Chapter 481: Chapter 406: Legion_2
Black Rope was even more unbearable.
At the moment the Undead Army charged at him, his heart nearly shattered.
Luckily, Dean Benage was a man of his word. Instead of abandoning him to his fate, the dean opened a Dimension Gate amidst the chaos and sent him back to his office.
Otherwise, even if he died, there would be no place to complain.
"That was far too thrilling."
Black Rope sat respectfully, reminiscing about the conversation he had with Chen Jichuan regarding their ’business’ deal in this very office just a few days prior. He felt dazed, as though he were dreaming.
"This was a job well done."
"That Monardo, though a solitary figure, sure had quite a stash of wealth."
Chen Jichuan handed the Space Ring acquired from Monardo over to Black Rope.
"Dean, I can’t accept this."
Black Rope quickly put down his coffee and waved his hands nervously, not daring to take it.
He had experienced firsthand the insidious shrewdness of this Legendary Mage—
purposefully sending him away, thereby enticing the likes of Monardo, who coveted the Holy Artifact, into harboring malicious intentions. Using the pretense of seeking justice for Black Rope, Monardo approached to demand the Holy Artifact.
To outsiders, Chen Jichuan appeared to be a newly minted Legendary Mage. Coupled with his family and possessions, it wouldn’t be surprising if he caved under pressure and handed over the Holy Artifact upon realizing he couldn’t defeat Monardo.
Monardo’s plans were precisely built on this assumption.
But who could have imagined that it would play right into Chen Jichuan’s hands, delivering himself directly to his doom.
"What a ruthless man!"
As much as Black Rope was terrified, he also completely submitted in awe.
This Dean Benage masterfully orchestrated the scheme, taking mere days to ensnare and kill a Legendary Mage.
Combining wisdom with power.
A character of this caliber who offers rewards—especially the wealth of a Legendary Mage—it was far beyond Black Rope’s courage to accept.
"This is business."
"Since it’s business, there’s no reason for one party to keep everything to themselves."
"Don’t worry, take it. I’m only interested in the Holy Artifact. Monardo’s Holy Artifact has already been taken by me, and the rest of his odds and ends don’t interest me. They’re yours."
Chen Jichuan waved his hand.
Monardo, a notorious loner on the East Continent, did indeed possess a Holy Artifact. Upon receiving word that one had surfaced in ’Valgrion,’ he made haste to lie in wait covertly.
If a regular Legendary Mage or Third-Level Mage had obtained it, they would likely have been robbed by him already.
Unfortunately for Monardo, his luck ran out when he encountered Chen Jichuan.
And for Chen Jichuan, acquiring two Holy Artifacts within a month surpassed his expectations, leaving him in high spirits. He was willing to reward Black Rope, his ’lucky general.’
"Thank you, Dean!"
Upon hearing this, Black Rope cautiously accepted the Space Ring.
Only then did he finally regain his composure, his fear melting away, giving way to an underlying joy.
The wealth of a Legendary Mage, even minus the Holy Artifact taken by Chen Jichuan, was enough to make him, a mere Great Mage, immensely wealthy overnight.
"This business was worth it!"
Money emboldens the heart.
Monardo’s fortune gradually eased Black Rope’s nerves.
...
"What a pity."
Watching Black Rope leave, Chen Jichuan felt somewhat unsatisfied.
In this collaboration with Black Rope, Chen had initially planned to show restraint, merely frightening the opponent away to gain an advantage.
After all, he had plenty of methods at his disposal, unafraid of any Legendary Mage attempting to flee. He could always track them in secret and finish them off later.
This approach might even allow him to reel in another unsuspecting target later.
"But Legendary Mages aren’t complete fools either."
"Even if I feign a narrow victory over Monardo, news would spread, and other Legendary Mages would surely act with greater caution. Luring a second one to my door demanding my Holy Artifact would be nearly impossible."
Uncertain whether he could bait a second target, and even if he could, unsure of how long it might take—after weighing his options, Chen Jichuan decided to take the win and stop while ahead.
Another Holy Artifact obtained; his expectations had already been exceeded.
"Next, I’ll head to the East Continent to borrow Joey’s earrings for examination and find a buyer for the two Holy Artifacts I currently possess."
Many Heavenly Venerates and Immortal Venerables from the Chongming Realm were involved in transactions within the Divine Throne Continent, making it an ideal location for such trades: "I am invincible on the Divine Throne Continent, which makes the exchange much safer."
Two Holy Artifacts were sufficient for his current cultivation needs.
Maybe even three Holy Artifacts.
After trading, he could return to the Chongming Realm to prepare for breaking through to the Inner Realm and see if he could deduce another Divine Skill along the way.
