অধ্যায় ১৬৪: যাঁকে এড়িয়ে চলা উচিত

Entering the Tianhe Secret Realm were roughly forty-odd thousand Qi-practicing cultivators. The entire Tianhe Secret Realm spans an area of about two hundred thousand square kilometers, inhabited by countless Foundation Establishment and Golden Core demonic beasts. After a month, fewer than twenty thousand Qi-practicing cultivators emerged.

The exit had remained open the entire time. People started coming out on the very first day, though they were either chased or wounded and forced to retreat from the secret realm. Naturally, the greatest concentration of people emerged on the final day, as everyone sought to maximize their gains.

Naturally, there were also those who failed to reach the exit in time and were trapped inside the secret realm.

When Luoyang emerged with the two women, the entrance to the secret realm was already contracting. A few hours later, it shrank to a point invisible to the naked eye, making it impossible for anyone still inside to come out.

Cultivators were not immortals, after all; they could not squeeze through a tiny fissure.

The survival rate of cultivators from various major sects was the highest because they always moved in groups. Groups of hundreds or thousands had nothing to fear when facing Foundation Establishment demonic beasts.

A considerable number of members from the Zixia Sect also survived, though their harvests were evidently quite mediocre.

They had attacked a late-stage Foundation Establishment demonic beast for many days simply to acquire three Heavenly Sandalwood Flowers, only for Luoyang to ultimately reap the rewards.

"The Young Master's gains this time must be substantial, surely?"

Seeing Luoyang emerge, Feng Jiutian immediately stepped forward to offer his greetings.

"Not bad. How is the situation with the City Lord's estate? It seemed I didn't encounter any cultivators from the Feng family inside."

Luoyang had briefly scanned the Feng family cultivators; there were only about twenty of them. After all, they were merely a mortal-clan lineage, lacking the immense financial resources of major sects.

"Our luck was decent enough, yielding two high-grade spiritual herbs, along with several hundred low-grade spiritual herbs."

Such an amount translated to transactions worth roughly over a hundred thousand spiritual stones, which Feng Jiutian cared little about. He was acutely aware of one fact: he could never compare to Luoyang.

"That can be considered quite decent. Spiritual herbs and the like can be brought to the Myriad Realms Chamber of Commerce. For low-grade spiritual herbs, I will have them exchanged for Qi-practicing and Foundation Establishment pills at a sixty percent pill-forming rate. High-grade spiritual herbs can be stored at the Myriad Realms Chamber of Commerce; within ten years, we will gather materials to refine high-grade medicinal pills, and at that time, however many high-grade spiritual herbs you deposited, high-grade medicinal pills will be sent back to you based on a forty percent pill-forming rate."

"Then I thank the Young Master profusely. To be frank with you, Young Master, I have been agonizing over how to find someone to refine a batch of high-grade spiritual pills. My cultivation has stagnated for fifty years; if this continues, with only about a hundred years of lifespan remaining, it will likely be extremely difficult for me to advance further."

Joy bloomed across Feng Jiutian's face. After all, a forty percent success rate for high-grade spiritual pills was something no one throughout the entire Liusha Continent dared to guarantee. The Dan Ding Sect claimed to possess the premier alchemy techniques in the entire Liusha Continent, yet they had only two individuals capable of refining Golden Core stage pills—one with a mere ten percent success rate, and the other slightly over twenty percent, falling terribly short of Luoyang's forty percent.

"This is nothing at all. The City Lord simply lacks a high-grade spiritual vein. Our Chamber of Commerce has no shortage of other things, and we certainly possess quite a few high-grade spiritual veins. Once the relocation of a high-grade spiritual vein is completed in a short while, we will construct a dedicated cultivation chamber exclusively for the City Lord."

The manpower under Luoyang's command was still far too sparse. All the staff in his shops were hired outsiders, and even within his private residence were numerous wandering cultivators hired from the outside. The people truly belonging to him numbered only a dozen or so; how could they possibly manage such a massive enterprise?

Bringing Chu Shanshan and Fang Wanqing back this time was also intended to have them assist in managing the shops, while concurrently opening up new financial streams for the Myriad Realms Chamber of Commerce.

