Chapter 1186: The Serpent of the Void

**Main Volume**

After placing the order, the digital star map was quickly sent over. Upon receiving it, Chen Mobai immediately had the Immortal Sect print copies and distribute one to each Spirit Transformation cultivator.

This star map was titled "Map of the Central Northern Hanging Gourd Dao Field." As the name suggested, it was a star map of the Hanging Gourd Dao Field. The Xuanyang Galaxy, where the Immortal Sect was located, was one of the seventy-six galaxies that comprised this Dao Field.

The Xuanyang Galaxy was situated in the northernmost, most remote part of the Hanging Gourd Dao Field. This meant the Immortal Sect was in the extreme north of the Central Dao Field, essentially a border region, which explained why shipping wasn't free.

Focusing on the Xuanyang Galaxy, Chen Mobai and his group discovered that, besides the Immortal Sect, there were 2,367 recorded planets. These planets all had cultivators, but many were nearing or had already entered the Age of Dharma Decline, making it unlikely for even Nascent Soul cultivators to exist. Additionally, seventy-nine planets, like Earth Star, were confirmed to be hosts for the Demon Lord's thoughts.

Among these, twenty-seven had been successfully purified, while thirty-nine were currently undergoing purification. The remaining ones were like Pluto and Dragon God Star, constantly roaming along their stellar orbits, searching for planets like Earth Star to devour life, reclaim demonic thoughts, and strengthen themselves.

However, Chen Mobai did not find any Three-Eyed Clan planets on the map. After consulting customer service, he learned that because the Demon Lord was a top-tier Eighth Stage mighty figure, planets imbued with his thoughts could not be locked onto, spied upon, or calculated by any secret art. Their presence could only be confirmed after a physical arrival.

There were two methods for confirmation: one was to carry a World Gate, which could directly record the information. The other was to rely on experience, as a World Gate cost 20 Dao Merits, which many cultivators were reluctant to spend.

Consequently, a profession called "Planet Merchant" existed in the universe, primarily focused on finding demon-infested planets. Once found and confirmed, if they could subdue the planet themselves, that was ideal; if not, they would sell the information. In these transactions, credibility was paramount. This was because if someone painstakingly conquered a planet only to find it wasn't demon-infested, they would receive no Dao Merits.

The Five Patriarchs of the Immortal Sect originally learned about Earth Star because Dao Lord Wangji, while on a trip to the Profound Palace, inadvertently passed through the Xuanyang Galaxy and discovered this planet. Although Dao Lord Wangji didn't value a mere 1 Dao Merit, his young disciple Zhang Daosun, who was accompanying him, recorded the incident. Later, after the White Crane Dao Field fell, Zhang Daosun brought Yun Ya and other like-minded individuals here to plan their resurgence.

After all, if the plan succeeded, they could use Earth Star as their foundation to conquer all demon-infested planets in the Xuanyang Galaxy. Besides Dao Merits, they could sell other resources like Heaven and Earth Embryonic Membranes and spiritual veins on the World Gate marketplace, accumulating hundreds of Dao Merits. With so many Dao Merits, if another of the Immortal Sect's Five Patriarchs could achieve Dao Integration, they could return to rebuild the White Crane Dao Field, and even rescue Dao Lord Wangji, who was suppressed.

However, the plan was ideal, but the first demon-infested planet they attracted, inhabited by the Three-Eyed Clan, was too powerful. Without the initial accumulation of Dao Merits, and with Zhang Daosun's failure in Void Refinement, the plan had essentially failed. Nevertheless, they left behind their legacy on Earth Star, hoping that an extraordinary genius would emerge among future generations to complete their unfulfilled aspirations.

Now, Chen Mobai's emergence proved that the efforts of the Immortal Sect's Five Patriarchs had not been in vain. If he were to achieve Dao Integration in the future, Chen Mobai would certainly visit the ruins of the White Crane Dao Field. Besides the karmic connection from the Immortal Sect's Five Patriarchs, he and Dao Lord Wangji were also classmates, so if rescue was possible, he would definitely attempt it.

After learning about the business of demon-infested planets, Chen Mobai realized he seemed very well-suited for the profession of a Planet Merchant. Other merchants needed to personally land on a planet to confirm if it was demon-infested. But with the Purple Cloud Palace, he could confirm it at any time. If the demon-infested planet was weak and the Immortal Sect could conquer it, they would claim it themselves; if not, they could simply sell the information and still earn something. Indeed, the Purple Cloud Palace was his greatest fortune. Thinking of this, Chen Mobai envisioned Dao Merits flowing steadily into his future account balance, and he couldn't help but look forward to it with anticipation.

