Chapter 498 - 473: The Hall Master’s Astonishment

"Two hundred thousand Essence Stones just to barely get the Little World running!"

Zhaang Ye couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath. He quickly asked, "Fire Spirit, if I plant Spirit Elixirs in this Little World, how much faster will they grow?"

The Fire Spirit said, "This Little World has only just begun to operate. Planting Spirit Elixirs now will only ensure their survival, not rapid growth. If you want them to grow quickly, you must get the Little World fully operational."

At this, the Fire Spirit explained, "Once the Little World is fully operational, it can draw Heaven and Earth Essence Qi from the Barbaric World, creating a perfect cycle. Only with this perfect cycle will the Little World have enough Heaven and Earth Essence Qi to make the Spirit Elixirs grow rapidly."

Zhaang Ye was both shocked and delighted. "My Little World can absorb Heaven and Earth Essence Qi from the Barbaric World? That’s incredible!"

The Fire Spirit chuckled. "That’s not even the incredible part. After I resisted a Celestial Tribulation, some of the inherited memories in my Phoenix Bloodline slowly awakened. According to these records, some of the supreme experts from Ancient Times could even create an independent Great World.

These independent Great Worlds are boundless and completely isolated from the Barbaric World, yet they can continuously absorb all sorts of power from the void. Within these worlds, Spirit Elixirs are everywhere, Barbaric Beasts are diverse, and some even have intelligent life, with people living inside. That kind of world is a truly perfect world."

"Such incredible worlds actually exist!"

Zhaang Ye couldn’t help but gasp, utterly shaken. The things the Fire Spirit spoke of were so miraculous they were simply beyond his wildest imagination.

After a moment of astonishment, Zhaang Ye came back to his senses and said, "Fire Spirit, just how many Essence Stones will it take to get my Little World fully operational?"

The Fire Spirit thought for a moment with some difficulty. "Well, it’s hard to give an exact number. By my estimate, it would probably need over twenty million Low-grade Essence Stones. If you used Top-grade Essence Stones, you’d only need two hundred thousand."

"HISS!"

It was the second time Zhaang Ye had drawn a sharp breath. After a long moment, he gave a bitter smile and said, "Twenty million Essence Stones... just how many Barbaric Beasts would I have to kill to earn that back! With twenty million Essence Stones, I could cultivate all the way to the True Dao Fifth Layer, or even the Sixth Layer."

Having awakened its inherited memories, the Fire Spirit had matured considerably. Hearing the dejection in Zhaang Ye’s voice, it said, "Master, spending these Essence Stones is worth it. The further you get into the High Tiers of cultivation, the slower your progress becomes. You’ll need all sorts of Celestial and Earthly Treasures to advance your cultivation. If you get the Little World fully operational, you’ll be able to plant Spirit Elixirs in large quantities. You’ll never have to worry about them again, and your cultivation speed will be far faster than anyone else’s."

Zhaang Ye naturally understood the Fire Spirit’s reasoning. He nodded slightly and said, "It seems that from now on, besides desperately cultivating, I’ll also have to desperately earn money. Alright, let’s head out immediately for the Barbaric Beast Mountain Range. I’m going to raise my cultivation to the True Dao Second Layer in there and kill some Barbaric Beasts!"

The second Celestial Tribulation was only half a year away. On top of that, the Little World required a huge amount of Essence Stones. Zhaang Ye felt immense pressure. He decided not to even return to the True Hall or his family, planning to head directly for the Barbaric Beast Mountain Range instead.

The Barbaric Beast Mountain Range snaked its way from the Barbaric Land, stretching across the entire Land of Divine Abandonment. All sorts of terrifying Barbaric Beasts lived within it; only True Dao Experts were qualified to risk their lives against them.

When Zhaang Ye was cultivating at the True Hall, even after successfully cultivating the Celestial River Righteous Qi, he hadn’t dared to venture into the Barbaric Beast Mountain Range. But now, eager to increase his strength, desperate to earn Essence Stones, and with the Fire Spirit by his side, he finally had the confidence to enter.

Zhaang Ye exited the Little World and was just about to set off when he suddenly heard the Fire Spirit say, "Master, be careful! Someone’s coming. Their cultivation is very high, not the least bit inferior to Jiangqian Mountain’s!"

"Oh?"

Zhaang Ye was slightly startled at first. He swept out with his full Spiritual Sense and, sure enough, detected two immense auras. He felt that these two auras were extremely familiar. Just as he was about to greet them, the two colossal auras swept toward him like Sharp Swords.

These two immense auras belonged to cultivators of at least the True Dao Third Layer. An expert of the True Dao Third Layer possessed infinite power in their every move. As the two auras swept out wildly, the clouds for a hundred miles in every direction were instantly shattered. Faint thunder and streaks of lightning actually appeared in the clear sky!

’Damn it! These two old guys attacked without a single word. I’m screwed!’

Caught completely off guard, Zhaang Ye’s aura collided violently with theirs. He felt his soul tremble and his head spin, and a trickle of blood escaped the corner of his mouth. He nearly fell flat on his butt.

"Eh?"

The two peerless experts flying over were astonished to see Zhaang Ye actually withstand their auras. They immediately sped up, and in the blink of an eye, two figures appeared before Zhaang Ye.

"Uh, Zhaang Ye? It’s you?"

The two peerless experts stopped, revealing themselves to be none other than the Third and Fourth Hall Masters of the Wei Kingdom True Hall. Upon seeing Zhaang Ye, they both cried out in alarm.

Zhaang Ye’s master, the Fourth Hall Master of the Wei Kingdom True Hall, stared at Zhaang Ye with wide eyes, his voice trembling in disbelief. "Zhaang Ye, you’ve actually cultivated to the True Dao? H-How is that possible? How is that possible?"

