CHAPTER 377: CHAPTER 318 CHEN JICHUAN: I DO GOOD DEEDS WITHOUT LEAVING A NAME! [SEEKING MONTHLY TICKET!]

"Asura Law Ruler."

"If it were still a fourth-order treasure, its power would undoubtedly be extraordinary."

"What a pity."

Chen Jichuan caught the ’Asura Law Ruler’ and sighed, shaking his head.

Who knows how many ages have passed since the Sumeru Immortal Sect vanished into oblivion, even a fourth-order magical treasure has fallen to a lower level over time.

Time is merciless; to such an extent!

"The ’Small Sumeru Right and Left Nine Palace Immortal Formation’ conceals three thousand worlds."

"A Divinity Transformation stage cultivator oversees each Small Sumeru Realm."

"But even such realms—how many still exist today?"

With the fall of the Sumeru Immortal Sect, its Divinity Transformation cultivators used the ’Small Sumeru Right and Left Nine Palace Immortal Formation’ to create Small Sumeru Realms, leaving behind the sect’s legacy and their individual inheritances.

Take Zhu Ying, for example.

He left behind the ’Asura Law Ruler.’ If fortune favored him in finding a suitable inheritor, and that inheritor later became immortal and ascended, they might even be able to help Zhu Ying escape the cycle of reincarnation.

The illusion realm Chen Jichuan just experienced should have been Zhu Ying’s test.

The specifics of the test remain unclear.

But it must have focused on aspects such as temperament, talent, and values.

Chen Jichuan was unwilling to waste time playing along, so he used his ’Insight Skill’ to discern flaws and directly broke through.

Zhu Ying’s elaborate setup was, in the end, but a show for blind eyes.

Were it not for Chen Jichuan’s ’Insight Skill,’ he wouldn’t have even learned Zhu Ying’s name.

Moreover, Zhu Ying originally left a fourth-order magical treasure and an advanced magic skill.

But under the erosion of time, the treasure has now degraded to a third-order, and the skill has become incomplete.

Trying to win favor or gratitude with these remnants, hoping someone would eventually help him transcend—his bargaining chips are far from sufficient.

"What a pity."

Chen Jichuan sighed once again.

Not out of pity for Zhu Ying, but lamenting that a perfectly good fourth-order magical treasure ended up a third-order one in his hands.

The difference between one order is as wide as heaven and earth.

How could one not feel regret?

"Still, if a single Small Sumeru Realm left by someone like Zhu Ying can yield a fourth-order magical treasure, then the central Sumeru Mountain must hold treasures of far greater value."

"If there are fifth-order treasures, even degraded, they might still possess fourth-order power."

Chen Jichuan grew increasingly excited about the ultimate rewards of this expedition.

...

Deep within the Seven-layered Mountains, surrounded by flames on all sides, there was no sign of Xiao Lan emerging.

"The Small Sumeru Realm is easily broken by me."

"But for Xiao Lan, it poses quite a challenge."

"Without several months, she likely won’t escape."

Chen Jichuan couldn’t afford to wait that long, so he used his ’Insight Skill’ to search for her.

In just an hour.

Traversing four different realms.

Chen Jichuan acquired three third-order magical treasures and twelve Primordial Stones from one Small Sumeru Realm.

Now, Chen Jichuan finally understood why Xiao Lan was so wealthy.

"Even if one can’t overcome the Seven-layered Mountains, exploring several Small Sumeru Realms alone can lead to a fortune just from magical treasures and Primordial Stones."

Chen Jichuan thought to himself, feeling both awed and impressed.

Soon followed another thought—

"This place lies thirteen light-years from Magic Sound Mountain. When Xiao Lan arrived at Dual Star, she hadn’t yet discovered this relic."

"So it’s likely that the thirty-two Primordial Stones she once possessed had a different origin."

"And the ’Pure Yang Immortal Lotus’ she found."

"She had already seized the Moyun Vine on Wuhe Star, refining a Human Clan Avatar. Did the ’Pure Yang Immortal Lotus’ also originate from Wuhe Star?"

Chen Jichuan became even more doubtful but couldn’t help admiring Xiao Lan’s remarkable luck.

While thoughts churned in his mind.

