Divine Convenience Store

Sometime later, Wei Xian returned to the City Lord Palace from his trip to the Divine Convenience Store.

He went straight to his private study, the bag of items from the Divine Convenience Store clutched in his hand. It was filled with a variety of items, from snacks to drinks, card talismans, candy-flavored pills, and lost manuals.

In just one trip, he spent almost 50 high-grade Spirit Stones.

As a Baron of the Southern Wu Kingdom, that amount still stung for him. He realized too late that he had fallen too deep into the sales pitch of the pair of Shopkeeper and his assistant.

And as it would be shameful to return the items, he gritted his teeth and returned with a heartache.

Placing the bag on his desk, he sat down before reaching inside and pulling out one of the items that he bought.

"This… What kind of material did they use for this packaging to be this glossy?" Lifting it close to his face, Wei Xian inspected the product properly. He even sniffed it but smelled nothing.

Then, he flipped it, checking the image printed on the front.

"Potato Chips. That little assistant said this is a snack and another best-seller like the noodles. It's doubtful. It's merely potatoes cut in thin strips and fried, isn't it?"

With his curiosity peaking, Wei Xian opened the Spirit-Infused Potato Chips.

The City Lord narrowed his eyes as he peeked inside, seeing the contents.

He reached in and popped one chip into his mouth.

With the loud crunch echoing within his study, the crisp texture and the savory flavoring burst out, making him pause. Not to mention, the slight tingle of spiritual energy coursing through him added an unexpected layer to the experience.

Wei Xian blinked, stunned.

"This… just from a piece of potato?"

Chewing slowly to savor the taste. The combination of salt, spices, and the faint vitality boost from the spiritual energy was undeniably addictive. Without realizing it, he reached for another chip, and then another.

Within minutes, half the bag was gone.

Wei Xian leaned back in his chair, staring at the open bag as if it were a puzzle he couldn't solve. "How can something so simple… be this captivating? This is preposterous! I must get more!"

Upon realizing what he just shouted, the hulking figure of the City Lord shrunk. He looked around him, making sure no one was around to see him.

When he confirmed that he was alone, he faked a cough, trying to calm his emotions down as the slight tint of red on his cheeks faded.

He placed the bag on his desk, rubbing his temples.

His earlier skepticism about the Divine Convenience Store was slowly eroding. The products, while unconventional, delivered results. More importantly, they offered something unique that even his position as City Lord didn't often afford him: a sense of novelty and convenience.

Wei Xian reached inside the bag again, this time pulling out one of the card talismans he'd purchased.

It was sleek, with glowing runes etched across its surface, and had a faint spiritual hum emanating from it. According to the Shopkeeper, it wasn't any different from the normal talismans made and sold by talisman masters. It was simply made in a different material.

The one he picked up was a set of single-use defensive barrier talismans, it varied in barrier strength with the strongest one capable of withstanding a strike from a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Wei Xian is a Core Formation cultivator so it's pretty much useless to him but it could be used by his subordinates.

Holding it in his hand, Wei Xian once again inspected each item, trying to figure out how the peculiar store could produce such items and why it chose to appear in his city.

Wei Xian leaned back in his chair, his mind already formulating plans. The changes brought by the Divine Convenience Store could already be felt in not just Fanling City but also in the sects that visited it.

"Zhou Liang," he called, his voice echoing through the chamber.

Moments later, his trusted aide appeared, bowing respectfully. "My Lord."

"Double the patrols around the store. Ensure its security without interfering with its operations. Also, send word to the other cities. I want them to know that Fanling City is home to a treasure unlike any other."

Zhou Liang nodded, his expression serious. "Understood, my Lord. I assume the trip is fruitful?"

Wei Xian grinned as he pulled out a pack of Spicy Taihao Noodles and threw it to his aide. "Indeed. Here, try that out. Put it in a bowl and pour hot water. Wait for the noodles to soften before putting in the seasoning. You don't need to cook it. Tell me what you think of it after finishing the bowl."

Before he knew it, Wei Xian articulated the same instruction that could be found at the back of the packaging.

