Chapter 410: Sleeping Even with Old Women, He Must Be Very Ambitious

Chapter 410: Even Sleeping with an Old Lady Shows Great Ambition

Qi Yuan lowered his head in thought.

Jiang Lingsu listened attentively, her mind calculating how to cultivate and raise her cultivation level.

"Could it be that I am the long-lost patriarch of the Black Demon Abyss?" Qi Yuan speculated.

"Unfilial descendants, making their patriarch work for them!"

Thinking of this, Qi Yuan felt a surge of indignation.

"Let's go, we'll go see the steward," Qi Yuan said softly.

At this stronghold of the Demon Luo Sacred Tower in the Black Demon Abyss, there were five chief stewards and several ordinary stewards.

Each chief steward was a cultivator at the Mythical level.

Ordinary stewards started at the Grand Venerable level.

Guest elders like Qi Yuan, essentially skilled workers, numbered in the hundreds, while ordinary laborers—the so-called common fighters—were far more numerous.

In short, there were many powerful beings.

But considering that the population of a single Demon Luo Sacred Tower exceeded that of the Canglan Realm, this was perfectly normal.

Stepping out of the cave dwelling, as far as the eye could see, there were pitch-black structures everywhere.

Black bridges, black trees, black stones, and even the water flowing under the bridge was as black as ink, like liquid darkness.

This was because the beings of the Black Demon Abyss mostly favored the color black.

"At least the air isn't black," Qi Yuan remarked, stepping onto the bridge and heading toward the stronghold deeper in the Black Demon Abyss.

On this bridge, there were many guest elders, but far more laborers at the Purple Mansion level. Guest elders like Qi Yuan were relatively rare.

Whenever laborers encountered Qi Yuan, they bowed in greeting.

In the Black Demon Abyss, status was clearly defined, and strength and bloodline determined everything.

At that moment, Qi Yuan leaned against the bridge railing, gazing at the scenery around the stronghold.

Jiang Lingsu, unable to stray far from Qi Yuan, simply clung to his arm, acting intimately.

"The upper realm truly is the upper realm—this bridge is quite interesting."

This bridge was a magical artifact.

To enter the depths of the stronghold, one had to cross this bridge.

But the time required to cross it depended not on one's flying speed, but on one's identity token.

For an ordinary laborer, even if they crossed at the fastest possible speed, it would take the same time as walking like a mortal—about a hundred breaths or more.

For guest elders, the time varied according to their rank.

With Qi Yuan's guest elder token, under normal circumstances, it would take him thirty breaths to reach the other side.

"This is the first time I've seen such a magical artifact. Doesn't that mean... if I set it to a million years and hid on the other side, the enemy wouldn't be able to cross?" Jiang Lingsu mused randomly.

"What if the enemy doesn't cross the bridge?" Qi Yuan chuckled.

This bridge was merely somewhat interesting.

It was indeed useful for low-level cultivators, functioning almost like a rule, but for Grand Venerables with divine domains, there were still many ways to cross if they wished.

Even Qi Yuan, a Purple Mansion cultivator, could manage it.

Of course, his current persona was that of an elder from the Floating Pagoda Sect, so he had to maintain that image.

This was Qi Yuan's first time pretending to be someone else, and he wasn't very skilled at it.

Thirty breaths later, Qi Yuan arrived at the depths of the Black Demon Abyss stronghold.

A massive black stone stood before him.

He produced his identity token.

The black stone opened a pitch-black mouth, revealing a faint, eerie glow that looked quite unsettling.

Qi Yuan strode forward confidently, entering the building with Jiang Lingsu.

Within his line of sight, a dwarf-like old man was hunched over, fiddling with something that resembled a Rubik's cube.

When he sensed Qi Yuan's arrival, the dwarf old man lifted his head and glanced sideways.

"What is it?"

Though one shouldn't judge by appearances, this dwarf old man wasn't human, so Qi Yuan judged him by his looks.

The old man seemed ill-tempered, as if cultivation had addled his mind.

"Steward Ke, I'd like to ask how many merits are needed to exchange for a Heaven-Piercing Jade," Qi Yuan said. He was now in a hurry to ascend to the Sixth Heaven and go to the Demon Abyss to see Jin Li.

It was already May.

"Heaven-Piercing Jade?" The dwarf old man shot Qi Yuan a sidelong glance. "That's not easy to get. It requires ten thousand merits, and even then, it's not guaranteed."

Hearing this, Qi Yuan's eyes widened. "You mean I'd have to work for ten thousand years?"

Collecting a single strand of Mirage Light earned one merit.

For a Yin Spirit cultivator, the average time to collect one strand of Mirage Light was a year.

So Qi Yuan would need to work for ten thousand years to accumulate enough merits.

Calculated at a monthly salary of five thousand, working ten thousand years without eating or drinking, he could earn six hundred million yuan.

Well, on Blue Star, that would count as a modest asset, enough to buy a small luxury apartment in a big city.

