Chapter 519 - 502: Pure Land
Zhang Liang was completely dumbfounded. ’Is this how you negotiate a deal? This is practically daylight robbery! No, it’s worse—it’s robbing someone and expecting them to be happy about it, as if being robbed by you is some kind of honor.’
"How about I owe you half? I’m a little tight on cash lately."
"Have you ever *not* been tight on cash?"
Ling Fei watched with amusement as her best friend and Wang Meng crossed swords verbally. Though Yue Shan always marched to the beat of her own drum, she rarely engaged in such direct confrontations. ’Looks like she holds quite a grudge against Wang Meng.’
Wang Meng laughed. "I was born with bad luck when it comes to money, but I’m rich in friends. With friends, you can go anywhere in the world."
"Have you ever seen anyone so shameless?" Yue Shan said, looking at Ling Fei.
"One’s willing to dish it out, the other’s willing to take it. What’s it got to do with me?"
Yue Shan said with a sigh of resignation, "Wang Meng, I can only see what I can do about your request. If we go by what this... gentleman says..."
Zhang Liang, who was standing to the side, quickly chimed in, "Zhang Liang. The ’Liang’ from ’good citizen’."
"You look like a profiteer. Anyone who hangs around Wang Meng can’t be a good person!"
Zhang Liang took the hit, but at least Yue Shan now remembered his name. ’That’ll make things easier in the future.’
Yue Shan dropped her playful expression. "The Treasure Artifact Sect has indeed taken on a lot of commissions recently. I can only slowly work on the things you need within my own capacity. The main problem is getting it past my father."
After all, Yue Shan wasn’t the Sect Leader of the Treasure Artifact Sect yet, and Yue Rantian would never agree to a deal that would mean suffering a double loss.
"Heh, I just knew Miss Yue loves helping people. You can tell Sect Leader Yue this for me: on the day you reach Minor Perfection, I guarantee you a Life Artifact. And if your luck is good, there’s a fifty percent chance of a Holy Statue as well."
For a moment, the living room fell silent. Not even the Master of the Star Alliance would dare make such a claim.
No one laughed. It was clear that both Yue Shan and Ling Fei believed him. Yue Shan’s problem was her low Cultivation. She was a supreme genius in Artifact Refining, but she had zero confidence in being able to cultivate a Life Artifact and Holy Statue. This was also a matter that kept Yue Rantian up at night.
"Are you sure?" Yue Shan asked.
Wang Meng smiled. "I may be in debt, but I always pay what I owe."
Yue Shan glanced at Ling Fei. "Do you think this guy is trustworthy?"
Ling Fei rolled her eyes at Yue Shan. "You already have the answer in your heart, yet you’re still asking me."
Yue Shan suddenly slammed her hand on the table. "Fine! This young lady will take that bet! If you can’t do it, I’ll stick to you and never let you go!"
"Haha! Zhang Liang, Miss Yue has agreed! Remember to be detailed. This is a rare opportunity. It’s better to ask for something you don’t need than to miss something you do."
Wang Meng was being brutally honest right in front of Yue Shan, leaving both her and Ling Fei not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
Having said his piece, Wang Meng prepared to leave. Zhang Liang was startled. ’What am I supposed to do by myself?’
As if sensing Zhang Liang’s hesitation, Wang Meng clapped him on the shoulder. "You’re Zhang Liang. In this area, you’re better than me."
He left just like that. Master Wang was never one to dawdle and simply dumped the matter on Zhang Liang.
Yue Shan and Ling Fei glanced at each other, speechless. ’This guy is so pragmatic, leaving the second he gets an agreement. And this kid, Zhang Liang, can barely string a sentence together. Can he even handle the negotiation?’
But when Zhang Liang turned around, he revealed his signature, kind smile—the kind that looked honest enough to fool young and old alike.
That’s right. He was Zhang Liang, Zhang Liang of the Holy Hall!
This went on for ten days. Ten days wasn’t a very long time for a Cultivator, but for those waiting for the Battle of the Other Shore, it felt a little long. This was also to allow all the Cultivators participating in the Battle of the Other Shore to recover to their peak condition.
The various Sects all brought out their final trump cards. The contestants gathered at their respective academies, waiting to head to the Pure Land.
