Translator: CinderTL
"The Profound Yellow Vast Land," Li Chunjun thought, his mind brimming with knowledge of this region.
It was a perpetually active battlefield, a veritable meat grinder.
Tens of thousands of Primordial Spirit True Monarchs perished there annually.
Especially in the decade or so leading up to the ripening of the Profound Yellow Dao Fruit, the number of True Monarch casualties would surge tenfold or more!
On some days, over a thousand True Monarchs might meet their end!
Such was the terrifying nature of the Profound Yellow Vast Land—a colossal meat grinder.
Since its formation ten thousand years ago, the Profound Yellow Vast Land Battlefield had claimed the lives of nearly a billion Primordial Spirits!
A billion Primordial Spirits!
However, a single Profound Yellow Dao Fruit was valued comparably to a Superior Dao Artifact, worth tens of billions of Spirit Crystals.
Buying a Primordial Spirit's life cost only tens of thousands of Spirit Crystals.
Trading a million Primordial Spirits for one Profound Yellow Dao Fruit would still be a profitable exchange.
Each harvest yielded a minimum of several Profound Yellow Dao Fruits, and occasionally more than a dozen.
The key lay in this:
For those Void Refining, Dharma Aspect, and Supreme Sage cultivators who desperately coveted the Profound Yellow Dao Fruit, the lives of Primordial Spirits held little value.
With lifespans stretching up to 129,600 years, they could witness dozens of generations of Primordial Spirits, whose lives rarely exceeded two thousand years.
Since these Primordial Spirits were destined to die sooner or later anyway, why not send them to the Profound Yellow Vast Land to gamble for Profound Yellow Dao Fruits on their behalf?
"I understand your situation," Liu Yu said, gazing at Li Chunjun. "You're striving for the top spot on the Cosmic Light List to obtain a Superior Cave Heaven Supreme Treasure. These treasures are primarily for the legacy of one's sect... but you don't have a sect. So, your true goal is to accommodate the Lesser Thousand World where you were born?"
Liu Yu continued, "Your homeland is a Lesser Thousand World spanning 50,000 li, while most Superior Cave Heavens can only contain 10,000 to 20,000 li. If you can retrieve three Profound Yellow Dao Fruits from the Profound Yellow Vast Land, I can exchange them for a Cave Heaven World capable of housing your entire 50,000 li homeland!"
"The Profound Yellow Dao Fruit tree produces more than three fruits per harvest," Li Chunjun pointed out.
"You can exchange any extras with me as well," Liu Yu replied. "The Profound Yellow List has consistently provided valuable resources to those who rank high for countless years. One reason is the vast wealth left behind by the great Supreme Sovereigns. Another is our careful management and resourcefulness—maximizing income and minimizing waste."
"Can I exchange them for Void Dao Fruits or Destruction Dao Fruits?" Li Chunjun asked.
"We don't have those specific Dao Fruits, but I can exchange them for Dao Pills instead."
"Dao Pills..." Li Chunjun's heart stirred.
This was the hard currency used among Void Refining and even Dao Unification cultivators. Crafting these Dao Pills required not only various rare Heavenly Treasures but also massive quantities of Great Dao Divine Stones. The exchange rate between a single Dao Pill and Spirit Crystals was an astonishing one to one hundred million.
"I'll buy your Profound Yellow Dao Fruit for three hundred Void Dao Pills or Destruction Dao Pills," Liu Yu Dao offered.
Three hundred Void Dao Pills or Destruction Dao Pills?!
For Li Chunjun, the slowest aspect of his cultivation had always been comprehending the Law Mysteries. Although he benefited greatly from the power of his Void Dao Body and Destruction Dao Body, his progress in understanding the Laws was far from slow—in fact, it could even be described as rapid. However, compared to the growth of his Mind Realm, the disparity was still considerable.
If he could truly obtain hundreds or even thousands of Void Dao Pills and Destruction Dao Pills, his comprehension of the Law Mysteries would undoubtedly progress by leaps and bounds. Moreover, even a single Void Dao Pill and a single Destruction Dao Pill would allow him to elevate his understanding of the Void and Destruction Laws to 1,024 and 720 varieties, respectively, meeting the foundational standards.
