Chapter 688 - 669: Tower Eleven

"This is a special discount for you, Golden Wolf... We hope that if you obtain anything you don’t need in the Divine Sealing Tower in the future, you’ll consider selling it to our Divine Artifact Pavilion first."

The cultivator shop owner smiled. Their information network was quite effective; the Divine Space had its own set of rules for the strong.

Only then did Wang Meng notice the Divine Artifact Pavilion’s logo carved on the shop’s counter.

Just then, a travel-worn cultivator burst in. Wiping sweat from his brow, the man shouted, "Brother Yue, I made a huge haul today! A War Doll Scroll from the fifty-first floor of the tower. Your Divine Artifact Pavilion had better give me a good price for it this time."

The cultivator, Yue Chong, who had been attending to Wang Meng, gave him an apologetic smile before going to greet the newcomer. "Haha, Brother Huang, when has the Divine Artifact Pavilion ever not given you a good price? Tell me, what are you looking for this time?"

"I’m only trading for a Magical Artifact this time. Your hole-in-the-wall shop definitely doesn’t have one. Give me a Grandmaster-level Magical Artifact from your main headquarters, and this War Doll Scroll is yours."

Huang Yixin slapped his hand forward, and an ancient, vibrant Divine Dao Scroll floated in mid-air. The Scroll possessed the power to levitate on its own.

Yue Chong’s eyes lit up. "It can float? Then its integrity must be over seventy percent. Brother Huang, you didn’t tamper with it, did you?"

"Bullshit! Am I, Huang, that kind of swindler?"

"However... a Grandmaster-level Magical Artifact is asking too much. A Master-level one is doable, though," Yue Chong said with a faint smile.

"No way. A Master-level one is useless to me. I want a Grandmaster-level one!"

"I can guarantee a Master-level Top Grade. If you want Grandmaster-level, you’ll have to add something more."

Watching from the side, Wang Meng smiled. ’Cultivators doing business really aren’t that different from ordinary people,’ he thought. ’The only difference is that the goods being traded are treasures.’

"Well... if it’s the God-Suppressing Whip, I might consider it," Huang Yixin said. "This time in the Divine Sealing Tower, I saw a group of guys from Wang City. Their strength was mediocre, but the whips they were holding were vicious. They captured a whole bunch of Third-Transformation True Essence Beasts with them."

"God-Suppressing Whip? What’s that?" Yue Chong was taken aback. ’The main headquarters doesn’t seem to have anything like that,’ he thought.

"Don’t try to fool me. I already asked around. That whip is something your Divine Artifact Pavilion cooked up, specifically for suppressing True Essence Beasts," Huang Yixin said.

Only then did Yue Chong recall that the Wang City branch had indeed created a Master-level whip. Master-level... wasn’t a big deal from the main headquarters’ perspective, but from the sounds of it, its effects were remarkably good.

Just then, Huang Yixin finally noticed Wang Meng, covering his mouth in surprise. "Ah! You’re the Golden Wolf who killed the White Bone Sect’s Elder?"

Wang Meng gave a faint smile. "I am Golden Wolf."

"Brother, you’re a total badass! I’m your biggest fan! But you should still be careful. You killed a White Bone Sect Elder, so they’ll definitely hunt you to the ends of the earth. Those guys will stoop to any dirty trick."

Huang Yixin added that many cultivators detested the White Bone Sect, but despite their disgust, they didn’t dare to provoke them.

Wang Meng shrugged indifferently. If the White Bone Sect wanted to add a little excitement to his life, he wouldn’t mind at all.

Seeing Wang Meng’s nonchalance, Huang Yixin said no more and resumed haggling with Yue Chong. In the end, Yue Chong gave him a Master-level Compass. An Ancient Scroll from the fifty-first floor wasn’t that valuable, but its high degree of integrity was its selling point. If the Divine Artifact Pavilion could decipher it, it would surely yield even greater returns.

"Lord Golden Wolf, please pick out anything you like. As long as it’s within my authority, I can put it on your tab," Yue Chong said.

Wang Meng hadn’t expected to have such a reputation. "Heh, I’ve offended the White Bone Sect. Aren’t you afraid of losing your entire investment?"

Yue Chong smiled and said, "Lord Golden Wolf, you jest. You killed the White Bone Sect’s Eighth Elder, Ghostly Fiend, shattered their Ultimate Killing Array, and dealt a major blow to their prestige. This is the first time anyone has managed to turn the tables and kill a White Bone Sect expert during one of their carefully planned ambushes. That’s not luck; that’s strength."

Wang Meng casually picked out a few materials. He wanted to get a better Spirit Containing Space for Nine Discount and the others. The previous materials were a bit too weak, and they would need a better Spirit Containing Artifact, especially after they advanced to the Fifth Transformation in the future.

Yue Chong gave Wang Meng a forty percent discount, a considerable markdown. Wang Meng knew the market price for these materials; this saved him at least five thousand gold. Although he was better off now, money was still tight. Wang Meng had no intention of asking Wang Zongzheng for money; he preferred to provide for himself.

He had originally planned to browse a few more shops, but he dismissed the idea. ’If I keep looking, I might see something I want and actually go into debt.’

He walked straight to the Divine Sealing Tower and, without hesitation, placed his hand on its base, preparing to open a portal. This time was for Little Flower: the Eleventh to Twentieth Layers of the Wood of the Five Elements.

The surrounding cultivators who were also preparing to enter the Divine Sealing Tower all stopped and stared at Wang Meng.

"Isn’t that Golden Wolf?"

"It really is him!"

"To be able to counter-kill the White Bone Sect’s Elder Ghostly Fiend during their ultimate killing gambit... I bet Golden Wolf is at least at the Twelfth Layer of the Celestial Wheel Realm, maybe even the Godbound Realm."

"I wonder what floor he’s going to... A powerhouse like him must be heading for the seventieth floor or higher, right?"

"Let’s see! I’ll bet it’s the eightieth floor or higher."

"The eightieth floor is a bit of a stretch. Around the seventy-fifth seems more appropriate."

The crowd of cultivators broke into a discussion, their countless eyes fixed on Wang Meng. Even those who had been in the middle of opening their own portals paused, wanting to see which floor Golden Wolf was going to.

Wang Meng was speechless. ’Are these people even cultivators?’

’Seventieth floor, eightieth floor... This Master Wang just wants to go to the Eleventh Layer and complete the most basic Foundation Establishment.’

BZZZT... A white light of spatial energy flared up.

Everyone held their breath, and then...

THUD! The cultivator who had bet on the eightieth floor or higher fell to the ground, having lost his bet spectacularly...

The Eleventh Layer!

Golden Wolf was actually going to the Eleventh Layer!

What the hell, that made no sense! For an expert, the first Fifty Layers of the Divine Sealing Tower were completely meaningless. After completing Foundation Establishment, going to the first Fifty Layers would yield nothing. No rewards, no challenge... Was he just doing it for kicks?

"This... could it be that Lord Golden Wolf is just going sightseeing? I remember the scenery on the Eleventh Layer is quite nice."

With a flash of light, Wang Meng entered the Eleventh Layer. The fresh air that greeted him was invigorating.

The Eleventh Layer was a world of the Wood of the Five Elements. The Power of Wood Element permeated the air. Beneath a sapphire-blue sky stretched a boundless grassland.

Tranquility, growth, a sea of green—the aura of life was exceptionally rich here.

Wang Meng took a deep breath but sensed a faint danger.

Life, when taken to its extreme, becomes death. Staying here, a force constantly accelerated the body’s growth. Once that growth reached a certain point, it would induce aging.

Wang Meng focused his mind, and True Essence spread from his body, instantly dispelling the encroaching life force.

At that moment, a thought struck Wang Meng. For humans, excessive growth meant aging, something even cultivators dared not experience. However, for Plant Element lifeforms, growth was their sole destiny. Growth was their only form of cultivation.

’It feels like the Five Elements trials of the first Fifty Layers aren’t so much for me as they are for my True Essence Beasts,’ he thought. ’The five little ones are in for a treat.’

The first ten floors were for Big Guy, the Golden-Horned Ape, and he had also made great progress. However, advancing to the next stage was still difficult. After all, with the aptitude of these five little ones, any promotion was a heaven-defying feat. Wang Meng couldn’t do it for them alone; he had to stimulate their Origin Power.

Just as Han Chuxue had said, it was about soul communication. He was the one who truly treated the five little ones as partners. But to the five little ones, Wang Meng was more like a parent, someone who had to care for and guide them.

Wang Meng smiled, and with a flick of his Five Elements Spirit Holding Bracelet, he released Little Flower.

"HSSS..."

Little Flower was a bit dazed at first—Plant-type True Essence Beasts were often slow to react. But then it immediately perked up with joy. ’This place is great! I love it!’ The dense aura of the Wood of the Five Elements was Little Flower’s favorite.

"Little Flower, feel the aura of this place carefully. It should be good for you."

Wang Meng smiled, reached out, and tapped Little Flower’s serpentine tail, infusing a stream of True Essence to help it quickly adapt to the current environment.

Little Flower’s spirits lifted. Its serpentine tail rose high as it rapidly established a life cycle with the ambient life force in the air. At the same time, its root-like feet dug deep into the grassland’s soil, absorbing the unique life nutrients of this space.

Plant-type True Essence Beasts were generally looked down upon. They had low combat power, little room for growth, and weren’t flashy. This made Little Flower feel a bit inferior among its five companions, so it worked extra hard. Plant Element creatures had their own unique characteristics; the important thing was to bring them out.

Master Wang had always believed that anyone could achieve godhood. Everyone who came into this world possessed their own unique power, and Little Flower was no exception.

Little Flower was trying to establish a connection with the entire space. This was a characteristic of the Plant Element; they communicated in a different way.

Of course, Little Flower’s current "awakening" was also subtly influenced by a trace of Godhood. Otherwise, at its level, it wouldn’t have been able to comprehend this plane of existence. But that was the extent of it. How much power and development it could achieve would still depend on Little Flower itself.

Wang Meng told Little Flower to be careful and then sped off into the distance. To advance, one had to rely on oneself, and the same was true for Little Flower and the others. They had to face the crises that came their way. Only by triumphing, only by surviving, could they have a future. If he protected them excessively, the five little ones would never grow.

Since he was here, Wang Meng wanted to understand the space of the Wood of the Five Elements, and also see if it could help him break through his own deficiency in the Five Elements.

The grassland was vast and seemingly endless. The sky had no sun and no clouds, just an expanse of sapphire blue. At first, besides the wildly growing grasses, he saw no other life in the entire plain. But as Wang Meng went deeper, some subtle life forms began to appear—strange insects invisible to the naked eye, perceptible only with Divine Sense. Some carried primitive Gu Poison, while others possessed a sacred attribute. Driven by curiosity, Wang Meng collected a few samples before moving on.

Suddenly, a forest appeared before Wang Meng. Its appearance was extremely abrupt; it hadn’t been there a moment ago. But as he went to step forward, it materialized like a Floating Light and Shadow. Wang Meng scanned it and determined it wasn’t an Illusion Technique, so he stepped inside. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)