Saint's Ruins Open

Two days later,

"Brother Ming, it's about to open." Chen Xuanjia appeared before Jiang Ming right on time.

Jiang Ming nodded, swallowed the last bite of his bun, and said, "Let's go."

Chen Xuanjia and Zhang Lingyue followed close behind.

Chen Xuanjia watched Jiang Ming head east through the city with a strange expression, then cautiously reminded him, "Brother Ming, the Saint's Ruins are on Heaven's Gate Mountain, a hundred li west of the city."

Jiang Ming shot him a glance. "Of course I know." As he spoke, he bought a candied hawthorn skewer from the roadside and headed west.

Chen Xuanjia: "..."

"Xuanjia, where in Golden Gate City can I buy a carriage?" Jiang Ming asked. Golden Gate City was far better than the Azure Region, so it surely had plenty of fine carriages.

"Brother Ming, do you want to ride there in a carriage?" Chen Xuanjia was at a loss for words. "We can fly there in the time it takes to burn an incense stick. Isn't it unnecessary to buy a carriage first?"

"Hmm?" Jiang Ming's voice sank. "Just tell me where to buy one. If you find it troublesome, you can go on ahead by yourself!"

"There's a carriage shop in the west of the city."

"Lead the way!"

[Carriage Has Carriage Shop]

"!! What kind of shitty name is that?" Jiang Ming curled his lip.

"Shopkeeper, bring out your best carriage for me to see!"

"Certainly, honored guest. Please wait a moment."

Before long, a massive jet-black carriage was brought out, its body engraved with golden patterns.

"Honored guest, this is the Black Jade Black-Gold Carriage. It is made from thousand-year blackwood heartwood and inscribed with Profound-rank stabilization and defensive formations. It is incomparably sturdy, and you won't feel the slightest vibration while traveling in it." The shopkeeper introduced it with a smile.

"Good. I'll take this one. How many Spirit Stones?" Jiang Ming was quite satisfied.

"The Black Jade Black-Gold Carriage is exceedingly precious. It costs ten thousand High-Grade Spirit Stones!" the shopkeeper declared confidently.

Without another word, Jiang Ming tossed out a hundred Supreme-Grade Spirit Stones. Although a hundred Supreme-Grade Spirit Stones were worth ten thousand High-Grade Spirit Stones on the market, Supreme-Grade Spirit Stones were more valuable. Normally, exchanging High-Grade Spirit Stones for Supreme-Grade ones came with a discount.

However, Jiang Ming did not care. Not only was the carriage shopkeeper stunned by his wealth and extravagance, even Chen Xuanjia was astonished.

One had to know that Chen Xuanjia was the Dao Sect's eldest senior brother, yet he only received one hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones each month.

"May I ask your honored name, Young Master? You will likely need demonic beasts to pull the carriage, and I happen to have some recommendations." The shopkeeper's smile never faded.

Jiang Ming waved a hand. "Just take me there."

"Certainly, Young Master. Please follow me." The shopkeeper led Jiang Ming and the others across the street from [Carriage Has Carriage Shop]. The plaque there read [Beast Has Beast Shop]. He opened the door with a key and led them inside.

"You own this place too?" Jiang Ming asked curiously.

"To be honest with you, Young Master, I do." The shopkeeper smiled shyly.

"Young Master, I happen to have two demonic beasts worthy of the Black Jade Black-Gold Carriage. Please take a look. These are Dark Spirit Tigers, third-rank demonic beasts, one male and one female. Their black coloring is a perfect match, and the Dark Spirit Tiger bloodline is formidable enough to reach the fourth rank. With a little nurturing, reaching the fifth rank is not impossible."

"I'll take these two!" Jiang Ming did not hesitate, even though the shopkeeper had clearly exaggerated somewhat.

"Two third-rank Dark Spirit Tigers, twenty thousand High-Grade Spirit Stones." The shopkeeper beamed, the wrinkles on his face bunching together like a chrysanthemum.

Jiang Ming casually tossed out two hundred Supreme-Grade Spirit Stones. Chen Xuanjia watched with tears streaming down his face. Was this the difference between people?

"Young Master, these are Beast-Control Talismans. With them, you can control these two Dark Spirit Tigers." The shopkeeper handed over two Beast-Control Talismans.

Jiang Ming nodded and accepted them. At the right moment, the shopkeeper hitched the Black Jade Black-Gold Carriage to the two Dark Spirit Tigers.