"Although your identity information hasn't been entered yet, with your Black Jade Token, your status as a guest elder is confirmed. Do you want to take on the task of collecting Mirage Light? Gather your merits early and head to the Sixth Heaven," the dwarf old man said indifferently.

Generally, for a guest elder like Qi Yuan, even after joining the Black Demon Abyss stronghold, it would take months or even half a year for their identity information to be registered.

The cultivator in charge of that area might be in seclusion or busy with other matters.

Such delays were common in the upper realm.

"Alright." Qi Yuan thought briefly and accepted the task of collecting Mirage Light.

After all, this task was handed in once every hundred years.

He had no idea where he would be in a hundred years, so why bother worrying about the task?

For now, he would use the Black Demon Abyss as a cover, go out to collect Mirage Light, and fish for opportunities on the side.

Emerging from the Black Demon Abyss stronghold, Qi Yuan stretched lazily. "I suddenly feel like I'm finally experiencing the true feeling of cultivating in the upper realm... In the lower realm... it felt like playing."

This was Qi Yuan's genuine thought.

His path of cultivation had been filled with gaming every day, either meeting his moonlight or wiping out entire clans.

Becoming a guest elder and taking on tasks—

He had never done anything like that before.

"Isn't this just fine? Most cultivators' lives are generally like this." Jiang Lingsu said without hesitation.

"This kind of cultivation is too dull." Qi Yuan took a deep breath, his consciousness probing into the game jade slip.

The game icon was still loading, but not yet successful.

"Let's go, gather Mi Luo Light." Qi Yuan led Jiang Lingsu away.

Though they said they were gathering Mi Luo Light, they were actually heading to the Mi Luo Realm.

The Mara clan was vast, and the Mara Sacred Towers were far apart; even a Yang God would need considerable time to fly there.

Moreover, if a Yang God flew at full speed, it would surely attract the attention of Creation Treasures, or rather, the attention of other Yang God Celestial Venerables of the Mara clan.

But the Mi Luo Realm was different; it closely resembled the Dark Void, or rather, a crude version of it.

The Dark Void was the special, unfathomable place traversed by teleportation arrays.

Even Yang Gods could only pass through the Dark Void via teleportation arrays, unable to enter it physically to observe or explore.

Thus, the immortals of the Celestial Realm had many speculations and studies about the Dark Void.

The Mi Luo Realm was a crude version of the Dark Void, accessible to cultivators.

But the Mi Luo Realm was intricate and fraught with immense dangers; even a Yin God Venerable could fall with the slightest misstep.

Yet the Mi Luo Realm was especially convenient for travel and very covert.

However, only those with a Divine Domain, such as Great Venerables and above, typically traveled through the Mi Luo Realm. The Mi Luo Realm controlled by the Mara clan was rich in Mi Luo Light.

To enter the Mi Luo Realm and gather Mi Luo Light, one needed credentials from major powers, which was one reason Qi Yuan had joined the Black Abyss.

After about several hundred breaths, Qi Yuan brought Jiang Lingsu to the entrance of the Mi Luo Realm.

At the entrance, a long line had formed.

Cultivators of the Mara clan stood before the entrance, with a casual demeanor and arrogant attitude, inspecting those entering the Mi Luo Realm.

Many Purple Mansion cultivators now queued quietly like mortals, with no one daring to cut in line.

As for Yin God Venerables, they were no exception, though their queue was on the other side and much shorter.

Qi Yuan was about to join the line when a voice sounded in his ear: "Sir, as a guest elder of the Black Abyss, you need not queue."

The speaker was a Yin God Venerable in line, who looked at Qi Yuan with envy in his eyes.

"In the Mara clan, those from the Black Abyss and the Tai Huang Palace... have privileges." The Yin God Venerable added.

The Mara clan had always fawned over the Black Abyss, hoping to return as a branch.

Unfortunately, the Black Abyss had always ignored them.

"Oh, not bad. Am I now considered a foreign lord?" Qi Yuan thanked the Yin God Venerable, then took Jiang Lingsu and headed toward the Mi Luo Realm.

Sure enough, when the Mara clan cultivators at the Mi Luo Realm saw Qi Yuan's specially made black robe, their spirits perked up, and their originally domineering demeanor became docile.

"Greetings, Senior!"

These Mara clan cultivators bowed, their eyes barely concealing envy.

"Hmm."

Qi Yuan paid them no heed and walked unimpeded into the Mi Luo Realm under the envious gaze of the crowd.

Upon entering the Mi Luo Realm, the scene before him suddenly changed.

Qi Yuan sensed carefully; the spiritual energy in the Mi Luo Realm was utterly absent.

Because of this, cultivators could not cultivate while gathering Mi Luo Light within the realm.

He looked into the distance and saw that several thousand meters away, space was rapidly collapsing.

A dangerous aura swept in, and many cultivators were fleeing within the Mi Luo Realm.

