Volume Seven: Their Respective Cultivation

Luo Feng and Emperor Qing carried the spoils from their second hunt aboard the Black Flying Boat and began their return journey.

As they traveled back, the two remained as cautious as ever.

"A flying boat is approaching. Be careful." Vast, invisible ripples enveloped the region. Three concealed figures within the area had discovered the flying boat with the aid of an array.

"Let them continue forward and venture deeper into the array before we Make a Move."

The three concealed figures waited patiently.

Then suddenly—

"Hmm?"

Inside the Black Flying Boat, the Imitation Life-Death Eye between Luo Feng's brows had remained open. Ever since both his Life and Destruction paths had reached the God Emperor Early-Stage, the Imitation Life-Death Eye had naturally advanced further, its powers of observation becoming even stronger.

"Something is wrong with the surroundings." Luo Feng immediately transmitted to Emperor Qing. "Retreat at maximum speed."

"Oh?" Emperor Qing had not sensed any danger, but he trusted his companion.

Luo Feng had merely sensed that something was off. He had not discovered any enemies, and the surrounding void appeared perfectly normal! Yet his Imitation Life-Death Eye had detected that the operation of the surrounding heaven-and-earth laws was somewhat abnormal.

A law of shadows had seeped into the laws of heaven and earth. The deeper they went, the greater the influence of those shadow laws became.

Whoosh!

The Black Flying Boat suddenly shot backward, retreating along its original path at its limit.

"We've been exposed."

"They actually discovered us?"

"Trap them."

Dense shadow power descended, and the vast region spanning hundreds of millions of kilometers instantly turned dim and gray! Luo Feng's flying boat was also within the vast area shrouded by shadow power. However, they were already not far from the "boundary."

But at this moment, the endless shadow power was dense and viscous, completely restraining the flying boat.

"Heaven and Earth as One!"

"World Splitting!"

A towering figure appeared, naturally drawing upon the vast power of heaven and earth. Its right hand was like a colossal axe, cleaving down in fury! Wherever that great axe struck, it was as though the entire world had been split in two, forcibly carving out a massive rift in heaven and earth!

After Luo Feng's Life and Destruction paths reached the God Emperor Early-Stage, this was the forbidden technique he had created based on the characteristics of his Heaven-Earth Clone—the technique most suited to it: World Splitting!

Once that enormous rift had been carved open, even the shadow power was temporarily split apart, opening a huge gap.

Whoosh.

The Black Flying Boat immediately sped along that gap, its speed soaring as it shot out of the area covered by shadow power in an instant. The towering figure also followed the rift through heaven and earth, vanishing in a flash as it charged out.

Only after escaping the vast range of shadow power did Emperor Qing secretly let out a sigh of relief.

"Brother Luo Feng, they should be experts from the Myriad Shadow Pavilion," Emperor Qing transmitted. "If we had been trapped within their array, we would have been in serious trouble."

"This array is formidable. Even my Heaven-Earth Clone's forbidden technique could only carve open a gap." Luo Feng also realized how troublesome his opponents were.

"Hahaha..."

Laughter rang out.

Three distorted shadows descended around them and condensed into three figures.

Each wore gray robes and masks, with invisible power spreading from them.

"It truly is the Myriad Shadow Pavilion." Luo Feng and Emperor Qing were now completely certain.

Three factions had long carried out theft and plunder in Rain Ripple City: the Insect Nest, the Myriad Shadow Pavilion, and the Strange Workshop. All three belonged to Hall Master Wei Yang. The faction commanded by Hall Master Wei Yang was the largest force in Rain Ripple City.

Within the Myriad Shadow Pavilion, those responsible for theft held relatively ordinary positions.

Those responsible for plunder were the true middle and upper ranks! These plunderers generally concealed their auras and hid their appearances. After all, "plunder" made it far too easy to make enemies.

"Those from the Myriad Shadow Pavilion who handle plunder are generally Enlightenment Seekers at the God Emperor Mid-Stage. Those who are too weak would not dare engage in plunder," Emperor Qing transmitted to Luo Feng.

"From that brief exchange, we can already determine their approximate strength." Luo Feng understood this clearly as well.

"Hahaha, Emperor Qing and Luo Feng?"

The three gray-robed figures looked at the two of them. One of the gray-robed figures laughed. "No wonder the two of you dared to go hunting together. You do have some skill. You understand the rules of plunder, don't you?"

"Of course." Emperor Qing said, "We are willing to offer a sum of Primal Chaos Crystals."

"We won't ask for much. Leave behind one Lowly Primal Chaos Lifeform corpse, and we'll let you go," said the gray-robed figure.

Emperor Qing and Luo Feng exchanged glances.

"Fine." Emperor Qing agreed. With a wave of his hand, he released a Lowly Primal Chaos Lifeform corpse. It was the cheapest among their spoils from this hunt, worth around eight hundred thousand Primal Chaos Crystals.

