Chapter 407: New Changes in Space

On this day, the caravan led by Yin Ze finally completed a circuit along the third defense line and returned to their starting point.

Their most significant gains from this trading journey were various Spirit Stones. They collected over thirty million low-grade Spirit Stones, but not a single mid-grade Spirit Stone.

Although over twenty million low-grade Spirit Stones might seem like a substantial amount, in reality, it was roughly equivalent to just over three thousand mid-grade Spirit Stones.

At present, there were nearly ten thousand cultivators stationed along the entire third defense line, but only their caravan operated there. On average, they had earned a little more than thirty low-grade Spirit Stones per person.

Apart from Spirit Stones, they also gathered a substantial amount of Demonic Beast materials, all of which could be converted into items such as Spiritual Weapons, Talismans, and Pills in the future.

After Yin Ze handed over the accounts for inspection to Wang Hong, he briefly recounted what he had observed along the way.

Wang Hong inquired, "Did you encounter any cultivators from the Immortal Way Trading Company on the road? How are they faring now?"

"We did encounter them," Yin Ze replied. "In fact, we engaged in several significant trades with their caravan. I heard there's a ranking for the achievements of cultivators defending the third defense line. It includes both individual and collective rankings. Our East Zhou Trading House ranks first on the collective list, while the Immortal Way Trading Company is second."

Yin Ze added with a touch of pride, "By the way, we met Zhang Chunfeng from the Qingxu Sect on a section of the city wall. He has been assigned to a specific wall section and is leading ten Foundation Building cultivators under him. He asked me to deliver a letter to you."

As he spoke, Yin Ze retrieved a Jade Scroll from his Storage Bag and handed it to Wang Hong.

Wang Hong took a look at the scroll, finding nothing particularly important. It mainly contained information about Zhang Chunfeng's location for easier contact and inquired if Wang Hong had any arrangements for him.

After perusing the Jade Scroll, Wang Hong asked, "During your journey along the entire defense line, how is the defensive situation in various areas?"

"East Master, currently, Demonic Beasts are launching continuous day and night attacks in various areas, and the defending cultivators have long been exhausted. Various resources, including Spiritual Objects, are nearly depleted. While our trading house has alleviated some of the immediate concerns, it's but a drop in the bucket. I fear we can't hold out for much longer," Yin Ze replied, wearing a concerned expression. The recent upheaval in the East Zhou Cultivation Realm was unprecedented in tens of thousands of years, leaving everyone feeling uncertain.

In the past, the Human Clan had engaged in conflicts with the Demon Clan, but it was always a one-sided battle, either in the east or the west. Never before had there been a situation where they had to contend with both sides simultaneously, and neither of these two forces was weaker than the human race.

Wang Hong harbored deep concerns as well. If the third defense line were to fall again, he had no idea how much strength the Qingxu Sect would have left to resist the Demon Clan. Even if they managed to barely hold Azure Void City and the Qingxu Sect's Mountain Gate, enduring a prolonged siege would be challenging.

After seeing off Yin Ze, Wang Hong entered his spatial domain. This time, he had obtained over thirty million Spirit Stones, and he scattered ten million of them throughout his spatial land.

As the Spirit Stones were absorbed by the spatial land, its area gradually expanded, and the flow of time within it accelerated.

The original size of the spatial land was three hundred and five acres, and time flowed at a rate of three hundred and thirty-four times that of the outside world.

As the area of Space continued to expand, the speed of time passing increased to 365 times the normal rate, then suddenly halted. Although the land area continued to grow, the rate of time passing remained constant.

However, when the land area reached 365 acres, it also stopped growing. Yet, the millions of Spirit Stones he had scattered on the land were still gradually disappearing.

Until all the remaining Spirit Stones had been absorbed, Space showed no sign of growth or change, even the concentration of Spirit Qi remained unchanged.

It was distressing for Wang Hong to see millions of Spirit Stones vanish without any noticeable effect.

It seemed like Space had a particular fondness for the number 365, as both the land area and time passage remained fixed at that number.

Since he had no power to change this, Wang Hong decided to enjoy the benefits that Space had to offer. He added an additional forty-five acres of land in Space, planting them with second-tier and third-tier Spiritual Herbs.

Now, one day outside equated to one year within Space, significantly speeding up the cultivation of these Spiritual Herbs.

Typically, it took just one year in the outside world from planting second-tier Spiritual Herbs to harvesting them.

With this accelerated growth rate, Wang Hong could allocate more space for planting third-tier Spiritual Objects, which would be useful for Little Peng and himself in the future.

In reality, over three hundred acres of land was quite substantial for the Mortal Realm, equivalent to all the land in a small village.

The Wang family village, where Wang Hong originally lived, had a total of only five hundred acres of farmland.

The Spiritual Herbs and spirit wood in Space had been growing for approximately five thousand years, and if released into the outside world, even Golden Core cultivators would vie for them.

Some of the Spirit Fruits trees that Wang Hong initially planted had experienced thousands of years of growth in Space, growing into towering trees. In the outside world, many Spiritual Herbs and spirit wood had a limited lifespan, but in Wang Hong's Space, the situation was different.

Many first-tier Spiritual Herbs in his Space, even after reaching their lifespan limit, didn't die but continued to grow, accumulating medicinal power. When they reached a critical point, they naturally advanced to become second-tier Spiritual Herbs.

Similarly, some second-tier Spiritual Herbs had naturally advanced to third-tier Spiritual Herbs.

As for third-tier Spiritual Herbs, this phenomenon had not yet occurred, likely because they hadn't reached the required age.

However, there was one small green tree in Space that had been growing for thousands of years and was still only about the height of a person. This tree neither bore flowers nor fruits, and aside from being incredibly resilient, its purpose remained a mystery.

Wang Hong wondered if it would ever produce some top-tier spirit fruit in the future, allowing him to enjoy a luxurious treat.

The spirit silkworms he raised in Space were now spinning silk, and Wang Hong had collected hundreds of bundles of spirit silkworm silk. He intended to use it to craft a close-fitting armor for himself.

After busywork in Space, Wang Hong settled on a fruit tree and concentrated his thoughts on a golden circle within his Nascent Soul's body.

This golden circle was similar to a Blood Contract and had been signed when he first achieved Foundation Building during his registration in the Sect. Now, he discovered that there was a similar golden circle within his Nascent Soul.

Wang Hong had previously attempted to remove this golden circle through his thoughts but hadn't succeeded. Now, with the Qingxu Sect's future looking uncertain, he didn't want to leave any potential liabilities for the Sect.

So, he slowly moved the golden circle within his body using his thoughts.

[Read at /shanefreak, and heartfelt thankyou for your support!]

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay