Chapter 27: North Luocheng

Over eight thousand years had passed.
Qu Yi remained inside the Tiny Realm Sphere, seated in the “Primordial Embryo Spirit Formation,” frantically absorbing the Five Elements Spirit Entities to expand the four fused spirit entities within his body.
The numbers of the Metal-Wood Spirit Entity, Metal-Water Spirit Entity, Metal-Fire Spirit Entity, and Metal-Earth Spirit Entity had all reached two million.
For cultivators in the late divine stage, the maximum number of spirit entities in their bodies was one million. However, due to his Chaos Body, Qu Yi could accommodate a large number of fused spirit entities. Even at two million, he had not yet reached this limit.
Qu Yi knew he could further increase the number of spirit entities in his body.
At that moment, Qu Yi’s identity card moved slightly.
He opened his eyes, immediately took out his identity card, scanned it with his divine sense, and read the contents transmitted within.
“Xu Ming has finally arrived at North Yang Island. Good. I’ll pause expanding the spirit entities in my body for now and head to North Yang Island right away,” Qu Yi said with a smile.
From South Yin Island, Xu Ming had traveled alone by flying ship to North Yang Island, and now he had finally arrived.
Suddenly, Qu Yi left the Tiny Realm Sphere, appearing in the stone cave at the headquarters of the Square Vessel Pavilion. Since the cave was covered by the “Illusory Spirit Extreme Formation,” external cultivators’ divine senses could not detect what was inside. Thus, Qu Yi wasn’t worried about revealing the secret of the Tiny Realm Sphere.
Immediately afterward, Qu Yi took out the Boundless Stars and used it to teleport to North Yang Island.
After arriving at North Yang Island, Xu Ming quickly inquired about the island’s situation before heading to a very remote area where few cultivators went.
At that time, Xu Ming stood quietly on the top of a small hill.
Suddenly, Qu Yi’s figure appeared beside him, smiling at Xu Ming.
“Qu Yi, you’ve come,” Xu Ming said calmly.
Qu Yi nodded and said, “Xu Ming, you’ve worked hard. I promised earlier that once you arrived at North Yang Island, I would give you a great benefit. Now, I’ll give it to you.”
With that, Qu Yi led Xu Ming into the Tiny Realm Sphere.
As the two landed, Qu Yi already held a Soul Gold Pearl in his right hand. It was obtained after he personally killed a soul-being when returning to the Divine Realm of Meteorfall. Xu Ming had already grasped the laws of Wood and Fire. If he refined this Soul Gold Pearl, it would mean he had also mastered the law of Metal, thus breaking through to the Divine General stage.
“Xu Ming, this is the Soul Gold Pearl. Refine it inside this Tiny Realm Sphere. It won’t be long before you reach the Divine General stage,” Qu Yi said with a smile.

Xu Ming looked at the Soul Gold Pearl but didn’t take it, saying in confusion, “Qu Yi, Soul Beads—there’s a common knowledge in the Divine Realm that they cannot be refined.”

Qu Yi laughed heartily before calmly explaining, “Soul Beads in the Divine Realm indeed cannot be refined because the soul auras of the cultivators there are already registered. Anyone who dares to refine them will be detected and then executed. But this Soul Gold Pearl in my hand won’t be detected by the Divine Realm, so you can rest assured and refine it.”

Upon hearing this, Xu Ming’s face lit up with joy. From this moment on, he truly realized that being controlled by Qu Yi’s soul wasn’t a bad thing—it was actually an opportunity for him.

“Thank you, Qu Yi,” Xu Ming said sincerely, moved, as he took the Soul Gold Pearl.

Qu Yi simply nodded and then left the Dimensional Sphere.

※※※

Beiyang Island and Nanyin Island were almost identical in size, shape, and terrain. The islands were divided into 108 regions, each with its own central city.

If Nanyin Island was where cultivators fought, then Beiyang Island was where cultivators from the Divine Realm exchanged and shared cultivation resources.

Various powerful factions in the Divine Realm left their own businesses on Beiyang Island—ranging from small shops to large trade groups. Thus, all kinds of resources from the Divine Realm could be found there.

The place where Qu Yi was now located was under the jurisdiction of Beiluo City. Following the guidance of the Artifact God, Qu Yi flew all the way to the southern gate of Beiluo City.

The city walls were as high as mountains, built in one continuous stretch as if meant to topple the heavens. Only at the southern gate was there a large archway for passage. Any cultivator wishing to enter Beiluo City from the south had to go through it. The archway was a hundred meters high and made entirely of a white-luminous stone, appearing as if it had formed naturally. In front of the archway stood two rows of city guards, whose nominal duty was to protect Beiluo City, but whose main task was actually to collect the entry fee.

“Ten thousand Divine Crystals!”

Every so often, the city guards standing behind a large stone platform would shout, reminding cultivators entering the city to pay with Divine Crystals.

The entry fee was ten thousand Divine Crystals, with no room for negotiation.

For cultivators who wanted to enter Beiluo City, ten thousand Divine Crystals was a trivial amount—no one could afford not to pay it.

