Chapter 257: Ding Tian Magic Pearl

Venerable Qin Wu's heart twitched. He couldn't help but ask, "Do you need that much?"

"It takes ten Scarlet Blood God Pills a day, and about a year to complete the cultivation. Yes, that many Scarlet Blood God Pills are indeed necessary," Meng Chuan replied. "Without them, it would take ten years."

"Scarlet Blood God Pills are for Marquis Godfiends to restore their true essence," Venerable Qin Wu sighed helplessly. "They can completely restore a Marquis Godfiend's true essence in just ten breaths, to be used at critical moments. But you... you're treating Scarlet Blood God Pills like food, consuming ten a day for a whole year."

Meng Chuan offered an embarrassed smile.

"You want three thousand six hundred? We don't have that many," Venerable Qin Wu shook his head.

"None?" Meng Chuan was stunned.

"The ingredients for such divine pills are rare; a batch can only be refined after gathering a full set of materials," Venerable Qin Wu explained. "Currently, Mount Yuanchu only has a little over two thousand in stock, and they also need to be available for various Godfiends to occasionally exchange for. It's impossible for you to use them so freely. Using them like that would be far too wasteful."

Meng Chuan quickly said, "Master is right, but my physical body cultivation path does consume an astonishing amount of true essence. Relying on normal recovery alone would take ten years."

"Under normal circumstances, ten years wouldn't be an issue," Venerable Qin Wu said, looking at Meng Chuan with a half-smile. "But with the current war, it's certainly better to master it as quickly as possible. How about this, I'll lend you a treasure for one year! You'll return it to me after a year."

As Venerable Qin Wu spoke, he flipped his hand, and a 'cyan sphere' emitting a soft glow appeared in his palm.

Meng Chuan gazed at the cyan sphere. Its power was contained, but his consciousness could sense the immense energy within it.

"This is a 'Heavenly Abode Orb'," Venerable Qin Wu explained. "It contains a small grotto-heaven. You can swallow it directly and keep it in your Dantian space."

"It contains a small grotto-heaven?" Meng Chuan was shocked. "And it can be carried around?"

"You carry it," Venerable Qin Wu said. "When cultivating, you can directly draw upon the power within the small grotto-heaven to train. The Heavenly Abode Orb's power is vast and boundless, far greater than the medicinal efficacy of Scarlet Blood God Pills—it's enough for you to cultivate the 'Undying Realm'. After one year, you'll return the Heavenly Abode Orb to me. Of course, lending it to you for a year... the cost will be thirty-six million merit points. Are you willing?"

Meng Chuan quickly and obediently replied, "Thank you, Master. Of course, I'm willing."

Exchanging for three thousand six hundred Scarlet Blood God Pills would also cost thirty-six million merit points...

Now, borrowing the Heavenly Abode Orb for a year was the same price.

"Master, besides borrowing its power for cultivation, what else is the Heavenly Abode Orb used for?" Meng Chuan asked.

"It contains a small grotto-heaven with a range of five hundred li," Venerable Qin Wu replied. "Many items can be directly thrown in, and living beings can be hidden within it. You can grow food, and even hundreds of thousands of people living and multiplying inside would be a minor matter. Hiding the Heavenly Abode Orb in a remote, secluded place and staying within it would allow you to live freely forever."

Meng Chuan's eyes lit up upon hearing this.

A place like a utopia?

"Can it be exchanged for merit points?" Meng Chuan inquired.

"It can," Venerable Qin Wu said, smiling at Meng Chuan. "Five hundred million merit points, and it's yours."

Meng Chuan smiled, but said nothing more.

After ten years, he had only accumulated a little over one hundred sixty million merit points. This was thanks to his 'rotation of duties' across various locations in the Great Zhou Dynasty, repeatedly ambushing elite demon king teams. He had submitted a large number of treasures left behind by elite demon kings to Mount Yuanchu, and combined with his ten years of dedicated service, he had finally amassed this much. He also hadn't had any major expenses during these years.

His and his wife's cultivation, and especially their cultivation after becoming Regressor Godfiends, would incur astonishing expenses. To rapidly improve their strength, everything had to be acquired through merit points.

A small grotto-heaven for five hundred million merit points? He could only dream.

"Remember to return it to me in a year," Venerable Qin Wu said, handing it over. "This is a sect asset of Mount Yuanchu."

"Yes, yes, yes," Meng Chuan obediently took the cyan sphere.

He opened his mouth and inhaled.

His true essence enveloped the cyan sphere, which quickly entered his body. Although his Dantian space was incredibly mysterious, the cyan sphere entered it with ease.

"What profound grotto-heaven power," Meng Chuan thought, his consciousness briefly penetrating it. He discovered that the Heavenly Abode Orb contained a vast expanse of land, encircled by nine constantly erupting volcanoes. The foundational power of the world within this small grotto-heaven was incredibly vast and miraculous. It was even more wondrous than the medicinal power of Scarlet Blood God Pills, and it formed true essence much faster.

"What else do you need?" Venerable Qin Wu asked.

