Chapter 698: Unending Sea
The VIP area truly lived up to its reputation; it was extremely unique. Unlike the premium sector on the second level, the VIP area on the third floor was even more peaceful. The people here were either extremely rich or of noble status. The items sold were not only of countless varieties, but the quality of the items was not something the so-called premium items on the second level could match, much less the inferior goods on the first level.
“Ooh, Black Crystal Marrow?” Yang Ling happened to notice a few bottles of precious treasures while he was walking past a shop selling crystals. To him, an average weapon or piece of armor did not have much value, but Black Crystal Marrows, which could hasten the assimilation of divinities, were a different story.
Even though he had subjugated a substantial number of Divine-level Magical Beasts, in the long term, the main source of Divine-level Magical Beasts in the Magical Beast Army would have to come from the advancement of Level Surpassing Magical Beasts. Setting up a channel for the evolution of these Level Surpassing Magical Beasts would be the key to the continuous development of the Magical Beast Army, guaranteeing that there would be a continuous injection of new blood! Since that was the case, he would definitely need some Black Crystal Marrows. At the very least, he could use the Black Crystal Marrows to nurture Magical Beasts with specialties or unique talents!
Seeing that Yang Ling was interested in the bottles of Crystal Marrows, a plump, middle-aged man walked toward Yang Ling with a wide smile.
“Lord, these are the purest, most premium Crystal Marrows produced in the Dimension of Death. One drop costs ten thousand Black Crystals. There are a hundred drops in a bottle; I can offer a discount if you get the entire bottle, only nine hundred and fifty thousand Black Crystals!”
Because Black Crystal Marrows were extremely precious, they were also extremely expensive. An average wanderer would have to break their back working for several dozen years before they could buy a drop. Even though Yang Ling did not appear to be obscenely wealthy, he did have a unique disposition. He had a certain awe-inspiring quality unique to people with influence, and he had a large group of guards behind him. The middle-aged man could surely not let such a good opportunity go.
“Good, very good. I’ll take all five bottles!” Yang Ling was in a hurry to go see the so-called Half-Dimension and did not have the time, nor the energy, to haggle with the middle-aged man. He waved his hand and kept all five bottles of the Crystal Marrow. Without needing his instructions, behind him, the Corpse Wizard King took out a large bunch of Black Crystals from within his Space Ring, making the middle-aged man so excited that his heart almost leaped out of his body.
“I heard that a Dimensional Merchant has come to the third level today; do you know where he is?” Seeing that the eyes of the middle-aged man were gleaming with excitement, Yang Ling put on a faint smile.
Many talented individuals resided within Wandering Castles, especially large-scale Wandering Castles like the Camel Peak Castle. Even though Yang Ling could quickly scan the entire exchange hall with his massive Divine Knowledge, he did not dare act recklessly, so as to avoid attracting anybody’s attention or alarming unparalleled fighters who were hiding their auras. He maintained his usual calm and his method of lying low.
“Not everybody is qualified to meet a Dimensional Merchant, Lord; wait a moment!” The middle-aged man deliberated briefly, then turned around and headed into the shop. He soon came out with a crystal card, “Lord, this is a crystal VIP card that is widely used within the major dimensions. You can use it to store Black Crystals in the banks of the various major dimensions. Only a few are qualified to use this. You can head to the east sector to meet the mysterious Dimensional Merchant using this card.”
The middle-aged man felt good after earning a large sum of money in an instant, explaining as he helped Yang Ling complete the paperwork for the crystal VIP card. Finally, he even sent a worker of his to lead Yang Ling and his group to the east sector where the Dimensional Merchant was.
There were not many people in the VIP area on the third level to begin with, but there were even fewer people in the heavily-guarded east sector, which restricted access for ordinary people. Led by a female servant wearing a short leather shirt, Yang Ling and his group took many turns and arrived at an opulently decorated hall, then quietly sat down in a corner.
“Ladies and gentlemen, today, Lord Biedrins has once again returned to our Camel Peak Castle, and he has brought along a unique treasure!” Yang Ling and his group had just sat down when a middle-aged man who looked like an auctioneer stepped out from the curtains. He appeared mature and composed. After giving a few simple introductions, he instructed a few servants to push in a small cart. The cart was covered in a pitch-black hide of unknown origin and was followed by a black-robed man in a hat.
“Lord Biedrins, tsk tsk, I did not expect that it would be Lord Biedrins who has personally come to Camel Peak Castle!”
“I heard that Lord Biedrins reached the level of Dimensional Wanderer a few hundred thousand years ago!”
“That’s true, of course; how can one be qualified as a Dimensional Merchant without powerful abilities? Without the ability to move freely within the Space Turbulence, how would one be able to explore the faraway dimensions?”
…
The crowd was deep in discussion, sometimes looking respectfully at the black-robed man in the hat on the display stage.
“These are the abilities of a Dimensional Wanderer?”
Looking at the veiled appearance of the black-robed man under his hat, sensing the obscure ripples of energy in his body, Yang Ling calmed himself down, further restraining the ripples of energy from his own body. He had just recited a few phrases of the Wizard Mantra when an obscure Divine Knowledge swept past the group.
