Chapter 949 - 673: Reverse-Engineering the Purple Mansion

Half a day later.

Deep inside the Black Feather Market, within a cave dwelling wrapped in layers of concealment arrays.

The stone door was tightly shut, isolating the inside and outside, with all restrictions activated.

In the small stone hall, seven or eight cultivators sat in a circle, varying in age, with their aura steadily anchored in the Dao Foundation Realm.

Each carried the cautiousness and vigilance unique to loose cultivators.

Red Wood sat on a stone stool next to the main position, his aura restrained, showing no signs of prominence.

Hosting the trading meeting was an elder with a haggard face, dressed in a gray robe, named Elder Cang.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, Elder Cang lightly coughed and spoke:

"Fellow Daoists, the rules remain as usual: items are exchanged for items, the highest value wins. If you have information, cultivation techniques, or maps, they can also be exchanged on stage."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"I’ll go first!"

A burly man with a face full of bristles stood up, holding a wooden box in his hands. After opening it, a segment of dark red beast bone lay inside, exuding a faint bloody scent.

"This is the spine of a mid-stage Dao Foundation demon general, the Red Flame Tiger. It can be used for artifact refining or to concoct elixir pills."

"I want to exchange it for... a stalk of Celestial Thunder Sunflower, or equivalent Qi Refining elixirs."

The people in the hall glanced at it but showed disinterest.

"I don’t have Celestial Thunder Sunflower, but I do have two Lesser Yellow Pills. Will you trade?"

The burly man frowned, "No trade for Lesser Yellow Pills."

The subsequent attendees took the stage one after another, but Red Wood remained unmoved, though disappointment began to brew in his heart.

...

The trading meeting ended.

Red Wood emerged from the cave dwelling.

Standing at the valley entrance, observing the cultivators rushing back and forth, scrambling for scarce resources, only one thought filled his mind:

"Poverty..."

This well-known Independent Practitioner Market in the vicinity had a meager circulation of legitimate Dao Foundation Realm spiritual objects, cultivation techniques, and materials.

The trading method was mostly barter, with spirit stones seldom used as hard currency, a testament to the plight of bottom-level cultivators.

And that closed-door trading meeting, specifically for Dao Foundation cultivators, further opened his eyes.

It wasn’t the rarity of treasures that astounded him, but the poverty of Dao Foundation cultivators.

Red Wood quickly understood the underlying reasons.

This vast world, with countless spirit veins and heavenly materials and earthly treasures, never lacked cultivation resources.

However, ninety-nine percent of the top-tier spirit veins, rare resources, and complete cultivation techniques were firmly monopolized by the apex Golden Core Grand Sects and hereditary Purple Mansion Immortal Clans.

The resources they released into the lower independent markets were mere leftovers, scarce in quantity and low in grade.

This method of gathering resources had long been demonstrated to perfection by Master Great Feather back in the day.

He shook his head:

"Truly identical!"

In comparison, due to being in a small realm, Master Great Feather was even more unrestrained, virtually gathering an entire realm’s resources into the grotto heaven.

"Instead, in this larger realm, the families find it difficult to unite, releasing only some leftovers."

"However, even bottom-level cultivators have their own ways..."

His gaze shifted to the shops lining the sides of the alleys.

In those shops, bottles of elixir pills were boldly displayed, with labels reading:

Human Essence Pill, Blood Essence Pill, Heart Acupoint Pill...

Various elixirs refined from the essence blood, divine soul, and heart acupoint of living beings were clearly marked and placed in the most prominent positions.

Passing cultivators paused to choose, their expressions casual, haggling as if accustomed to it.

Some even laughed and said to the shopkeeper:

"Shopkeeper, the Human Essence Pills are of good quality this time. Let me have two more bottles! I’m just lacking this item for my recent cultivation!"

The shopkeeper laughed heartily:

"Fellow Daoist, excellent eye! These are refined from pure child essence, boasting the strongest efficacy!"

