Ning Cheng took his hand down from Nalan Ruxue’s shoulder. “Junior Apprentice Sister Ruxue, you can also go collect those Wood Origin Crystals. I’m going to heal my wounds.”
With Wood Origin Aura permeating the surrounding, it was the best place to heal one’s wounds.
Feeling that Ning Cheng might have taken some severe injuries, Nalan Ruxue didn’t refuse either. Putting Ning Cheng in a location rich in Wood Origin Crystals, she began to dig out the Wood Origin Crystals from the reef shoal.
……
A month later, Ning Cheng stood up and gave out a long sigh of relief. His injuries had fully healed. Although his hair still looked greyish-white, it would gradually recover as he continued cultivating. For such an inconsequential matter, Ning Cheng naturally wouldn’t use the First Glimmer of Dawn Ice Essence.
“Master, all the Wood Origin Crystals are inside.” As soon as Ning Cheng stood up, Chasing Bull immediately trotted over to Ning Cheng and handed him a ring.
Ning Cheng’s spiritual consciousness swept in and found thousands of Wood Origin Crystals inside.
Without waiting for Ning Cheng to ask, Chasing Bull quickly spoke up, “Little Wood Rattan[1] and the little girl’s Wood Origin Crystals are also inside. Little Wood Rattan is currently outside surmounting its tribulation. The little girl said that she would help it as a Dharma Protector, but I guess she just wants to watch the fun. However, as the master’s loyal servant, I dared not take a step outside without permission.”
Ning Cheng had already discovered that the Underworld Crow Ghost Rattan and Nalan Ruxue weren’t here. As for the Wood Origin Crystals around him, they were almost entirely depleted, with barely anything left.
Ning Cheng ignored the Underworld Crow Ghost Rattan for now. Hearing bursts of thunder coming from the outside, Ning Cheng had already understood that the Underworld Crow Ghost Rattan truly was surmounting its tribulation.
He didn’t go out immediately. Instead, he used this opportunity to sort through all the rings. Excluding the low-grade and middle-grade spirit crystals, Ning Cheng had raked in more than 10 million high-grade spirit crystals. But most of these high-grade spirit crystals came from that black-skinned naked male cultivator.
By the time Ning Cheng walked out of the reef crevice with Chasing Bull, the Underworld Crow Ghost Rattan King had successfully surmounted its tribulation. It had now become a Starry Sky Grade 8 Demonic Vine. As long as the Underworld Crow Ghost Rattan King had enough Wood Origin Crystals, it would only be a matter of time before it advanced to Grade 9.
“Senior Apprentice Brother Ning, have you finished healing?” Nalan Ruxue saw Ning Cheng coming out and walked over with a hint of excitement. She naturally knew about the value of Wood Origin Crystals, and she had obtained more than a hundred of them from below. Although she gave most of them to Chasing Bull, she still kept around forty to fifty of them.
Ning Cheng took out a ring and handed it to Nalan Ruxue, “There are some Wood Origin Crystals inside, you should keep some.”
Nalan Ruxue hurriedly declined, “Senior Apprentice Brother Ning, I still have a few dozens of these crystals with me. Even if you give me more of them, it would be of little use to me.”
Ning Cheng, hearing that Nalan Ruxue had already kept some Wood Origin Crystals, didn’t remain polite anymore. Wood Origin Crystals were something essential for him, not just for alchemy, but also for the promotion of Underworld Crow Ghost Rattan King.
After taking out the Wood Origin Crystals from the ring, he handed the ring to Nalan Ruxue. “There are 3 million spirit crystals in it, along with some weapons and medicinal pills. I’ve already received a bountiful harvest; I will leave these to you.”
Upon hearing Ning Cheng’s words, Nalan Ruxue didn’t continue to refuse and put away the ring.
After the advancement, the Underworld Crow Ghost Rattan King turned into a black light and disappeared on Ning Cheng’s wrist. Since the Underworld Crow Ghost Rattan King had just advanced, it needed some more time to stabilise its cultivation.
Seeing Ning Cheng bringing out a flight-type weapon, Chasing Bull pitifully cried out, “Master, let me help you drive this weapon.”
