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Chapter 103: Chapter 103: Whale Emperor Fang
Woo woo!
The horn roared as the large Spirit Boat slowly moved like a mountain peak over the sea, entering the purple-red sea domain before us.
Between the rolling waves, it was like a vast sea of brightly colored blood.
"Purple Blood Sea Domain, here I come again."
Li Quanqing stood on the deck, stroking the big head of the Golden Flame Tiger, gazing into the distant waters.
Perhaps even he did not expect that an ordinary hunt would lead to such a big incident.
Pull one hair and move the whole body.
The giant ship split the waves, heading towards the direction of the Whale Emperor Sect’s relics, and when it got close, cultivators were everywhere in the sky and underground.
A thousand boats vied with each other, light flickering like rain, and the cultivators were swarming forward like locusts covering the sky.
Even those cultivators who had set off from Baoying Fang were unable to hide the excitement and anticipation on their faces at this moment.
"Goodness, so many people!"
Li Quanqing smacked his lips, having thought that the Baoying Fang had already a huge flow of people in its market.
But compared to the cultivators seen at this moment, it was nearly ten times lower, and even the assembly at Carefree Island wasn’t as bustling as this.
"I heard from the family that the Third-Order Array in the Whale Emperor Sect is quite powerful, and Shuihua Sword Sect is ready to open the entrance to the relics, charging Loose Cultivators a head fee."
"Now this sea domain is completely boiling over, even the cultivators under the command of nearby Golden Core Sects are rushing over!"
Li Quanfu, after all, was a businessman and well-informed.
Li Quanqing nodded as he listened. Though the big forces had eaten up the fattest meat, the remaining scraps and cold leftovers were still a feast for Loose Cultivators.
Hum!!
The air vibrated, as the large Spirit Boat seemed to cross some boundary, and the spiritual energy in the air became richer.
Li Quanqing looked up and immediately saw a familiar beam of light piercing the sky, illuminating a hundred miles.
Last time he had turned and run, this time he finally had the chance to get close and see the true face of the Golden Core Relics.
In the deep purple-red waters, surrounded by large patches of brightly colored coral reefs, two ancient, broken statues stood erect.
These statues were immense, towering dozens of feet high, and looked like two huge Canghai whales, their bodies covered in various mosses and seashells.
Between the two giant whale statues, a majestic altar stood tall, and the beam that reached the heavens was emanating from above the altar, like a gate that had been opened.
"Boss, as long as you stand on that altar and pass through that beam of light, you’ll arrive at the Secret Realm where the Whale Emperor Sect’s relics are located."
Li Quanfu explained.
Li Quanqing nodded slightly; he had already been briefed by Li Quanshu and the others, so it wasn’t unfamiliar to him.
Secret Realm, this is a smaller space independent of the main world, varying in size, also known as Pocket World.
As he knew, Shuihua Sword Sect had a Secret Realm used specifically to grow all kinds of thousand-year-old spiritual medicine, monopolizing the production of Foundation Establishment Pills and thereby controlling the various powers under its command.
The Secret Realm before him, which could accommodate an ancient sect, was definitely incredibly vast in area.
It was evident the depth of the Whale Emperor Sect’s foundation was that of the most top-tier Golden Core Sect.
Unfortunately, the area around the altar was now densely covered in arrays, dozens of warships were moored, and Shuihua Sword Sect disciples patrolled day and night; common folks simply could not get close.
"We have arrived at the Whale Emperor Fang City, please disembark in an orderly manner..."
The Spirit Boat roared, with a series of sounds echoing.
This sea area originally had no islands, only a wide expanse of scattered coral reefs. Later, the Sword Sect and various clans’ Foundation Establishment cultivators joined forces to artificially move an island here to open a market.
"The Yun Family really knows how to do business, to have even brought the Mountain Shifting Cloud Boat over here."
Li Quanqing glanced up and saw a familiar Third-Order Spirit Boat suspended in the misty clouds above, as large as an island.
"Boss, that is the Taiyuan Warship of the Situ Family, they also brought one here."
Li Quanfu pointed toward the far end of the market, where a Third-Order large Spirit Boat was also anchored on the sea, dark as rolling clouds, lifted up by a number of Mystic Turtles.
At this moment, the gap between the five major families became apparent.
Including the Li Family, the highest-grade large Spirit Boat they had was only Second-Rank, wielding Foundation Establishment Level deterrence.
The Yun Family did indeed have one Third-Order Mountain Shifting Cloud Boat, but it was exchanged from a Nascent Soul Sect using Merit Points a thousand years ago during the great development of the East Sea.
The Situ Family, on the other hand, had two Taiyuan Warships.
No wonder even the Shuihua Sword Sect had to be wary.
"Let’s go, let’s take a look inside the market."
The two stepped onto the island. Since it was an artificial Spirit Island, it wasn’t very large, only about ten miles in extent.
But it was very well planned, with a mountain in the west and a lake within the island in the east, one high and one low, built by the sea.
The mountain was the base of the Shuihua Sword Sect, heavily guarded, and no outsiders were permitted to approach.
The core of the market was the lake inside the island to the east, circled along the lakeshore, enveloped by a towering array.
All kinds of buildings were shiny with tiled walls, and many shops were still under construction, looking very much like a place thriving with bustling activity.
Even so, it was very lively, with many cultivators setting up stalls spontaneously, shouting loudly.
"Look and see, fresh relics from the Whale Emperor Sect, everything from Ancient Magical Artifacts, Cultivation Techniques, and antiques is available!"
