Chapter 640

: I’ll Leave After I Finish Shopping
Meng Hao was in a good mood….
It was a warm, sunny day, and evening was approaching. The color of the sky and the scenery around him all looked incredibly beautiful. The more he looked at it, the better he felt.
His body flickered as he shot through mid-air toward the city. Almost in the same moment in which he was about to arrive, seven or eight streams of Divine Sense suddenly neared him. Almost as immediately, they dispersed in amazement.
Meng Hao had only revealed an early Nascent Soul stage Cultivation base. Even still, that caused quite a bit of shock amongst the people in the city. No one dared to block his way, and they allowed him to enter the city.
The Cultivator city was crowded and bustling with activity. All types of shops could be seen, and although most of the Cultivators were in the Qi Condensation stage, there were some Foundation Establishment and even the occasional Core Formation.
When it came to Nascent Soul Cultivators, Meng Hao saw a few. Clearly, they were not members of the Footloose Sect but rather, Cultivators come from the Fourth Ring to do business.
As soon as he entered the city and began to stroll about, he saw shops on both sides of the street filled with luxurious products; customers were constantly walking in and out. As for the streets themselves, they were paved with green limestone, making the whole place seem even richer.
As he walked, Meng Hao noticed a mid Core Formation stage Cultivator up ahead. He wore a light green robe, and looked quite mighty, even threatening despite his lack of angry expression.
He was walking up ahead of Meng Hao, and was just about to enter a shop off to the side, when suddenly a growl could be heard off in the distance, and a bright beam of light shot toward him at top speed.

Zhou Jian, you traitor! So it turns out you hid here after daring to steal my Spirit Stones!? Well I, Sun, swear that you will be slain this very day!
A middle-aged Cultivator could be seen approaching. His Cultivation base was at the Core Formation stage, and his power seemed boundless. He performed an incantation gesture with his right hand, causing two flying swords to emerge with sharp glows. They instantly shot toward the Cultivator with the light green robe.
The man’s face fell, and he had no time to evade. Instantly, fighting broke out between the two of them. Attacks exploded out, forcing quite a few nearby onlookers to dodge out of the way.
They fought openly, surrounded by explosions that rose up into the sky. Magical items and divine abilities were unleashed, and both men coughed up blood and then fell back. Almost in the same instant that they fell back, the Footloose Sect disciples in charge of maintaining order rushed toward the scene. A cold snort filled the entire area.

Magical fighting is prohibited in Saint’s Distance City! The two of you screw off immediately!

The echoing voice caused the face of the Cultivator named Sun to flicker. As he looked up, the Cultivator named Zhou took advantage of the pause to retreat further. It was hard to tell whether or not it was intentional, but his movement brought him right next to Meng Hao’s side. Before any observer could see what happened, the man slipped a bag of holding to Meng Hao.

Please watch over this for me, Fellow Daoist,
he said.
I’ll be back within three days at the least. If I haven’t come to get it within three days, then everything inside belongs to you.
With that, he flew up into the air. The Cultivator named Sun let out a roar and then began to chase him. The two of them quickly vanished.
Meng Hao stood there blinking. The fight had started far too quickly, and ended even faster. Meng Hao looked down at the bag of holding, wiped away the brand mark without hesitation, and then scanned it with Divine Sense. Instantly, a strange expression appeared on his face.
There was nothing inside other than Spirit Stones…..
Furthermore, there were more than 30,000 of them.
Meng Hao cleared his throat, then calmly put the bag of holding away, his expression the same as ever. There really was nobody he knew so unreliable as to be able to pull off something like this which was so full of sloppy mistakes.
Upon first stepping foot onto Saint’s Island, Meng Hao hadn’t thought too much about why the place seemed so familiar. But then he realized that it looked so different from that familiar place in his memory that it seemed obvious someone had altered it, even moving mountains and rivers to make it different.
And then… everything went completely smoothly, especially all the matters to do with the Footloose Sect. Meng Hao couldn’t help but start getting a bit suspicious. Considering everything, it was only natural that he realize what was happening.

It’s a good thing that when I went to the Bridge of Immortal Treading that year I got a bird’s eye view of the Milky Way Sea, and realized that the old bugger was hiding there,
he thought.
If it weren’t for that, I might have had my suspicions, but I couldn’t have been sure. 1

The old bastard really is good at hiding. Even my Demon Sealing senses couldn’t pick up on his aura.
Meng Hao coughed lightly, then, without batting an eyelid, continued onward.
Meanwhile, back in the palace, Patriarch Reliance was nervously staring at Meng Hao. He watched him put away the bag of holding and then let out a sigh. Then, he started to complain regretfully.

Oh, my Spirit Stones. Those are the Patriarch’s 30,000 Spirit Stones… gone, just like that. Everything here on Saint’s Island belongs to me, only to be gone, just like that….

Dammit, you little bastard! Nothing good ever happens when I run into you!
Patriarch Reliance gnashed his teeth, but there was nothing else he could do. He could only silently pray that Meng Hao would leave as quickly as possible.
As for Meng Hao, he patted his collection of free Spirit Stones, and then glanced around. Soon he caught sight of a shop that specialized in magical items. His eyes narrowed as he strode toward it.
Even on the outside, the shop looked extremely luxurious. Upon entering, he could see that it had three floors, and that the glow of magical items was shocking. The products available started from the Qi Condensation stage and even went up all the way into the Nascent Soul stage. There were special and incredible items available for all stages.
Currently, there were about seven or eight Cultivators in the shop, looking through various treasures, followed by salespeople with radiant smiles. In the middle of the shop was an incense burner, from which wisps of smoke radiated out, filling the entire first floor with an elegant aura. As soon as someone entered, it was possible to calm the mind and simply enjoy the high-end atmosphere of the shop.
As soon as Meng Hao stepped foot inside, an old man wearing a long gown approached smilingly. He clasped hands and bowed deeply to Meng Hao.

