A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality: Immortal Realm

Chapter 896: Visiting Mistress Liu Hua

"Rest assured, City Lord E Kuai, our Green Goat City has never let our guard down against Puppet City, whether it be now or in the past," Chen Yang assured as he turned to E Kuai with a cupped fist salute.

"It's fine, I only mentioned this matter as it had suddenly sprung into my mind. Let's get back on track and talk about the Five City Martial Gathering," E Kuai replied with a wave of his hand, and everyone fell silent upon hearing this, waiting for him to continue.

"The rules will be much the same compared with past editions. Each of your four cities will nominate twelve people to take part in the martial gathering, while our main city will send out sixteen people for a total of sixty-four. It'll be a single elimination format consisting solely of one-on-one matches, and anyone who makes it into the top three will receive a reward.

“On top of that, the one who claims the top spot will receive an unprecedentedly massive reward," E Kuai continued with a smile.

"What exactly is this reward, City Lord E Kuai? You've been dangling this in front of us for quite some time," Qin Yuan chuckled.

"There are still three months left until the official commencement of the martial gathering, and all will be revealed then. I promise you that you won't be disappointed," E Kuai replied as his smile grew even more pronounced.

No one raised any objections to this.

"In the meantime, all of you will be arranged places to stay, and if you want to get in some match practice during these three months, then you can travel to the arenas in the city to participate in some arena battles," E Kuai said.

After that, everyone chatted for a while longer before they were dismissed.

Following that brief meeting, everyone had certain things on their mind, so they were no longer interested in jousting with one another, and Qin Yuan and Fu Jian promptly departed with their entourages.

Chen Yang and the others were the last to leave the hall, and Tong Song was still waiting for him outside.

"Esteemed guests of Green Goat City, would you like to explore the city or be taken to the courtyard where you'll be staying?" Tong Song asked.

"We're all rather weary from the trip to get here, so please take us to the courtyard first, Fellow Daoist Tong," Chen Yang replied.

"Alright, then please come with me."

Under Tong Song's guidance, everyone left the city lord's manor before traveling west until they arrived at a cluster of buildings that was even more massive than the city lord's manor.

"My sincerest apologies, but the people from the other three cities have already chosen the courtyards with superior locations and environments as they arrived before you. The two remaining courtyards are still quite nice to stay in, but the residences are spread rather far apart, so it may be a little inconvenient for all of you," Tong Song said in an apologetic manner.

Chen Yang's mind was clearly elsewhere, and he replied in a slightly distracted manner, "That's fine. It'll be more peaceful for everyone with the residences more spaced out."

Tong Song thanked Chen Yang for his understanding, then led the group into one of the two remaining courtyards.

The rooms here were constructed in a row next to one another, much like the rooms one would find in inns, and they were entirely constructed from the black stone material that was able to keep out spiritual sense.

There were quite a few rooms, so each person was able to take a room for themselves, and after taking a moment to examine his room to ensure that it hadn't been tampered with, Han Li sat down with his legs crossed.

It didn't take long before night arrived, and Han Li suddenly opened his eyes before emerging from his room.

It was a peaceful night with a bright moon hanging high up in the sky, and Han Li's brows furrowed slightly as he took a glance up at the moon, following which he quickly made his way to a room before knocking on the door.

A few moments later, the door was opened to reveal Daoist Xie.

Han Li took a glance at Daoist Xie, then said, "Sorry to bother you so late at night, Fellow Daoist Chen."

This was Chen Yang's room, and at this moment, he was seated inside.

"Not at all, Fellow Daoist Li. Please take a seat. What brings you here so late at night?" Chen Yang asked with a smile.

"We agreed that if you couldn't find a way to remove the Black Tribulation Centipede in my body, then I could raise another request to you, right? That is the purpose of my visit," Han Li replied in a direct and straightforward manner.

"What is your request, Fellow Daoist Li? As long as it's within the realm of my capabilities, I'll be sure to do everything in my power to fulfill your request," Chen Yang replied with a nod.

"I would like you to find two people for me, one of whom is Shi Kong, while the other is a female cultivator by the name of Violet Spirit. She was cast into the Scalptia Spatial Domain within the last century. Please tell me your findings prior to the commencement of the martial gathering," Han Li said.

A slightly hesitant look appeared on Chen Yang's face as he replied, "I can definitely help you look for this Violet Spirit. As a female cultivator who was cast into the Scalptia Spatial Domain within the last century, she shouldn't be too difficult to track down as long as she actually has come to Profound City. However, Shi Kong is currently in E Kuai's hands, so it'll be rather difficult to gather information on him."

