Chapter 598 - 26: Genius, Friend, Demonic Fetus

The ninth floor of Yuhua Tower, Jiyu Pavilion.

The shop was magnificent, with a grand entrance and opulent furnishings. Inside, a series of long, wide counters displayed all sorts of treasures, each protected by a restrictive array.

They were all Tier Five Spiritual Objects, Magical Artifacts, Talismans, Arrays, and the like!

When Fang Cheng walked in, he couldn’t help but be inwardly surprised by the sheer splendor of the place.

The combined value of the items in this shop surpassed that of the Treasure Vault of a top sect in the Red Profound Realm.

"Welcome, esteemed guest, to Jiyu Pavilion. What might you be looking for?" A young, beautiful woman walked up and asked in a soft voice.

The woman was gentle and delicate, with a slender figure. She wore a beautiful palace gown and carried herself with an extraordinary air. Her cultivation was at the Mid-Dharma Stage, and it was surprising to see someone like her serving merely as a hostess.

Fang Cheng said calmly, "I heard your shop has a Void Demon Embryo for sale?"

The woman in the palace gown had a subtle change in expression. She began her introduction in a lilting voice, "Yes. This Void Demon Embryo was obtained by a Nine-Tribulation Elder of the Beiming Immortal Race from a perilous place in the Outer Void. It is immortal and indestructible, capable of endless transformations. If you were to refine it into an external incarnation, it would become a formidable combat asset. It is one of the ten signature treasures of our pavilion."

The esteemed guests she received were all Tribulation Realm Great Powers from within the Eight Heavens of the North Netherworld, or even from other Outer Worlds. As a result, she had developed a sharp eye. She could tell at a glance that Fang Cheng’s incarnation was extraordinary and far from a typical Tribulation Realm Cultivator, which was why she offered a more detailed explanation.

Fang Cheng asked directly, "What’s the price?"

The woman in the palace gown smiled. "Three million Beiming Coins."

"..."

Fang Cheng’s gaze swept over the other counters in the pavilion. He said lightly, "I have several Tier Five Magical Artifacts I can trade for this treasure. Are you authorized to make that deal?"

The woman in the palace gown was taken aback. Most Tribulation Realm Great Powers who came here only inquired out of curiosity; she hadn’t expected this customer to actually intend to buy it.

’If this deal went through, my commission alone would be...’ At that thought, the woman’s eyes lit up. She gave Fang Cheng a curtsy and said, "Please wait here a moment, esteemed guest. I will go and consult the Shopkeeper."

"Go ahead." Fang Cheng nodded and leisurely walked to a nearby counter to look at the Fifth-grade Talismans displayed inside.

At that moment, there were only a handful of Tribulation Realm customers in the shop, each accompanied by a Female Cultivator. They couldn’t help but stare at Fang Cheng’s incarnation due to its unusual appearance. However, upon sensing the powerful aura emanating from the "Celestial Venerable of Universal Transformation"—an aura that was suppressed yet still as deep as an abyss and vast as the sea—they quickly retracted their gazes and Divine Senses, their expressions turning to ones of apprehension and respect.

Jiyu Pavilion had at least a hundred different Tier Five items on display, including talismans, magical artifacts, arrays, puppets, and Celestial and Earthly Spiritual Objects. While many were not worth a second glance to Fang Cheng, a few of the Tier Five Upper Grade talismans and magical artifacts were so ingeniously designed that he studied them with great interest, feeling quite inspired.

Treasures of an even higher level, those of the Tier Five Top Grade, were likely not displayed on the public counters.

A short while later, the woman in the palace gown returned to Fang Cheng’s side. "Esteemed guest, please follow me," she said softly.

Accompanied by the woman, Fang Cheng ascended to a higher floor and entered an elegant private room.

Inside, a man and a woman were drinking tea. Seeing Fang Cheng enter, they both cast curious glances his way.

One of the two was a man wearing a Prince’s Crown. He had a broad forehead, a wide chin, and a thick mustache and beard. His eyes shone with a divine light. He was dressed in a Golden Robe with a Rhinoceros Belt, Brocade Boots, and a Cloak. He was tall and robust, and his cultivation had reached the Nine Tribulations. However, his aura was several degrees weaker than that of Yu Wenxu, whom Fang Cheng had slain. ’He must either be an external incarnation or have only recently passed the Ninth Celestial Tribulation,’ Fang Cheng thought.

To his left was a graceful and beautiful woman who looked to be seventeen or eighteen years old. She had clear, bright eyes, faintly shaped, elegant brows, and skin like flawless white jade. She wore a light-blue, phoenix-patterned gown, over which was a Smoke Luo Gauze Shirt. Her expression was serene, and she had the air of a lone orchid in a secluded valley.

Although the woman’s cultivation was only at the Dharma Realm, she possessed a naturally noble air. Her body seemed to contain a power so formidable that it put even Fang Cheng on slight alert.

With his sharp perception, Fang Cheng could clearly see the woman’s true age. ’She can’t be more than sixty years old!’

’To reach the Dharma Realm in under sixty years... This woman’s talent is truly heaven-defying.’

’So this is the kind of foundation a top-tier family has...’

After Fang Cheng sat down, the robust man asked with a slight smile, "You’re the honored guest who wishes to buy the Void Demon Embryo?"

