Jia Ren left contentedly after obtaining quite a bit of intelligence from Wang Fugui.

"I will pay back the Abyss Coins as soon as possible. There will be opportunities for us to cooperate in the future."

The two had a pleasant conversation, with both host and guest fully enjoying the meeting.

Satisfied, Jia Ren had no intention of staying any longer and left.

Wang Fugui sat in the courtyard, quietly sipping tea, his right hand playing with a golden coin. I've placed a heavy bet on you; don't disappoint me.

The golden coin was thrown, vanishing into the void.

「...」

The Lin Yuan Jiang Residence was a large mansion near Wish Bizarre. The land here was worth its weight in gold, and such a large mansion was not only a symbol of wealth but also of power.

Inside the mansion was a world of birdsong and flowers, with landscapes so picturesque they seemed real.

This was a rare, blessed Cave Heaven.

Over seventy Nascent Soul Cultivators gathered, toasting and enjoying the beautiful scenery.

"The more cultivators sacrificed, the greater the power of Wish Bizarre, and the broader its influence."

"But breaking through limitations and reaching the Divinity Transformation Stage is of utmost importance!"

The Nascent Soul Cultivators of Lingyuan City were merely second-rate, having reached their realms with the help of Wish Bizarre and Lingyuan City's resources.

Once they left Lingyuan City, their cultivation realms would either regress, or their lifespans would be utterly extinguished.

It could be said that they were all bound to Lingyuan City. Henceforth, they would share in the city's glory and ruin, inseparable from it.

Lingyuan City was vast, but in the eyes of Nascent Soul Cultivators, it was still too small.

The strength of Wish Bizarre was still growing. The more cultivators offered in sacrifice, the more powerful it became, and the wider its range of influence.

The most important thing was still... its upper limit of strength.

The current Lingyuan City, influenced by Wish Bizarre, lacked even a single Divine Transformation Cultivator.

Among those present, there was more than one Nascent Soul Late-stage Cultivator, their numbers far surpassing the combined strength of all the major sects in the Western Wasteland Domain.

Should they be able to leave Lingyuan City, they could easily change the power dynamics of the Western Wasteland Domain, or even those of other Barren Domains.

Their power, derived from Wish Bizarre, confined them to Lingyuan City. They were unable to leave, their strength capped at Nascent Soul Late Stage Perfection.

They were not satisfied with their current realms; they also wanted to use Lingyuan City to achieve eternal life.

The solution devised by Lingyuan City's upper echelons was... to extend the influence of Wish Bizarre's power across the Four Great Desolate Domains.

At that point, how could their actions possibly be restricted?

Once the strength of Wish Bizarre increased sufficiently, the realm limits would also rise, making advancement to the Divinity Transformation Stage no issue.

Then, Lingyuan City would produce numerous Divine Transformation Cultivators, becoming an invincible city.

This was also the reason they ruthlessly exploited the cultivators of Lingyuan City.

However, this exploitation couldn't be too blatant, lest it scare away newcomers.

If cultivators faced life-and-death situations and the benefits of Lingyuan City were insufficient, it would only drive them to flee the city.

The Nascent Soul Cultivators present would then be powerless to reach them.

The exploitation had to have a limit, ensuring order wouldn't collapse while still allowing cultivators to continually offer themselves up until their complete sacrifice.

"To keep cultivators here, besides instilling desire, there's another method: create new vulnerabilities."

"For example, cultivators who must stay in Lingyuan City to revive others."

The Nascent Soul Cultivators began voicing their suggestions.

Their perspectives were completely different from the other cultivators trapped in this place.

"Daoist Chu, may I ask what your thoughts are?"

Everyone turned their eyes to Qi Chunan in the crowd, one of the oldest residents of Lingyuan City.

Wish Bizarre had appeared in Lingyuan City less than two hundred years ago, and he had stayed here the entire time, never leaving.

What was odd was that his Cultivation Level hadn't increased quickly; even now, he was merely a Nascent Soul Early-stage Cultivator.

This situation was too abnormal.

Cultivators from his era had long since reached the Late Nascent Soul Stage; it was inconceivable for him to be this weak.

Many suspected that Qi Chunan was a true Nascent Soul Cultivator, not someone who had gained his power through Wish Bizarre and the treasures of Lingyuan City.

