Spirit Realm

Land of Chaos, Heavenly Calamity Continent.

A giant oasis lay deep within a boundless desert. Vegetation filled with life and energy grew around the oasis.

A towering ancient city made from black stone was built around this clear blue lake. Stone towers inside the city resembled mountains piercing right through the clouds, appearing majestic and serene.

There was a giant teleportation formation at the center of the city’s giant plaza.

Bright, rainbow rings surrounded the spatial teleportation formation like a screen of flowing color.

From within the rainbow light, one figure exited the formation after another.

It was none other than Qin Lie’s group.

“The Heavenly Calamity Continent’s Razed Desert. Finally! After more than a thousand years the soul of I, Xue Li, has finally returned to its homeland!”

After Qin Lie exited the teleportation formation, Xue Li’s sigh appeared deep within Qin Lie’s mind.

“Where have you come from, and where are you headed?” Many martial practitioners were seated atop pillar-like platforms beside the teleportation formation. One of them looked indifferently toward the bottom and asked.

“We have come from the Heavenly Wither Continent, and are ready to transfer to the Heavenly Fissure Continent.” Song Tingyu was once again the person who answered.

“It costs one thousand Earth Grade spirit stones each for cross continent teleportation. There are nine of you, so you will need to pay nine thousand Earth Grade spirit stones!” a man in black said icily. He was responsible for the teleportation matters of this formation.

“We are participating in the Trial,” Song Tingyu said.

“I don’t care where you’re going. If you wish to make use of this teleportation formation, then you will have to pay as the rules dictate!” the man said rudely.

“Nine thousand Earth Grade spirit stones.”

Song Tingyu bit her bottom lip as her pretty face became bitter. She subconsciously looked to Xie Jingxuan beside her and said in a soft voice, “I may not have enough spirit stones. How many do you have?”

“Less than six thousand.” Xie Jingxuan frowned.

“It will be enough if we pool our resources.” Song Tingyu grumbled on the inside. She was prepared to cut a hole in her wallet for Qin Lie’s sake.

“Qin Lie, we are still a month and a half away from the Trial. Can you stay here for a while?” Xue Li suddenly asked.

Ever since he left the blank tombstone behind on Sea Moon Island, Qin Lie had been silent and despondent.

It was as if he was holding something back...

When he heard Xue Li’s request, his furrowed eyebrows finally relaxed a bit. “What do you want to do?”

“I’d like to visit the original Blood Fiend Sect,” Xue Li’s soul sighed deeply.

“Is it far from here?”

“Not really.”

“Okay then.”

After they finished interacting with each other, Qin Lie walked out of the teleportation formation and said to the group, “We’ll be staying here for a while.”

Everyone in the group looked each other in the eye before walking out of the teleportation formation one by one.

A look of disdain flashed across the eyes of the black garbed martial practitioner seated on the platform high above. He inwardly thought, ”To be unable to accumulate the spirit stones necessary for a cross continent teleportation… I wonder where these country bumpkins came from. To think that these people actually want to participate in the Trial. They really don’t know how to write the word ‘death,’ huh?”

“Let’s find a place to rest for the moment,” Song Tingyu said.

“Okay.” Qin Lie nodded.

This was the first time that Gao Yu, Tang Siqi, Yi Yuan, Mo Hai, Lian Rou, and Feng Rong had ventured from the Scarlet Tide Continent. Like country bumpkins visiting a city for the first time, they looked at everything around them they with curiosity.

Song Tingyu and Xie Jingxuan fared a little better.

They had left the Scarlet Tide Continent before, but had not gone very far from the continent either. They were only active on the Flowing Cloud Continent and the Heavenly Fate Continent.

This was the first time they had visited the Land of Chaos.

The group of nine looked like ants standing amid the towering stone buildings that pierced through the clouds.

“This is Black Jade City. It is presently one of the three great cities of the Heavenly Calamity Continent. Black Jade City is situated in Razed Desert and stretches across tens of thousands of miles. It has a population of about thirty million, and it is controlled by the Xiahou Family, one of the nine great Silver rank forces…”

Xue Li’s soul casually chimed inside Qin Lie’s mind. His true body had traversed the Land of Chaos before, so naturally he knew about its current state of affairs.

However, he had been restraining himself ever since his true body arrived in the Land of Chaos. He had never actually entered the Heavenly Calamity Continent.

The Heavenly Calamity Continent had been Blood Fiend Sect’s domain in the past. Xue Li was afraid that he would run into someone familiar in this continent and be discovered, causing unnecessary trouble.

The reason he dared to come over now was because his true body was gone. With only a fragment of his soul living inside Qin Lie’s Soul Suppressing Orb, he wasn’t worried that he would be discovered.

“Black Jade City is one of the three great cities of the Heavenly Calamity Continent. Its population numbers around thirty million, and it belongs to the Xiahou Family…” Qin Lie explained to the group.

Everyone looked at him in surprise.

“Xue Li told me.” Qin Lie pointed at his forehead.

With that, the group understood.

“Let’s find a place to rest first,” Mo Hai said.

“Let me ask around.” Song Tingyu walked away from the group.

They were in the plaza of Black Jade City. Since there were plenty of martial practitioners coming in and out using the teleportation formation, there were many employees working in the area as well.

“Foreigners!” Lian Rou exclaimed, covering her mouth.

The group followed her gaze.

They saw several dozen foreigners walking out of the teleportation formation after the bright, colorful lights had dissipated. They were each five to six meters in height, their eyes were dark green, and they had gray wings beneath their ribs.

