Chapter 533: Primordial Origin City
The streets in the outer city were lined with mud and short brick and tile buildings, most of which had rectangular tables in front of them, upon which were placed all types of merchandise. The majority of the merchandise catered toward mortals, so they were of no interest to Han Li.
As they approached the inner city, the streets became wider and much more uniform, and the buildings that lined the streets also became taller and more extravagant. However, in contrast with the other continents in the Northern Glacial Immortal Region, there was a clear disparity in the style in which the buildings were constructed.
There were very few cylindrical pillars incorporated into the buildings here, nor any intricate engravings that were commonplace elsewhere. Overall, the style was simpler and rougher around the edges, and was lacking in intricacy and thoughtfulness.
Furthermore, the wares being sold on the sides of the streets further accentuated the fact that this continent was different from the others.
Even though it was getting dark, there were still quite a few people out on the streets, and after some observation, Han Li discovered that there were many foreign beings here that weren't commonly seen elsewhere in the Northern Glacial Immortal Region. After walking for only a few hundred meters, Han Li had already spotted a decent number of foreign beings with peculiar appearances and strange attire.
However, this was no surprise, considering that this continent was situated on the border of the Northern Glacial Immortal Region.
"Something smells really good, Uncle..." Jin Tong exclaimed as soon as she finished the tanghulu in her hand, following which she immediately rushed over to a streetside stall.
Standing behind the stall was a dark-skinned man with a well-built physique, and he smiled as he asked, "How can I help you, little girl?"
Han Li followed Jin Tong to the stall to find that there was a huge copper pot full of bubbling oil placed beside it. Beside the pot was a table that was laden with freshly deep-fried food that was rather unappealing in appearance, but were giving off an alluring aroma.
Han Li's brows furrowed slightly at the sight of the food being sold.
There were appendages of roughly the same thickness as human arms, giant pincers the size of tables, and an eyeball from some type of unidentifiable beast, all of which had been fried to a golden color and a crispy texture.
"You want to eat this stuff?" Han Li asked.
"I do! I'll take all of it!" Jin Tong declared as she swept a hand through the air, and all of the food on the table was instantly stowed away into her storage bracelet.
A resigned smile appeared on Han Li's face as he paid the stall owner, who was ecstatic to have sold so much food at once.
As Han Li and Jin Tong continued to approach the inner city, the streets were becoming more and more packed with pedestrians.
There were many streetside stall owners loudly advertising their wares, and many verbal arguments could also be heard with no shortage of derogatory terms being thrown around.
There were also quite a few places where there were scantily dressed women leaning against the railing or standing at the entrance, waving their fans and their sleeves to attract patrons to their doors.
Most of the people in the city were mortals, and there were quite a few cultivators as well, but the majority of them possessed very lowly cultivation bases. Han Li was listening to the conversations taking place around him, trying to gather some useful information. However, that ultimately proved to be futile, so he grabbed onto Jin Tong's arm and rose up into the air to fly directly toward the inner city.
As they flew through the sky, Han Li suddenly raised an eyebrow at the sight of the countless specks of light down below, and he murmured to himself, "It seems like this entire city is a complex array... The larger the city is, the more stable the array. No wonder there are no city walls constructed here. How brilliant..."
"What's so brilliant, Uncle?" Jin Tong asked while crunching on a giant fried pincer.
An amused smile appeared on Han Li's face as he chuckled, "Don't worry about it, just focus on your food."
In contrast with the outer city, the buildings in the inner city were far more intricately constructed, and many decorative engravings could be seen on these buildings, but they were all depicting strange beasts that Han Li had never seen before.
The shops and restaurants that lined the streets had also turned into three-story pavilions, littered in between which were some large inns.
What was most intriguing to Han Li was that there was a giant hemispherical building every few streets, and these were always the liveliest and most bustling places on their respective streets.
Each of these buildings had four entrances, and the walls were riddled with fortification runes. Every once in a while, the sound of raucous cheering would ring out within these buildings.
"It sounds really fun in there, Uncle! Let's go in and take a look!" Jin Tong suggested with an intrigued expression.
"Those are just arenas where different beasts are pitted against each other, while bets are placed by the spectators," Han Li explained with a shake of his head.
Jin Tong immediately lost interest upon hearing this.
"We've been traveling non-stop recently, so let's take a rest in this city for tonight, then leave the city tomorrow to travel to the primordial land," Han Li said as he took a glance up at the starry night sky.
"You can do whatever you want, Uncle. I'm feeling a little drowsy after my meal, so I'm going to sleep for a bit," Jin Tong replied, then shrank down into a tiny golden beetle before landing on Han Li's finger as a golden ring.
