Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

Lin Zhao didn't know if it was true or not, but the Cangyun cultivation world...

Aside from the seven dominant forces, the strongest is undoubtedly the Lingxiao Alliance of Linghuang Continent.

The Lingxiao Alliance, with its five Nascent Soul Heavenly Lords, is the force with the most Nascent Soul cultivators in the Cangyun cultivation world.

The seven major powers do not allow any late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators to appear in their subordinate continents.

Those Nascent Soul cultivators who are expected to break through will collectively relocate their sects to the Spirit Wasteland Continent.

The Lingxiao Alliance is the headquarters of the "rogue cultivators" in the Cangyun cultivation world.

However, their Nascent Soul Heavenly Lords never dared to step into the core territory of the Seven Overlords.

A Nascent Soul cultivator is a Nascent Soul cultivator, and a Hegemon is a Hegemon.

They are theoretically on the same level, but their underlying strengths are worlds apart.

Even if the Cloud Sea Azure Sea Sect only has one Nascent Soul Heavenly Lord in this generation,

It is by no means something that ordinary deity-level forces would dare to provoke.

Unfortunately, Lin Zhao was ultimately disappointed.

Master Chongguang clearly understood the art of tact and did not cross the sect's bottom line. He simply conducted business in accordance with the rules and never overstepped the boundaries.

Lin Zhao, as an "ordinary" Foundation Establishment disciple of the sect, was helpless in this situation.

------

However, Lin Zhao has no time to deal with the Chongguang Pavilion matters right now.

The once-in-a-century grand auction in Tongming Immortal City is about to begin.

That's the real big deal.

Lin Zhao began preparations in earnest.

Besides the sect resources left behind in Cangyun Mountain, there are also cultivation resources left for my future.

He exchanged all the surplus resources he had for high-grade spirit stones.

If not, then use mid-grade spirit stones. As the guardian of Cangyun Mountain,

They have a certain authority to exchange mid-grade spirit stones for high-grade spirit stones through sect channels, but the amount is limited.

It is said that dozens of third-tier spiritual items will be featured in the Tongming Immortal City's centennial auction.

With his current net worth, he should be able to bid on one or two third-tier spiritual items.

Several months later, Lin Zhao finally finished dealing with the matters at hand.

That evening, he sat alone inside the garrison, playing with the silver storage ring in his hand.

Divine sense probed in.

The spirit stones were piled up into a small mountain, neatly arranged.

There are over 100,000 mid-grade spirit stones.

Lin Zhao remained silent for a while.

Before coming to Tongming Domain, he had only ten thousand mid-grade spirit stones.

In just a few years, it has increased more than tenfold.

This doesn't even include the two third-tier magic treasures he possesses, the Golden Phoenix Bow and the Nine Luminaries Thunder Pool, nor the various resources he's collected over the years, enough to cultivate to the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage.

Lin Zhao suddenly smiled.

He recalled how back in Qingfeng Market, it took him a whole month to acquire just a few low-grade spirit stones.

What now?

One hundred thousand mid-grade spirit stones were placed in front of him.

He wasn't alone on this trip to Tongming Immortal City.

After the news was released, many people wanted to go.

Lin Zhao selected more than one hundred core personnel from various districts and markets.

Four spirit boats led the way.

Lin Zhao's second-tier high-grade spirit boat, the Azure Scale, was followed by Yan Chiheng, Yan Lie, Luo Yu, and the spirit boat that He An obtained from Elder He.

Four spirit boats were in front.

Five second-tier flying boats followed behind, belonging to the Foundation Establishment cultivators from the market.

The nine ships lined up one after the other, leaving Cangyun Mountain and heading towards Tongming Immortal City.

---

Ten days later.

When that colossal structure stretching across the sky came into view,

Everyone on the boat understood—the City of Enlightenment had arrived.

Lin Zhao stood at the bow of the ship, gazing at the giant city that was constantly approaching.

Each time I come here, my state of mind is different, and what I see is completely different.

Now, as the guardian of the Cangyun Mountain sect, he looks around and sees a completely different world.

His gaze did not fall on the towering city walls, but rather on the great river that stretched across the sky and earth outside the city.

Tongming River.

Although it is called a river, it is still more than ten miles wide at its narrowest point, and the widest section of the river he saw along the way spanned a hundred miles.

