Chapter 968: Come, Say It Again!
“Are we just watching him go in? If that beast doesn’t notice him, all the good stuff in the canyon will be taken.”
“If the things inside were that easy to get, the previous group of Sun Moon Realm cultivators would have already taken them. We wouldn’t have a chance.”
“Why don’t I shoot an arrow to alert the beast, so we don’t miss out on it?” a voice said from the shadows.
“There’s no need for that. Alerting the beast now would only mean we get nothing and offend this human. It’s not worth it!”
As Chen Fei disappeared into the canyon entrance, the emotions of the hidden alien beings became somewhat unsettled.
Soon after, dozens of figures flashed by, stealthily following Chen Fei and entering the canyon as well.
All of them were confident in their own concealment techniques, while those who felt they couldn’t hide from the beast remained outside, keeping watch.
Compared to other non-dangerous areas, such places where even early-stage Sun Moon Realm cultivators can’t enter hold real exploration value.
This is because all the easily obtainable resources would have already been taken by the previous group of early-stage Sun Moon Realm cultivators, and there would be nothing left.
Inside the canyon, Chen Fei made no response to the alien beings trailing behind him. Instead, he continuously adjusted his route according to the Black Rat’s guidance.
Though it was called a canyon, the actual terrain inside was quite expansive, sufficient to accommodate a giant beast several dozen miles long.
The Black Rat perched on Chen Fei’s shoulder, its nose twitching constantly.
The canyon was filled with countless spiritual materials of varying grades, and the mingled scents were extremely strong.
However, amidst this confusing array of smells, the Black Rat could clearly discern the different types of spiritual materials.
This was a racial talent; humans would needa to cultivate special techniques and refine specific divine powers to achieve this.
Humans are seemingly ordinary, but the remarkable thing is that if they wish to possess a certain trait, they can approach or even directly acquire it through techniques and divine powers.
Of course, this only applies to most traits, not all.
The aliens trailing behind Chen Fei gradually fell behind. Their goal was the high-grade spiritual materials, which were mostly near the beast.
Chen Fei’s primary target was the Primordial Crystal, which was also typically found near the beast. After all, the more abundant the Heaven and Earth Vitality, the higher the likelihood of finding Primordial Crystals.
However, in the Glass Space, the locations of Primordial Crystals might differ slightly from the usual.
Just like the Dimension Origin and Rule Crystals, these two items emerged due to the extreme collision between the Glass Space and the Return to Nothing Realm, causing the dimension’s origin to disperse and the rules to compress into crystals.
To find these two, one must venture into the most dangerous areas of the Return to Nothing Realm.
Primordial Crystals do not require such intense collisions. More often, they form when certain dimensional rules are distorted and the Heaven and Earth Vitality condenses in a particular area, forming Primordial Crystals.
Thus, Primordial Crystals are found in places with rich Heaven and Earth Vitality, but not necessarily in the most concentrated spots.
Primordial Crystals, being condensed Heaven and Earth Vitality, do not dissipate the Vitality like Elemental Stones, even low-grade Primordial Crystals.
Sometimes, Primordial Crystals can look like ordinary rocks.
Therefore, finding Primordial Crystals requires special sensing methods. Simply using perception alone can easily lead to overlooking them.
“Master, it’s right here. There’s a Primordial Crystal vibrating thirty-three miles below the surface,” the Black Rat said excitedly.
Chen Fei’s steps paused, a hint of joy appearing on his face. He didn’t expect to find Primordial Crystals so soon after arriving in the Glass Space.
Coming to the Glass Space was indeed the right choice.
It’s dangerous, but the opportunities are plentiful. Such things as picking up Primordial Crystals on a whim wouldn’t happen in the Return to Nothing Realm.
Chen Fei covered the Black Rat with Elemental energy, and the next moment, he vanished from his spot.
Chen Fei moved through the spatial rift directly to the location thirty-three miles underground.
Fortunately, the Glass Space had relatively weaker spatial barriers, allowing Chen Fei to move through the spatial rift.
In the underground rock layers, Chen Fei surveyed his surroundings.
It wasn’t pitch black; some mineral ores emitted a faint, hazy glow.
These ores could be considered spiritual materials to some extent, roughly at the third grade. However, for Chen Fei now, they were of little value.
“Master, the Primordial Crystal is ahead,” the Black Rat said, pointing with its tiny paw at a massive boulder.
Chen Fei stepped forward, lightly touching the surface of the boulder. The rock layers silently dissolved, and in a moment, a Primordial Crystal the size of a head appeared in his hand.
Up close, Chen Fei could clearly sense the vast Heaven and Earth Vitality within the Primordial Crystal, along with some indistinct fragments of rules.
According to calculations, this Primordial Crystal was equivalent to ninety-six standard low-grade Primordial Crystals.
Although ninety-six low-grade Primordial Crystals might seem modest, there was still a significant gap compared to Chen Fei’s goal of three thousand low-grade Primordial Crystals.
However, if he were to exchange it for high-grade Elemental Stones, it could be worth nearly twenty thousand high-grade Elemental Stones.
“Well done! Are there more Primordial Crystals nearby?” Chen Fei asked, putting away the Primordial Crystal and giving the Black Rat a compliment.
Without the Black Rat, Chen Fei would have had a hard time finding anything in the rock layers thirty-three miles underground.
The beast that lived in the canyon must have been there for quite some time, oblivious to the Primordial Crystals.
Chen Fei’s initial approach to finding Primordial Crystals in the Glass Space was similar to other Sun Moon Realm cultivators: heading to areas with abundant Heaven and Earth Vitality.
He relied on luck; even if he couldn’t find Primordial Crystals, high-grade spiritual materials were usually plentiful.
