The middle-aged Daoist looked at Jiang Zuo. "I’m just a fortune-teller. I don’t have any Magical Treasures, but I have something else."

Jiang Zuo said nothing, waiting for the man to continue.

The Daoist then produced three Brocade Bags. "Here are three Brocade Bags, and inside them are three different items.

One of these items can kill you, one can drive you mad, and one is the very thing you want.

So, my young friend, do you dare to choose one?"

The middle-aged Daoist wore an enigmatic smile as he quietly watched Jiang Zuo, waiting for his reaction.

’He didn’t think Jiang Zuo would dare to choose. Three bags might seem to offer good odds, but the chance of failure was just as high.

No one with an ordinary need would take such a great risk.’

Jiang Zuo merely glanced at the three Brocade Bags, then tossed a coin.

The coin landed on the first Brocade Bag.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Jiang Zuo picked up the coin and the bag.

The Daoist was, in fact, dumbfounded. ’Isn’t he being a little too casual?’

’He wasn’t joking; the bags really could cost the chooser their life.’

’However, he didn’t know which of the three bags was the right one, either. If he knew, it would be too easy for someone to figure it out.’

Jiang Zuo took the Brocade Bag, opened it immediately, and pulled out a purple Elixir Pill.

The moment he saw the pill, the middle-aged Daoist’s face went pale. To think it was such a precious Elixir Pill! ’What a huge loss,’ he thought.

’And here he’d been thinking the young man would agonize over the decision; he was waiting for a good show.’

’Yet the guy had just tossed a coin. He was gambling with his own life!’

’A ruthless man, indeed. Was he really willing to leave his beautiful wife behind?’

’Right, that settles it. The "beautiful wife" must be a lie.’

The Daoist felt much better at this thought.

"A Purple Essence Pill? An Elixir Pill refined with Purple Qi as its main ingredient. It’s used to absorb all the aura in one’s body and then attempt to condense Purple Qi.

Afterward, when used with the Purple Qi from the East Technique, it’s possible to cultivate a wisp of Purple Qi," Jiang Zuo said, a little surprised.

’This Purple Essence Pill is fairly suitable, but using it like this is a huge waste.’

’The Purple Qi from the East is incredibly difficult to cultivate, and the Purple Essence Pill is even harder to refine.’

’The Purple Essence Pill is essential for practicing the Purple Qi from the East Technique. Unless a Cultivator possesses Innate Purple Qi, they need it.’

’In his previous life, Jiang Zuo had only ever met three people who could cultivate the Purple Qi from the East Technique. The only three in countless ages.’

’Each of them was more powerful than the last, but one had courted death by provoking him and had died a miserable death as a result.’

’Jiang Zuo still remembered that man’s reasoning: How strong could a man who’d been hunted by a woman for countless years possibly be?’

’It was true. Jiu Xi’s existence had tarnished his reputation back then.’

’He couldn’t even kill or shake off one woman. How much prestige could a man like that command?’

’So, in the new era, Jiang Zuo had slaughtered half of all the Cultivators in the Cultivation Realm—be they human, demon, or beast.’

’He did it for no other reason than to send a message: don’t come looking for trouble with him. Especially not those who formed parties to try and farm him like a boss monster.’

’Anyone involved in that sort of thing was part of that slaughtered half.’

’No matter the era, the moment such incidents began to occur, the Cultivation Realm would face an immediate, bloody reshuffle.’

’After that, it never happened again. Wherever he went became a Forbidden Land for all living beings (except for Jiu Xi).’

’After all, he had plenty of time on his hands back then, and since he was idle anyway, he could have messed with the survivors until they questioned their very existence.’

Jiang Zuo shook his head, pushing the thoughts aside. ’I probably won’t do anything like that in this life. After all, no one is trying to farm me like a boss, and Su Qi is here. That’s the most important part.’

Swallowing the Purple Essence Pill, Jiang Zuo departed. He could now enter the Sacrificial Space and see for himself what this biennial sacrifice was all about.

