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I survived. When the demon gave me unreasonable orders to stop the humanoid beast, there was a tiny part in my mind prepping me for death. Luckily, the only injuries I received were a few broken bones and cut skin from my body colliding with a building. Those healed quickly with the help of some pills. I was pleasantly surprised too when the demon gave me ten thousand contribution points, my reward for claiming Immortal Kuang’s head. There was a tiny bit of guilt in my heart for having killed him; I did what I had to do to survive. However, after receiving these points, the ache in my conscience is gone. With these points, I can recover a decent amount of strength.
…Though, I’m not sure why I’m recovering my strength. Bloodmoon self-detonated and propelled his soul into the legacy holder’s body. I’m not even aware which disciple it was who ended up the victor, but he or she is an unlucky fellow. I hope the seven great sects will realize there’s something wrong with their disciple, but it’s unlikely for them to discover anything. They’ll want to Soul Scour him for information, but the sect backing the disciple definitely won’t allow it because there’s a chance of the legacy leaking.
In regards to the great sects’ selfish attitudes, I find the demon’s view on techniques quite refreshing. Any technique can be bought with contribution points, and the requirements aren’t very strict. The points are more of a formality. The techniques that are locked behind points require many rare treasures or resources to cultivate, and the initial contribution points are proof that one’s capable of purchasing those rare resources. The techniques that don’t require much, namely foundation building techniques, they’re all free. In every piece of land the Shadow, no, the Righteous Holy Sect is conquering, they’re distributing the Righteous Holy Foundation Building Technique to all the mortals and cultivators alike. The demon is seeking an overall increase in power for the lower dimension. If the seven great sects in the immortal realm thought that way, would the human race still be in such a precarious position? Other than the demons and the beasts, there are an innumerable number of races that can threaten our existence: the fiends, the ancients, and the primals to name a few. Not much is known about them other than their existence, but they’re out there. Knowing that, the conflict between humans is a little silly.
“Hey. How long are you going to stand there in a daze?”
Me, standing here in a daze? I’ve cultivated the Ten Thousand Thoughts technique, and though my mind may be working slower than when I was an immortal, my thoughts still complete at lightning-fast speeds. “I haven’t even been here for a single second. What do you mean?”
The corpse puppet at the counter tilted stared at me with dead eyes. Literally. They were rotting. A worm was poking in and out of the puppet’s nose. It definitely didn’t need to be there, but the demon must’ve kept it in the corpse for some reason. “You’ve been here for that long and you haven’t decided yet. The you from before you were captured would’ve died of shame. How can you call yourself an ex-immortal?”
This demon! Why! Is! She! So! Mean!? “Have I done something to you to make you dislike me?”
“I hate when the world blesses stupid people with luck.”
Urggggh! Why does she think I’m so stupid!? “Everyone in the immortal realm respects me! Maybe I’m not as intelligent as you”—something that hurts me to concede—“but I’m not the bumbling idiot you make me out to be! Who was the one that killed Immortal Kuang? Who helped you achieve your plan? Can’t you treat me a little bit more like a human?”
“I treat all humans poorly.” The corpse was a bit unnerving. It didn’t blink or move—it’s mouth included. “Are you buying or selling?”
I took a second to gather up all my emotions and bottle them deep within my chest. I was aware my strength would drop upon entering a lower dimension, but I didn’t think my mental state would be affected so drastically. I can’t even control something as simple as my pride. “I’m buying. I need—”
“This, right?” The corpse puppet extracted something from its interspacial ring and placed it on the countertop. It was a jade box, commonly used to isolate treasures from worldly influences, but it was larger than an average one. “Take a look inside.”
Take a look inside? I’ll crack open the cover and take a peek. This…. How did she know I needed these things? I know she read my memories, but just having knowledge of something doesn’t mean she should acquire the experience that comes with it. “Yes…, this is exactly what I needed.”
The puppet held out its hand, and I gave it my identity plate. The puppet tapped the plate against the underside of the counter before handing it back to me. “You have zero contribution points left.”
Zero? “Wait. These things only cost nine thousand eight hundred points. I should still have two hundred left.”
The puppet pointed at the jade box. “The box isn’t free. Unless you don’t want it? I’ll be happy to return your points to you if you give it back.”
There’s no way a jade box is worth two hundred contribution points even if it is slightly larger than average. However, I don’t think the demon will give me time to purchase a box from someone else to store all these treasures in. Even if she does, I’ll have to wait an extremely long time since a lot of people are turning in contribution points. The demon is doing most of the trades personally, I’m assuming because the items being traded are extremely expensive. I’ll have to wait a whole day if I go to find a box somewhere else. Actually, I don’t mind waiting a day. Two hundred contribution points is certainly worth a day’s wait. “Hold on to these for me; I’m going to find a box elsewhere.”
Surprisingly, the demon didn’t seem to care. She took the items back along with my identity slip, refilling it with points before giving it back to me. After walking for a bit, leaving the contribution center behind, I ended up in the marketplace. The general store should have jade boxes for … sale. Does that sign say the store is temporarily out of jade boxes…? Is this the demon’s doing? I don’t believe these boxes are sold out everywhere!