Absolute Death Game

Xiao Buli felt a strange sensation in his heart. Could it be that this fallen object was not a task item?

He turned the stone tablet over and over, examining it closely. On the stone tablet, there were some pictographic inscriptions, but since he was not a professional in archaeology, Xiao Buli really couldn't make heads or tails of these drawings that looked like writing. Aside from the text, there were also some simple symbols and lines among the words, seemingly dividing the text into sections. Since there was no system task prompt after picking up this object, Xiao Buli thought the key must lie in the inscriptions on the tablet. Thinking he should study it carefully later, he placed the tablet into his storage bracelet.

Xiao Buli turned to glance at the giant's lifeless corpse once more, taking out a signal flare from his storage bracelet. He was about to launch it, but memories of his interactions with the giant kept surfacing in his mind. Although they hadn't met often, each encounter had left a deep impression on him.

"Although I can't bury you, I can at least give you some peace," Xiao Buli said as he abandoned the signal flare he was holding. It was better to let him die alone like this.

Having recalled the python, Xiao Buli had no heart to continue hunting the Ancient Demon. Considering the time left before his return, and wanting to take advantage of it to see if he could reap more benefits, he decided to head back to the city quickly.

While hurrying towards the city, Xiao Buli pondered the things he needed to do next. There wasn't much time left, and it was obviously too late for another task. He accounted for his gains from this venture into the Immortal Realm, which were quite substantial, especially the dark gold equipment and the bracelet full of rare ores.

Thinking of the ores, Xiao Buli did not want to use them just as mere ores. With his Magical Treasure Crafting skills, it would be a great waste not to utilize them, especially since he had now saved all the spirit stones he initially planned to use for buying equipment. So, he resolved to find some Magical Treasure blueprints upon his return. He couldn't let all these treasures end up as mere low-grade goods and go to waste.

Back in the city, which appeared much more orderly than when Xiao Buli had left, some of the damaged buildings had begun showing signs of restoration under the Immortal Law of the Immortal Families. Those buildings that hadn't been damaged were now clean and simply repaired, back to normal.

Xiao Buli found a shop at the base of the city, which had already opened for business.

He rummaged through the store, only to find that while there were plenty of equipment and Magical Treasures, blueprint for crafting were scarce. Moreover, the few that were available were mostly for Immortal Family Magical Treasures, requiring someone capable of using Immortal Law for their creation.

Xiao Buli felt frustrated. "How could such a big store not have any Magical Treasure Crafting blueprints?" Had it been before when computers were used, he certainly would not have uttered this sentence to the shop, but being in a real-life experience now, what he thought slipped out of his mouth.

Hearing this, the shopkeeper didn't show annoyance, but rather enthusiastically responded, "If the gentleman is looking for Magical Treasure Crafting blueprints, he might want to visit the Golden Immortal Palace. There's a Mister Yu Chanzi there who specializes in collecting ancient books and jade slips. He surely has the blueprints you need."

Xiao Buli hadn't expected his mutterings to actually led to a clue. It seemed the NPCs in the Immortal Realm were more flexible compared to the mundane ones. He hurriedly bowed in thanks.

But the shopkeeper also quickly returned the gesture, saying, "Sir helped Fairy City withstand the Demon's invasion, saving us from the plight of a ruined city and displacement. This modest assistance is only expected of us."

Xiao Buli was elated inside; he had not realized that what he saw as an experience grind was perceived in such a way by others. It seemed this was a benefit of prestige and respect. Without further ado, he made his leave and headed straight for the Golden Immortal Palace.

With time pressing and the task heavy, Xiao Buli did not stroll through the Golden Immortal Palace as he did the first time. He broke into a run and soon arrived at the palace entrance. The nine golden dragons at the top of the palace, although slightly damaged, seemed fully restored under the power of the Immortal Families. The palace was shrouded in mist—a magnificent view befitting the Immortal Families.

Having seen the Golden Immortal Palace's grandeur before, and short on time, Xiao Buli didn't linger to appreciate the view and dashed into the palace. Inside the hall, some of the Immortal Families had already returned, indicating that they also conducted their affairs here. Despite the recent battle, they had immediately returned to consider this place home, now gathered in small groups, engaged in animated discussions about the recent battle between the immortals and demons.

"Excuse me," Xiao Buli approached the outskirts of a group and called out loudly.

The immortals, seeing Xiao Buli looking as though he had something to say, stopped their discussion and turned to face him.

"I would like to inquire which of the Immortals here is Mister Yu Chanzi," Xiao Buli asked with a respectful bow.

Unexpectedly, one of the Immortals chuckled. "You're looking for Yu Chanzi? But you already know him, don't you? You even did business with him."

Xiao Buli was puzzled. He hadn't bought anything at the Golden Immortal Palace, unless they meant the old man who traded in second-hand treasures from whom he had purchased a storage bracelet. Just as he was about to inquire, another Immortal, with bold brows and fierce eyes, seemingly disapproving of his colleague's mockery of a mortal, said gruffly, "Go straight to the end, the one who collects second-hand jade slips is who you're looking for."