Before Qi Chunan could speak, he suddenly sensed something. A streak of golden light flashed, striking heavily toward the left side of his chest.

The newly formed Spirit Shield was like paper, easily pierced by the golden light.

The golden light struck his chest but didn't pierce through as imagined.

It merely imprinted four reversed characters, 'Wealth connects to the divine,' on his chest before dissipating into golden light.

"Stealing from others is not a good habit," a voice laced with disdain remarked, before turning into a Qingfeng and disappearing.

Qi Chunan's face turned deathly pale, his eyes filled with gloom.

From beginning to end, he couldn't identify his assailant.

"What happened?!"

The Nascent Soul Cultivators present were both shocked and furious, an inexplicable panic flickering in their eyes.

They were all Nascent Soul Stage powerhouses; among them were Nascent Soul Late-stage Cultivators whose strength was only slightly inferior to the Divinity Transformation Stage. Yet, they hadn't reacted to the technique used moments ago.

Whoever could accomplish this was definitely a Divine Transformation Cultivator!

"Daoist Qi? Don't tell me you provoked a Divine Transformation Cultivator?"

"Was it the Immortal True Sect? Dongyang Palace? Wuji Hall? Or Ziji Heaven?!"

The most renowned powers in the Four Great Desolate Domains were the Four Great Super Sects; each sect was presided over by an old monster at the Divinity Transformation Stage.

Such a startling technique could only have been executed by one of those four old monsters.

Those four old monsters rarely left their respective sects. Since Qi Chunan resided in Lingyuan City, how could he have possibly provoked a Divine Transformation Stage powerhouse?

"It's just a small misunderstanding. See? I'm fine, aren't I?" Qi Chunan forced a smile that looked uglier than if he were crying.

Qi Chunan was the mastermind who, not long ago, had used the power of Wish Bizarre to steal Jia Ren's Profound Realm Key.

As a renegade disciple of the Heavenly Feather Gate, he had personally overseen the annihilation of the Xuan Shui Sect's cultivators. He then tracked their remnants to Lingyuan City and killed them.

Although the Xuan Shui Sect cultivators were slain, the sect's treasures vanished without a trace.

Only after many twists and turns did he finally learn about Wish Bizarre and realize the existence of a hidden cache of treasures.

Unfortunately, this secret cache, having been empowered by a wish made to Wish Bizarre, could only be opened using a specific method.

Wishes made by others were ineffective; otherwise, the Xuan Shui Sect would never have hidden its treasures in Lingyuan City.

The second method was to Seal Wish Bizarre. Without its empowering influence, the treasures in the cache would be revealed.

Qi Chunan was incapable of achieving either.

Later, after a falling out with the Heavenly Feather Gate, he was secretly hunted, forcing him to flee to Lingyuan City, where he remained for nearly two hundred years.

Not long ago, he learned about the events concerning the True Fire Palace and the Xuan Shui Sect. Realizing that the True Fire Palace had not obtained the Profound Realm Key, he speculated that the true Profound Realm Key was hidden in Lingyuan City.

Qi Chunan spent a fortune to acquire the Linyuan Pawnshop, ensuring that anyone coming to retrieve items would be under strict surveillance.

When the Insect External Incarnation entered the Linyuan Pawnshop to claim the treasure, it couldn't possibly escape the notice of Qi Chunan, who had been waiting for a long time. He then used the power of Wish Bizarre to perform a bait-and-switch.

He had planned to conclude his affairs today, leave Lingyuan City, and use the Profound Realm Key to enter the legendary Mysterious Realm.

Unexpectedly, such a mishap occurred.

He thought he had acted in secrecy, yet someone had discovered him.

Should I still leave Lingyuan City?

No!

I'm being targeted by a Divine Transformation Cultivator. Within Lingyuan City, I still have some ability to resist. But once I leave Lingyuan City, it would truly be a path to certain death.

It seemed his only option was to remain trapped in Lingyuan City...

"Daoist Qi, what treasure did you obtain? For even Divine Transformation Cultivators to come knocking at your door?"

"Could it be the rumored Profound Realm Key?"

Someone asked, their eyes flickering.

Divine Transformation Cultivators were already supreme powerhouses, and treasures capable of moving them were exceedingly rare.

