Chapter 775: Oath

Elder Wang glanced at the group of cultivators, then took out a bronze mirror and examined himself before smiling lightly.

"They are all cultivators from Northern Dipper. The usual rule applies. 200 mid-grade spirit stones per person. But that's the base price. If you're at the Nascent Soul Realm, you pay an additional 100 spirit stones. If you're at the Enlightenment Realm, that will set you back 200 more."

The group's leader was a Nascent Soul Realm and seemed to be familiar with the rules set by the Golden Immortal Sect already, so he didn't speak further.

Everyone took out the required mid-grade spirit stones and handed them to Elder Wang.

The other nearby cultivators looked on, secretly envious of the Golden Immortal Sect. Mid-grade spirit stones were precious, and it was rare to see so many being handed over at once.

As Fang Chen took out his mid-grade spirit stones to give to Elder Wang, the elder didn't immediately accept them. Instead, he used the bronze mirror to take a look at Fang Chen.

"You haven't registered with Northern Dipper? Where are you from?" Elder Wang asked coolly.

The eyes of the group turned to Fang Chen, sizing him up.

This place was near Northern Dipper, so unless Fang Chen was a recognized Immortal Seedling of Northern Dipper, he could only be from either Celestial Heaven or the Central Continent Empire.

It was rare to see Immortal Seedlings from those places here. There was also one more possibility: he could be an unregistered wandering Immortal Seedling, though this was less likely.

"I am from Northern Dipper, but I haven't yet registered," Fang Chen replied.

"You haven't registered?"

The group was surprised.

Elder Wang frowned. "So, you're a wandering cultivator?"

Fang Chen nodded lightly. "Exactly."

"It has nothing to do with me whether you're a wandering cultivator or someone from Celestial Heaven or the Central Continent Empire," Elder Wang said indifferently. "But you should know the rules of the Pitu Ruins. Without a sect backing you, you might not survive long inside. Are you sure you want to go in?"

"I've heard that there are various immortal opportunities in the Pitu Ruins. I've finally gathered enough mid-grade spirit stones, so I must go and take a look. I hope you will allow me entry, senior," Fang Chen said, cupping his hands in respect.

Elder Wang nodded, accepting the spirit stones from Fang Chen. After that, he smiled slightly.

"It's impressive that a wandering cultivator at the Golden Core Realm like yourself has managed to gather 200 mid-grade spirit stones. No wonder the immortal sects have taken notice of you. This kind of skill is rare among ordinary Golden Core Realm cultivators."

He paused and looked at the others. "One, two, three, four... nine of you. Just right. There are still 11 others ahead of you. Once they come out, you can enter the ruins. It'll be a few more days, so stay at a nearby inn. When the time comes, I'll be waiting for you here."

After leaving the tea house, Fang Chen quickly found an inn nearby. Like the Exquisite Jade Tower, this inn was also designed for cultivators. Each room was a meditation chamber, with an array set up outside. Anyone trying to force their way in would trigger an alert from the array.

"Brother Meng, I've met with Elder Wang from the Golden Immortal Sect and paid the 200 mid-grade spirit stones. I should be able to enter the Pitu Ruins soon. Now, could you tell me what kind of spiritual material you want me to find?" Fang Chen asked with a smile.

Yang Qing and the others also turned their attention to Meng Tianshu, eager to know what kind of spiritual material he was after.

"Have you heard of the Exquisite Jade Immortal Lotus?" Meng Tianshu asked calmly.

"What is that?" The group looked confused.

Ding Wan suddenly gasped, her eyes wide with disbelief as she turned to Meng Tianshu. "Are you saying the Pitu Ruins contain the Exquisite Jade Immortal Lotus!?"

Yang Qing and Fang Ze frowned.

Yang Qing impatiently urged, "Ding Wan, what exactly is the Exquisite Jade Immortal Lotus? Stop keeping us in suspense,"

They felt that when Meng Tianshu and Ding Wan mentioned the Exquisite Jade Immortal Lotus, their expressions seemed a bit off. There seemed to be a sense of unease.