Everyone had gathered at Starlight Academy. The five Holy Hall Beings were particularly conspicuous. Being from the same Sect, Wang Meng and the others were all prepared. In truth, they didn’t really need to prepare for anything. What they had already experienced surpassed the Battle of the Other Shore itself.
Ling Fei was as calm as ever. The Peacock Ming King was a benevolent killer, a title that came with quite a personality.
Purple Dragon was as cool as ever, ignoring everyone. The Dragon Race had cut a swath through the qualifying rounds without meeting any resistance.
Ji Rushan, Fei Yun’an, and Yinn Qiang, however, were chatting and laughing together, looking quite relaxed. For the Cultivators who had qualified to enter the Pure Land, with the exception of a few who had run into powerhouses, the matches so far had basically been a warm-up. The real battles hadn’t even begun.
They didn’t have to wait long before Lv Yuantian arrived. The Dean was smiling so broadly that he looked like a giant chrysanthemum from any angle.
"Looks like everyone’s in high spirits and ready to go."
"Dean, we’ve long wanted to see just how amazing this Pure Land really is," Ji Rushan said.
Coming from a prestigious background, he had an innate arrogance. ’Why should the Pure Land be considered superior? It seems to draw a line between itself and the other Sects, but in reality, their level is just so-so. Wasn’t that Li Mountain fellow defeated so badly he lost his pants?’
"Dean, this time we’re going to tear away the Pure Land’s veil of mystique!"
Fei Yun’an’s eyes also burned with light. It was clear that after successive elimination battles, these Cultivators who had made it through had accumulated confidence. By observing the fighting styles of others in battle, they had truly enriched their understanding of Magic. This was definitely not something that could be achieved by working in isolation.
Lv Yuantian clapped his hands. "Very good. Commendable courage. Tsk tsk, Wang Meng, you’ve got quite a few people. I’m still not quite used to seeing it."
Wang Meng thought to himself, ’What is the Old Demon Dean trying to do? We haven’t even reached the Pure Land, and he’s already trying to make the Holy Hall a target of hatred. Then again, at this point, there’s really nothing for me to worry about.’
"The Pure Land... I’ve been waiting for a long time. I have an appointment that can finally be fulfilled there."
The Holy Hall Beings knew he was talking about the agreement between Wang Meng and Mingren. It had to be said, that kid Mingren was ruthless. During the internal traitor incident that had thrown the Holy Hall into an uproar, no one would have ever imagined it was him. You could call him a traitor, but without Mingren, who knows what would have become of the Holy Hall. When it came to Mingren, it was truly impossible to distinguish friend from foe. Perhaps even Mingren himself didn’t know. All this complexity would be settled in this one battle.
Wang Meng would not back down. This appointment had to be kept.
"Heh, let’s go. The Pure Land is a good place."
Lv Yuantian smiled and activated his Star Ring. The entrance to the Pure Land was known only to a limited number of people, and Lv Yuantian was one of them.
A brilliant light flared, and a Teleportation Array enveloped everyone...
When they reappeared, they had already left Starlight City.
Upon landing, Wang Meng and the others didn’t immediately open their eyes. Instead, they sensed the leisurely and pure Elemental Qi in the air, along with the surging Vitality. No wonder it was called the Pure Land; it truly possessed an untainted purity.
A place like this was an absolute Holy Land for Cultivation. The Demon Race really had it good.
Although the Elemental Qi was abundant, Wang Meng and the others didn’t care too much. A Treasure Sword’s edge is sharpened through tempering. A place that was too comfortable and too peaceful wasn’t necessarily a good thing.
"Dean, is this the Pure Land? Why is it so quiet? Where are our opponents? Is there no one in the Pure Land?"
Ji Rushan asked.
Lv Yuantian stretched. "Alright, time to tell you the rules. Look over there."
On the distant horizon, something like a giant city seemed to be floating, radiating light. Everyone’s mouths fell open. How much energy would it take to support something so massive? Damn, the Demon Race was too extravagant!
"In essence, this place can also be considered the Pure Land. But *that* is your destination. The Battle of the Other Shore will be held there. You have two days to arrive. Anyone who doesn’t make it within two days... is eliminated."
Lv Yuantian said.
"Dean, this is a bit of a joke. Can’t we just fly over there ourselves?"
Fei Yun’an said. His Treasure Artifact Sect had no shortage of various Flying Spiritual Artifacts.
