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Chapter 711: Chapter 717: Invitation
The Devil Beasts living inside and the Spiritual Objects growing there attracted the greedy humans. Although they couldn’t stay for long, with the help of Pills, Spells, and other external forces, they were able to extend the time cultivators could linger significantly.
So, a large number of cultivators began invading the Undying Volcano!
At first, it was quite easy for the cultivators to obtain Spiritual Objects, and it was relatively safe, but as time went on, both the number of Devil Beasts and the abundance of Spiritual Objects at the Undying Volcano dwindled and became more dangerous.
As a result, various exploration squads emerged. After all, if one person can’t do it, surely a group can, right? It’s just that the group could be a mixed bag—whether you get conned or find a gem depends on your own judgment.
Take, for instance, the Spirit Fire Squad that Li Chengsheng had just heard about; it was indeed very strong, but he had also heard rumors about their reluctance to accept newcomers and using them as bait.
Frankly, squads that recruit in Immortal City tend to have issues one way or another. Those truly reliable teams would not so easily take in a new member.
After all, who knows whether this person would suddenly stab you in the back during a battle or just run away?
Li Chengsheng wanted to train at the Undying Volcano, and going alone would indeed be a bit risky, yet he couldn’t find a squad he deemed suitable.
With no other choice, he had to head towards the forbidden lands alone—training while searching for a suitable team.
However, because he was alone, at most with the company of Yang and Li—two third-order Spirit Beasts—Li Chengsheng didn’t dare venture too far into the Undying Volcano.
"Is this the legendary Undying Volcano?"
As far as the eye could see, towering volcanoes stretched into the clouds, massive and majestic, with several emitting white smoke and shaking grounds, so much so that even hundreds of miles away, Li Chengsheng could feel their formidable and surging energy.
Boom—
A thunderous explosion that seemed to pierce the sky rang out, and even the ground trembled. The volcanoes, as if coordinating with each other, erupted one after the other, spewing red-orange magma that flowed endlessly from their craters, spreading in all directions.
"Is this the mighty power between heaven and earth?"
To think that cultivators could compare was simply unthinkable! Li Chengsheng doubted he could do it, and he suspected that even Nascent Soul cultivators might not be able to either.
While he was reflecting, a blob of magma suddenly fell from the sky and crashed mere steps away from him, creating a huge pit in the ground instantaneously.
A surge of relief welled up within Li Chengsheng. He was glad that he hadn’t gone forward; had he been struck by it, he would have either died or, at the very least, been severely injured.
The next moment, he dashed towards the source of the volcanic eruption without hesitation.
After all, each volcanic eruption was a harvest festival. The magma didn’t just bring threats; it also brought treasures from deep within the earth!
Li Chengsheng wasn’t too far away, so he was among the first creatures to arrive. There were only three cultivators and two third-order Devil Beasts on the scene, all coexisting peacefully.
Because they all knew what was most important—why waste time fighting each other when they could collect more Spiritual Objects before others arrived?
Even his arrival didn’t catch the attention of these creatures; they were still searching for Spiritual Objects in the not-yet-cooled magma.
Li Chengsheng immediately joined them, but everyone intentionally maintained their distance and vigilance.
As time went on, more and more creatures arrived, yet no one was in a hurry to make a move.
Until no more Spiritual Objects could be found in the magma!
"Ah!"
A sudden, piercing scream set off a massive free-for-all.
"Die!"
"Let me keep the Spiritual Objects you gathered safe for you."
For a moment, flesh and blood flew everywhere, and the wails were unceasing; a great number of beings died.
There were also some clever ones who withdrew early at the start of the battle, avoiding being affected.
And Li Chengsheng, due to his cultivation at the Golden Core Late Stage, wasn’t targeted by anyone, but he didn’t want to get involved, so he withdrew from the battlefield voluntarily.
The reason he didn’t leave directly was simple: a temporary marketplace was about to open nearby, giving cultivators the opportunity to trade with each other.
If they were to trade back in Immortal City, they’d have to pay a ten percent tax, so it was better to trade directly in the wilderness.
Of course, this practice also had a drawback—it wasn’t safe! One might encounter robbery or murder along the way.
"Taoist friend, not taking action? With your strength, these beings would hardly be your match," a cultivator in green robes approached, smiling as he spoke.
Li Chengsheng glanced at him and said, "Aren’t you similarly not participating?"
Among all the beings present, there weren’t many who could make him feel pressured, but this man was one of them—and the pressure was the greatest!
"My name is Bai Qiushan, I have seen Taoist friend."
"Huang Minghui." Li Chengsheng returned the greeting.
"You must be a cultivator from the Outer Region?" If it were the Southern Domain, it would have been impossible not to recognize a Golden Core cultivator of his generation.
Li Chengsheng just nodded without speaking.
Seeing that he didn’t want to chat, Bai Qiushan also stopped speaking.
About an hour later, the chaos finally ended.
Nearby, they found a flat land and set up a temporary marketplace,
Li Chengsheng had already sorted out his Spiritual Objects ahead of time, taking out those he couldn’t use while writing his own requirements on a large piece of paper, and in moments, his stall was set up.
"Taoist friend, this third-grade fire essence stone of yours, can I buy it with Spirit Stones?"
"Sorry, only trades, no sales."
He didn’t lack Spirit Stones in the slightest, what would he do with so many Spirit Stones? It was better to trade for some Spiritual Objects he could use, in case he wants to buy them next time but ends up unable to find them.
With Li Chengsheng’s insistence, by the time the marketplace closed, he hadn’t sold much of his Spiritual Objects and had to pack them up with a sigh.
"Taoist friend, are you by yourself?" Bai Qiushan approached again as he was preparing to leave, asking softly.
"Yes." There was nothing worth hiding about that, and besides, even if he wanted to deceive someone, it wouldn’t be possible.
Li Chengsheng was certain that the other had been observing him for quite some time; it would have been impossible not to notice whether he had teammates or not.
"I also just arrived at the Undying Volcano for training and haven’t found a suitable team yet. I think Taoist Huang would be a good fit, would you be willing to join my team?" Bai Qiushan invited earnestly.
Li Chengsheng’s brow raised, saying, "If I remember correctly, this is our first meeting, right? Isn’t this a bit too sudden?"
"If you’re not at ease, you can observe me for a while. With both of our strengths, it’s not to say how strong we’ll be, but at least in the outskirts of the Undying Volcano, it will be quite safe," Bai Qiushan suggested, looking towards the future. "If we find more suitable people later, we could even explore deeper in."
"We’ll see," Li Chengsheng was somewhat tempted but did not agree on the spot, mainly because it was too sudden.
