Everlasting

 

“Good stuff?” Chen Feng was momentarily taken aback. Although he had inserted his divine sense into the Magic artefact earlier, he was focused on finding the Icespirit Grasses and did not pay attention to the other items inside.

Ye Ziming took the jade bracelet and waved it lightly, causing a glittering piece of jade stone to appear on the table. However, it was different compared to ordinary jade stones. This one was constantly emitting thick wisps of spiritual energy. Although the spiritual energy it emitted was different from the worldly spiritual energy which permeates every corner of the world, there were some similarities as well.

“What is this? Jade stone? It doesn’t look the same,” said Chen Feng, who picked up the piece of jade stone. He could feel wisps of spiritual energy coming out from the jade stone before seeping into his body. It did not take long for his body to absorb and meld the energy into his own primary energy.

“Eh? This should be a form of spiritual energy!” said an intrigued Chen Feng.

“Brother Chen, do you really not recognize this item? Look at it carefully,” said Ye Ziming with a faint smile.

Chen Feng raised the piece of jade stone up as he recalled the information within his mind, attempting to find any image of the jade stone.

“You buffoon! This is a Magic crystal!” Tower’s voice suddenly rang out within Chen Feng’s mind.

“Magic crystal, right! This is a Magic crystal!” Chen Feng suddenly understood. He had already entered the cultivation world for quite some time now. He had also read up on some of the matters of the cultivation world. Thanks to Tower’s reminder, he recalled the origin and function of the jade stone.

Magic crystal. It was a type of spirit stone produced by the world, containing thick, spiritual energy. Cultivators could absorb the spiritual energy within it to practice cultivation. Moreover, these spirit stones could also be used in the forging of items, concoction of pills, creation of arrays, etc.

A piece of ordinary Magic crystal, despite being of the same size as a Basic Yang Pill, was the equivalent of 100 Basic Yang Pills. Some parts of the cultivation world used Magic crystals as currency.

“So, it is a Magic crystal. This is a really good thing,” said Chen Feng happily. 

“That is right, this is a Magic crystal. A piece of Magic crystal is worth 100 Basic Yang Pills. Furthermore, it is best used for cultivation. Tsk tsk!” As Ye Ziming spoke, he waved his hand again.

Shua!

A small hill appeared in the courtyard. It was made out of Magic crystals.

“I have calculated it. There is a total of 30,000 pieces of Magic crystals,” said Ye Ziming.

“Siii!”

Chen Feng sucked in a breath of cold air. 30,000 Magic crystals? That meant 3 million Basic Yang Pills. With so many Magic crystals, he could buy some of the things he needed.

The three of them stepped forward in excitement. They could feel thick waves of energy rise up from the courtyard. Soon, the energy filled the entire courtyard.

With a wave of his hand, Ye Ziming set up a layer of barrier to block the spiritual energy from escaping.

“I also noticed something. There is a peculiar aura emanating off these crystals. If I am not mistaken, these Magic crystals are freshly-produced crystals,” Ye Ziming suddenly said.

“Freshly-produced? What do you mean?” Chen Feng thought of something.

“Magic crystal mine! A Magic crystal mine! That Liu Yuntian surely knows where this Magic crystal mine is. A pity! A pity! We should not have killed him so quickly. We should have left him alive,” Lu Ta, who stood beside him, cried out.

“Yes, a Magic crystal mine. However, Liu Yuntian’s backer is Nine Firmaments Palace, who runs many mines as part of its business operations. It is not rare for it to have Magic crystal mines. What I am wondering right now is, given Liu Yuntian’s lack of cultivation talent, how did he get accepted as a disciple by one of Nine Firmaments Palace elders? Not just that, he was even bestowed a Prized artefact. Most importantly, he was carrying around so much Magic crystals with him. Tsk tsk! For a little disciple like him to be carrying around so much Magic crystals, Nine Firmaments Palace is quite rich,” said Ye Ziming with a smile.

“Could it be? The Magic crystals are from Purplecloud Sky Grotto’s mine?” Chen Feng suddenly spoke up.

“There is that possibility. However, even if they do find a Magic crystal mine, existences the likes of Six Great Sky Grottoes are not strong enough to hold it. They can only hand it over to their backers. In this case, it is the Nine Firmaments Palace. If so, we now have an explanation as to why Nine Firmaments Palace would accept Liu Yuntian as a disciple,” said Ye Ziming.

“However, that is but a speculation,” said Chen Feng.

“Back then, we really should have let Liu Yuntian live. However, since our speculations brought us to this conclusion, we should go check out Purplecloud Sky Grotto’s territory in the future,” said Ye Ziming with a smile.

“Agreed, I have no objections,” replied Lu Ta with a beaming smile.

“For the time being, we should avoid bringing these Magic crystals out to avoid suspicion. Do not forget, Liu Yuntian died by our hands,” said Ye Ziming.

“Naturally, I still want to keep these Magic crystals for cultivation purposes,” Chen Feng replied happily. 

There was a total of 30,000 Magic crystals. Thus, each of them got 10,000 Magic crystals. It was the equivalent of 1 million Basic Yang Pills. For a cultivator at Chen Feng’s level, this was a windfall.

“Brother Chen, aren’t you still lacking one final medicinal herb? Soulguard Flower. Since we have nothing to do in particular right now, let’s take a stroll through the city. We might be able to find something,” suggested Ye Ziming.