"This place is indeed dangerous. I'm afraid even an ordinary Yin God Venerable, if caught in it, could not escape." Qi Yuan sighed as he watched the scene.

The direction of the spatial collapse was not toward him, so he remained unhurried, merely watching as if at a show.

"Come, let's set up a tent and settle here for now."

Qi Yuan said.

Jiang Lingsu frowned: "Senior Brother, there's no spiritual energy here. How am I to cultivate? Only using spirit stones?"

"It's fine, I'll breathe some air for you." Qi Yuan said casually. "Imported spiritual energy—higher grade!"

The air he breathed was far purer than the spiritual energy of the Celestial Realm.

"Pfft!" Jiang Lingsu blushed.

Just then, a surprised voice suddenly came: "Blood Robe... you've come to gather Mi Luo Light too!"

Qi Yuan looked over and saw an acquaintance—Ji Buping.

At this moment, Ji Buping was dressed in a black robe, looking rather disheveled.

In front of him stood an ugly old crone, who seemed to be his master.

The old crone's cultivation had reached the Mythic Realm, making her a top-tier expert.

"Having joined the Black Abyss, what else would I do but gather Mi Luo Light?" Qi Yuan said lazily.

Ji Buping's expression shifted repeatedly, a deep sense of frustration in his heart.

To gather Mi Luo Light quickly and advance faster in the Black Abyss, he had sacrificed his looks, becoming the old crone's temporary Dao companion, just to enter the Mi Luo Realm before his guest elder status was even confirmed. Yet Blood Robe had entered directly.

This made him feel his efforts were somewhat worthless.

The ugly old crone glanced at Qi Yuan, then withdrew her gaze. The two took their leave and headed toward the mountain.

"Is that the Blood Robe the core figure has taken a liking to? Aside from a handsome face, there doesn't seem to be anything special about him?" The ugly old crone wondered.

The core figures of the Black Abyss were major figures even to her.

She had spent hundreds of thousands of years on the fifth level, just to accumulate enough merit to qualify for Illuminating the Heavens and become a core figure of the Black Abyss.

Hearing this, Ji Buping grew even more resentful: "Perhaps... he's just lucky."

The ugly old crone glanced at Ji Buping: "Don't mind him too much. No matter how good his looks, in the end, he'll just be a plaything for some big shot. But you're different—with your fourth-rank bloodline, you have a sliver of a chance to become a core figure of the Black Abyss."

That sliver of a chance was, of course, extremely slim, but it still existed. The old crone's words were not a lie to Ji Buping.

Hearing this, Ji Buping's eyes showed a glimmer of excitement.

In the Mi Luo Realm, danger could strike at any moment, so cultivators could not safely go into seclusion; they had to stay alert to their surroundings.

Ji Buping, while keeping an eye out for Mi Luo Light, occasionally cast his gaze toward the distant tent.

There, beside the tent, the young man and woman seemed to be on a trip, with tables and chairs set up, laden with various foods and fruits.

Ji Buping's eyes showed envy, mixed with a hint of malice.

"At this rate, a whole year will be wasted, and not a single wisp of Mi Luo Light will be caught!"

Ji Buping cursed inwardly.

After some time, Ji Buping's brow twitched, and curiosity flickered in his eyes.

"Why have they left?"

In the distance, outside the tent, the original tables and chairs had been cleared away, and the items on them were also packed up.

"Could it be that they've discovered Mi Luo Light? No, I have to follow!"

Thinking this, he swiftly pursued, heading in the direction where Qi Yuan had vanished.

But just a few breaths later, Ji Buping looked bewildered: "Where did he go?"

He had lost the trail entirely.

Or rather, he had never truly followed at all.

"He's definitely up to something!" Ji Buping halted, his gaze shifting, lost in thought.

At that moment, Qi Yuan had already placed Jiang Lingsu into the underworld.

He moved alone through the Mi Luo Realm, heading toward the location of another Mo Luo Sacred Tower.

As the saying goes, a rabbit does not eat the grass near its own burrow.

So he had to go farther afield to fish.

As for Ji Buping following him for a while, he was aware of it but paid no mind.

Since the man was so eager to tail him, next time he would invite him along.

This time, he walked ahead and couldn't be bothered to keep watch.

After all, Ji Buping clearly had great ambition—he even slept with the old woman.

He would surely be willing to join in on a grand scheme.

Once the trap was set and he returned to the starting point, if the fish were about to bite, he would call Ji Buping to come along.

A cultivator with such ambition would certainly not miss the chance.

Qi Yuan mused idly.

His figure had also reached another exit of the Mi Luo Realm.

At present, the exit was guarded by many cultivators of the Mo Luo clan.

To Qi Yuan, these cultivators were far too weak.

Activating the Great Forgetfulness Sutra, he walked straight out without drawing anyone's attention.

"Baiting the spot is a delicate craft."

"It must neither be too obvious nor go unnoticed."

PS: There's another chapter; I'll post it together tomorrow. Sorry, I feel drained today.

(End of this chapter)