Lv Yuantian smiled. "If you can fly over, I’ll have to look at you in a new light. Anyway, the rule is simple: get there within two days, by any means necessary. There are always advantages for arriving early. I’ll be going on ahead and will wait for you in the Pure Land. Oh, and I forgot to tell you, this is Demon Race territory. They might not be very friendly. If you get tangled up with them and waste time, don’t blame me for not reminding you."
With that, Lv Yuantian took a step and vanished.
Everyone was stunned for a moment. "Damn it, isn’t this giving the Demon Race too much of an advantage!"
By this logic, if the Demon Race wanted to deal with the humans, they could just set up ambushes at various choke points to block the Human Cultivators.
"This is simply shameless! It’s too unfair!" Fei Yun’an said.
"Heh, when we humans were besieging the Demon Race earlier, we didn’t think it was unfair," Yinn Qiang said with a cold laugh. ’Fairness and unfairness are just excuses for the weak.’
"There’s a Forbidden Sky Array here. It’s an Ancient Array of Primordial Chaos that affects everyone indiscriminately. Even someone at the Great Perfection realm would be helpless," Ling Fei said.
The others tried as well and found they were completely unable to use their Aerial Skill.
Gazing at the Pure Land Peak on the distant horizon, everyone started to feel that things were getting interesting.
But just then, Purple Dragon soared into the air and flew toward the Pure Land Peak. Everyone was struck dumb. This was... too much of a slap in the face.
Ling Fei gave a wry smile. "It’s probably ineffective against the Dragon Race."
The bodies of the Dragon Race were the strongest in the entire Cultivation Realm, especially when it came to immunity against various types of Magic. It was clear Purple Dragon wasn’t flying very fast, obviously affected by some interference, but the Dragon Race’s physique was simply heaven-defying.
"I will go on ahead." The Evil Cultivator was used to acting alone, and vanished after speaking.
Ling Fei smiled faintly. "Good luck, everyone."
The Peacock Maiden also left. In a place like this, there wasn’t necessarily safety in numbers. A larger group had more power, but it also made for a larger target.
They didn’t know what the Demon Race’s attitude would be, but it was definitely wise to avoid them if possible.
"Wang Meng, what’s your plan?" Ji Rushan asked.
"It wasn’t easy getting here. I plan to look around. Hu Jing, you decide what the rest of you will do."
Wang Meng shrugged.
Hu Jing nodded. Hu Jing, Zhang Xiaojiang, Suo Ming, and Zhou Qian would definitely stick together. They were used to coordinating with each other, and their combined power as a group of four would multiply exponentially.
Ji Rushan smiled. He planned to team up with Fei Yun’an. In a godforsaken place like this, it was better to have someone watching your back.
The entire group from Starlight Academy set out, disappearing into the beautiful, emerald-green Pure Land. But who could know what awaited them in the shadows hidden beneath this beauty?
At almost the same time, the forty powerhouses from the other four cities also began to move.
Over at Star Academy, the dean had just finished speaking when Linglong flew away. ...This kind of test was completely worthless to her.
It had to be said that something that worked even on the Demon Race was useless against the Dragon Race. The others could only smile wryly. What could they do? She was a Dragon Princess, after all.
Mengg Lord set out. In the previous battles, the humans had held every advantage of celestial time, geographical advantage, and popular support. Now that they were in the Pure Land, it was their turn to suffer a bit. For him, this stage was as good as non-existent. He quickly vanished without a trace.
Mingren snapped open his folding fan. "The scenery here isn’t bad. I wonder if I’ll run into any kind... Demons."
Jii Wanli, on the other hand, stared intently at the Pure Land Peak without moving immediately. The Jii Wanli of today had indeed reined in his past arrogance. He was calmer, more composed, and able to control his presence at will. He only set off after confirming a few things. In the previous battles, Jii Wanli hadn’t done much of note, and hadn’t even sought the spotlight. But this didn’t mean Jii Wanli had given up. Rather, he had reached a great enlightenment. When it came to glory, who had been more glorious than him in the past? But all of that was just fleeting clouds. The Battle of the Other Shore was what truly mattered.
For some, this was a chance to admire the Pure Land and even learn about the Demon Race. But for others, it was yet another difficult trial to overcome.