Chapter Forty: The Heavenly Capital's Purple Star

After three dull days, the amethyst bracelet was finally brought out by Linglong Gu.

Staring at the bracelet that hadn’t changed much in appearance, Chengzhu Li couldn’t help but click his tongue in astonishment. Although its size was nearly the same, the moment he held it, he knew this bracelet was no longer the original. Its weight had mysteriously doubled—a matter not to be taken lightly.

“How did you manage that?” Chengzhu Li asked eagerly, fondling the bracelet.

“It’s all thanks to my sister. She knows much more about forging than I do. She used a technique similar to the ‘Mustard Seed Naxumi’ method to layer the amethyst crystals together,” Linglong Gu said with a smile, crediting Xiaoying for the work.

“It was Sister who put in the effort. Without her late-stage immortal cultivation, we couldn’t have compressed this bracelet like this. When it was first forged, it was as big as a hula hoop made of primordial wood,” Xiaoying said, exaggerating with her hands spread wide.

“Well then, I’ll reward you both tonight,” Chengzhu Li said with a mischievous grin, causing Linglong Gu’s face to flush again.

It had been many days since their wedding, yet this woman still blushed so easily.

Xiaoying, on the other hand, was much more straightforward, grinning slyly at her man. “Just reward Sister. Forging took a lot of her immortal spiritual energy. Cultivating together will help replenish it faster.”

“No one escapes,” Chengzhu Li said as he gave a playful slap on Xiaoying’s pert hip before dashing out the door. His voice drifted back inside, “Clean yourselves with your spiritual energy and lie down, waiting for me.”

“Pervert!” Linglong Gu bit her lip, her face aflame.

Although the amethyst bracelet was forged, without imprinting his soul’s mark, he couldn’t absorb it into his body. Now, Chengzhu Li had to refine and assimilate the forged bracelet.

Since it was forged with Linglong Gu’s immortal spiritual energy, this absorption was somewhat easier than the last time, showcasing the advantage of their shared source of spiritual energy. However, with his current cultivation, he couldn’t yet perceive the effect; only when he met the Patriarch again could he confirm.

Still, with so much amethyst shielding his spiritual pressure fluctuations, he was confident that no immortal below the late stage of Great Dao Golden Immortal would detect anything unusual within his body.

But this was truly extravagant.

Amethyst is actually a symbiotic mineral of amethyst jade ore. It can be forged and concentrated from amethyst jade, but even if the entire amethyst jade vein in the western city were fully concentrated, it might only yield half a catty of amethyst.

Inside his Nascent Soul, Li, the big boss, essentially concealed eight such large ore veins.

Thinking of this, Chengzhu Li suddenly felt the weight of his Nascent Soul.

Half of that raw amethyst ore remained unused. Just in case, Chengzhu Li instructed Linglong Gu to forge something to conceal her immortal infant’s energy. Linglong Gu herself was a late-stage immortal, so having strong spiritual pressure fluctuations was no surprise. She only needed to slightly shield the unabsorbed wood essence energy within her body.

After finishing all this, they stayed a few more days in the city lord’s mansion before finally deciding to head to the Celestial Capital of the Immortal Realm—the Ziwei Star.

Ziwei Star is a grand city at the heart of the Immortal Realm, estimated to be at least twenty times the size of Rainbow City.

Above the star floats the Heavenly Court Palace, where the Immortal Emperor and Immortal Lords reside.

However, the Heavenly Court Palace is an ethereal presence, rarely seen even by the inhabitants of Ziwei Star. It last appeared a century ago; no one knew if it would show again during this competition.

According to rumors, the Heavenly Court Palace is hidden by a formation array jointly set by the Immortal Emperor and ten Immortal Lords. It wanders throughout the Immortal Realm but always reappears at the center of Ziwei Star. The notion that the palace moves was gradually forgotten due to lack of evidence.

The true governance of the Immortal Realm lies with several Luotian Supreme Immortals and Great Dao Golden Immortals. After all, even the Immortal Emperor must cultivate and can’t be burdened with mundane affairs. They appoint and dismiss city lords, commanders, and oversee the tens of thousands of cities’ annual tributes.

In times of war, such as the last Angel Legion invasion, these rulers communicate with the Heavenly Court Palace for instructions.

Among those traveling to Ziwei Star this time were Chengzhu Li, Linglong Gu, Xiaoying, Qiufeng, Yuanmu, and surprisingly, Yuchun, the wife, also tagged along.

Yuanmu was naturally delighted, but when Chengzhu Li caught Yuchun looking at Xiaoying with a cold, affectionate gaze, he wished he could have Yuanmu use the Immortal Scattering to get rid of her, sparing himself the annoyance.

“She has no sense as a woman,” Li the big boss grumbled quietly to Linglong Gu.

Xiaoying looked pitifully at her man with big eyes. “If she wants to come, it’s not my fault. Why are you jealous?”

Enduring Yuchun’s unrestrained harassment along the way, Chengzhu Li finally lost patience and angrily grabbed her neck, warning that if she continued to pester Xiaoying, he would flatten her upper body to match her lower half.

