I am cautiously cultivating immortals in a strange world

Chen Lin turned the token around.

He doubted the claim that the item was worth a thousand coins, because as far as he knew, even in the strange land, the Seven-Colored Nightmare Coin was extremely valuable and had great purchasing power.

It also has other functions.

Even in a nightmare-like scenario like the quill pen, it can only be obtained as a gift.

One thousand coins.

It is hard to imagine.

However, Chen Lin did not refute it, because regardless of its value, he could actually use it.

then.

He then looked at the other two items.

A dark red object the size of a pigeon egg, its nature unclear, neither resembling a crystal nor some kind of magical artifact.

"This is a seed."

The boss's explanation immediately followed.

"I don't know exactly what kind of seed it is, but its origin is very unusual. I obtained it from the divine light of the Great Pilgrimage, and its value is at least five hundred divine coins."

seed?

Chen Lin observed again.

However, no matter how you look at it, you can't see any clues. But it does contain some signs of life, so it's possible that it's a seed.

The last item was an appointment document.

The document above indicates that one can obtain a position as the head eunuch in a city called Yuanlun, provided that one passes the examination.

"I don't need this. Replace it with a rainbow-colored road guide, or some other general-purpose item, anything similar will do."

Chen Lin threw the document back.

Like the invitation letter for the title mission, the important thing is not the item itself, but how to complete the mission. He doesn't want to be an official in the strange country, and the title of Chief Eunuch doesn't sound like a good position. It would be useless to him.

"can."

The boss put away the documents, took out a colorful road sign, and handed it to Chen Lin.

He said in a deep voice, "Since that's the case, then our bet is off. Our store is closed for business, everyone please leave."

Chen Lin picked up the road sign.

He had never seen a seven-colored road sign before, but judging from the color and shape, it should be correct, and he couldn't help but feel secretly pleased.

Fortune truly does come from taking risks.

With this item, his future entry into the strange realm will be much easier, and it will also help him enter the Zodiac Secret Realm.

However, we should try to avoid such risky moves in the future.

In fact, Chen Lin wasn't confident in the last round. He only vaguely predicted that a leopard would appear, and his victory was purely due to luck.

Looking back now, this impulsive act is very different from his usual style. I wonder if the other party used some kind of trick.

Chen Lin gave the boss a deep look.

Step out of the shop.

If the other party really did use underhanded tactics, then they've really shot themselves in the foot and brought trouble upon themselves.

"Fellow Daoist, please wait."

As soon as he stepped out of the shop, a figure appeared in front of Chen Lin.

Chen Lin looked at the other person's severed arm.

"What brings you here?"

"I'd like to discuss with you a method for escaping this predicament. Are you interested?"

"Oh?"

Chen Lin raised an eyebrow slightly.

He then glanced at the sickly young man beside him.

"Fellow Daoist, are you interested?"

The one-armed man's origins were unknown; he didn't seem to be a strange creature, nor was he related to their mission. He didn't want to contact him alone.

"It's fine to listen to it."

The sickly young man took two steps and stood next to Chen Lin.

The man with the missing arm had a glint in his eye.

"So you two know each other. In that case, the people who came in this time must be your companions. Are you perhaps on some kind of mission? But it seems you're not very well prepared. There aren't many people left, are there?"

"How shall I address you, fellow Daoist?"

Chen Lin asked directly.

Judging from their response, they must have been trapped here after coming in from the outside, just like them. If they could join forces, it might help them complete their mission.

"Ye Sheng."

The man with the missing arm has revealed his name.

"So it's Fellow Daoist Ye. Since you wish to cooperate, let's talk. However, there doesn't seem to be a convenient place to talk here."

Chen Lin looked around.

After the money shop closed, the whole street became eerily quiet, and even the gamblers from before had disappeared.

“It’s alright, we can talk at the alley entrance. The closer we are to the temple, the less likely we are to be overheard.”

"Temple?"

Chen Lin asked in surprise
He did not see any temple-like buildings along the way.

"hehe."

Ye Sheng smiled.

"It's not the day of the Great Pilgrimage, so the temple hasn't manifested. It's the place where those statues are. You see them placed in the open air, but they're actually all inside the temple, each with its own place of worship."

A brief explanation follows.

He waved his hand, "Alright, let's go over there first, it's not appropriate to talk here."

After saying that, he walked away first.

Chen Lin and the sickly young man exchanged a glance.

They followed along as well.

"How should I address you, fellow Daoist?"

