Chapter 561: Guimo's Hidden Danger Emerges

After flying out of the primal qi passage of a previous planet, Wang Sheng and Lishang traveled for over four months before they finally reached Guimo, the ninth qi planet on their route.

From a distance, it appeared as nothing but gray and black terrain without a single trace of greenery. Broken mountains dotted its surface, and enormous chasms filled with flowing lava cut through its landscape. Sandstorms also filled the sky, churning its endless deserts.

It was four or five times the size of Earth, yet it showed very few signs of life, and it had an extremely thin atmosphere. A great war had to have ravaged its lands once, wiping out nearly all of its inhabitants.

Directly beneath the primal qi passage lay what could be considered the only place on Guimo where living beings could gather. It was a large city wrapped completely in protective arrays.

All of the planet's remaining intact qi veins had been diverted beneath the city, allowing the primal qi to remain relatively dense. That in turn maintained an exchange of primal qi equal to that of the primal qi passage.

Even so, the city was far from prosperous. It was desolate, and very few cultivators walked its streets. Very little of its vitality remained.

While taking in the scene with his immortal perception, Wang Sheng suddenly recalled a long-circulating anecdote.

In his previous life, some media on Earth liked to claim that humanity's nuclear weapons could already destroy the world. In truth, this was just a trick of language. Humanity could certainly end its own civilization, but the worst it could do to Earth was contaminate it with radiation.

Considering Earth's long life, it would eventually absorb even that level of radiation. Only human arrogance and wishful thinking would be objectively destroyed, not the world itself.

He thought of the ancient battlefield, much of which had been moved to the qi planets around it. Afterward, he examined Guimo's condition again. In terms of sheer destructive power, those stronger than Golden Immortals were far more terrifying.

Wang Sheng and Lishang now faced a troublesome issue: having lost all of their means of making a living, Guimo's cultivators seemed to have unexpectedly chosen to charge tolls!

They had sealed off the entire perimeter of the primal qi passage with arrays, blocking all directions and permitting only primal qi to pass through. Moreover, at the array core in the center, they had set up a checkpoint with a large number of guards. Anyone wishing to enter or exit the primal qi passage had to pay Immortal Stones.

That was truly unreasonable.

Extending his immortal perception to the grand array, Wang Sheng saw several cultivators preparing to enter the primal qi passage. With dark expressions, they handed over piles of Immortal Stones before being allowed through.

He couldn't help but mutter, "Those cultivators didn't build the primal qi passage. They're exploiting the 'land and water.'"

Lishang frowned slightly as well.

Neither had anticipated such a situation. Now, they had two options: take a detour or expose their whereabouts. Detouring meant passing through two additional passages, for which they couldn't estimate how much extra time would be required.

They were already quite far from the ancient battlefield's thirteen planets. Along the way, Wang Sheng and Lishang hadn't detected anyone following or tracking them. Exposing their presence briefly here likely wouldn't cause any trouble.

"I can sense the auras of Heavenly Immortals in the city," Wang Sheng said. "We should be careful. If we can avoid conflict, then we should avoid it. It's best if we just spend some Immortal Stones."

Lishang's brows knit tightly. "If I couldn't waste time here, I would have really liked to teach these bandits a lesson."

Wang Sheng smiled and shook his head. He took several top-tier Immortal Stones and twenty mid-grade Immortal Stones from his Qiankun Ring. Afterward, he deposited them into the storage artifact in the sleeve of his Daoist robe to make a simple wallet.

"Let's head back a little and put away the shuttle. We wouldn't want them to notice it."

Such caution seemed unnecessary to Lishang. If not for what he had said earlier, she likely would've fought her way straight through.

Before long, the two arrived from the endless space. They transformed into streams of light and flew side by side toward the primal qi passage above Guimo.

At that moment, an old, cloaked woman hiding in the shadows of a street corner slowly stood up, seemingly sensing something.

Immortal light flowed around her as her shriveled, bark-like skin instantly turned smooth and supple. She then straightened up, going from hunched to tall and slender. When she took two steps forward, her cloak slid down and revealed not an old woman, but a breathtaking maiden wielding a short sword!

Her aura fluctuated until it settled at the middle stage of the Primordial Immortal Realm. This was clearly the result of an advanced concealment technique.

She had smooth, jade-white fingers; bright eyes and white teeth that were lively and vivid; and slightly alluring, curved eyebrows. Her form-fitting short skirt highlighted a seductive charm, but it was far more revealing than what most female immortals usually wore.

The endless space's female immortals didn't mind bare shoulders or half-exposed backs. However, they cared greatly about the length of their skirts because they believed that anything above the knee was improper.

The woman was already quite close to the primal qi passage. After leaving the city, she transformed into a rainbow streak and shot into the sky. By the time Wang Sheng and Lishang's streams of light appeared on the horizon, she had already reached the checkpoint under the primal qi passage.

The armored celestial soldiers immediately turned alert. "Halt, Daoist Friend."

The two male True Immortals guarding the array core let their gazes linger on her a bit too freely. Still, they only admired her appearance; they didn't behave improperly.

Everyone cared about their reputation. As cultivators, exposing low tastes in public would only invite contempt.

One True Immortal said, "You look unfamiliar, Daoist Friend."

The female immortal gave them a slightly restrained smile. Softly and tenderly, she answered, "I'm only passing through. Now that I've rested for a bit, I'm continuing my journey back home. Please don't make this harder than it has to be, fellow Daoist Friends."

"According to Guimo's rules, you only have to pay fifty Immortal Stones to enter the primal qi passage."