"If it were a simple task, then I wouldn't have to come to you," Han Li said with a faint smile.

"I suppose that's true. I've already failed to fulfill a promise once, so I definitely can't fail again. Rest assured, Fellow Daoist Li, I'll be sure to give you a response prior to the commencement of the martial gathering," Chen Yang promised in a solemn fashion.

"In that case, I'll be counting on you, Fellow Daoist Chen," Han Li said with a faint smile, then promptly departed and returned to his own room.

An uneventful night passed by.

The next morning, Han Li was just about to go out when his door was knocked on by a young servant from Green Goat City.

Aside from Han Li and the others, Chen Yang had also brought some servants to Profound City to cater to everyone's needs.

"Senior Li, City Lord Chen would like to invite you to see him," the young servant informed in a respectful manner.

"Do you know why he wants to see me?" Han Li asked.

"I wasn't informed of that," the young servant replied with a shake of his head.

Han Li's brows furrowed slightly upon hearing this, and he instructed, "Lead the way."

The servant quickly led Han Li to Chen Yang's residence, and to Han Li's surprise, there were many people already gathered in the room, including the likes of Gu Qianxun, Yi Liya, and Xiong Pei.

Gu Qianxun gave Han Li a smile and a nod upon his arrival, and Han Li responded in kind, but right at this moment, he sensed a hostile gaze, and he turned to discover Yi Liya glowering at him.

Even as their eyes met, Yi Liya didn't back down at all, giving Han Li one final glare before looking away, leaving Han Li feeling rather perplexed.

He had sensed that Yi Liya was harboring some enmity toward him on the entire journey here, but they hadn't even spoken to each other once, so he couldn't understand why Yi Liya resented him so intensely.

Some more time passed, and once everyone from Green Goat City was present, Chen Yang declared, "I have some things to discuss with all of you."

Everyone remained silent, waiting for what he had to say next.

"There's still some time left until the martial gathering is set to commence, and with so many powers gathered in the city, the circumstances are very complicated. Hence, if you don't have anything important to do, then stay in your residences and prepare for the martial gathering.

“Even if you do have to go out, make sure you don't get into conflicts with anyone from other cities. Otherwise, you'll be putting me in a very awkward position," Chen Yang said.

It was clear from the earlier interactions that the people from the other cities were mostly quite hostile toward Green Goat City, so no one raised any objections to this.

"City Lord Chen, may I ask who you're going to send to represent our city in the martial gathering?" Yi Liya suddenly asked, "It was announced yesterday that each of the four subsidiary cities could only send twelve people, and there are clearly more than twelve of us here."

Everyone immediately turned to Chen Yang upon hearing this.

This was a question that was on everyone's mind. Being able to take part in the Five City Martial Gathering was a huge honor, and that wasn't even to mention the huge rewards on the line.

Everyone was very confident in their own powers, so they all desired the opportunity to prove themselves.

"There's no hurry, I'll announce the roster when the martial gathering begins. You can all go now," Chen Yang said.

Everyone was rather disappointed to hear this, but they could only depart.

After leaving Chen Yang's residence, Han Li paused momentarily before turning to leave hte courtyard altogether.

Even though Chen Yang had just told them to try and avoid going out, he really did have some important matters to attend to.

Right at this moment, Gu Qianxun's voice rang out from behind him.

"Are you going out, Fellow Daoist Li?"

"That's right. I plan to go out and explore the city a little," Han Li replied as he stopped in his tracks.

"Do you intend to seek out Mistress Liu Hua to try and address the Black Tribulation Centipede in your body?" Gu Qianxun asked through voice transmission.

"That's right," Han Li replied, making no attempt to hide his intentions.

The Black Tribulation Centipede was a constant thorn in his side that had to be removed as soon as possible.

"I intend to do the same thing, so why don't we go together? Mistress Liu Hua is the number one tool refinement master of Profound City, and it's not so easy to secure an audience with him," Gu Qianxun said.

"Sure, why not?" Han Li replied with a nod, and the two of them departed together, shortly following which a group of several figures emerged from under the shade of a nearby tree.

It was Yi Liya, Toxic Dragon, Tu Gang, and a few others, and Yi Liya was observing Han Li's departing figure with a resentful look in his eyes.

With Gu Qianxun leading the way, the two left the courtyard before entering the city.

Due to the upcoming Five City Martial Gathering, the city was extremely busy, and the wares sold in the shops that lined the streets were clearly of a superior quality to what was sold in Green Goat City.

Compared with the enormous scale and opulence of Profound City, Green Goat City was made to resemble a rundown slum.