Following the crowd, Qu Yi paid ten thousand Divine Crystals and quickly entered Beiluo City.

Starting from the city walls, inside Beiluo City, there were shops everywhere, of various sizes, but all were magnificent and grand. They were arranged in straight lines along the streets, creating a spectacular sight that left one in awe.

“Qu Yi, if you want to find virtual stone jade, go to those shops that sell materials for crafting.” As Qu Yi walked on the street, the voice of the God of Tools came through.

Of course, Qu Yi’s purpose for coming to Beiyang Island was precisely to find virtual stone jade so as to set up a holographic simulation array. That way, he could utilize the villagers of Bai Shou Village to help the Fang Qi Pavilion craft divine artifacts.

“God of Tools, is there a Divine King governing Beiyang Island?” Qu Yi suddenly asked.

On Nanyin Island, three Divine Kings guarded it, maintaining the order of battles there. Since Beiyang Island was as famous as Nanyin Island and also a place where wealth gathered, Qu Yi naturally assumed that there must be a Divine King governing it as well.

“No. Among the eight divine realms of the Divine Realm, none of them want Beiyang Island to be controlled by any Divine King. The flow of wealth on Beiyang Island is fast and enormous; no Divine King dares to intercept any part of it,” the God of Tools replied calmly.

Hearing this, Qu Yi showed a hint of shock on his face before understanding.

“Since there’s no Divine King, then what force maintains order on Beiyang Island?” Qu Yi asked doubtfully.

After all, with forces from the eight divine realms on Beiyang Island, a mixed crowd, and vast wealth, conflicts were inevitable. But as far as Qu Yi could see, Beiluo City was very peaceful, with no signs of fighting.

“On Beiyang Island, there’s an agreement: if cultivators fight inside the city, regardless of right or wrong, other cultivators can step in to kill them. However, this agreement doesn’t apply outside the city. Anyone outside the 108 Cities can hunt down other cultivators,” the God of Tools said calmly again.

Qu Yi suddenly understood and gained a basic grasp of Beiyang Island.

Inside the 108 Cities, to ensure normal trading order, there was an agreement to prevent any fighting. But once conflicts arose, they would be resolved outside the cities.

In short, fighting was not allowed inside the cities; if there was to be a fight, it had to happen outside.

After understanding this, Qu Yi simply smiled slightly before entering a particularly large shop called “Traveling the Four Seas Shop.”

Inside, thousands of cultivators were already browsing around the counters.

“How can this Lan Yun Sea Mother be so expensive? 100 million divine crystals? Good heavens!”

“The Divine Division Tree costs 200 million divine crystals! Can your Traveling the Four Seas Shop be any more unscrupulous?”

“Damn it, this is a treasure from the open seas, right? It’s even for sale here. Too bad—it costs 500 million divine crystals. That’s a real hassle. If I buy this, I won’t be able to afford the other materials.”
…
As Qu Yi entered the store, he heard many exclamations, shocked by the materials displayed inside.
Hearing this, Qu Yi merely smiled faintly. Divine crystals were nothing to him now—after completing the 500,000-value refining task, the amount of divine crystals he had earned allowed him to buy anything he wanted.
However, Qu Yi was there to inquire about Virtual Stone Jade, so he had no interest in the materials mentioned by these cultivators.
“Fellow cultivator, do you have Virtual Stone Jade in your store?” Qu Yi went straight to a counter and asked calmly.
The salesperson looked at Qu Yi and replied awkwardly, “Fellow cultivator, we don’t have Virtual Stone Jade in store yet. But our Yunyou Sihai store has plenty of materials of the same quality as Virtual Stone Jade. If you’re interested, I’ll show you around right now.”
Qu Yi tapped his forehead. This salesperson was quite interesting—instead of admitting they didn’t have it, they took the chance to recommend other materials.
“Sorry, I’ll check other stores instead.” Unable to bear the salesperson’s enthusiastic gaze, Qu Yi quickly said.
Just as Qu Yi turned to leave, the salesperson suddenly sent a message through his mind, “Fellow cultivator, if I remember correctly, no other stores in Beiluo City have Virtual Stone Jade. But the Huiyou Auction House in Beiluo City will hold an auction soon. You can go there and inquire if they have any. If not, you can register your request for Virtual Stone Jade at their underground trading area—there’s a good chance some cultivator will find it for you.”
Upon hearing this, Qu Yi’s eyes lit up. He immediately replied mentally, “Fellow cultivator, why are you telling me this?”
This salesperson couldn’t possibly be helping Qu Yi for no reason.
“Fellow cultivator, I’m just cultivating a good karma. If you need to buy materials from our store in the future, be sure to come to me—I’ll give you a good price,” the salesperson said with a smile, sending the message through his mind.
Quyi understood. This salesperson was using this method to attract customers, sharing information that would soon spread throughout Beiluo City to win his favor.
He nodded, accepting the salesperson’s kindness.

“Okay, I’ll go check out Huiyou Auction House. If I need anything in the future, I’ll come to you,” Qu Yi said with a faint smile.
Immediately afterwards, Qu Yi left Yunyou Sihai Store, asked for directions, and headed straight to Huiyou Auction House.