As the Highland Sovereign Avatar completely dissipated, a substantial amount of foreign energy lingered before being automatically absorbed by Patriarch Liu Tianfeng, Liu Zhongzhu and the Spirit Severing Ancestors who participated in fighting it. It was the 'experience points' that directly impacted their current progress in their stages and were shared by all of them, with Liu Tianfeng gaining the most.

Nevertheless, compared to what they absorbed from taking down the Dreillings and the puppets, the absorbed energy instantly prompted them to sit down and refine it to spiritual energy and expel the corruptive properties that were slowly accumulating from all the energies they absorbed from defeating the creatures inside the Anchor.

Once successful, that would amount to their permanent progress in their current stage.

Naturally, Lin Mo also gained quite a share of 'experience points' from it, which pushed his current cultivation base close to the peak of the Foundation Establishment Stage. Furthermore, given how he had the ability to just passively absorb the foreign energy without any backlash due to the combination of his Celestial Providence and Silent Stream Breathing Technique, it wouldn't take long for him to truly reach the peak of his current cultivation stage. It might as well happen before they leave the Anchor.

"Now then, it's time to truly settle the bill, dear customer." Lin Mo muttered to himself as he turned towards the proud noble Dreilling, lying unconscious in front of him.

In his hand was a rope that he picked up from the store. It looked like an ordinary rope anyone from Earth would be able to see in stores that sell them, but it was a spirit-grade artifact with the ability to prevent someone from circulating their energy. With Vespera's current state, she wouldn't be able to resist its effect.

DING!

The moment she was completely bound and could no longer circulate her energy for recovery, the Anchor's System acknowledged the clearance of the area.

The countdown timer stopped, and the Anchor Core, previously protected behind the cocoon, opened up for them to interface with.

[Area 6 Cleared!]

[Anchor has been cleared.]

[The adjustment for the staging realm's accessibility restriction has been temporarily paused.]

Lin Mo walked past Vespera and approached the Anchor.

"Boss! We did it!"

A familiar, energetic shout echoed across the cavern. Liu Xiaoyu, her golden [Legionary Set] retracting back into its cube form, came sprinting over. Sparky trotted beside her, looking slightly larger and more solid than before, clearly having benefited from the ambient 'experience points' of the battle.

"Mhm. We did," Lin Mo agreed, turning to face her. "Though it got a little messier than I intended. You handled your end well, Xiaoyu."

"Are you kidding? That was a satisfying workout for me, Boss!" She beamed like a kid who was showing off her accomplishment to her father. Then, her eyes darted to the bound Dreilling noble on the floor.

"So, you knocked her out just like that? But… she truly looks... frail. Are you sure that rope is enough, Boss? I can hit her a few more times just to be safe. You know, preemptive concussions."

Lin Mo chuckled. "The [Spirit-Sealing Cord] is rated for Nascent Soul cultivators. Given her current depleted state and the backlash from her failed summoning, she won't be casting any mind-control spells anytime soon. Besides, she's more valuable to us alive."

Before Xiaoyu could question his logic, the sound of heavy footsteps approached.

Patriarch Liu Tianfeng, along with Liu Zhongzhu and the Spirit Severing Ancestors, walked toward them. Their meditations were complete. The sheer volume of refined foreign energy they had absorbed had visibly altered their auras. They looked rejuvenated, albeit still injured from the clash, but the weariness in their eyes was already replaced by crackling vitality.

Some of them even looked like they had touched the ceiling of their current stage and might be able to attempt a breakthrough to the Void Refinement Stage after some preparation. That was most evident to the Ancestor Swordpoint, who looked like he had been enlightened from that fight against the Highland Sovereign Avatar.

"Shopkeeper," Patriarch Liu walked over and stopped a few paces away, offering a bow that was deeper and more profound than any he had given before. The other Ancestors followed suit, a unified display of absolute respect.

"Patriarch. Ancestors," Lin Mo returned the gesture smoothly. "I trust the 'compensation' provided by the Anchor was sufficient for your efforts?"