Fellow Daoist, welcome to one of the top ten shops in all of Saint’s Distance City. We guarantee quality, and are honest with all customers. You can set your mind at ease when you do business here.

What exactly are you looking for?
The old man’s smiling words seemed somehow familiar to Meng Hao. After thinking about it for a moment, he realized that they were almost exactly the same words he had used in his own shop back in the Reliance Sect.
The old man had a passable Cultivation base of the early Foundation Establishment stage. His latent talent was ordinary, and he was not on the verge of any sort of breakthrough, which was why he maintained such a position in this shop. He quickly measured up Meng Hao. Although he couldn’t clearly see Meng Hao’s Cultivation base, based on the way he carried himself, the old man could see that he was full of money.

You’re funded by the Footloose Sect?
asked Meng Hao, sounding a bit surprised.
The old man looked both proud and embarrassed as he laughed and nodded.

Fellow Daoist,
he said,
is this really your first time to Saint’s Island? There are three Cultivator cities here, and many of the shops in those cities are the property of the Footloose Sect.

Take a look here.
The old man pointed to a wooden plaque next to the door, upon the surface of which was clearly carved a design that looked like a turtle….

That mark,
continued the old man,
indicates that this place is property of the Footloose Sect.

Even as the old man made his explanation, Patriarch Reliance’s heart began to pound, and he started wailing in anguish.

I’m finished, FINISHED!
he cried.
How could the Patriarch in all his intelligence forget about THAT!? Dammit! That design…. Please, DO NOT let it attract the attention of that little bastard!

In his anxiety, Patriarch Reliance quickly sent his Divine Sense into the old man that Meng Hao was talking to. An imperceptible tremor ran through the old man, and his expression changed. As of this moment, he was no longer himself, but rather, an incarnation of Patriarch Reliance.

Fellow Daoist, look over there!
he said quickly, stepping in front of Meng Hao to block his line of sight.
All of the treasures in this shop are very extraordinary, really!

Inwardly, Meng Hao gave a cold laugh, but outwardly, he looked in the direction in which the old man was pointing. There was a flying saber, completely silver and radiating icy coldness. The price listed next to it was 1,500 Spirit Stones.
It was a magical item useful to the early Foundation Establishment stage. Meng Hao looked it over and then frowned.

Too expensive!
he said, his voice serious.
The old man laughed on the outside, but inside, he was cursing Meng Hao’s stinginess.
The Patriarch just gave you 30,000 Spirit Stones, and now you’re saying it’s too expensive?!


Fellow Daoist, today is your lucky day! It just so happens to be our crazy, once-a-decade sale! All products in the entire shop are half off! You can have this item for only 750 Spirit Stones!

Meng Hao didn’t look satisfied.
This thing is worth 30 Spirit Stones at the most. Forget it. I think I’ll go to some of the other shops in the city. Then I’ll probably go to some of the other Cultivator Cities as well.
With that, he turned to leave.
However, as soon as the words left his mouth, a tremor ran through Patriarch Reliance. When he heard that Meng Hao planned to stroll around the city, he began to grieve inwardly. Gritting his teeth, he decided to throw all caution to the wind.

Fine. 30 Spirit Stones! It’s yours!

Meng Hao spun back around and grabbed the little saber, his face awash with joy. Then he waved his finger at the hundreds of other magical items on display on the first floor of the store.

I want all of them,
he said.
Patriarch Reliance stared in shock. However, in his desire to get Meng Hao away as quickly as possible, he could only grit his teeth and endure the drops of blood that were being squeezed out of his heart.
It was in this manner that, under the shocked gazes of the other customers, Meng Hao purchased everything on the first floor of the shop. Then, even as Patriarch Reliance was starting to get excited, Meng Hao didn’t leave, but rather made his way toward the second floor.

Everyone says that the people from the Footloose Sect are good people. Although I’ve seen many things, I have to say that this is the most honest shop I have ever been into. Alright, I’m going to take a look at the second and third floors. Assuming I like what I see, I’ll take it all. 30,000 Spirit Stones should be enough for everything, right?
He swished his sleeve magnanimously.
Patriarch Reliance, in the form of the old man, almost coughed up an entire mouthful of blood. His eyes were bloodshot, and he was just about to howl out in rage, when Meng Hao continued to speak in a soft voice.

I’ll leave after I finish shopping.

The sentence caused Patriarch Reliance to gasp. He continued to remind himself that he just had to hang on a little bit longer. As he comforted himself in this way, he gave a smile that looked worse than a wailing grimace, and then escorted Meng Hao through the second and third floors. He moved as quickly as possible, and soon, Meng Hao had gathered up all of the magical items.
In the final calculation, there were several thousand items. Even at the price of only 30 spirit stones per item, he still needed over 100,000 Spirit Stones.
Patriarch Reliance felt as if his heart were being slashed by daggers. His face was pale as he stared helplessly at Meng Hao, seemingly on the verge of crying.
When it came time to settle the bill, Meng Hao rubbed his bag of holding, and a thoughtful look appeared in his eyes.

I don’t think I have enough Spirit Stones,
he said a bit bashfully. When Patriarch Reliance heard this, he gaped in shock.
—–
This chapter was sponsored by Liam Shippam, Laurie’s ESL Tutoring, Patrick Files, Shin, William Storer, Joel F, Michael Q, Abu, Count Grey, Fiber Optic, David Jeltema III, Potkeny, and Michael Michalczyk
1. When Meng Hao flew up to the Realm of the Bridge Ruins in chapter 454, he saw Patriarch Reliance floating in the Milky Way Sea