Somewhere in the Middle Realm, a pair of long, dark eyes appeared. "Assassination failed. All commissions will be refunded, or the price will be raised."
"Raise the price?
Why?
Is it because of a failed assassination?
Doesn't the Boundless Realm value credibility?
If you raise the price after a failed assassination, who will want to do business with you in the future? "
"Before you, we've tried to assassinate this person twice, but both times failed. This third time failed, so we must raise the price."
"Hmph, it looks like the person who hired you has given up. You're treating me like a fat sheep."
"Raise the price, or give up. Please choose." The eyes grew even darker.
"Alright, I'll raise the price, but only once. Don't fail again. You should know that I didn't provide this information; you set the price yourselves."
Back at the Flying Armor Pass, Lu Yin entered alone to look for Guo Shan while Long Kui had Tian Hou shrink and lean on his shoulder. Long Kui also entered alone and went straight to the Flying Armor Army's commander's residence to meet Long Xian.
Long Xian was not surprised by Long Kui's appearance.
The two sat across from each other, and Long Xian was rather cordial. "It's been a few hundred years, but Elder Long Kui is still the same. You haven't changed at all."
Long Kui smiled. "You and I became Envoys in a few hundred years, so how could there be any changes? I just went into seclusion and passed. This is the first time I've seen your son."
Beside Long Xian, Long Ding bowed respectfully to Long Kui. "Greetings, Elder Long Kui."
Long Kui nodded, and on his shoulder, Tian Hou curiously sized up Long Ding.
"Long Ding, is this the meaning of stability?
It looks like Brother Xian is living quite comfortably in the Flying Armor Pass. "Long Kui's eyes flashed.
Long Xian smiled. "I wouldn't dare. After all, the Flying Armor Pass was taken over by the White Dragon Tribe with great difficulty. The chaotic battle with the other three forces is still fresh in my mind, and my Flying Armor Army sacrificed a lot. How could I be comfortable?"
Long Kui replied, "Your son's strength is not bad. He's already a Hunter and is about to break through to the Enlighter realm. It's a pity that if he had broken through earlier, he might have been able to help Junior Ancestor enter the Ruler's Realm. What a pity."
Long Ding was about to say something, but Long Xian beat him to it.... "I can only blame my son for being unlucky...
Long Kui laughed. "Brother Xian should know why I'm here, right?"
Long Xian nodded. "The fourteenth sect sent someone to the Flying Armor Pass, and the person they sent is the son-in-law of the main branch of the White Dragon Tribe, Long Qi. We already know about this."
"Don't worry about Long Seven. The important thing is that the Flying Armor Pass has been targeted by the 14th Gate. Brother Xian, do you have anything to say?"
Long Kui stared at Long Xian. Ever since he had reported Lu Yin's mission to the clan, the clan had ordered him to act as he saw fit. If he discovered that Long Xian was really a redback, he was to kill him immediately. He could not allow Long Xian to be taken away by the Fourteenth Gate.
Long Kui did not know whether Long Xian was a Red Back or not, so he decided to test him first.
Long Xian's eyes were gloomy. "The fourteenth sect sent someone here, which only means that there is something suspicious about our Flying Armor Pass, but it doesn't mean that there are definitely spies or Red Backs. Why? Does the clan suspect us?
I, Long Xian, have been overseeing the Flying Armor Pass, and I have never slacked off. Besides, there's nothing in this place that's worthy of those monsters' attention. If there's anything, it can only be tribulation crystals. Has anyone in the clan noticed that the number of tribulation crystals handed over to the clan has decreased? "
Long Kui hurriedly raised a hand. "The clan does not suspect Brother Xian. It's just that the people from the Fourteenth Gate have ill intentions, which is why we're warning you to be careful."
"The innocent knows their innocence. There's no need to worry about the Fourteenth Gate," Long Xian said.
Long Ding suddenly said, "I'm very curious about Brother Long Seven. I want to see what kind of person is worthy of the princess. I wonder if I have the chance to meet him."
Long Xian barked, "Shut up and leave."
Long Ding was indignant. "Father, I just want to meet Brother Long Seven."
"Long Seven is currently a member of the Fourteenth Gate, and he's here to investigate the Flying Armor Pass. We'll talk after the investigation is over. Leave and cultivate!"
Long Ding had no choice but to bow to Long Kui. "I'll take my leave."
Long Kui smiled and nodded.
Even after Long Ding left, Long Xian's anger had yet to subside. "I've made a fool of myself. My son's feelings for the princess have not diminished, which is why he's so curious about Long Seven. He doesn't have any ill intentions, so please don't misunderstand."
"Hahaha, he's a youngster. Who doesn't get jealous? Brother Xian, you're taking it too seriously." Long Kui laughed.
Long Xian smiled wryly. "I'll show you around the Flying Armor Pass. It's not easy to dig up tribulation crystals, and I'm sure you're curious as well."
Long Kui nodded. "Please."
"Please."
Tribulation crystals could be found everywhere outside the Flying Armor Pass, but whether or not one could find any was up to the heavens.
Lu Yin looked curiously at the people holding the devices. "Can the devices in their hands detect tribulation crystals?"
Guo Shan was disdainful. "Of course not. It's just a method that some merchants use to make huge profits. These idiots believe it even in their dreams, and they force themselves to believe it. Some people put the credit on those devices after digging up tribulation crystals, and then they use some propaganda to create this effect." As he spoke, a man behind him stared blankly at him with a device in his hand.
