Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension Chapter 1538 - 832: Jixian Island Observations and Treasure Refining

Shortly afterward, Zhao Sheng trailed after Bai Hemi, skirting a massive ice peak towering a hundred feet high, and reached a sprawling valley.

The valley stretched across roughly seventeen or eighteen miles, its rough, uneven surface scattered with chunks of ice of all sizes, enclosed by ice ridges rising to different heights, each one hollowed out with countless large openings.

Boom boom!

Right then, a sequence of deep thuds from hammering ice echoed from the caves, revealing that workers were digging away inside.

Bai Hemi kept explaining as they moved forward, “This is the freshly developed mining area; a few miles beyond lies the workshop spot.”

Zhao Sheng eyed the numerous “mines” dotting the mountainside, gave a quiet nod, and pressed on deeper into the valley alongside him.

Soon enough, they traversed a mineshaft stretching a hundred feet, ultimately entering a wide-open chamber.

This chamber spanned almost a thousand feet, with luminous pearls set into the icy walls, casting a soft white light that chased away the shadows inside.

The workshop remained quite basic, featuring a line of ice huts carved right into the walls, while scores of Immortal Ruins Guests were dispersed across the chamber, each one with a stack of goods before them, hawking wares from their makeshift stalls.

Upon stepping into the chamber, Bai Hemi’s face eased into relief at once.

He faced Zhao Sheng with a grin, saying, “Here we are. Zhao, feel free to wander around on your own; I’m going back now.”

Zhao Sheng offered a faint smile and clasped his hands in thanks.

In response, Bai Hemi pressed a hand to his chest in salute, then his form blurred and vanished from sight.

Hmm?!

As Bai Hemi disappeared, Zhao Sheng let out a startled hum, like he’d just beheld something astonishing.

Exactly where Bai Hemi had “logged out,” a pale gray whirlpool swirled into existence out of nowhere.

The whirlpool hovered seven feet off the ground, about three feet wide, floating steadily in the air without any hint of fading away.

“Could this be...” Zhao Sheng’s thoughts whirled, quickly connecting it to the “Infinite Universe Gate” granted by his Hong-level Talent.

Ever since his reincarnation, this marked the first occasion he’d seen an Immortal Ruins Guest “log out,” so he hadn’t caught sight of the other miraculous power of the “Infinite Universe Gate” before.

Zhao Sheng scanned the area, observing how the Immortal Ruins Guests carried on selling at their stalls, utterly oblivious to the pale gray whirlpool’s presence.

With this observation, Zhao Sheng grew more at ease; it seemed likely that only he could perceive this Space-time Vortex.

Thump thump thump...

Just then, the sound of approaching footsteps echoed from the distant mineshaft behind him.

Zhao Sheng pulled his focus back, stepping further into the chamber while deliberately or accidentally avoiding the Space-time Vortex.

Moments later, a enigmatic shape, swathed head to toe in heavy wrappings, stepped out from the mineshaft and headed directly across the open space toward one of the ice huts.

Zhao Sheng observed the figure passing right through the pale gray vortex without any reaction, as though they existed in separate realms.

“So that’s how it works!” Enlightenment dawned in Zhao Sheng’s gaze, and he made his way over to the group of sellers.

After some time, he had circled the whole workshop, and the sights and tales he encountered plunged him into profound thought.

As it turned out, no Immortal Ruins Guest was dim-witted; all prime treasures had been stashed securely in private holdings. The wares displayed on the stalls were typically incomplete, shabby, or mere heaps of rock slabs.

Furthermore, Zhao Sheng noted that anything tied to “texts” commanded sky-high prices, frequently listed in terms of Pocket World Jade.

One standout was a Jade Tablet standing almost as tall as a person, etched with more than seventy ancient “Immortal Seals,” for which the vendor boldly demanded a whopping hundred units of Pocket World Jade.

Besides that, broken artifacts generally fetched prices several times steeper than obscure odds and ends, and they seemed quite sought after.

Whenever a reasonably fine artifact surfaced, it would attract throngs of Immortal Ruins Guests, with plenty jumping in to outbid each other.

In contrast to the enigmatic curios of dubious provenance, these flawed Magic Artifacts, though practical in use, often held unexpected boons.

Snagging even one or two heavy hitters at Spiritual Treasure Level, even with their might severely diminished, could swiftly alter the fate of an individual, a clan, or an entire realm.

Though he roamed the stalls, Zhao Sheng refrained from buying anything, instead pivoting to slip inside an ice hut.

True to form, the items for sale in the ice huts boasted far superior quality and completeness compared to the outdoor offerings. Certain treasures were flawless, albeit at outrageous costs.

Inside one ice hut, Zhao Sheng gestured toward a silver Sword Pill housed in an Ice Cave and inquired, “Can I handle this one, sir?”

The hut’s proprietor was an oddity cloaked completely in a dark robe.

The figure snapped back icily, “No.”

“Then... what’s the price for this?”

Without protest, Zhao Sheng indicated another Ice Cave, which held a barrel-sized scale armor. The armor consisted of diamond-like scales, looking sturdy and tough, its exterior adorned with elaborate designs that gleamed with a subdued dark luster.

Zhao Sheng identified the scale armor as an archaic Dragon Scale, ideal for crafting a Dragon Scale Shield.

“No less than three pieces of Pocket World Jade—no bargaining!” The dark-robed oddity stayed frigid.

Zhao Sheng acknowledged with a nod, letting his eyes glide over the seven or eight Ice Caves arrayed behind the figure, each harboring a treasure.

Having inspected every treasure, Zhao Sheng drew three pieces of Pocket World Jade from his sleeve and set them down on the icy counter before the figure.

The dark-robed oddity rose, retrieved the Dragon Scale from the Ice Cave, and laid it on the icy counter too.

Zhao Sheng extended his hand to claim the Dragon Scale, as the oddity simultaneously snatched up the three pieces of Pocket World Jade.

Burial Immortal Ruins Rule: Items and money must not be let go of; once exchanged, neither side may retract!