"Sufficient? It was a revelation," Ancestor Swordpoint murmured, his hand resting lightly on his scabbard. "The energy released by that... avatar... it was thick with the conceptual laws of a different reality. Digesting it has cracked a bottleneck I have struggled with for two centuries. I feel the threshold of the Void Refinement Stage."

"Indeed," Yu Qingmei agreed, her verdant aura pulsing with a healthy, vibrant rhythm. "We came expecting a grueling battle of attrition. Instead, we were provided a feast of enlightenment. The Divine Convenience Store's methods... they are unorthodox, but the results cannot be denied."

"It is merely a matter of efficiency, esteemed patrons," Lin Mo said, slipping effortlessly into his merchant persona. "Why fight a war of attrition when a surgical strike yields higher profit margins? Now, if you will excuse me, I have some administrative work to finalize."

He turned back to the hovering Anchor Core. He reached out and placed his hand against the cool crystal.

Soon, the Anchor System once again popped up in front of him.

Lin Mo couldn't help but frown because… unlike the Anchor he cleared and reset with the Sword Fairy back then, it didn't give him an option about what to do to the Area Core anymore, like extracting the data from the Area Core, dissolving it to permanently enhance cultivation base or sacrificing it to further destabilize the Anchor.

Instead, it showed him three new options.

[Options Available:]

[1. Complete Severance: Permanently Destroy the Anchor and the Dimensional Bridge (Cost: Free.)]

[2. System Integration (Dungeon Mode): Sever the Dimensional Bridge and stabilize the rift under the authority of the Divine System Interface through Anchor Interference Protocol. Creates a permanent, controlled instance. The Anchor will simulate the original state of HLFB#0120. (Cost: 500,000 Dimension Essence and regular maintenance fees)]

[3. Transform into a Forward Base: Maintain the Dimensional Bridge under the suppression of the Divine System Interface's Anchor Interference Protocol. Reverses the polarity of the invasion. Allows patrons of the Divine Convenience Store to cross over and establish an Anchor to the Highland Realm in order to stabilize a Dimensional Bridge between realms. (Cost: 5,000,000 Dimension Essence or Free if the Divine System's influence is retracted, allowing the normal Anchor System's operation.

Lin Mo's eyes lingered on the third option for a long, quiet moment.

Invade the invaders. Take the fight to their front lawn. He had long thought about that possibility before but to see it at the moment, he knew he couldn't just pick it.

It was a wildly ambitious, incredibly aggressive military strategy. Perhaps if someone from the Western Sacred Lands who was enduring a stabilized Anchor saw this option, they would likely not hesitate to press that button out of sheer pride and vengeance.

"Five million down to also let them play the same game as us," Lin Mo muttered as he shook his head. "I am running a convenience store, not the vanguard of a galactic empire. Let the heroes handle the invasions. I'll just sell them the boots. Well, at least for now, with our limited strength, it is not ideal."

Before picking, he accessed the [Anchor Interference and Tower Integration Protocol], checking the details of the previous Anchor.

It had long finished its reset timer and patrons had once again started venturing in it, fighting the Decrint Tribe creatures.

Back when he chose to just reset it, his only concern was to prevent the stabilization and the Anchor Break. With its lower accessibility, its threat was low and it could be used as a training and farming ground.

There were threads in the Bulletin Board regarding it, but Lin Mo didn't pay much attention since he could monitor it through that system.

However, he had no idea if the choices would be the same as before or change like what he's facing now, if the patrons once again cleared its Core Area.

It was different from this Anchor that could summon a Law Integration Stage-equivalent entity.

At the moment, since there's still plenty of time before its stabilization, the patrons would stop before reaching the Core Area, only farming for 'experience points' and 'loots' as well as the reward for defeating the Area Bosses.

Meanwhile, the Argent Covenant Anchor is also not in a critical state yet. However, it's also like a ticking time bomb, but the patrons' push has been stalled by the stronger soldiers guarding the inner areas. There were existences higher than Centurions there that could rival Spirit Severing Stage Ancestors.

"Let's see… What do we choose here?" Lin Mo turned to his prodigious assistant, who just blinked her eyes innocently.