This vast and mighty river has nourished countless ordinary people on both banks, ensuring the endless cycle of life.

With the Tongming River as its main stream, thousands of tributaries extend from its upper and lower reaches, irrigating not only the entire Tongming area but also benefiting nearly ten surrounding areas.

It is the largest river in the Yunxia Domain, the Jinsha River, whose source is connected to the Tongming River.

It can be said that the Tongming River was the source of life for dozens of dynasties and hundreds of billions of lives within this area of ​​tens of thousands of miles.

Tongming Immortal City guards the most central and crucial position of this lifeline.

Lin Zhao suddenly remembered the plans he had made at Dingfeng Plain a few years ago.

They had only blocked the trade routes of the three great dynasties, yet they had already earned a huge amount of spirit stones, and thought their methods were quite remarkable.

But now, seeing the luminous immortal city, I truly understand what it means to be a small fry compared to a great fry.

Backed by the Tongming River, Tongming Immortal City directly controls the foundation of survival for beings in several regions, and the cultivation resources derived from it are astronomical.

However, this matter is too sensitive. If Tongming Immortal City dares to expand extensively using the Tongming River, all the surrounding forces will inevitably rise up to attack it.

Therefore, no one usually points it out, and all parties tacitly understand and maintain a delicate balance.

But Lin Zhao is no longer the rogue cultivator he once was.

He is the guardian of Cangyun Mountain and the lord of one of the sect's subordinates. The authority of the guardian has allowed him to glimpse truths that ordinary people can never access.

For example—the true essence of the Yunhai Cangming Sect.

If Tongming Immortal City controls the Tongming Domain by using the Tongming River...

The Cloud Sea Cangming Sect is based in the mysterious Cangming Immortal City and controls the spiritual veins and flow of spiritual energy throughout the entire Cloud Continent.

This is what makes a dominant force so terrifying.

If the sect truly needs it, it can cut off the supply of spiritual energy and spiritual veins to the Tongming Domain with a single thought.

Without the support of the spiritual veins, cultivators will no longer be able to control the river's flow. The Tongming River will inevitably go completely out of control and overflow, swallowing up tens of thousands of miles of both banks and turning them into a vast expanse of water.

You asked how Lin Zhao knew?

Because 40,000 years ago, this place was a marshland.

Or rather, it is an inland sea.

It was the Yunhai Cangming Sect that, with its supreme divine power, spent hundreds of years opening up a passage between this place and the endless demon sea, forcibly transforming the sea into land and dividing the territory, which is how the Tongming Domain and the surrounding domains came to be today.

Dividing territories and opening up seas, changing the world.

This is the true power and unfathomable depth of the Zhen Shi Sheng Zong.

These secrets can only be accessed in advance by those at the garrison level.

Even Yan Chiheng, who was also in the Foundation Establishment stage, knew nothing about it.

Within sects, much information is only accessible to those who have reached the Core Formation stage; for ordinary Foundation Establishment disciples, knowing it would be of no benefit.

Lin Zhao stood quietly at the bow of the ship, gazing at the increasingly clear outline of the Tongming Immortal City, a complex and indescribable emotion welling up in his heart.

The sect is like a giant tree reaching for the sky.

However, this tree is simply too enormous.

It is so large that it puts people at ease and inspires awe from the bottom of their hearts.

---

The spirit boat slowly landed in the designated area outside the city.

The place was already filled with all kinds of spirit boats and flying ships, as well as countless large ships belonging to mortals.

At a glance, there were tens of thousands.

Fortunately, the Tongming River is wide enough, with a surface area of ​​more than ten miles, to accommodate it.

At the towering city gate, guards in uniform spirit armor were conducting inspections. Foundation Establishment cultivators were stationed there, registering those entering the city.

When it was Lin Zhao's turn, Lin Zhao and Yan Chiheng showed their sect tokens.

The leading Foundation Establishment cultivator glanced around, and his previously serious face immediately became more cautious. He stepped aside to make way for them.

"So you are disciples of the Holy Sect. Please, gentlemen, come in!"

No fees or questions were required; they were allowed to pass directly.

This is the privilege of the Holy Ancestor of the World.

Although the more than one hundred people who came with them did not receive this treatment, they were able to pass through easily after being asked a few simple questions thanks to Lin Zhao's mediation.