Three years passed quickly. On this day, all the Spirit Transformation cultivators of the Immortal Sect, along with a few core Nascent Soul cultivators, gathered at Wangxian Peak of Five Peaks Immortal Mountain. This was because the items Chen Mobai had ordered three years ago were finally arriving.

The 5 Dao Merit shipping fee was the lowest tier and also the slowest speed. In the World Gate marketplace, the fastest shipping cost 20 Dao Merits, which involved directly using the power of the Void Gate's main body to instantly teleport the goods. Since World Gates were branches of the Void Gate, goods could be delivered instantly after ordering, no matter where they were in the universe. However, given the Immortal Sect's current balance, this express teleportation was merely a luxury to gaze upon. In any case, they could afford to wait three years.

"Chunyang, do you think it might have been lost along the way?""I wonder who will deliver the goods. Can we use this opportunity to learn about things outside the Heavenly Sun Galaxy...""Why isn't it here yet?"Chen Mobai sat in his seat, listening to the voices of Qi Yuheng and others beside him, feeling a deep sense of anticipation himself.

If the Purple Cloud Star River's delivery service was similar to the Immortal Sect's, at least a delivery being would come. For the Immortal Sect, which had been isolated for thousands of years, this was an excellent opportunity to experience the outside world.

Just then, Chen Mobai's expression shifted. He abruptly rose from his meditation cushion and instantly teleported outside the main hall. Thinking a visitor had arrived from beyond the heavens, the others followed him out, only to find that Chen Mobai hadn't gone towards the starry sky but was standing on a nearby mountaintop.

The World Gate stood atop the mountain peak. Since learning about the true function of this treasure, Chen Mobai had placed it here, as it was public property. At this moment, the World Gate, without Chen Mobai's control, began to flash with streaks of silver light.

"Please open the World Gate to confirm location!" Chen Mobai suddenly sensed this message from the World Gate in his mind. He immediately activated Void Power, causing the two gate panels to open slightly. In that instant, a burst of silver light surged out, shooting skyward and disappearing into the outer void.

Beneath the silver light, a tunnel seemed to suddenly open in the cosmic void beyond Earth Star. Immediately, a shimmering silver serpentine creature flew out from it, resembling a horned, legless dragon. It descended slowly from the heavens, cloaked in starlight, until it hovered above Five Peaks Immortal Mountain.

This long, silver creature had a pair of dark vertical pupils, but Chen Mobai saw no emotion in its gaze, as if it were a dispassionate delivery machine. However, the invisible void fluctuations accompanying it made the Immortal Sect members realize that this creature, at the very least, had mastered the Great Dao of Void, and might even be a Void Refinement cultivator. Otherwise, it wouldn't be able to traverse the universe and deliver goods from the Phoenix Palace to Earth Star.

"Ding!" Chen Mobai suddenly found a message pop up on the World Gate's account. It was a notification from the seller: "Dear customer, the Void Serpent has arrived at your planet. This is your exclusive collection incantation. Please do not share it with any other being. Our shop will not be responsible if the goods are taken by others due to your disclosure..."

"So this is how you pick up deliveries!" Chen Mobai exclaimed in realization after reading it. He immediately used the Five Tones of Law to comprehend the collection incantation, then chanted words towards the Void Serpent in the sky. Soon after, another distinct silvery-gray light illuminated from within the World Gate.

The moment this light merged with the Void Serpent, Chen Mobai received another message in his mind: "Confirmatory pick-up information correct!" This seemed to be the Void Serpent's protocol; after receiving verification, it suddenly opened its mouth in mid-air and spat out a silver package, which descended from above. Chen Mobai immediately conjured the Taiyi Five-Smoke Veil to catch the package, slowly drawing it to his side.

"Please verify the goods in person. I will record the entire process. If there are no issues, this transaction will be complete. Please remember to leave a good review for the shop and Void Express." Hearing this, Chen Mobai confirmed that these two messages were sent by the Void Serpent. He looked at the shimmering silver serpentine creature in mid-air, increasingly marveling at the vast divine powers of the mighty figures in the Central Dao Field, who could even create such delivery beings.

He nodded and, in front of the Void Serpent, opened the silver package, then took out individually wrapped dragon gallbladders and various medicinal herbs. Taohua, Sanjue, and Yuanxu, who had been waiting there, were beckoned by Chen Mobai and immediately came forward to verify the medicinal properties of these items.