They had tall noses, and their dark green eyes were as sharp as an eagle’s. They were as tall as they were thin, and at first glance, they looked just like spirit animals who were walking on two legs with their gray wings.

However, other than their wings and dense feathers, they had arms and legs like a normal person.

“These are Gray Wing clansmen. Just like us, they are a highly intelligent species that have four limbs. They are also born with wings, however, and are able soar through the skies from a young age,” Xue Li’s voice resonated within Qin Lie’s mind once more.

“The Gray Wing Race is one of the more peaceful races, and are normally difficult to provoke or quarrel with. They have a long term trade agreement with the Xiahou Family of Black Jade City, and their relationship has always been a close one. In the Copper Continent that is controlled by the Xiahou Family, there is a void passage that connects to the Cloud Realm. The Cloud Realm is a sub world just like the Nether Realm. The Gray Wing Race come from there, and they are probably in the Heavenly Calamity Continent to trade for spirit materials with the Xiahou Family.”

Qin Lie’s eyes shone with a strange light.

While secretly examining the Gray Wing clansmen, Qin Lie recited Xue Li’s words and told the group about this foreign race’s background.

Above Black Jade City’s plaza, the black garbed martial practitioners on the platform wore impatient looks as they watched Qin Lie’s group.

Some of them didn't bother even giving them a second look.

However, when the group of Gray Wing clansmen appeared, the black garbed martial practitioners atop of the platform were immediately filled with smiles.

It was as if they had been waiting for the arrival of the Gray Wing clansmen this entire time. They were watching Qin Lie and the others impatiently because they felt that the group’s hesitation at the teleportation formation was delaying the Gray Wing clan’s arrival.

“Welcome, honored guests!”

The black garbed martial practitioner that had been cold and indifferent toward Qin Lie’s group was now laughing aloud, taking the initiative to jump down from the platform to welcome the group of Gray Wing clansmen. He enthusiastically said to them, “We have been awaiting your arrival for some time. Please come with us, everyone! Our patriarch has already prepared a feast, and the only thing missing is your presence.”

“Our clans have had an enjoyable partnership with one another. This time, we have brought a precious treasure from the Cloud Realm, and I believe that it will definitely satisfy your Xiahou Family!” The leader of the Gray Wing Clan fluently spoke a mouthful of words in the human language. It was slightly odd to hear.

“Great! We, the Xiahou Family, will definitely make sure that your return home is bountiful as well!” The black garbed martial practitioner led the way in front of them.

The surrounding martial practitioners atop the platform jumped down and protected the foreign clansmen at the center like bodyguards.

Another group of black garbed martial practitioners suddenly emerged from the side of the plaza.

They were continuously breaking up the crowd in the surroundings, having everyone around the teleportation formation that was unimportant move away.

Qin Lie’s group was also among the people who weren’t important. They had no choice but to obey the yells of the Xiahou martial practitioners and give way for the alien race.

Thus, with arrogant looks, the group of Gray Wing clansmen began to leave under the guidance of the Xiahou Family martial practitioners.

Meanwhile, Qin Lie and many others were forced to squeeze against each other, staring speechlessly at the arrogant alien clansmen strutting around on a human continent.

“What the hell is that?” A long time later, after the martial practitioners of the Xiahou Family and the Gray Wing clansmen left, Lian Rou shook her head and bitterly smiled. “On the Scarlet Tide Continent, we put our lives in danger and constantly warred with the alien races to keep them away, but not only is a group of alien clansmen treated as honored guests by a Silver rank force here, they even have us give way for them?”

“I didn’t really believe what Senior Xue Li said before, but now, I finally do.” Feng Rong sighed quietly.

“The Gray Wing clansmen are treated as honored guests because they bring a lot of benefits to the Xiahou Family.” Song Tingyu appeared out of nowhere and looked at where the alien clansmen had gone, sighing. “I guess we will have to get used to the Land of Chaos one step at a time. It really is as senior Xue Li said—there are no racial differences here, and the only conflicts that exist are caused by clashing interests.”

“Have you found a place to rest?” Xie Jingxuan looked at her.

Xie Jingxuan had watched Song Tingyu catch a martial practitioner earlier and use her charm concept to completely bewitch him. The martial practitioner answered every question she asked with complete sincerity.

“Come with me. I found a place, and damn it is expensive. To think that renting a small house here for just a month costs five hundred Earth Grade spirit stones,” Song Tingyu grumbled in a low voice. “Other than strength, I guess an ample amount of spirit stones is also needed to survive in the Land of Chaos. Sigh... only after leaving the Scarlet Tide Continent does one learn just how difficult it is to get things done in the outside world. It is far from the rosy dream one would imagine…”

“Let’s go,” Qin Lie said.

An hour later, Song Tingyu led the group of people to a small house in Black Jade City’s North City.

This was a small house with only five modest rooms. There were no exclusive cultivation rooms or artificer rooms, and plenty of similar houses nearby sheltered Manifestation and Netherpassage Realm martial practitioners.

“North City is the poorest region in all of Black Jade City. The people who live here are either low rank martial practitioners or poor. We are not protected by the Xiahou Family here, so be on your guard as much as possible and avoid conflict with others,” Song Tingyu said apologetically after she led the group here. “I’m sorry, but there really is no other choice. We need to save some spirit stones for travel expenses to teleport to the Heavenly Fissure Continent, so we have to put up with this for now.”

The group was kind of dejected.

They had all been filled with hopes and dreams when they traveled a long distance from the Scarlet Tide Continent to step onto this land. They had thought too favorably of the outside world.

Now that they were here, they finally realized how difficult it was to do things.

To them, the huge difference between their dreams and reality was literally like a baton to the head.