“All right. After cultivating for three months, I am already feeling somewhat stifled,” replied Chen Feng with a smile. It was true. Chen Feng’s nerves had been terribly tense during the past few months as he feared he might be burned to his death by the Soulflames. He had been in that state for around three months. It was something that had never happened before. Time for him to breathe in some fresh air and relax for a bit.

However, after this tempering experience, Chen Feng’s character and state of mind had improved. The importance of those two aspects would rise alongside a cultivator’s cultivation base. Only, Chen Feng had yet to understand that.

Chen Feng also did not know something else. Something was happening within Longevity Tower.

“Fantastic, baby! To think he could gather up so much Magic crystals! Although they are of the lowest quality, it is enough to restore a smidge of my powers. It seems this kid is quite lucky. I too, am quite lucky.” Tower’s voice echoed within the Longevity Tower.

Next, the Magic crystals piled up within the Longevity Tower began emitting strands of energy, which flowed into the various corners of Longevity Tower. As the energy from the Longevity Tower dissipated away, a tiny crack within one of Longevity Tower’s corner was slowly restored. Naturally, it was a very diminutive change. Even if Chen Feng were to focus his all to inspect the tower, he would be unable to find any change.

In but three breaths’ worth of time, the energy within all the 10,000 Magic crystals was fully absorbed. Then, with a rumbling sound, the pile of crystals shattered into fine residue.

Naturally, Chen Feng remained ignorant about what was transpiring. He was instead happily taking a stroll through White Cloud City.

“This city is truly not small. An ordinary human would be incapable of making his way through this city in one day. As for the shops inside this city, not even a year is enough for them to go through them all.” Looking at the shops there, Chen Feng felt bedazzled.

After spending the whole day looking around, Chen Feng found nothing. None of the shops sold the Soulguard Flower.

“It seems our White Cloud City does not sell the Soulguard Flower. I believe the flower can only be found in Demon Soul Valley. I recall our trade association selling a stalk of Soulguard Flower once, ten years ago. If I am not mistaken, it was obtained from the Demon Soul Valley,” one of the old cultivators from a trade association informed Chen Feng.

“Demon Soul Valley.” Chen Feng and the others exchanged glances.

Is the Soulguard Flower only available in the Demon Soul Valley? Still, in order to increase my cultivation base, I will have to go visit the Demon Soul Valley. Chen Feng thought to himself.

“It seems there are none in White Cloud City. Should we head back?” said Ye Ziming.

As the three of them were about to head back, a jolt ran through Chen Feng’s mind and he jerked his head back. A powerful divine sense spread out to continuously scan the place.

“Brother Chen, what is wrong?” asked an intrigued Ye Ziming.

“I felt someone secretly looking at us, but I couldn’t find anyone,” replied Chen Feng with a frown.

“Brother Chen, you are overthinking it. How is it that I did not feel anything?” said Ye Ziming with a puzzled look.

“Was I overthinking things?” said Chen Feng with a smile.

On the way back, Chen Feng sensed someone following them a few more times. However, despite pushing his divine sense to its limit, he was still incapable of sensing anything.

Strange, strange. With my current divine sense, even a level 7 Concealed stage cultivator cannot hide from my senses. And yet, I am incapable of finding any traces of whoever it is. If the other party is so powerful, how did I end up noticing them? Chen Feng felt somewhat puzzled. However, he said nothing. They continued on their way back to the Myriad Suns Trade Association and the feeling of being secretly monitored slowly disappeared.

After Chen Feng, Ye Ziming and Lu Ta entered the Myriad Suns Trade Association building, a man and woman slowly emerged from within the milling crowd within the street. It seemed as though the two of them had appeared from the void itself.

The two of them were young. The man was tall and handsome with a lean stature. He held onto a sword in one hand. He gave off an elegant temperament. However, the sinister light that shone ceaselessly within his eyes ruined that impression.

The woman had a slender figure with voluptuous curves and a white and beautiful face. She was an enchanting sight to behold. If Chen Feng were to see her, he would recognize her. She was none other than the enchanting woman he encountered in the Black Origin Mountain Range. Additionally, she had coincidentally seen Chen Feng kill off her Fifth Senior Brother. After that, Chen Feng failed to kill this woman, allowing her to escape. He had left a root of trouble unchecked.

“Sun Yao, is it that young fellow?” asked the young man. There were traces of frivolousness and teasing in his voice.

“Right, the kid in the middle. Even if I die, I will still be able to recognize him. Third Senior Brother, you must take revenge for me.” Sun Yao moved closer to embrace the young man’s arm and she squirmed her body, sticking her body upon Third Senior Brother.

“That kid is clearly just at level 1 of the Concealed stage. How could he possibly kill Fifth Senior Brother and wound you?” Third Senior Brother asked, a doubtful tone in his voice.

“Third Senior Brother, it is like this. He possesses a Prized artefact on him,” whispered Sun Yao.

“What? A Prized artefact? Are you telling the truth?” The expression on Third Senior Brother’s face changed and he hastily asked using secret vocal transmission.

“Of course I am telling the truth. How would I dare lie to Third Senior Brother?” Sun Yao’s twin peaks rubbed against Third Senior Brother’s arms without rest, causing a wickedly hot sensation to slowly rise within him.

“Did you tell anyone about this?” Third Senior Brother considered the matter before asking.

“Of course not. I did not tell anyone else but Third Senior Brother, hoping you would help me take revenge.” Sun Yao cast an alluring look at Third Senior Brother.