"Eh? As you command, my Lord." Zhou Liang tilted his head in confusion as he caught it but didn't question it too much as he bowed again, holding up the packet of instant noodles.

As Zhou Liang left, Wei Xian turned his attention back to the items on his desk, inspecting them one by one again.

"There's nothing to nitpick on this… How should I deal with it in the future? Should I just let it expand its influence or try to get a benefit out of them?"

—

Deep within the heart of the Abyssal Forest, a group of cultivators could be stumbling through the dense underbrush.

Their robes, once pristine and bearing the insignia of the Lightning Amethyst Sect, were now tattered and bloodstained.

"Senior Brother Xu," A young disciple gasped, clutching a deep gash on his side. His face was pale, his spiritual energy flickering weakly as he struggled to keep up. "We… we can't go on like this. They're chasing us relentlessly…"

Senior Brother Xu, a man with streaks of gray in his hair, turned sharply, his eyes blazing despite his exhaustion. "Keep moving, Chang Ren! If we stop, we die. Do you understand? We have to at least report what's going on in this place. Damn it. If only those fools from the Poison Demon Cult didn't ambush us we wouldn't be in this predicament. But that thing we saw… it would spell disaster to the surrounding area."

Behind them, an eerie silence pressed down, broken only by the occasional rustle of leaves. It was the kind of silence that amplified every sound, making even the snap of a twig feel like a thunderclap.

Another disciple stumbled and fell to her knees. Her hands trembled as she reached for a talisman but she couldn't produce a wick of spiritual energy anymore. "It's no use… our talismans… they're useless against it."

Elder Xu grabbed her arm, pulling her to her feet with surprising strength. "Yaoyao, focus! We're almost at the forest's edge. There's a city not far from here. We just need to—"

Guttural growls cut through the air, freezing them in place.

From the shadows, numerous pairs of glowing crimson eyes emerged as beasts stepped out of the underbrush.

Their fur bristled with demonic energy with their claws gleaming with an unnatural sharpness. Each of them focused on the three cultivators, eyeing them as their prey.

Senior Brother Xu tightened his grip on his sword, his jaw clenched as he used his body to block his two junior disciples.

"You two… Run as fast as you can. Seek help and relay information about what we saw. There should be groups of cultivators from different sects patrolling this area of the Abyssal Forest.

"Huh? What about you, Senior Brother?" Yaoyao cried while Chang Ren clenched his fists for his powerlessness.

"I'll lure them away. So, just go!" Upon saying that, his spiritual energy burst out, pushing the two away. Consequently, the beasts in front of them backed away for a bit, clearly wary of the man's final struggle.

The demonic energy flickering in their eyes surged, their growls growing louder as they prepared to pounce.

The oppressive aura of the Abyssal Forest bore down on the group like a physical weight.

Senior Brother Xu raised his sword, the blade glowing faintly with an enhancement talisman wrapped on its hilt.

"Go!" he roared, his voice filled with both desperation and resolve.

Chang Ren hesitated, his feet rooted to the ground as his eyes darted between his senior brother and the approaching horde. Yaoyao grabbed his arm, her tear-streaked face a mask of determination.

"Chang Ren, we have to go! He's buying us time!" She pleaded, tugging at him with what little strength she had left.

The younger disciple clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms. "Senior Brother, I swear we'll come back for you!"

Without waiting for a response, Yaoyao dragged Chang Ren away, the two stumbling through the dense foliage, their breaths ragged as they pushed their exhausted bodies to the limit.

The roars gradually faded from their ears and eventually, the fatigue took a toll on them as they both stumbled, rolling to the ground.

With their waning consciousness, Chang Ren and Yaoyao saw a group of cultivators donning crimson robes landing close to them.

"Senior Brother Zhou, are they dead?"

"No. Only exhausted. They came from that direction, right? They must be being chased. Prepare yourselves. All of you. Don't skimp out on using the items you bought from that store. I can attest to their effectiveness." Zhou Rui said as he lifted his saber, "Let's ask these guys what happened later, this saber will finally be able to taste blood. And soon, I'll hunt every Frost Fang Serpent as payback from last time!"