Chapter 615

Chapter 615: Windfall

When the guards stationed at the Wine and Rice Shop noticed something unusual and rushed over as swiftly as they could,

the Purple Palace Battle Cultivator was astonished to find the shop completely deserted.

On the counter lay an open account book and Qian Wancheng’s cherished golden abacus.

The Purple Palace guard’s gaze sharpened, and a sense of foreboding washed over him.

Qian Wancheng had a peculiar habit.

Every time he tallied the accounts, he would dismiss the shop’s workers and guards, preferring to handle everything alone.

Moreover, Shopkeeper Qian guarded the shop’s ledger with utmost vigilance, never allowing anyone else to touch it.

It was inconceivable for him to simply leave it on the table and walk away.

Unless…

The Purple Palace guard’s mind raced as he drew out a talisman and channeled his magical energy into it.

The talisman instantly ignited, then extinguished, leaving only a few ashes to drift silently to the ground.

This was dire!

His eye twitched involuntarily, and he immediately let out a piercing howl to sound the alarm.

Enemy attack!

As chaos engulfed the Wine and Rice Shop, sending ripples of alarm throughout Feixu Valley, Wang Chen had already navigated through the relentless wind and snow and returned to his home.

After securing the doors, Wang Chen slipped into the hidden chamber.

Having established his residence outside Feixu Valley, Wang Chen had excavated an extensive tunnel and a hidden chamber that delved a hundred feet deep.

The scale of this endeavor far surpassed any of his previous projects!

This was because the power ceiling of the Haotian Realm vastly exceeded that of the Mountain-Sea Realm, with Golden Cores being as common as pebbles and Yuan Ying cultivators scattered everywhere. The dangers he might encounter were far greater than before.

Only such a hidden chamber could provide Wang Chen with a sense of security while he cultivated.

This time, his mission to eliminate Qian Wancheng, though fraught with significant risk, had been meticulously prepared.

Patience, surveillance, investigation, planning, and execution!

So far, everything had unfolded flawlessly.

Seated in the hidden chamber, Wang Chen began to review the entire operation,

searching for any overlooked details.

In truth, Wang Chen himself had not anticipated that this act of vengeance would proceed so smoothly, and all the contingency plans he had prepared for various adverse scenarios remained unused.

Perhaps the heavens were indeed on his side!

And the Supreme Mysterious Spirit Dragon True Form Image had played a pivotal role in this.

This was not the first time Wang Chen had employed this treasure map against an enemy, but this time he had harnessed a new ability of the Supreme Mysterious Spirit Dragon True Form Image. In his first real battle, he had vanquished a formidable Purple Palace cultivator!

This realization made Wang Chen acutely aware that he had previously underestimated the destructive power of this treasure map.

Although he possessed the Ancient Stone Tablet, Heavenly Net for Exorcising Evil, Thousand Transformations, Life Creation Cauldron, and Supreme Mysterious Spirit Dragon True Form Image, his understanding and mastery of these treasures remained at a superficial level.

Once a dig, and a surprise is unveiled!

For Wang Chen, uncovering another formidable destructive power of the Supreme Mysterious Spirit Dragon True Form Image was undoubtedly more exhilarating than vanquishing a nefarious shopkeeper.

This ability of the Supreme Mysterious Spirit Dragon True Form Image was exceptionally practical.

It evoked memories of the Ancient Tower of Heaven within the Biluotian secret realm, prompting him to ponder a possible connection between the two.

Yet, employing the Supreme Mysterious Spirit Dragon True Form Image to deceive others was not without its toll; the majority of the dormant energy stored within the treasure map had been depleted, leaving insufficient energy to replicate the same effect.

He needed to locate a water-rich area to absorb and replenish the dormant energy.

Currently, it was the heart of winter, and Wang Chen restrained his impulses, diverting his attention from the Supreme Mysterious Spirit Dragon True Form Image.

He retrieved a grayish-white ring.

This ring boasted an exceedingly simple design, devoid of any surface patterns, and the material appeared to be some sort of valueless metal—if dropped, no one would stoop to pick it up.

Yet, it was an unexpected treasure for Wang Chen that night!

He had stumbled upon this ring while disposing of evidence.

Intriguingly, it was not adorning Qian Wancheng’s hand but was found at the shopkeeper’s foot.

In other words, it had been worn on Qian Wancheng’s toe!

This peculiarity prompted Wang Chen to bring the ring home.

A Xumi Ring!

Wang Chen surmised that this Xumi Ring functioned as Qian Wancheng’s personal treasury, harboring his ill-gotten gains, worn on his foot to conceal and safeguard them from loss.

Who would suspect it hidden within a boot?

Wang Chen attempted to channel magical energy into the Xumi Ring.

To his astonishment, it opened instantly!

When Wang Chen “gazed” upon the contents within, his astonishment could only be articulated with three exclamations of "wow!"

Horses do not grow fat without night grass, and people do not amass wealth without a windfall.

Wang Chen had experienced his share of unexpected fortunes.

He possessed precious treasures and always maintained high standards.

Yet, at this moment, he felt as though he had struck gold!

Qian Wancheng’s Xumi Ring boasted an internal space several times larger than Wang Chen’s own.

It was brimming with a vast quantity of spirit stones, encompassing spirit fragments, Intermediate Spirits, and Upper Spirits.

In addition to spirit stones, it also housed a mountain of spiritual rice and spiritual wine!

Qian Wancheng had undoubtedly utilized this Xumi Ring as a portable storehouse, stocking it with pure items—solely spirit stones, spiritual rice, and spiritual wine, nothing else.

Wang Chen roughly estimated the spirit stones to be worth approximately six to seven million.

That equated to about sixty thousand Intermediate Spirits.

As for the spiritual rice, it primarily comprised three varieties: besides the green Japonica rice Wang Chen was most acquainted with, there were also yellow corn and golden essence rice.

All were premium spiritual rice suitable for cultivators.

Moreover, there were over a thousand jars of spiritual wine, the specifics of which only Qian Wancheng himself could know.

In essence, these spirit stones, spiritual rice, and spiritual wine instantly replenished Wang Chen’s previously depleted reserves.

Even if he had no further sources of income, he could comfortably subsist on these resources for several years, if not a decade!

Wang Chen’s earlier vexation dissipated entirely.

Speaking of which, this shopkeeper, Qian Wancheng, was somewhat pitiable; he had toiled his entire life for these savings, only to have everything appropriated by Wang Chen and lose his life in the process.

In the ensuing days, Wang Chen officially entered hibernation mode.

He ceased visiting Feixu Valley.

However, Zhang Mushan dispatched several talismans to him, mentioning that the proprietor of the Wine and Rice Shop had abruptly vanished; the Dao Palace subsequently reported that this individual’s soul lamp had extinguished.

There was a modest Dao Palace in Feixu Valley, serving as a cultivation site for Golden Core Master Mu.

Shortly thereafter, the battle cultivators from Feixu Camp conducted an exhaustive search of the valley, unearthing several spies and traitors.

Yet, no one confessed to slaying Qian Wancheng.

Master Mu was incensed by this!

Consequently, Zhang Mushan cautioned Wang Chen to steer clear of Feixu Valley for the time being, to avoid any unnecessary complications.

Wang Chen was content to go with the flow.

Days elapsed, and soon it was time for the New Year festivities.

Wang Chen celebrated his first New Year in the Haotian Realm at Zhang Mushan’s residence.

Notably, the proprietor of the Wine and Rice Shop had already been replaced, and even the signboard had been altered.

Qian Wancheng’s establishment had transformed into Mu’s Shop!