"Once I reach the Undying Realm and my physical body is strong enough, I can cultivate higher-level fiend-senses," Meng Chuan said. "I'd like to use one hundred million merit points to offer a reward for five portions of 'Earthly Polar Cold Fiend-Sense' or three portions of 'Turbid Yin Fiend-Sense'."

Venerable Qin Wu nodded, "In the Undying Realm, your physical body alone can overwhelm Marquis Godfiends. Combat power is secondary; your vitality is truly extraordinary, far surpassing even that of Regressor Godfiends' physical bodies. You are indeed suited to cultivate higher-level fiend-senses."

"Our Godfiend lineage is weaker in terms of physical body, but our true essence is powerful," Meng Chuan stated.

"The physical body cultivation legacy you obtained from the Cangyuan Grotto-Heaven," Venerable Qin Wu shook his head, "appears capable of overwhelming our Godfiend lineage, but it has too many flaws. Primarily, it's too demanding on the Primal Spirit. A mortal needs to reach the first level of Primal Spirit just to begin, and the fourth level to reach the Undying Realm... The number of cultivators in this lineage is far fewer than in ours."

Meng Chuan nodded. Looking across the world, how many people had reached the fourth level of Primal Spirit? This was merely the basic requirement to achieve the Undying Realm.

"Mount Yuanchu doesn't have five portions of 'Earthly Polar Cold Fiend-Sense' or three portions of 'Turbid Yin Fiend-Sense'," Venerable Qin Wu shook his head.

"That's why I'm offering a reward," Meng Chuan said. "I hope some Godfiend has these fiend-senses in their possession."

"If anyone had such fiend-senses and didn't need them, they would have likely submitted them to the sect long ago," Venerable Qin Wu said. "Actually, you could try other fiend-senses."

"Other fiend-senses?" Meng Chuan asked, puzzled.

"Historically, cultivators of the Thunder Extinction Fiend Body also experimented with fiend-senses, following the cold fiend-sense path... First, 'Earthly Polar Cold Fiend-Sense' was discovered, then 'Turbid Yin Fiend-Sense'. But all of them have been used up by previous generations. You will need to discover new suitable fiend-senses," Venerable Qin Wu explained.

Meng Chuan was confused. "Is there any specific one I can try?"

"Mount Yuanchu possesses a type of fiend-sense called 'Primal Return Fiend-Sense', which is much stronger than 'Earthly Polar Cold Fiend-Sense' and 'Turbid Yin Fiend-Sense'," Venerable Qin Wu said. "It's also from the cold fiend-sense lineage. Once you master the Undying Realm, your physical body will be even stronger than that of a Regressor Godfiend. I think you can give it a try. However, I estimate you'll need two portions of 'Primal Return Fiend-Sense' to completely master it, which would cost two hundred million merit points."

"Two hundred million merit points?" Meng Chuan was shocked. "That expensive?"

The Heavenly Abode Orb was only five hundred million merit points.

Three portions of Turbid Yin Fiend-Sense or five portions of Earthly Polar Cold Fiend-Sense usually cost around eighty million merit points. Meng Chuan's willingness to pay one hundred million was an inflated reward.

"It's quite cheap," Venerable Qin Wu said, looking at Meng Chuan. "Mount Yuanchu is the only place in the world that possesses it. An ancestor of Mount Yuanchu obtained it from beyond the realm."

"Yes, yes. Can I pay on credit then?" Meng Chuan asked.

"You can, and it will be gradually deducted from your annual merit points," Venerable Qin Wu said, flipping his hand to produce a small black gourd. "This contains a trace of Primal Return Fiend-Sense. After you achieve the Undying Realm, you can try it to see if your body can withstand it. If you can't cultivate it... then consider my words for naught."

"Yes," Meng Chuan replied, taking the small black gourd.

Fiend-senses like Turbid Yin Fiend-Sense were already extremely rare.

As for 'Primal Return Fiend-Sense', it was unheard of; only because Meng Chuan was his own disciple and it was wartime was he being cultivated so vigorously.

Meng Chuan then bid farewell, left Mount Yuanchu again, and returned to Jiangzhou City a quarter of an hour later.

Yanshan Pass, one of the Great Zhou Dynasty's seven major passes.

Aside from Luotang Pass, which was guarded by a Creation Realm Venerable, the guardians of the other six major passes were widely acknowledged as the six strongest Regressor Godfiends from Mount Yuanchu. Each pass held immense strategic importance.

Inside a vast quiet chamber, a white-haired elder sat cross-legged, surrounded by swirling grayish-white currents of air that distorted the very space around him. Suddenly, with an inhale, all the grayish-white currents were completely drawn into his body.

The elder opened his eyes and said, "Come in."

The door to the quiet chamber opened.

A Godfiend guard respectfully entered. "Your Highness, it's a letter from Jiangzhou City."

"Oh?" The elder took the letter and smiled. "It's a letter from that kid, Shuang. He still remembers to write to me?"

The Godfiend guard secretly marveled.

King Yanshan had guarded the pass for over two hundred years without a single day of relaxation, and he was usually quite stern. Only a few younger members of his family could bring a smile to his face.

"Jiangzhou City, Meng Chuan and Liu Qiyue?" The elder read the letter, his brows gradually furrowing.