After making his harsh declaration, he immediately changed identities.
What did the Long-Armed Demon Ape's endless evil deeds have to do with him, the monk Sanzang?
As for Lightning Bird owing him, it would have to repay him sooner or later. That creditor-debtor karma was dangerous.
One month later!
Outside a Rogue Cultivator gathering place near the Taixuan Sect.
Jiang Ming wore a plain white Dharma robe, looking refined and elegant. A gentle, friendly smile always rested on his handsome face. His eyes were bright, their divine light restrained. He truly looked like a jade-like young monk of exceptional bearing. A red mole sat between his brows, crimson radiance flowing around it as it shone brilliantly.
After traveling through mountains and across the land, Jiang Ming had faced the reality of being broke and begun supporting himself. He had already gathered the supplementary ingredients for refining the Foundation Establishment Pill. Only three main medicinal herbs remained.
He estimated that he probably would not need it with his physique, but just in case, even a ninety-eight percent chance was still an enormous risk to him.
The supplementary ingredients were nothing special. Selling a few useless weapons from his collection had been enough to gather them at some Rogue Cultivator markets.
Thinking back, the process had still involved some twists and turns.
He had sold all those scraps of metal and low-grade artifacts from the Sea of Bitterness Realm, yet they had only fetched him one spiritual herb he needed.
In the end, Jiang Ming had taken out some cut Purple Copper before finally trading for the eight spiritual herbs he required.
As a result, several Divine Bridge cultivators had immediately set their sights on him.
After dealing with them, the system had directly given him two supplementary spiritual herbs he needed.
It was full of irony.
What was the use of repeating rewards? If it was so capable, why not directly reward him with the three main herbs?
The journey was rather far. Traveling had taken more than twenty days. Excluding his nighttime rest, he covered an average of thirty thousand li each day.
At night, he had to find somewhere to stay. It was far too dangerous outside, since many powerful savage beasts and exotic birds liked to move about after dark.
Fortunately, he was a sword immortal. Flying on his sword gave him a clear advantage in travel speed, making him much faster than ordinary Other Shore cultivators flying on rainbows.
Flame City—its name alone made it clear that this was no ordinary place. It was a gathering place for cultivators, where many Rogue Cultivators lived. 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 all sorts of other charges.
The city walls were only ten meters tall, which was quite ordinary, but they were made from Scarlet Fire Stone. This kind of stone was a byproduct excavated from mines near the Fire Domain.
However, this ancient city covered an area of five hundred li and was the most famous Rogue Cultivator gathering place in the region.
The key was that it had the worst reputation. Robber cultivators often appeared here to loot passing cultivators.
Jiang Ming decided that this Dharma Master Sanzang would deliver all beings from suffering and send those robber cultivators to Western Heaven to repent!
After entering the ancient city, Jiang Ming saw Scarlet Maple Trees lining both sides of the streets. These trees could live for over a thousand years. Their leaves were the color of crimson crystal, their branches lush and flourishing, red radiance flowing across their entire bodies. Even their trunks were as translucent as red gemstones.
The moment Jiang Ming entered Flame City, he saw someone he knew. 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 probably go anywhere she wanted. Even if she appeared beyond the stars on another life-bearing planet, that would be perfectly normal.
"Big Brother, Nannan is so hungry. Can you buy me a bun?"
Nannan's clothes had become tattered again, covered in all kinds of stains. Her little shoes had once again exposed her pinky toes. Four months had passed since spring began, and the weather was starting to warm.
Actually, Jiang Ming was not too surprised to see Nannan this time. That damned system had not been very successful in binding the mature Ruthless Empress, so it bullied a child instead and bound this Great Dream Dao Fruit, which fundamentally possessed no magical power but was still extraordinary.
The true Ruthless Empress should have been asleep. This little Xiao Nannan was one of her dreams, an obsession she could never escape—a dream not of becoming immortal, but only of waiting in the mortal world for you to return.
Because the system had bound her, the effect of A Match Made Across a Thousand Miles had caused her to appear here.
What a sin!
"Alright!"
Whenever Jiang Ming saw Nannan, his nose would sting. He could not help thinking of his daughter Tingting. Surging longing and guilt battered his heart, and eventually, images of his daughter from his previous life, Wan'er, would appear as well. All kinds of thoughts crashed against his reason.
An Emperor Armament!
He needed an Emperor Armament to suppress his Heavenly Lone Star Fate Pattern. This was what Jiang Ming needed most right now.
He crouched down and picked Nannan up, then looked at the cultivators setting up stalls on both sides. Most were Sea of Bitterness cultivators, considered the lowest tier of cultivators.
He came to a stall selling steamed buns stuffed 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 had been cultivated into spiritual plants, then transformed into foods suited to mortal life. Many ordinary dishes had likewise been turned into cultivator cuisine through various methods.
There were even skilled medicinal cuisine masters among cultivators who could prepare food that aided cultivation, healed injuries, and helped one comprehend the Dao.
"Coming right up. Please wait a moment."
The young cultivator selling buns and soy milk immediately agreed, skillfully taking out the buns and preparing the soy milk for them.
"Big Brother, have I met you somewhere before? You feel very familiar, very close."
Nannan looked at Jiang Ming curiously.
"Of course we've met. Look."
Jiang Ming felt it was best to let things take their natural course. This was all the system's doing, and he had no choice but to bear the consequences. He could not drive Nannan away or refuse her request.
He had originally thought his Fate Pattern would affect Ruthless's transformation and affect Nannan.
But after discovering that the damned system's three-and-a-half-star reward had directly fractured because it forcibly bound the Ruthless Empress, splitting one red thread into three and binding three people separately—
This was the damned system's roundabout tactic, binding them halfway.
Pah!
Jiang Ming had gained a deep understanding of the system's shamelessness and stubbornness.
Jiang Ming pointed a finger, and scenes from his previous encounter with Nannan appeared. That snowy afternoon, every moment unfolded before Nannan's eyes.
Nannan watched everything with her bright, wide 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 little spirit in the world. Heaven didn't want you to remember too much bitterness, sweetness, pain, 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 quietly shared a meal with Nannan.
"Keep the change."
When it was time to pay, he directly took out a Star-Pattern Iron Sword, an artifact refined by a Life Spring cultivator, and handed it to the stall owner.
"Thank you, thank you!"
The stall owner was so delighted that he could hardly believe it. Such a sword was far too precious for a Sea of Bitterness cultivator, yet Jiang Ming had simply given it to him.
Jiang Ming waved his hand, placed little Xiao Nannan on his shoulders, and strode forward. He had more than twenty weapons like that in his Sea of Bitterness, all gifts from the old friends who had tried to rob him.