Inevitably, some suspected it was the Profound Realm Key, which had recently been the subject of much discussion.

Others were also captivated by the mention of the Profound Realm Key; some looked bewildered, while others had fervent gazes.

A chill emanated from Qi Chunan's face. "If you're looking for the Profound Realm Key, you should be seeking out the remnants of the Xuan Shui Sect and the True Fire Palace Master. There's no reason to suspect me!"

"I haven't left Lingyuan City from start to finish! Why are you trying to slander me? What are your intentions?"

"Just because I defeated you once in the martial arts arena, you still hold a grudge!"

The other Nascent Soul Cultivators no longer harbored suspicions; Qi Chunan indeed had never left Lingyuan City.

Surely, the Profound Realm Key couldn't have just delivered itself into his hands.

「...」

After Jia Ren left, his expression turned solemn. Wang Fugui is no simple man!

He realized that apart from the Profound Realm Key and the World-Devouring Sentinel, there were other similar treasures.

He recalled the golden coin he had seen in Wang Fugui's possession.

Jia Ren had seen both the Profound Realm Key and the World-Devouring Sentinel, so he was naturally familiar with such items; the material of the golden coin was identical to the other two.

It also possesses the same characteristic: it cannot be perceived by a Divine Soul!

This item could likely also leave this place and travel to the Mysterious Realm.

Anyone else would probably be unable to resist snatching it.

But I won't do that. If I were to snatch something, it would be to reclaim my own Profound Realm Key.

Besides, I still have the World-Devouring Sentinel as a guarantee.

Moreover, there's a crucial point: I can't be certain if this item is genuine. What if it's a fake created by a Wish Bizarre wish?

An item that cannot be taken out of Lingyuan City is worthless.

Wang Fugui is far more than he seems. He probably isn't one of the resurrected individuals. He has consistently shown goodwill.

It's best to be cautious. I don't know what his true intentions are.

Jia Ren didn't dwell on it further. Holding the one million Abyss Coins he had just acquired, his immediate thought was to exchange them for a Break Infant Pill.

The fact that the Break Infant Pill couldn't be taken out of Lingyuan City didn't mean all such pills were 'fakes.'

Some were Break Infant Pills obtained through wishes, while others were genuinely refined by Great Sects using authentic materials.

The former type wasn't very valuable, as any Alchemy Recipes deduced from them would be false Alchemy Recipes, holding little practical value.

The latter type was different. Alchemists from other Sects came to Lingyuan City to refine these pills, following genuine Alchemy Recipes and using real alchemical ingredients.

This wouldn't prevent me from using such an item to deduce the true Break Infant Pill Alchemy Recipe.

I wouldn't need to spend money or risk going to the Town Demon Alliance to exchange for the Break Infant Pill Alchemy Recipe.

This is the quickest and safest way to obtain the Break Infant Pill Alchemy Recipe.

Plus, with the materials for the Break Infant Pill Alchemy Recipe readily available here for practice, why worry about a low Proficiency Level?

Since I can reverse-engineer an Alchemy Recipe from an Elixir, doing the same for Artifact Refining, Formations, and Talismans shouldn't be difficult either.

Jia Ren then thought of the Teleportation Array. That's one of the Formations I want to acquire.

Since I've come to Lingyuan City, I absolutely cannot miss out on this.

Formations, Talismans, Elixirs, and Artifact Refining... Lingyuan City is truly a god-blessed treasure trove!

Let's start with other Elixirs first!

One million Abyss Coins can barely buy a single Break Infant Pill. I don't have extra funds for other medicinal ingredients, so I'll inevitably have to spend Spirit Stones to exchange for them.

There's no need to rush for now; I can start with other Elixirs.

The Proficiency Level for the Yellow Dragon Spirit Pill, meant for cultivators at the Middle Stage of the Golden Core, is too low. It doesn't meet my standards for consumption.

The further one progresses in cultivation, the scarcer the resources become. I don't have a large stock of high-aged Spiritual Medicines to squander.

Now, with the help of Lingyuan City, I can raise the Yellow Dragon Spirit Pill to the highest standard suitable for my consumption in one go.

I'll exchange those Elixirs for Abyss Coins, then use them to buy and replicate Break Infant Pills.

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