Facing the overwhelming spiritual pressure beyond even her own Convergence stage and the terrifying expression before her, Yuchun finally felt a flicker of fear. Though unwilling to submit, she understood well that no one could help her. Even the city lord averted his gaze sympathetically and did not intervene.

Casting a hateful glare at Chengzhu Li, Yuchun finally relented.

Sure enough, in the days that followed, Li the big boss felt the atmosphere much calmer. Without that woman constantly holding Xiaoying’s hand and making her uneasy, life was fairly peaceful.

Despite hearing many discussions about Ziwei Star during the journey, seeing its grand scale for the first time stunned Chengzhu Li.

The towering city walls, stretching endlessly and reaching dozens of meters high, extended straight to the edge of his gaze. Their gray, weathered surfaces bore witness to the Immortal Realm’s long history and development. Even the massive front gate weighed heavily on Li’s spirits.

That gate was truly enormous.

Thirty meters tall, over twenty meters wide, the open maw resembled a terrifying wolf’s jaws, devouring every cultivator who entered. The front gate was carved with two soaring dragons twisting their tails and spewing spiritual energy, exuding a domineering gaze. Beyond the gate, a faintly colored membrane visible in the sky inside the city was undoubtedly Ziwei Star’s protective shield.

Li the big boss shaded his eyes and looked up. Standing beneath this gate, he felt like an ant crawling under an elephant’s trousers—utterly insignificant.

“So this is the Celestial Capital, Ziwei Star?” Li’s tongue stumbled over the words.

“Yes, it’s magnificent, isn’t it, husband?” Xiaoying pressed close to him, her face filled with excitement. “No matter how many times I come here, I’m always overwhelmed by its grandeur.”

“Truly magnificent,” Li admitted. Compared to it, Rainbow City was like a small, uncivilized mountain village.

However, the gate wasn’t as heavily guarded as he had imagined. There wasn’t even a single guard in sight. Then again, who dared cause trouble in the Celestial Capital? Unless they wanted to be hanged like an old lecher, bored with life.

“Let’s go in,” Linglong Gu said, her cheeks flushed, probably from excitement. “It’s been four years since I last came here.”

Four years ago, when Linglong Gu had just ascended to the Immortal Realm, she must have come to register at the Celestial Capital. Unexpectedly, she was assigned to Rainbow City as a city lord.

Qiufeng’s face was expressionless as he led the group inside, acting like he was very familiar with the place.

Chengzhu Li pursed his lips and followed close behind.

Once inside Ziwei Star, Chengzhu Li realized that the residents—or rather, the cultivators who came here—were incomparable to those of Rainbow City. The nearly ten-meter-wide avenues were packed with people, occasionally bumping into each other and triggering bursts of protective spiritual light. Even cultivators couldn’t avoid the bustling crowds, revealing just how densely populated Ziwei Star was.

“Why is no one flying in the sky?” Chengzhu Li observed for a long while before noticing the problem.

With so many people packed in, why not just fly on a sword above?

“Flying is prohibited in Ziwei Star, as is the use of flying spiritual treasures or artifacts,” Qiufeng explained calmly.

“So, we have to squeeze in with them on foot?” Chengzhu Li’s mouth dropped open as he gestured at the throng.

“That’s right.”

“What happens if someone flies on a sword?” Li asked, rolling his eyes.

Qiufeng was momentarily taken aback, having never considered that question. He glanced at Li and said, “You can try it.”

“Forget it,” Li said with a shrug. Since everyone obeyed this rule, there must be a reason. If someone flew up and got shot down by something, they’d have nowhere to complain. He leaned close to Linglong Gu and whispered a few words to the little one cradled in her arms, warning it not to fly.

The little creature disdainfully ignored him without opening its eyes.

“Let’s go find a place to stay and discuss other matters,” the City Lord Linglong Gu announced, and everyone agreed. Qiufeng went ahead alone to lead the way.

Fortunately, neither of the two ladies were large in stature, so Chengzhu Li could still shield most of their bodies with his outstretched arms, preventing others from taking liberties. Looking back at Yuanmu, he saw her smiling and spreading her arms to make space for Yuchun in the crowd.

After walking nearly a quarter of an incense stick’s time through a several-hundred-meter-long entrance, Chengzhu Li glanced back at the still-flowing crowd and sighed at the bustling prosperity of the Celestial Capital.

“There really are so many people,” Li the big boss and Yuanmu exchanged wry smiles.

Beyond the crowded entrance, it was much easier to move around inside Ziwei Star without bumping into others at every step.

“Where to now?” Chengzhu Li asked. Unfamiliar with the place, he didn’t know where to find lodging.

“Qiufeng knows better. You lead the way,” Linglong Gu deferred the decision.

The young man showed rare excitement and said softly, “Follow me.”

After winding through many twists and turns, Chengzhu Li finally saw a shop with a large sign bearing the character for “Lodging.” The shop’s name was “Ascension Hall” — quite a bold name indeed.

The Celestial Capital’s grandeur and bustling life were now before them.