Now, with the Black Rat’s help, Chen Fei had an alternative approach.
“Master, there’s another Primordial Crystal twenty-five miles ahead,” the Black Rat said, grinning widely.
Among the beasts Chen Fei had contracted, the Black Rat was initially the weakest and least noticeable.
It was often regarded as Baka’s companion rather than a significant asset.
Now, helping Chen Fei find Primordial Crystals made the Black Rat feel that its value was being realized. It was no longer just an expendable beast.
“Great!”
Chen Fei’s eyes lit up, and he moved to the location twenty-five miles away.
Compared to the previous location, this area was pitch black. However, darkness had no effect on Chen Fei.
“Boom!”
Suddenly, a massive tremor came from above. Even through dozens of miles of earth, Chen Fei could distinctly sense the violent churn of Heaven and Earth Vitality above.
Clearly, the serpent-like beast must have detected the intruders and was now engaged in battle.
“Master, the rock layers are over there,” the Black Rat pointed ahead.
There was no need for the Black Rat’s specific guidance. At this close distance, Chen Fei’s perception from the Desolate Slaughter Night Star Sword was already sufficient to detect the anomaly in the rock layers.
A flash of sword light cut through, creating a large opening in the rock layer. With a slight wave of his hand, another large Primordial Crystal flew toward him.
Compared to the previous Primordial Crystal, this one was nearly half again as large. Converted to standard low-grade Primordial Crystals, it amounted to one hundred fifty-seven pieces.
In less than an hour since arriving in the Glass Space, Chen Fei had already completed about ten percent of his Primordial Crystal goal.
Maintaining this efficiency would be incredible!
Chen Fei couldn’t help but smile at the thought.
“Are there any more?” he asked, turning to the Black Rat.
The Black Rat twitched its nose and, after a moment, shook its head. Then it pointed upward, saying, “There are no more Primordial Crystals in the underground layers, but there are some above.”
Chen Fei looked up, understanding that the “above” the Black Rat referred to meant the area around the beast, where some Primordial Crystals had been collected.
After a moment’s thought, Chen Fei’s figure vanished and reappeared on the surface.
As soon as he emerged, a massive air blast surged toward him. However, before it could reach him, Chen Fei’s protective shield automatically deflected it.
Chen Fei looked ahead. Several small figures were being chased by a colossal beast from dozens of miles away.
“Are there sixth-grade spiritual materials here?” Chen Fei asked quietly.
“No,” the Black Rat shook its head.
The Black Rat had neither seen nor smelled sixth-grade spiritual materials, but Chen Fei had specifically taken it to experience top-tier fifth-grade spiritual materials in Sky Sea City.
Chen Fei nodded. It seemed the rumors were incorrect, or the sixth-grade materials had already been consumed by the beast.
This was understandable; recently, various clans’ early-stage Sun Moon Realm cultivators had besieged the beast. In such circumstances, any valuable items would likely end up in the beast’s belly first.
“Are the Primordial Crystals inside the beast?”
Chen Fei’s figure flashed, and he looked down at the beast’s former resting place. It was now a chaotic mess with no notable spiritual materials.
“Yes, they’re inside it,” the Black Rat confirmed with a nod.
“How many?”
“Less than fifty,” the Black Rat said, having carefully assessed the situation.
It wasn’t a small amount, but for Chen Fei, who had just easily obtained over two hundred low-grade Primordial Crystals, it seemed somewhat rash to go after a late-stage fifth-grade beast now.
After all, there were so many aliens watching around; it wasn’t necessary.
With this in mind, Chen Fei quickly moved and headed back toward the canyon exit.
As he emerged a hundred miles from the canyon, Chen Fei halted and looked ahead.
“What is this all about? We should be strangers to each other!” Chen Fei said calmly.
“Hand over the rat demon on your shoulder and dissolve the contract, and we’ll let you go!” Five tall figures appeared in the air, looking down at Chen Fei.
The leader, Zhen Xu, looked at the Black Rat with a gleam of surprise in his eyes.
“Oh? You know this rat demon?” Zhen Xu’s remark piqued Chen Fei’s interest.
The Black Rat was probably a demon, but Chen Fei hadn’t found any information about it in the materials he searched through in Sky Sea City.
Now, it was unexpected to find that these five Hill Clans seemed to know something about the Black Rat.
“You’re given a chance to leave, but do you not understand the words?!” Liao Niechong stepped forward, waving his blade and scolding harshly.
“What did you say? Your voice is too low; I didn’t catch that. Say it again!”
Chen Fei leaned slightly forward, cupping his ear with one hand, and directed his words toward Liao Niechong.
“Looking for death!”
The expressions of the five Hill Clans darkened. Their figures flashed, and with overwhelming momentum, they charged at Chen Fei.
The Hill Clans, in contrast to the Gong Clan, were known for their towering stature and immense strength. Every adult Hill Clan stood several meters tall and was renowned for their physical power.
Liao Niechong’s face twisted with ferocity as he swung his Frost Covered Blade toward Chen Fei’s neck.
Chen Fei’s eyelids lifted slightly as the Eternal Night Manifestation appeared behind him, merging with him. A black aura surrounded Chen Fei’s body.
With immense power flowing through his arm, Chen Fei swung the Qianyuan Sword.
“Boom!”
In the explosion, Liao Niechong’s eyes widened in disbelief and terror. The Frost Covered Blade recoiled violently, smashing into himself.
The Hill Clan’s famed defense and strength seemed to vanish. Liao Niechong was sent flying, his torso shattered, and the Frost Covered Blade was cast away, flying into an unknown direction.
“Bang!”
Liao Niechong crashed into the ground, creating a trench over a mile long. Lying in the trench with half of his body shattered, he barely clung to life.