The Dayan Divination Method also needed cultivation.
"I have quite a heavy workload."
"I may be away for a very long time."
"By the time I return, the Summoning Cottage should have grown significantly, making it even easier to locate Holy Artifacts."
Chen Jichuan pondered his upcoming plans.
Cultivating the Immortal Dao remained the top priority; it formed the foundation of the Chongming Realm and his real-world existence.
Magic, on the other hand, was merely supplementary, studied only in a cursory manner. Passive experimentation was acceptable as a hobby and as a means to amass resources, but dedicating large amounts of time to its pursuit was unwise.
"Those Heavenly Venerates and Immortal Venerables linger on the Divine Throne Continent only because they have no path forward."
"I still have great prospects ahead of me, and I won’t follow their footsteps."
Chen Jichuan was remarkably clear-headed.
From that day on, Chen Jichuan began arranging matters for the Summoning Cottage during his impending absence.
Most of his arrangements centered on development.
The feat of slaying Monardo ensured that the Summoning Cottage would remain unchallenged for a significant period, allowing them to expand without restraint.
Valgrion was merely the starting point; the ultimate goal was to establish dominance across the Three Continents.
"I need a steady stream of Holy Artifacts."
Chen Jichuan looked forward to the journey ahead.
...
The Main Material Plane was the heart of the Divine Throne Continent, a nexus from which many peculiar locations in the Pan-plane originated and to which they ultimately returned.
In the southern waters of the East Continent.
There lay a marvelous site known as the ’Magic Sound River.’
Hidden deep within the dimensions, the ’Magic Sound River’ was utterly untraceable without a unique approach. However, upon entering the river, one would discover countless star-like islands floating amidst the murky primordial river.
Any individual entering must cling to an island, or else they’d be corroded by the river’s waters.
Amid the river’s flow, delicate glimmers of light flickered sporadically. Occasionally, a shadowy mass emerged, gulping down vast quantities of river water and swallowing radiant specks of light.
On a moderately sized island.
"That’s not right."
"That’s not right."
"Still not right."
Anos tinkered with a sand table, its substance resembling liquid silver as it shifted endlessly within the tabletop.
Anos furrowed his brows, appearing deep in thought as though facing a particularly tough problem.
This was the ’Magic Sound Sand Table,’ containing the extraordinary substance known as ’Magic Sound Sand,’ also called ’Holy Chanting Sand.’
Legend claims that ’Holy Chanting Sand’ received divine blessings, bestowing it with incomprehensible power.
In the eyes of Anos and others, however, its value lay in its aid to cultivation and its ability to safely test various magical constructs.
By substituting personal effort with ’Holy Chanting Sand,’ and replacing the vast Magic Ocean, they could practice new magical frameworks and experiment with innovations and optimizations—all in a safe and efficient manner.
Countless magical advancements on the continent can trace their origin back to these small sand tables.
The preciousness of ’Holy Chanting Sand’ cannot be overstated.
Moreover, it’s consumable; it ceases to function after a certain number of uses. For Legendary Mages seeking immortality, no amount of ’Holy Chanting Sand’ is ever sufficient.
As one of the key sources of ’Holy Chanting Sand,’ the significance of the ’Magic Sound River’ becomes self-explanatory.
Anos stood at the pinnacle of ’Valgrion,’ but within the Divine Throne Continent, his status was comparatively unremarkable. His fortune lay in joining the East Continent’s ’Dawn Era’ organization, granting him the privilege to enter the ’Magic Sound River’ and secure a stable supply of ’Holy Chanting Sand.’
Yet even in ’Dawn Era,’ a top-tier organization created by Immortal Kings, the vast ’Magic Sound Ancient River’ contained only a small territory under their control, with limited annual yields of ’Holy Chanting Sand.’
Anos cherished this hard-earned opportunity, dedicating recent days to cultivation in an effort to smooth his path and ascend another level.
On this day.
From the book cradled in his arm emerged a magical message.
"Elder Hillman?"
Anos’s irritation from being interrupted turned to restraint when he recognized the sender.
In the ’Dawn Era,’ elders were as unyielding as iron, while Legendary Mages came and went like flowing water.
Two Immortal Kings, the founders of ’Dawn Era,’ had survived untold ages. Beneath them, elders commanded the highest authority in the organization.
The number of elders fluctuated over time, but only those at the pinnacle of Legendary Magehood qualified for the position. In this era, ’Dawn Era’ had only four elders.
The ’Magic Sound River,’ a foremost resource of the ’Dawn Era,’ was perpetually overseen by an elder.
The sender was none other than Elder Hillman.
Known as—’The Violent Dragon!’
...