"That's... I exchanged all the Immortal Stones I carried earlier for alchemical pills. Could you let me pass for free instead?"

The two guards exchanged glances and shook their heads. "That wouldn't be in accordance with the rules."

"You can sell some unused treasures or artifacts in Guimo City, which is right below us. It shouldn't be hard to accumulate fifty Immortal Stones."

Troubled, the female immortal now looked pitiful and helpless. "But I have no spare treasures or artifacts..."

Unfortunately, the two True Immortals and the celestial soldiers nearby and in the distance only watched. They had no intention of playing the role of heroes saving a beauty.

At that moment, Wang Sheng and Lishang also reached the area. Instead of stepping up to help her, they simply stood to the side and observed.

Lishang transmitted, "Those people are truly despicable. They've sealed off the primal qi passage, yet they can still shamelessly speak of rules."

Wang Sheng felt a bit amused. He had not expected Lishang to have such a strong sense of justice.

"Stay calm."

The female immortal pleaded a few more times.

Seemingly growing impatient, a True Immortal replied, "Instead of wasting time here, you should go to the Bright Moon Pavilion in the city and find some work. With your looks, you won't have trouble earning dozens of Immortal Stones."

"You!"

Instantly filled with grief and anger, she slightly drew her short sword from its sheath. Unfortunately, she looked too delicate and fragile to come across as threatening.

Lishang's brow furrowed slightly as she transmitted, "Elder Pi, are we really not going to help?"

Wang Sheng smiled. "It's a small matter. Let me handle it."

He first coughed lightly to draw everyone's attention. Afterward, he stepped forward with Lishang, who had already wrapped herself up tightly. She had donned a cloak, a long skirt, and a veil, ensuring that she didn't leave anything exposed.

"Daoist Friend." Wang Sheng stepped closer and casually took out a palm-sized, top-tier Immortal Stone from his sleeve. He smiled slightly at the young woman. "Did you happen to drop this Immortal Stone?"

While she was still stunned, Wang Sheng wrapped the Immortal Stone in immortal power and presented it before her.

Flustered, she turned red. After stammering for a moment, she finally accepted it. "Thank you so much, Daoist Friend. I don't know who you are, but I'll definitely repay you in the future."

"Don't worry about it. Everyone encounters problems during long travels. Please, go ahead."

Wang Sheng clasped his hands, bowed, and quietly walked back to Lishang's side.

Holding the top-tier Immortal Stone, the female immortal walked forward and turned her head back at every step. After lingering for a while, she finally reached the two True Immortals.

She quickly calmed her emotions and asked softly, "Is this Immortal Stone enough?"

One of them laughed. "You are fortunate today to have met such a generous immortal. Go on."

The two accepted the Immortal Stone and stepped aside. They opened the array core ahead, which looked like a gateway.

The other said, "Enter from here."

The female immortal turned her head and glanced at Wang Sheng a few times. Finally, she passed through the grand array.

Wang Sheng and Lishang also flew forward. When Wang Sheng took out two top-tier Immortal Stones, the True Immortals just quietly accepted the stones and let them pass; they didn't do anything odd.

Once inside the array, they saw the border of the primal qi passage only a bit of distance above them. It was no different from the others that they had passed through before.

The pretty female immortal, who had been waiting nearby, hurried over to the two and bowed. "Thank you so much for stepping in and helping me. I truly don't know how to thank you. My name is Lin Feiyao. I have always cultivated with my father, but I temporarily lost contact with him when he went off to seek medicine earlier. I left home in such a hurry that I forgot to bring enough Immortal Stones with me."

Wang Sheng smiled. "Don't worry, you don't owe us anything. Anyway, we still have to hurry on our journey. We won't trouble you with further talk."

Beside him, Lishang returned a bow.

The two were about to fly straight toward the primal qi passage when Lin Feiyao hurried forward and blocked their path.

She quickly remarked, "Please, at least tell me your name and where you live. Once I've gathered enough Immortal Stones, I'll definitely repay my debt."

Wang Sheng replied somewhat helplessly, "You don't have to. Everyone has moments of difficulty. Instead of repaying me, help others in their time of need and provide what they require. Now, we have urgent matters to attend to and truly shouldn't delay."

Lin Feiyao bit her lip. Sadness filled her large eyes, making it seem as though they spoke of her sorrow.

Any other male immortal, even those with great self-control, wouldn't have minded taking her along into the passage. They would chat and travel together in a primal qi bubble.

However, Wang Sheng would never do that. On the contrary, he even unleashed a trace of sword intent, forcing Lin Feiyao to retreat two steps.

He and Lishang entered the boundary of the primal qi passage first and created a primal qi bubble.

Lin Feiyao followed behind. Seeing how decisively Wang Sheng and Lishang departed, a hint of disappointment appeared in her gaze.

Within their bubble, Lishang asked in confusion, "It wouldn't have hurt to take that little immortal along, would it?"

Wang Sheng seriously answered, "We don't know anything about her. It's best to always exercise caution and avoid having too much contact with strangers. Considering how important our objective is, we should avoid taking on any extra tasks. Ah, Huai Jing must have infected me."

"Infected? What does that mean?"

"It's nothing. Anyway, let's hurry. We only have to enter one more passage after this to reach our destination."

***

At the boundary of the primal qi passage, Lin Feiyao's pitiful expression gradually faded, replaced with coldness and a slight frown.

"Help others in their time of need and provide what they require?" She snorted lightly.

Though still exuding a trace of disappointment, Lin Feiyao reassumed her charming appearance. She then created a primal qi bubble and entered the passage.