“If you wish to set up a Divine Branch and train to the level of Core Deity, you will need a massive base of devotees so that you can absorb a large amount of Faith Power. Given that fact, you will need a massive piece of territory. In fact, you might need a populous dimension!” The auctioneer was fluent, whetting the appetites of everyone present. After sufficiently rousing the emotions of the crowd, he slowly lifted off the black hide from the small cart, revealing a sparkling crystal ball before starting his explanation.
As it turned out, not only did the crystal ball harbor a magnificent amount of energy, but it was also the key to traveling to the Half-Dimension. After it recognized its master through blood, the master could activate it by injecting Divine Power, turning it into a Teleportation Portal to a Half-Dimension. That is to say that obtaining this crystal ball made the person the master of the corresponding dimension.
“According to our expert appraiser, this is a Half-Dimension that has just started to grow in the Unending Sea. The space there is not much larger than the Camel Peak Castle, and it would not be able to harbor living things or materials for the time being, but its advantage lies in the fact that it has extreme potential for development. It is the best choice for training in seclusion and setting up Divine Branches!” The auctioneer paused for a moment, then said slowly, “After obtaining this Half-dimension, you stand a chance of receiving pointers personally from Lord Biedrins to learn how to get the dimension to develop rapidly.”
“What, a Half-Dimension from the Unending Sea?”
“Tsk tsk, being able to learn from Lord Biedrins might be even more valuable than the dimension itself!”
…
The auctioneer had not finished his sentence when the crowd started to slip into commotion once again.
The Ion Storm in the Space Turbulence contained massive force, and often, a strong hit was enough to destroy a physical dimension. However, after the terrifying Ion Storm passed, the physical substances that were left behind would gather and form a new dimension. The space in these newly formed dimensions was narrow and did not contain any resources or intelligent life. The structure of space there was also not stable, and thus they were called Half-Dimensions.
Under the brutality of the Space Turbulence, the fragile Half-dimensions would be destroyed more times than not. Those that were not destroyed would have a chance to grow and become a resource-rich physical dimension. Destruction after encountering an Ion Storm, then gathering again a few hundred thousand years later to form a new dimension: this cycle of death and rebirth continued for eternity, maintaining a delicate balance influenced by the invisible laws of the universe.
An average physical dimension would not be able to survive an encounter with an Ion Storm, but the story was different for dimensions that were protected by unparalleled fighters. Using their powerful abilities, these unparalleled fighters could not only dispel the threats faced by the physical dimensions, but they could also use their immense talents to keep the newly-formed Half-Dimensions for their own use, transferring a large number of resources and intelligent life into the space and slowly cultivating a prosperous physical dimension. As such, they were frequently hailed by others as Dimensional Guardians!
At the start, the sizes of Half-Dimensions were all about the same, but their potential for development was different depending on the energy they harbored and the materials they contained. The difference could be as vast as night and day. Amongst those, the areas that had the most potential for development were undoubtedly the Half-Dimensions that came from the Unending Sea.
It was rumored that the Half-Dimensions from the Unending Sea possessed a shred of the unique laws of the universe and was immensely beneficial for cultivation!
“What an unbelievable figure, peddling Half-Dimensions. This is akin to someone peddling arms while he was smuggling nuclear missiles!” Yang Ling soon understood what was going on from the discussions of the crowd, and he was incredibly shocked. He did not expect there to be such an unbelievable merchant around!
“I wonder what the difference between a so-called Half-Dimension and my Wizard Pagoda’s Space is?” As he gazed at the sparkling crystal ball on the display stage, Yang Ling was raring to go, willing to spend all of the Black Crystals in his Space Ring to purchase the Half-Dimension. However, Yang Ling could not help but shake his head and smile bitterly when he saw the asking price given by the auctioneer.
“A starting price of eight billion Black Crystals, with raises of at least a million Black Crystals!” The starting price announced by the auctioneer stopped most of the people in their tracks, and Yang Ling was no exception. He could obtain a substantial amount of Black Crystals every day after having gotten control of the Giant Dragon Valley. However, he might not be able to come up with eight billion Black Crystals even if he dug out all of the Black Crystals in his hundreds of crystal mines!
“Eight and a half billion!”
“Nine billion!”
…
An average person might not have been able to carry on, but that did not mean that no one could afford it. Soon, under the nervous gaze of the crowd, the bid for the Half-dimension had reached an exorbitant twelve billion Black Crystals. The people from influential territories and families were happy to bid for the crystal ball, some even becoming angry. The smell of gunpowder in the air became thicker and thicker. In order to set up their own Dimensional Branch, a few of the influential families and lords had traversed a great distance to the castle after receiving the news. They would pay any price to win the Half-Dimension from the Unending Sea.
“Fifteen billion!” An elder clenched his teeth before announcing a bid that made everyone in the crowd tremble. He suppressed his competitors with absolute authority. However, just as the smiling auctioneer was about to announce that a master has been found for the Half-Dimension, an accident happened!
Boom…!
An earth-shattering sound came suddenly from outside the hall, followed by a few pathetic cries and fearful screams. It was as if something extremely terrifying had happened!