Ning Cheng understood that this bull didn’t want to stay in the True Spirit World at all, and simply handed the control of the airship to Chasing Bull.
“Senior Apprentice Brother Ning, did you know about the person hiding on the side since the beginning?” Nalan Ruxue finally couldn’t help but ask after the airship took off.
Ning Cheng shook his head. “No, but I saw that the map Tao Xing had was the same as the map with Gu Hui. So, I guessed that someone had laid out a deliberate trap. The person who made such arrangements wasn’t looking for cultivators like Tao Xing. Rather, a virgin female cultivator with a water-attributed spiritual root.”
“This person released the map and indirectly looked for female cultivators for the sacrificial arrays. It meant that he had to pay particular attention to that fire-attributed defensive array at all times. Staying here and keeping a look-out over the status of the defensive array would make it much more difficult to be discovered by others and also easier than using spiritual consciousness to keep an eye on everything. Moreover, it would also make things easier for him in controlling temporary and unexpected situations.”
“My spiritual consciousness swept through everything in the area but didn’t find anything suspicious. From this, I understood that someone had concealed himself or herself here. Moreover, this person’s cultivation also should have exceeded mine. Therefore, I had to take action through surprise, which is why I asked you to enter the sacrificial array. It was to let that fellow shift focus to you and also to help me arrange an Entrapment and Killing Array. I’m sorry.”
“No, Senior Apprentice Brother Ning, I should be the one apologising here. I thought that you truly wanted to use me for the sacrificial array, and felt very disappointed. But, Senior Apprentice Brother Ning, how did you figure out that person’s hiding spot?” Nalan Ruxue felt truly excited after going through this experience. She also thought that the misunderstanding between Ning Cheng and her had also dissipated by a lot.
Ning Cheng gave out a sigh, “I truly didn’t know about it. I was betting on my hunch. I thought about the location where I would have hidden if I was in that person’s place. This position should not only have the best visual coverage of the area but also should be a place from where he could control everything at any time. Based on those things, only one location stood out. I guessed that if someone truly concealed themselves here, this person would have also chosen the same place as me. It’s just that I didn’t expect that fellow would be so powerful. If it weren’t for my trump card, he would have almost killed me instantly.”
When Nalan Ruxue heard this, she immediately felt a little afraid. In case Ning Cheng made a mistake in his judgement, then she wouldn’t have escaped her fate of being used for the sacrificial array.
Thinking of this, Nalan Ruxue suddenly felt startled. When Ning Cheng wanted to use her as a part of the sacrificial array, she only felt disappointment and sadness at that time, but not fear. But thinking back to how that fellow wanted to use her as a part of a sacrificial array, she truly felt scared.
Ning Cheng didn’t say anything more. The only thing he wondered was why that naked male cultivator had sealed himself up in this place.
Was it for cultivating a cultivation method, or was it for some other reasons?
……
After the airship returned to Boundary Essence Spirit Sea City, Ning Cheng and Nalan Ruxue didn’t go to the residential area. Instead, they directly went and paid 20,000 spirit crystals on the public square, and waited for the airship to take them to the teleportation point.
As for Chasing Bull, Ning Cheng sent into the True Spirit World again. According to the rules set for the airships plying to and from the city and the teleportation array, one didn’t need to pay spirit crystals for companion beasts. But only as long as one doesn’t bri
ng them out.
However, you can’t put people into special spaces and carry them with you. Once found, not only would they force you to bring them out and scatter their cultivations, but the authorities would even confiscate everything. In any case, once someone erased one’s cultivation, it was equivalent to losing one’s life. At that point, it didn’t matter if you had anything to offer or not.
Ning Cheng and Nalan Ruxue had just sat down when two people came over. The one in front was a middle-aged male cultivator, and the one behind him was a handsome-looking tall young man. However, the young man in the back had higher cultivation compared to the middle-aged male cultivator in the front. This person was already at the late-stage Eternal Realm.
Seeing the middle-aged male cultivator walking in front, Ning Cheng frowned slightly. He vaguely understood why this person came to him. This middle-aged male cultivator was the owner of the Essence Sea Restaurant. Ning Cheng had sold him a pot of None-to-depend-on Wine at the Essence Sea Restaurant, and now this person came to him.
