C344 Old Cash

The Absence Relic was renowned across the Profound Sky Continent. Not only in the Divine Might Empire and the Silvermoon Empire, but evil cultivators from other nations also sought refuge in the Relic, ostracized by society and forced into hiding.

With the Relic's sparse Spirit Qi, these outcasts had no choice but to rely on their hoarded Spirit Stones for cultivation.

A century ago, before the Spirit Void Sect established its space teleportation array, and before Shen Feiqing's master bestowed a name upon this desolate wasteland, it was an ignored corner of the world, utterly forsaken and barren.

Cultivators from the Heavenly Source and Quietus Continents, let alone those from the Divine Might and Silvermoon Empires, had no desire to venture into such a forsaken place. It was, however, a sanctuary for those shunned by the world.

Legend has it that before it had a name, the Absence Relic was a magnet for the Profound Sky Continent's most nefarious practitioners. Even demonic cultivators and renegades from the Heavenly Source and Quietus Continents sought refuge within its hidden depths.

At its zenith, the Absence Relic was home to a formidable assembly of evil forces.

But the construction of the Spirit Void Sect's space teleportation array marked a turning point. With the sect's decision to build here, and the arrival of Taoist Chongxiao from the Yang God Stage to preside over the area, the landscape of the Absence Relic was forever altered. Practitioners from the Thunder Sect, Cold Yin Sect, Taiyuan Sect, and other lower sects poured in through the array, dramatically shifting the power dynamics.

The Absence Relic became a proving ground for the seven lower sects' disciples. Under the guidance of their elders, they hunted down the malevolent beings, earning battle honors, advancing their cultivation, and shattering the shackles of their limits.

In short order, the once-thriving community of dark practitioners was decimated.

The survivors no longer dared to congregate, scattering to the Desolate Swamp and other perilous Alien Realms to evade becoming prey for the sects' trainees.

Even the most notorious of these evil cultivators vanished into obscurity, their fates unknown.

I had thought those nefarious cultivators and demons wouldn't dare to come back.

Yet, unexpectedly, the Spirit Void Sect's teleportation array was sabotaged by Yan Qiling, rendering it inoperable. Following that, the three malevolent spirits and demons, once dominant in this forsaken land, silently slipped back and brazenly revealed themselves above the pit.

In the midst of battle within the pit, Yan Qiling and Bai Shang felt the distinctive presence of the three and abruptly ceased their combat.

Xu Zixi, who had been relentlessly pressured by the white-haired crone, was visibly shaken.

She watched in astonishment as countless white beams of light shot from the mouths of the seven pythons, each one burrowing into the old woman's scalp and transforming back into slender white snakes.

The crone with the crutch let out a cold huff and declared, "This can wait for later!"

She then pivoted to gaze intently at the night sky behind her.

At that very moment, Shen Feiqing, Yan Qiling, and Bai Shang, all draped in purple silk, shared varied expressions as they turned their attention to the night sky, watching the approach of the three infamous uninvited guests from the Absence Relic.

Within the Fallen Star Eyes.

Lau Ying pondered briefly before touching the table's mirror. With her lips slightly parting, she spoke to Yuan Lianyao in a melodious voice, "Inside the jade towers, there's a portly elder my master calls Old Cash. He has a penchant for collecting the first copper coin minted by each empire and dynasty across the Profound Sky Continent."

"Each empire's inaugural copper coin is imbued with the dynasty's fortune, all of which he has assimilated into himself."

"Old Cash was once besieged by the empires and spent some time in hiding within the Absence Relic. My master mentioned that he's an indigenous oddity of the Profound Sky Continent, without any known lineage or mentor, and practices his cultivation in solitude. He's a formidable practitioner at the Soul Wandering Stage, though his current level remains a mystery."

Lau Ying shared the backstory of Old Cash.

In the mirror, the old man with the many gold-threaded coins on his robe responded to her words with a simple, goofy smile. He even bowed with a fist-in-palm salute through the mirror, as if to acknowledge Lau Ying's presence.

Lau Ying's expression shifted as a sense of unease washed over her.

In place of Old Cash, a woman with the ethereal beauty of jade bones beneath her flowing gown materialized, cradling a lute in her arms.

"Chi Hongyi is rumored to have been the sole daughter of a high-ranking prime minister within the Luan Bird Empire. She fell victim to the empire's power struggles when a general murdered her father. She suffered horribly, stripped of her skin and flesh, her soul imprisoned for three lifetimes. Yet, she was miraculously rescued from her cell."

"Just thirty years later, Chi Hongyi, now a skeletal figure of haunting beauty, entered the residence of that very general—who had risen to great heights in the Luan Bird Empire—lute in hand, as evening fell."

"That night, the general's entire household—women, children, servants, and maids—over three hundred souls, perished."

"After her brutal act, Chi Hongyi vanished into the night. Pursued by the Luan Bird Empire, she slipped into the Absence Relic. For years, the empire's cultivators scoured the relic for her, but most who sought her met their demise, and whispers of her whereabouts grew increasingly scarce."