Meng Tianshu began, "I've stumbled upon this information in ancient texts, which mentioned the Exquisite Jade Immortal Lotus. There's a rumor that the Exquisite Jade Immortal Lotus originates from the Immortal Realm and is an excellent material for crafting puppets because it contains natural veins inside it, very similar to those in a living person.

"When I was in the Pitu Ruins, I saw the Exquisite Jade Immortal Lotus but didn't recognize it at the time. Also, the place where I found the Exquisite Jade Immortal Lotus was dangerous, so I didn't pay much attention. Now that we've become souls without bodies, the Exquisite Jade Immortal Lotus is our last hope."

"A material that immortals use to craft puppets similar to a living person?"

Yang Qing, Fang Ze, and Du Kong exchanged glances. They couldn't help but gasp in shock.

"Brother Meng, are you saying this material will allow you to form a new body so you can cultivate again?" Fang Chen asked thoughtfully.

Meng Tianshu nodded slightly. "Yes. Now that we're souls without any physical bodies, there are basically only a few outcomes for us: either our souls will dissipate with time, or we will turn into evil creatures through dark methods, but we'd be nothing more than insignificant evil beings. The third option is to take over a new body and cultivate again.

"But even a newborn child carries karma. We have no means to resolve the karma, so we cannot take over their bodies. We can only choose someone who has died recently. Once they pass away, their karma is naturally severed."

Yang Qing took over from here, muttering, "But if it's an ordinary person, they must not have died an unnatural death. An untimely death would still carry karma. The person must have passed away peacefully, without conflict or strife in life...."

Yang Qing's voice trailed off. "Such people are rare, almost impossible to find. Even if we do find one, the time we have to cultivate again will be very short, as their lifespan is already near its end."

"Amitabha, the Exquisite Jade Immortal Lotus can create a physical body, allowing us to take over and cultivate again?" Du Kong asked, his excitement evident.

Meng Tianshu nodded. "Indeed, there is such a possibility, but it's not guaranteed. We can only try."

"That's great! Even if there's only a slim chance, I'll give it a try!" Yang Qing whispered. "The Exquisite Jade Immortal Lotus is a spiritual item. If it can transform into physical bodies, re-cultivating shouldn't be too difficult."

At this point, the group exchanged glances, and all turned their hopeful gazes toward Fang Chen.

Yang Qing's face became serious as he cupped his hands and bowed. "Mad King, we have no personal ties with you. In fact, we once even tried to deal with you and Fairy Yu. Logically speaking, you have no reason to help us. But if you can assist us in cultivating again, we will repay you a hundredfold in the future. We will risk our lives without hesitation!"

"So it turns out that mortals have karma, which prevents them from taking over another's body and cultivating again. If the karma is removed, is it easy to take over a body?"

Fang Chen looked at Meng Tianshu and smiled. "It should be like that."

Meng Tianshu nodded slightly.

Fang Chen smiled lightly. "You all have big plans, but I don't intend to indulge in your fantasies. However, I will try to see if I can help you take over a body and cultivate again. If I succeed, I only have one condition."

The others perked up; they weren't afraid of Fang Chen setting conditions, they were afraid he wouldn't set any!

"Please speak, Mad King!"

"If this works out, for the next one hundred years, you will work for me," Fang Chen said.

A hundred years of servitude?

As Yang Qing and the others hesitated, Meng Tianshu clasped his hands and bowed deeply. "I swear on the Heavenly Dao, if I break this oath, my immortal heart will shatter, and my soul will perish."

The others exchanged glances. Finally, they all made the same decision, swearing oaths to the Heavenly Dao like Meng Tianshu.

Actually, an oath like this could easily be broken without suffering any consequences. It would only bind an honorable man. A villain wouldn't have any issues breaking it.

However, these were young immortals who had reached the Nascent Soul Realm at a young age and hadn't reached this level of shamelessness.

Fang Chen had his own plan in mind. If this worked, it would be good, but if it didn't, that was fine too.

After sending the others back to the lamp, Fang Chen took out five hundred mid-grade spirit stones and prepared to enter the Three Thousand Dao Realm.

Meng Tianshu and the others had warned him that the Pitu Ruins were incredibly dangerous.

To be cautious, he decided to prepare carefully.