Besides these, there was a final piece: a fiery-red oval crystal, sealed with a silver talisman, appearing almost alive. This was the most expensive item, the Sixth-Tier spiritual vein. Because its price was relatively cheap, they couldn't choose its attribute; the merchant would send a random one. This random assignment activated the luck attribute of Chen Mobai's Saintly Virtue Great Dao: a fire-attribute Sixth-Tier spiritual vein was delivered.

It was perfectly suited for his cultivation. Moreover, in this case, the best place to put this spiritual vein would be Mount Chicheng, as it housed the Immortal Sect's strongest fire-attribute spiritual vein. Once the crystal was placed and the silver talisman removed, it would integrate into the original spiritual vein at the most suitable speed.

"Chengxuan, congratulations." Yunhai, standing nearby, saw the color of the spiritual vein in Chen Mobai's hand and couldn't help but say to Chengxuan beside him with an envious expression.

"Just luck, just luck. Perhaps next time we have Dao Merits to buy a spiritual vein, it'll be water-attribute." Although Chengxuan said this, the smile on his face was irrepressible.

The Immortal Sect had only barely managed to synthesize the low-grade Sixth-Tier spiritual vein of Five Peaks Immortal Mountain by integrating all the spiritual veins of Earth Star. After using the Chaotic Qi Cannon, it had even fallen below the Sixth-Tier level. Therefore, once Mount Chicheng was upgraded to a Sixth-Tier spiritual vein, it would become the undisputed core of the Immortal Sect.

"No issues." At this moment, Taohua and the other two Fifth-Tier alchemists had finished inspecting all the medicinal ingredients and reported to Chen Mobai.

"Thank you for your hard work." Chen Mobai nodded, then clicked "confirm receipt" on the World Gate's marketplace page.

In mid-air, the Void Serpent's dark pupils began to dim slightly, seemingly having finished recording the inspection process and preparing to leave. In the outer starry sky, the opened void tunnel lit up again, and the Void Serpent nodded at Chen Mobai. This scene stirred something in Chen Mobai's heart; he noticed that the Void Serpent didn't seem entirely emotionless and might even be capable of communication.

But at that moment, the Void Serpent radiated silver light all over its body and was already ascending towards the tunnel, clearly preparing for its return journey. Chen Mobai hesitated for a moment, but ultimately, considering the Immortal Sect's limited opportunities for external communication, he bravely called out, "Daoist friend, it's a long and arduous journey. Why not have a cup of tea to warm yourself before heading back?"

As soon as he spoke, Qi Yuheng and the others also wore expressions of anticipation. The Void Serpent, which had been ascending, paused its movement and lowered its head to meet Chen Mobai's gaze, but soon shook its head.

"I still have several packages to deliver. To avoid delays, I won't tarry." The Void Serpent's telepathic message reached Chen Mobai's ears, its body again radiated silver light, and its tail first disappeared into the tunnel. Hearing this, Chen Mobai could only express regret.

"Regardless, thank you for your trouble in delivering these items, Daoist friend." Chen Mobai, along with the Immortal Sect members, thanked the Void Serpent. The latter nodded impassively in the starry sky, and just as it was about to vanish, its dark gaze inadvertently swept over the planet.

Then, it suddenly froze. This was the first time Chen Mobai had seen such a human-like expression on its face. In the outer starry sky, the immense Void Power that had been operating suddenly stagnated. Then, the Void Serpent, which had already mostly vanished into the tunnel, flew back out.

Boom! With a massive sound, the Void Serpent had re-descended outside Earth Star, then effortlessly passed through the Immortal Sect's sky curtain using the Great Dao of Void. It pushed aside the surging air and flew down. Chen Mobai and the others were immediately astonished, wondering why the Void Serpent had suddenly returned.

"I'm suddenly a bit thirsty. Delivering goods wouldn't be delayed by the time for a cup of tea." The Void Serpent landed on Five Peaks Immortal Mountain and telepathically conveyed this to Chen Mobai.

"Senior, please wait a moment..." Although Chen Mobai didn't know why the Void Serpent's attitude had changed so rapidly, he wisely refrained from asking. He telepathically instructed True Monarch Taohua; since Wenren Xuewei was absent, her tea-making skills were considered the best.

At this moment, the Void Serpent shimmered with silver light all over its body, then transformed into a humanoid creature with silver skin and two horns on its head, landing in front of the World Gate. With a flick of his sleeve, tables and chairs descended from Chen Mobai's Dharma Realm, and he invited the Void Serpent to sit.

"Dharma Realm?" Evidently, the Void Serpent was discerning; seeing that Chen Mobai, merely a Spirit Transformation cultivator, had actually cultivated this, its calm expression showed a ripple of surprise again.