Lau Ying's voice dropped to a whisper, cautious not to alert Chi Hongyi to their conversation about her origins.

"I've heard of Chi Hongyi," Yuan Lianyao remarked, her stunning face alight with respect. "Whatever her past, I believe she did no wrong."

Lau Ying gave a slight nod. "Whoever freed her from that prison and imparted such profound techniques to her remains an unsolved enigma."

"And the figure on the giant gourd?" Yuan Lianyao inquired further. "I've never heard of the yellow apparition."

"I'm just as mystified," Lau Ying admitted. "My master never mentioned anyone like that in the Absence Relic. That gourd is as vast as the landscape, and the apparition towers a hundred meters tall—it's unlike any being I've known."

The two women exchanged their hushed speculations high above the clouds.

Meanwhile, the three malevolent beings who had emerged so abruptly converged above the ruins of the city, locking gazes with the military commander draped in purple silk from afar.

Old Cash, perched atop his resplendent jade edifice, squinted and stroked his chin, his interest piqued as he surveyed the floating island. "Exquisite! Such a fine treasure, perfectly complementing the Absence Relic! No, wait—something's amiss!"

He took a sip from the ancient bronze flask, the wine within as crimson as blood, and his eyes sparkled with delight.

"This island isn't just complementary; it's a concentration of the residual fortunes of the Absence Relic, a nexus where the miasma and toxic fumes have amalgamated their strange powers. It's been constructed with dragon sinews and cemented with dragon blood and flesh!" Old Cash's appreciation grew with every moment.

"Who would have thought? I certainly didn't expect such a bounty upon returning to my old haunts! My exquisite jade palace is in dire need of a sturdy foundation, and what better than this island to anchor it? There's no place more fitting for my palace to settle!"

While he spoke, his hands were already sketching out dimensions in the air.

He imagined his meticulously crafted jade edifice perched atop the floating island, the island itself propelling the palace through the heavens and earth. What could be more satisfying?

"To that dark-haired girl, I'll make you my goddaughter. From now on, you'll accompany Old Cash. There's nowhere in the Profound Sky Continent we can't explore together!"

Shen Feiqing, Yan Qiling, and Xu Zixi watched Old Cash's arrival with bemusement. They noted his immediate and unabashed affection for the floating island, his excitement palpable.

It seemed Old Cash, once a renowned figure in the Absence Relic, was utterly unaware of the secret realm.

He was oblivious to the colossal platinum skeleton skull that belonged to an Asura from the Dark Domain, and to the astonishing secrets hidden within its eye.

Shen Feiqing, Bai Shang, and the white-haired crone exchanged knowing looks, silently breathing a sigh of relief.

These three nefarious spirits of significant repute had assumed they were aligned with Yan Qiling and the Imperial Advisor. Yet, when Old Cash set his covetous gaze upon Yu Zhu's floating island, they realized they had misjudged the situation.

As long as he wasn't after the Asura's eyeball or seeking to become their foe, all was well.

In that moment, the formidable commander, her petite figure standing out against the purple silk, paused briefly before stating, "We have no designs on that island."

Meaning, if Old Cash wanted it, he was free to claim it—they would not stand in his way.

Upon hearing her words, Yan Qiling and Xu Zixi felt an even greater weight upon their hearts.

Yu Zhu had once been a formidable ally to them.

Her attunement with the Great Dao of the Absence Relic made Yu Zhu as formidable as they were. However, her strength had waned due to refining her dragon blood and extracting the essence from her own heart, leading to a decline in her cultivation. This, compounded by Fan Yan's relentless attacks, left her severely weakened.

Just as she was beginning to recover, she unexpectedly encountered Old Cash.

"Did you all hear that?" Old Cash bellowed with laughter, clearly delighted, as he addressed Chi Hongyi and the towering phantom atop the gourd. "You heard her—she said the island is mine!"

"The island may be yours, but what of me?"

The colossal yellow apparition, standing a hundred meters tall, hummed lightly and reached out to grasp something in the distance.

One by one, it pulled out the ashen soul shadows from the carcasses hidden deep within the forest.

These were the remnants of the elite from the Taiyuan Sect and the Silvermoon Empire, slain by Lih Baixiong and his Tusk Troops, their souls not yet reclaimed by the Silvermoon Queen.

The yellow shadow savored each soul slowly, declaring, "These are insufficient."

Chi Hongyi, clad in red with bones beneath her garment, scanned the surroundings with her lute in hand. Her gaze then settled on the massive platinum skeleton.

Her pupils suddenly shone with a blood-red light, otherworldly and intense.

She sensed an odd and potent force within the skull, a relic of the Asura from the Dark Domain. She believed that assimilating it into her bony frame would significantly amplify her power.

Her crystalline body could become even more durable and resilient with this grand skull.

She even surmised that her long-stalled breakthrough in cultivation and the White Bone Technique could reach unprecedented heights with its aid.

"That's out of the question," the crone with the White Bone Crutch muttered, her lips curling in disdain as she glowered at Chi Hongyi.

"I must have that skull," Chi Hongyi stated, her voice steady and resolute.

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