Chapter 284: Return to the Origin Continent

After reading the intelligence, Luo Feng gained a much clearer understanding of all the overt and covert forces within Rain澜 City.

‘Even the elders must depend on the three Palace Lords,’ Luo Feng mused to himself. Rain澜 City, with its hundreds of millions of cultivators and millions of God Emperors, was too vast a prize. Without significant power, one simply wasn't qualified to claim a share.

‘An inconspicuous newcomer like me can only rely on hunting,’ Luo Feng thought with a smile, unconcerned. The high rewards he had received in the Infinite Space clearly indicated that even the Infinite Space recognized his talent.

Luo Feng naturally felt confident about his future.

Luo Feng began his purchases. With the Illusion World Maze, a treasure for storage, in his possession, he wasn't worried about theft. After all, a few million Hunyuan Crystals might be a huge sum for a new cultivator, but among God Emperors, it was truly insignificant.

‘Good heavens,’ Luo Feng thought as the bionic Extinction Eye on his forehead opened, observing a leaf before him. This was a fragment from a low-grade Hunyuan creature known as a 'Disorderly Devourer,' a relatively large species among its kind. The specific fragment in front of him came from a creature of mid-stage God Emperor strength.

‘What’s the lowest price for this fragment material?’ Luo Feng asked the attendant. The attendant, still smiling, replied, ‘Each fragment has a detailed description and price clearly written beside it. This one costs 5,000 Hunyuan Crystals.’

Luo Feng looked at the attendant. ‘I’m asking for the lowest price,’ he clarified. ‘I’m planning to buy quite a lot.’

These corpse fragments came from various sources, and different merchants offered different prices. Luo Feng naturally wanted to get the lowest possible price to acquire enough items.

‘A total purchase of 500,000 Hunyuan Crystals gets you a 10% discount,’ the attendant stated. ‘For 5,000,000 Hunyuan Crystals, you get a 15% discount. We can’t go any lower than that.’

Luo Feng nodded.

According to the intelligence he had gathered, a truly massive transaction amount could warrant a separate negotiation for a lower price. However, his current ‘huge sum’ wasn't enough to make the merchant offer an exception.

‘Still so poor,’ Luo Feng thought as he looked at the fragments. ‘Even for low-grade Hunyuan creature remains, I can only afford the cheapest ones.’

Corpse fragments, such as a single scale, naturally contained far less profound mysteries than vital parts like the life core. Those crucial parts were used for crafting artifacts, concocting medicines, and were prohibitively expensive.

‘Their prices are decent. I need a batch of goods,’ Luo Feng said, waving his hand towards the attendant. A detailed list materialized before him.

‘This list totals 520,000 Hunyuan Crystals,’ the attendant said, his smile brightening immediately. When their clients made a purchase, they also received a small commission.

‘With the 10% discount, the total is 468,000 Hunyuan Crystals,’ the attendant said with great enthusiasm. ‘I’ll get all your goods ready right away.’ Soon!

Luo Feng paid a pile of Hunyuan Crystals and received a storage bag filled with cultivation materials.

Luo Feng spent just one day visiting every merchant in Rain澜 City. Once he identified the goods he wanted, his level of expertise allowed him to naturally calculate the most optimal way to purchase them. He returned to his residence satisfied, having spent a total of 3.22 million Hunyuan Crystals.

‘Brother Luo Feng,’ said Di Fu, who Luo Feng spotted in the public garden of the cave mansion, drinking and chatting with Di Ming. Di Fu smiled warmly, ‘How was your first hunt outside the city? What did you gain?’

‘Brother Di Qing is very experienced, so the harvest was quite good,’ Luo Feng replied with a smile.

‘Congratulations,’ Di Ming said from the side, a hint of envy in his voice. He had also joined a team, but it consisted only of early-stage God Emperor bloodline cultivators who weren’t well-regarded by the official Rain澜 City hunting teams. They had no choice but to stick together.

This team was still recruiting, and it would likely take several epochs before they could truly set out. ‘I wonder how my own hunting trip will go,’ Di Ming pondered. He was well-informed about the situation outside the city; Di Qing had provided him with intelligence, and the group of early-stage God Emperor bloodline cultivators also shared information. They were generally weaker and poorer, and their shared goal was to jointly kill a single low-grade Hunyuan creature of early-stage God Emperor strength. Killing just one would be considered a success.

Because they were generally too poor to yield much loot, raiding parties rarely bothered with them. These early-stage God Emperor bloodline cultivators might have powerful friends, and killing a group of paupers would bring little gain, potentially just attracting trouble. Raiding parties weren't willing to take such risks.

‘Brother Luo Feng, I found a job at the Nine-Ring World Tower,’ Di Fu said, beaming happily. ‘If you ever need to buy formations, you can come to me there.’ He had been in Rain瀾 City for so long and had finally passed the Nine-Ring World Tower's entrance examination and secured a position.

‘The Nine-Ring World Tower?’ Luo Feng said, understanding. ‘That's an excellent place. Congratulations!’

‘Haha, yes, thanks to Di Qing for providing enough information. I also bought some inheritances from the True Witch lineage and studied them before I managed to pass the entrance exam,’ Di Fu nodded. The Tower Lord of the Nine-Ring World Tower was also an elder of Rain瀾 City, and his mastery of formations was among the best in the city. However, he followed a self-proclaimed 'True Witch' cultivation path. According to Rain澜 City's assessment, not absorbing Hunyuan bloodline but rather comprehending the essence of the Dao could also be considered a branch of the Dao Comprehension school.

‘Brother Luo Feng, you're back?’ Di Qing appeared in the distance. Luo Feng nodded.

