Chapter 8

Chapter 8: The Realm of Destruction

“An ancestral black wood bead from the 18th generation, how much would you offer, shopkeeper?”

Chen Ansheng had little experience in business, but he was good at boasting.

The shopkeeper weighed the prayer beads, checking their texture and age with his spiritual power, and quoted, “The total weight is three pounds and twelve taels, and the average price is this amount.”

The shopkeeper held up two fingers, leaving Chen Ansheng somewhat dazed.

No way.

Only two spirit crystals?

Wasn’t it said to be a rare material? How could it be worth so little?

What a loss!

“I won’t sell!”

Chen Ansheng felt a bit frustrated and was preparing to check prices at other places.

“Young master, don’t be in a hurry. Two pieces of purple crystal are worth a tael, which is the market price. Your black wood is of considerable age and has good texture. I can make an exception and offer you a bit more. If you’re still not satisfied, there’s nothing I can do. You know that our Xianzhen Pavilion conducts business in the safest and most fair manner, so please consider it.” The shopkeeper advised.

So it’s two pieces of purple crystal for a tael!

Purple crystal is of better quality than spirit crystal, with an exchange ratio of about one hundred to one.

This means the price of the black wood is two hundred spirit crystals for a tael!

Chen Ansheng’s string of prayer beads, weighing three pounds and twelve taels, equates to a full sixty taels! It could sell for a whopping twelve thousand spirit crystals!

He never imagined he could earn so much money in one go.

“Ahem, Xianzhen Pavilion treats everyone equally, and I know this for sure, so I’ll sell it to you.”

At this price, Chen Ansheng was naturally willing to transact.

Of course, if he took it to the black market, he might get a higher price, but it wouldn’t be safe—he was afraid of earning a living but losing his life.

“Good.” The shopkeeper smiled and accepted the prayer beads. “Would you like purple crystals or spirit crystals?”

“Spirit crystals, please. They’re heavier and feel more secure.” Chen Ansheng replied with a smile.

The shopkeeper immediately ordered someone to bring a storage bag. “A total of twelve thousand five hundred spirit crystals. The extra five hundred is considered a premium. Please count it clearly; I won’t be responsible for any discrepancies after you leave the counter.”

Chen Ansheng took the storage bag and checked its contents with his spiritual sense; it was just right, so he stored it away.

Then, he asked the shopkeeper for a book detailing material prices before rising to leave.

His heart raced, and his hands trembled.

A string of beads worth double what he had saved over a decade of mining!

“Thank you, Cross-Boundary Stone, thank you to my ancestors for eighteen generations; you have changed my fate.”

Chen Ansheng was incredibly excited; good days had finally arrived.

“Stop right there!”

Just as he stepped out of the trading area, a shout came from behind him.

He immediately turned around and saw a familiar young man, Wang Bo, the overseer of the first mining area, accompanied by two alluring women.

“So it’s you, Overseer Wang. Were you calling for me?”

Chen Ansheng bowed respectfully.

Wang Bo examined him from head to toe. “What are you doing in the market?”

Chen Ansheng thought to himself, why should where I go concern you? Yet he dared not respond defiantly. “Reporting to the overseer, I live far away and have nowhere to go during my time off, so I came to the market to find some wild fruits and herbs.”

Wang Bo did not care how Chen Ansheng answered and spoke in a commanding tone, “Coincidentally, I have a task for you to run, which will take about a month. Once you finish, I’ll make sure not to deduct your wages for the few days you miss.”

Chen Ansheng frowned slightly.

Send him to run errands? A month away?

Why should he!

This guy was just bullying him based on his identity.

“Reporting to the overseer, I am currently suffering from poison sickness and need to recuperate for over ten days. I may not be able to assist you this time. Perhaps next time.”

After saying this, Chen Ansheng performed a bow and then turned to leave.

“Hey, you brat!”

Wang Bo muttered but did not pursue Chen Ansheng further. A foolish opportunity to curry favor was wasted on him.