Chen Jichuan’s hands kept working relentlessly, continuing his search.

Finally, in the seventh Small Sumeru Realm, he found Xiao Lan.

At that moment, Xiao Lan was caught in an illusion, fiercely battling with an ancient cultivator.

"Break!"

Chen Jichuan, unwilling to bother further, directly shattered this realm’s foundation.

Xiao Lan, in the middle of an intense fight, was abruptly thrown out, along with a third-order magic sword.

"Huh?"

"What happened?"

Xiao Lan looked at Chen Jichuan, puzzled.

"What does this mean?"

Chen Jichuan stared at her blankly as well.

"..."

"The last time I came here, the Small Sumeru Realms weren’t so easy to traverse."

Xiao Lan suddenly recalled that this was Chen Jichuan’s first visit here, so she explained.

"Oh."

"I see."

"Could it be due to the array’s long neglect and disrepair?"

Chen Jichuan offered a guess.

"Not sure."

"But it’s a good thing."

Without dwelling on the matter, Xiao Lan put away the third-order magic sword and urged, "Let’s hurry ahead. It’s too hot here; I can’t last much longer."

"Alright!"

Chen Jichuan obediently agreed.

...

Ascending each mountain, one after the other.

Xiao Lan was repeatedly pulled into Small Sumeru Realms, but thanks to Chen Jichuan’s covert assistance in breaking through, they didn’t suffer too much delay.

Chen Jichuan, entering the realms himself, could also exit quickly.

After two or three repeats.

Xiao Lan became even more suspicious but ultimately attributed the phenomena to the array itself.

After all, the array’s outer layers were indeed deteriorating, so encountering issues in the Seven-layered Mountains region wasn’t surprising.

She didn’t suspect Chen Jichuan.

Effortlessly clearing obstacles.

This time, without Small Sumeru Realms blocking their path, neither their mana nor concentration suffered much depletion. Xiao Lan realized she could scale the Seven-layered Mountains with ease, even without subduing the ’Stone Fire.’

A wave of surprise and joy flitted through her heart.

Although Xiao Lan wasn’t focused on Exotic Fires, Chen Jichuan still had them in mind.

While traversing the Fifth Mountain.

He finally encountered ’Stone Fire.’

[Exotic Fire: Stone Fire]

[Level: Third-order]

[Description: A supernatural flame born from mountain stones, dependent on the stones for survival. It can refine countless stubborn rocks and govern all the flames within the mountains, possessing immense power!]

...

This was an extraordinary flame, and it lay dormant within the mountains. Though a flame, it disguised itself as a chunk of rock. Without Chen Jichuan’s ’Insight Skill,’ even standing before it one might not discern it.

Just as Xiao Lan beside him couldn’t.

"This is the ’Stone Fire’?!"

Xiao Lan exclaimed in surprise.

She hadn’t recognized it at all but had heard of its remarkable ability to disguise itself.

After her initial shock, she immediately drew a red gourd from her belongings—

[Magical Treasure: Fire Cloud Gourd]

[Level: Third-order]

[Description: Specially crafted to collect rare flames from across the land.]

This was a magical treasure Xiao Lan had prepared specifically for her journey through the Seven-layered Mountains and Seven Seas.

Its power was indeed remarkable.

But within the Seven-layered Mountains, she hadn’t even come close to finding the ’Stone Fire.’ Even faced with it directly, she hadn’t been able to recognize it, let alone collect it.

Now finally, an opportunity presented itself to show its might.

"Gourd! Align with my will!"

"Collect!"

Xiao Lan opened the top of the ’Fire Cloud Gourd,’ aiming its mouth at the ’Stone Fire,’ chanting a spell all the while.

At once, mana surged and mystical energies erupted.

Whoosh!

The ’Stone Fire’ awakened from its rocky disguise, transforming into a fiery fox trying to flee.

But alas, it was too late.

Swoosh!

Before it could run far, it was sucked into the ’Fire Cloud Gourd.’

"Got it!"

Xiao Lan sealed the gourd’s mouth, shaking it slightly, feeling it grow warm in her hand.

Inside, the ’Stone Fire’ rampaged left and right, making the gourd shake and emit bursts of flame, but it was trapped eternally.

