Chapter 676 - 343: Spirit Pearl Harvest; Breakthrough

Chapter 676: Chapter 343: Spirit Pearl Harvest; Breakthrough

To evade potential dangers, Cheng Zongyang traveled and excavated with swift decisiveness.

The opening of each Divine Temple was like uncovering a mysterious treasure, and the Five Elements Spirit Pearls fell into his hands one after another.

After successfully excavating the ninth temple, Cheng Zongyang took the Mole Beast back to their small underground cave. After a brief rest, he immediately teleported back to the Hall of Ten Thousand Races.

He rewarded the Mole Beast handsomely. A sense of gratification filled Cheng Zongyang as he watched it happily enjoy its reward. ’If it weren’t for this little one, I never would have gotten the Spirit Pearls so quickly.’

He then entered his Preservation Space. Lined up on a table, nine Spirit Pearls glowed with different colored light.

Looking at the Spirit Pearls, Cheng Zongyang couldn’t suppress a smile, his eyes twinkling with excitement.

Two Water Spirit Pearls, two Earth Spirit Pearls, one Fire Spirit Pearl, three Wood Spirit Pearls, and one Gold Spirit Pearl!

Eight of them were Fifth Grade, but the most special one was the Water Spirit Pearl excavated from the Divine Temple by the Celestial Pool. It had reached the Earth Treasure Level.

This meant he could not only assemble another Five Elements Formation but also replace the Water Spirit Pearl in Jade Peak Immortal City.

With two Earth Treasure Level Spirit Pearls, the Five Elements Formation would be even more stable and long-lasting.

Judging by their condition, the other Spirit Pearls had clearly all been buried around the same time.

’Cheng Zongyang began to ponder how he could leak the locations of the other Five Elements Spirit Pearls. If he let others do the searching and digging, they might just uncover more Earth Treasure Level ones.’

’If he had five Earth Treasure Level Five Elements Spirit Pearls, the Array enveloping the Immortal City could be expanded. The remaining, less-developed Five Elements Spirit Pearls could then be used to supplement the Spiritual Power, placed within their corresponding Array Hubs.’

’That would mean the Array would have a ceaseless supply of Spiritual Power, and he wouldn’t have to worry about the number of Cultivators affecting the concentration of Spiritual Qi.’

He brought out nine Jade Boxes and carefully placed each Spirit Pearl inside its own box. He then affixed a Sealing Talisman to each one, afraid the Spiritual Qi from the pearls might dissipate. He made a special mark on the one containing the Earth Treasure Level pearl.

With the excavation of the Divine Temples complete, a great weight was finally lifted from Cheng Zongyang’s shoulders, and he allowed himself to relax.

He could manage affairs in the Realm of Ten Thousand Races from anywhere, so he saw no reason to linger.

Soon after, he used a Teleportation Array to return to Li City before making his way to Zi’an County.

Now in disguise, Cheng Zongyang walked the streets of Zi’an County, unconcerned about being tailed by anyone from the Immortal Sects. As he strolled along, however, he noticed that the streets were much less crowded than before.

It wasn’t deserted by any means, but it was nothing like the bustling, prosperous place it used to be.

「A month later.」

In a private room at a restaurant, Cheng Zongyang met with Li Yihuo and Li Cungang. The latter had successfully broken through to the Qi Cultivation Stage.

"My lord!"

The two men cupped their fists in salute.

Cheng Zongyang waved a hand, gesturing for them to sit. He was relieved to see them both safe and sound. "How have you two been this past month?" he asked.

"We’re fine, sir," Li Yihuo replied with a smile. "Something happened in the Profound Origin Secret Realm near Ice City, so a lot of people have headed that way. That’s why there are fewer people in Zi’an County. What’s more, it seems the Immortal Sects have withdrawn their surveillance on us."

Cheng Zongyang’s brow furrowed slightly at his words. "How do you know?" he asked.

"I secretly contacted Baili Xi and asked him to keep an eye out," Li Yihuo explained. "For four or five days straight, he didn’t spot anyone tailing us. I figured the Immortal Sects must have recalled those Qi Cultivation Disciples to explore the Secret Realm."

Cheng Zongyang mulled it over for a moment and concluded that Li Yihuo’s analysis was sound. ’Compared to my situation, the Realm of Ten Thousand Races is far more important.’ But he didn’t let his guard down. He turned to Li Cungang. "You’ve successfully reached the Qi Cultivation stage. Focus on your Cultivation now; you don’t need to worry about resources."

Li Cungang stood and cupped his fists, his eyes filled with determination. "Thank you, sir! Please, rest assured!"

’But when he recalled the breakthrough process, his heart still hammered in his chest. That experience had been a living hell!’

Cheng Zongyang gave a slight nod, then turned his gaze back to Li Yihuo. "The situation has changed. With the unexpected appearance of the Realm of Ten Thousand Races, vast amounts of resources will be sent into the Secret Realm in exchange for Elixirs, Cultivation Techniques, and the like. What are your thoughts on this?"

Li Yihuo nodded, his eyes flashing with excitement, like a merchant who had just stumbled upon a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. "Based on the intelligence Baili Xi has provided over the past few days, I’ve given this a great deal of thought," he said quickly. "For us, this isn’t bad news at all. In fact, it’s good news."

"Explain," Cheng Zongyang said, his interest piqued. He leaned forward slightly, eager to hear Li Yihuo’s insights.

"Sir. As more and more resources are poured into the Secret Realm, the supply in the Cultivation Immortality Realm will dwindle. This will inevitably cause the price of resources to skyrocket. That much is certain."

"Since the Five Great Immortal Sects can’t stop it, this is our chance."

"First, we stockpile! We spend Spirit Stones to buy up resources and hoard them. Once prices rise, we sell and make a killing on the difference. If we have enough Spirit Stones, we’ll earn even more."

Cheng Zongyang nodded. Beside him, Li Cungang thought it made perfect sense and nodded in agreement as well.

Li Yihuo continued, "Second, we can use this opportunity to expand our Social Network. When resources become scarce, Cultivators in need will be scrambling to find valuable resources or large quantities of them. If we have what they’re looking for, they’ll be willing to work with us. By providing resources or collaborating, we can befriend more Cultivators and forge new connections. There’s a lot of room to maneuver here. For example, we could exchange resources with other factions."