Chapter 1031 - 867: Yanfu Continent

Among the crowd watching Shi Chun and his group depart, a few exchanged glances. They were Shi Chun's old acquaintances at Wukang Mountain, including the Sect Master Bian Weiyin and the chief elder Yi Huachun and others.

Their presence here was no coincidence.

They had been keeping an eye on Shi Chun's affairs in the Heavenly Domain, particularly his urgent need for population introduction. Wukang Mountain had even discussed whether to relocate some business or people over, partly as assistance to Shi Chun.

However, after deliberation by the sect's high-ranking members, it was deemed inappropriate. Firstly, due to East Victory's defeat in the Battle of Great Pardon, assisting the Heavenly Court seemed unwise given their position as a sect within the Dongsheng Realm, especially considering their reliance on the creation of immobilization charms, a skill that would falter outside of Wukang Mountain.

Additionally, the likelihood of Shi Chun completing his task seemed slim, and their aid would be negligible, thus unnecessary.

Even though Bian Weiyin was inclined to help, standing from the sect's perspective, they had to face reality and avoid risks.

The reason for their visit this time was naturally because they had learned that Shi Chun's Dingnan Prefecture seemed to have achieved the task of one hundred million people. A Xun Gate had also been established, and a prominent backer had surfaced, so they came to assess the situation and possibly visit Shi Chun, the Dingnan Prefecture Commander.

This was also the consensus reached after discussions among the sect's upper echelon, most of whom were unaware of the private relationship between Bian Weiyin and Shi Chun. They hoped to see if they could maintain their relationship with Shi Chun.

They did not expect to witness Shi Chun's departure; the grandeur, the spectacle, it was indeed impressive!

Reflecting on the past at Wukang Mountain and Shi Chun frequently being thrown into their dungeons, the difference was truly monumental.

Wukang Mountain remained the same as it had always been, but Shi Chun had soared to new heights, leaving everyone in silence.

Bian Weiyin's expression was particularly complicated. She wondered if with Shi Chun's current high status and power, many sects would want to curry favor with him. Would he still come to privately meet her in the future?

Now she probably understood why Shi Chun was unwilling to stay at Wukang Mountain; what Shi Chun pursued there could indeed not be provided by Wukang Mountain.

"Sect Master, what shall we do now?" Elder Yi Huachun asked softly.

Given what had just occurred, they were not in a good position to call out to Shi Chun or greet him. Now, they didn't even know where Shi Chun had gone, when he would return, and even Wu Jinliang had left, leaving them uncertain about what steps to take next...

At the Nanshan Central of Bowan Building, Shi Chun's group arrived. Aside from Shi Chun, the others were stopped outside the building where Miao Dingyi was located, allowing only Shi Chun to meet alone.

After the meeting upstairs, Miao Dingyi inquired about the personnel listed for the trip.

"Are they mostly from the Golden-haired Rat Clan? Are they reliable?" Miao Dingyi expressed some concern, as he knew what Shi Chun was going to test, and some secrets would be best kept.

Understanding his concern, Shi Chun nodded, "More reliable than people, and I will handle it cautiously."

Miao Dingyi: "Is it necessary for both Wu Jinliang and Tong Mingshan to accompany you on this journey? Are you certain the two of them have any significant assistance for the trip? Otherwise, having all three Commanders leave is unwise as none would stay back to manage and oversee, reducing the authority to control the crowd. If all three Commanders leave, it could easily lead to trouble and incite interference from ill-intentioned individuals."

Shi Chun pondered and said, "I've made too many enemies. Without someone strong to accompany me, I'm afraid it wouldn't be safe."

Miao Dingyi: "You overthink. Firstly, no one is currently inside Yanfu Continent. Secondly, the starting bid for the mining authority token is five hundred billion. Experienced individuals time their entry with the drifting period of quicksand, so who would waste hundreds of billions just to kill you? Those with the means to do that would not waste the money."

