Chapter 267: Wasteland

Jiang Changkong and Yao Meng had just left the school when An Shanhe arrived.

“Changkong,” An Shanhe approached with a smile. “Your first-place reward has been decided. You need to go in person to receive it.”

“Let’s go then,” Jiang Changkong nodded. “Meng Jie, you head back first.”

Yao Meng smiled and said, “Go ahead. Tianwang and I will wait for you at the hotel.”

“Let’s go.”

An Shanhe led the way, taking the lead as they departed.

Jiang Changkong followed him, weaving through the crowd at an extremely fast pace.

The two arrived in front of a building, and An Shanhe led him into the elevator.

“Basement level five?” Jiang Changkong looked at the elevator and asked.

“Yes, Commander Huo Qinglan wants to see you personally.”

An Shanhe said curiously, “What exactly is in that palace in the Sin Domain? Why won’t anyone talk about it? Commander Huo Qinglan didn’t even go to the Void Realm and stayed behind specifically to personally present your reward.”

“It’s nothing. If you’re curious, ask Huo Qinglan,” Jiang Changkong replied calmly.

An Shanhe was somewhat displeased. “Are we still friends?”

Ding!

The elevator doors opened, revealing a basketball-sized emerald-green light sphere floating in the air.

“Huo Qinglan,” Jiang Changkong looked at the emerald-green light sphere. “So small?”

“Upon reaching the Stellar Body level, the body can change freely at will. It’s just instinct.”

Huo Qinglan said calmly, “This time, for your award ceremony, not many people can know about it. I’m afraid you won’t be able to enjoy the admiration of the crowd.”

“You should just tell me what the reward is,” Jiang Changkong said.

The emerald-green light sphere floated up and down. “This time, there are two choices for the reward. The first option is an undeveloped Uncharted Land. The three major factions will establish a base for you there.”

“The second option is a high-level Ancient Ruins in the starry sky.”

“Uncharted Land? You want me to pioneer it?” Jiang Changkong frowned.

“Let me explain. For pioneering land, one-tenth of the future profits will go to the Federation.”

“And this Uncharted Land will belong to you from then on. You will be its lord. It is rich in resources, and according to investigations, there are also large high-grade Star Crystal Veins.”

Huo Qinglan continued, “You have quite a few Star Crystals on hand. The Void Realm contains abundant Star Crystal Veins, but large ones capable of yielding ninth-tier stellar-grade crystals are rare.”

“Smaller ones mostly produce seventh-tier Stellar Embryo Level crystals, with few eighth-tier Stellar Body ones. Moreover, Star Crystals also contain different attributes.”

Jiang Changkong pondered and asked, “Are there top-grade Star Crystals? Do Top-tier Martial Artists use Star Crystals for cultivation?”

“Top-grade Star Crystals are extremely rare, but they do exist. They are not produced by mineral veins.”

Huo Qinglan explained, “They are mostly controlled by Top-Rank Martial Artists. I’m not entirely sure how they are obtained.”

“How many large Star Crystal Veins does the Uncharted Land contain?”

“According to investigations, there are at least two. It’s unclear what lies deeper.”

“What about the high-level Ancient Ruins?”

“High-level Ancient Ruins…”

In high-level Ancient Ruins, Stellar Body-level experts can roam freely. They contain some eighth-tier materials but have already been thoroughly explored.

If Jiang Changkong were truly an ordinary late-stage Stellar Embryo Level Martial Artist, choosing the high-level Ancient Ruins to scavenge for leftovers might still hold some appeal.

But now, it wasn’t feasible. He had 200 million units of Essence, which would definitely allow him to advance to the Stellar Body level.

He already possessed top-tier eighth-tier weapons, so choosing the high-level Ancient Ruins wouldn’t be worthwhile.

An Shanhe listened silently, finding it hard to understand why Huo Qinglan, a stellar-level expert, would discuss this matter with Jiang Changkong in such a consultative tone.

A Stellar Embryo Level Martial Artist wasn’t someone the Federation typically paid much attention to. Under normal circumstances, they would simply send him to a high-level Ancient Ruins and leave him to his own devices.

But Huo Qinglan treated Jiang Changkong as an equal.

“The Uncharted Land, then,” Jiang Changkong made his decision.

A golden token flew out and landed in Jiang Changkong’s hand, inscribed with the number fifty-three.

“This is your token for the Uncharted Land. With this token, the land is yours.”

Huo Qinglan said, “The Federation will not provide you with any assistance. The Star Demons on the Uncharted Land must also be cleared by you.”

