Chapter 1567
If I can't afford to offend them, can't I at least avoid them?
Chapter 1567 If I can't afford to offend them, can't I at least avoid them?
As Su Fan stepped into the Crimson Plains Ruins, the bustling crowds, carrying with them the scent of spiritual herbs and dust, rushed towards him.
He strolled slowly through the bustling street for a moment, then his gaze suddenly sharpened, and he came to a steady stop.
My gaze fell on the ebony signboard of the inn on the street. The four seal characters "Dongli Inn" exuded a rustic charm, and this was where the person who was to meet me would be.
Su Fan stepped into the inn and went straight to the front desk.
Behind the counter, an elderly man with white hair and beard was engrossed in studying a yellowed book, his fingertips lightly tapping the pages.
Only after Su Fan stood still on the stage did the other party slowly put down the book and casually glance at him.
"Checking in..." Su Fan's voice was flat and emotionless.
He nodded slightly, then with a thought, he took out a lustrous jade talisman from his storage ring, placed it discreetly on the counter, and gently pushed it toward the old man.
The old man glanced at the jade talisman, picked it up, and flicked it onto the miniature array plate embedded in the counter beside him.
The array plate lit up with a soft light screen, clearly displaying lines of information. He quickly scanned the information, then glanced at Su Fan before putting the jade talisman back on the counter.
"The first spaceship to the Yuanmang Constellation will depart in three months. The ticket price is 800,000 spirit crystals. Pay now..."
The old man spoke calmly, as if he were recounting something utterly ordinary.
800,000 spirit crystals...
Su Fan's heart clenched suddenly, the pain feeling like someone had squeezed his heart. Damn, that's expensive.
Once he paid the money, he would have very few spirit crystals left.
But the thought of going home overwhelmed everything else; even if it meant giving away all his wealth, he had to board this flying boat.
To put it bluntly, if he didn't have enough spirit crystals, he would risk everything to rob someone to raise the money.
Thinking of this, Su Fan took out another storage ring from his pocket and handed it to the old man.
"Get another room..."
The old man took the storage ring, scanned it with his divine sense to confirm the amount of spirit crystals, and then casually put the storage ring away.
"Standard room, 10,000 spirit crystals per day..."
grass……
Su Fan cursed inwardly.
Why don't you go and rob it.
No, even if it were robbery, you wouldn't make as much as I do.
This is the worst of the worst.
The flying boat would take another three months; where would he get so many spirit crystals to pay for the room?
"never mind……"
Su Fan uttered two words, completely ignoring the disdain that flashed in the old man's eyes, and turned to leave.
Just as I reached the entrance of the inn, I heard the old man's voice behind me.
"Go into the alley, there are rooms for rent there, cheaper ones..."
Su Fan ignored the slight sarcasm in the other person's tone, stopped and turned around, nodding slightly to the old man as a way of thanking him.
He left the inn and went into a quiet alley on the street. Before he could ask around for information about renting a room, a man carrying a cloth bag came up to him and asked him questions.
In the end, he found the cheapest place to stay, which cost only one hundred spirit crystals per day.
There's nothing he can do; he's short of money right now.
Although we had previously seized Qingxuzi's storage ring, any single item inside could be exchanged for a considerable amount of spirit crystals.
But that was a treasure of a Mahayana cultivator; how could he bear to sell it so easily?
When Su Fan found his "guest room," he couldn't help but smile wryly.
This is hardly a guest room; it's clearly just a simple animal skin tent.
Even so, those who can set up tents in the Red Plains Ruins all have powerful backers.
He could naturally choose to live outside the Red Plains Ruins, but this place is a lawless zone, full of vicious desperados.
Inside the Red Plains Ruins, at least there are rules and regulations that prevent people from acting recklessly, but outside, it's hard to say.
Su Fan wasn't afraid of trouble; if someone was foolish enough to cause trouble, he would just kill them.
But nowadays, the world is vast, and going home is the most important thing.
He just wanted to wait peacefully for the spaceship to set off, and didn't want any unexpected complications.
Anyway, it's only three months, we can just make do and it'll pass quickly.
Su Fan entered the tent, which was only about ten feet square and extremely simple. The ground was covered with only a rough animal hide, and there was nothing else.
Fortunately, there was a basic array outside the tent that could isolate it from the noise of the outside world.
He raised his hand and set up another concealment array to reinforce it. Then, his figure flickered and he stepped into his personal secret realm, going straight to the pool next to the thatched hut, where he sat down cross-legged.
"Master, you're back..."
