Chapter 194: Entry Fee
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Day 182 of the Black Mist Calendar.
The news of the opening of the Flame Clan ruins had already spread far and wide.
Almost every race that had long inhabited the region within the Hundred Thousand Mountains joined the exploration of the Flame Clan ruins.
On one hand, this made the area more prosperous, with new visitors appearing every day.
On the other hand, it also aggravated the conflicts and disputes within the Flame City and the forests!
Fortunately, this place was the outskirts of the Hundred Thousand Mountains, and the groups that had long resided here were relatively weak in strength. The strongest among them was only at the Spirit Realm. The Rao Clan which protected the business district still had the capability to maintain order and stability in the area, ensuring that Lu Ming’s cultivation would not be disturbed.
Today, another battle erupted in Flame City.
But none of it concerned Lu Ming.
He continued to practice the Body Forging Technique repeatedly, occasionally opening the attribute panel to observe the system’s activities.
He could clearly notice that the faint light flickering on the system interface seemed to have intensified.
This gave Lu Ming a premonition.
It seemed that this ruin was not only an opportunity for him to level up in the Void Realm. There was something within the ruin that might bring some unknown but beneficial changes to the system.
“Continue cultivating and keep observing.”
That was all Lu Ming could do.
No one could sense that the entire Flame Clan ruin was essentially a huge array seal!
No one could perceive that whenever an intelligent being died within the ruins of the Flame Clan, its flesh and soul essence would rapidly disappear and be transported to the distant former palace of the Jing God, where it served as nourishment for his healing and recovery.
Moreover, no one could perceive that within the huge healing chamber of the Flame Clan ruins, a pair of invisible hands was quietly undermining the Jing God’s foundation…
The Eternal Stone, a unique treasure of the Aeonians, contained a vast amount of time power.
Even among the Ancient Realm experts of the Aeonians, few could produce an Eternal Stone the size of a palm. For the Jing God to use the Stone of Eternity as a coffin block, it could be seen how rich and imposing the Flame Clan had been in their heydays.
However, it was unfortunate…
This coffin made of the Eternal Stone was a part of the entire healing array.
Its power was also of the same origin as the Void Realm.
In other words, when Lu Ming’s three-dimensional world increased, the system could also draw energy from the Eternal Stone as a source of nourishment for the advancement of the Void Realm.
What was even more unfortunate was that…
The core array eye of the entire Flame Clan ruin that was written as a healing array was actually the Jing God!
The heavily injured Jing God was unconscious.
Jing Yi, who was guarding at the side, was too weak.
Therefore, no one could discover that the Jing God’s essence was being secretly stolen by an invisible pair of hands. No one knew where it was sent to or what it had become.
Day 187 of the Black Mist Calendar.
Jing Yi, who was guarding the Jing God, opened his eyes.
Jing Yi took out his dry food and began to eat. As he ate, he looked at the coffin beside him.
This was basically Jing Yi’s daily life during this period of time…
However, he suddenly frowned and vaguely sensed that something was wrong.
“Why do 1 feel that this ice coffin seems to be a little thin…”
Looking left and right, Jing Yi could not tell if it was an illusion. This was because with his strength at level nine of the Physique Realm, he still could not clearly distinguish the almost imperceptible change.
“Also, the ancestor’s face seems to have become clearer…”
“But perhaps the ancestor is about to revive.”
Although Jing Yi of the Physique Realm had the ancestral teachings, his strength and horizons were completely insufficient for him to observe what shocking changes were happening to the Jing God at this moment.
In any case, whether it was the slightly shrinking coffin or the gradually clearer appearance of the Jing God, Jing Yi had no additional thoughts.
After gulping down the dry food, Jing Yi paid no more attention to it.
On the same day, another battle erupted in Flame City.
Originally, Lu Ming felt that the battle in Flame City had nothing to do with him. Unexpectedly, on that night, Lu Ming received some tragic news.
The patriarch of the Rau Clan had died in this chaotic battle.
This news kept Luming awake all night. He sent Zhang Chengcheng, Wei Lan, and Fala back to the South Mountain overnight.
As Lu Ming returned to the Flame Clan ruins alone in the wee hours of the morning, he saw flames soaring into the sky in the business district from afar!
The business district was originally protected by the Rao Clan, but with the patriarch’s death, not to mention protecting the business district, it was unknown if the Rao Clan would be liquidated.
It took more than a month.
Lu Ming’s peaceful cultivation time had been interrupted.
Standing at the entrance of the ruins, Lu Ming could not help but let out a sigh.
“What a terrible situation…”
Opening his attribute panel, Lu Ming could see that his Void Realm had yet to complete its upgrade.
The system had not changed either—it was still flickering, but there was no clear explanation yet.
Clearly, Lu Ming had not finished what he needed to do in this ruin.
And chaos had already found its way to him.
After weighing his options for a moment, Lu Ming made a decision.
“I’ll have to find another safe place again.”
If he had not arrived at the Flame Clan ruins, Lu Ming might have returned to the Southern Mountain in order to avoid conflict.
But now, Lu Ming was certain that this ruin would be of great help to him. For the sake of upgrading the Void Realm and the potential changes in the system, Lu Ming had to reluctantly change his usual style and take on some risks.
Before Lu Ming could set off again, a loud noise suddenly sounded from afar.
“Everyone, listen up!”
The voice drew everyone’s attention.
Looking toward the source of the voice, they could see a short figure slowly rising into the sky until it hovered about a hundred meters above, overseeing the entire scene.
It was the leader of the Divine Dao Gang, Meijixi.
At this moment, Meijixi wore a fake smile on his face. It was not difficult to detect the hidden smugness and greed in the depths of his brows!
“Starting today, everyone who enters the ruins will need to pay an entrance fee!”
“The entrance fee is one Level 1 Physique Realm Source Stone!”
As soon as he finished speaking, the entire crowd was in an uproar!
A single Level i Physique Realm Source Stone was undoubtedly not a small sum. For Mortal Realm Awakened individuals, this sum of money might represent their lifetime savings!
However, before the commotion could subside, Meijixi continued, “Moreover, from today onwards, a sentry post will be set up at the entrance of the ruins. Everyone will pay the entrance fee when they enter. When they leave the venue, they have to surrender half of their gains from the ruins!”
The atmosphere instantly turned frosty!
Entering with a heavy toll, leaving after losing a portion of your gains!
And Meijixi’s words also carried a hidden meaning.
He would inspect everyone’s gains within the ruins…
Someone scoffed on the spot, “Who gave you the confidence?!”
Meijixi smiled.
Before he could speak, a voice came from behind him, saying, “We do!”
More than ten figures flew over from afar until they arrived in the sky above Meijixi.
Powerful Source Power scattered wantonly, indicating their realms—they were all Spirit Realm experts!
The leader of the Spirit Realm experts opened his eyes slightly, looking at everyone below as if they were insects. He said softly, “I gave you a chance to enter. If 1 don’t give you a chance, I, Li De, guarantee that you won’t be able to touch the door of this ruin!”
“You have to know how to be grateful.”
“Just the entrance fee and half of your gains already demonstrate our benevolence..”