Chapter 113 : Verdant Copper (1)
In the last thirty thousand years, some people divided the areas inside the ridge into many regions, and each region was around three to five thousand miles long.
Of course, these distances were calculated starting from their door that they had just come from. The first starting zone within the five thousand mile radius was considered the common area. Even though there were Heavenly Beasts and Longevity Spirits in this place, they were all under ten thousand years old. To the powerful sects and nations, this area was safe for people to freely move about.
From five to eight thousand miles away, it was called the harvest area. This area was suitable for the disciples of these sects to find treasures and kill Heavenly Beasts and Longevity Spirits for their beast marrow, dao bones, longevity blood, and life rings…
Plus, the dangers were not great inside this area. Thus, to the powerful sects, this region belonged to them for their disciples.
Around the nine to fifteen thousand mile radius lies the challenge area. Only Royal Nobles would dare to come inside. There were many one hundred thousand year old beasts in this place. Ordinary disciples would only be courting death if they enter.
This area was the zone for the Named Heroes and Royal Nobles since the items here were more suitable for them and they usually yielded superlative results.
Twenty thousand miles away was the dangerous areas. Only Enlightened Beings would dare to go and dig for treasures and kill beasts in this zone.
After twenty thousand miles was the extremely dangerous area. How dangerous it would be was dependent on one’s luck. If one was unlucky, then they would be met with five hundred thousand year old beasts. If one’s fortune was decent, then they would be met with three hundred thousand year old beasts.
Naturally, these areas gave birth to great treasures and metals, along with medicinal plants. The corpses of these beasts were of extremely high value and would make others become mouth-watery, as well.
After thirty thousand miles… No one dared to be involved with this area. There were some that considered this to be a no man’s land. There was a chance to meet with one million year old beasts inside this area. Going inside was simply courting death. Even Enlightened Beings wouldn’t be enough to fill the gaps between the teeth of these monstrous beasts.[1]
As for how big this no man’s land was, no one was clear because no one had ever entered this area. It was suicidal to enter!
There were rumors that deep inside the Evil Infested Ridge was a legendary ferocious being. Some say that there will be Heavenly Beasts and Longevity Spirits at three million years of age, or even older — they were the highest of existences. Even if a Virtuous Paragon were to meet with these beasts, it would be hard to say who would die in whose hands.
Another rumor stated that there was an evil demon lurking inside, a living legend of the demons. Even Virtuous Paragons would only be seeking death when they meet it.
No matter what, no one dared to even enter the no man’s land, let alone the deepest part of the Evil Infested Ridge.
The sects inside the ridge immediately took action. No one wanted to linger for even half a second because someone else could have taken their territories during this wait.
Within a short period of time, this desolate area became very lively. The sects that knew that they were ordinary occupied the common area and raided this place thoroughly in order to find treasures. The stronger sects went into the harvest area. These sects all have elites that number from several hundred to one thousand. They were like the tsunami as they swept through the Heavenly Beasts and Longevity Beasts in this zone for their longevity blood and dao bones!
As for the challenge area, only the great lineages laid claims to these areas. Only the Heavenly Southern Kingdom, the Jiang Zuo Clan, and the Heavenly Jewel Kingdom dared to enter. As for the Violet Cloud Sect and the Flying Dragon Lake, they could only enter the harvest area.
“Little Wan Ge Wa actually dug out a piece of Three Runes Grand Dao Metal!”
In this ridge, countless eyes were staring at others. Any sects that were able to obtain something good weren’t able to hide it from the eyes of others.
“Sect Master Fei Xie Zong was able to pick an eighty thousand year old Green Dan Fruit! He was lucky enough to find a spirit fruit for Blood Medicine.”
“The Bao Ju Sect and the Dao He Alliance chased a one hundred and eighty thousand year old Longevity Spirit for more than one thousand miles before they were able to share the longevity blood and life ring.”
Naturally, there were also sects working together to ambush beasts for their blood and bones.
“The Ji Shan Holy Ground dug a one thousand zhang deep hole on a mountain peak and was able to find a Five Runes King Iron!”
There were also sects who gathered their disciples to dig the ground, and they found Grand Dao Life Metals!
Grand Dao Life Metals were the materials required to create Life Treasures. Any cultivator could use them to refine their own Life Treasure.
It was different for a True Treasure. For a cultivator, there was only one True Fate, so the majority of them only had one True Treasure. However, Life Treasures were different. Any of these metals could refine one or two Life Treasures.
So, the materials for Life Treasures were in extremely high demand, and even more hot than the Destiny True Crystals.
There were two types of materials needed to create a Life Treasure. First, the Grand Dao Life Metals; second, the dao bones of Heavenly Beasts.
Dao bones could be obtained by slaying Heavenly Beasts, but Grand Dao Life Metals had to be dug from the ground. Plus, the higher grade metals were only found in dangerous areas.
