Chapter 384 Leaving Jizhou

Lyra (Person Name) also shook her head and couldn't help but sigh helplessly, "What a pity we don't possess a medium-sized spirit stone mine."

Within the Chu Kingdom (Location), the only medium-grade spirit stone mine was located within the territory of the Firmament Sword Sect. This spirit stone vein could yield 100,000 spirit stones annually and was jointly controlled by the Firmament Sword Sect and the Violet Abyss Sect.

Back then, in order to seize the territory of the Azure Sun Sect, Lyra (Person Name) relinquished her share of that spirit stone mine, so naturally there was none for them now.

Logically speaking, with the current Heaven's Ruin Alliance having reopened both Heaven's Ruin Province and Earth Lion Province, the territory they now occupy is even larger than the combined domains of the Vault of Heaven Sword Sect and the Violet Abyss Sect. Within such vast lands, the likelihood of nurturing spirit stone veins is considerably high.

Unfortunately, spirit stone mines are often buried deep underground, requiring considerable manpower and resources to locate.

All these years, the Tianxu Alliance had been scouring for various mineral veins, yet they never managed to locate sufficient spirit stone deposits.

At this thought, Eldrin said, "Developing new territories takes time. There's no need to rush—we can simply assign more people to clear the lands in the future."

"And this batch of spirit stones before us is quite substantial."

Lyra also nodded. With the several million spirit stones they possessed, along with the portion of fifth-tier treasures that could be sold, they estimated they could gather resources worth 50,000,000 spirit stones.

With this batch of treasures, they would be sufficient to exchange for 50 Heavenly Crystals (Spiritual Object) worth of supplies. Even if converting spirit stones to Heavenly Crystals (Spiritual Object) required substantial premium, they should still be able to obtain over 40 Heavenly Crystals (Spiritual Object).

According to the market rates among Nascent Soul cultivators, the value of a single low-grade, 5-star heaven-and-earth treasure starts at around 60 Heavenly Crystals (Spiritual Object).

A single low-grade Demon Refining Treasure requires over a 100 Heavenly Crystals (Spiritual Object), while a strand of Earth Mother Qi (Spiritual Root) also costs around 1 100 Heavenly Crystals (Spiritual Object).

If the 2 of them obtained Heavenly Crystals (Spiritual Object), they might 1 day acquire a fifth-tier treasure to advance their Demon-Subduing Artifact.

After taking stock of their belongings and bidding farewell to the old clan leader, Elara, and several other Golden Core cultivators, they departed together from the Chu Kingdom.

On the road leaving Chu Kingdom, Eldrin held the map and said to Lyra, "Exchanging spirit stones for Heavenly Crystals is no small challenge."

"We must visit the Golden Core immortal clans across each continent 1 by 1, using spirit stones to purchase scattered Heavenly Crystals (Spiritual Object) from every kingdom and region at premium prices."

Lyra nodded slightly. Nearly all of the Heavenly Crystals (Spiritual Object) in the Ji Province had fallen into the hands of the Ji Clan, utilized to bolster Patriarch Ji's confidence in breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm.

To obtain the Heavenly Crystal (Spiritual Object), they had no choice but to leave Jizhou and gather it from the hands of other nations in the Eastern Wastelands (Location).

In truth, the most effective method to acquire a sufficient quantity of Heavenly Crystal (Spiritual Object) in 1 go would be through exchange with Nascent Soul True Monarchs. Given their substantial wealth, a single transaction with a True Monarch could very well fulfill their requirements entirely.

However, such a situation carried significant risks. After leaving Jizhou, they would be in unfamiliar territory, and presenting 50,000,000 spirit stones at once could easily tempt even a Nascent Soul True Monarch.

And if they collected them 1 by 1 from the Golden Core immortal families, the difficulty would be greatly reduced.

Golden Core immortal clans possessed few Heavenly Crystals (Spiritual Object), purchasing merely several at a time. By traveling across multiple major provinces, they could gradually gather the required sum of spirit stones.

Although the price of the Heavenly Crystal (Spiritual Object) would be significantly inflated during this process, since the amount of spirit stones required each time was minimal and had to be gathered across several major continents, it would not attract the attention of Nascent Soul cultivators.

With their strength, as long as they did not provoke the greed of a Nascent Soul True Lord, they would fear no other cultivators.

"This journey, we shall not take the Heavenly Abode Continent, but divert to the Tianxing Province and head eastward."

