White clouds surged like ocean waves, and a cloud whale slowly appeared on the horizon.
Its body was immense, nearly occupying half the sky. Underneath its massive form, a faint shadow was cast upon the mountainous terrain.
As the cloud whale approached, the huge shadow on the ground gradually covered the foot of Fire Persimmon Mountain.
"Look, everyone! What is that?" The citizens of Fire Persimmon Immortal City pointed to the sky, exclaiming in surprise at their discovery.
"Such a massive demon beast, with a Nascent Soul level aura! Run, a Nascent Soul level great demon is attacking the city!"
However, before the panic could spread, Fei Si's voice echoed throughout the city.
He informed the populace not to worry, that what was coming was not a demon beast but the vessel of the Flying Cloud Nation's merchants, a cloud whale.
The citizens, having received this news, began to engage in spirited discussions.
The panic quickly dissipated, replaced by excitement and curiosity.
Everyone knew about the Cloud Merchants: the merchant convoys of Flying Cloud Nation often traveled across the five lakes and four seas, with their footprints spanning the entire cultivation world, making them very famous.
The Flying Cloud Nation's merchant convoys were also highly reputable, earning the trust of the public.
"But using a cloud whale as a vehicle for the Cloud Merchants, this is the first time I've seen it. Clearly, this is a large-scale merchant convoy."
"Is that really a cloud whale? It's so huge, truly awe-inspiring."
Many cultivators used their respective spells, looking up at the sky to keenly observe the cloud whale.
The cloud whale's head was rounded and broad, its vast forehead seemingly capacious enough to hold the entire firmament.
It had a pair of enormous eyes, as blue as crystal gemstones, large like small lakes, emanating tranquility and wisdom.
The fins on its sides spread out like vast white wings, gently gliding, stirring up breezes that swirled the nearby clouds into vortices.
Its tail fin was extremely broad and powerful, each gentle sway appearing as though it could propel the entire sky.
The cloud whale glided through the heavens at variable speeds, and the natural clouds in the sky seemed to converge towards it as if beckoned, forming magnificent cloud streams.
Its immense body drifted leisurely through the cloud streams, appearing as the guardian of this realm, serene and unhurried.
Although the cloud whale's life aura was at the Nascent Soul level, it did not exert any oppressive force; rather, viewing it brought a sense of inner peace.
Suddenly, the cloud whale let out a deep, resonant call, the sound echoing from the depths of the sky, penetrating the clouds, carrying a primordial and pure force that reached deep into people's hearts.
At the moment the whale's cry rang out, the entire cloud sea fell silent, and the countless citizens of Fire Persimmon Immortal City listened in rapt attention to this celestial sound.
The cloud whale quietly skimmed across the sky, gradually nearing Fire Persimmon Immortal City.
Sunlight filtered through its body, casting soft rays, as if the fierce sun gentled because of it.
The citizens of Fire Persimmon Immortal City almost all looked up at the cloud whale.
Each movement of its fins and tail fin was so elegant and unhurried, full of natural rhythm, as though it had become one with the sky.
This was truly a marvelous sight!
Eventually, the cloud whale came to a gentle stop, hovering high above, maintaining a safe distance from Fire Persimmon Immortal City.
Despite the worldwide reputation of the Cloud Merchants for trustworthiness, the fact remained that this cloud whale was a Nascent Soul level existence, prompting some caution, so it stopped voluntarily in the sky.
After a while, a group of people emerged from the cloud whale's interior and slowly flew towards Fire Persimmon Immortal City.
Within Fire Persimmon Immortal City, Fei Si ascended into the air, heading to meet them.
Amidst the gaze of countless eyes, the two parties met in mid-air.
Fei Si was not surprised. The Cloud Merchants' visiting card had already been submitted more than ten days ago.
With Meng Kui's approval, Fei Si had then allowed this Cloud Merchant convoy to come to Fire Persimmon Immortal City for trade.
"Lord Fei Si, I am Song Fuli. It is a great honor to conduct business in Fire Persimmon Immortal City!"
Fei Si nodded and smiled, carefully scrutinizing the Golden Core cultivator before him.
Song Fuli was a middle-aged man with ordinary features, broad nostrils, and a pair of piercing tiger-like eyes, giving the impression not of a businessman but of a valiant general on the battlefield.
After some pleasantries, Fei Si quickly requested to check Song Fuli's Cloud Merchant identification token and the permit issued by Flying Cloud Nation.
Fei Si meticulously examined the identification token, then unfurled the permit to check for the seals of Flying Cloud Nation and Southern Bean Country.
After confirming everything was in order, he returned the tokens to Song Fuli.
"Mr. Song, please follow me." Fei Si led Song Fuli back to Fire Persimmon Immortal City.
Song Fuli brought a few people with him, following Fei Si into the city, while the rest of his group signaled others, directing more people to emerge from the cloud whale.
A large flock of cloud beasts of various forms, including cloud horses and cloud oxen, hauled countless cargo boxes in a long, snaking formation, slowly heading towards Fire Persimmon Immortal City.
The populace became excited, with some even raising their hands in cheer.
They engaged in animated discussions.
"No wonder the place on the west side of the city was cleared out early."
"It looks like the City Lord's Mansion had plans in place, designating that area specifically for the Cloud Merchants to set up shop."
"I've never seen such a large-scale merchant convoy before. I wonder what new and interesting items they've brought, truly something to look forward to."
Fire Persimmon Immortal City buzzed with activity.
At the Ning Zhuo household.
A sixteen-year-old cultivator stood by the window, looking out at the corner of the sky through the window.
"The merchant convoy from Flying Cloud Nation?"
Ning Zhuo also showed a hint of anticipation.
In fact, he had always had a favorable impression of Flying Cloud Nation. This was because his mother hailed from there.
Song Fuli and Fei Si walked together.
During their descent, Song Fuli glanced across Fire Persimmon Immortal City and noticed a scarred area in the center, a ruin left from a previous Golden Core skirmish.
Song Fuli showed a trace of concern: "I wonder what your city lord thinks of the recent Golden Core skirmishes?"
Fei Si quickly reassured him: "Lord Meng Kui did not intervene simply because the previous skirmish did not reach the level requiring his action! Your merchant convoy can rest assured that everything is under the control of our City Lord's Mansion."
Song Fuli sighed lightly: "Fire Persimmon Immortal City is a newly established city because of the presence of Magma Fairy Palace, the City Protecting Great Array is not yet fully set up."
"The emergence of Magma Fairy Palace may be a good thing. It could perhaps provide an opportunity to complete the Immortal City Great Array."
"But before that, I hope the merchant convoys entering the city are capable of self-protection."
Fei Si nodded slightly, then glanced at the cultivators behind Song Fuli.
These cultivators had a particularly fierce aura, with some displaying scars and others cold gazes, clearly all seasoned fighters.
The Cloud Merchants, able to travel the world and conduct business globally, naturally had strong military escorts.
The Nascent Soul level cloud whale was one layer of security, and these guards and cultivators were evidently the second layer.
Fei Si pondered: "As long as your merchant convoy adheres to the previously agreed standards, carrying equipment that meets or falls below the standards, we will approve."
Song Fuli smiled: "That's great."
He aimed to conduct business here and earn profits, while Fei Si, representing the City Lord's Mansion, needed to cater to the numerous incoming cultivators' demands.
Fire Persimmon Immortal City's resources alone could not meet the vast demands of the visiting cultivators.
After all, Fire Persimmon Immortal City was still a new city, not yet accustomed to accommodating such a large influx of outsiders.
Previously, Fire Persimmon Immortal City could be self-sufficient, but now, the demand was too immense, causing a boom in various industries yet still failing to satisfy buyers.
This situation had led to a series of public security issues, increasingly affecting the City Lord's Mansion's stable governance of Fire Persimmon Immortal City.
The Cloud Merchants would earn money, the numerous cultivators would get a substantial supply of resources, and the City Lord's Mansion could maintain public order while also receiving a large sum from the taxes.
It was a win-win situation for everyone involved.
Thus, the arrival of the Cloud Merchants was met with great enthusiasm.
They quickly set up numerous shops, tents, and even constructed tall buildings on the open land to the west of the city.
From the first day of business, the merchandise from the Cloud Merchants sold out instantly!
On the second day, Ning Zhuo donned a simple magic artifact mask, slightly altering his appearance before leaving his residence to head to the Cloud Merchant shops in the west of the city.
In just a single day, the west side had completely transformed.
Various sizes of shops had sprung up, all bearing characteristics of Flying Cloud Nation. These pure white, gray-white, and multicolored buildings were generally tall and slender, as if aspiring to pierce the sky.
By contrast, the buildings in Fire Persimmon Immortal City were constructed to be quite broad and sturdy, giving an impression of solidity.
The thicker the building, the better it could insulate against the temperature.
The temperature around Fire Persimmon Mountain was generally high.
Meanwhile, Flying Cloud Nation had a suitable climate, although it had frequent rainfall and thunderstorms.
The taller the buildings, the better they could gather rainwater and harness lightning and strong winds.
Ning Zhuo walked among these shops, immersing himself in the foreign ambiance of Flying Cloud Nation.
All around, the streets were bustling with people, and his ears were filled with a constant clamor of voices, from haggling to laughter and chatter.
The entire Fire Persimmon Immortal City had entered into a festive atmosphere because of the Cloud Merchants' arrival.
Ning Zhuo chose to enter a materials shop.
He needed to purchase some clouds as materials to refine into his Floating Cloud Handkerchief.
The clouds produced by the Floating Cloud Handkerchief were not merely the result of mana; each activation also consumed the handkerchief's stored cloud silk.
The materials shop was bustling, many people were buying these basic materials.
After inquiring about the prices, Ning Zhuo purchased some clouds, as well as some Floating Cloud Silk Thread.
While clouds served as raw materials, the Floating Cloud Silk Thread had undergone processing steps, hence was more expensive than the raw clouds.