That night, the entire population of Xiushui City found it hard to sleep, filled with excitement. In the past few years, their lives had already changed drastically, but nothing compared to the events of that day when the city was built. Especially for the villagers from nearby villages, who had always envied how Xiushui Village prospered day by day. Though they benefited somewhat from the increased traffic to Xiushui Village, which brought more people through their once isolated areas, they never imagined they would suddenly leap into a new life.
Now, they didn't even need to fetch water from the well. With just a twist of the "tap," water flowed out. Wasn't this the life of the immortals? Starting today, they were city dwellers!
They also heard from the Lingxian Sect disciples that more and more immortals from outside would likely come to Xiushui City to do business. Although the villagers didn't quite understand why immortals needed to conduct business, based on their impression of the Lingxian Sect over the past few years, they knew this was a great thing. After all, with more immortals around, who knew if one of them might be favored by an immortal and receive great fortune?
And they weren't worried about any ill-intentions from these visiting immortals, because the Lingxian Sect had assured them that if any outsiders caused trouble, they could always go to the foot of the Lingxian Sect's mountain and ring the bell for help. Each village chief also had a mystical item that allowed direct communication with Liu Yunan from the sect, and within Xiushui City, no one could use magic to harm others. Everything had been thoroughly thought out to protect the common folk, so the villagers felt completely at ease.
These simple villagers, with no knowledge of cultivation or the complexities of restriction arrays, had no idea how difficult it was to create a system that could suppress all the cultivators entering the city. Their peace of mind stemmed entirely from their trust in the Lingxian Sect.
Over the years, whenever they faced any disaster beyond their control, it was always the Lingxian Sect that stood up for them. In an era when the government did little to assist rural areas, the Lingxian Sect had become a reliable and irreplaceable pillar of support for the common folk.
In fact, it wasn't just the villagers within Xiushui City who held this belief; throughout the Hufang Province, it was almost frowned upon not to have a shrine dedicated to the Lingxian Sect in one's home. To the people, worshipping gods and Buddhas paled in comparison to worshipping the Lingxian Sect—because the sect had become their living, breathing deities.
The creation of Xiushui City caused a huge commotion, large enough to be heard in surrounding towns and cities. Startled by the noise, people rushed out of their homes, looking toward the source of the sound. Those nearby saw clouds of dust rising in the distance where the sky had been clear moments before.
At first, people feared it was some sort of natural disaster. But soon, government officials ran through the streets, shouting, "Lingxian Sect is building a city! Don't panic!"
Hearing that the disturbance was caused by the Lingxian Sect, the people quickly calmed down. Once their panic subsided, curiosity took over, and groups of people gathered in teahouses and on street corners to gossip.
"Hey, did you hear? The Lingxian Sect is building a city!"
"Yeah, right over by Xiushui Village!"
"Are the nearby villages going to have to move?"
"Nope! I heard the Lingxian Sect is keeping all the villages inside the city. My cousin from Daniu Village came by just yesterday, bragging about it..."
The townsfolk found the whole situation fascinating and even discussed going to see the spectacle for themselves.
Xunfang Zhenzhe, who had arrived at Xiushui Village two days prior and witnessed the miraculous creation of the city, couldn't calm his thoughts. Having arrived early, he had carefully surveyed the area and was well aware that, until recently, there hadn't been any defense arrays or restrictions around Xiushui Village.
Now, standing on the wide streets of Xiushui City, Xunfang Zhenzhe couldn't help but reflect on how much preparation he would have needed to accomplish something even close to this. At the same time, he noticed his spiritual power was being suppressed. In this city, his spiritual energy could only form a thin barrier around him, and even something as simple as casting a small fireball was impossible. The moment the fireball left his fingers, it vanished, as if swallowed by an invisible force.
Staring at his fingers, where the fireball had disappeared, Xunfang Zhenzhe's expression grew serious. Perhaps this Lingxian Sect wasn't truly a sect from the Mortal Realm after all.
With such power, if Lingxian Sect ever decided to wipe out all the cultivators who entered the city... A shiver ran down his spine.
But then, he chuckled wryly to himself. If Lingxian Sect had any ill intentions, with this kind of strength, wiping out Mortal Realm cultivators like him would be as easy as turning a hand.
He glanced at the towering mountains in the distance and the floating island barely visible above them.
"Lingxian Sect...," he muttered. "Let's hope you are not malicious. Otherwise, we in the Mortal Realm might not survive."
There was a saying that fit the high-level cultivators of the Mortal Realm: When the sky falls, the tallest ones bear the brunt. In times of crisis, as the most powerful beings in the Mortal Realm, they had no choice but to face the danger head-on, or else they were simply delaying the inevitable.
If they stood together, they might carve out a chance for survival. But hiding away would only lead to despair.
This belief was passed down from their sect's founding patriarch, which was why, when the calamity of the Deadstone Mines occurred in Huan You Kingdom, their sects immediately formed an alliance to address the crisis. They cared little for mortal matters, but the Deadstone disaster was something they had to deal with.
Xunfang Zhenzhe pulled out the invitation from Lingxian Sect, his feelings mixed.
"Let's see what tomorrow brings."
He wasn't alone in his thoughts. Many other representatives from various sects and royal families who had arrived early to Xiushui Village were also quietly contemplating the mysterious strength of Lingxian Sect.
Even Li Zhanying, the patriarch of the Li family, who had been in contact with Lingxian Sect for years, shared similar concerns. However, unlike the others, he had witnessed Lingxian Sect's actions firsthand over the years and didn't believe they harbored ill intentions.
One person might deceive others, but an entire sect's ethos was much harder to fake.
Li Zhanying had spoken with Lin Xiao and interacted with other disciples of the sect. Besides, the mere fact that Lingxian Sect had the "Path of Inquiry," where one's heart was tested, was proof enough that they were on the right path.
However...
Sitting in a small courtyard in Xiushui Village, Li Zhanying took a sip of spiritual tea. It was a gift from Lingxian Sect when he had recently emerged from seclusion.
"From now on," Li Zhanying mused, "the Mortal Realm can only follow Lingxian Sect's lead."
Opposite him, Li Yuanze silently sipped his tea, staring at the towering walls of the new city in the distance.