He journeyed straight across 7 great continents including Tianming Province and Tianhuang Province, detouring around the Heaven's Spine Mountains along the way before crossing back through The Vast Sea.

Eldrin gazed at the map before him and said, "Ancient legends speak of the Eastern Wastelands containing as many as 8 100 provinces."

These continents varied in size, with the larger ones being far more expansive than Ji Continent, while the smaller ones might not even rival the territory of Chu Kingdom (Location).

Within such a vast territory, there emerged a sea of powerful experts, where heaven-favored prodigies were as numerous as schools of fish crossing a river—even Golden Core Realized Ones and Nascent Soul True Lords were far from rare.

Golden Core cultivators were found throughout the world, with each of the 8 100 continents hosting anywhere from a few to several 100 of them, making their total number truly immeasurable.

Although the breakthrough to become a Nascent Soul True Monarch was exceptionally difficult, their lifespans were so immensely long that over thousands of years, their numbers had accumulated to a staggering figure. It was said that the Nascent Soul True Monarchs in the Eastern Wastelands (Location) numbered in the thousands.

Although Eldrin had seen only a handful of superior Golden Cores in Ji Province over the years, from the perspective of the entire Eastern Wastelands, such cultivators—though rare—would emerge every few years.

Only the chasm of the Heavenly Dao Nascent Soul presented an insurmountable barrier. That exceedingly rare Heavenly Dao Qi (Spiritual Root) barred over 90 percent of the world's supreme Golden Cores from advancing further.

And the most difficult to achieve is the Nascent Soul Dao Lord. Throughout the Eastern Wastelands, the number of prodigies born over 10 1000 years is nearly countless, yet the living Nascent Soul Dao Lords today number fewer than 10.

Jizhou, along with the territories of over a 100 nearby great provinces, was collectively known as the Vast 100 Provinces.

This vast White Marsh bordered the Murky Great Marsh, encompassing a massive territory in the southeastern part of the Eastern Wastelands. It was considered the most remote region within the Eastern Wastelands.

Eldrin planned to traverse 7 major continents including Tianmingzhou and Tianhuangzhou on this journey, gathering treasures from each region before crossing back through The Vast Sea.

The Vast Sea (Location) is 1 of the 7 great freshwater lakes within the Eastern Wastelands (Location). Its majestic archipelago at the lake's heart has nurtured countless demonic beasts and human clans, and it was once said to be the domain of a supreme Nascent Soul immortal family.

However, a 1000 years ago, the Black Dragon Demon Ancestor (Title) struck for unknown reasons, annihilating that Nascent Soul immortal clan with a single blow and ultimately leaving behind the devastated The Vast Sea (Location).

Today, The Vast Sea (Location) had become a shattered and desolate territory, now occupied by hordes of Golden Core (Cultivation Realm) demonic beings. Their decision to ultimately return from The Vast Sea (Location) was driven by the hope of discovering Nascent Soul (Cultivation Realm) legacy treasures.

"Let's head to the Astral Dominion first."

Eldrin murmured softly as he and Lyra piloted the Azure Sun Treasure Vessel across the nations of Ji Province. After 4 months of journeying, they finally arrived at the borderlands of Ji Province.

Unlike the Heavenly Abode Continent (Location), the Ji Province and Tianxing Province were not separated by the Heaven's Spine Mountains (Location), yet traversing between them required crossing an immensely vast Demon Flame Ridge.

"This Demon Flame Ridge..."

Eldrin stood before the Demonflame Ridge, his face revealing a trace of awe.

The mountain range before them stretched to the very ends of heaven and earth, its endless peaks blanketed in pitch-black flames, like the mythical Mountain of Fire.

Beside them, Lyra (Person Name) remained perfectly composed as she began recounting calmly, "The Demonflame Ridge was once a forbidden territory for demonic cultivators, guarded by no less than several Nascent Soul demonic cultivators."

They plagued several surrounding continents, feasting on hundreds of millions of humans as their bloody sustenance, committing every act imaginable that defied all heavenly principles.

3 1000 years ago, the Ji Clan journeyed from the Eastern Wastelands (Location). With the Refining Immortal Cauldron (Magic Treasure), they ignited the Demon Flame Ridge, reducing all demonic cultivators within to tribulation ashes, thus forming these vast Flaming Mountains spanning over a million li.