"Thanks!" Jiang Ming thanked him, then boarded the Black Jade Black-Gold Carriage.

Third-rank demonic beasts had already begun to understand human nature. Their intelligence might not have been high, but with the Beast-Control Talismans, Jiang Ming could easily control the carriage's direction. Demonic beasts naturally possessed a sense for danger and would warn him automatically when danger approached. He only needed to control the direction, rather than find someone to drive the carriage as before.

Heaven's Gate Mountain,

Third-rank demonic beasts were quite fast. In the time it took to burn two incense sticks, Jiang Ming and the others had arrived at Heaven's Gate Mountain. By then, many people had already gathered around it.

Everyone was curious about the people who had arrived by carriage. Having third-rank demonic beasts pull a carriage meant their identities were no ordinary matter, and everyone remained wary of Jiang Ming's group.

At a time when everyone was fighting for opportunities, the more extraordinary someone was, the easier they were to remember.

"That's Chen Xuanjia of the Dao Sect!" someone recognized Chen Xuanjia when the group left the carriage.

"Chen Xuanjia is the Dao Sect's eldest senior brother, and his cultivation has reached the Nascent Soul Peak. Yet he is actually following behind that young man. Just who is that youth?"

"Could he be the Dao Sect Master's illegitimate son?"

"The Dao Sect Master has devoted his heart to the Dao. How could he have an illegitimate son?" someone shouted sternly.

"Who knows?" That person curled his lip.

"Has anyone seen that young man before?"

"It's him!!"

"Fellow Daoist, do you know that man?"

"I've seen him. That young master was in Cloudwater City before, fighting the Yunshui Sage!"

"Come on, brother, don't mess with me. He's only at the First Layer of the Nascent Soul Realm. How could he fight a Saint Realm cultivator?" Jiang Ming had not concealed his cultivation.

"There's a Saint Realm cultivator behind him. He fought the Yunshui Sage to a standstill!"

Wariness appeared in everyone's eyes as they looked at Jiang Ming.

Just then, figure after figure appeared.

"My heavens! The Yan Family and Wu Family of the Martial Domain have actually come! They are no weaker than the ten great sects."

"Not just them. The Plume Sect and Void Dao Temple are here too!"

The ten great sects of the Cloud Domain also arrived one after another.

"Brother Ming, the Dao Sect is here. I'll head over first," Chen Xuanjia said.

Jiang Ming nodded slightly.

"Eldest Senior Brother, who is that person?" the Dao Sect disciples asked curiously.

"A friend. If you encounter him in the ruins, lend him a hand if you can," Chen Xuanjia said. He had only seen Jiang Ming's astonishing wealth, but cultivation at the First Layer of the Nascent Soul Realm was still too low within the ruins.

The Saint's Ruins could only accommodate Nascent Soul Realm cultivators and below. The cultivators sent by most sects were generally at the Ninth Layer of the Nascent Soul Realm or the Nascent Soul Peak.

"Yes, Senior Brother!" Since he was their senior brother's friend, they naturally had to help him if they saw him.

"Young Master, Heaven's Gate Mountain is completely bare. Where are the Saint's Ruins?" Zhang Lingyue asked curiously. The strongest cultivators she had encountered before were only at Tribulation Transcendence. She had merely heard of Saint Realm cultivators and knew virtually nothing about them.

"The Saint's Ruins have their own separate space. Saint Realm cultivators can already carve out small spaces, generally called False Spirit Realms," Jiang Ming explained.

"A False Spirit Realm? Why is that?" Zhang Lingyue asked with her head tilted.

Jiang Ming's mouth twitched. "Don't act cute. It's pretty strange."

"Oh..." Zhang Lingyue replied softly.

"A False Spirit Realm is merely a separate space with nothing in it. A true Spirit Realm is more or less like a small world, where people can live and reside." Jiang Ming explained patiently.

"I see. Thank you, Young Master!" Zhang Lingyue smiled faintly, leaving the cultivators who had been watching this way utterly dazed.

Rumble—

Heaven's Gate Mountain shook violently. In an instant, dark clouds blanketed the sky, and a vortex appeared atop the mountain, as though it led to another space.

"The Saint's Ruins are open! Everyone, charge!"

"Charge!"

Members of the major sects and lineages surged into the vortex, each striving to be first.