Guo Shan sneered once again.
The device in the man's hand dropped. "Is this thing useless?"
Guo Shan rolled his eyes.
Lu Yin coughed. "Don't listen to him. He's been digging here for hundreds of years, and he's just venting his frustration."
The man sighed in relief. "I knew it. How could it be useless? I just dug up a bit."
Guo Shan and Lu Yin were speechless. "You dug it up?"
Tribulation crystals were not that easy to dig up, as they were not ores that simply stayed in place. Tribulation crystals would move with the flow of the earth, and no one knew the rules behind this movement. Some guessed that it was due to the flow of star energy in outer space, while others guessed that it had something to do with the astral source of the universe.
No one had been able to figure out how to dig up tribulation crystals, so it wasn't as simple as turning the earth upside down.
An Envoy's tribulation would at most produce a fingernail-sized tribulation crystal, and these tribulation crystals would be scattered all over the ground, making them difficult to see with the naked eye.
That man took out a transparent crystal bottle very carefully. There was a very, very small shiny crystal inside.
Guo Shan was shocked. "It really is a tribulation crystal. Did you dig it up?
How long did it take? "
The man smiled proudly. "Nine years."
Lu Yin was puzzled. Was it worth it to dig up so little after nine years?
"It's worth it! You dug it up in nine years and sold it to the White Dragon Clan. You'll have nothing to worry about for the rest of your life," Guo Shan exclaimed.
The man laughed heartily. "I think so too." He then picked up the device on the ground. "So the tribulation crystal detector produced by our family is effective." He then turned around and looked at the people around him. "Isn't that right, everyone?
It's effective. "
"Yes, it's definitely effective. You dug up a tribulation crystal in nine years. You won't have to worry about anything for the rest of your life. It's worth it."
"It's worth it! Quick, buy another one."
"I want a tribulation crystal detector."
…
Guo Shan and Lu Yin were both stunned. They had been tricked and had helped someone advertise for free. That guy wasn't stupid.
The man proudly placed the detector in Guo Shan's arms. "Thank you." He then ran off.
Guo Shan gulped. As a member of the Fourteenth Gate, he was supposed to be a spy, Redback, and yet, he had been tricked here. How embarrassing!
Lu Yin's face turned red as well. How embarrassing! He had been tricked!
"I'm going to kill him!" Guo Shan gritted his teeth and glared murderously at the man's departing figure.
Lu Yin covered his head. "Alright, let's go. It's our fault for being careless."
Guo Shan was indignant, but that man was just a Limiteer, and he couldn't be bothered with a junior like him.
This was what it meant to fail miserably in an easy task.
Today was the darkest day of Guo Shan's life.
In the distance, Long Xian happened to arrive with Long Kui. When he saw this scene, Long Kui's face twitched. "Let's go."
Long Xian smiled. "These people are willing to do anything to dig up tribulation crystals. Some even prayed to the heavens. Please don't take offense, Elder."
…
There were too many people digging around the Flying Armor Pass. Even though there were people who gave up every day, there were still people who joined.
Guo Shan brought Lu Yin to a sparsely populated area to shake off the trauma from earlier. He asked, "Do you know what the Spiritual Transformation Realm of a domain is?"
Lu Yin shook his head. "I've heard of it, but I don't know much about it."
Guo Shan answered seriously, "Spiritual Transformation is literally what it means. It's the process of transforming an inanimate object into a sentient being."
Lu Yin's eyes widened. "That's impossible."
Guo Shan replied, "It's not actually sentient, but rather something that seems to be sentient and easy to control. For example …" As he spoke, a rock beneath Lu Yin's feet suddenly bumped into him.
The rock that had bumped into him had not been controlled by star energy or a domain. It really did seem like a rock had bumped into him.
"When a domain is cultivated to the spiritual realm, it can envelop everything in the world and transform them into spirits. It doesn't seem very useful, but think about it. In battle, one can use the earth to suppress an opponent and the air to launch sneak attacks. This can sometimes change the outcome of a battle," Guo Shan explained. "The greatest use of spiritual transformation is to prepare for the cultivation of the Empty God Realm."
Lu Yin's expression changed. The Empty God Realm was rumored to be the highest realm in a domain. "What's the Empty God Realm?"
Guo Shan looked up at the sky and seemed to be imagining things. "The so-called Empty God Realm allows one to manipulate the void, teleport, and forcefully strip away space to reach the realm of being the ruler of an area. That realm has reached perfection, and it allows one to strip away an opponent's attacks and everything else. The most common explanation is that it's equivalent to a secret technique."
Lu Yin's eyes lit up. Stripping away space sounded very powerful. He had the Plan Secret Art, the Yu Secret Art, and many other methods to block and redirect an opponent's attack. If he really couldn't do it, he could still avoid it. However, those were secret techniques that could not be casually used.
If his domain had reached the Empty God Realm during the Sovereign Tournament, the battle would not have been so difficult. Even without the Death Transformation, it would have been difficult for Shangqing to defeat him.
"Don't think too much about it. The Empty God Realm isn't that easy to reach. You should first cultivate to the level of predicting attacks," Guo Shan said.
"How do I cultivate?" Lu Yin asked.
"Actually, with your domain ability, you could have reached the level of predicting attacks long ago. It's just that you're cultivating in the wrong direction," Guo Shan said. He then began to guide Lu Yin in his cultivation.
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Thanks for your support, and I'll be writing again at 3 PM.