NOVPUBSu Changkong was quite satisfied in his heart. Originally, he had planned to accumulate enough Primordial Liquid before buying the Nether Soul Bell from Xu Wen, but the unexpected appearance of Ma Han seeking vengeance made it easy for Su Changkong to take the Nether Soul Bell into his possession.
"So then… farewell."
With the Nether Soul Bell in hand, Su Changkong did not intend to stay long. His calm voice resonated in Xu Wen’s Sea of Consciousness, and shortly after, the golden Primordial Spirit miniature figure, along with Ma Han’s corpse and the Nether Soul Bell, vanished in a flash, quickly disappearing into the horizon.
The valley returned to peace as if nothing had happened, save for the scattered rocks and the exploded mountainside which bore witness to the great battle that had taken place there.
"That senior… just who was he? Could he be one of the experts from Skyfire City? I’ve never heard of such an old monster in Skyfire City who had cultivated their Primordial Spirit!"
Xu Wen remained somewhat puzzled.
The avenging enemy had shown up with a Demon Monster body, only to be effortlessly killed by a mighty figure who had cultivated their Primordial Spirit!
Nearly every individual who had cultivated their Primordial Spirit was an old monster. Who exactly was this mysterious senior?
Of course, Su Changkong had no idea of Xu Wen’s bewildered state. Miles away, Su Changkong, satisfied, set off to return to Heavenly Saint Mountain in Skyfire City.
"Two Divine Seeds, several tens of taels of Primordial Liquid… a fragment of a Demon Monster Crystal Core."
On his way, Su Changkong checked his gains. The treasures on Ma Han’s body weren’t many, but when converted into Primordial Liquid, they were nearly a hundred taels.
And the biggest gain, of course, was the Nether Soul Bell, which Su Changkong was already itching to study.
Back at Heavenly Saint Mountain, Su Changkong contemplated, "I need a quiet and undisturbed place with abundant Spiritual Energy to retreat for cultivation. Perhaps… I should rent a Cave Mansion."
Although the free residences and villas on Heavenly Saint Mountain were free of charge, they came without any other facilities. The slightest commotion could attract the attention of the keen and interested. Su Changkong felt renting a Cave Mansion would meet his requirements.
Thinking this, Su Changkong found a manager in charge of Cave Mansion affairs on Heavenly Saint Mountain— a rotund, overweight man.
Upon hearing that Su Changkong wanted to rent a Cave Mansion on Heavenly Saint Mountain, the manager immediately said with a beaming smile, "You want to rent a Cave Mansion? These mansions come in three grades: lower, middle, and upper. The higher the grade, the more abundant the Spiritual Energy. For example, in an upper-grade Cave Mansion, the Spiritual Energy is so plentiful it can accommodate the cultivation of dozens of Saint Warriors without a problem. As for the price... naturally, it costs more."
Su Changkong nodded slightly. He had read about the Cave Mansions in the information provided by the Mountain Entry Token.
But Su Changkong was alone; he just needed to focus on his own cultivation. An upper-grade Cave Mansion was generally something that only Saint Warrior families with dependents could afford to rent. Su Changkong felt he wouldn’t stay on Heavenly Saint Mountain for long and therefore didn’t need to rent such a good Cave Mansion. He only needed a place where he could cultivate in peace.
Su Changkong immediately said, "A lower-grade Cave Mansion will be sufficient."
The overweight manager nodded, "How long do you want to rent it for? The lower-grade Cave Mansions are three taels of Primordial Liquid per year, and it must be rented for no less than three years at a time. If you rent for a long enough period at once, I can offer you some discounts. For a 10-year rental, I can give you a 20% discount."
Three taels of Primordial Liquid a year to rent a Cave Mansion comparable to a minor Cave Heaven and Blessed Land was actually quite a bargain.
The number of Saint Warriors able to refine Primordial Liquid year-round to nourish their Divine Seeds was limited; most relied on abundant Spiritual Energy and time. Three taels of Primordial Liquid, when directly refined, compared to a year of arduous cultivation in a place with abundant Spiritual Energy, would definitely bring greater improvement with the latter!
"Rent it for three years."
Su Changkong declared directly. He certainly wouldn’t settle on Heavenly Saint Mountain for ten or eight years; there was no need to rent it for so long.
Without further ado, Su Changkong took out nine taels of Primordial Liquid as the rental fee for a Cave Mansion.
"There are a total of 210 vacant lower-grade Cave Mansions on Heavenly Saint Mountain. Here’s a map. You can pick any one you like; they’re all more or less the same."
After receiving the Primordial Liquid, the manager took out a map marked with peaks and locations of various Cave Mansions.
Su Changkong looked over the map and quickly picked a Cave Mansion marked with the words ’Floating Cloud’: "I’ll take this one."
"This is the Floating Cloud Cave Mansion pass token. Don’t lose it."
The overweight manager handed over a token also marked with the words ’Floating Cloud’, which he gave to Su Changkong.
Tucking away the token, Su Changkong headed towards the location of the Floating Cloud Cave Mansion on Heavenly Saint Mountain.
A towering peak was surrounded by swirling mists.
Su Changkong arrived midway up this peak where there was a space-distorting gate which served as the entrance to the Floating Cloud Cave Mansion.
Holding the token, Su Changkong entered the gate unobstructed.
Inside the Floating Cloud Cave Mansion, there was an abundantly Spiritual Energy-filled Cave Heaven and Blessed Land. Although not large, it had mountains and waters, flowers blooming profusely, and the air was filled with invigorating fragrances. It was truly a paradise, far better in environment than the Spirit Taoist Sect by dozens of times!
After scouting around the Floating Cloud Cave Mansion, Su Changkong chose a spot with green grass and a boundless plain.
"Let’s try it out… Projecting the True Beast with the Mirror of All Things."
Su Changkong took a deep breath, calming his emotions.
The Mirror of All Things, a treasure gained by traversing the fourth challenge of Mirror Heaven and Earth, manifested from a part of the power of the Mirror Heaven and Earth Great Divine Seed, an Exotic Treasure possessing part of the Mirror Heaven and Earth Great Divine Seed’s might, capable of projection.
To project a True Beast, one needs a treasure containing the remnant soul or obsession of a True Beast.
