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

"I have zero interest in becoming the Holy Monarch. Truth be told, I'm only returning the Virata Lute to Night Sun City in order to help my third brother," Shi Chuankong replied.

"You're doing this for the third prince?"

"That's right. Power is championed above all else in our Holy Realm, and there's no lack of cultivation prodigies among my siblings, the most prominent of which are my eldest brother, my third brother, my fifth sister, and my seventh brother. However, when it comes to their ability to govern a realm, I don't think even all of my other siblings combined can hold a candle to my third brother," Shi Chuankong said as a look of admiration appeared in his eyes.

"If you ask me, I think you're also very capable in that regard. At the very least, Grain Mountain City appeared to have been thriving under your hands," Han Li said.

"That's only because I've been emulating my brother's methods. In reality, I can't even hope to hold a candle to him," Shi Chuankong hurriedly replied.

"Is he really that impressive?" Han Li asked.

"Even from a young age, my third brother displayed exceptional talents and ambitions, and he began helping our father govern Night Sun City very early on. Back then, our Holy Realm had just endured a war against the Heavenly Court, and the entire realm was rife with unrest. Many powerful forces were not content to submit to the rule of Night Sun City, and the realm was plagued by extensive infighting.

“People everywhere were suffering, but my father had sustained severe injuries and was too busy resting in seclusion to worry about anything else. His plan was to send out his children to quell the unrest across the land, but everyone with the exception of my third brother was too afraid of the arduous task ahead.

“He was the only one who set off with his subordinates to personally attend to the problems plaguing the realm, and he managed to subdue all of the dissenting forces over the course of close to three centuries. After that, he strongly promoted business and trade, establishing many trading houses and eventually restoring our Holy Realm to its former prosperity.

“That's why he's so revered and respected everywhere," Shi Chuankong said with a look of admiration in his eyes.

"It certainly doesn't sound like he's an extraordinary man. After all, cultivation is largely dependent on aptitude, and in a way, it's much harder to be a shrewd ruler. The Devil Realm isn't as large as the Holy Realm, but the relationship between cultivators and mortals are closer and more complex, and it's definitely not easy to manage those relations. Even the slightest misstep could result in dire consequences," Han Li said.

"Indeed. Truth be told, there were many things that my brother did that I previously didn't understand, and it was only through my travels, particularly the time I spent in the Immortal Realm, that I gradually came to realize just how much foresight he possessed. He was the one who advised Father to propose a truce with the Heavenly Court, and that was the beginning of our Holy Realm's path to recovery," Shi Chuankong said.

"The third prince sounds like a very admirable and capable man. Why has he not been selected as successor to the throne?" Han Li asked.

"My brother has earned himself many admirers for quelling the unrest in our Holy Realm, but in the process, he also made many enemies. Those people have allied themselves with my eldest brother and the others, and they've been constantly opposing my third brother. On top of that, my father acknowledges how capable my third brother is, but their personalities differ quite drastically.

“My father is more domineering and decisive, and his style is to rule with power and an iron fist, while my third brother is quite averse to killing and ruling by force, so they often get into arguments over their conflicting political views. In contrast, my eldest brother and the others are constantly sucking up to our father, so it's been rather difficult for my third brother to win our father's favor," Shi Chuankong sighed.

"I see," Han Li replied with a nod.

"I wonder how things are going in Night Sun City right now. For the sake of our Holy Realm's future, I have to help my third brother clinch the role of successor," Shi Chuankong declared in a determined voice.

Han Li remained silent, and the two of them continued onward.

Around half a month flew by in the blink of an eye.

The Night Sun Domain was enormous, and due to the abundance of devilish qi, it was also very rich with all types of resources. Hence, there was a far higher concentration of mortal nations and settlements in here than outside.

Even though the two of them were traveling at full speed without making any attempt to conceal themselves, they weren't confronted by any enemies, and as time wore on, Han Li gradually began to relax.

As they drew closer and closer to Night Sun City, the terrain began to flatten out, and a vast plain appeared up ahead.

Plots of farmland had been established on the boundless plain, and a type of golden grain that was several dozen feet tall was planted in those plots of land. The grains themselves were half a foot in length each, and they were shaped like blades.

Countless yellow-robed farmers were tending to the plots of farmland, presenting a lively and bustling sight to behold.

The thriving grains resembled a sea of gold that rippled whenever a light breeze blew past, and it was truly a marvelous spectacle.

"This place is called the Scorching Golden Plains, and it's the most fertile place in the entire Holy Realm, so the entire area has been converted into farmland. Most of the Golden Saber Rice produced here is sent to Night Sun City, while the rest is transported to other regions in the Holy Realm," Shi Chuankong explained.