"I spent two million Primordial Stones to purchase this treasure from the Four Directions Sect. It can hold up to three Exotic Fires."

"With the ’Stone Fire’ secured, there’s no chance of its escape."

Xiao Lan proudly informed Chen Jichuan.

"Two million!"

Two million Primordial Stones were equivalent to twenty million Spirit Crystals. Chen Jichuan, even if he didn’t sleep, eat, or log out, continuously practicing alchemy, would need eighty years to earn this amount.

"Rich people sure can afford extravagance."

Chen Jichuan was long numbed to such fortunes.

He gazed at the ’Fire Cloud Gourd’ in Xiao Lan’s hands.

Exotic Fires were rare, difficult to capture, and even harder to suppress and refine.

This gourd, capable of securing and subduing them, indeed justified its price. As for him, with the ’Insight Skill,’ locating Exotic Fires posed little issue. With ’Daluo Heavenly Fire,’ refining them was equally manageable.

It felt almost like fate matching tools to men.

But alas, two million Primordial Stones were entirely unaffordable for him; and Xiao Lan wouldn’t give him the gourd for free either.

He could only look on longingly.

Still, the ’Stone Fire’ inside sparked hope.

Right now.

There was no time for Chen Jichuan to refine the ’Stone Fire,’ so it remained temporarily with Xiao Lan.

After the ’Stone Fire’ was secured, the flames within the Seven-layered Mountains subsided substantially, malignancy abating significantly.

Walking within the mountains became remarkably easy for the pair.

Soon.

They ascended past the Sixth Mountain, then the Seventh Mountain, finally arriving at the threshold of the ’Seven Seas.’

Following the same methods.

Chen Jichuan pinpointed the precise location of the ’Sea Heart Flame’ within the Seven Seas, guiding Xiao Lan there to deploy the ’Fire Cloud Gourd,’ collecting the second Exotic Fire, the ’Sea Heart Flame.’

And thus.

Seven-layered Mountains and Seven Seas laid defeated, with Sumeru Mountain now clearly visible in the distance!

...

"Sumeru Mountain!"

Xiao Lan gazed from afar at Sumeru Mountain, her face lighting up with joy.

She had spent well over a hundred years discovering this relic; countless decades prior she toiled fruitlessly, gazing at Treasure Mountain with empty sighs.

Now, finally, her hopes were coming true.

Her heart overflowed with delight.

"This, then, is Sumeru Mountain."

Chen Jichuan stared at the Treasure Mountain, a tinge of excitement flickering within him.

Though the Sumeru Immortal Sect had perished in the boundless abyss of time and space, it had once been an immensely powerful sect within the vast cosmic expanse.

How many Divinity Transformation cultivators had it harbored?

Merely in their traverse of the Seven-layered Mountains and Seven Seas, the duo had come upon forty-two Small Sumeru Realms.

Representing forty-two Divinity Transformation cultivators.

The lingering thoughts of these cultivators within the realms had long vanished, leaving only degraded magical treasures.

From these forty-two Divinity Transformation cultivators and forty-two fourth-order magical treasures, one can glimpse a fragment of the Sumeru Immortal Sect’s former glory.

A sect of such magnitude must have left unimaginable treasures behind.

"Let’s go!"

"Up the mountain!"

Xiao Lan, filled with anticipation, stepped ashore without hesitation upon reaching the coastline.

"Heh!"

Chen Jichuan, aware of Xiao Lan’s deep-seated desire for Sumeru Mountain.

Understanding too that Xiao Lan relied on her avatar residing on Wuhe Star to ensure she wasn’t overly concerned about her current body’s death on the mountain.

Furthermore.

Judging by their experiences within the Small Sumeru Realms, it was clear the Sumeru Immortal Sect’s arrangements for later visitors were predominantly tests. And with the arrays considerably weakened, their true strength barely remained.

This was why Xiao Lan dared to advance fearlessly.

More importantly—

"Even if she acts cautiously, she won’t understand Sumeru Mountain’s array formations."

"So instead of feigned prudence."

"It’s better to charge forward head-on."

Chen Jichuan cast his gaze up and down Sumeru Mountain, glancing at Xiao Lan before him. He smirked inwardly, then stepped ashore as well.

...