After an indeterminable amount of time, Jared arrived above a hauntingly silent sea. The stillness of the sea was eerily reminiscent of the Dead Sea in the eastern region.
Looking ahead, he could only see a hazy expanse, as if a barrier stood before him. It was as though he had reached the end of the Ethereal Realm.
“I should arrive at the Land of Finale after crossing here.” Jared took a deep breath, then headed toward the hazy area.
The airship carrying Orion and the others was still following him.
Right after Jared reached the gray area, he was suddenly overwhelmed by a mysterious force.
Jared didn’t pay any attention. Instead, he used his formidable physical body to shatter the oppressive force.
At that moment, an elderly man emerged from the grey zone.
He was a Top Level Ultimate Realm cultivator.
The elder, clad in a black robe, displayed a hint of disdain upon observing Jared’s cultivation level.
The elder eyed Jared, commenting, “Since when did an Ultimate Realm Level Three cultivator start daring to come here?”
Jared glanced at the old man, not intending to engage with him and planning to bypass him instead.
However, the old man stretched his hand and said, “Don’t you know the rules?”
“What rules?” Jared was taken aback.
“To enter the Land of Finale, you need to pay a thousand celestial crystals,” said the old man.
Jared didn’t utter a word. Instead, he casually tossed a thousand celestial crystals to the old man.
For Jared, a thousand celestial crystals were a drop in the ocean.
There was no need for him to waste time over a thousand spirit stones.
The elder looked at the celestial crystals, momentarily stunned. Clearly, he hadn’t expected that Jared, a mere Ultimate Realm Level Three cultivator, could casually produce a thousand celestial crystals and seem utterly unconcerned about it.
“It seems he’s a rich kid…” The elder was feeling giddy.
“Can I enter now?” Jared asked.
“You can, but once you enter the Land of Finale, we-” The elder was about to say something, but before he could finish, Jared tossed another thousand celestial crystals into the elder’s hands.
The elder was dumbfounded by how nouveau riche Jared was acting.
“Is there anything else?” Jared asked.
“Ah…” For a moment, the old man couldn’t think of any other excuse but was reluctant to let go of Jared, whom he believed was an easy mark.
Encountering a cultivator like Jared, who was of low cultivation level yet incredibly wealthy from his perspective, was quite rare. He really wanted to wring as much money from such a cash cow.
After all, many less powerful rich kids would always have skilled bodyguards by their side when leaving home. They wouldn’t even spare a second glance at an old gatekeeper like him.
At that moment, Jared was all alone. As such, the elder thought that if he didn’t take advantage of Jared, he’d have to wait a while before another similar golden opportunity appeared.
“Of course, with the money you’ve provided, you can enter the Land of Finale. However, once you’re in, there are still sanitary fees, per capita fees, road tolls, bridge tolls…” The old man, bending his fingers one by one, listed all the things Jared needed to pay in detail.
“Just tell me how many celestial crystals you need.” Jared couldn’t be bothered to listen any longer.
“I need… I need…” the elder pondered, finally gritting his teeth. “I need five thousand celestial crystals.”
“Here.” Jared promptly tossed five thousand celestial crystals toward the old man.
The elder was dumbfounded, then promptly slapped himself hard. “D*mn it, I asked too little…” Why am I stupid enough to only ask for five thousand? I should’ve requested more when this guy clearly would’ve given it.
He truly regretted his decision.
Then, the elder stopped Jared and said, “Wait a moment. Your situation is a bit unique. I need our elder to personally come over.”
“Are you a member of the Haverford family?” Jared inquired.
“Indeed.” The elder nodded. “However, don’t bother mentioning that you know someone from our family. It’s completely useless. It’s our rule that outsiders don’t get the easy way out.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t mention it. However, truth be told, I am familiar with two men of the Haverford family, Maison and Quenric,” said Jared with a slight smile.
