After several consecutive days of travel, dust gradually settled on their robes. The scenery on both sides of the official road transitioned from sparsely populated wilderness to crisscrossing plains, with villages and small towns becoming dense. The spiritual energy in the air, though still impure, could clearly feel the unique "field" brought by a massive gathering of living beings ahead.
According to the "Map of the Eight Desolations Universe" guidance, and information inquired along the way, Tang Xiaoqi and Liu Yun knew that their first destination—Green Banyan City—was close at hand.
This day, after crossing a low mountain ridge, the view suddenly opened up.
What appeared was not the neatly enclosed traditional city surrounded by high walls as imagined. First entering view was a massive ancient banyan tree difficult to imagine, its canopy like a giant umbrella, covering the sky and sun, shading an area of dozens of li. Thick branches draped countless aerial roots, some thick as beams, deeply rooted in the earth, forming natural pillars and barriers. Under this giant banyan's shade, countless buildings clung to aerial roots and branches, or rose from the ground beneath the tree, layer upon layer, densely packed, forming an extremely large, structurally chaotic yet vibrant unique city.
There was no unified city wall, only a winding, uneven "boundary" formed by relying on thick aerial roots and artificially piled stones. Above the city, various colored lights shuttled continuously—cultivators controlling artifacts in flight. On the ground, voices buzzed, traffic flowed, mortals, low-level cultivators, even some incompletely transformed demon cultivators mixed together, the noise of hawking, bargaining, and from somewhere unknown, the sound of iron striking and pill refining buzzing, weaving into a symphony of chaos and vitality.
The air was filled with various complex scents—spirit herbs' fresh fragrance, pills' strange aromas, demonic beast materials' rankness, cooking oil smoke, sweat, dust, and a faint trace of blood.
"This is Green Banyan City?" Liu Yun frowned slightly. Accustomed to Qingxu Temple's quiet order, she instinctively felt uncomfortable facing this onrushing chaos and clamor. "Indeed... lives up to its reputation."
It was Xiaoqi's first time seeing such a scene too, his heart shaken. This Green Banyan City, more than a city, was a massive market and settlement naturally formed relying on an ancient spiritual plant. The rules here were clearly entirely different from within the sect.
"Be careful." Xiaoqi spoke low. He could feel that beneath this chaotic appearance hid countless auras, strong or weak, righteous or evil, like poisonous snakes lurking in shadows. "Dragons and snakes mix here—don't easily conflict with others, but also stay constantly alert."
Both concealed most of their auras, maintaining their cultivation at early Foundation Establishment level—not low enough to be looked down upon, but not attention-grabbing either. Xiaoqi forcibly stuffed the curious rabbit spirit into the spirit beast bag—this little fellow was too conspicuous and might attract unnecessary trouble.
They followed the flow of people toward the "city gate" formed by aerial roots and scattered stones. The so-called city gate was actually just a huge gap, with several cultivators in motley clothes and sharp eyes lazily guarding both sides, their gaze like hawks scanning the crowd entering and leaving, occasionally stopping some "fat sheep" or suspicious characters to collect "entry fees" or interrogate.
Xiaoqi and Liu Yun dressed ordinarily, their auras restrained just right, not attracting much attention, each paying ten low-grade spirit stones before being easily let through.
The moment they stepped into Green Banyan City, that sense of chaos and clamor rose several times. Streets (if those winding, uneven paths in the gaps between buildings could be called streets) were lined with all kinds of stalls. Some simply spread a cloth on the ground to open for business, some used thick aerial roots to build simple shelters, some looked quite imposing, like proper shops—stone towers and wooden pavilions.
The goods being sold were even more varied, dazzling. From the lowest grade talisman papers, herbs, inferior artifacts, to some ore glowing with spiritual energy, rare demonic beast materials, even certain damaged ancient books and jade slips—everything was there. Authenticity was hard to distinguish, all depending on one's eye.
"Come look! Just dug from 'Black Wind Cave'—hundred-year Blood Lingzhi, only five hundred low-grade spirit stones!"
"Ancestral artifact refining secret method, guaranteed to produce top-grade spiritual artifacts, price negotiable!"
"Forming a team to explore 'Ten Thousand Snakes Valley,' lacking one daoist skilled in healing—generous compensation!"
"Purchasing Shadow Snake Pavilion intelligence—any related news, excellent price!"
The last call, like a stone thrown into a calm lake, instantly drew Xiaoqi and Liu Yun's attention. Both exchanged glances, seeing the gravity in each other's eyes.