Once Chen Ansheng’s figure disappeared, a woman beside Wang Bo spoke up, “Oh, Young Master Wang, you were played by that kid.”

Wang Bo asked, “Why?”

The woman replied, “Didn’t you see that kid is a Pure Sword Body? His physique isn’t affected by poison at all. He clearly didn’t want to help you run errands.”

Wang Bo suddenly realized, “This little shrimp dares to play tricks on me! Next time I see you, you’ll regret it!”

…

After leaving the market, Chen Ansheng treated himself to a feast at a nearby restaurant.

Passing by Lingfeng Tower, where Li Zhengyang often went, he considered experiencing it for himself but feared running into acquaintances, so he held off.

In reality, the ordinary women in the immortal realm lacked aura compared to those who ascended. Their qualities were far inferior.

Li Zhengyang had complained about this to Chen Ansheng as well.

“It’s been several days since I left Yunlong Realm. That girl Qing’er must have recovered by now. I’ll go find her tomorrow and let her continue repaying her debt.”

Back in the cave.

Chen Ansheng lay on a stone, unable to fall asleep.

Whenever he closed his eyes, he saw Qing’er’s glimmering peaks trembling, and his heart burned with impatience.

“What torment! When can I step into the True Immortal Realm? That way, I can stay in the lower realm a little longer.”

Raising one’s cultivation was the dream of every citizen in the immortal realm.

However, without cultivating in a blessed land or cave, one could at most maintain their level. To improve was simply impossible.

In ancient times, the immortal realm was filled with rich immortal spiritual energy, allowing ordinary immortals to cultivate successfully.

But with generation after generation of upper-class families using spirit-gathering arrays, they had long drained the spiritual energy from ordinary regions, leaving commoners no chance to rise.

Now, to cultivate and improve, one either needed a large amount of purple crystals, bought a cave dwelling, or joined an immortal estate to become a disciple—there were no other options.

“A lower-level spiritual cave requires at least one hundred eighty thousand spirit crystals. Sigh, I’m still far off.”

Just like that, Chen Ansheng endured for twelve hours.

He eagerly took out the Cross-Boundary Stone, concentrated, and a light portal appeared.

When he opened his eyes again, Chen Ansheng was stunned.

Before him was a desolate land, devoid of any life.

“How could this happen? It’s only been a dozen days since I left the lower realm, how is it already barren?”

Chen Ansheng looked confused.

So, he quickly focused his thoughts on the Cross-Boundary Stone to seek answers.

“Unbelievable! The world I teleport to isn’t fixed?”

Chen Ansheng rolled his eyes in realization. He understood now that beneath the immortal realm lay countless cultivation realms.

The world he teleported into wasn’t fixed; unless he had extremely powerful spiritual strength, he couldn’t lock onto the cultivation realm he had previously visited.

But his current spiritual strength was quite ordinary.

This meant that among countless cultivation realms, trying to return to Yunlong Realm was like finding a needle in a haystack.

“You can’t do this to me! I saved Qing’er’s life, and she hasn’t repaid me yet!”

Chen Ansheng couldn’t help but shout out, his pent-up frustration with nowhere to vent.

“Forget it, let’s see if this world has anything valuable.”

Chen Ansheng had no other options. He expanded his spiritual sense, sweeping everything within thousands of miles with his investigation.

“Not even an ant!”

Within thousands of miles, there was not a single living creature, only numerous ravaged areas piled high with petrified corpses.

Following that, Chen Ansheng soared into the sky, quickly flying out for thousands of miles as he continued to scout.

Two days later, Chen Ansheng felt increasingly disappointed.

“This is a cultivation plane that has already been destroyed.”

The entire world had no one like “Qing’er,” no of the materials he needed, only a pervading toxic miasma and barren wasteland.

From the remnants, it was evident that a brutal battle had taken place here, resulting in its destruction many thousands of years ago.