Seeing Jiang Zuo walk away, the Daoist shouted after him, "The Third-Grade Spirit Stone! You haven’t paid yet!"

Without looking back, Jiang Zuo tossed a Third-Grade Spirit Stone to the Daoist.

He arrived at the entrance to the Sacrificial Space (a new opening that hadn’t existed before the sacrifice). Two Holy Land Disciples stood guard there.

They were both men, and strikingly beautiful at that; at first glance, he had thought they were women.

When Jiang Zuo approached, neither of the two men stopped him, allowing him to pass freely.

Jiang Zuo, carrying the piece of Jade, walked straight inside without causing any kind of disturbance.

His aura was currently completely retracted, so he wasn’t worried about being discovered. Upon entering the Sacrificial Space, he realized that the powerful presence didn’t extend here; this was just an outer zone.

Even more peripheral than the outskirts of the main Array.

With no sign of that presence, Jiang Zuo relaxed considerably.

’If a fight broke out here, it would definitely make the news.’

Upon entering the space, the first thing Jiang Zuo saw was a large number of people. They were all sitting by the shore of an enormous lake, fishing in silence.

They were men and women, young and old.

But they all had one thing in common: they were all ordinary people.

Jiang Zuo didn’t linger on this floor. Su Qi hadn’t told him to stay here, after all. Soon, he found the entrance to the second floor.

A young woman was sitting in front of the entrance. ’She must be the guard,’ he figured.

Jiang Zuo walked over. Just as he reached the staircase, the woman looked up at him. "Please show your identification—er, that’s not right. Please present your proof of eligibility."

Jiang Zuo said nothing and simply showed her the Jade.

The moment she saw the Jade, the young woman was stunned.

’This Jade is engraved with the symbol of the Forbidden Land... What level of status does that require?’

’Isn’t this a special kind of Jade that only the former or current Saintess should have?’

Seeing her lack of response, Jiang Zuo asked, "Is there a problem?"

The young woman finally snapped back to her senses and quickly shook her head. "It’s more than enough. I was just surprised. You don’t see one of these every day."

This piqued Jiang Zuo’s curiosity. "How many floors does this grant me access to?" he asked.

The young woman answered immediately. "The sixth floor. You can choose any spot you like on the sixth floor.

Oh, and we have fishing rods available. You can claim one with that Jade.

It’s free."

Jiang Zuo nodded and headed straight for the second floor. He had no need for a fishing rod; he had his Broken Bridge Fishing Rod. He wouldn’t deign to use something so common.

’Besides, it’s just fishing. Any rod will do.’

When he reached the second floor, Jiang Zuo saw a number of Cultivators. It seemed some people preferred to stay here.

There weren’t as many people on the second floor, but most of them were young. However, Jiang Zuo did notice something interesting: the majority of those afflicted with the Ghost Cultivation Mark were here.

’Looks like the Ghost Cultivators are planning to make their move here,’ he thought. ’I don’t know what they’re up to this time, but I’m not concerned. I’ll find out soon enough.’

Instead of continuing upward, Jiang Zuo walked toward the crowd. Su Qi had told him it was fine to fish here, and he just wanted to see what it was like.

The Immortal Spirit Spring gushed almost without end, forming an exceptionally large lake. The portion of the lake on the second floor alone was so vast that all the people from Chuanhe Town wouldn’t be able to fill its shores.

In the middle of the lake was a pillar of water that connected all seven floors, stopping at the very top on the seventh.

’In my opinion,’ Jiang Zuo thought, ’a Yin Yang Fish must have gone to the seventh floor. The core of the sacrifice must be up there.’

Soon, Jiang Zuo found a spot and sat down, taking the Broken Bridge Fishing Rod in hand. ’It’s just fishing, after all,’ he thought. ’Might as well give it a try.’

As the Broken Bridge Fishing Rod appeared, Duan Qiao’s voice sounded out in agony, "Fishing again? I just want to be a quiet bridge, enduring five hundred years of wind and five hundred years of rain! I’d even take ten thousand more!"

***