Xiang Yu's lips twitched violently. "God of Wine, it doesn't seem expensive, does it? Only one million energy points for Earth Realm domineering aura plus Core Formation? That's a fair price. My current strength is more than a hundred times greater than when I was in the Profound Realm, and the difficulty of advancing to the Earth Realm is more than a hundred times greater than that of the Profound Realm."
"Sigh, I know what you're saying. I just regret not making more Earth Realm cards before you formed your Core. The price of one million cards must have been inflated a lot by the Core Formation. It's too uneconomical to use this energy to buy Core Formation cards. It's a huge loss!" This is what's bothering Hao Jiu.
Xiang Yu smiled wryly. This God of Wine was good in every way, but his shrewdness was a bit too much. "God of Wine, you get what you pay for. Besides, when I just broke through to the Earth Realm, didn't you already record a card once? The price back then was about 500,000 points, right? I see you were quite happy about it."
"That's different. Before your breakthrough, I recorded another batch at rock-bottom prices, hoarding a hundred copies at 50,000 energy each. After your breakthrough, the price immediately increased tenfold, so of course I'm happy." Hao Jiu's mood improved considerably when she thought about this.
Xiang Yu was taken aback. "God of Wine, how many have you stockpiled? A hundred? Didn't you say they were too expensive to make? Since you made a hundred, why don't you put them up for sale in the store? Han Xin and Liu Yan are kicking themselves for not getting the Xuanjing cards."
Hao Jiu smiled awkwardly, "Uh, it's because I made too few Xuanjing cards the first time and sold them too cheaply, so I made more the second time, planning to sell them to them when they have more energy in their accounts."
If you knew about this, you might just reward them. Besides, they all have good potential and a good chance of mastering the art of unleashing domineering energy on their own. I'm doing this for their own good.
Xiang Yu's forehead veins throbbed. "God of Wine, I trusted you so much..."
"Hahaha... Your Majesty, please calm down. I only did this to prevent those brats from becoming too reliant on your cards. It's always better to develop your own strength. As for hiding the fact that I had these late-stage Profound Realm cards from you, that was unintentional. I just didn't want you to be distracted by such trivial matters and wanted you to focus on your cultivation. At most, I won't hide it from you anymore, how about that?"
Hao Jiu quickly apologized, otherwise the loss from a drop in intimacy would be huge. Fortunately, Xiang Yu wasn't really angry.
"Alright, I trust the God of Wine. In the future, the God of Wine can still tell me about these things as appropriate." Xiang Yu breathed a sigh of relief. The reason of not wanting to be distracted was still acceptable. If he had to manage everything, how could he expect to cultivate his domineering aura and break through to the Earth Realm?
"Ah~ that's right. Cough cough, um, the card you just recorded after breaking through to the Earth Realm, worth 500,000 each, I also made ten of them, not one." Hao Jiu quickly confessed again.
It's worth noting that the price of Xiang Yu's Profound Realm card was only 10,000, but it immediately increased fiftyfold to 500,000 energy points when it reached the Earth Realm.
Given the nature of the card module, the price will definitely increase as time goes on. If we don't produce more while Xiang Yu is relatively weak, we may have to consume more later.
So at that time, Hao Jiu gritted his teeth and created ten Xiang Yu Earth Realm Foundation Establishment cards, then put them up for sale in the store for one million energy points, in order to encourage everyone to work hard in their cultivation.
Looking back now, we didn't make enough. Xiang Yu's domineering aura has improved during this period, and he has just broken through to the Core Formation realm in his cultivation, which has doubled the price again, making it a million energy points.
If I had known this would happen, I would have created more Xiang Yu cards at the Earth Realm Foundation Establishment stage. Although the Xiang Yu card I recorded now has the attribute of a thousand-year lifespan, it is obviously not worth spending so much energy.
After all, in the environment of the spirit world, it is easy to use props to accelerate cultivation to the Core Formation stage, and once you reach the Core Formation stage, a thousand years of lifespan is basically enough.
Although Hao Jiu had some regrets, he was certain that the current Xiang Yu could easily defeat a hundred Xuan Realm Xiang Yus. From this perspective, the production cost of one million energy points per card was actually quite reasonable.
Comparing Fujitora Issho and Dragon's cards, based on equipment prices, the crafting cost of these two cards should also be one million energy points.
However, to be fair, there is still a significant gap between the Four Emperors and Admirals of the One Piece world and the Mahayana cultivators of the Spirit Realm, and Xiang Yu's current strength is at the Mahayana level.
