Becoming evil makes you ten times stronger, but becoming a demon gives you hundredfold strength

Chapter 257 Sleepless City

What ordinary people consider dangerous: a neighborhood rampant with crime, full of robbery, clandestine theft, and assault.

No, to the superiors, that's just daily routine. Real danger is being on the front line, caught in a hail of bullets, with planes bombing overhead and artillery fire roaring in the distance.

So, in the eyes of a superior's secretary, what is considered dangerous?

Lacking dozens of bodyguards, the entire street not being cleared, a certain manhole cover not being welded shut, someone trespassing in the area, or even a car honking near the hotel where one sleeps at night, disturbing the quality of sleep.

That is danger, and all these issues need to be addressed.

Then, can Meng Yu be considered a superior of the Immortal Sect?

So, are the dangers Meng Yu might encounter in the eyes of the Immortal Sect the same as those he feels himself?

Meng Yu made up his mind to go to the Central Plains because he truly didn't want to look down on himself.

He arrived in the Western Wastes, conquered them, and then discovered that the Central Plains, a perilous place for others, seemed quite welcoming to him.

...

Qingyang City, located on the northwestern frontier of the Central Plains, had grown quite desolate over the year plus.

They chiefly engaged in import and export business with the Western Wastes.

Whether it was the flying vessels from the Western Wastes or the caravans from the Central Plains, coming and going, they would always stop in Qingyang City to procure or sell all kinds of goods.

This flow of commerce had brought prosperity to Qingyang City, but two years prior, a new overlord emerged in the Western Wastes. The Moon-Watching Sect rose, and the Sky-splitting Sword Sect was destroyed, leading to a decline in this trade route, especially since the new overlord expelled the Myriad Gold Pavilion, plunging Qingyang City further into desolation.

Many were curious about just what kind of person Meng Yu was. They said he was the son of Divinity Transformation, claimed he had summoned three hundred Golden Cores, and so on.

But all of this was shrouded in mist, and it was hard to distinguish truth from falsehood.

"This here is Qingyang City. Shall we enter the city?"

In the distant sky, a flying boat hovered above.

"No, let's keep moving."

Onboard the Solar Eclipse, Meng Yu looked down at the land below him.

Starting from the Western Wastes, it took Meng Yu a full ten months on the Solar Eclipse to reach the Central Plains.

This was with the Solar Eclipse at full throttle and without any trouble along the way. Had it been an ordinary flying vessel, the journey would have taken even longer.

Throughout the journey, Meng Yu saw many magnificent sights: hordes of exotic flying beasts, Fourth Grade terror-inducing giant bears, illusory strange ghosts, and even some peculiar and abnormal areas.

This time coming to the Central Plains, Golden Core Meng Yu only brought Hua Miaochai, leaving the rest being disciples from Moon-Watching Sect. As for other Golden Cores, Meng Yu asked them to stay behind.

Even if Master Lihua and Master Taohua stayed at Moon-Watching Sect, the defensive forces there were just barely sufficient. The waters run deep in the Central Plains. Bringing one more Hua Miaochai or a few more people would not make much difference, but bringing only Hua Miaochai did have an advantage—if need be, Meng Yu could flee with Hua Miaochai.

Meng Yu even left behind Ji Qiaoer and the others. Your journey continues at My Virtual Library Empire

Upon receiving Meng Yu's orders, the disciples of Moon-Watching Sect nodded, and the flying boat continued on its way toward the destination.

The destination was an even more distant city, known as a major city in the northwest, the Sleepless City.

It was a city exclusively for cultivators, with a ceaseless flow of Spirit Stone business day and night.

...

After ten days.

"Who would have thought that this city, just like the Western Wastes, restricts the entry of Nascent Souls."

A man and woman walked together on the streets of Sleepless City; the woman was charming and lovely, while the man was exceptionally handsome.

What Hua Miaochai was referring to was the law.

"How could a world without law exist?"

Meng Yu smiled, feeling the presence of the law in this city and the surrounding areas.

A world without law is one of utter chaos.

In the Minor World of Great Wu, a martial arts master alone was enough to change dynasties. In the Upper Realm, a single Golden Core could dominate far and wide, and during the conflict between Sky-splitting Sword Sect and Moon-Watching Sect, it was known they assembled forty-nine Golden Cores at once!

The idea that you or a small sect could quietly grow and thrive without the protection of law is wishful thinking!

Clandestine theft is the quickest way to make money.

The subordinates struggle to build a city, developing it over decades, achieving some accumulation, and then come those who reap without sowing. Today a Golden Core arrives, tomorrow a Nascent Soul, perhaps surviving this through sheer luck, then what? More will come!

High-stage cultivators also need resources, and they're even greedier.

Ordinary cultivators spend Spirit Stones and brave various dangers, barely dealing with the robberies by Golden Cores and Nascent Souls, but what's to stop five or six Nascent Souls from coming later, or even beings undergoing Divinity Transformation?

And as for Sect protection, what use is it when they mask their faces and loot before fleeing? Your Nascent Souls must first figure out who they are. Those old hands can alter their appearance more easily than anyone, and then can you possibly track them down to the ends of the earth?

"Even Golden Core Nascent Soul cultivators can't turn a blind eye to small fortunes. They commit robberies as a daily wickedness, which is far better than struggling with demonic beasts or personally mining Spirit Stones, right? You work hard to develop, and then others come to rob you, the cultivators don't need to worry about logistical pressures. Why not rob if there's nothing to lose?"

