If he used the Great Teleportation Art, traveling from the Tang Dynasty to the High Zhou Imperium would take just a day or two. But Ian Song had plenty of time, and he felt he owed Lila Li a lot, so he wanted to spend more time with her. That’s why he chose to travel by spirit-beast carriage.
So, after half a year of leisurely travel, they finally entered the territory of the High Zhou Imperium.
Of course, in this half year, Ian Song’s cultivation realm hadn’t improved much, but his true essence had been refined to an extremely pure state—already reaching the peak of late Soul-Split.
Besides that, his relationship with Lila Li had grown even deeper.
It’s worth mentioning that, after a period of hard cultivation inside the Divine Temple and training in the Phoenix Veil Art, Wendy Lin’s realm had now reached late Golden Core.
Meanwhile, during dual-cultivation with Ian Song, Lila Li’s own cultivation had skyrocketed, reaching the peak of late Soul-Split—one foot already stepping into the Fusion stage.
She also studied Immortal arts taught by Ian Song, making her combat power especially formidable—she could go toe-to-toe with early Fusion experts and remain undefeated.
As for those Fusion-stage experts Ian Song had subdued—
Tiger King, Eagle King, Silas the Snake King, and a human lord had all advanced to late Fusion, while Ricky the Rat King and two other human lords were on the verge of breakthrough.
In addition, among the early Fusion group, Leo Hunter, Lana Blue, and twenty-three others had all broken through to mid Fusion.
As for Leon the Lion King, after being locked up in the Demon Prison for thousands of years, he’d long been yearning for the bustling world outside. So, after Ian Song set out, Leon asked to travel alone and said he’d meet up in the imperial capital of the High Zhou Imperium.
Leon’s cultivation was already at late Fusion. In an era when Tribulation experts rarely appeared, almost nothing could threaten him. As long as he didn’t go looking for trouble, he’d be fine. Plus, Ian Song himself was at late Fusion, and since they were both from the same place, Ian let him go his own way.
If Ian Song used these people to found a sect, he could instantly create a top-tier super sect.
Back to the main story—although Ian Song’s group had entered the High Zhou Imperium, they were still far from the imperial capital. Ian planned to keep traveling by spirit-beast carriage, hoping to learn about local customs, the various cultivation sects, and the general strength of the cultivators here.
Chad Zhao and his three companions, on the other hand, were visibly impatient and eager to return home.
So Ian waved his hand and said to the four of them, “You four go on ahead.”
“Thank you for understanding, Master!”
The four were overjoyed at his words, immediately kneeling to give thanks.
“Alright, get up. When you go back, remember not to mention being imprisoned by Prime One Church!” Ian Song reminded them. Since this incident wouldn’t really harm Prime One, Ian didn’t plan to make a fuss. Besides, if Phoenix Heaven Church started investigating, it could expose the Divine Temple.
That would be more trouble than it’s worth.
“Yes!”
The four felt a bit reluctant, but didn’t dare defy Ian Song’s order. They nodded and left.
“Let’s keep moving!”
After a brief stop, Ian Song ordered the spirit-beast pulling the carriage to continue toward the imperial capital of the High Zhou Imperium.
After several hours of smooth travel, a city appeared in the distance.
The territory of the High Zhou Imperium was vast—at least ten times larger than the combined lands of the Tang, Song, and Ming Dynasties. What’s more, it occupied the richest and most spiritually abundant regions of the Southsky Continent.
That’s why the ambient spiritual energy in the High Zhou Imperium was much denser than in the three dynasties.
To cultivators in the High Zhou Imperium, the three dynasties were just chaotic borderlands.
Along the way, by chatting with the four Phoenix Heaven Church Inner Sect disciples, Ian Song had learned that although Phoenix Heaven Church was powerful, the imperial family of the High Zhou Imperium was no slouch either.
Though not quite as strong as Phoenix Heaven Church, they were close.
So, the High Zhou Imperium’s control over the realm was extremely strong. Even more unbelievable, every emperor in High Zhou history had been a woman.
It’s said that the founding empress of the High Zhou Imperium was named Marion Wu. Ian Song found this amusing, since there was also a female emperor named Wu Meiniang in the history of his original world.
Ian Song couldn’t help but speculate—maybe this Marion Wu really was a transmigrator from his home world.
It seemed quite possible. After all, with the System’s abilities, bringing over a historical figure would be a piece of cake.
The three large characters 'Immortal Maple City' came into Ian Song’s view—it was the name of the city ahead.
"How about we stay in Immortal Maple City for the night?" Ian Song asked Lila Li and Wendy Lin for their opinions.
Lila Li gave a charming smile. "You decide."
"I’ll listen to whatever Brother Ian says!" Wendy Lin replied sweetly. As for the maid Qin Xiaoyu, Ian Song simply ignored her opinion.
"Halt! Show your identity tokens!"
The city guard stopped the spirit-beast carriage and shouted toward those inside.
Identity tokens in the High Zhou Imperium are issued by the government. Whether you’re a sect disciple or a rogue cultivator, you have to go to the local office to get one. Without an identity token, you’re considered undocumented, and you have to pay steep taxes to enter any city. Even staying at inns or dining out costs double.
"We’re from the Tang Dynasty and haven’t gotten our identity tokens yet!"
Qin Xiaoyu stepped out of the carriage, showing a hint of her cultivation, and addressed the city guard.
The city guards were all at the Golden Core stage. Sensing Qin Xiaoyu’s Soul-Split aura, their expressions changed, and the lead guard softened his tone: "Miss, without an identity token, each person must pay ten low-grade spirit crystals to enter. Just a reminder—once you’re inside, you can get your identity token at the government office. Next time you visit another city, you won’t have to pay the entry fee again!"
"Thanks for the reminder. There are four of us—here’s the entry fee!"
Qin Xiaoyu handed over forty low-grade spirit crystals. The guard didn’t make things difficult and let them pass.
Although Immortal Maple City was supposedly just an ordinary city, its ambient spiritual energy was exceptionally rich—comparable to a small or mid-sized sect headquarters.
Getting an identity token wasn’t hard, but you had to show up in person. The office would record your image, and each person had to pay a one low-grade spirit crystal processing fee.
To make future travel easier, Ian Song went to the government office and got identity tokens for himself and the three girls.
When getting the identity tokens, they had to register their names, sects, and cultivation realms.
All four of them claimed to be rogue cultivators.
The clerk at the office was sharp—he suspected Ian Song and the others couldn’t possibly be just rogue cultivators, but still processed their identity tokens without issue.
After getting their identity tokens, the group found an inn to stay at.
This inn was equipped with a qi-gathering array, so the room rates were high—ten low-grade spirit crystals for a standard room, and a premium suite cost a whole mid-grade spirit crystal per night.