68: Ice marrow to settle debts, the battlefield is about to begin.
"Myriad Realms Battlefield. Give me the specific coordinates and relevant information."
Liu Qingtian made his choice.
Compared to the unknown, deathly silent Burial Pit, the Myriad Realms Battlefield, while chaotic and bloody, was at least a place where multiple factions vied for power, perhaps offering more opportunities to fish in troubled waters.
Moreover, an Origin Spirit Spring sounded more like a sustainable resource point rather than a one-time adventure.
"Wise choice!" Lin Feng's tone held a hint of approval.
"The Myriad Realms Battlefield is chaotic, but opportunities are plentiful; it suits someone like you who enjoys dancing on the edge of a blade.
I'm sending you the coordinates and basic information now, including the distribution of battlefield factions, dangerous areas, and the general location and known intelligence of that Void Realm Secret Realm.
That will be 0.5 units of Profound Void Realm Origin, already added to your total debt."
A stream of information flooded into Liu Qingtian's tree soul; it was rough intelligence regarding the Myriad Realms Battlefield.
Although it was just the basics, its value was undoubtedly extremely high.
Liu Qingtian scanned it briefly, and his heart sank.
The Myriad Realms Battlefield was truly worthy of being called a meat grinder for the Myriad Heavens and Myriad Realms.
The resident factions mentioned in the intelligence were all at least at the Golden Body Realm, and experts of the Profound Void Realm appeared frequently.
In that place, the Kaishan Realm was merely Advanced cannon fodder.
And that newly discovered Void Realm Secret Realm was the focus of everyone's attention; the competition would inevitably be incomparably brutal.
Going there in his current state was truly no different from throwing his life away.
He had to recover his strength as quickly as possible and make thorough preparations.
He thought of that drop of star tear which had been mostly refined; its remaining energy should allow him to recover to the Kaishan Realm Mid-stage, but it still wasn't enough.
He needed more resources.
Just then, his consciousness swept over the willow leaf grotto-heaven, and he saw the ten thousand year cold marrow heart Origin, only the size of a thumb, which was temporarily sealed by the Qi of Life and Death.
This thing was good, but it didn't perfectly align with his Dao path, so keeping it was just a bargaining chip to exchange for resources.
And right now, he happened to have a "generous" creditor.
"Lin Feng," Liu Qingtian spoke again, his consciousness calm and waveless.
"I will repay a portion of the interest first."
"Oh?" Lin Feng seemed somewhat surprised.
"Did the sun rise in the west? You're actually taking the initiative to pay off your debt? What are you paying with? Don't tell me it's another mortgage on future earnings."
"Core Origin of the ten thousand year cold marrow heart, thumb-sized, extremely high quality."
Liu Qingtian said indifferently.
"Give me a valuation."
There was silence on the other end for a moment, as if evaluating it.
Soon, Lin Feng's voice sounded again, carrying a hint of undisguised surprise and... disdain?
"ten thousand year cold marrow heart? And it's the core Origin? It's good stuff, a priceless treasure for Cultivators who Cultivate ice-attribute Laws... But, Old Liu, this thing of yours... it's not a match!"
Lin Feng used a very troubled tone: "My System mainly collects Origin energy with strong versatility, like Golden Body Origin Essence or Profound Void Realm Origin, which are hard currency.
Your cold marrow heart is good, but its attributes are too niche.
I'd have to go find a specialized buyer to cash it out, there's loss in the middle, and I have to take risks... Sigh, this is hard to handle."
Liu Qingtian felt his tree bark numb; he knew this profiteer was trying to drive the price down.
He said coldly: "Less talk, just say how much it can offset."
"Hmm..." Lin Feng feigned contemplation.
"Considering you're a long-time customer and this is your first time taking the initiative to repay debt, how about this: this bit of cold marrow heart Origin, although the amount is a bit small and the attributes are niche, I'll take a loss and count it as 0.8 units of Profound Void Realm Origin! How about that? Am I being reasonable?"
0.8 units?
Liu Qingtian was almost angered into laughter.
The value of this core Origin of the ten thousand year cold marrow heart was definitely far greater than one complete unit of Profound Void Realm Origin!
This profiteer was simply heartlessly greedy!
"1.5 units, not a fraction less. Otherwise, I'll just keep it to exchange for things later."
Liu Qingtian did not back down.
Although he urgently needed to pay off his debt, he wasn't a sucker to be easily manipulated.