“Hello, my friend, we meet again.” The middle-aged restaurant owner bowed to Ning Cheng and spoke with enthusiasm.
“Brother Hong, is this the friend you talked about?” The young man walking behind the middle-aged restaurant owner asked with a smile.
The middle-aged restaurant owner quickly spoke up, “That’s right, Little Min, this friend sold it to me.”
The young man nodded and said, “Many thanks, Brother Hong.”
The middle-aged restaurant owner spoke up, “Little Min, I still have a few things to attend to at the restaurant. I’ll be taking my leave first.” After speaking, he nodded to Ning Cheng before turning around and leaving quickly.
The young man gave Ning Cheng a courtesy bow and said with a graceful voice, “My name is Chi Zimin, and I come from the Grand Essence Domain.”
“Ning Cheng, rogue cultivator. If Brother Chi came to me to ask about the wine, then I’m afraid that I would have to disappoint Brother Chi. It was given to me by a friend of mine, and I only had one pot.” Ning Cheng blocked Chi Zimin’s words as soon as he introduced himself.
“It’s not just about the wine. I happen to be heading to the Grand Essence Domain, which happens to be on the same road as Brother Ning.” Chi Zimin finished speaking and took the initiative to pay 10,000 spirit crystals and bought a jade talisman for the airship.
[1]
I’m currently debating whether to keep it as ‘Little Wood Rattan’ as in the raws or shorten it to ‘Little Rattan’. Might change it later.
Chapter 0851 – The Origin Of The Grand Essence Ruins
Translated By – DemonKiller
Checked and Edited By – Livewidsmile
Proofread By – DemonKiller
Please do not host our works anywhere else without our permission.
“How do I address you Junior Apprentice Sister?” After purchasing a jade card, Chi Zimin sat next to Ning Cheng and took the initiative to speak to Nalan Ruxue.
Nalan Ruxue stood up, gave a slight bow and said, “Nalan Ruxue, also a rogue cultivator.”
“This Junior Apprentice Sister Nalan and Brother Ning, you both reached such a point in cultivation as rogue cultivators. It shows that you both have peerless talents. As long as you reach the Grand Essence Domain, most sects and other forces will receive you with open arms.”
Chi Zimin had a very talkative personality. Even if Ning Cheng and Nalan Ruxue didn’t talk much, he could still pick a topic and all kinds of allusions would come out of his mouth. Moreover, they were all exciting bits too. In the end, many cultivators leaned in to listen to him talk about various things.
Ning Cheng also learned many new things from Chi Zimin’s mouth. For example, Boundary Essence Spirit Sea City was the worst place within the Grand Essence Realm. The real law-cultivation sacred grounds of the Grand Essence Realm were in the Grand Essence Domain. Because of this reason, the Grand Essence Domain had numerous top-grade sects. However, ordinary cultivators didn’t have the chance to enter the Grand Essence Domain. Even cultivators with poor cultivations weren’t qualified to enter despite having the right qualifications.
However, experts from Grand Essence Domain frequently came out looking for qualified disciples. Once selected by a sect within the Grand Essence Domain, one could then obtain a chance to enter the Grand Essence Domain.
Although the Grand Essence Ruins lay outside of the Grand Essence Domain, it was a peculiar existence. Even the various powerhouses in the Grand Essence Domain didn’t know about its exact size. Moreover, many sects in the Grand Essence Domain would go looking for potential disciples there. They would also use that place as a staging ground for brokering various deals between other sects and forces.
One could say that in addition to the Grand Essence Domain, the most prosperous place within the Grand Essence Realm was the edge of the Grand Essence Ruins.
“Senior Chi, would I have to join an alliance or a union to enter the Grand Essence Ruins?” Someone next to him asked with a careful voice.
Chi Zimin chuckled, “Of course, joining an alliance is a must. The Grand Essence Ruins has many alliances; you can take your pick. But the strongest ones out there are the Dao Confirming Alliance, Rogue Cultivator Alliance, Sword Ruins, Spirit Thunder and a few others. Of course, it would be impossible for most cultivators to join these alliances. But you also need to keep in mind that if you didn’t have some ability that the alliances find useful, then even the weakest alliance wouldn’t want you.”
