The Long-Armed Demon Ape Had Done Every Evil Deed [Monthly Ticket, Investment Request]

After making his threats, he immediately changed identities.

What did the Long-Armed Demon Ape's evil deeds have to do with him, the monk Sanzang?

As for the Lightning Bird owing him—sooner or later, it would have to repay him. That was a creditor-debtor relationship, karma. Very dangerous.

One month later!

At the entrance to a Rogue Cultivator gathering place near the Taixuan Sect.

Jiang Ming wore a plain white Dharma robe, looking refined and elegant. A gentle, benevolent smile always hung on his handsome face. His eyes were bright, the light of God within them restrained. He could truly be called jade-like and graceful, with a red mole between his brows where crimson radiance flowed, shining brilliantly. What a young eminent monk.

After traveling through mountains and plains and facing the grim reality of being broke, Jiang Ming had become self-reliant. He had already gathered the supplementary ingredients needed to refine a Foundation Establishment Pill; only three main medicinal ingredients remained.

He estimated that his constitution probably would not need one, but just in case, even a 98 percent chance was a huge risk to him.

The supplementary ingredients were nothing much. By selling a few useless weapons he carried, he could gather them at some Rogue Cultivator markets.

Thinking back, there had still been a few twists and turns.

Those pieces of junk from the Sea of Bitterness Realm—those few Dharma artifacts—had all been sold, yet they only got him one spiritual herb he needed.

In the end, Jiang Ming took out some Purple Copper he had cut off, and only then did he exchange it for the eight spiritual herbs he needed.

As a result, several Divine Bridge cultivators immediately set their sights on him.

After dealing with them, the system directly gave him two supplementary spiritual herbs he needed.

It was full of irony.

What use was repetition? If it was so capable, why not directly reward him with the three main ingredients?

The journey was somewhat distant. Traveling took more than twenty days, and after deducting the time spent resting at night, he covered an average of thirty thousand li each day.

At night, he had to find somewhere to stay. It was too dangerous otherwise, as many powerful savage beasts and exotic birds liked to move about after dark.

Fortunately, he was a Sword Immortal. Flying on a sword gave him a clear advantage in travel, making him much faster than ordinary Other Shore cultivators flying on rainbows.

Flame City—one could tell from its name that this was no ordinary place. It was a gathering place for cultivators, and many Rogue Cultivators lived here. This ancient city itself belonged to the Taixuan Sect, which maintained order among the Rogue Cultivators here and collected lodging fees, stall fees, shop fees, and other such charges.

The ancient city's walls were only ten meters tall, perfectly ordinary in height, but they were made from Scarlet Fire Stone. This stone was a byproduct excavated from mineral veins near the Fire Domain.

However, the ancient city covered an area spanning five hundred li. It was the most renowned Rogue Cultivator gathering place in the vicinity.

The key was that it had the worst reputation. Bandit cultivators often appeared here, robbing passing cultivators.

Jiang Ming decided that he, Dharma Master Sanzang, would deliver all those bandit cultivators to the Western Heaven to repent!

After entering the ancient city, he saw Scarlet Maple Trees lining both sides of the street. These trees could live for more than a thousand years. Their leaves were the color of red crystal, their branches luxuriant and thick, crimson radiance flowing over their entire bodies. Even their trunks were as translucent as rubies.

The moment Jiang Ming entered Flame City, he saw an acquaintance. Wasn't that Nannan, whom he had met only four months ago?

He had not expected her to come here again.

Given her uniqueness, she could likely go anywhere. Even if she appeared beyond the starry river on another life-bearing planet, that would be perfectly normal.

"Big Brother, Nannan is so hungry. Can you buy me a bun to eat?"

Nannan's clothes had become tattered and filthy again, covered in all kinds of stains. Her little shoes once more exposed her pinky toes. Spring had arrived, and more than four months had passed; the weather was beginning to warm.

Actually, Jiang Ming was not too surprised to see Nannan this time. That damned system had failed to bind the mature Ruthless Empress successfully, so it bullied a child instead, binding this Great Dream Dao Fruit that was essentially without magical power yet was still extraordinary.

Ruthless's true self was likely asleep. This little Xiao Nannan was one of her dreams, an obsession from which she could never awaken—a dream not to become immortal, but only to wait amid the mortal world for your return.

Because the system had bound her, the unseen effect of a thread connecting fated lovers across a thousand li had brought her here.

What a sin!

"Alright!"

Whenever Jiang Ming saw Nannan, his nose would ache. He could not help thinking of his daughter Tingting. The surging longing and guilt battered his heart, and in the end, the image of Wan'er, his daughter from his previous life, would also appear. All sorts of thoughts crashed against his reason.

An Emperor Armament!

He needed an Emperor Armament to suppress his Heavenly Lone Star fate. That was what Jiang Ming needed most right now.

He crouched down and lifted Nannan into his arms, glancing at the cultivators manning stalls on either side. Most of them were Sea of Bitterness cultivators, considered bottom-tier cultivators.

He came to a stall selling steamed buns filled with demon pig meat and sat down with Nannan. "Boss, three baskets of demon pig meat buns and two bowls of spiritual soy milk."

Soybeans could be cultivated into spiritual plants, then transformed into food suited to ordinary life. Even many mundane dishes had been turned into cultivator cuisine through various methods.

There were even skilled medicinal cuisine masters among cultivators, capable of preparing food that could assist cultivation, heal injuries, and aid enlightenment.

"Coming right up. Please wait a moment."

The minor cultivator selling buns and soy milk immediately agreed, skillfully taking out the buns and preparing the soy milk for them.

"Big Brother, have we met somewhere before? You feel so familiar, so close."

Nannan looked at Jiang Ming curiously.

"Of course we have. Look."

Jiang Ming felt it was best to let things take their natural course. This was all the system's sin, and he had no choice but to bear the blame. He could not drive Nannan away or refuse her request.

He had initially believed that his fate would affect Ruthless's transformation and affect Nannan.

But after discovering that the damned system's three-and-a-half-star reward had cracked apart from forcibly binding the Ruthless Empress, splitting one red thread into three and binding three people separately—

This was the damned system's roundabout strategy, binding them halfway.

Pah!

Jiang Ming had thoroughly experienced the system's shamelessness and stubbornness.

Jiang Ming pointed with one finger, and scenes from his previous encounter with Nannan appeared. That snowy afternoon, scene after scene unfolded before Nannan's eyes.

Nannan watched everything with her bright eyes. Then, without realizing it, she began to cry. "Why doesn't Nannan remember anything? Is Nannan sick?"

"Be good, don't cry. It's because Nannan is the cutest spirit in this world. Heaven doesn't want you to remember too much bitterness, sweetness, hardship, and sorrow, so it made you forget it all. That way, you won't have any worries."

Jiang Ming wiped away her tears as he spoke.

After this meeting, she would suddenly leave again next time, wouldn't she?

Forget it. He would keep her by his side for a while.

When she wanted to leave, she would naturally leave. It could not be forced.

Soon, the buns and soy milk arrived. Jiang Ming accompanied Nannan as they quietly ate their meal.

"Keep the change."

When it was time to pay, he directly took out a Star-Pattern Iron Sword, a Dharma artifact refined by a Life Spring cultivator, and handed it to the stall owner.

"Thank you, thank you!"

The stall owner was so delighted he could hardly believe it. Such a sword was far too precious for a Sea of Bitterness cultivator, yet it had simply been given to him.

Jiang Ming waved his hand, placed little Xiao Nannan on his shoulder, and strode forward. He had more than twenty such weapons stored in his Sea of Bitterness, all gifts from those old fellows who had tried to rob him.