After sitting down, Chu Mo ordered a pot of wine and two small dishes, and then pricked up his ears to listen to the discussions happening in the tavern.

"Hey, have you heard? Recently in the Southern Ridges, an Immortal Beast of the pinnacle of Mahayana period has appeared. It's said that the beast's body is a treasure trove, but extremely ferocious. Even the common Ascension stage cultivators who went there couldn't deal with it!"

"That's nothing. An ancient ruin from the ancient times was excavated in the eastern borders, right? A real ancient ruin! Too bad it was occupied by the people of the Netherworld Ancient Sect, and no one can get in."

"I've heard about that too, it seems that some incredible things were discovered inside!"

"Who knows, there are actually many ancient ruins in the Immortal Realm, but most of them aren't of much value. After all, the ancient times are far too distant, and even fewer things have survived to this day!"

"But anything that could survive to this day is no ordinary item!"

"That's true, but who dares to compete with the Netherworld Ancient Sect for their treasures?"

"Heh... that's true."

At a neighboring table, several cultivators dressed in Taoist robes sat, looking to be around forty or fifty years old. Their faces bore the marks of years passing by, and none of them seemed particularly powerful. The strongest among them had just entered the Spirit Refining stage.

The others were all at the Primordial Infant stage.

Chu Mo silently assessed that these people must be loose cultivators from the Immortal Realm.

At that moment, one of the Primordial Infant stage cultivators suddenly lowered his voice and softly said to the others at the table, "Do you want to go take a look at that ancient ruin?"

"Are you courting death? If we're discovered by the people of the Netherworld Ancient Sect, would we have a way out?" Another Primordial Infant cultivator said with a face full of fear, "I haven't lived long enough yet."

"Nonsense, neither have I!" The Primordial Infant cultivator who had spoken first raised an eyebrow, "What I mean is... if I have a way to get in there, would you be interested in going?"

"What do you mean? Explain yourself." The Spirit Refining stage cultivator finally spoke, a look of interest in his eyes.

"Here's the thing. I have a friend who is a disciple of the Netherworld Ancient Sect. A couple of days ago, he told me that the newly discovered ancient ruin is rather large! It's like a small world inside! To thoroughly explore such a place, you not only need a large number of people and resources, but also have to take great risks!" said the Primordial Infant stage cultivator in a low voice.

"Risks? What kind of risks could there be in an ancient ruin? It's been ten thousand ages... whatever was there must be long dead, right?" someone remarked.

"No, that small world in the ancient ruin is capable of operating on its own, and there are many creatures inside. Most are not very powerful, however... there are still dangers. I heard from my friend that people they'd sent in had already suffered casualties," the Primordial Infant cultivator explained.

"You mean... the Netherworld Ancient Sect is looking for people from outside to explore the ancient ruin? But why hasn't any news gotten out?" asked the Spirit Refining stage cultivator, furrowing his brow.

"This is inside information! I reckon they'll release the news soon enough," said the Primordial Infant cultivator, "What I mean is, if you're interested, I can arrange for us to go in first through my friend. Otherwise, once this news breaks out, I'm afraid there will be a swarm of responders."

The people at the table all fell into thought.

They did not question their companion's words, such as why there would be a swarm of responders despite the danger. Of course, it was because there were great benefits involved!

If there were no benefits, even without danger, no one would go. But if there are great benefits, then even if there's a chance of dying inside, there will still be a swarm of responders!

In the Immortal Realm, loose cultivators like them are as common as stars in the sky, with the capable naturally seeking various resources on their own. But for many others... the resources at hand are simply insufficient to meet the needs of their cultivation. So what can they do?

Either rob other weaker cultivators around, but such actions will inevitably lead to being caught one day. And if they encounter someone powerful, it would mean a certain death.

Or join a sect or a clan, but then they would lose their freedom. And with their not-so-high cultivation levels, joining a sect or a family wouldn't get them much attention. In times of danger, they would still be treated as cannon fodder.

So this group preferred to remain free-roaming loose cultivators, lacking in resources but valuing their freedom. No one could force them into doing anything.

Scattered cultivators have their advantages, but they also have many troubles. Therefore, they usually won't give up opportunities like being hired to explore ancient ruins.

Afterwards, the Spirit Refining cultivator finally spoke up and asked, "How is the split?"

"Ninety-ten," the Primordial Infant cultivator said. "This is the best benefit my friend has been able to argue for us! Once the news gets out, by then we might only have some immortal crystals as compensation!"

"Ninety-ten... That's not high!" the Spirit Refining cultivator complained, showing a somewhat helpless expression on his face.

"It might seem low, but considering their level of seriousness, there must be something valuable in there!" the Primordial Infant cultivator said. "If there are truly exceptional dharma instruments, scriptures, or recipes for pills and such in there, their value... will far exceed what can be measured in immortal crystals! If it's recipes or scriptures, we could even secretly memorize them! Then..."

He didn't continue, but everyone present understood. If that were the case, they would really hit the jackpot!

Although this might only be a beautiful wish or even just a fantasy, living without even a single wish... would be too dull.

"Fine, it's a deal. Go tell your friend," the Spirit Refining cultivator said as he glanced at the other people around them.

Their conversation had not been conducted through secret messages, so naturally, many people in the tavern had heard it.

Some faces showed a stirring of interest.

Indeed, as soon as the Spirit Refining cultivator had finished speaking, a burly man with a twirled beard immediately stood up, cupping his fists towards their table, "Fellow cultivators, may I join you? I am at the peak of Primordial Infant realm, and if dear friends are willing to take me along, I am willing to offer one hundred immortal crystals!"

As he spoke, the burly man with the twirled beard directly took out a small storage pouch and opened it, from which a burst of energy fluctuations emerged. Then he asked, "What do you think?"

"One hundred immortal crystals..." The Spirit Refining cultivator's eyes went wide with shock.

However, the burly man thought he was finding the amount insufficient and frowned, saying, "That's all I have on me. How about this, if we gain anything inside, I can further give you a tenth of my share!"

"Ah? Really?" The Spirit Refining cultivator suddenly snapped back to attention, looking at the burly man in surprise.

"Li Fu is my name," the burly man declared. "If brother has been residing here for a while, he should have heard of me. I'm someone who always keeps his word."

"So you are Li Fu! I've long heard of your fame!" the Spirit Refining cultivator exclaimed as he stood up and returned the salute to Li Fu.

A smile appeared on Li Fu's face, "So, we're agreed?"

The Spirit Refining cultivator glanced at the Primordial Infant cultivator who claimed to have brothers in the Netherworld Ancient Sect, who then immediately nodded his head, "No problem!"

"Big brother, can you take me along too?"

"I have immortal crystals as well... Big brother, can you count me in?"

"I don't have that many immortal crystals, but if there's any gain inside, I'm willing to share half of it as thanks to you all," one cultivator offered.

"Seniors..."

In the tavern, which held only a few dozen people, almost half of them began to grow restless.

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My health isn't great, so my writing is slow, but I feel that I can still keep going for a bit.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.