After some self-suggestion and brainwashing, Hao Jiu felt that one million yuan per ticket was quite a good deal, with a very high cost-performance ratio, and her mood improved a lot.
At this price, it's definitely not feasible for users to accumulate energy to purchase it themselves. Even if they go to the sixth sub-plane to accelerate, it's unknown how long it would take for the shadow host to accumulate a million energy.
Therefore, Hao Jiu only made one token card this time. One million energy is not a big deal for Hao Jiu. It's not bad to treat it as a treasure of the sect.
Anyway, it's still a long way from Xiang Yu's breakthrough in the Overlord Realm, and the lifespan of the Core Formation Realm is enough. He won't be improving his cultivation realm anytime soon, so he can just record cards whenever needed.
Then, Hao Jiu recorded the cards of Shi Potian and Qing Yuanzi in the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm. As a result, the price of both cards was 200,000 energy points each, which was a bit puzzling.
Logically speaking, Qing Yuanzi should be much stronger than Shi Potian, and cultivators at the Nascent Soul stage seem to have stronger combat power than the Four Emperors of the Sea, yet he is only on par with the elderly Whitebeard.
Of course, cultivators may seem to be able to fly, move mountains, and fill seas, and are incredibly powerful, but they need a lot of spiritual energy from heaven and earth. Without spiritual energy, they will be like that unlucky dragon from back then, possessing strength but unable to unleash it.
The One Piece series of cards doesn't have this problem; they can be very strong in any dimension. If cultivators were to randomly enter the One Piece dimension and fight, it's hard to say who would be stronger.
It's important to know that in the world of One Piece, the stronger a character is, the stronger their Armament Haki and Observation Haki are. These characters are incredibly durable, can foresee the future, and possess all sorts of amazing Devil Fruit abilities.
Therefore, all things considered, it makes some sense that the Four Emperors and Admirals in the One Piece universe start with one million energy points.
Hao Jiu recorded the Transformation Realm cards as an experiment. If the cards were cheap, it would make up for the lack of Profound Realm Xiang Yu cards.
The Imperial Realm Domineering Aura corresponds to the Foundation Establishment stage and around, while the Profound Realm Domineering Aura corresponds to the Nascent Soul stage and around. Even without the Xiang Yu card, the strength should be roughly the same if you have the Nascent Soul card.
Unfortunately, after the price was announced, Hao Jiu abandoned the idea of mass production. All the generals of the Great Chu Empire, including Ran Min, Li Guang, and Liu Yan, had touched the threshold of the Profound Realm of Overbearing Aura and could break through at any time. They would see how the price was then.
In addition, Hao Jiu also recorded cards for the Nascent Soul and Core Formation realms, but the actual results were disappointing. A Nascent Soul card cost 150,000 yuan, and a Core Formation card cost 100,000 yuan. It would have been better to bring reliable people to the Spirit Realm to accelerate cultivation.
Although cultivators who quickly achieve Core Formation and Nascent Soul stages through elixirs are slightly weaker in combat, their lifespan is the same as that of the legitimate cultivators. If they are also equipped with powerful magic weapons, their combat strength will not be inferior to those who are cultivated through orthodox methods.
Therefore, if you want to build an invincible army, you still have to rely on powerful cards.
Back when Xiang Yu was at the Xuanjing level, Hao Jiu didn't have many energy points, so she couldn't create more even if she wanted to.
Now, no matter who advances to the Xuanjing Domineering Realm, Hao Jiu can mass-produce Xuanjing cards. As long as the Shadow System is sufficient, he can build a super-powerful army.
The number of Shadow Systems is directly linked to chivalry points. To gain chivalry points, one must act righteously, or serve the country, the people, or the human race.
"If only alien races came to attack the human race..." Hao Jiu murmured.
Just then, Shi Potian received a message that the allied forces of the Yaksha Clan and the Shadow Clan had arrived and were besieging Tianyuan City!
Chapter 491 The Challenge
The Yaksha and Shadow Clan have invaded!
"God of Wine, what's going on?" Xiang Yu thought this was too much of a coincidence.
"What a coincidence! We're actually quite lucky. They've delivered themselves right to our doorstep. The Yaksha and Shadow Clan's big move definitely wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision; they probably started preparing even before we entered the Spirit Realm. Being weak means being vulnerable to attack. Humanity is just that weak," Hao Jiu analyzed.