"However, the might of the Refining Immortal Cauldron was so overwhelming that even after a full 3,000 years, the flames here had yet to be completely extinguished."

Chapter 1 The biting cold wind howled across the snowy plains, whipping up flurries of ice crystals that shimmered under the pale moonlight. Amidst this desolate landscape, a lone figure sat cross-legged atop a glacial peak, his robes fluttering violently in the gale. Yun Che's (Person Name) eyes snapped open, twin beams of azure light piercing through the darkness. "After 90-8 1000 years..." he whispered, his voice barely audible yet carrying the weight of eons. "I've finally reconstructed my shattered dantian." A faint, crystalline glow emanated from his lower abdomen where his energy core had once been destroyed. The Heaven Swallowing Art (Cultivation Method) circulated through his meridians, drawing in the surrounding spiritual energy like a vortex. Countless ice particles swirled around him, forming intricate patterns in the air. "Master..." he murmured, his mind drifting back to that fateful day when the entire Azure Frost Sect (Sect Name) had been annihilated. The memory of his teacher's final moments still burned brightly in his mind - how the old man had sacrificed his own cultivation base to create a spatial rift that sent Yun Che tumbling through time and space. A sudden disturbance in the spiritual energy snapped him back to the present. His spiritual sense detected 3 cultivators approaching rapidly from the east, their auras blazing like torches in the night. "Foundation Establishment realm, all of them," Yun Che mused, a cold smile playing on his lips. "The Black Turtle Clan (Sect Name) never gives up, it seems." He rose gracefully, his movements fluid and effortless despite having just emerged from 90-8 1000 years of secluded cultivation. The snow beneath his feet didn't so much as crunch, as if he weighed no more than a feather. The 3 pursuers landed in a triangular formation around him, their black robes adorned with turtle shell patterns. The leader, a middle-aged man with a scar across his left cheek, sneered. "Yun Che! Did you really think you could escape our clan's pursuit?" Yun Che's gaze remained tranquil. "Elder Ming of the Black Turtle Clan. It's been... quite some time." Elder Ming (Person Name) snorted coldly. "Hand over the Primordial Chaos Codex (Cultivation Method), and we might consider giving you a quick death." Yun Che's fingers twitched slightly. "The Codex chose me, not your clan. Some things... cannot be forced." "Arrogant!" Elder Ming roared, drawing his Dark Serpent Blade (Magic Treasure). "9 Yin Profound Art (Cultivation Method) - First Form: Frozen Soul!" A wave of Yin energy shot toward Yun Che, freezing everything in its path. The very air crystallized, creating a deadly corridor of ice. Yun Che didn't dodge. Instead, he raised a single hand, palm facing outward. "Heaven Swallowing Art - Devour." The incoming Yin energy dissolved before reaching him, absorbed into his palm like water being drunk by parched earth. The 3 Black Turtle Clan elders stared in disbelief. "How... how is this possible?" stammered the youngest of them. "That was our clan's ultimate technique!" Yun Che's eyes began to glow with an otherworldly light. "Your techniques are but children's toys compared to the true Dao." With a flick of his wrist, spatial ripples spread outwards. The 3 elders found themselves frozen in place, unable to move so much as a finger. "Spacial Lock!" Elder Ming gasped. "You've reached the Nascent Soul realm!" Yun Che shook his head slightly. "The realms you know are but the beginning." He made a grasping motion, and the 3 cultivators' storage pouches flew into his hand. "I'll take these 150,000 spirit stones as compensation for disturbing my cultivation." Without another word, he turned and stepped into the void, disappearing as if he had never been there. The spatial lock dissolved, leaving the 3 elders trembling in the aftermath. Far away, in a different dimension entirely, Yun Che reappeared in a chamber of crystalline jade. He opened the storage pouches, and piles of glittering spirit stones cascaded onto the floor. "32,000 from the first, 58,000 from the second, 60,000 from the third..." he calculated. "Enough to attempt breaking through to the next stage." He sat down again, the spirit stones arranging themselves in a perfect circle around him. As he began his cultivation, the stones glowed brightly, their energy streaming into his body like rivers flowing into an ocean. Somewhere in the depths of his consciousness, a familiar voice echoed. "The path of cultivation is long and fraught with peril, disciple. Remember - true power lies not in destruction, but in creation." Yun Che smiled faintly. "I remember, Master. I remember everything."