After all, these were pills that allowed cultivators to directly tap into the origin of the Great Dao itself! They were meticulously researched and refined by Dao Unification experts and Supreme Sovereigns specifically for cultivation purposes. For Void Refining stage cultivators, their effects were nothing short of miraculous—"instantaneous" didn't even begin to describe their potency.
"The Profound Yellow Vast Land is far from safe," Li Chunjun suddenly remarked.
"But for someone like you, it's already secure enough," Liu Yu Dao countered.
Li Chunjun pondered briefly, considering his plan to advance his Life Level to the 36th tier. In mere moments, he reached his decision.
"I accept."
"Excellent!"
"The Profound Yellow Vast Land Battlefield is always open," Liu Yu Dao said. "Even when the Profound Yellow Dao Fruits haven't ripened, hundreds of thousands of Primordial Spirit True Monarchs are constantly clashing around the Profound Yellow Ancient Tree. You can go there anytime."
She produced a jade bottle. "Drip this refined Origin of Life and Creation onto the Ancient Tree, and it will mature and bear fruit within three days."
"Three days," Li Chunjun murmured. He could already foresee that those three days would be incredibly challenging.
"Also, take this Observer's Mask," Liu Yu Dao said, handing him a strange artifact resembling a mask. "With this, no one will be able to discern your aura. Even if you monopolize several, or even a dozen, Profound Yellow Dao Fruits, you won't become a target for everyone."
Li Chunjun accepted the mask but replied, "Let's take things one step at a time. I'll deal with this Cosmic Light War first."
Liu Yu Dao didn't object. She couldn't help but think that since he was now a personal disciple of the Profound Yellow Supreme Sovereign and had cultivated the Heavenly Heart Eternal Method to the fourth layer, bullying cultivators on the Cosmic Light List seemed a bit unfair.
But then she remembered the chaotic state of the Cosmic Light List and felt a perverse thrill. She couldn't wait to see Li Chunjun thoroughly thrash those cultivators who were simply hogging their positions without contributing anything.
Just then, Lu Jiuyang's aura manifested.
Liu Yu immediately activated the power of the Profound Yellow List, pulling him from the Heavenly Palace branch.
With a shift in space, as if the stars themselves had rearranged, Li Chunjun found himself in a realm of swirling white clouds dotted with numerous floating islands.
"His mastery of Void Power... he must have fully comprehended the Void Law," Li Chunjun mused, secretly alarmed. "He's only one step away from Dao Unification, from completely controlling the Great Dao of the Void."
As Li Chunjun surveyed the shifting spatial environment, a fully armored middle-aged man materialized before him, clad in battle armor, helmeted, cloaked, and wielding a long spear. He exuded martial prowess.
The moment he appeared, the man swiftly formed a hand seal.
A necklace on his chest flickered faintly as he completed the seal, unleashing an impossibly swift ripple that swept toward Li Chunjun.
Then...
The ripple was refined and consumed by the fiery, furnace-like state of Li Chunjun's Spiritual World—the Heart-Burning Flames.
"A Tracking Seal?" Li Chunjun's gaze sharpened as he quickly discerned the seal's nature.
So, they intend to leave a mark on me, then mobilize their hidden power to uncover my background, seize my family, threaten my sect, and force my surrender?
Li Chunjun had heard of such tactics more than once.
To secure their positions on the Cosmic Light List, contenders would stop at nothing. Sometimes, groups of challengers would even gang up on rule-breakers or those without powerful backing, subjecting them to relentless tag-team assaults.
"Your Mind Realm..." Lu Jiuyang's expression darkened as he sensed his mark being destroyed. "So you were prepared all along? This was a premeditated attack! But you must understand just how many enemies you've made..."
"Enough!" Li Chunjun cut him off. He shot through the air, activating the Scarlet Sky Sword. The Void Power ahead surged like a tidal wave, instantly coalescing into a Void Bridge that crashed down upon Lu Jiuyang, the Cosmic Light List's reigning champion.