"Hmph! These ignorant alien races really think humans are easy to bully." A hint of murderous intent flashed in Xiang Yu's eyes.
"I think we should go directly to Mo Jianli and ask him for clarification. I just don't know where Mo Jianli is now." Hao Jiu felt that Mo Jianli might not be in Tianyuan City. The human race's territory was a small place in the entire Spirit Realm, but in fact, it was not small in area.
The territory is divided into three countries: Tianyuan Realm, Tianling Realm, and Xuanwu Realm, each ruled by one of the three emperors. There are also some cultivation secret realms, such as the Holy Island.
These places could all become Mo Jianli's destinations, even the territories of the demon race and other races on the Fengyuan Continent. After all, the human and demon races have formed an alliance, and the human race's Mahayana cultivator is also a top expert in this plane, so he can go anywhere in the world.
Moreover, Hao Jiu thought that the Yaksha Clan and the Shadow Clan might have launched their attack because they knew that Mo Jianli was not in Tianyuan City.
“That’s right, Mo Jianli isn’t here. Let’s wait in Tianyuan City then. I expect Mo Jianli will definitely come when the war starts here, and he can take the opportunity to strike and dampen the arrogance of those alien races.” Xiang Yu had already deployed his domineering energy within the Tianyuan City area and had just investigated the Tianyuan City Elders’ Council.
Well, while it's not good to pry into other people's privacy, it's okay to use it occasionally. Xiang Yu is now a god in Tianyuan City and the surrounding area.
Cultivators are very accurate in sensing killing intent and danger, but they cannot sense the domineering energy in this probing state. At least, cultivators in the Integration stage certainly cannot detect it. It is unknown whether cultivators in the Mahayana stage can detect it.
"Huh? What the Overlord says is absolutely right. While we're cutting off the arrogance of those alien races, we can also do good for the human race. That way, we'll have a better chance to talk to Mo Jianli in the future." Hao Jiu felt it was better not to go directly to Mo Jianli at this critical moment of foreign invasion. If they couldn't reach an agreement and started fighting, wouldn't that be indirectly helping the alien races?
"Hmm. Huh? It seems the vanguard of the alien race has arrived. So this is the alien race." Xiang Yu had sensed the alien army south of Tianyuan City, but their numbers were not large, so it should only be the vanguard.
Otherwise, to think that such a small army could attack the human race would be to seriously disregard both the human and demon races.
"Let's go see those alien races." Hao Jiuxin thought to herself, "You can sense what the alien races look like, but I don't have that ability. We have to see them with our own eyes first."
"Very well." Xiang Yu said, then entered the alternate dimension and flew towards the location of the alien army.
At the south wall of Tianyuan City, Shi Potian and Qing Yuanzi had already arrived. All the new recruits who had not participated in the last alien invasion had come. They were a little nervous about participating in the clan war for the first time.
Keep in mind that they are only Nascent Soul and Deity Transformation stage cultivators. There are many cultivators with higher levels than them on the battlefield. At least they need to break through to the Void Refinement stage to have more self-protection power.
There's nothing to fear about Shi Potian and Qing Yuanzi; people with systems have a lot of backbone.
They have broken through to the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm in the past few days. Hao Jiu also intends to accelerate their growth, and there are plenty of cultivation resources available. It's hard to say about Shi Potian's aptitude, but Qing Yuanzi is a promising candidate for the Mahayana stage.
However, once Qing Yuanzi breaks through to the Void Refinement stage, he should be sent out to gain experience. A hothouse flower is no good; Qing Yuanzi is known for his combat prowess.
In addition, Qing Yuanzi in "A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality" possesses a powerful spiritual treasure on the Chaos Myriad Spirits Ranking called the Five Dragon Guillotine. This treasure is incredibly powerful and was crafted from materials he obtained during his travels in the Spirit Realm.
If Qing Yuanzi hadn't been allowed to travel according to his destined path, this treasure probably would never have been born.
Of course, the journey across the continent will be accelerated. Xiang Yu will not give Qing Yuanzi too much time to grow. It is absolutely impossible for him to have a cultivation time of several thousand years, let alone several hundred years.
According to Hao Jiu's plan, Xiang Yu will be able to completely control the Spirit Realm within fifty years at most, and even take care of the neighboring Demon Realm as well.
During this period, Xiang Yu also traveled to various continents in the Spirit Realm, starting with the Fengyuan Continent where the human race resides. He also went to the Leiming Continent and the Xuetian Continent to accumulate killing intent and cultivate domineering aura in battle.