Xiao Buli's heart understood instantly; the man had just mentioned that initially, it had cost him 50 Spirit Stones to inquire about the Jade Slip from that old man. Now was not the time for extraneous issues, so he quickly expressed his gratitude and turned to rush over.

Behind him, the tiger-eyed man said, "If he asks, just tell him. What's with the laughing at others?"

Another figure from the Immortal Families muttered something in a hushed and meek voice and then chuckled with a series of "heh heh heh," but Xiao Buli had no time to pay attention as he had already arrived in front of Yu Chanzi's booth.

"Yo, what else would you like to ask, young man? Don't think just because your friendliness has increased that you can ask questions here for free," Yu Chanzi still had a kindly and benevolent expression as he looked at Xiao Buli with a smile. However, after previous dealings, Xiao Buli dared not take him lightly.

He quickly clasped his hands in courtesy, ensuring his manners were impeccable, and said, "Mr. Yu Chanzi, I was wondering if you have any blueprints for creating Magical Treasures."

"Magical Treasures, of course, there are." Yu Chanzi did not beat around the bush with Xiao Buli and with a light wave of his hand over the tabletop, an array of blueprints for Magical Treasure Crafting were laid out.

Xiao Buli, without time to be amazed by his technique, hurriedly picked up the blueprints to look at them. His level of creating Magical Treasures was Grade Four, so no matter how good the blueprints were, they would be useless to him if he could not make them.

Fortunately, Yu Chanzi's booth was entirely different from the stores below; it specialized in collecting such literary materials, so the blueprints he had were diverse and complete, with several for Grade Four.

Xiao Buli scrutinized the required materials and the functionalities of the finished Magical Treasures carefully, selecting those that would be of use to him and that suited his martial arts style.

After roughly twenty minutes, he finally picked the three most suitable blueprints for himself. These three blueprints were: Giant Spirit Scepter: It enables the user to cast the Enlarging Technique, doubling the size of a unit for up to ten times a day.

Grade Five Magical Treasure Formula (One-time Use) — Obsidian Crystal Coffin: Once activated, the Obsidian Crystal Coffin will transform into a mechanism that continuously produces Zombies, which can be used to maximum effect in conjunction with the Refining Ghost Copper Pot obtained from Wangliang Mountain.

Grade Six Magical Treasure Formula (One-time Use) — Mixed Yuan Condensing Light Shield: Upon use, it creates a protective shield that absorbs damage by consuming True Yuan Points, with each point of True Yuan absorbing three points of damage.

Xiao Buli calculated mentally that the Zombies summoned by the Obsidian Crystal Coffin might be average in combat strength, but after being enhanced with the Enlarging Technique and the yin-transforming skills from the Refining Ghost Copper Pot, their fighting power would be far from weak, and the Enlarging Technique could also fortify the summoned pets from the glyphs.

And with the Mixed Yuan Condensing Light Shield, his life points would increase significantly; 1,000 True Yuan Points was akin to 3,000 life points, and coupled with the recovery rate of true essence from the Yi Wood Xuan Yang Scripture, he could potentially become an extremely resilient presence.

Once again confirming that he had all the materials listed on the blueprints, Xiao Buli took the three blueprints to the old man and said, "Mr. Yu Chanzi, I will take these three. Please give me a price."

The old man still had a smile in his eyes and, without even looking at the blueprints in Xiao Buli's hands, stretched out a finger. "Not one more, not one less — a thousand Spirit Stones."

"What?" Xiao Buli was not surprised by the price of the items, but by the number that the old man had put forth. He had, by coincidence, just a thousand Spirit Stones left on him, which seemed too exact to be mere chance—either it was an incredible coincidence or the old man could see right through him.

Xiao Buli wanted to bargain, but firstly his time in the Immortal Realm was limited, and even if he saved a couple hundred Spirit Stones, it wouldn't make much of a difference. Secondly, the old man appeared indomitably set on his price, indicating he probably wouldn't easily compromise, so Xiao Buli thought it pointless to waste time haggling and thus bit the bullet, saying, "A thousand it is then, but Mr. Yu Chanzi, I hope you could rent a space for me to craft these Magical Treasures. After I give you these thousand Spirit Stones, I'll be penniless."

The old man chuckled and nodded his head, pointing towards a row of compartments behind the great hall, "Over there is where the Immortal Families create Magical Treasures. Everything you need is inside. Go ahead once you've paid."

Xiao Buli handed over a thousand Spirit Stones to the old man and turned to enter a compartment. From the outside, it looked very small, but once inside, the space was vast. There was a Furnace for refining treasures, and the workbench was equipped with a full set of crafting tools. Xiao Buli cleared a space on the workbench and spread out the blueprints.

Checking the time, there was a little over an hour left before he needed to return. Xiao Buli didn't have to rush the crafting; he could have comfortably returned to the Human Realm and taken his time, but upon returning to Mystic Hollow Palace, a confrontation with Xuanxu Zi was inevitable. A major battle was unavoidable, and Xiao Buli didn't believe victory would come easily, so enhancing his own strength remained critical. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian ) to cast your recommendations and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)