Shi Chun hesitated, "My Sky Splitting Sword and such still hold quite the value."

Miao Dingyi: "Consider your current position. Who would dare use the items they stole from you?"

Shi Chun thought about it and agreed, "Then I'll leave Tong Mingshan behind."

Miao Dingyi nodded slightly and continued, "To prevent the entry of unauthorized personnel, the inspections are stringent. The amount of Sandalwood Gold mined must be counted and recorded upon exit, as discussed by Cui Cai with you, correct?"

Shi Chun nodded, "Yes, I know."

Miao Dingyi whispered, "So, remember, if you confirm that your mount can indeed find Sandalwood Gold, do not extract too much money."

This was one of the main reasons he instructed Cui Cai to ensure Shi Chun visited him before departure. This matter could not be conveyed through Cui Cai; it had to be spoken in person, in private.

Shi Chun didn't need much instruction on this; to preserve his secret source of wealth, he would not act too blatantly. He replied, "This mining authority isn't personally mine. The money mined will also be public funds, but if we indeed find some, taking out one or two hundred billion is still necessary. Firstly, to fulfill the commitment of five hundred gold per person for population introduction, which alone costs five hundred billion. Secondly, I have to fill some of Young Master Nan's pit, making sure not to push him to destruction."

Miao Dingyi pondered this, nodded, and agreed, "If you get lucky, taking out a thousand billion or so isn't too problematic. But you need to remember, once you determine your mount can find Sandalwood Gold, send someone out to inform me promptly. I'll arrange people to respond and escort you to bring the money back, avoiding any underhanded dealings."

Shi Chun's gaze slightly lowered, agreeing by nodding, "Alright."

After a long discussion and having set these matters, he did not linger and departed.

After leaving Bowan Building, Shi Chun had a private discussion with Tong Mingshan, instructing him to return to the Heavenly Domain and replace him with Zhu Xiangxin.

Watching the shadow of departing people below from the window, Miao Dingyi stood as a man entered behind him, bowing, "Chief Officer."

Miao Dingyi calmly instructed, "Keep an eye near the entrance. If any from their group exit Yanfu Continent, report at once. If they don't come out in a year, watch for a year. If two years, then two, until the three-year term is up."

"Yes." The man accepted the orders and left.

After the room grew quiet, Miao Dingyi pulled out a Black Iron Token identical to the one Shi Chun held for mining in Yanfu Continent, silently toying with it in his hands...

Fan State, location of Yanfu Continent's entrance.

The so-called entrance was actually a space rift that twisted like a sunset glow.

Outside the entrance to the fissure, there is an array for defense, and both the Heavenly Court and the Four Great Royal Courts have sent their personnel to guard jointly.

To enter Yanfu Continent through this entrance, one needs a token handcrafted by these five major forces, which must be carefully checked before one can enter.

Zhu Xiangxin hurried as fast as he could and finally arrived with a few followers before the crowd went in.

The escort group led by Jiang Wushou then withdrew to the side to watch.

Shi Chun took out the Black Iron Token at the entrance to report his identity and intentions. After verifying the token for accuracy, a thorough check was conducted on the entry personnel, permitting only a hundred people in, including Qilin A San as one person.

This is the rule: demons count as people, living beings count, and even the dead count, so Shi Chun didn't bring dead people this time.

After the personnel check was finished, the protective array was activated, allowing Shi Chun and his party to enter.

Wu Jinliang led the team to explore the way, entering first into the fissure-like twisted glow of the clouds, while Shi Chun rode on A San at the back.

After coming out of the glow, they were in the void, with some casting spells to float, while others descended towards the ground.

A world full of starlight, with streams of galaxies, clusters of nebulae, colorful and seemingly distant yet within reach, dazzling and vibrant — this is the legendary Yanfu Continent.

Eventually, everyone landed, falling onto a vast expanse of undulating sand, the fissure of glowing light above them. They successively took out the star maps prepared by Miao Dingyi beforehand, confirming against the celestial body coordinates.

There's no choice; this seemingly calm sandy ground is actually constantly moving, while the position of the fissure above remains fixed. Therefore, it's easy to lose the way back after leaving, requiring celestial body coordinates for finding the return route.

After confirming the accuracy of the star map, they then relaxed and observed the surroundings.

This world should have been pitch-black, but the lush star rivers illuminated the land, and at least for a group of monks, the light was sufficient.

Including Shi Chun, many crouched to touch the sand on the ground, while others extracted an 'Ice Sheep' to breathe through it, for there was no air here.

In just a moment, the fissure of glowing light was already a mile away.

"Shall we begin?" Wu Jinliang used a spell to ask Shi Chun.

Here, speaking without spell assistance means the voice can't be transmitted.

Shi Chun nodded slightly, and Wu Jinliang immediately spoke loudly, "Wind Scale is useless here, Mother-child Talisman is useless here as well, the terrain is monotonous and has no distinctive features. Don't spread too wide here; if you get separated..." He pointed upward at the starry sky, "The team will fix its direction according to celestial coordinates before moving; as long as you follow the coordinates, you'll find the team. If the direction changes and you can't find it, return to the entrance here to wait. Does everyone understand?"

"Yes." The crowd responded chaotically.

After that, the group gathered to discuss the deployment.

After arranging the plan, Shi Chun guided Qilin A San to follow Wu Jinliang, while he took two attendants to scout the environment, Zhu Xiangxin being one of them.

After distancing from the group, Shi Chun suddenly landed on a dune to gaze at the starry sky, Zhu Xiangxin and another person landed beside him, unsure of his intention.

Suddenly, the other man's face changed drastically, realizing abruptly he couldn't move.

Shi Chun, who was looking sideways, suddenly slapped his palm on the man's head.

Bang, blood seeped from the mouth and nose, eyes turned white, yet the person remained standing.

Zhu Xiangxin startledly stepped several yards away, using a spell to ask, "Master, what does this mean?"

Shi Chun explained nothing, pressed his hand on the bleeding man's body, unlocked the immobilization skill on him, and once he fell to the ground, took out a small vial and tossed it to Zhu Xiangxin.

Zhu Xiangxin caught it, and under Shi Chun's signal, cautiously opened it, seeing the Death-Resisting Incense Ointment inside, she understood instantly.

She wasn't seeing this item for the first time nor using it for the first, knowing that after using this thing, a channel to the Netherworld can be opened.

But she was still shocked by Shi Chun's reckless killing; this was his subordinate!

Shi Chun saw her thoughts and said, "Not reckless killing; were it not for the pardon after the Battle of Great Pardon, these would've been heinous criminals, handpicked before coming." He was left with no choice; he had previously thrown corpses and cast the Soul Capturing Bag at Dongsheng Palace, but due to the meticulous inspection at the entrance, he dared not bring either, only some heinous criminals alive.

Upon entering, the first thing was to establish communication with the Netherworld for arrangements. Regardless of needing the Soul Capturing Bag or corpses later, Chu Jingtang had prepared on the Netherworld side, ready to respond to him anytime. This time was to establish the communication between the two realms.

After hearing this explanation, Zhu Xiangxin finally was relieved, returned here to select a bit of ointment, and performed Divine Fire to burn.

Here, ordinary flames can't ignite, which is why Shi Chun left Tong Mingshan behind and swapped Zhu Xiangxin in; Wu Jinliang's Fire Attribute Skill is useless here.

The two weren't doing this for the first time; after burning the Death-Resisting Incense, they cooperated quite smoothly.

However, the result made Shi Chun's face look very unpleasant; no matter how he used spells to gather the smoke from the burning incense into the corpse, no golden threads emerged from the body.

Zhu Xiangxin also occasionally glanced around; she couldn't see the presence of gold threads, just puzzled why the Netherworld channel hadn't appeared yet.