A soft, charming voice rang out. Li Chongxiu quickly walked to his side, gently knelt down, wrapped her arms around his waist from behind, pressed her face against his ear, and spoke with a touch of coquettishness.
"What would you like to eat tonight? I'll make it for you..."
"How about I eat you...?" Su Fan turned his head, his tone slightly mocking.
"Master, you're so annoying..." Li Chongxiu playfully punched him, her cheeks flushing red.
After cuddling for a while, Li Chongxiu got up and brewed him a pot of spiritual tea before turning around to prepare dinner.
Su Fan picked up his teacup, took a sip of the cool tea, then took a deep breath, his eyes filled with anticipation.
No matter how many twists and turns the process was, I can finally go home.
He couldn't remember the last time he had seen his family; he missed his children terribly.
In the days that followed, Su Fan rarely left his home, spending his days cultivating and waiting in his personal secret realm, patiently anticipating the day the flying boat would set sail.
At dawn, the orange-red sunlight pierced through the clouds and fell down.
This light was no ordinary dawn; it carried the hazy quality unique to the Star Ruins, intertwining with the thin, bluish-gray mist, draping the distant, rugged mountains in a flowing veil of color.
Where the colorful gauze swept by, the red cliff face shimmered with a warm, amber-like luster.
The dark green ancient trees revealed pale gold outlines, and fine dust floated in the air, mixed with the unique, bitter fragrance of the mountains and fields.
Su Fan had been in his personal secret realm for more than half a month, and this was the first time he had stepped out of his tent to explore the Crimson Plains Ruins.
He wandered aimlessly through the dense crowd, but his interest quickly waned.
There's really nothing to see here. If you walk into any street-side shop, the shopkeeper and the clerk are either busy arranging goods or resting with their eyes closed, and nobody pays any attention to you.
In fact, Chiyuanxu was not a proper place for business; it was a gathering place for cultivators from all walks of life to buy and sell stolen goods.
The shops on the street may seem inconspicuous, but they are all backed by considerable forces.
Moreover, none of the cultivators from various races who frequented the Crimson Plains were well-behaved; they all liked to form cliques and factions.
Su Fan had only been walking on the street for a short while when he was deliberately bumped into several times.
What's most infuriating is that the cultivator who bumped into him didn't offer a single apology. Instead, he turned around and glared at him with a provocative look, displaying an extremely arrogant attitude.
What's worse, he wanted to eat something at a roadside eatery, but he was chased out by several fierce-looking cultivators shortly after he sat down.
Damn it, what the hell is this?
Su Fan suppressed his anger and decided not to lower himself to their level.
It wasn't worth letting such a trivial matter delay his important trip home. In a fit of anger, he turned and went back to his tent, stepping into his personal secret realm once more, determined never to come out again.
If I can't afford to offend them, can't I at least avoid them?
Su Fan thought he could stay safely in the tent until the airship set off, but he was wrong.
In this lawless land, there is never true peace.
That noon, Su Fan was sitting cross-legged by the pond next to the thatched hut, carefully studying a book on the Dao of Thunder.
After an unknown amount of time, he put down the book, picked up his teacup, and took a sip.
In another two weeks, the spaceship heading to the Yuanmang constellation will set sail.
The thought of returning to the Jiaochen Realm and seeing his beloved family filled Su Fan with excitement.
After wandering for so long, he is finally going home.
Suddenly, Su Fan's eyes narrowed, and his keen senses detected a violent fluctuation of spiritual energy coming from afar.
The fluctuation of spiritual energy was so strong that even the personal secret realm was slightly affected.
He immediately stood up from the stone platform, and with a swift movement, he exited his personal secret realm.
"Boom..."
As soon as Su Fan stepped out of the tent, a deafening buzzing sound entered his ears.
Looking up, a huge pale golden spiritual energy shield soared into the sky, like an inverted giant bowl, completely enveloping the entire Crimson Plains Ruins.
It seems that the human Daoist leader's avatar guarding the Crimson Plains Ruins also sensed the unusual fluctuation of spiritual energy.
At this moment, the Red Plains Ruins were in complete chaos, with cultivators running around everywhere in the streets, their terrified cries echoing all around.
Su Fan's eyes sharpened, and he fully unleashed his divine sense, instantly and clearly imprinting the scene within a radius of tens of thousands of miles into his mind.
Hundreds of miles away in the wilderness, a huge star gate appeared out of nowhere.
Inside the gate, dazzling light shone as countless jet-black flying boats roared out, rushing towards the Crimson Plains Ruins like a swarm of locusts.
These people were clearly heading towards the Red Plains Ruins.
