Chapter 596: Magic Mountain Journey to the Ruins

On Qianshan Star, in the Eternal Tower's ninth-floor branch.

Meng Chuan stood there, holographic projections of countless treasures floating before him.

"With an Eternal Tower branch established on Qianshan Star, acquiring treasures has become quite convenient," Meng Chuan thought with a smile. As the branch manager himself, intelligence about transactions would naturally remain confidential, making it easy to dispose of any ill-gotten gains.

He had no certainty of survival on this trip to the mysterious relic. After all, Fu Sui had died three times, and Black Wind Old Demon once. Though his own strength was considerably greater, he too might perish there. Therefore, he was unwilling to take along his most cherished possessions: the 'Demon Slaying Blade,' nurtured over many years; the 'Blood Blade Disk,' his innate artifact; the 'World Secret Treasure' from his Primordial Spirit realm; and the 'Thirteen Heavens Pearl,' which was both highly compatible and immensely valuable to him. This was to avoid losing them.

"Seven Tribulation realm secret treasure, mixed-hole type," Meng Chuan stated.

The holographic projections of treasures before him shimmered and changed, still displaying an overwhelming number of options.

As a Five Tribulation realm Grandmaster and an internal member of the Eternal Tower, Meng Chuan had access to nearly the entire inventory of Seven Tribulation realm secret treasures across the vast River of Spacetime. Amassed by generations of cultivators over countless ages, the sheer quantity was immense. Even if a single river system only contained two or three mixed-hole type artifacts, the total across the entire River of Spacetime was still astonishing. Most of the truly valuable items that the Eternal Tower sold externally were actually consigned by other powers. These powers also had their own buying and selling needs, and the Eternal Tower served as the largest trading network across the River of Spacetime.

Meng Chuan's gaze swept over the projections, quickly focusing on the hundred cheapest items.

"This is it," Meng Chuan decided, zeroing in on one item: the 'Mixed-Hole Pearl.' The 'Mixed-Hole Pearl' was grape-sized, its holographic projection appearing dark and inscrutable.

"The Seven Tribulation realm secret treasure, 'Mixed-Hole Pearl,' contains complete mixed-hole rules," Meng Chuan murmured, nodding slightly. "Eighteen hundred *fang*."

The complete mixed-hole rules constituted one of the most formidable rules in the River of Spacetime, classified as a Seven Tribulation realm rule. Legend had it that the mixed-hole rules could only be formed by combining complete 'space rules' with partial 'time rules.' Building upon this foundation, one could hope to attain the Seven Tribulation realm. The Seven Tribulation realm was practically a legend; even among peak powers like the Eternal Tower, Seven Tribulation realm experts were considered part of the highest echelons. Major clans within the River of Spacetime, such as the Dragon Clan, had no Seven Tribulation realm experts in the present era.

"My Endless Blade, Nirvana Blade, and Cloud Mist Dragon Snake Movement Technique can all be considered very minor branches of the mixed-hole rules," Meng Chuan understood. The entirety of space rules could be subsumed under the mixed-hole rules, and his Cloud Mist Dragon Snake Movement Technique naturally fell into this category. Of course, these three minor branches alone were still very far short of the complete mixed-hole rules. Currently, Meng Chuan's goal was merely the Six Tribulation realm.

"Given my current mastery, I can only unleash a fraction of the Mixed-Hole Pearl's true power, but even that is far superior to any Six Tribulation realm secret treasure," he mused. "This will be my most significant investment for this trip to the relic." Indeed, the 'Mixed-Hole Pearl' was among the cheapest Seven Tribulation realm secret treasures available.

Why were some Seven Tribulation realm secret treasures more expensive than others? The pricier ones were generally more straightforward to comprehend and manipulate, allowing for greater power to be unleashed. For instance, the 'Thirteen Heavens Pearl' would easily fetch five thousand *fang* at the Eternal Tower. Cheaper ones, like the 'Mixed-Hole Pearl,' were often too obscure and exceptionally challenging to master, demanding higher levels of manipulation for comparatively weaker output. But its advantage lay in its affordability! Although Meng Chuan's cultivated and comprehended rules were quite compatible with the Mixed-Hole Pearl, he could only unleash about 60% of the power he could with the Thirteen Heavens Pearl.

"The Six Tribulation realm array-type secret treasure, 'Myriad Dragon Array,' and this 'Purple Thunder Blade,'" Meng Chuan quickly chose. He had browsed the Eternal Tower's treasury many times, having already memorized countless treasures. He simply chose items that were affordable and suited his needs. After all, he was prepared for potential losses.

After spending just over an hour at the Eternal Tower, the purchased Seven Tribulation realm secret treasure, the 'Mixed-Hole Pearl,' along with the Six Tribulation realm secret treasures, the 'Myriad Dragon Array' and the 'Purple Thunder Blade,' were all in his hands. Purchasing a Seven Tribulation realm secret treasure meant free same-day delivery, without any 'teleportation' fees. However, if one only bought Six Tribulation realm secret treasures, same-day delivery incurred an extra hundred *fang*. Meng Chuan estimated that the cost of merely teleporting items across spacetime was certainly low for the Eternal Tower, likely less than a hundred *fang*.

Leaving three Primordial Spirit avatars to guard Qianshan Star, Meng Chuan departed the Sanwan River System. He first rendezvoused with Black Wind Old Demon, then journeyed with him towards the distant 'Six Desires River System.'

A month and a half later.

*Whoosh!*

Meng Chuan and Black Wind Old Demon landed on a desolate planet. As they descended, the landscape shifted, revealing a rather elegant cave dwelling. Fu Sui, round as a ball, had already flown out to greet them, laughing heartily. "Black Wind, last time you spent over a year just traveling. This time, you've arrived in just over a month. It seems this is Brother Dongning's doing!"

"Brother Dongning's travel speed across the River of Spacetime is astonishingly swift," Black Wind Old Demon chuckled. "So I benefited by letting him bring me along."

"You two arrived quickly, but Tiger King, who set out from the Heavenly Dream Realm, isn't here yet," Fu Sui said. "Let's wait a bit longer."

"No rush," Meng Chuan and Black Wind both nodded. The two of them had traveled a much greater distance from the Goddess River System, yet they had arrived first.

"This is one of my secluded retreats," Fu Sui said with a smile. "Sometimes, when my mind is troubled, I leave all my subordinates and come here to cultivate in peace. Come, come, come! Though I, Fu Sui, am financially modest, I've collected many curious and rare items during my years of adventuring. Let me show you."

"I've seen them before; many rare items indeed," Black Wind nodded. Meng Chuan, however, was curious and joined them to admire the collection.

On this desolate planet, there were only three Five Tribulation realm Grandmasters present. Once the fourth Five Tribulation realm Grandmaster, Meng Hu, from the Heavenly Dream Realm arrived, their entire party for this expedition would be assembled.

"Everyone's here; let's depart then," Fu Sui announced, leading Meng Chuan, Black Wind, and Meng Hu as they flew out from the desolate planet. They first entered the River of Spacetime and traveled for a short while before returning to normal void.

"Hmm?" Both Meng Chuan and Meng Hu looked around in surprise. They were surrounded by utter darkness, with only faint glimmers of light visible from incredibly distant galaxies.

"This is the dark expanse between galaxies," Fu Sui said with a smile. "One of the entrances to this ancient relic is located right here. Can any of you sense it?"

Meng Chuan attempted to extend his Primordial Spirit world projection, carefully sensing his surroundings with his mastery over the 'Void Domain.' The Tiger King likewise employed his abilities to thoroughly probe the area.

"This is just a dark void; there's nothing here," Meng Hu, slender and cloaked in gray robes, said, shaking his head. "At least, I can't detect anything."

"I can't find it either," Meng Chuan added, shaking his head.

"Just open the entrance already; stop playing games," Black Wind urged. Black Wind Old Demon had tried to probe for it during their previous attempt and found nothing as well.

Fu Sui chuckled heartily and began to cast a secret art. This was the secret art to open the entrance.

*Boom!*

The surrounding dark void began to undulate, and Meng Chuan felt the entire spacetime tremble. The undulating, distorted darkness spread across a range of tens of millions of miles, and this swirling darkness instantly engulfed Meng Chuan, Fu Sui, Black Wind, and Meng Hu.

"Hmm?" Meng Chuan had no time to react. He simply felt himself continuously plummeting, falling into another spacetime region.