“What if you don’t join any of them?” Someone asked again.
“Many cultivators initially make the mistake of not joining an alliance right away. But after these rogue cultivators enter the Grand Essence Ruins, very few of them can manage to come out alive. If they do come out, they would immediately choose to form or join an alliance. It’s because it’s almost impossible to rake in points within the Grand Essence Ruins by yourself. Plus, there’s always the risk of losing your life.”
“Moreover, without points, you can’t buy treasures and other essential stuff from the Grand Essence Quest Hall either.” Chi Zimin wasn’t just a talkative person, but he also seemed to have a kind heart. He answered every question in as much detail as possible, regardless of who asked it.
“There’s even a Quest Hall in the Grand Essence Ruins?” A shocked voice asked from within the crowd.
This time, without waiting for Chi Zimin to answer, someone else took the initiative to help, “Of course, even I have heard about this Quest Hall. Rumour has it that some big sects from Grand Essence Domain established it with the help of many chambers of commerce. Thus, anyone can post tasks or accept tasks from there. Completing those tasks would give you a certain number of points, which you can then exchange for various treasures from the Quest Hall. As long as you have enough points, you can get anything you want.”
“So good? Then, if I want a Dao Fruit, can I exchange for it there?”
This time, Chi Zimin spoke up, “That’s natural, but points required for a Dao Fruit aren’t easy to accumulate. Some people have completed many tasks for thousands of years, yet I’m afraid that they still haven’t collected enough points to exchange for a Dao Fruit. However, the points for the Quest Hall’s tasks aren’t just for exchanging for treasures, but also serve a more important purpose….”
“What is it?” Before Chi Zimin could say it, someone asked eagerly.
Chi Zimin spoke with a calm tone, “That is, it serves as a measurement of qualifications to enter the Grand Essence Domain. Many sects within the Grand Essence Domain use the Grand Essence Ruins’ rankings to select their disciples.”
“You can’t get a Dao Fruit in even a thousand years, alas. But I should be able to accumulate enough points to go to the Grand Essence Domain, right?”
“That’s both true and untrue. If you have luck on your side and find the Grand Essence Realm’s lost Spirit Thunder Spirit Technique in the Grand Essence Ruins, you can easily exchange it for a
basket full of dao fruits. You can even hand it over to the sects for a high position. But if you have bad luck, then even after venturing for countless years, you might not find anything.”
“Stop dreaming. Grand Essence Spirit Thunder, hehe….”
……
While everyone eagerly involved themselves in the discussion, a huge airship landed not far away. Then, the cultivator who issued the jade cards spoke up with a loud voice, “The airship for the teleportation point has arrived. Everyone, please get on board and then go to your cabins based on the number on your jade cards.”
Ning Cheng’s cabin number was 121, and Nalan Ruxue got 122.
Not long after Ning Cheng entered his cabin, Chi Zimin came knocking.
“Brother Ning, I took the liberty to find you. I hope you can forgive me for this.” Chi Zimin entered Ning Cheng’s room and spoke with cupped fists and a smile over his face.
Ning Cheng let out a dark sigh. Chi Zimin truly knew how to approach people. His purpose of all that talk before most likely was for this moment. Even Ning Cheng had to admit that this sort of approach truly worked. If it hadn’t been for him talking about those relatively critical bits of information before and answering everyone’s questions, Ning Cheng wouldn’t have thought much about it. Moreover, Ning Cheng wouldn’t have bothered to let him inside his cabin.
“Brother Ning should already know why I came here. I know that Brother Ning wouldn’t lie to me and that you truly had only one pot of None-to-depend-on Wine. But I still want to know from where Brother Ning obtained that pot?” Although Chi Zimin’s cultivation exceeded Ning Cheng, he still spoke with a low posture and a very polite tone.
Ning Cheng pondered over it for a moment before speaking, “I obtained that pot from someone named Mo Wang. But I have no idea about his whereabouts.”
Ning Cheng didn’t need to hide this information in this place. Moreover, he truly did obtain the None-to-depend-on Wine because of Mo Wang. Mo Wang was a descendant of the Mo Clan and had guided Ning Cheng to find the None-to-depend-on.
The Gate Of Good Fortune c1-905 Page 675