"This Golden Saber Rice is giving off quite a bit of devilish qi. What is it used for?" Han Li asked.

"Golden Saber Rice is found only in our Holy Realm, and consumption of it will enhance one's cultivation base and physical constitution. Some of the people in our Holy Realm who pursue the path of bodily refinement will begin eating Golden Saber Rice from birth, and they attain incredibly powerful bodies from doing so.

“In fact, some of the top-tier bodily refinement cultivators in Night Sun City could perhaps even stand toe to toe against you in terms of physical prowess," Shi Chuankong explained with a smile.

"You're far too kind, Fellow Daoist Shi, my physical constitution is nothing special. When it comes to bodily refinement, devilish beings have a natural advantage over beings of the True Immortal Realm," Han Li replied with a wave of his hand.

Shi Chuankong was quite pleased to hear this, and he nodded in response.

After walking for a while longer, Han Li observed, "It feels like not all of the Golden Saber Rice here is equal in caliber. Are they split up into different grades?"

"No. Just like other spirit plants, Golden Saber Rice isn't ranked by grade, but by age instead. You seem to be quite interested in this Golden Saber Rice, Fellow Daiost Li, " Shi Chuankong remarked.

"I have an interest in all of the exotic treasures of your Holy Realm," Han Li chuckled in response.

"This stuff is hardly an exotic treasure. Once we reach Night Sun City, I'll get my brother to collect a batch of the finest Golden Saber Rice for you," Shi Chuankong said with a smile.

"You have my thanks, Fellow Daoist Shi," Han Li replied with a smile of his own.

In reality, the reason that he was so interested in this Golden Saber Rice was because he had seen the name once before, specifically on a dao pill recipe for the Vajra Bone Pill that he had found in Gongshu Jiu's storage tool.

Golden Saber Rice was the primary ingredient for this pill, but the recipe specifically demanded Dragon-veined Golden Saber Rice, which was perhaps some type of special Golden Saber Rice.

Ever since he achieved full mastery of the Great Universe Origin Arts, he had never been able to find a suitable bodily refinement cultivation art, so his physical cultivation had completely stagnated.

Under normal circumstances, this wouldn't have been a concern, but upon mastering the fifth level of the Spirit Refinement Technique, he could sense that his body was beginning to struggle to contain his tremendous spiritual sense, so this was an area that he urgently needed to address.

The Vajra Bone Pill was a metal-attribute dao pill, but it could also enhance the consumer's physical body.

With that in mind, Han Li was determined to secure some Dragon-veined Golden Saber Rice during the rest of his time in the Devil Realm.

The two of them flew onward for several more days before finally reaching Night Sun City. Over the course of their journey, Han Li had already learned much about the city from Shi Chuankong, but seeing the city in person was still quite a shock for him.

A white mountain range had appeared on the horizon up ahead, and its main peak extended all the way up into the clouds, presenting a spectacular sight that was majestic and daunting in equal measure.

An enormous river was flowing through the southern region of the mountain range, and there was no end to it in sight.

Looking at the river from afar, it resembled a giant white dragon that was resting on the ground, and it wasn't any less breathtaking a sight to behold than the vast mountain range.

There were countless boats of different sizes on the surface of the river, and the entire area was clearly thriving.

Night Sun City was nestled in this gargantuan mountain range, and it encompassed the entire mountain range, as well as part of the river. It was referred to as a city, but in reality, it easily rivaled the size of some nations.

The city walls were over ten thousand feet tall and constructed from giant blocks of black stone that were extremely smooth and even, and countless tall buildings could be seen beyond the city walls.

Han Li could see that the buildings in Night Sun City were primarily very tall and narrow, and that was quite different from the styles of buildings that he had seen in other cities on the way here.

The white mountain range in the city stretched from the east to the west, while the river flowed almost perfectly parallel to the mountain range.

The entirety of Night Sun City was split up into three areas, and at this moment, Han LI and Shi Chuankong were standing to the south of the city.

The buildings in the area that was closest to them were all quite short, and they were extremely densely packed with virtually no gaps between them.

The buildings in the central area were clearly far taller, and they were far more spaced apart as well. The buildings were also interspersed with countless wide streets that were packed with people and carriages, presenting a lively and bustling sight to behold.

As for the northernmost area, that was concealed behind the white mountain range, so it was out of sight from where Han Li and Shi Chuankong were standing.

These three areas were all enormous, and any single one of them was far larger than even the largest cities that they had witnessed on the way here.