After all, in lawless areas like this, where stolen goods are collected and sold, the profits are always incredibly high.
The shops on the street may look deserted, but their daily turnover is astronomical.
It was to be expected that Chiyuanxu would be coveted.
Su Fan didn't care at all if these people fought to the death; even if they beat him to a pulp, it was none of his business.
But his airship is almost there, and if the war delays his journey, it will be a huge problem.
He immediately dispelled the array outside the tent, stepped out, and headed straight for the Dongli Inn on the street.
I've already paid my 800,000 spirit crystals; the Dongli Inn absolutely cannot afford any mistakes.
When Su Fan arrived on the street, he found that although the scene was chaotic, the cultivators running around did not show much panic on their faces.
The shops along the street had already closed, and various colorful array light screens rose into the air, protecting the shops completely.
It seems that such looting is commonplace in the Crimson Plains, and the cultivators have become accustomed to it.
When he arrived at the Dongli Inn, a thick silver array of light had already enveloped the inn.
Without hesitation, Su Fan raised his hand and pressed it against the array's light screen, activating the inn's array.
After waiting for a while, there was no response from inside the inn.
Su Fan's face darkened instantly, and he could no longer suppress his anger. He threw a punch and slammed it hard into the spiritual energy shield.
"Rumble..."
As the punch landed, the entire spiritual energy shield rippled violently, spreading out like ripples on the surface of water.
The entire street trembled several times, and even a few tiny cracks appeared in the ground.
This time, the people in the inn finally couldn't sit still any longer.
Several figures rushed to the door and glared angrily at Su Fan outside through the array of light.
Su Fan was too lazy to waste words with them, so he pointed to the array light screen, signaling them to open it quickly.
Damn it, if you don't open the door soon, I'll tear this lousy inn down.
Fortunately, the old man who had received him recognized him and, with a furrowed brow, waved his hand to dispel the formation.
Su Fan stepped into the inn. As soon as he entered the lobby, dozens of fierce, murderous gazes shot over him like sharp blades.
Clearly, the power of that punch was too shocking; in addition to the killing intent, these people looked at him with even more fear.
The Dongli Inn is surrounded by a ninth-order formation, which ordinary cultivators don't even have the right to shake.
But this kid almost smashed the formation with one punch.
This strength is truly terrifying.
All the cultivators in the hall were at the Integration Realm, and their knowledge and insight far surpassed those of ordinary people.
So even though they were burning with anger and their eyes were fierce, not one of them dared to take the initiative to provoke them.
"What's the rush... Is it going to kill you to wait a moment...?"
The old man's tone was somewhat stern, clearly indicating his dissatisfaction with Su Fan's actions.
Su Fan completely ignored his attitude, pointed to the chaotic scene outside, and said in a deep voice, "What's going on here..."
The old man took a deep breath, suppressing his displeasure, and said coldly, "The Crimson Plains Ruins experience this kind of raid several times a year. It's nothing special, so there's no need to worry about it."
After listening to the old man's words, Su Fan didn't ask any further questions. He went straight to a corner of the hall where no one was and sat down.
He had only one thought in his mind: regardless of whether Chiyuanxu could be defended, Dongli Inn absolutely could not be compromised.
Seeing that Su Fan had calmed down, the people in the inn stopped paying attention to him.
They all lay prone in front of the spiritual energy shield, watching the situation outside with an air of formidable apprehension.
At this time, there were hardly any people left on Chiyuanxu Street; everyone had found a place to hide.
"Rumble..."
Suddenly, a deafening roar resounded, and the inn's lobby shook violently, with tables and chairs overturning to the ground.
The expressions on everyone's faces inside the inn also became serious.
Su Fan frowned as well, for he had just clearly sensed a strong demonic aura.
It's easy to guess that at this moment, a powerful avatar of a great demon from the upper realm attacked the defensive array of the Crimson Plains Ruins.
Moreover, judging from the commotion just now, the defensive array of Chiyuan Ruins won't last long.
"These are avatars of a great demon from the upper realm, and there's more than one. I reckon the Crimson Ruins can't withstand them..."
"Don't worry... Crimson Plains is the territory of those forces in the Upper Realm, they definitely won't sit idly by..."
"But judging from the commotion just now, that great demonic avatar outside must be someone of considerable importance..."
Listening to the discussions among the people in the inn, Su Fan couldn't help but sigh.
All I want to do is go home, why are there so many twists and turns?
Thinking of this, Su Fan's face grew even more gloomy.
No matter who it is, even if it's the King of Heaven himself, if they delay my return home, I will kill them all.
(End of this chapter)