"You can’t lose if you buy it, you can’t be fooled! A genuine relic map, want to gamble on a Foundation Establishment Spiritual Object? This is your ticket!"
Li Quanqing looked around, all sorts of goods self-proclaimed to have leaked from the Whale Emperor Sect. Be it fragments of damaged magical treasures, relic treasure maps, or Ancient Divine Pills filled with astonishing fortunes.
He opened his Multi-treasure Spirit Eyes to take a closer look. The treasure Qi was so thin it was pitiful; even a Treasure Light Toad would probably starve to death here.
All of them fresh pits from last week!
Even so, many newbies in the Cultivation World were browsing with great interest, filled with beautiful yearnings for the legendary Golden Core Relics.
These chives, one after another, never-ending!
"Let’s go, let’s take a look at our own shop, a bunch of pits."
Li Quanqing shook his head, took out the deed, and after a meticulous search, finally found a wasteland of more than 300 acres on the bank of a lake in the inner island.
"Hiss! Several hundred acres of land, is this the ’few shops’ the Third Elder mentioned? It’s more like a few palaces, alright!"
Li Quanqing’s eyes widened as he confirmed several times before he was sure that the deed in his hands could indeed unlock the Array covering this wasteland.
Li Quanfu was equally stunned, his mind racing with thoughts of what kind of construction would be best for collecting ground rent.
Li Quanqing wandered around his property and, unexpectedly, saw a palace under construction next door.
The main structure of the hall was almost completed, mainly adorned with azure glazed tiles, with intricate carvings and paintings. The plaque of the main hall was already hung up.
Heavenly Talisman Hall.
Li Quanqing read the text on the plaque aloud.
"Are you the fellow Daoist who bought the three hundred acres next door?"
At this moment, a young woman in an ice-blue palace dress walked out from the Heavenly Talisman Hall. She was elegantly cold and highbred, with a dab of vermilion between her eyebrows, and her words crisp like pearls.
She sized up Li Quanqing’s robe: "So it’s a fellow Daoist from the Green Jade Li Family. No wonder you’re so bold."
"I am Shen Bingxin from the Heavenly Talisman Hall of the Shen Family in the Yanyue Sea Area, newly doing some talisman business in this precious land. I hope for Brother Li’s care in the future."
The girl bowed slightly, her face cold as if she never smiled, her demeanor courteous yet distant.
"Li Quanqing, pleased to meet Fellow Daoist Shen."
Li Quanqing chewed on this name and suddenly remembered Shen Mengli whom he had met before: "May I ask if your esteemed clan is somewhat related to an Immortal named Shen from the Yanyue Sect?"
"My Shen Family hails from the Heavenly Talisman archipelago of the Yanyue Sea Area, and Shen Mengli is indeed one of my grand-aunties, the Supreme Elder of our family."
Shen Bingxin did not conceal anything and told him outright.
Li Quanqing thought of his family’s Supreme Elder Li Kunlun and suddenly slapped his thigh.
Turns out they’re practically family, no wonder they could get plots next to each other!
His attitude immediately became much warmer.
By this time, Li Quanfu had also wandered around the wasteland thoroughly and had a plan in mind.
"Boss, with such a large piece of land, why not we build a Cave Mansion and rent it out to those Loose Cultivators for Spirit Stones?"
Become a rent-collector?
Li Quanqing was stunned, and after some thought, he realized it was actually a brilliant idea!
Next to him, Shen Bingxin also spoke up, very supportive of the idea: "Fellow Daoist, with such a vast land, purely doing business would truly be a waste. It’s better to build a Cave Mansion to attract people, then construct a dozen or so shops for selling treasures, which can be rented or sold, killing several birds with one stone!"
Both were business-minded folks, and as they exchanged ideas, a wonderful blueprint began to unfold before their eyes.
Spirit Stones would pile up indefinitely!
Li Quanqing listened for a while and found the idea strangely familiar.
Isn’t this just like those shopping districts in his previous life, often built beneath various hotels, with massive foot traffic.
Very promising!
Shen Bingxin also mentioned that once Heavenly Talisman Hall was completed, she could introduce the construction team to him.
All of them were Cultivators with earth-related Spirit Roots, seasoned in construction, and surprisingly affordable.
Li Quanqing decided to replicate the standalone villa concept from his previous life and build two high towers to rent to those penniless, down-and-out Loose Cultivators.
The cultivation world’s Cave Mansions were very primitive, in the form of small courtyards—wasteful of land and having never seen anything on such a grand scale.
Dozens of stories high, with one staircase serving twenty households—they wouldn’t even dare to dream of it!
And because of the high space utilization, prices naturally came down—affordable, durable, and on their own land.
In this way, his Cave Mansion would be the only one of its kind in the entire Workshop district, with formidable business competitiveness.
"Since it’s rented to Cultivators to live in, and their combat strength is high, any neighborhood disputes could easily wreck my building, so the Array needs reinforcement!"
"Wait a minute, if the building is destroyed, isn’t that an opportunity to claim compensation, maybe even more profitable!"
Li Quanqing slapped his forehead and his eyes suddenly brightened.
He thought for a moment, then decided to name this residential area... ahem! This Cave Mansion area as—Fortunate Fish Dragon Residences!
Li Quanqing was inwardly elated, but since everything was still in its infancy, it was better to check out the Spiritual Beasts in the Workshop first.
Shen Bingxin had already been in the Whale Emperor Fang for a month or two and was familiar with the layouts, volunteering to lead them to the Spiritual Beast Street.
This Miss looked aloof, her temperament ice-cold, but in actuality, she was delightfully quirky and kind-hearted.
