Consuming Earths, Devouring Skies

"This is…" Tao's mouth gaped in shock.

"To think you…" Bai Lufeng had eyes shining with greed and excitement.

"Hehehehehehe!" Yan Zaizen was giggling like a little schoolgirl, holding his sides and wiping off the saliva that couldn't help but form at the corner of his lips. To be honest, both Tao and Bai Lufeng mind's reeled at his appearance, finding it somewhat disgusting despite their relationship.

Three men were located in one of the skyship's many rooms, but this was the largest and held cargo of all sorts. They were located in a circle as they looked down at a brown, four-legged table that was filled with spatial rings and bags. These spatial objects were things Yan Zaizen had taken off of the previous crew of Qi Unification Cultivators, Origin Core Protectors, a Prince and young ladies who held high status in grux, as well as a True Essence Cultivator. Not to mention, this True Essence Cultivator was a grand-tier alchemist!

The sheer amount of wealth in his spatial ring that was the accumulation of his entire life possessions could be imagined. It was no wonder that the trio was struck dumb with greed.

"How much is it?" Bai Lufeng couldn't help but ask, but it elicited Tao and Yan Zaizen to look at him with ruthless expressions. This caused him to gulp, and he realized that it's unlikely for him to have any piece of this pie. As for his ring that was taken by Yan Zaizen before, it was returned, and that's probably the most he'll receive.

Tao ignored Bai Lufeng and calculated with his fingers, "In terms of wealth and value of all objects combined, this entire thing should be worth about...3 billion drops of low-grade liquid essence."

When this was said, both Yan Zaizen and Bai Lufeng's gaze turned so heated that the entire world probably need sunscreen. 3 BILLION DROPS! That was an astronomical amount of wealth that went to the point that it could rival the entirety of all first-tier powers within the country. All first tier powers combined!

To put it in perspective, 3 billion drops, if transformed into crystal essence, would be 30 mid-grade essence crystals. Low-Grade Essence Crystals was used for True Essence Cultivators for their qi cultivation, but mid-grade was for even higher! Of course, even if one possesses the proper essence, doesn't mean they could reach the next level. A large reason had to be due to time.

To put this heart-breaking fact into perspective as well, Yan Zaizen took four months to reach the peak in Essence Formation, Dantian Refinement, and Pathway Expansion, but that was with a mid-grade essence crystal which shaved off several years for refinement. As one continued their cultivation, their personal absorption rate and refinement speed don't change much; Therefore, their cultivation speed starts to drop as cultivating becomes more and more time-consuming. This is why many use alchemic pills or elixirs to expedite their cultivation speed, but this has a price such as an impurity in the qi network or simply difficulty in production.

It is also why many go into closed-door cultivation for decades, centuries, or even millennia. You may have the resources, but that doesn't mean you have the time. For those who struggle with their life on the line to gather resources, they are even more unlikely to reach the peak of cultivation without heaven-defying luck or skill.

It is also why talent is highly regarded as it indicated one's personal absorption speed of essence or medicinal effectiveness towards one's body. When Yan Zaizen was young, his talent was deemed the lowest of the low based on this and his poor art comprehension. Thus, he'll need more time and resources than others to reach the same level.

This doesn't even account for the traveling, combat, and laws that cultivators need to expend time on.

This is why no one took him seriously or felt he would rise. Without innate talent, progressing to the True Essence Realm with a limited lifespan was a dream of everyone except the highborn of the country.

Luckily, his old body's talent had been cast off and born anew. He now held the talent of a Herculean and as his physique developed, so will his ability to refine and process essence or any type of material. After all, the materials required to be refined by a Herculean for advancement was by no means ordinary under the heavens.

"We also obtained seven Origin Consolidation Pill, twenty-eight Godly Unification Elixir, one True Essence Sublimation Pill, one Aurora Manifestation Pill, and…" Tao continued to list the particulars of their loot. While the Origin Consolidation Pill may be rare to the Imperial Palace, but to a Grand-tier Alchemist like the Xiāo City Lord, they weren't much.

If he wasn't capable of gathering a massive force, how could he create a city and still be at odds with the royal family? Even if he was at the initial-True Essence Realm, the Ancient Emperor could still kill him easily, as each step in that realm was like the difference between the sky and earth. Yet, that didn't happen. The reason was his status as the greatest Grand-tier alchemist in all of Grux and the ability to gather and produce his own force.

How else did he obtain the wealth to set up a spatial platform that could teleport an entire mountain?! Let alone an entire sky-rank armament that was a literal mountain.

The Godly Unification Elixir was a top-grade elixir that can help one enter and progress through the Qi Unification Realm up to the late-stage, while the True Essence Sublimation Pill was a grand-tier pill that could help one reach the True Essence Realm! This pill was heaven-defying, but help doesn't mean a guarantee, but it still increased your chances.

Unlike the Origin Consolidation Pill which pretty much guaranteed success if one was at the half-step Origin Core Realm, but this pill only increased your chances at succeeding. Breaking through a new cultivation wasn't considered easy by any means, and the higher you go, the harder it becomes.

"Aurora Manifestation Pill?" Yan Zaizen was intrigued. This was the first time he'd heard of any of these except the ones relating to the Qi Unification Realm. One must know, the Yan Clan only possessed those at the late-Qi Unification Realm at best. Even then, there were only two or three.

Tao wasn't shocked that Yan Zaizen didn't know, especially since Yan Zaizen seemed to be naturally talented with the soul, would he even require resources like this? "An Aurora Manifestation Pill is used to help condense one's Aurora, thereby reaching the Aurora Soul Realm." He explained quite patiently, but inwardly, he was shocked.

This was an ancient pill and many of the resources to make this pill can't be obtained in the Xiantu Realm. What surprised him even further was that it originated from the Prince's Ring. If he had to guess, it explains why the Xiāo City Lord decided to fight Yan Zaizen and interfere in Imperial business. This pill must've lured him in snuggly, even willing to shatter a priceless talisman to bring his sky-ranked armament to battle.

Unfortunately for him, his losses were staggering. It's highly unlikely he'll ever help the Imperial Family again.

Yan Zaizen was surprised, but it wasn't helpful to him, so he didn't put it into his mind as valuable. As for Bai Lufeng, his eyes were so wide that it seemed his eyelids never existed. If Yan Zaizen could be considered ignorant of its existence and uncaring of its value, then Bai Lufeng could be considered ignorant of its existence, but fully aware of its value.

This could help one reach the Initial Aurora Soul! That would make one equivalent to a half-step True Essence Cultivator. A single pill can achieve that. Of course, one had to reach the Perfect Nascent Soul Realm beforehand, but the leap was astronomically high.

"Well, I'll take all the Godly Unification Elixirs. Since we have time before we arrive in Sky Heart City, I think it's about right for me to make my breakthrough. As for the Origin Consolidating Pill, Tao, you can use it to make your breakthrough as well. As for...you…" Yan Zaizen allocated the resources and shifted his gaze to Bai Lufeng.

The moment this gaze landed on him, he felt an odd sensation of awkwardness as he coughed. Before Yan Zaizen could continue, he spoke, "I'll pilot the ship to Sky Heart City. I have done nothing to obtain any resources, and I'm not in any particular rush for a breakthrough." His response was rather perfect, as Yan Zaizen only nodded in agreement.

Tao knew Bai Lufeng was bullshitting, but regardless, he wouldn't see any resources for now.

After storing everything and distributing the things that Tao needed for a stable breakthrough, Yan Zaizen went to his private quarters and prepared for his breakthrough to the Qi Unification Realm.