Chapter 217: Chapter 217: The Immortal City’s Worry, An Invitation from Canghai

Su Ye contemplated his future plans.

「Meanwhile.」

Weiyuan Immortal City.

Within a secret chamber on Canghai Mountain.

Canghai sat cross-legged inside, regulating his breathing.

This legendary Loose Cultivator and renowned great cultivator... his current state seemed...

unwell?

His face could no longer maintain its middle-aged appearance.

It was as if he had aged twenty years overnight, his head now full of white hair!

Even his figure had grown stooped and gaunt.

Only his large frame remained, draped in a black robe that held his shape.

COUGH, COUGH...

His chest heaved as he coughed violently and frequently, spitting up blood from time to time.

His entire aura was like a candle flickering in the wind, giving off a strong sense of unreality!

Oil exhausted, lamp extinguished!

Those four words were the perfect way to describe the Canghai of today.

"Master..."

Sikong Xin entered the secret chamber and saw Canghai’s decrepit state.

His eyes stung, and he could barely hold back his tears.

In the battle for the Immortal City, Canghai had exhausted his vital energy and suffered grievous injuries.

As a result, the multiple Youthful Appearance Elixirs he had taken were no longer effective, revealing his decrepit appearance.

—This was a sign that his lifespan was about to end!

A Crystal-stage cultivator theoretically had a lifespan of five hundred years.

But everyone knew there was a great chasm between theory and reality.

Cultivators fought for opportunities, battled in duels, consumed their own vital energy, and accumulated hidden injuries.

All of these things took a toll on one’s lifespan!

During the prime of their life, they might seem fine.

But when a cultivator entered their later years...

...and couldn’t break through to a higher realm...

...the injuries accumulated in their youth would inevitably strike back, affecting their lifespan!

What’s more, Canghai had started as a Loose Cultivator.

In his early years, during the Pioneering War, life-or-death battles were a daily occurrence!

Canghai could be said to be a survivor of a hundred battles.

He had killed countless natives and cultivators, fended off countless open attacks and hidden schemes, and thwarted devilish plots...

Only then, as a Loose Cultivator, had he single-handedly carved out the foundation of Weiyuan Immortal City!

Back then, during the Pioneering War, more than a hundred thousand Loose Cultivators came from the Outer Sea.

Yet, only he, Canghai, had broken through to the Crystal stage!

One could only imagine the hardships involved!

Under such circumstances, his lifespan was at least fifty or sixty years shorter than the theoretical maximum!

And this recent, grievous injury...

...had only made a bad situation worse for Canghai’s already limited lifespan!

Thinking of this, Sikong Xin felt his heart ache, and tears streamed from his eyes.

He had become Canghai’s disciple as a child.

To him, Canghai was like a biological father, perhaps even more so!

"Xin, don’t cry."

"Your master won’t die so quickly. I used a Secret Technique to conserve my essence and lock in my life force..."

"At the very least, I still have four or five years."

Canghai’s murky eyes shifted slightly, his voice hoarse and low.

Then, he asked.

"What are the casualties in the Immortal City?"

Sikong Xin’s expression darkened as he reported truthfully.

With the rampaging sea of trees and the Beast Tide, the losses to Weiyuan Immortal City were incalculable.

Even several of the Vast Sea Sect’s disciples had fallen or been seriously injured.

For example, Canghai’s sixth disciple, Deng Jinhai, was gravely injured and remains in a coma...

As for the five major families of the Immortal City, the City Guard Army, and the Law Enforcement Team...

These subordinate forces had only twenty to thirty percent of their strength remaining!

It could be said that...

...since the end of the Pioneering War...

...Weiyuan Immortal City had never been so weak!

Listening to Sikong Xin’s report, Canghai’s chest tightened, and he coughed violently.

Alarmed, Sikong Xin moved closer to Canghai and took his hand.

Only then did Sikong Xin realize...

...that Canghai’s arm was nothing but bone wrapped in a thin layer of dark, withered skin, utterly emaciated.