Grand Dao Life Metals, spirit pills and medicinal plants, beast marrows and dao bones… Any cultivator that came to the Evil Infested Ridge all had some sort of rewarding harvest.
News continued to come, but the Evil Infested Ridge was also bathed in blood. This blood didn’t only belong to the Heavenly Beasts and Longevity Spirits, but also from cultivators who died in the beasts’ hands.
“The crown prince of the City Toppling Nation lost three hundred experts and had their blood sucked dry just to kill a one hundred thousand year old Longevity Spirit.”
When the cultivators were killing Longevity Spirits, the beasts and spirits inside the Evil Infested Ridge also considered this the moment of a grand feast. Many powerful beings continuously maneuvered in order to hunt their own prey.
“Five hundred disciples from the Heart Seeking Mountain met a two hundred thousand year old Heavenly Beast. They were all slaughtered in the battle!”
“The disciples of the Red River Valley accidentally went into a flame cave and were trapped to death, inside. In the end, only the valley master was able to escape; the rest of the disciples were burned to ashes!”
However, the dangers in the ridge were not limited to just Heavenly Beasts and Longevity Spirits. There were dangerous grounds that could devour humans as well.
*** ***
At this point, the entire ridge became a grand feast. Whether it was for cultivators or for the Heavenly Beasts and Longevity Spirits, both sides began to sweep through each other and the culling had begun. The stench of blood lingered in this world. Even though there was good news each day, there were also nightmarish stories spread around.
However, the sects and nations that were powerful enough were victorious in all of their battles. Nothing could stop them as they swept through an entire direction. Their rich harvest made the eyes of others red with envy, such as the Heavenly Jewel Kingdom or the Heavenly Southern Kingdom.
“Jiang Zuo Hou slayed a two hundred thousand year old Heavenly Beast!”
In a few short days, there was a piece of news that caused everyone to change their expressions and shudder.
“A two hundred thousand year old Heavenly Beast? Even a Royal Noble couldn’t beat one, how did Jiang Zuo Hou kill it?”
There was someone who was skeptical, and asked.
“Jiang Zuo Hou had one thousand riders that formed the “Six Wise Monarchs Formation”. They trapped the Heavenly Beast for three days and three nights before finally killing it.”
An eyewitness explained.
When met with a two hundred thousand year old Heavenly Beast, even Royal Nobles would be fearful and would even retreat, yet the young Jiang Zuo Hou was able to slay it — truly incredible.
“The Six Wise Monarchs Formation!”
A person who knew of this grand formation took a deep breath.
The Six Wise Monarchs Formation was the grand formation of the Jiang Zuo Clan, used to protect itself. It was created by Virtuous Monarch Jiang Zuo, and it had slain Heavenly Kings and Virtuous Paragons!
Someone was amazed of Jiang Zuo Hou’s strength and emotionally said:
“Even though Jiang Zuo Hou was only bestowed the title of Hou by the country, he has one foot in the realm of Royal Noble and already has the power of a Royal Noble.”
People were convinced of Jiang Zuo Hou and were also envious of the fact that he could seize the beast marrow and dao bones of a two hundred thousand years old Heavenly Beast. These were extremely great and valuable items.
“Nan Tian Hao fortunately went inside an ancient cave and seized a Verdant Copper, a part of the Six Runes Saint Copper!”
The power of Jiang Zuo Hou made others astonished, but the luck of Nan Tian Hao was also fortuitous. In just a few short days, these news were spread far and wide.
“Verdant Copper, Six Runes, ah! This is a good item, even millions of refined crystals wouldn’t be able to buy it.”
One person who heard this news was both envious and jealous and said:
“The challenge area indeed has many great treasures. It even had a Six Runes Saint Copper!”
Hearing this good news, many cultivators took a risk and ventured into the challenge area. Of course, for many of these cultivators, this was welcoming their deaths.
Grand Dao Life Metals were born naturally into this world and had innate dao runes. Only the ones with dao runes would be formally called Grand Dao Life Metals.
Each of them contained the dao runes from the ancient eras! These dao runes were called Grand Dao Metal Runes or Grand Dao Life Metals. To Life Treasures, these metals were indeed too precious.
For example, when a Grand Dao Life Metal had the dao runes of “Fire”, one could refine it using the “Violet Fire Merit” or “Heavy Flame Law” to smelt it and turn it into a Grand Dao Metal Rune.
Using the appropriate merit laws with the same element when refining these metals would yield a Life Treasure with double the power.[2]
[1] This is an expression meaning that they could eat so many Enlightened Beings at the same time that some would get stuck inside their teeth, but since Enlightened Beings are so weak and tiny, they wouldn’t be enough
[2] Only thing you would really need to know is that there are runes inside these metals, and using a similar merit law to smelt them would make the Life Treasures even stronger