...

A few days later.

Deep within the Great Feather Grotto Heaven, spiritual qi drifted like mist, flowing over ancient cliff walls.

Red Wood stood below, his posture respectful, reporting every detail of his observations and information gathered throughout the Divine Land Continent.

Chen Sheng sat in the core of the grotto heaven, eyes closed, listening quietly.

He had long deduced the rise and fall of Master Great Feather’s life and had already grasped the current structure, strife, and rules of the Divine Land Continent in his heart.

"Purple Gold Demon Dao."

"Layer upon layer, devouring each other."

Chen Sheng’s expression remained perpetually calm and undisturbed.

At his level, the distinction between righteousness and evil was no longer as clear-cut as in the mundane world.

Strictly speaking, he himself was already a great head of the Demon Dao walking the world.

To deduce the cultivation system, he had repeatedly restarted eras within his inner world, witnessing the rise of all beings and personally burying countless lives.

To ascend to the position of Emperor, he had battled prodigies among the Ten Thousand Races across all directions, with the aftermath of such battles alone crushing countless Small Thousand Worlds.

The chaos before him, to him, was but a drop in the ocean, incapable of stirring his heart.

Chen Sheng slowly opened his eyes, within them, seeming to contain a galaxy with stars and moons revolving and he spoke lightly:

"Since you’ve investigated sufficiently, begin preparations."

"I’ve already altered your causality, establishing several branch veins, allowing you to establish yourself more securely in the Divine Land."

"Gradually bring people over."

Red Wood nodded heavily. With his current Dao Foundation Realm strength, establishing a noble family in the Divine Land was not difficult.

Moreover, he had his father behind him.

"Your child obeys!"

...

Red Wood bowed and retreated.

The grotto heaven returned to its deathly silence.

Chen Sheng closed his eyes again, the late-stage Dao Foundation mana slowly circulating within him, vast as the sea and unfathomable.

At his current cultivation level, breaking through to Dao Foundation Perfection was but a matter of course.

His sight was already cast far ahead on the path before him.

"Next—Purple Mansion Divine Techniques."

"I have no ready inheritance of the Purple Mansion."

"However..."

Chen Sheng’s gaze slightly shifted, looking towards the core depths of the grotto heaven.

A faint yet resilient flame quietly floated, undying, which was the embryonic form of the [Heaven and Earth Sorrow] divine technique.

"This divine technique, its aspect incomplete, its foundation lacking, even if Master Great Feather were to revive, it would be difficult to cultivate it to perfection."

"However, I do not require this divine technique."

A faint and cold smile appeared at the corner of Chen Sheng’s lips.

"I can reverse-deduce the method to step into the Purple Mansion from this incomplete divine technique, then fuse it with my own Dao Foundation, elevating it into my divine technique."

The Purple Mansion cultivation techniques of those grand sects and noble clans in the Divine Land might still hide concealed traps, restrictions, or ploys.

Just like when Master Great Feather was schemed against and killed.

In this world, Chen Sheng has always trusted only himself.

"But before that, I must prepare a few more backups."

His figure slightly moved, faint spatial ripples emanating from his body.

"The Divine Land is vast and boundless, with countless Golden Core Grand Sects, full of danger and peril at every step."

"The line of Red Wood, after all, is just a thread. If a wrong step is taken in the future, leading to the annihilation of the whole family..."

"I must leave behind several descendants, scattered across the Divine Land, hidden in the mundane, secluded in the mountains and forests."

In this way, he can fully exploit his advantage of "causality not residing in this dimension."

Others can’t fathom his roots, hence unable to capture his bloodline in one fell swoop.

Having thought this, Chen Sheng’s figure gradually vanished within the grotto heaven, stepping alone into the vast and boundless Divine Land.

Like a hidden dragon entering the sea, causing no waves, solely to sow the seeds of the Dao and lay long-term plans.