"You're quite straightforward." After the lead gray-robed figure collected the corpse, the figures of the three men twisted, and their three shadows vanished.

"Let's go."

Emperor Qing and Luo Feng piloted the Black Flying Boat around the range of the shadow array and continued their return journey.

Inside the flying boat.

"When hunting outside, other cultivators are a threat besides Lowly Primal Chaos Lifeforms." Emperor Qing shook his head. "Naturally, we do not care about plunderers of ordinary strength. We could even kill them instead."

"But if we run into someone strong, it'll be troublesome."

"If we can escape, we escape. If we can hand over some Primal Chaos Crystals, then we hand some over." Emperor Qing shook his head. "But if the raiders don't want Primal Chaos Crystals and insist on killing and plundering treasures, then we can only risk our lives."

Luo Feng nodded.

Judging from their brief exchange, those three should have possessed the strength of God Emperor Mid-Stage Enlightenment Seekers. They might have accumulated experience at the God Emperor Mid-Stage for a long time and lacked no secret treasures. Luo Feng knew that even if he joined forces with Emperor Qing, they might not be able to defeat those three.

"Whoosh."

After flying for a while, the Black Flying Boat finally reached Rain Ripple City.

Emperor Qing smiled as well. "The two of us really are lucky. On our first hunt, although we encountered a God Emperor Late-Stage Lowly Primal Chaos Lifeform, we escaped successfully. On our second hunt, although we encountered raiders on the way back, we avoided disaster by handing over a Lowly Primal Chaos Lifeform corpse."

"You call that lucky?" Luo Feng asked.

"That's very lucky." Emperor Qing said, "After hunting more often, you'll understand. During a hunt, you might suddenly encounter an exceptionally powerful Lowly Primal Chaos Lifeform, and more than half the team could be killed or injured. Or on the way back, you might run into raiders who refuse to follow the rules and forcibly kill people for their treasures..."

Luo Feng listened and nodded.

"That's how it is for us God Emperor Early-Stage cultivators in Rain Ripple City. We risk our lives, only to possibly be raided afterward." Emperor Qing sighed. "Fortunately, I come from a Source World and have the Clone Technique. Otherwise, life would be much harder."

"Cultivating in Rain Ripple City isn't easy." As Emperor Qing spoke, he could not help glancing at Luo Feng. "Of course, Brother Luo Feng, you're different. You already possess the strength of a God Emperor Mid-Stage Enlightenment Seeker. You only need to buy a few secret treasures suited to you and broaden your methods a little. That would be enough for you to join any faction in Rain Ripple City."

"There are many factions within Rain Ripple City. But a God Emperor Mid-Stage Enlightenment Seeker is enough to serve as a backbone." Emperor Qing said. "Beyond that are the elders, and there are still very few of them."

Luo Feng smiled.

In Rain Ripple City, there were a total of 723 Enlightenment Seekers with strength at the God Emperor Late-Stage level. Of them, 327 served as elders. Many of them had clones venturing through the Dark Holy World, while their clones in Rain Ripple City rarely took action.

When elder-level figures acted, it generally became intelligence that drew the entire city's attention. God Emperor Mid-Stage Enlightenment Seekers were the true backbone supporting the operations of many factions in Rain Ripple City.

"Do you plan to join any faction?" Emperor Qing asked.

"There's no need." Luo Feng gently shook his head.

What he cared about most now was raising the Life-Death Path to the God Emperor Early-Stage as soon as possible.

"True, you haven't been in Rain Ripple City for long. Focus on cultivating for now." Emperor Qing said. "But if you get the chance, becoming part of the upper ranks in a major faction still brings many benefits."

Luo Feng merely smiled and said nothing more.

As they talked, the Black Flying Boat had already arrived at the towering Primal Chaos Hall.

"Let's sell the spoils first." Emperor Qing and Luo Feng flew toward the Primal Chaos Hall together.

The remaining eight Lowly Primal Chaos Lifeform corpses, including the Merit Points, sold for a total of 8.6 million Primal Chaos Crystals. Luo Feng and Emperor Qing each received half.

After dividing the Primal Chaos Crystals, Luo Feng and Emperor Qing separated to make their purchases.

"This time, I'll mainly be buying Lowly Primal Chaos Lifeform materials from the God Emperor Mid-Stage." Luo Feng began carefully visiting the various merchants in Rain Ripple City. For every material suitable for the paths of life and destruction, Luo Feng carefully inquired about the price.

He spent a day comparing prices in detail and bargaining.

In the end, he bought around a thousand portions of God Emperor Mid-Stage Lowly Primal Chaos Lifeform materials, at roughly 3,300 Primal Chaos Crystals per portion. Across the entire Nine Rivers Holy World, he had likely gathered at least ninety percent of the God Emperor Mid-Stage Lowly Primal Chaos Lifeform materials suited to him. What remained were all exceedingly rare and difficult to obtain.

