A Way to Make a Fortune, Taken by Proper Means!
Jade Cloud Pass, the sky seemed to shatter.
A great battle is about to erupt, as if the sky is falling!
A pitch-black chasm tens of thousands of feet long was torn open in space, and violent spatial turbulence poured in; the body of a mountain bear, formed from Shan Yue, stood at the center of the storm.
Its earthy yellow aura solidified into tangible rock layers.
The two bear paws pushed out horizontally, and the earth's energy gathered into a colossal peak that reached the sky and crashed down in front of them.
Opposite them, three late-stage Nascent Spirit Race Late Spirit Transformation stood in mid-air, their Life Dao auras of control over Fate Wielding, Immortality, and Reverse Life intertwined, transforming into a verdant canopy that blotted out the sun, firmly holding back the falling giant peak.
All around, a group of Nascent Spirit Transformation were also engaged in fierce battle.
Thunder roared, vines danced wildly, poisonous mist filled the air, and frost sealed the sky; with each breath, orbs of light exploded from the clash of magical techniques.
Below, on the Marsh Plains, the chaotic battle between tens of thousands of Golden Core cultivators and thousands of Nascent Soul was even more brutal.
The Demon Cultivator revealed their true forms, tearing and charging, or spewing forth fiery spiritual energy that burned the heavens and boiled the seas, scorching the mountain peaks.
The Spirit Race cultivators, on the other hand, wielded giant trees or used their power to shatter the heavens, causing a chilling aura to rise everywhere. Severed limbs and blood of various colors covered the land for thousands of miles.
The corpses were piled up like mountains, and the marshland was stained a thick, dark red.
The Spirit Transformation each Dharma Idol Heaven and Earth, like pillars supporting the sky, clashing amidst the vastness; the Golden Core and Nascent Soul, on the other hand, traversed the chaotic battles within their Dharma forms.
Shi Jian, however, remained seated and observed everything without showing himself.
He stood in the void, the Xu Yan Ring in his palm slowly rotating, a layer of Space Dao aura imperceptible to the naked eye enveloping his entire body.
He completely isolated his own aura from the mortal world.
Purple-gold lightning flashed deep within his pupils as Shi Jian coldly watched the massive, bloody battle that resembled a meat grinder.
A Nascent Soul Late Stage Azure Mountain Spirit-Devouring Beast had just shattered a Wood Spirit cultivator with a single palm strike when it was pierced through the chest by a dark purple vine spear thrust from the side, instantly Death Dao.
A Nascent Spirit Race Nascent Soul the Spirit Clan activated his magical Law Treasure, killing several Demon General in succession, before being locked onto by a pale white beam of light from a bone warship and instantly vaporized.
Shi Jian watched everything and silently shook his head.
This is war, regardless of right or wrong, all about adults' calculations, slaughtering each other, fighting for life in the name of hatred.
No matter how many Spirit Transformation Nascent Spirit Race cultivators he kills here, he cannot determine the final outcome of this interdimensional war.
In the eyes of the Dao Embryo and the Dao Venerable, the gains and losses of a city or a pass are merely a set of numbers.
Peak Mountain Emperor Lord is playing chess, powerful beings from the Spirit Realm are playing chess, and even behind him, other Dao Venerable are also playing chess.
All the Nascent Spirit Transformation present, including Shan Yue and Shi Jian, were pawns in this grand game, fighting for the sake of the great figures.
All living things in the world wailed in agony, Blood Qi soared to the heavens.
Shi Jian felt no ripples in his heart, only a clear-headed helplessness. He did not want to be that piece on the chessboard that was broken in the end.
In the grand scheme of things, the allied forces of the Giant Bear Clan and the Peak and Mountain Imperial Clan, relying on the firepower of their warships and surprise attacks, have stabilized their position and even gained a slight advantage.
Shan Yue fought three against one, and the overwhelming power of the Earth Dao Perfection showed no signs of defeat; while on the more distant left flank battlefield, Cang Wuji, relying on the Dao Artifact Bone-Splitting Axe, was fighting fiercely on the other side.
Our side already has enough of him, a Late Spirit Transformation.
Even if he rushed out, he could at most kill one or two more Spirit Race Spirit Transformation, which would only attract the attention of many high-level Spirit Race.
The nail that sticks out gets hammered down; stop when you've got enough.