Han Li could only shake his head with a resigned smile as he made his way toward the center of the city.
As he did so, he discovered that the buildings on the streets were becoming sparser.
This wasn't because the city wasn't sufficiently prosperous. Instead, it was because all of the buildings in the core area of the inner city had been constructed in accordance with that giant array. Hence, they couldn't be altered on a whim, and piling too many buildings into the area would compromise the array.
As Han Li made his way to the entrance of a street, he spotted a tall red archway. The pillars of the archway had intricate designs of dragons and phoenixes engraved upon them, and the words "Faint Smoke Garden" were inscribed on a plaque at the center of the archway.
Han Li peered into the archway with his Brightsight Spirit Eyes to find that the world's origin qi in the area beyond it was far more abundant than in other areas, and he began to make his way toward the archway.
Only as he approached the archway did he notice that there was a black wooden plaque nearby, upon which were inscribed the words: "Only cultivators at or above the Deity Transformation Stage allowed."
Han Li stepped through the archway, and he was immediately welcomed by a tall and slender female cultivator in a palace dress.
"Welcome, esteemed guest," the woman greeted as she extended a respectful curtsey.
Her etiquette and mannerisms were completely impeccable, but her smile was a little too uniform and professional, making her slightly cold and uninviting.
"Do you have any spare rooms?" Han Li asked.
"There's a vacant room in a peaceful location in the B-grade garden," the woman replied.
"There are different grades in the rooms here? Do you have any vacant rooms in your A-grade garden?" Han Li asked.
"This must be your first time in Primordial Origin City, right? There's an unofficial rule in all of the immortal inns in the city, which is that all rooms are split into four grades, A, B, C, and D, and A-grade rooms are only accessible to cultivators at or above the True Immortal Stage. Given your Grand Ascension Stage cultivation base, a B-grade room is most suitable for you," the woman explained with an apologetic expression.
"I see. That's fine, please lead the way," Han Li replied with a smile.
He was only planning to stay here for one night anyway, so it didn't really matter whether he stayed in an A-grade room or a B-grade one.
The woman hesitated momentarily, then asked, "You're not going to ask about the price?"
"Arrange for some food and wine to be sent to my room, I'll pay for everything when I leave tomorrow," Han Li replied in an indifferent voice.
"As you wish. Please come with me," the woman replied with another curtsey.
She then led Han Li out of the rear hall and along a winding corridor toward the backyard.
"If this is your first time here, why don't you spend a few more days in Primordial Origin City?" the woman suggested as she led the way. "There are some places that are worth visiting in the city, and it would be a pity not to pay them a visit."
"What are some of these places?" Han Li asked in a casual manner.
"The exact time when Primordial Origin City was first constructed is unknown. Throughout its history, the city has been destroyed on many occasions during battles between cultivators and primordial beasts, and the current iteration of the city was reconstructed with the support of all of the Northern Glacial Immortal Region's top sects after the most recent war," the woman introduced.
"Does that mean primordial beasts have managed to attack their way into the city before?" Han Li asked.
"That's right. The last large-scale war was a very long time ago, so there aren't many people around who still remember it, but I've heard that the primordial beasts were able to force their way into the city under the leadership of some primordial true spirits," the woman replied with a nod.
"Is the city jointly overseen by all of the major sects?" Han Li asked.
"That's not the case. Due to the special location of the city, it's currently being overseen by the city lord's manor, and the major sects play no part in its management. However, the city is on good terms with all of the major sects, so it'll generally receive reinforcements from those sects in its times of need," the woman explained.
"What about the Immortal Palace? Do they play no role in overseeing the city?" Han Li asked.
"The Northern Glacial Immortal Palace has expression intentions of taking over the city in the past, but they've been opposed by all of the major sects, and the city lord of Primordial Origin City is a cultivator at the pinnacle of the Golden Immortal Stage, so the Northern Glacial Immortal Palace has been unable to usurp the city lord's manor. However..."
The woman's voice trailed off here as a hesitant look appeared on her face.
Han Li could already guess what she wanted to say, but he still asked, "What is it?"
"In the wake of the Blaze Dragon Dao incident, the state of the Northern Glacial Immortal Region will most likely undergo a change, and Primordial Origin City may be affected as well," the woman said with a concerned expression.
Han Li was rather relieved to hear this.
It seemed like word of what had happened in the Infernal Frost Immortal Manor still hadn't spread across the Northern Glacial Immortal Region yet. At the very least, it appeared that those in Primordial Origin City were still oblivious to such matters.
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