For instance, artifact refining was still being handled by Zhuo Leng as a sideline duty. Her energy was limited and she could barely keep up, which was why the Myriad Realms Chamber of Commerce offered very few magical artifacts for sale, buying only raw materials instead—a severely disadvantageous arrangement.

Feng Jiutian no longer knew what to say. After all, items like high-grade spiritual veins were extraordinarily difficult for even him to acquire, unless he went to practice at the Taiyuan Sect.

Yet he still had to guard the Dawn City, with his entire clan rooted here. If he were to leave rashly and some mishap befell the family, there would be no one to look after them.

Li Yuanqing's Nascent Soul grand ceremony had netted him several high-grade spiritual veins, but that person was a Nascent Soul cultivator, and furthermore the sole Nascent Soul cultivator in the entire Liusha Continent—that was a matter of sheer prestige.

Feng Jiutian was merely a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator. Across the entire Liusha Continent, there were at least forty to fifty such individuals, almost all of whom were younger than him and possessed greater potential. Prime resources would never fall to his lot.

High-grade spiritual veins were exceedingly rare in the Liusha Continent; combined, they numbered fewer than fifty, every single one monopolized by the Three Sects and Seven Factions.

"Many thanks, Young Master."

Uttering these words came entirely from the depths of his heart. The one thing he had rejoiced in over the past few years was forging a connection with Luoyang the moment he appeared.

"Additionally, I shall impart some news to the City Lord: within fifty years, the Myriad Realms Chamber of Commerce will have two Nascent Soul Pills available for sale. One of them will be auctioned off, while the as for the other, once the City Lord provides me with thirty million spiritual stones when the time comes, I shall bestow that pill upon the City Lord in private."

"This..."

Hearing this, Feng Jiutian's facial expression involuntarily began to quiver.

In this lifetime of his, he too harbored hope of reaching the Nascent Soul realm?

Fifty years, thirty million spiritual stones—so long as he gritted his teeth and endured, he could pull it together.

"From this day forward, whenever the Young Master has a command, this Feng will gladly shatter his bones and brave death to fulfill it!"

He knew that Luoyang was showing him special favor; otherwise, where would he have the strength to acquire a Nascent Soul Pill? Across the entire Liusha Continent, even excluding the Three Sects and Seven Factions, there were over a dozen cultivators whose fortunes surpassed his. Once put up for auction, the price would not fall below forty million spiritual stones.

"Mn."

Luoyang showed no false modesty and simply gave a direct acknowledgment.

Shortly thereafter, he sensed a thread of divine sense probing toward his direction.

Mid-stage Golden Core divine sense!

Feng Jiutian became aware of it as well, because the opponent was likewise a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator.

He immediately looked over and recognized the person as a woman, remarkably young and beautiful, though her expression at the moment was rather unsightly. Furthermore, he happened to recognize her.

True Immortal Yuyu of the Zixia Sect!

Do not let her youthful appearance deceive you; she was actually over a hundred years old. It was just that the cultivation technique she practiced possessed powerful youth-preserving properties, and coupled with her exceptional natural talent, she had successfully formed her core at the age of sixty, causing her youth to fade at an exceptionally slow pace.

"Hmph!"

Luoyang let out a cold snort directly, unleashing a spike of divine sense that counterattacked fiercely.

The next second, True Immortal Yuyu's delicate brows furrowed tightly, an unnatural expression crossing her face.

"City Lord, do you happen to know the owner of that divine sense just now?"

Luoyang inquired.

"I do. It is True Immortal Yuyu of the Zixia Sect, a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator."

"Very well. Please trouble the City Lord to relay a message for me: within one month, she is to come to my Luoyang Manor, kowtow, and apologize. If she does so, I shall let the matter rest; otherwise, her Zixia Sect may as well be erased from the Liusha Continent!"

With that, Luoyang did not linger any longer. He took the two women and flew up into the air, where Shui Lianyi had already arrived with a flying magical treasure to receive him.

Feng Jiutian's expression shifted through shades of uncertainty. Did this True Immortal Yuyu not know the Young Master's identity? Why had she rashly used her divine sense to probe this area just now? Now look where it had led—she had offended someone she could ill afford to provoke.