So, even though the Old Immortal Gate has perished, the vast Nine Provinces Great Formation they established in the past, another manifestation of the laws, is still being patched and mended by various forces to ensure the safety of their own little haven.

Sleepless City, spanning three thousand miles, forbids the entry of Nascent Soul cultivators.

The laws of the Central Plains Continent are a bit different from those of the Immortal Sect.

The laws of the Immortal Sect are based on planets, which then form contracts. The energy of the planet provides the punishment. Anyone exceeding the cultivation limit will be exterminated, while the laws of the Central Plains are less extreme on the fringes. High-stage masters who penetrate the barrier will feel something is amiss. If they continue to push forward, they will face heavenly tribulations and all kinds of annihilation, unless they lower their cultivation level before coming in, but even then, they can easily be surrounded and perish in attacks.

"Is this why you haven't upgraded the Solar Eclipse to Fourth Grade?"

"Mhm, upgrading to Fourth Grade also poses some problems. Actually, I'm not too worried about my own safety, am I?"

Meng Yu said with a smile.

The Great Formation that once protected the Central Plains shattered long ago. Now, the Nine Provinces Great Formation has been fragmented into countless smaller sections, many of which are worlds governed only by Second Order or Third Grade laws. And these worlds have become the most prosperous and flourishing, just like the current Sleepless City.

As for the wild and barren lands beyond, they are truly terrifying, populated by all sorts of strange monsters, oddities, and cultivation robbers lurking everywhere with malicious intent.

The Spirit Veins, medicinal fields, and ore mines of countless major Sects are all located within these small worlds constrained by laws.

"Let's go, our stronghold is just ahead."

After walking down several streets and experiencing different local flavors, Meng Yu and Hua Miaochai arrived at the Moon-Watching Sect's stronghold.

Although Bai Qianqian is not overly ambitious, she knows that the Moon-Watching Sect cannot sever its ties with the Central Plains. Every ten or so years, they send a disciple to Sleepless City to manage a shop, procure various items regularly, and then send them back to the Moon-Watching Sect.

Making money is not the main concern; the priority is to ensure they have a source of information, so as not to be deceived by the Myriad Gold Pavilion and Jingtai Chamber of Commerce. Additionally, if any of the failing and discarded members of the alliance seek refuge here, they can be received properly; otherwise, the journey to the Western Wastes is long and perilous, and problems are likely to arise.

The shop wasn't opened in the city center, nor in a bustling area. In those years, Bai Qianqian was very poor, so she bought a piece of land near the outskirts of the city and opened a shop there.

When Meng Yu arrived, he saw a female cultivator greeting several of Sleepless City's officials at the shop entrance with a forced smile, discreetly handing something over to them.

After those men left, they said to the female cultivator, "Brother Wang has taken a liking to you, which is your good fortune."

Meng Yu sighed and did not immediately step forward. Doing business is like this; he had a friend who developed high blood pressure within three months of opening a supermarket.

"Her name is Ding Yijun, a girl Qianqian picked up from the streets who was nearly starved to death. After achieving Foundation Establishment, she took the initiative to come to Sleepless City," said Hua Miaochai while sighing, watching the woman who was smiling somewhat humbly.

The two of them approached the doorway. The place was a general store with about a dozen employees busily moving about. Ding Yijun looked at them with surprise.

"I am Uncle Master Hua."

Hua Miaochai revealed her true face and introduced Meng Yu to her.

"Let's close the shop for now, we have an esteemed guest," she said.

After holding out for nine years, she finally saw the clouds part and the glory of the Moon-Watching Sect arrival.

...

Once the shop door was closed, the unsuspecting disciples were given leave to go home, Ding Yijun bowed respectfully before Meng Yu.

Meng Yu accepted her bow, then asked her to rise.

He felt a deep sense of gratitude towards these disciples who worked so hard away from home.

Just like Su Qingqing of Great Wu who had stood guard for seventeen years. She did not steal or rob; she held true to her principles. When it came to the matters of the Sect, she would courageously take responsibility. It was she who prevented a conflict between Meng Yu and the Moon-Watching Sect and even turned a potential enemy into a friend, eliminating the lineage with a mounted force.

"You've had a hard time these years."

Meng Yu entered the shop, taking in his surroundings.

Read thousands of books and travel thousands of miles; this journey really felt quite good.

If he hadn't met Bai Qianqian back then, he might have been managing a store in the Western Wastes himself, trafficking various goods between two realms, then looking for an opportunity to join a Sect and steadily climb the ranks step by step.

"How have you been during this time?"

A lone girl, who traveled for two years to a place unfamiliar to her, opening a shop while passing messages, acquiring supplies, and dealing with various troubles. Her everyday life, as it was clear to see, was not very good; she was being harassed.

"It's been okay. When opening the shop, I didn't use the name of the Moon-Watching Sect, so everyone just knows that I'm a Foundation Building Cultivator. As long as I don't make a lot of money, I can get by."

Fifty-four years old, at Foundation Establishment Second Stage, she answered Meng Yu's questions like a child, with caution, prudence, and brimming joy.

"What was the deal with those people just now?"

Meng Yu asked, then received the answer. A man from Sleepless City named Wang Zhongjie had taken a fancy to Ding Yijun and wanted to make her his fourth concubine, but she had refused. Therefore, he resorted to tactics that involved some people starting to curry favor or pressuring Ding Yijun to give in.

"These years, the Sect has failed you."

Meng Yu spoke slowly.