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The Azure Heart Mountain area is located in the northwest, and it is also a region within the Dao Sect's territory that is extremely close to those buffer zones in the central part.

Consequently, even if the number of Cultivators passing through here year-round cannot compare to the central region, it is by no means sparsely populated.

There are cities and cultivation markets in the local Azure Heart Mountain area, but these are all clustered near the North side of the mountain.

After all, the Heavenly Dragon Stone Vein of Azure Heart Mountain is located within the surrounding area; the natural energy of the earthly pulse has nurtured countless exotic flowers and Spirit Herbs, and naturally, it is not lacking in the common Spirit Herbs used by those in the cultivation world for Alchemy.

Although this is merely a stone vein with a fixed spirituality.

Perhaps after countless ages in the future, a glimmer of spiritual light will be born.

However, for the local forces living and cultivating here, while this stone vein is considered decent, no one dares to excavate it for themselves to dominate, as Azure Heart Mountain is by no means an obscure place.

Within the territory of the Profound Heaven Dao Sect, how many Spiritual Veins and earthly pulses, how many immortal mountains and famous peaks, and how many strange lands there are—essentially all of them are recorded by name in the Immortal Register.

Nominally, they naturally need to offer resources on time, just like how the Dao Academy dispatches resident disciples within the Profound Heaven Domain.

There is an immortal city in the area called Azure Heart Immortal City. Within the city are three major powers: the Xu Family, the Lin Clan, and a local Treasure Market that peddles countless cultivation resources from various places or auctions off ownerless items. Recently, however, the situation among these three powers has been shifting.

This has led many Cultivators within Azure Heart City to sense the rising undercurrents.

In Azure Heart Immortal City, there is a tavern where some Cultivators walk along the second-floor corridor. Wine flags flutter in the air, releasing waves of spiritual wine fragrance—some sweet and intoxicating, some spicy and sharp, and some overflowing with Spiritual Qi.

“Crash—Boom!”

“What's happening?”

Upon entering the tavern's main doors is the lobby, where several sounds of alarm and commotion broke out.

“Fellow Daoist, you've come at just the right time. Below us, people from the Xu Family and the Lin Clan are having a conflict. I heard it's over that Spirit Beast.”

Two Cultivators walked over curiously; one approached the railing and, seeing a friend arrive, casually began to explain.

Everyone looked down to see a blue-robed Cultivator and a red-robed Cultivator facing off in the tavern lobby, their auras clashing like water and fire.

Both were young Cultivators, and the cultivation auras they emitted were evenly matched.

At the blue-robed Cultivator's feet, a transparent and crystalline one-horned Spirit Beast crouched on the ground.

It looked exceptionally pure and spiritual.

“The Xu and Lin families are both cultivation families famous for beast taming. This exotic beast just happened to run into these two for some reason. The Xu Family struck first, but the Lin Clan claims it's a Spirit Beast that escaped from them. Now, this is going to be a good show.”

There were quite a few Cultivators present who knew the ins and outs of the situation.

Amidst the chatter, the details of the matter were revealed.

“This... this is truly too bizarre.”

The Cultivator pondered for a long while before finally managing to say that.

It couldn't be helped; in Azure Heart Immortal City, both the Xu and Lin families are Golden Core families. Although a Golden Core Clan supported by only one person would be considered a mere small fry in those central buffer zones, they are quite well-known here in the Azure Heart Mountain area.

In the Nine Heavens, there are many, many Golden Core Cultivators, but there are gaps between one Golden Core and another, not to mention that many Golden Core Cultivators have reached a dead end in their path and have no hope of achieving a Primordial Spirit.

Primordial Spirit Cultivators only appear occasionally, and usually only to maintain their own internal world and manifest their own Great Dao; most would not find the time to meddle here. As for the even greater experts above them, that is beyond their knowledge.

“I don't know what's going on with the two families lately, but their clansmen have had too many conflicts recently. Haven't they been at peace all these years? Could they have discovered some treasure?”

“Or perhaps something unexpected happened to one of the families?”

“Exactly. Ever since the rumored Eight Desolates appeared in the North Heaven Continent, many people have obtained great Opportunities, yet they haven't sent any clansmen away from the Clan. Why have they suddenly started fighting to the death today?”

Such a scene—let alone an outsider seeing it—even many within the two families themselves are completely baffled.

They don't understand how they suddenly ended up ready to fight the other side with such irreconcilable hostility.

There were also people watching the struggle here.

Azure Heart Treasure Market is the most famous and renowned treasure market in the area. With complete processes for auctions, consignments, sales, and purchases, all kinds of cultivation resources you might want can be found here, though it is limited to those below the Primordial Spirit level.

After all, it is said that the founder of this Treasure Market is also a Cultivator in the late Golden Core stage.

The Treasure Market is magnificent; from the outside, it appears as a grand and palatial hall.

The interior of the hall is unlike any ordinary one, with nine levels of jade-white suspended stairs hanging in the center. Each floor is a spacious hall area, with the top floor being the auction zone. From the top down and the lobby up, as one follows the suspended stairs, there are designated areas for Spiritual Artifacts, Medicinal Pills, Spirit Herbs, Spirit Seeds, Spirit Talismans, Formations, Spirit Beasts, and so on.

At this very moment, in a somewhat quiet and elegant room on the top floor, someone was gazing into the distance. Through the half-open window, the view was unobstructed; being located in the center of Azure Heart Immortal City, the Treasure Market provided a vantage point to see the masses of Cultivators below.

“Market Master, the two families have already begun their struggle. Why don't we take that treasure for ourselves?”

An inquisitive voice came from behind.

Hearing this, the Treasure Market Master suddenly laughed. “The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. This treasure doesn't have much effect on Immortal cultivators, but its attraction to certain old fogies is immense. For now, let them fight. Until it truly emerges, fighting now is useless; let's wait a bit longer.”

“Is there any other news recently?”

The Treasure Market Master asked about matters related to the Immortal City, following his daily management routine.

Only major matters would be brought to him; naturally, he didn't need to handle trivial things.

However, over the years, there haven't been any major events.

As for the Upper Sect further above, that was another matter entirely.

“If this item appears here, I'm afraid someone from the Upper Sect will come.”

“The Upper Sect? Impossible. No one will expose it. Didn't that Demon from before also rely on that treasure to rise to prominence? Although he was hunted, he transformed from an obscure brat in the blink of an eye. Two days ago, an Immortal Merchant passed through and said he can now actually withstand a blow from an Innate Spirit; that treasure surely played a vital role.”

At the thought of the rumors that had spread from the Eight Desolates to the other Continents of the Nine Heavens, the Market Master couldn't help but feel his heart stir with excitement.

But suddenly thinking of those great experts taking action, his Dao Heart felt as if it had been doused with cold water. The chill quickly cooled his burning desires, and his thoughts became clear once again.

After all, to get one's hands on such a thing meant going up against spirits, and old fogies from the Immortal Dao side would also take action. Such terrifying power was not something he could currently withstand.

“Don't be in a hurry. The waves are still too small right now. When things are at their most chaotic, it will be time to present it to that master.”

A thought flickered through his mind as he gazed at the boundless clear sky. Only a few clouds drifted occasionally; the sunlight remained, though some of it was obscured by the clouds.

This added a touch of gloom to today's sky.

Azure Heart Mountain is too far from the Dao Sect's mainland. Even Golden Core Cultivators find this distance vast; ordinary Spirit Talismans are not enough to transmit messages.

As for those Spirit-Light Message Talismans, most Cultivators would have one.

However, those who use them most frequently are mainly the Immortal cultivators from great sects and famous lineages.

Many disciples of the Nine Immortal Gates have one, but for the vast community of rogue cultivators outside, the price in spirit coins for a Spirit-Light Message Talisman is acceptable for sect-born disciples, while for many other Cultivators, it is still a bit expensive.

Nevertheless, people still buy them, and word has slowly reached Azure Heart Immortal City.

The Azure Heart Mountain Range is shaped like a crescent moon, with a vast lake stretching out from the foot of the mountains. Further North of the lake lies Azure Heart Immortal City. Continuing North and then east from the city, one direction leads to the North Heaven Continent, while the other leads to those central buffer zones and approaches the Dao Seeking Immortal Sect.

Naturally, Spirit-Light Message Talismans have also circulated here, but in very small numbers; only a few people go to the treasure pavilions established in the central buffer zones to purchase them.

The immortal city markets in this area are, after all, not very large in scale.

Otherwise, some of the trading houses extended from the Nine Immortals Sect would have simultaneously established a branch here. There is a nearby branch in this general area, but it is quite a distance from Azure Heart Immortal City, as it is located in an immortal city that truly marks the boundary between two great Continents.

Cultivators from the two Continents pass through there, using teleportation Formations for transit. Every day, the spiritual light of Formations in the high sky and the Cultivators coming and going are as numerous as the hairs on an ox.

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