"Master..." Sorrow welled up in Sikong Xin’s heart.

However, Canghai’s expression suddenly turned grave.

"Xin, your Magic Power Crystal... what happened to it?"

In Canghai’s perception...

...Sikong Xin’s Magic Power Crystal...

...was showing fine cracks, with faint signs of collapsing!

For a cultivator, this was a sign of a damaged foundation and an unstable realm!

"I..." Sikong Xin gave a bitter smile and explained.

"My strength was insufficient. I was injured while fighting several Demon Kings."

A damaged Magic Power Crystal, showing cracks.

These cracks were very difficult to mend.

This meant that even if Sikong Xin recovered from his injuries, advancing to the next stage would be extremely difficult for him.

Furthermore, his combat prowess would also be affected.

Bullying a Foundation Establishment cultivator might still be fine.

But when fighting peers of the same stage, this was a fatal flaw!

In a prolonged battle, there would be a risk of the crystal shattering!

"Sigh..." Canghai sighed.

"Good child. You have given too much for the Immortal City."

After a moment of silence.

Canghai said, "Make preparations. Invite Mr. Su to a banquet in his honor."

"Your master has matters to discuss with him."

"Master?" Sikong Xin hesitated, an unusual expression on his face.

Currently, the attitude of the Immortal City’s upper echelon towards Su Ye was rather strange.

The man had turned the tide and saved the Immortal City from dire straits; they should be grateful.

However, Su Ye had also taken advantage of the crisis.

During the city’s turmoil, he had devoured the tens of millions of life souls within the Life Soul Pool of the Nine Nether Blood Sea Array!

The cultivators of the Immortal City were not fools.

Even if they hadn’t discovered what Su Ye was doing during the chaos...

...after the great battle ended...

...where did the fluctuations from tens of millions of life souls aboard the Ghostly Flood Dragon come from?

The answer was obvious.

And having lost these tens of millions of life souls...

...even though the structure of the Nine Nether Blood Sea Array still existed and could be activated...

...it was useless!

Without the support of the life souls, the Nine Nether Blood Sea Array was just an ordinary third-tier array!

Its power had plummeted drastically!

Su Ye’s actions... were bound to be criticized.

It was more than just being criticized.

If Su Ye were still at the Foundation Establishment stage, he would have long been minced into meat paste and his ashes scattered to the winds!

But the problem was, Sikong Xin’s face twitched slightly as he glanced up.

He saw nothing. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

After all, they were indoors.

But he knew that the dark and towering Ghostly Flood Dragon was pressing down on the Immortal City like a mountain!

At the same time, Su Ye’s own Divine Techniques and methods were comparable to a Late-stage Crystal cultivator.

A great cultivator with terrifying combat power!

Furthermore, if it hadn’t been for his help, Weiyuan Immortal City wouldn’t have even been able to reclaim its lost territory...

Under these circumstances, what could the Immortal City’s side possibly do?

If they angered Su Ye, the entire Immortal City would be wiped out!

At this critical juncture, the Immortal City absolutely did not dare to show any malice.

But even so, Sikong Xin still held a grudge against Su Ye in his heart!

"Xin, times have changed."

Canghai shook his head. "Su Ye’s rise is already a foregone conclusion. Saying more is pointless."

"I’ve also read the intelligence report on him... He started as a crew member on a Demon Hunting Ship, distinguished himself with his talent for combat, and also possesses a knack for management..."

"He achieved Foundation Establishment, defeated the Qi Family, and took control of the Luo Family... From there, his rise was meteoric, and his cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds."

"Next came the Crystal stage..."

"His forbearance is extreme, and his temperament is terrifying!"

Canghai commented gravely.

"And now, the Immortal City is in a precarious state, your master is on the verge of passing, and the Cyan Profound Sect, wounded but not dead, is eyeing us like a tiger..."

"At a time like this..."

"A person like Su Ye can only be won over, not made an enemy!"

"Invite him to see me as soon as possible."

"Yes... Master," Sikong Xin said, dejected.