“I understand.” Jiang Changkong accepted the token and said, “I want to learn how to turn into a ball of light, as well as some minor techniques like voice transmission.”

Back in the Sin Domain, Mo Xuan had used voice transmission to tell him to stay silent.

“Such minor techniques are useless in front of those stronger than you. Since you like them, I’ll teach you.”

A streak of emerald light flew out and vanished into Jiang Changkong’s forehead.

Jiang Changkong absorbed the information in his mind and clasped his hands in gratitude. “Thank you.”

“No need for thanks. I’ll be waiting for you in the Void Realm. Make sure you come quickly.” Huo Qinglan said calmly.

Jiang Changkong turned and left. Matters regarding the Uncharted Land would be handled by the Federation when he went to the Void Realm.

An Shanhe couldn’t help but say, “Commander, aren’t you being too good to him? Plot fifty-three has such abundant resources. Many have wanted it, but the Federation never let it go.”

“Focus on your duties.” Huo Qinglan’s voice turned slightly cold. This time, she had abused her authority to secure a good plot of land for Jiang Changkong.

As he walked out of the building, his phone rang. It was a message from Liangqiu Xuanyi, congratulating him on winning first place.

She also informed him that if he went to the Void Realm, he should contact her, as she would tell him about a Small Star Crystal Vein.

“I’ll contact you then.”

Jiang Changkong replied with a message. A Small Star Crystal Vein, with tens of thousands of Star Crystals, was decent, but he wasn’t particularly tempted at the moment.

With two billion in capital, he felt confident for now.

Moreover, he planned to refine the Star Crystals before going.

During the Blood Palace incident, he hadn’t been able to understand many of the Star Scripts, and the Star Scripts in his mind also needed translation.

Returning to the hotel, Jiang Changkong told Yao Meng and Nantian Wang about the Uncharted Land.

“When are you going to the Void Realm?” Yao Meng asked.

Jiang Changkong replied, “After some time. I still have matters to attend to in Anding Province. I’ll go once I’m done.”

“Alright, I’ll contact my family and start building the base first, waiting for you to arrive.” Yao Meng said.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve been back, so I’ll take my leave now.”

Jiang Changkong didn’t linger long. After bidding farewell to the two, he left directly.

Once outside Ten Thousand Li City, Jiang Changkong flew at full speed, shrouded in white clouds as he rode them away.

Having reached the late stage of the Stellar Embryo Level, Jiang Changkong’s speed was no longer what it used to be.

Moreover, the high-level Star Demons remaining on Earth were mostly at the Stellar Embryo Level, which he could ignore.

Flying back, any flying Star Demons he encountered only added another Star Stone to his collection.

In just half a day, Jiang Changkong had returned to the Abyss.

Descending through the air, the Abyss was as bright as day, illuminated by Star Power, with no trace of darkness.

The Abyss had undergone a dramatic transformation.

The underground passages had been widened, and the stone huts had been replaced with proper houses.

However, there weren’t many Martial Artists in sight. Jiang Changkong entered the Abyss directly, his gaze piercing through the Void and landing on a towering city.

“They’ve scraped off quite a bit of the soil above.”

Jiang Changkong looked at the soil overhead, which had been scraped away by several hundred meters.

The City of the Abyss couldn’t compare to Ten Thousand Li City, nor even to Pingan City, but it was his city.

Moreover, countless Martial Artists filled it, with shops lining the streets. The weakest among them were Star Qi Martial Artists.

At the very center of the city was his residence—the City Lord’s Mansion.

Descending from the sky, Jiang Changkong didn’t bother with any incognito inspections or the like, instead directly messaging a few senior sisters.

Before long, the senior sisters appeared, followed by Professor Yun, Wang Ruiqing, and Xu Hengzhi.

Then came Jiang Haishan, the Guard of this place, and Principal Yu Beilin.

“City Lord, we heard you were quite impressive during your trip to the Sin Domain,” the three senior sisters said with a smile.

Professor Yun bowed slightly. “Thank you…”

Jiang Changkong quickly helped Professor Yun up, smiling. “Teacher, there’s no need for such formalities. I just got back—who’s in charge of cooking? Let’s eat together.”

“Of course, we’ll all cook together,” Ji Ziling said. “What would you like? Roasted Star Demon, or something else?”

“Let’s talk as we walk. We’ll eat at the City Lord’s residence, and I’ll take care of the drinks,” Xu Hengzhi said with a bright smile, looking like he’d been doing well lately.