiu was narrow-minded, he would raise his guard against Lu Xikun if he said such a thing.

Lu Xikun had led everybody well previously. However, Di Jiu was the leader of the Starry Sky Immortal City. He shouldn’t steal the limelight from Di Jiu.

Fortunately, the rest of the sect masters listened to Di Jiu without hesitation and followed him into the Starry Sky Immortal City Lord Manor.

…

When all the sect masters were properly seated, Di Jiu threw out over 100 jade slips. All the people who could sit there were the sect masters of large immortal sects. The sect elders and the remaining members had stayed behind in the auxiliary city because they were not qualified to enter the Starry Sky Immortal City.

After each and every sect master had gotten their jade slip, Di Jiu said, “Everybody, these are the details for the contribution points, as well as the laws of the Starry Sky Immortal City. Please take a while to read through them and voice your doubts, if you have any.”

Everybody immediately permeated the jade slip with their Spiritual Force to look at its contents.

Nobody thought of sneaking an attack on or restraining Di Jiu.

The fact that Di Jiu had dared bring them in meant that he wasn’t afraid of them. Moreover, what would be the use of restraining Di Jiu?

These people were not like Yi Zhen from the Radiant Fortune Immortal Sect. Nobody wanted to reign over the entire Immortal World, not even Lu Xikun. They didn’t want to cause a battle in the place where the light from providence originated.

It didn’t matter who was the City Lord of the Starry Sky Immortal City, as long as he didn’t destroy the Immortal World or their sects’ heritage. Everybody would lose if a war broke out here, even if they won the war. They didn’t want to be like the Radiant Fortune Immortal Sect.

Lu Xikun, who was the first to finish reading the jade slip, looked up at Di Jiu and said, “City Lord Di, the details on the laws and contribution points are fair and just. The Limitless Sword Dao Sect has no objections.”

“The Vast Array Immortal Sect has no objections…”

All the sect masters made their stand. Based on what they saw, every law that had been stated was fair and reasonable. Every law, except the one regarding the City Lord’s special order.

If they had tried so hard to build the Starry Sky Immortal City, they would have wanted a special order like that too.

“This is a ring from the Limitless Sword Dao Sect, City Lord Di. I wish to exchange it for some contribution points.” The Limitless Sword Dao Sect was the first to hand a ring over to Di Jiu.

Di Jiu was immediately moved as he accepted the ring. This ring contained everything, including huge piles of immortal spirit herbs and immortal materials, except immortal spirit meridians. Most of its contents were quality items, which was what Di Jiu needed the most.

Lu Xikun saw that Di Jiu seemed very satisfied with his ring. However, he turned to Jing Luowen, who was standing aside, cupped his fists, and said, “Sect Master Jing, I have to apologize to you.”

“You are speaking too seriously, Sect Master Lu,” said Jing Luowen hurriedly.

Lu Xikun shook his head and said, “I have been feeling guilty about this. I saw it with my own eyes when Yi Zhen killed Junior Sister Jing Luolin…”

Suddenly, Jing Luowen stood up and cupped her fists tightly. She sat down again after a while. It was understandable that Lu Xikun hadn’t stood up for Jing Luolin when she had been killed by Yi Zhen. Everybody was selfish. Although everyone knew that Lu Xikun was stronger than Yi Zhen, Yi Zhen’s cultivation level was higher than Lu Xikun’s.

Nobody would be willing to oppose Yi Zhen, who was the Number One expert in the Newborn Immortal Protectorate, for the sake of someone who was unrelated to them.

Di Jiu’s expression grew cold. Lu Xikun was obviously stronger than Yi Zhen. However, if he hadn’t been willing to save Jing Luolin for fear of provoking Yi Zhen, then he wasn’t fit to remain in the Starry Sky Immortal City.

Lu Xikun then added, “Although I was willing to try to save her, I wasn’t able to. I wasn’t afraid of Yi Zhen like the others were. However, I was seriously injured at that point in time. I didn’t even have 10% of my strength. I would definitely have been killed if I had attempted to rescue her.”

