Desolate Mirage Ridges
The land was called Desolate not for lack of resources, but for its curse: no one could survive there for more than a year. Civilization here was impossible. No cities thrived, no villages endured. People lived only upon the jagged backs of ancient mountains, where survival—though cruel—was at least possible. To live below was to invite a swifter, crueler death.
The mountains themselves were ranked from Tier One to Tier Five, each tier signifying not only height and danger, but also the concentration of spiritual energy and the presence of terrifying creatures and powers.
Misty Fog Mountain: Tier Two
At the base of Misty Fog Mountain, cloaked in cyan robes, a young man appeared like a phantom from another world. His name was Wei Shiyan.
Before him, the mountain loomed—wrapped in endless mist, its slopes tranquil yet ominous, radiating a bloody aura that felt like the breath of some prehistoric beast. Wei Shiyan's lips curved into a smile.
"Let's make this place a little more chaotic," he muttered softly. "Otherwise, it's no fun at all."
With calm, steady steps, he began his ascent. Unbeknownst to the mountain, it would know no rest that day.
Near the mountain's edge, a group of thirty-six men clad in black blocked his path. The weakest among them radiated the strength of an early Tier Two mortal. Most were mid to late stage, and the leader himself was a towering brute, an early-stage Demi-Mortal God. A gruesome scar stretched from his forehead, slicing narrowly past his left eye and cutting through his upper lip.
Wei Shiyan stared at them with mild interest. In a place like the Desolate Mirage Ridges, these men were disappointingly weak. He had half a mind to ask them if they'd gotten lost.
The leader bellowed, "Hey kid! Hand over your space ring and anything valuable, then scram! Down the mountain you go."
Wei Shiyan blinked, then tilted his head. "Is this a robbery… or tax collection? Zachariah, I didn't know you followed me into this world just to charge me taxes."
He sighed dramatically, as though weighed down by unspeakable sorrow. The bandits stared, confused. Was this boy a lunatic? And how could such a lunatic have wandered into the ridges?
The leader recovered first. "Damn lunatic, are you seeking death?"
One of the men sneered. "We are the Heaven Looting Bandits."
Wei Shiyan chuckled. "How flashy," he murmured.
The leader's nose flared with rage. He had never met someone so infuriating. "Chop off his left leg and right hand!" he roared.
Wei Shiyan's expression shifted. "Very well. You've come at just the right time. I wanted to test the power structure of this mountain anyway."
He took a single step forward.
No aura, no visible attack—yet the world froze. The air turned to ice. A moment later, bone-chilling screams split the silence. Bandits fell, writhing in agony, their bodies stiffening as frost devoured them.
The survivors stared in horror, legs trembling. The towering leader collapsed to his knees, pleading for mercy.
Wei Shiyan's cold voice echoed:
"Your space rings, everything valuable—hand it over. Then, down to Shura you go."
The bandits gawked. Shura? Why Shura? That wasn't part of the rules!
One man, voice quivering, stepped forward. "Senior, I—I'm willing to give you everything. Please spare me."
Before their eyes, he was frozen solid, shattered into countless shards of ice. The rest nearly fainted. Some even soiled themselves. Wei Shiyan's gaze was merciless, like the frozen stare of death itself.
"You have no right to negotiate with me," he said coldly. "I can search your memories, kill you, and take all you possess. The choice is yours—die screaming, or hand it over willingly."
The bandits scrambled to surrender everything. Wei Shiyan looted them with casual efficiency, then dismissed them with a flick of his hand, casting them down into Shura's depths.
Counting his gains, he smirked. "What a warm welcome. How I wish every mountain greeted me with such sincerity—farewell gifts and all."
After he rob them instead, he then found black crystals and spiritual crystals ranging from low tier to high and also many resources that pilled up like mountains, "to think I became rich just from some random tiny bandits, "
Sigh ~~
He sighed.
If the bandits were to see this they will vomit blood due to anger and indignant.
Muttering to himself " no wonder the desolate mirage ridges is said to be full of resources.
Muttered
>>>>>>Uses>>>>>
>>Black crystals::::::: are use to clear and purify the mind and spiritual consciousness but the stronger a soul is the stronger and higher the black crystals needed because your mind and consciousness is directly proportional to your soul, this is a very strong iron rule.
And are use as currency.
>> Spiritual crystals ::::::::: are use to increase spiritual energy, it is very helpful in caltivation just as the Black crystals.
The Tavern.
Later, Wei Shiyan entered a small inn nestled on the mountainside. The tavern was nearly full, alive with chatter and clinking cups. Choosing a corner, he ordered a few dishes and sat silently, observing.
Nearby, a group of cultivators spoke in hushed excitement.
"Tonight's auction will be extraordinary," one whispered. "Ten universal-level experts have joined forces to guarantee its success."
His companion nodded eagerly. "An auction of this scale is far beyond us, but I would give anything to witness it."
Wei Shiyan's ears twitched. He had already heard rumors about this auction—even from the bandits he'd slain earlier. Naturally, his curiosity stirred. Perhaps he might find something worth claiming. And if someone offended him during the event? He smiled faintly.
"Then I'll simply flip the table and raise hell," he muttered. "Now that's my style."
Since the auction would begin at midnight, he booked a room to rest. When darkness fell, Misty Fog Mountain would once again tremble beneath his steps.
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