Shi Jian withdrew his gaze, activated the three Immortal Foundation within his body, and let the heavy aura of the Purple Pivot Lightning sink into his Dantian. He decided not to get involved in this mess anymore.
Rather than fighting to the death on the front lines, it's the right thing to do to take advantage of the Spirit Race's weakened rear and gain some tangible benefits.
Shi Jian mobilized his divine sense, and the light from his Xu Yan Ring flickered slightly.
The surrounding spatial barriers melted away silently, and he completely merged into the depths of the void. Following the turbulent currents of the spatial interlayers, he bypassed the violent collision zone of Daoist energy in the central battlefield and stealthily made his way south.
The defensive line, stretching for thousands of miles, retreated rapidly under the crossing of the Space Dao.
The further south they went, the stronger the aura of Life Dao became; after crossing the first battle zone, Shi Jian extended a wisp of Divine Sense from the void.
The land below had been transformed by the Spirit Race into a massive war factory.
Hundreds of aerial fortresses, woven from ancient spiritual wood, float in the vast sky.
On the surface, thousands of Spirit-Draining Grand Array are operating at full capacity, drawing life force from all things in this world.
The vegetation is withered and yellow, and the mountains and rivers are cracked.
The Spiritual Qi and vitality were forcibly kneaded together, transforming into solid, emerald-green rivers of spiritual liquid, which were continuously transported further south through thick wooden pipes.
Wooden shuttles laden with supplies shuttled between the fortress and the rear.
Various rare spiritual ores, Demon Beast Essence Blood, and spiritual herbs and medicines were piled up in heaps next to the transfer array and transported away in batches.
Shi Jian, standing in the void, felt his heart pound.
The Spirit Race's resources are incredibly abundant. Although their methods of plundering resources from an entire realm to sustain themselves are ruthless, the wealth they accumulate is astronomical.
Even seizing a random transit station would be equivalent to his hundreds of years of arduous cultivation in Lightning Plain.
Shi Jian suppressed his impulse and did not act immediately.
This place is too close to the front line; any commotion here would attract the reinforcements of the Spirit Race's Nascent Soul Spirit Transformation. With this in mind, he continued to sneak south until he penetrated tens of millions of miles into the Spirit Race's defenses.
This area is now the heartland, and the defenses are much sparser compared to the front lines, consisting mainly of array formations and patrols by Nascent Soul Cultivator.
Above a deep valley shrouded in emerald mist, Shi Jian stopped.
He stared down.
An Spirit Race transport convoy is flying close to the ground.
The leader was a Nascent Soul Late Stage cultivator from the Wood Spirit Division of the Spirit Race; this cultivator's entire body was woven from cyan vines, and his eyes shimmered with a deep green light.
He was followed by more than thirty Wood Spirit Division at the Golden Core Realm.
Their task was to escort five hearses.
The five carriages were covered with sealing runes, yet they still couldn't suppress the extremely pure Spiritual Qi fluctuations.
Shi Jian narrowed his eyes slightly; it was him.
Shi Jian made a hand seal with his left hand, Xu Yan Ring locked onto the space of the Nascent Soul Late Stage; then he brought his right hand together, and the Purple Firmament Lightning and Purple Pivot Lightning intertwined.
The Nascent Soul Cultivator of the Wood Spirit Race was urging his escape light to travel when suddenly, the void three feet above his head silently cracked open.
A gigantic hand, interwoven with purple-gold lightning, broke through the distance barrier and grabbed his crown.
The Wood Spirit cultivator didn't even have time to let out a scream before his protective magic Law Treasure was instantly shattered by the righteous lightning.
"Receive."
With a command, Lei Shou pulled upwards.
The Wood Spirit Division Cultivators were forcibly dragged into the void interlayer.
The thirty Golden Core cultivators only saw a flash of purple light before their eyes, and their leader, Nascent Soul cultivator, vanished into thin air. They stood there dumbfounded, looking around, completely unaware of what had happened.
The next instant, lightning struck the void, and the thirty Golden Core Spirit Race were annihilated by the lightning, turning into ashes and vanishing into nothingness.
As for the goods and the remaining traces, they were completely swallowed up and covered by a spatial fluctuation, as if nothing had ever happened.
And within the void interlayer.
Just as the Wood Spirit cultivator was about to self-destruct his Nascent Soul, Shi Jian's right hand pressed down.
