“Where?” David’s voice sounded calm.
Manager Qian took out a yellowed sheepskin map from behind the desk and spread it out on the table.
The map marked the Twenty Heavens region. At the northernmost point, a barren land was marked with a red circle and a small line of text next to it: “Ancient Teleportation Ruins – Tianxuan Array”.
“This place is called the Tianxuan Array Ruins. It is an ancient intercelestial teleportation array. It is said that this place was built by a Daoist sect. Later, the Daoist sect fell into decline, and the teleportation array was abandoned.”
The Void Merchant Guild had long controlled this teleportation array and maintained it regularly. Later, the gods of the Twenty-First Heaven tightened their spatial control, and the channel gradually fell out of use.
David stared at the red circle on the map, a flash of light appeared in his purple eyes: “This Tianxuan Formation can still be used?”
“In theory, it could be used.”
Shopkeeper Qian said, “The main structure of the rune array base is still there, but many rune nodes are damaged and need to be reactivated. The activation method to be honest, I don’t know either.”
The cultivators responsible for maintaining this teleportation array back then had been gone for thousands of years.
David was silent for a moment: “Where is the blueprint?”
“Blueprint?” Shopkeeper Qian was shocked. “Teleportation array diagram?”
“Yes. If there was a formation diagram, I would understand it myself,” David said.
Shopkeeper Qian hesitated for a moment, then turned around and searched the cupboard behind him to find a wooden box. In the box there was a scroll which was also yellow.
He carefully took out the scroll and opened it on the table: “This is the array diagram of the Tianxuan Array, which was also collected by the Void Merchant Guild when they took over.”
I’ve studied it several times, but many of the runes are written in ancient Daoist script, which I don’t really understand.
The array diagram was filled with complex array patterns, which resembled countless rivers intertwining and meandering on parchment.
The edges of the array diagram were marked with small characters, the lines of which were ancient and archaic, even resembling the script of an ancient Daoist sect.
David stared at the array diagram, his gaze slowly sweeping over the ancient Daoist runes.
He could recognize some of them—the texts were somewhat similar to the records in the Golden Book of the Great Luo that he studied, although not exactly the same, but they came from the same source.
“May I borrow this array diagram?” David asked.
Shopkeeper Qian shook his head: “Mr. Chen, it’s not that I don’t want to give it to you, but this is the rule of the Void Merchant Guild. Array diagrams and maps can be sold to customers, but cannot be loaned.”
“Then just sell it to me.”
David asked, “Including the previous map, how much is the total?”
Shopkeeper Qian looked at David, then at the array diagram, hesitated for a long time, and finally raised three fingers: “Three million high-grade spiritual crystals.”
The array diagram and map were packaged together, along with the three Heavenly Crystals needed to activate the teleportation array. This is the maximum concession I can make.
Xuanzhenzi was about to speak again, but David raised his hand to stop him: “Agreed.”
He took out three million high-grade spiritual crystals from his storage ring.
These spiritual crystals, stacked on the table, radiated rich spiritual light, which made Manager Qian’s face beam with joy.
Shopkeeper Qian carefully put away the spiritual crystals, then took out three fist-sized cyan crystals from under the table and placed them in front of David: “These are the celestial crystals needed to activate the teleportation array.”
The teleportation device was originally powered by the spiritual energy of the earth, but due to long neglect, its energy flow had dried up. Using divine crystals instead should be enough to sustain one teleportation.
David accepted the Heavenly Crystal Stone, feeling the profound spatial power contained within. A glimmer of satisfaction flashed through his purple eyes: “Thank you.”
He kept the map and array diagram, turned around, and walked out of the gate of the Void Merchant Guild.
Xuanzhenzi followed behind, lowering his voice to ask, “Master Chen, you really have a lot of money to spend. Three million high-grade spiritual crystals, just disappeared like that?”
“Being able to go to 21st Heaven, spending three million is definitely worth it.”
David’s voice was calm, “Moreover, we still have four million spiritual crystals left, enough for us to gain a foothold in the Twenty-first Heaven.”
Jiang Xuelan stared at the array diagram in David’s hand, a hint of curiosity flashed in her cold blue eyes: “Can you understand the Daoist script in it?”
“I can understand some of it,” David said. “The rest… once we get to the Tianxuan Formation ruins and do research on the site, we should be able to deduce it.”
Four figures soared into the air and headed towards the northernmost expanse of desert in the twentieth heaven.
FAQ Novel
Q: What organization does David approach for inter-heaven travel?
A: David approaches the Void Merchant Guild for assistance with travel to another heaven.
Q: What is the stated cost for teleportation to the Twenty-First Heaven?
A: The stated cost for teleportation to the Twenty-First Heaven is five million high-grade spirit crystals per person.
We hope you enjoyed this chapter; feel free to leave your comments below.