"Ouch! Old Liu, you're being unreasonable now! Raising the price on the spot?"
Lin Feng cried out in grievance.
"1.5 units? Why don't you just rob me? The market price for this thing fluctuates greatly..."
"1.5 units. Otherwise, I'll cut off the connection directly, you handle it yourself."
Liu Qingtian's consciousness was waveless, even making a gesture to cut off the connection to the Myriad World Roots.
He was betting that Lin Feng valued long-term benefits more and wouldn't push him too far over a small price difference.
"...Fine, fine, fine! You win!"
Lin Feng conceded, his tone filled with heartache.
"1.5 units it is! I'm losing a fortune! Just consider it supporting a Fellow Villager's startup! Hurry up, send it over!"
A tiny spatial coordinate was transmitted through the connection.
After confirming it was correct, Liu Qingtian carefully transmitted the sealed azure cold marrow heart Origin through the Myriad World Roots.
A moment later, Lin Feng received it, his tone sounding much more pleased: "Tsk tsk, the quality is indeed good, it's almost on the verge of developing a faint consciousness.
Alright, bill updated!
Your current total debt is: 3.086 + 0.5 (information fee) - 1.5 = 2.086 units of Profound Void Realm Origin!
Keep working hard, dear!"
Although it was still a massive debt, seeing the number decrease, Liu Qingtian felt slightly relieved.
At least it was a good start.
"By the way," Lin Feng seemed to be in a better mood and added a reminder, "The Myriad Realms Battlefield is a chaotic place, the rule there is that there are no rules.
Your Demon Willow form is too conspicuous; it's easy to become a target.
It's best to find a way to disguise yourself, or... hmm, you seem to have the 'Silent Origin Spirit Transformation Secret Chapter', right?
Although that thing isn't complete, it should contain some small techniques for transformation and aura concealment; you should study it yourself."
Transformation and aura concealment?
Liu Qingtian's heart stirred.
This was indeed a problem.
His Demon Willow form was too large a target, and it was indeed inconvenient in a place like the Myriad Realms Battlefield.
"Understood."
Liu Qingtian responded, then prepared to cut off the connection to hurry up and heal and prepare.
"Good luck, my high-quality leek... ah no, I mean, high-quality customer! Remember to come back alive to pay your debts!"
Lin Feng said jokingly, and actively disconnected.
The Void Realm returned to silence again.
Liu Qingtian withdrew his focus and began to fully refine the remaining star tear energy in his body.
At the same time, he separated a portion of his tree soul and sank it into the scroll of the "Silent Origin Spirit Transformation Secret Chapter," carefully searching for methods regarding transformation and aura concealment.
Although the shadow of annihilation had said that this was only an auxiliary secret technique, its level was extremely high, and the few small techniques recorded within were far beyond ordinary Spells.
Soon, he found a technique called the "Primordial Stillness Form Concealment Art."
This art was not a simple illusion, but rather, by adjusting the ratio of his own Annihilation Qi and life force, it simulated a certain intermediate state of all things being "about to be born but not yet born" and "about to die but not yet dead," thereby achieving an ultimate concealment effect, and it could even alter his own form and energy fluctuations to a certain degree.
It was perfectly suited for his current situation!
Liu Qingtian felt as if he had found a treasure and immediately began to comprehend and Cultivate it.
Time passed rapidly during his Cultivation.
The remaining star tear energy was thoroughly refined and absorbed; his injuries were finally completely healed, and his strength even broke through to the Kaishan Realm Mid-stage!
His tree body became more condensed, and his power surged.
And the Cultivation of the "Primordial Stillness Form Concealment Art" also began to show results.
He could already initially restrain his own massive life force and Demonic Qi, simulating a deathly silent state similar to a Void Realm rock.
It was time to set off.
Liu Qingtian's massive tree body slowly stretched out in the Void Realm, his tree eyes looking toward the direction of the coordinates provided by Lin Feng, cold and firm.
Myriad Realms Battlefield, Origin Spirit Spring.
No matter how dangerous it was, he had to go and venture into it.
He operated the "Primordial Stillness Form Concealment Art," the aura around his body rapidly internalizing, and his massive tree body seemed to be shrouded in a layer of grayish mist, becoming less conspicuous.
Subsequently, he turned into a dim stream of light and sped away toward that most chaotic and bloody battlefield in the Myriad Heavens and Myriad Realms.
A new journey, and also a new path to repaying his debts, thus began.