The intense white light of the Righteous Yang Lightning directly poured into the opponent's sea of consciousness; its righteous energy instantly pierced through the mind of the Wood Spirit Division Cultivator.
Shi Jian released his Divine Sense, forcibly breaking through the other party's memory barrier, and began searching their soul.
Countless fragmented memories flooded his mind: daily training, the harsh reprimands from superiors, the fear of war. Shi Jian sifted through all the junk and went straight to the core secrets.
Half an hour later.
Shi Jian released his grip, and the wooden spirit's body, already ravaged by the Soul Search and the Righteous Yang Lightning, turned into a charred, withered piece of wood, which scattered with the wind.
Shi Jian opened his eyes, a slight smile playing on his lips; he had found what he was looking for.
This Nascent Soul was named Qing Teng, and belonged to the Third Transport Supervision Office of the Spirit Race's rear; the supplies they escorted were merely scraps for repairing the formations at the front lines.
The real highlight is a secret underground realm 80 million miles to the southwest.
That was the "Xuan-Designation Third Military Storehouse" established by the Spirit Race.
The military treasury contains the essence of Spirit Vein forcibly extracted from the territories of hundreds of small clans in the southern part of the Dao Realm —a full thirty top-grade fourth-order Spirit Vein, compressed into "Spirit Marrow Crystal" by an array.
There are also hundreds of "Tribulation-Transcending Life Pill" refined from the life force of all living beings. These are strategic-level pills that can prolong the life of Nascent Spirit Transformation cultivators and enhance their combat power.
Most importantly, in order to support the decisive battle on the front line, two Nascent Spirit Transformation stationed at the Xuan-Designation Number Three Military Storehouse were just transferred away yesterday.
Currently, there is only one Early Spirit Transformation master and one Middle Spirit Transformation specializing in Dharma Breaking, who are stationed there.
Two Nascent Spirit Transformation guard a treasure trove comparable to the wealth accumulated by a royal family over a thousand years.
This is practically free prey delivered right to my doorstep.
Shi Jian's gaze was icy. What was the point of fighting to the death?
It's all about the resources of the Great Dao!
On the battlefield, even if he kills a Spirit Transformation Nascent Spirit Race cultivator, he might at most obtain some spiritual items; the benefits he gains from killing a Nascent Spirit Transformation are extremely limited.
Firstly, they are not easy to kill; secondly, even if they die, most of their spiritual essences are stored in their personal secret realm.
With the demise of the Spirit Transformation, his personal secret realm also vanished completely into the endless void.
Trying to find it is like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Perhaps thousands or hundreds of years later, the secret realm was swept away to some other place, becoming an opportunity for some weak beings to rise up.
This kind of thing happens far too often.
Once you reach the Nascent Soul or Spirit Transformation level, the chances of obtaining a large number of treasures simply by killing enemies are actually quite slim.
Especially for those at the Spirit Transformation, creating a portable secret realm is a piece of cake.
Once the Immortal Foundation will either dissipate or become a new fortuitous opportunity.
It was after figuring these things out that Shi Jian came up with the idea of plundering the Spirit Race's treasury.
Destroying this armory would yield a large amount of resources, even Life Dao materials, enough to further strengthen his vitality and physique.
He had no intention of showing off or becoming a hero who could turn the tide of battle.
The only truth for survival is to strengthen oneself through this chaotic war.
Shi Jian changed direction, Xu Yan Ring erupted with a strong wave of Space Dao, enveloping his entire body as he headed straight for the southwest.
To the southwest, on a vast expanse of barren land.
Inside a hollowed-out Shan Yue, intricate emerald green runes are scattered throughout.
The outer layer of the mountain is covered by a fifth-order concealment array, which perfectly shields all spiritual energy from leakage; without the guidance of the memories of the Wood Spirit Division Cultivator, even if outsiders flew over the mountaintop, they would hardly be able to discover the hidden world inside the mountain.
The Shi Jian stands firmly in the void above the Shan Yue.
Below, at the entrance to the mountain's belly, two Spirit Race Spirit Transformation cross-legged facing each other.
On the left, a figure clad in a formation robe emanated from the Dao of Wood, constantly manipulating the formation plate in his hands; on the right, a burly figure with metallic dark brown skin was a strange golden man who Dao of Strength.
"If we can seize this place, we'll make a fortune!"