Though the short distance left Li Chunjun little room to build momentum, the sheer force of the Void Power he unleashed sent a shock through Lu Jiuyang.
Four mechanical arms extended from Lu Jiuyang's battle armor as his spear thrust forward with brutal force. With his other arms forming hand seals, he channeled all his energy into the weapon, transforming it into a massive, Void-piercing energy cannon that unleashed a devastating blast against Li Chunjun's surging Void tide.
The instant they collided, the colossal beam of light from Lu Jiuyang's spear, resembling a planet-destroying cannon, was devoured by the surging torrent of the Void.
"A dao technique?!" Lu Jiuyang roared in shock and fury, unleashing the full power of his quasi-Dao Artifacts. Channeling his destructive momentum, he threatened to block Li Chunjun's Void Bridge entirely, even threatening to blast him away.
"This is the top-ranked cultivator on the Cosmic Light List?" Li Chunjun shook his head, his eyes devoid of concern. Activating his Void Bridge, he stepped forward and instantly unleashed his Lifebound Mystical Power, Void Heaven Flash. In a blink, he vanished from the energy beam, which was intense enough to pierce through a Lesser Chiliocosm.
Lu Jiuyang was undeniably formidable. He could even withstand Li Chunjun's Daoist Void Bridge Technique head-on. However, his strength stemmed less from his cultivation and more from his arsenal of quasi-Dao Artifacts. These artifacts amplified his power layer upon layer, catapulting him to the pinnacle of the Sixth-Rank. He could even hold his own against Seventh-Rank beings unfamiliar with direct combat.
Yet, precisely because his power relied so heavily on external objects, his control over it lacked the seamlessness and mastery of his own Mystical Powers.
With a Void Heaven Flash, Li Chunjun shifted his position, and the Scarlet Sky Sword roared forth once more, moving with such blinding speed that Lu Jiuyang, the Cosmic Light List's top contender, couldn't react in the slightest.
Boom!
The Scarlet Sky Sword's explosive power and the protective radiance of Lu Jiuyang's quasi-Dao Artifacts clashed in a blinding flash, illuminating the void. The space around Lu Jiuyang shattered like a shattered mirror, collapsing with a deafening roar.
But before the void's destructive force could tear him apart, Lu Jiuyang's boots allowed him to take a step into the void, navigating the broken space with practiced ease.
Yet, in the next instant, the Scarlet Sky Sword, having curved mid-strike, crashed down once more.
No need for the Void Bridge!
Nor for the Void Heaven Flash!
Li Chunjun's astonishing agility and lightning-fast strikes prevented Lu Jiuyang from even activating the full power of his quasi-Dao Artifacts.
Lu Jiuyang's reliance on external artifacts might grant him a significant advantage against opponents of similar rank, but against Li Chunjun...
It made him little more than a living target trapped in a steel shell.
"No!"
The Cosmic Light List's champion cried out in bitter defiance...
Even as Lu Jiuyang screamed in terror, the Scarlet Sky Sword instantly shattered his defenses and pierced through his body.
"Still refusing to yield?" Li Chunjun frowned. His strike hadn't been aimed at destroying Lu Jiuyang's Primordial Spirit.
"Stop! I can't lose my top ranking on the Cosmic Light List! I'll give you anything you want—just let me keep my position!" Lu Jiuyang cried out in panic.
"Do you possess a top-tier Cave Heaven Supreme Treasure?" Li Chunjun demanded.
Lu Jiuyang's expression froze. "You..."
Whoosh!
The Scarlet Sky Sword twisted, its edge once again crackling with Void-rending sharpness, and descended with devastating force.
"I surr—"
Boom!
The Void shattered! The space around Lu Jiuyang disintegrated into dust.
Effortless!
Devastating!
Under that single sword strike, the former Cosmic Light List champion was reduced to nothing but a few quasi-Dao Artifacts.
Li Chunjun had given him a chance. Now, begging for mercy was too late.
(End of the Chapter)
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