"The Demon Emperor Senjian was a fiercely domineering figure. Years ago, he intended to exterminate all hybrid descendants of immortals and demons to deter other demons from falling in love with immortals. But it was the Celestial Emperor Twilight who stepped in to save these 'outcasts,' creating a city solely for their refuge. To prevent future rulers of the immortal and demon clans from harassing the outcasts, Twilight cast a Spirit Locking Seal over the city. This seal limits the spiritual energy of any immortal or demon below the rank of deity, suppressing them to the level of a lower-ranking immortal or demon upon entering. While the outcasts lack strong spiritual abilities, their mixed bloodline has attuned them to using their own bodies as weapons, making them incredibly resilient and physically formidable.
For a thousand years, outcasts have rarely left their city, gradually fading from the collective memory of the Three Realms. Labeled as outcasts by both immortals and demons, they harbor a deep resentment toward both clans and rarely interact with the outside world.
Searching for the Wu Tong artifact in the spiritual chaos of the Outcast City is akin to finding a needle in a haystack. This year's Wu Tong Tournament has certainly broken tradition, which explains why these half-immortals find it so fascinating."
"I heard many young disciples from the immortal and demon clans are now heading to the Outcast City. Once inside, the city gates will close for three days. Who knows which disciple will be the first to find the three fragments of the Wu Tong heartwood?"
"I heard the disciples from Daze Mountain aren't participating this year. I bet the champion will either be Nan Wan from Yun Xiao or Bei Chen from Kunlun. It doesn’t matter who wins, as long as the demons don't get their hands on it."
Daze Mountain, Bei Chen, and Yun Xiao are all prominent immortal sects. Aside from the Azure-robed Lord of Daze Mountain, the most talented of the younger generation are Bei Chen and Nan Wan, each having reached the peak of the Immortal Lord stage.
"That's not guaranteed! I heard that Mu Jiu, that sly fox prince from the Fox Clan, is also participating. The Fox Clan is known for being cunning. This is a treasure hunt, not a test of spiritual power. While our immortal folk are straightforward, a fox could easily play dirty or ambush someone."
"Don't jinx it!" The half-immortals in the tea house spat at the speaker’s words, then began placing bets with their spirit pearls on who would emerge victorious. Bai Shuo glanced into the tea house, noticing the largest piles of spirit pearls under the names Nan Wan, Bei Chen, and Mu Jiu, but there was no mention of Chongzhao.
Only after leaving the Eastern Sea did she realize how far Miao Miao had fallen; it was considered a third-rate sect in the immortal world. A-Zhao had only been cultivating as an immortal for three years, so these half-immortals likely hadn’t even heard his name. Bai Shuo sighed, shrugged, and snapped her fingers at her young disciple, signaling it was time to leave.
She was just a half-immortal, barely able to make a living with her little apprentice in Nan Hai City. Matters of the Three Realms were far beyond her concern.
As the crowd’s chatter faded behind them, Bai Shuo led the way, weaving through the winding streets instead of heading straight home. Fan Yue didn’t question it, following her quietly.
At the end of the street stood a shabby, unmarked shop. Bai Shuo slipped inside, making her way to a counter so tall it towered over her. She raised herself on tiptoes and called out, "Shopkeeper Zhi, I'm back!"
The shop was almost empty except for a small counter. After a moment, a pair of narrowed eyes peered over the counter, followed by a thin mustache, a jade pipe, and a scholar’s long robes—altogether quite refined. However, this "shopkeeper" was actually a paper effigy.
The paper shopkeeper puffed out a ring of smoke. "Ah, Daoist Bai! Business must be booming today."
"Not bad, not bad." Bai Shuo took out her pouch, reluctantly counting out ten spirit pearls and pushing them onto the counter. "The usual."
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