He had only taken two steps when Chen Lin heard the voice of the sick young man in his mind.

"Chen Lin".

Chen Lin did not hide anything.

Firstly, there's no need to hide anything here. Secondly, he now understands the importance of 'making a name for himself'; building up reputation can sometimes save his life.

While one might not dare to be too high-profile in the Star Ruins, one doesn't need to worry too much here.

"My name is Ximen Yu."

The sickly young man also introduced himself.

But that's about it.

Neither of them offered any further introductions. After nodding to each other, they quietly followed Ye Sheng forward.

We soon arrived at the alley entrance.

At this moment, Chen Lin realized that the square here was not the one he had seen before, but the one Si Guang had mentioned, and the three members of their team were among them.

How many temples are there in total here?

Chen Lin withdrew his gaze and looked at Ye Sheng to ask.

"Four."

Ye Sheng gave Chen Lin a startling answer.

There are four such squares; if that's the case, the other members are likely in grave danger.

"I've observed it all."

Ye Sheng sensed the change in Chen Lin's expression.

He said in a deep voice, "There are nine new statues in the four temples, which means that nine of the people who came in this time have lost their function. Whether they can be restored depends on how strong their methods are."

How can I restore myself from being turned into a statue?

Chen Lin took the opportunity to ask questions.

He and Si Guang had some speculations, and the tavern owner also revealed some, but this person clearly knew more details.

"You need to fulfill the promises you made in the divine realm. If you succeed, you will be restored. If you fail, you will be trapped until the Great Pilgrimage arrives, where you will be destroyed as a false god."

Ye Sheng answered in a deep voice.

Chen Lin's heart sank.

"What is the Great Pilgrimage, and how often is it held?"

When the casino owner mentioned this term before, he felt it was unusual, and now it seems to be a major event in this Dihou scene.

"A grand pilgrimage..."

Ye Sheng's tone carried a strange undertone.

"That's a grand event in the strange kingdom, and all strange creatures will be affected, even king-level ones, but there's no fixed time."

"No fixed time?" Chen Lin frowned.

"Does this mean that we can worship at any time, or are there certain conditions that need to be met?"

"good."

Ye Sheng nodded.

"According to legend, there used to be a fixed time, determined by the emperor of the mysterious kingdom. However, after the fall of the mysterious emperor, if people wanted to pay homage, they had to find a way to collect energy and activate the divine seal."

Upon hearing this, Chen Lin's heart stirred.

He pressed on, asking, "This strange change in the realm, with so many powerful and bizarre beings entering the Star Ruins, could it be to activate the Divine Seal?"

Hearing his words.

Ximen Yu, who was standing to the side, also perked up his ears.

This bizarre invasion has caused great turmoil in the Star Ruins, resulting in the destruction of many forces. If we can figure out the specific reasons, we can gain the upper hand when dealing with similar situations in the future.

"good."

Ye Sheng gave an affirmative answer.

"It is said that the divine seal itself has become erratic, so the great dukes issued an order to send out strange creatures to hunt down cultivators and provide energy for the divine seal."

"Not just Star Ruins."

"This hunt encompassed all the heavens and myriad realms, and even the dark regions could not be avoided. However, the cultivators in the Star Ruins were of a higher level, so those who went there were all powerful individuals."

Chen Lin suddenly realized, "So that's how it is."

No wonder the super powers in the core area didn't react much; they probably already knew about the situation and just watched as the cultivators from the Northern Region were hunted down.

Once you've hunted enough, the strange creatures will naturally retreat.

Chen Lin even had doubts.

This kind of invasion isn't a one-off occurrence; it happens every time there's a major pilgrimage.

Previously, the Northern Region lacked any top-tier forces. Perhaps for this reason, super powers looked down on it, and mid-to-high-level rulers were unwilling to act as shields. Thus, it became a haven for small and medium-sized forces.

Bai Lingyu said that he was able to occupy Horseshoe Mountain, most likely for this reason.

"Fellow Daoist Ye, do you know when the last grand pilgrimage was?"

Chen Lin pressed for details.

If that were really the case, even if Horseshoe Mountain were given to him, he wouldn't want it.

The Azure Heavenly Palace wanted to use his identity as the Punishment Lord to guard this place, but he did not want to be a pawn. What he needed was a safe place where his wife, daughters, and those around him could cultivate in peace.

Fighting against the bizarre realm is not his destiny.

They wouldn't do it even if offered benefits.

