Chapter 664: Chapter 664

A small mortal kingdom under the control of a single faction near Pingbo Port, rich in resources and home to a peaceful populace. Qin Sang settled the old witch doctor in a major city within Xing Kingdom, allowing him to live out his twilight years in comfort, and sealed away the old man’s memories related to him.

Qin Sang didn’t head directly to Pingbo Port. The black coffin on his back was far too conspicuous. If he encountered a cultivator with higher cultivation, Du Han’s presence within it would be easily discovered.

Along the way, he had deliberately avoided other cultivators, but such tactics wouldn’t work in Pingbo Port. The port housed many Core Formation Realm cultivators, and rumor had it that a Spiritual Infant grandmaster was stationed there as well.

At this point, he could have killed Du Han, but Qin Sang had no intention of letting him off so easily.

Although the first half of the Heavenly Yin Corpse Art only allowed for the refining of Foundation Building cultivators into corpse puppets, Qin Sang still planned to experiment on Du Han. If it failed, then he would give up the idea for good. Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on novèlfire.net

Refining corpse puppets required Earth Malevolent Qi. Qin Sang still had a small amount stored in his Lesser Yin Magnetic Bottles, but it wasn’t enough to refine a living corpse.

Earth Malevolent Qi was rare and could only be reliably sought out in Pingbo Port.

Qin Sang planned to establish a cave dwelling in the wilderness outside the port, place the black coffin there, and then head into town to gather information. But to his surprise, the land surrounding Pingbo Port was as precious as gold. All the spirit veins had been claimed by individuals or sects.

Left with no other choice, Qin Sang had to travel farther from the port, where he finally found a concealed spirit vein within a desolate mountain range that was just barely sufficient to carve out a temporary cave dwelling.

After placing down the black coffin and setting up barriers and concealment arrays, Qin Sang felt relieved. He donned a wide-brimmed bamboo hat and flew toward Pingbo Port.

Before even reaching the port, he was struck by the awe-inspiring scene of countless sea vessels crowding the waters, their sails overlapping like a forest.

Ships blanketed the sea, stretching beyond the horizon. Some were massive and luxuriously outfitted, with multiple stories of ornate buildings on deck—each vessel as large as a mountain.

Amid these floating behemoths were smaller boats that seemed modest by comparison, but in truth were sturdy ships designed to withstand oceanic storms.

Qin Sang landed on a rocky summit in the distance, gazing at the sea. A gentle sea breeze greeted him, carrying a faint salty tang. Water and sky merged far away, and from time to time, he saw cultivators flying through the air atop artifacts.

However, most of these cultivators were either taking off from the ships or descending from Pingbo Port onto the ships.

On Canglang Sea, cultivators still preferred traveling by ships. Even Core Formation experts would seldom fly long distances over the ocean unless absolutely necessary.

First, their true essence couldn’t sustain prolonged flight. Second, the open sea was riddled with hidden dangers such as violent tempests and sea beasts.

If disaster struck and their essence ran low, there would be no lifeline in the vast, featureless sea. It would be a death sentence.

From Xijiang to Pingbo Port, Qin Sang hadn’t flown the entire way either. Whenever he came upon a place rich in spiritual qi, he would land and rest to recover his strength.

Only Spiritual Infant grandmasters could sustain months-long uninterrupted flight over the ocean.

As the ships docked, the port grew bustling with noise and activity.

Though cultivators had Mustard Seed Pouches to store items, their space was limited and insufficient for large shipments. Cargo was offloaded from ships like water flowing from a stream. On the bustling docks worked not only mortals, but also low-level cultivators, and even tamed beasts and demonic creatures.

Corresponding to this massive port was a sprawling city on land.

The city’s scale was unlike anything Qin Sang had ever seen. From a distance, rooftops stretched endlessly, and in the western part of the city, a thin layer of mist obscured everything, completely blocking the line of sight.

It was early morning, and the city was full of life. Mortals and cultivators alike moved through the streets, forming long lines outside the gates.

In the Small Cold Domain, territories were divided by powerful factions, and nowhere could gather such large crowds. The seven great fortresses stood on the edge of the perilous Ancient Immortal Battlefield, where mortal populations were scarce. It was nothing grand city.

Qin Sang took in the sight from the mountain peak before tightening his cloak and leaping toward the city gates with his movement art.

Mortals and cultivators had clearly separate entry points. The gates designated for cultivators were guarded by Foundation Building experts, comprising both humans and members of the witch race.

"Daoist, please hold a moment."

As Qin Sang approached the gate, a guard stopped him and looked him over politely. "Do you have an identity token, or is this your first time visiting Pingbo Port?"

"This is indeed my first visit. May I ask, what is an identity token?" Qin Sang asked with feigned puzzlement.

The guard showed no impatience and carefully explained, "Fighting is forbidden within Pingbo Port. All cultivators are issued identity tokens to verify their status. The token not only represents your standing, but also determines where you’re allowed to go and what you’re allowed to do within the city..."

From the guard’s explanation, Qin Sang learned that even in a place as flourishing as Pingbo Port, the divide between mortals and cultivators remained vast. Even among cultivators, status and privileges were stratified by cultivation level.

Pingbo Port was roughly divided into four major zones.

The largest of these was the residential area for mortals. Next came the area designated for Foundation Building and Qi Refining cultivators. There was no strict boundary between these two regions.

The smallest zone was the western district, which Qin Sang had earlier been unable to see into with the naked eye. Shrouded in mist, it was accessible only to Core Formation cultivators and Spiritual Infant grandmasters. This area was the core of Pingbo Port.

Cultivators below the required realm could only enter if accompanied by a Core Formation expert.

The district was heavily guarded and exceptionally quiet.

What made it truly precious was that it consisted of high-quality cave dwellings. It turned out Pingbo Port had been built atop several massive spirit veins, with the western district occupying the spot with the richest spiritual qi.

Naturally, the rental fees were also exceedingly high.

The final zone was the trading district for cultivators, located in the northern part of the city near the outer harbor. This enormous marketplace included merchant guilds, auction houses, and more.

After hearing all this, Qin Sang released his aura, revealing his cultivation level.

The guard was briefly stunned, then respectfully saluted and said, "Senior, since you are a Core Formation cultivator, your identity token will be issued free of charge. From now on, you’ll also be exempt from paying spirit stones to enter or leave Pingbo Port... Please wait a moment."

Shortly after, the guard returned with a token signifying Qin Sang’s status as a Core Formation cultivator. Qin Sang turned it over in his hand, then fastened it to his waist and stepped into the city.

The steamed buns here were filled with some kind of meat he couldn’t identify. They had a fishy odor and tasted awful.

With disappointment written all over his face, Qin Sang made his way straight toward the northern trading district.

Manifesting one's powers in the city was forbidden, so he had to travel on foot.

Thanks to the token at his waist, Qin Sang passed through all checkpoints unhindered and soon arrived at the trading zone.

The streets here were laid out in neat, intersecting grids, flanked on both sides by uniform shopfronts.

Qin Sang slowed his pace, taking his time to look around.

Many shops that looked ordinary on the surface were likely backed by powerful merchant guilds. It was said that the most renowned human merchant guilds had formed a trade alliance whose influence rivaled even that of the top cultivation sects.

"Four Seas Merchant Guild..."

Qin Sang’s eyes lit up when he saw the signboard above a storefront.

He had just gathered information on several reputable guilds, and the Four Seas Merchant Guild was one of the most well-regarded among them.