Liu Wuxie and He Yingwu departed without delay, cutting swiftly through the mountain range. Nearly a full day later, the jagged peaks receded, revealing a distant city rising on the horizon.
The city measured roughly the size of Astral Glory City, yet in the boundless Astral Domain, people regarded such a settlement as nothing more than a minor outpost.
For Liu Wuxie, this was his first time stepping into the Astral Domain. He Yingwu had spent nearly all that time enslaved on Anlu Star despite living here for over a decade.
Upon entering the city, an odd mixture of familiarity and strangeness struck them.
"This is truly a paradise for cultivators. Look at those fourth-grade spiritual pills! They're discarded like trash," He Yingwu said, his face alight with excitement.
On the True Martial Continent, people prized such pills as supreme treasures, but here, sellers treated them as rubbish, and buyers were exceedingly rare.
Liu Wuxie's expression remained calm; he had long expected this sight. The Astral Domain vastly outclassed the True Martial Continent, but it still fell short of the Celestial Realm.
The streets bustled with hurried pedestrians. Most were Heaven Profound Realm cultivators. People rarely found Earth Profound Realm cultivators, and most of them lived as ordinary citizens, while children usually made up the Spirit Profound Realm ranks.
Those who reached the Transcendent Realm could easily secure employment as clan guards, earning a modest livelihood. Ironically, many at the Heaven Profound Realm still lived at the bottom of society.
"Three Mountain House—let's have a look," Liu Wuxie said, halting abruptly. Inside, the shelves displayed all manner of rare and exotic items, yet there were no pills or artifacts in sight.
"Boss, give me a map of the Astral Domain," Liu Wuxie requested. He needed it to locate the Heavenly Dragon Sect.
"Young Master, do you want the map for the Laman Astral Domain or the other Astral Domains?" the shopkeeper asked. Complete maps of all four domains were nonexistent, and only an immortal could create one.
"One of each," Liu Wuxie replied. It was the only practical choice.
"That will be a thousand astral stones each," the shopkeeper said, handing over four exquisitely crafted maps. The mountain ranges etched into them appeared vivid and lifelike.
It was a steep price for a Heaven Profound Realm expert. The shopkeeper hadn't expected that Liu Wuxie could afford them, as he was dressed simply. Only disciples from powerful sects or clans could usually make such purchases. Judging from their worn appearance, the pair looked more like fugitives than noble heirs.
Liu Wuxie had brought no spare clothes in his Sky Devouring Divine Cauldron and still wore the coarse garments issued on Anlu Star. The astral winds had frayed He Yingwu's clothes even worse, making him resemble a beggar.
"Please help us purchase some items as well and let me know the total cost," Liu Wuxie said. He had chosen this place because it had few customers, unlike other shops that would draw attention and trouble.
"Young Master, what do you need? You can make a list," the shopkeeper said.
Liu Wuxie wrote down clothing, interspatial rings, and pills to restore true essence. The shopkeeper's breath caught when he saw it. On the surface, the items seemed simple, but the interspatial rings, each with five hundred cubic spaces, were treasures even here.
Cultivators in the Transcendent Realm typically carried rings with only a hundred cubic spaces. The larger the storage space, the greater the cost.
"This is the deposit," Liu Wuxie said, passing over ten thousand astral stones. One such ring would cost seven or eight thousand, and even a Transcendent cultivator could probably only earn ten thousand in a year. With their current cultivation levels, making the purchase themselves would invite danger, so he entrusted the task to the shopkeeper.
The man accepted the stones while staring deeply at Liu Wuxie. Then, he left and let his assistant handle the shop.
"Wuxie, can we trust him?" He Yingwu asked in a low voice. If others learned that they carried so many astral stones, they could attempt to rob them.
"Do we have any other options?" Liu Wuxie shook his head. Since they arrived in the city, he scanned the area with his Ghost Eye and found only the Three Mountain House to be suitable. The shopkeeper carried himself decently, and the store sold trinkets catering to collectors rather than ordinary cultivators.
Shops selling pills and artifacts, always packed with people, would draw unwanted attention, even if someone took out only a hundred astral stones.
Time passed, but the shopkeeper did not return.
The sound of pounding hooves echoed through the street. Two young men in purple robes appeared and pasted a notice on the shop's door. Strangely, the assistant allowed them to do it, though such acts usually required the owner's consent.
Liu Wuxie glanced at He Yingwu, who immediately understood his intention and approached the assistant.
He Yingwu stepped forward. "Brother, who are these people? How can you allow them to post something without your permission?"
"You don't know who they are?" the assistant asked, wide-eyed.
"Please enlighten us," He Yingwu said, shaking his head. He didn't know the Astral Domain well, and neither he nor Liu Wuxie even knew the planet's name.
At a table, Liu Wuxie studied the four maps, searching for the Heavenly Dragon Sect. He could only hope the sect still existed. If it no longer did, he would lose his route home. Though he had entered the Astral Domain, he still had no way to return, and the only path back to his family was through the Astral Domain Path.
The Laman Astral Domain alone spanned countless planets; finding a single one was daunting. From the grandmaster's tone, the Heavenly Dragon Sect was a major sect, so he focused on the largest worlds.
"They're disciples of the Immortal Slaughter Palace. Who in the Laman Astral Domain doesn't recognize them?" the assistant said.
Liu Wuxie instantly looked up, gathered the maps, and strode to the door. He Yingwu followed. The notice displayed two portraits, perfect likenesses of their faces, staring back at them.
Fortunately, the shop had no customers at that moment.
"Astral Domain Bounty—ten thousand astral stones for information on these two, plus a sixth-grade spiritual pill," He Yingwu read, drawing a sharp breath.
Liu Wuxie waved his hand, blurring the portraits beyond recognition.
At that moment, the shopkeeper returned with the goods.
"These are the items you wanted. Please check them. The total is twenty thousand astral stones," he said, handing over an interspatial ring.
Liu Wuxie scanned it with his divine sense and nodded. "Here's twelve thousand astral stones. Consider the extra two thousand as our gratitude."
"Thank you, Young Master!" the shopkeeper said with a grin.
"We'll need a place to organize our things," Liu Wuxie said. They couldn't possibly change their clothes in the hall and required a quiet space.
"Please, come with me," the shopkeeper replied, leading them into a quiet room in the inner hall.
Once the door closed, the two quickly changed out of their ragged clothes. Liu Wuxie took out pills and astral stones, placing them into another ring, and pressed it into He Yingwu's hand.
"Wuxie, this isn't right. You earned these astral stones yourself," He Yingwu protested. He was already satisfied just to have escaped Anlu Star.
"Why be so formal with me?" Liu Wuxie said, forcing the ring into his hand. Since He Yingwu had chosen to follow him, he naturally wouldn't treat him poorly.
From the warehouse alone, he had gathered over five hundred thousand astral stones, and with the Northern Foothill Mines included, the total reached seven hundred thousand.
They had spent some along the way, but six hundred thousand remained. He gave one hundred thousand to He Yingwu, keeping five hundred thousand for emergencies.
"Very well. Since I've chosen to follow you, I won't hold back," He Yingwu said, slipping the ring onto his finger.
Freshly dressed, they looked like entirely different men.
"Wuxie, we might run into trouble if we leave now. The other shops probably have our portraits," He Yingwu warned.
"We'll take it one step at a time. If necessary, we'll wear bamboo hats," Liu Wuxie replied. They had no better options for the time being.
He Yingwu smiled faintly. "Have you forgotten my nickname?"
Back in the True Martial Continent, he was known as the Thousand-Faced Saint.