"Not long ago, just three thousand years ago, it was precisely because the appearance of the divine seal was too sudden that the various kings and nobles were unable to collect enough energy, which forced them to launch a major war."

“In the past, when collecting divine seal energy, we would choose areas with abundant energy and invade them little by little to avoid provoking strong resistance.”

Chen Lin immediately thought of Nana's interface.

There's also the temple interface.

He had previously wondered why the strange creatures were invading these interfaces; it turned out they were collecting energy.

No wonder they wanted to shoot down the sun.

But if that's the case, the danger in the Northern Region is much less, at least it won't happen every few years, it's just relatively dangerous.

"What is the Divine Realm, and how can one enter it?"

Chen Lin switched to telepathy.

Since they are a team, it would be best to rescue the person who turned into a statue. Moreover, the remaining people probably wouldn't be able to complete the mission on their own.

"The Divine Realm is a special space within the Mysterious Kingdom."

Well, how should I put it?

Ye Sheng pondered for a moment.

Then he replied, "It's considered the dwelling place of gods, although there are no gods there."

"Getting in is also very simple."

"Didn't you obtain the God Conferment Token? You can enter as long as you activate it. That's where you complete the conferment mission. After obtaining the title, you'll be considered a 'true god' and will be able to obtain exclusive divine powers."

Chen Lin's eyes flickered.

So this is what the titles are like. It feels similar to the Investiture of the Gods from my previous life.

"And what about them?"

Chen Lin pointed to the statue in the square.

"If they fulfill their grand vows in the divine realm, will they directly become true gods?"

"No."

"To obtain a title, one must be a count or above, or an official of the third rank or above; otherwise, one is not qualified to become a true god."

"Can officials also receive titles?"

Chen Lin was somewhat surprised.

This seems to be different from the Nightmare Realm, where the status of officials is far lower than that of noble titles.

"Of course."

Ye Sheng was open and honest with everyone.

He reminded Chen Lin, "In the strange kingdom, it's best not to confront officials, especially those with titles. Their power over the rules within their jurisdiction is almost unshakeable."

"Here."

"It is extremely difficult to solve problems by force; using the rules is the best approach."

Explanation complete.

Ye Sheng glanced at Chen Lin.

"Is there anything else you want to ask? I'll answer one more question for you, and then it'll be my turn to ask you."

Chen Lin thought for a moment.

He asked, "Why should I believe you?"

Ye Sheng smiled.

Whether you believe me or not doesn't affect our cooperation. Actually, I don't believe you either, but we all have the same goal: to get out of here. That's enough.

Chen Lin nodded.

"Then go ahead and ask?"

The other party is right.

If they can't find Qingmian, and there's someone who's extremely familiar with this place, he wouldn't refuse to cooperate just because he's worried. Even if Qingmian were here, he would still choose to cooperate.

"Where did you come from? Did you come here voluntarily, or was it an accident?"

"They came from the Azure Peak Heavenly Palace and came in voluntarily."

Chen Lin gave his answer directly without consulting Ximen Yu.

He was mentally prepared that he probably couldn't rely on anyone else for this mission; others would have to depend on him.

Then you need to take control.

"why?"

Ye Sheng immediately pressed for more information.

"I'm here to rescue people, but I don't know who to rescue because I'm not the team leader."

Chen Lin did not reveal the whole story.

It wasn't that he wanted to hide it, but he had already been targeted by Di Hou. If he directly said he wanted to kill Di Hou, he was afraid he would be attacked immediately. In someone else's territory, even if he communicated through his soul, he might still be overheard.

And it's not wrong to say that they were saving lives.

According to Qingmian, their covert mission is to save people.

"Save them?"

Ye Sheng was taken aback.

"Ah."

Chen Lin nodded.

Then he countered with, "What brought you here? Were you originally a cultivator from Horseshoe Mountain?"

"No."

Ye Sheng rejected it.

Then he added, "You couldn't have saved me, because I didn't come from Xingxu. I smuggled myself here through special means. I thought it was a lucky break, but I ended up trapped."

"Smuggling?"

Chen Lin was very sensitive to these two words.

He immediately probed, "Could you tell me where you smuggled yourself here? I have some knowledge of the strange lands, and perhaps I can find a way back."

"I'm afraid that's impossible."

Ye Sheng shook his head.

But he still replied, "I come from a place called Boundless, which belongs to the Seven Star Realm. There is a special interface there called Nightmare Realm."

"I was teleported here through a special scene in the Nightmare Realm." (End of Chapter)