‘Brother Luo Feng,’ Di Qing said, looking at Luo Feng, ‘After this hunt, I plan to enter seclusion for a period of cultivation. My next hunt will likely be after another two to three hundred levels.’

‘I’m also planning a good period of seclusion,’ Luo Feng nodded. ‘I’ll go out again after two to three hundred levels.’ Every hunt was a walk on the edge of life and death, so it was common for powerful cultivators in the Source World to fully assimilate their gains from one hunt before embarking on the next.

For powerful cultivators from the Myriad Worlds, who lacked avatars, their hunts would be even more cautious.

‘Alright, I’ll inform you, Brother Luo Feng, once I emerge from seclusion,’ Di Qing said with a smile and a nod. He had a habit of secluding himself, always hoping to make further progress with each session. Although one foot had long stepped into the mid-stage of God Emperor, the other still required more accumulation to follow.

Di Qing entered seclusion. Di Fu began working at the Nine-Ring World Tower in Rain澜 City. Di Ming frequently met with his teammates; they were still in the process of planning their next hunt.

‘I’m going to Holy Mountain,’ Luo Feng thought, as he quietly boarded an official flying vessel from Rain澜 City bound for the Holy Mountain.

‘The official flying vessel costs 1,000 Hunyuan Crystals to ride, which is much higher than the price Di Qing quoted me last time,’ Luo Feng mused to himself.

Luo Feng sighed inwardly. The entire Nine Rivers Holy Realm only had one official flying vessel operating each season. This official vessel would first pass through 35 cities, carrying numerous passengers, before finally arriving at the Holy Mountain. On its return journey, bringing new cultivators from the Holy Mountain, it would again pass through all 35 cities. The rules within these 35 cities were stringent: God Emperors were permitted to pilot their own flying vessels to the Holy Mountain, but they were forbidden from carrying passengers.

However, the rules of the 35 cities did not apply at the Holy Mountain. When God Emperors piloted their vessels back to their own cities, they were allowed to bring new cultivators with them. The cost for such a ride was typically only one-tenth of the official fare, as these private vessels were generally slower and less safe than the official ones.

‘Di Qing is proficient in spatial paths and skilled in formations, which is why he dares to pilot a vessel back and forth alone,’ Luo Feng mused. His own cultivation in the Path of Life and Death meant he was not as fast as Di Qing when it came to traveling.

A ‘whoosh’ sound signaled the journey. The official flying vessel's cabin was spacious, holding over five thousand passengers. Luo Feng quickly scanned his surroundings, judging by their auras that most were at the God Emperor level. Those below that rank were generally too poor, as the round trip fare was quite expensive. The official vessel's pilot was a late-stage God Emperor bloodline cultivator, whose piloting skills were only slightly superior to Di Qing's. However, the vessel itself was an extraordinarily special secret treasure, allowing for a much faster flight speed.

Along the way, the vessel passed city after city. Some cultivators disembarked at various stops, while others boarded, with the fare consistently set at 1,000 Hunyuan Crystals.

‘With the official vessel, one can reach any of the 35 cities.’

Luo Feng silently observed the scene. Despite the long route, the flying vessel arrived at the Holy Mountain just two days later. At the Holy Mountain, more than half of the passengers disembarked.

Luo Feng gazed at the majestic Holy Mountain before him and saw a deep pool at its base, where over a hundred figures had gathered.

‘This is the official flying vessel of the Nine Rivers Holy Realm,’ a booming voice announced. From the front of the vessel, the burly figure of its pilot, God Emperor Rank, emerged. His aura was terrifying and vast.

‘The fare is 1,000 Hunyuan Crystals or equivalent per person,’ God Emperor Rank stated. ‘In the 35 layers of the Nine Rivers Holy Realm, this flying vessel can reach any city.’

More than a hundred figures began boarding the flying vessel one by one. Luo Feng, however, walked to the deep pool at the base of the mountain.

With a splash, he leaped into it.

After plunging into the deep pool, Luo Feng immediately sensed a dense network of spatial coordinates and instantly locked onto the most familiar one: that of the ‘Origin Continent.’ A drop of water then enveloped Luo Feng, swiftly whisking him away from the Nine Rivers Holy Realm.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh… Enveloped by the water droplet, Luo Feng traveled through the Hunyuan Space at super-high speed. He frequently saw a colossal primordial world appear in the distance, only to flash before his eyes and then be left behind, disappearing from view.

‘Even though it’s my second time experiencing a scene like this, it’s still incredibly stunning,’ Luo Feng thought, admiring the external scenery as he followed the path he had taken to arrive.

Finally, a familiar Source World appeared within his sight.

‘The Origin Continent!’ Luo Feng exclaimed with delight.

With a ‘whoosh,’ in the blink of an eye, the water droplet entered the interior of the Origin Continent.

In a secluded spot within the Sky Ice Plain of the Origin Continent, a single drop of water fell into the dark, deep pool nestled in a valley. Immediately afterward, Luo Feng emerged from the depths.

‘I’m back,’ Luo Feng murmured, looking around. Only one of his avatars had returned this time; his other avatars remained in Rain澜 City.

‘All the treasures I purchased have been brought back,’ Luo Feng said, quite excited. Comprehending large quantities of low-grade Hunyuan creature remains in the Nine Rivers Holy Realm was simply too inefficient.

On the Origin Continent, with the observation of the Eye of Life and Death, and access to the Infinite Space, treasure vaults, and various treasure aids, this was indeed the most efficient approach.

With a ‘whoosh,’ Luo Feng's thoughts remotely locked onto Huyang City. With a single step, he was back in Huyang City.