Di Jiu only said coldly, “Given your strength, I don’t think there are many people in the Newborn Immortal Protectorate that can injure you seriously, Sect Master Lu.”

It seemed like Lu Xikun didn’t sense that Di Jiu was doubtful. Thus, he said, “I was injured because I had been trying to find a passageway to the void to leave the Immortal World. At the time, I had found the Thunderous Floating Island…”

“Have you been to the Thunderous Floating Island, Sect Master Lu?” asked Jing Luowen in surprise.

“Have you heard of the Thunderous Floating Island before, Sect Master Jing?” asked Di Jiu doubtfully.

Jing Luowen nodded. “Yes. I regret that I led my disciples from the Virtuous Nirvana Sect to the Newborn Immortal Protectorate. I am a useless sect master. All our disciples either died or split up after they reached the Newborn Immortal Protectorate. I wanted to leave that place. However, I knew it would be futile to beg Yi Zhen to open the Great Sky Wall Array for us to go to the Sunset Immortal Protectorate. Then, I eventually found the Thunderous Floating Island. It was rumored that one could leave the Immortal World and enter the void through the Thunderous Floating Island. It was only after I found the Thunderous Floating Island that I realized that I would only be digging my own grave if I tried to enter the void through the Thunderous Floating Island, given my strength.”

Then, Lu Xikun added, “Yes. I also knew that the Newborn Immortal Protectorate wouldn’t be able to last. Therefore, I wanted to leave the Immortal World. In the process, I found the Thunderous Floating Island. I risked my life to try this. As a result, I got seriously injured by the dense thunder streaks before I could enter the island. I immediately used the escape talisman to escape from the Thunderous Floating Island. It was while I was recuperating that I saw Yi Zhen sneak an attack on Junior Sister Luolin. I have been feeling guilty about this all this while…”

Di Jiu decided to get a map of the Thunderous Floating Island from Jing Luowen. He wanted to leave the Immortal World and the Thunderous Floating Island seemed to be a good choice.

“You cannot be blamed for this, Sect Master Lu, ” said Di Jiu. He wouldn’t have risked his life either if he had known that this was a road of no return.

Why give up one more life when the other party couldn’t be saved?

“Thanks, City Lord,” said Lu Xikun with gratitude.

Di Jiu took out a warm piece of jade, handed it to Lu Xikun, and said, “Sect Master Lu has sufficient contribution points to choose a place for building a sect encampment beside the Sky Bamboo River. On top of this, I shall appoint Sect Master Lu as Deputy City Lord of the East City of the Starry Sky Immortal City.”

When Lu Xikun heard this, he immediately stood up excitedly and thanked Di Jiu loudly. Being able to build their sect encampment here meant that the Limitless Sword Dao Sect’s heritage wouldn’t end in his hands.

The rest of the sect masters quickly followed Sect Master Lu’s example and took turns to offer their rings in exchange for contribution points.

Di Jiu wouldn’t reject them. He was not a philanthropist. He had contributed his two treasures—the Floating Flame Flag and the Seven-Star Aqua Flag. Therefore, it was only right that he received those things in exchange.

Di Jiu wrapped up the meeting after half a day. He was the City Lord, while Qu Tong was the first Deputy City Lord. Additional appointments included Lu Xikun as the East City Deputy City Lord, Tan Mo as the West City Deputy City Lord, and Jing Luowen as the Central City Deputy City Lord. Yan Xiaosha was still the Deputy City Lord of the North City, and Bei Chutai was the Deputy City Lord of the South City.

Di Jiu wasn’t worried that his authority was divided. It would be okay as long as these sect masters defended the Starry Sky Immortal City. The area that could support cultivation and inhabitation would slowly enlarge as the light from providence slowly gathered in the Starry Sky Immortal City. Sooner or later, these sects would leave the city to develop elsewhere.