The Third Hall Master of the Wei Kingdom True Hall also wore a look of utter disbelief. He rubbed his eyes hard, thinking he was hallucinating and seeing things.

When Zhaang Ye had left the Wei Kingdom True Hall, he hadn’t even reached the Half-step True Dao. Generally speaking, even for a remarkably talented Martial Artist at the Peak of Martial Arts Ninth Layer, advancing to the True Dao would take over a decade, assuming everything went smoothly. But unexpectedly, in just two short years, Zhaang Ye had cultivated to the True Dao Realm.

This speed of cultivation was simply too astonishing, too terrifying. Even though the Third and Fourth Hall Masters were seasoned experts who had seen it all, they found it hard to believe and even began to doubt their own eyes.

Seeing the Hall Masters’ reactions, Zhaang Ye found it rather amusing. He respectfully greeted the two of them and then said to his master, "Master, it’s been a while."

The Third and Fourth Hall Masters were True Dao Experts, after all, and had weathered many storms. By the time Zhaang Ye spoke, they had already recovered. The Fourth Hall Master said with a look of shock, "Zhaang Ye, in just two short years, you’ve cultivated from the Martial Arts Ninth Layer to the True Dao Realm. Even in the Barbaric World, few people could manage such a speed!"

The Third Hall Master nodded in agreement. "Zhaang Ye, you’re only thirty years old. To reach the True Dao at thirty makes you absolutely the most outstanding genius in the last ten thousand years."

Although the two old fellows had recovered their composure, they were still incredibly excited. They surrounded Zhaang Ye, questioning him in great detail before finally letting up and leaving him be.

Zhaang Ye breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Third Martial Uncle, Master, what are you doing all the way out here instead of cultivating in the True Hall? Did something happen there?"

The Third and Fourth Hall Masters both gave a bitter smile. The Fourth Hall Master said dejectedly, "A short while ago, we were still in the Barbaric Beast Mountain Range, hunting the Barbaric Beasts within. A few days ago, I heard that a mysterious True Dao Expert had appeared in Python Marsh, and that a Flood Dragon had emerged to slaughter a city. After receiving this news, we rushed back from the Barbaric Beast Mountain Range..."

’Both Hall Masters are nearing the end of their lifespans. Why aren’t they cultivating properly in the True Hall instead of running off to the Barbaric Beast Mountain Range?’ A trace of doubt flashed through Zhaang Ye’s mind. He smiled and said, "You must be here looking for that mysterious expert, right? No need to look anymore. I’ve already killed him. As for the Flood Dragon, I killed it too, while I was at it."

"What!"

The two Hall Masters’ eyes widened in unison. The Third Hall Master stared at Zhaang Ye and said doubtfully, "According to the news we received, that mysterious expert had the cultivation of the True Dao Third Layer, and that Flood Dragon, due to its exceptional natural gifts, had also reached the strength of the True Dao Second Layer. Zhaang Ye, you just advanced to the True Dao, and you already killed that True Dao Third Layer expert and the Flood Dragon?"

Zhaang Ye smiled faintly and casually took out the Flood Dragon’s Inner Core. "This is the Flood Dragon’s Inner Core. You should be able to feel the Dragon Power on it."

After taking out the Inner Core, Zhaang Ye then casually produced a Storage Bag, saying, "And this Storage Bag is the one I got from that expert."

Seeing these two items, both Hall Masters sucked in a sharp breath at the same time. Zhaang Ye advancing to the True Dao Realm in just two short years had already been shocking enough. But now, by producing these two items, he was proving that his combat strength had reached the True Dao Third Layer, perhaps even rivaling their own. It left the two seasoned Hall Masters so stunned they could barely speak, capable only of gasping in shock!

After a long moment, the Third Hall Master gave a bitter smile. "The saying ’the new waves of the Boundary River push the old’ is certainly true. In the blink of an eye, you’ve attained such tyrannical strength, Zhaang Ye. Fourth Junior Brother, you’ve taken on a fine disciple."

After cultivating painstakingly for several hundred years, only to be caught up to by his own disciple in just two short years, the Fourth Hall Master felt a little indignant and dejected. But in the next instant, those feelings were replaced by excitement. He clapped Zhaang Ye hard on the shoulder and said, "Good, good, good! As expected of my, Wei Jiuchong’s, disciple! HAHAHAHA!"

The Fourth Hall Master had cultivated painstakingly for several hundred years, but his cultivation had stagnated at the True Dao Third Layer, and he no longer had any great expectations for his life. Seeing his disciple’s success, he instantly felt a sense of vindication. Now he could really show off in front of the other Hall Masters!

Zhaang Ye waited for him to calm down a little before asking, "Third Martial Uncle, Master, why aren’t you in quiet cultivation at the True Hall? What were you doing in the Barbaric Beast Mountain Range? Were you there to kill Barbaric Beasts?"

The Fourth Hall Master nodded and sighed. "Exactly! In this Land of Divine Abandonment, there are two spatial rifts. The first is located in the Ten Thousand Volcanoes. Although Space Storms occasionally emerge from this rift, they are suppressed by a Spatial Array and don’t cause any real harm.

The other spatial rift is deep within this very Barbaric Beast Mountain Range. This rift continuously emits a kind of baleful, vicious qi, which nurtures more and more Barbaric Beasts. They are simply inexhaustible.

To prevent these Barbaric Beasts from running rampant and harming people, every year, we Hall Masters of the thirteen True Halls have to go deep into the Barbaric Beast Mountain Range to carry out a purge..."

"An inexhaustible supply of Barbaric Beasts!" Hearing his master’s explanation, Zhaang Ye’s eyes lit up. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for Recommendation Tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)