They approached the direction of the voice without revealing anything. It was a simple stall located in the shadow of a massive aerial root, behind it sat a withered old man wearing a bamboo hat, his face obscured, his aura obscure. On the stall were only a few unremarkable small items, beside it stood a wooden plaque with red characters written as if in blood: "Purchasing all Shadow Snake Pavilion intelligence—spirit stones, pills, artifacts, all tradable."
Someone was openly purchasing Shadow Snake Pavilion intelligence here? Friend or foe? A trap or a real information broker?
Xiaoqi didn't immediately approach, but with Liu Yun pretended to browse a nearby talisman stall while secretly observing. They noticed that occasionally someone would walk to the old man's stall, exchange a few low words, some would leave something behind, some would receive a storage bag from the old man, then quickly leave—the entire process extremely brief and hidden.
"It seems the waters in this Green Banyan City are deeper than we imagined." Liu Yun transmitted, her hand unconsciously moving closer to the sword hilt behind her.
"Mm, the Shadow Snake Pavilion's tendrils probably extended here long ago, and this person purchasing intelligence is either an enemy of the Shadow Snake Pavilion or some other power scheming against them." Xiaoqi pondered. "We've just arrived—not appropriate to make contact rashly."
They decided to first find a place to settle, familiarize themselves with the environment, then plan further.
After winding through the maze-like "streets" for quite a while, they finally found an inn that looked clean and tidy, called "Banyan Shade Dwelling." The inn was also built relying on a massive aerial root, divided into several levels, connected by wooden bridges.
When checking in, the responsible shopkeeper was a smiling fat cultivator, cultivation at late Qi Refining, eyes shrewd. He enthusiastically introduced different rooms, from the cheapest communal sleeping mats to upper rooms with independent meditation chambers and simple spirit gathering formations.
Xiaoqi requested two adjacent upper rooms. When paying spirit stones, the fat shopkeeper looked at them and smiled seemingly casually: "You two daoists have unfamiliar faces—first time in our Green Banyan City? We don't have much else here, but news travels fast—all sorts of people and paths. If you want to inquire about anything or purchase any scarce materials, this humble one might be able to help a bit, charging only a small intermediary fee."
Xiaoqi's heart stirred, but his face showed nothing, only speaking indifferently: "Just arrived—only seeking a quiet place to rest temporarily, no other business for now."
The shopkeeper didn't mind either, still smiling as he handed over two restriction wooden tokens: "Of course, of course. These are room restriction tokens—please keep them safe. If you need anything, you can find me anytime. By the way, the 'Hundred-Knowledge Tower' and 'Ten Thousand Treasures Auction House' in the city center are where news and treasures are most concentrated. If you're interested, you might go take a look—but fish and dragons mix there, so be extra careful."
"Thank you for the reminder, shopkeeper." Xiaoqi accepted the tokens, exchanging a glance with Liu Yun, then was led by a Qi Refining attendant to their respective rooms.
The room wasn't large but was elegantly arranged, the window overlooking the twisted and vigorous banyan aerial roots, sunlight through dense foliage casting dappled light spots. In the independent meditation chamber was indeed a small spirit gathering formation—though far inferior to Qingxu Temple, it could slightly accelerate spiritual energy absorption.
After setting up his own warning and sound insulation formations, Xiaoqi and Liu Yun gathered in one room.
"First step is successfully settling in." Liu Yun surveyed the room. "What next? Go directly to that 'Hundred-Knowledge Tower' to ask for news?"
Xiaoqi shook his head, walking to the window, looking at the bustling, calculating and desiring crowd below, speaking low: "Not urgent. Let's walk around the city first, familiarize ourselves with the environment, understand the rules and potential powers here. That stall purchasing Shadow Snake Pavilion intelligence, and the Hundred-Knowledge Tower and Ten Thousand Treasures Auction House the shopkeeper mentioned, all need careful investigation. Here, one wrong step could mean eternal damnation."
He turned, his gaze sharp: "We need information, but we need to ensure our safety even more. Before obtaining sufficient intelligence, we absolutely cannot expose our true purpose and identity."
Liu Yun nodded, approving Xiaoqi's caution. She knew that from the moment they stepped into this Green Banyan City, the test had already begun. This was no longer the master's sect—no elders for protection. Every decision needed to be borne by themselves.
The first night in the City of Rogue Cultivators was destined to be unpeaceful. And their path of inquiry had officially begun on this land where chaos and opportunity coexisted.