If I can break through to the Heavenly Realm of Overlord within these fifty years, that would be incredibly awesome. After unifying the Spirit Realm, I could then march towards the Immortal Realm.
Of course, this is just a beautiful wish; achieving the domineering aura of the Heavenly Realm is too difficult.
However, it would be good if two more experts could break through to the Earth Realm of Overlord in the next fifty years.
After all, the generals of the Great Chu all specialize in cultivating domineering aura. With Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King, as their guide in cultivating domineering aura, coupled with the incredible experience of the card system, the originally extremely difficult-to-cultivate domineering aura has become much easier.
As long as Xiang Yu continues to improve his cultivation level, those who follow him will have valuable experience and valuable cards to draw upon, ensuring a bright future for them.
Tianyuan City, secret room.
The ten members of the Elder Council sat together; all of them were cultivators at the Integration Stage.
As the saying goes, "If the Mahayana does not emerge, the combined forces will reign supreme."
Normally, small- to medium-sized wars are dominated by cultivators at the Integration stage. Mahayana cultivators rarely engage in life-or-death battles; at most, it's a mutual restraint between Mahayana cultivators.
"You've all seen the challenge from the Yaksha Clan. Now, tell me, who will accept the challenge from the Integration Realm?" A white-robed old man with a full head of silver hair and a delicate face spoke from the main seat.
The old monk beside him, draped in a golden kasaya, looked troubled. “Elder Gu, this matter should not be rushed. Although the other party has not sent many people this time, they have ulterior motives. Their true intentions are not what they seem.”
“Elder Jin is right, this matter needs to be considered carefully,” said the young woman with hair as purple as flames.
The white-robed elder nodded. "You all figured it out too? The Yaksha Clan came here to test our strength. According to past patterns, alien races usually only invade once every 100,000 years, at the earliest 60,000 to 70,000 years. But the last alien invasion was more than 20,000 years ago. The Yaksha Clan's urgency must mean they've heard some rumors. Fellow Daoist Bao, can you tell me the truth? What is the current state of Ancestor Ao Xiao?"
A burly man with a golden face, wearing a black leather robe, smiled bitterly and said, "Fellow Daoist Gu, it's not that I'm deliberately hiding it. The clan's announcement is that our ancestor successfully passed his tribulation after the last alien invasion. As for the rumors of his death, they are all fabricated. I can swear to God on this. If you still don't believe me, there's nothing I can do."
"In that case, can Ancestor Ao Xiao accept the challenge of the Mahayana stage?" the white-robed elder asked, staring into the eyes of the golden-masked man.
"Uh, this..."
Chapter 492 The Problem
The golden-faced giant looked troubled. Although he was a demon cultivator at the Fusion Stage, he had not seen Ao Xiao since Ao Xiao underwent his twenty-first Great Heavenly Tribulation.
The key is that the Great Heavenly Tribulation that Mahayana cultivators face every three thousand years is more and more severe each time. Very few can even survive the twentieth Great Heavenly Tribulation, let alone the twenty-first.
However, judging from the reactions of Ao Xiao's closest relatives, Ao Xiao has most likely survived this tribulation, but he may have suffered extremely serious injuries. Perhaps the next great tribulation will be Ao Xiao's death day.
If that's the case, Ao Xiao won't be an effective fighting force and will have to focus on healing his injuries.
In fact, Ao Xiao chose to secretly undergo his tribulation after the alien invasion in order to give himself time to heal. Even if the aliens invaded again 60,000 years later, within those 60,000 years, even the most serious injuries should have been almost fully healed.
It's not easy for alien races to gather enough troops for a large-scale invasion; they also need time to recuperate and rebuild. Otherwise, they wouldn't only attack once every 60,000 to 100,000 years.
But if the alien races learned of Ao Xiao's failed tribulation, how could they possibly miss this golden opportunity? They would definitely accelerate their preparations for war and break the existing pattern of invasion.
Therefore, there is no choice in this matter. Even if Ancestor Ao Xiao really fails to transcend the tribulation and perishes, we must do our best to conceal it. As long as the human and demon races can produce another Mahayana cultivator before the next large-scale invasion by alien races, that will be fine.
Of course, it would be best if the demon race produced another Mahayana cultivator; otherwise, the demon race would only be a vassal of the human race, and it would never be pleasant to be at the mercy of others.
In short, there is absolutely no way that Ancestor Ao Xiao will accept this Mahayana challenge.