Afterward, Luo Feng also purchased 900,000 Primal Chaos Crystals' worth of auxiliary cultivation pills and other items.

"What a coincidence, the official flying boat is about to arrive?" Luo Feng was delighted. On the third day after finishing his purchases, one of his clones took the storage treasure, the Illusory World Maze, and carried all the treasures he had bought to the Origin Continent.

He had to carry the storage treasure, the Illusory World Maze, with him every time. Luo Feng was also afraid of theft.

With different cultivation systems, there were times when it truly was difficult to guard against such things.

"On the Origin Continent, with the Life-Death Eye, cultivation efficiency is indeed more than ten times higher than in Rain Ripple City." Luo Feng had long decided that during his first few hunts, he would make a trip to the Origin Continent each time.

In the future, once he was sufficiently wealthy, he might only make a trip after several hunts.

"Emperor Qing and Luo Feng have returned from their second hunt?" Since they lived in the same cave residence, Luo Feng and Emperor Qing had not concealed anything, so Emperor Lord Ming and Di Fu naturally learned of it.

"Looks like things went rather smoothly for them."

Emperor Lord Ming sat cross-legged inside his own cave residence, his expression complicated. "Since arriving in Rain Ripple City, I've also gone hunting once, but... the result was a complete mess!"

There was a reason ordinary hunting teams in Rain Ripple City did not want God Emperor Early-Stage bloodline cultivators like them. During hunts, their direct contribution was negligible, and they could easily become a burden instead.

"There were a full thirty-two team members this time, every one of us a God Emperor Early-Stage bloodline cultivator. We researched for a long time and discussed methods of coordination. But what was the result?" Emperor Lord Ming was deeply discouraged.

The thirty-two of them had taken a flying boat out, and their luck had been decent—they encountered a God Emperor Early-Stage Lowly Primal Chaos Lifeform. Had they encountered anything stronger, their entire team would likely have been wiped out.

Even against the weakest type of Lowly Primal Chaos Lifeform, the thirty-two of them followed the coordination methods they had prepared beforehand and joined forces to surround and attack it.

However—

The Lowly Primal Chaos Lifeform's body was too formidable! Its vitality was too immense! Their coordination had been exquisite, and they successfully executed seven consecutive sets of encirclement tactics. Their relentless attacks gave the Lowly Primal Chaos Lifeform no chance to retaliate.

But... after enduring seven sets of coordinated attacks, that Lowly Primal Chaos Lifeform was severely wounded yet still not dead. In its frenzied counterattack as death approached, it forcibly killed seven team members, severely injured more than ten others, and sent the remaining members fleeing in panic.

"Thirty-two team members still couldn't kill a single Lowly Primal Chaos Lifeform. No wonder hunting teams don't want us." Emperor Lord Ming shook his head. "I should make good use of Rain Ripple City's resources to cultivate and strive to improve my strength further."

He appeared poor on the surface.

But as someone who had received rewards from Infinite Space, Emperor Lord Ming was actually quite wealthy. He simply had to be extremely careful when using his wealth. After all... he was too weak! He had not even cultivated a clone technique yet.

"The True Witch lineage's inheritance from the Nine Ring World Tower was indeed extraordinary. As for the Void Lineage, I gained immensely from it. I feel that I'm getting closer and closer to the complete 'Great Dao of Space.'" Di Fu was also highly satisfied within the Nine Ring World Tower. Although he had merely been helping with miscellaneous tasks and doing basic work, he had gained a great deal.

After all, they were different cultivation systems, but their essence was all 'Dao.'

"If I comprehend the complete Great Dao of Space, I'll be qualified to survive until the next era on the Origin Continent." Di Fu smiled brilliantly, filled with confidence for the future.

If he had remained on the Origin Continent, stuck at a bottleneck, he might not have broken through even by the time the Origin Continent underwent its great annihilation.

But after arriving in Rain Ripple City, he had come into contact with far too many cultivation systems and had access to countless cultivation resources. Naturally, the difficulty of breaking through had been greatly reduced.

"I came to the right place." Di Fu felt extremely fortunate.

With Luo Feng and Emperor Qing looking after him, he did not need to worry about lodging in the city, so he was naturally quite relaxed.

"Brother Luo Feng already possesses the strength of a God Emperor Mid-Stage Enlightenment Seeker. He's even surpassed me." Emperor Qing sat cross-legged in a meditation chamber, looking at the jade bowl before him. Inside it was an amber-like liquid.

"I've been stuck at the final bottleneck for far too long."

"Eighty million Primal Chaos Crystals. I sold many of my treasures in exchange for this portion of 'Void Marrow Essence Liquid,' all for this one gamble." Emperor Qing had not originally been in such a hurry, but the imbalance in the team's strength had prompted him to make this attempt now.

He had exchanged all the wealth he had accumulated over long years for this treasure.

"Come on."

Emperor Qing opened his mouth, and all the amber-like liquid in the jade bowl rose into the air and flew into his mouth.