Fang Cheng replied calmly, "Are you the Shopkeeper here? Indeed, that is my intention."

The robust man chuckled and gestured to the radiant young woman. "She is the Shopkeeper of Jiyu Pavilion. I am merely the resident Elder here."

Fang Cheng turned to the young woman and smiled faintly. "My apologies for the presumption. I hope you’ll forgive me, Shopkeeper."

The young woman in the blue skirt’s lovely eyes darted for a moment. "I hear you wish to barter, honored guest," she said. "Why not present your items? Once we’ve had a look, we can give you a valuation."

Fang Cheng nodded. With a wave of his hand, starlight rippled through the air, and four magical artifacts, each radiating a brilliant light, materialized.

They were precisely the Golden Ship of Tribulation, the Ten Thousand Tribulations Seal, the Seven Kills Nail, and the Demon Suppression Chain that he had obtained after slaying Yu Wenxu.

Of these, the Golden Ship of Tribulation and the Seven Kills Nail were Tier Five Top-Grade Magical Artifacts.

The Ten Thousand Tribulations Seal and the Demon Suppression Chain were Tier Five Upper Grade Magical Artifacts.

Upon seeing these magical artifacts, the blue-skirted young woman looked at Fang Cheng with a flicker of surprise.

Meanwhile, the robust man examined the magical artifacts with great interest, clicking his tongue in wonder.

The Ten Thousand Tribulations Seal and the Demon Suppression Chain alone would be considered top-tier treasures, even among the items displayed on the floor below.

As for the Golden Ship of Tribulation and the Seven Kills Nail, nothing on display downstairs could compare.

"These magical artifacts weren’t forged by you, were they, friend?" the robust man said with a knowing smile.

"These treasures were a gift from a friend," Fang Cheng replied with a faint smile.

The robust man laughed loudly, shaking his head without speaking.

The blue-skirted young woman looked serious. After carefully examining the four magical artifacts, she exchanged a few words with the robust man via voice transmission before finally giving her valuation:

Seven Kills Nail: one million Beiming Coins.

Golden Ship of Tribulation: seven hundred thousand.

Ten Thousand Tribulations Seal and Demon Suppression Chain: five hundred fifty thousand each.

For a total of two million, eight hundred thousand.

The price was quite fair.

Fang Cheng had been wandering around Yuhua Tower for a long time, inquiring at various shops. Generally, a Tier Five Lower Grade Magical Artifact went for one hundred to one hundred fifty thousand Beiming Coins.

Tier Five Middle Grade Magical Artifacts sold for around three hundred thousand.

Tier Five Upper Grade Magical Artifacts typically fetched between five and six hundred thousand.

As for Tier Five Top-Grade Magical Artifacts, most were valued above eight hundred thousand. They were so rare as to be virtually unavailable for purchase and were seldom sold publicly.

The Golden Ship of Tribulation was heavily damaged, so the young woman’s offer of seven hundred thousand was reasonable.

Fang Cheng said, "May I have a look at your shop’s Void Demon Embryo?"

The young woman in the blue skirt nodded. With a point of her finger, the pavilion’s restrictive arrays activated. Ripples spread through the air of the private room, and a massive block of dark blue ice materialized.

Encased within the ice was a bizarre mass of flesh and blood. Though it was sealed by a Great Divine Technique, it still radiated an astonishingly vibrant life force, as if it could transform into a peerless, ferocious beast at any moment, shatter the ice, and break free.

This Void Demon Embryo was even larger than the one Fang Cheng had obtained from the Treasure Vault of Nine Heavens Spiritual Palace City.

Fang Cheng seized the opportunity to haggle. "This demon embryo has been cut. Can you be a bit more flexible with the price, Shopkeeper?"

The blue-skirted young woman gave a gentle smile. "It may have been cut, but it grew back long ago. Surely an honored guest such as yourself is aware of a Void Demon Embryo’s properties? This specimen has been in our pavilion for over three hundred years. It has fully recovered."

Fang Cheng’s voice was firm. "Two million, eight hundred thousand. The fact that this demon embryo has sat in your shop for so many years without selling is a loss in itself, is it not?"

The blue-skirted young woman’s lovely eyes darted about. After a moment’s thought, she said in a sweet voice, "Two million, nine hundred thousand. Let’s say it’s this junior’s way of making friends with a senior. For someone of your Divine Power Cultivation, producing one more Tier Five Lower Grade Magical Artifact should hardly be a challenge."

Fang Cheng chuckled. He gave the young woman a measured look before finally taking out an Ancient Bronze Cauldron and placing it on the floor.

This ancient cauldron was also something he had obtained from the Spiritual Palace City Lord’s Treasure Vault. It was a Tier Five Lower Grade Magical Artifact.

The young woman in the blue skirt beamed. Having closed the deal, she couldn’t hide a hint of smug satisfaction.

With the transaction complete, Fang Cheng waved his sleeve, storing away the Void Demon Embryo. He, too, was quite pleased.

With this demon embryo, he had enough material to forge two more Spiritual Mechanism Incarnations, each comparable in power to his "Celestial Venerable of Universal Transformation."

Then, with three Spiritual Mechanism Incarnations, each comparable to a Nine-Tribulation Great Power, his overall strength would increase by a huge margin.

Combined with the Path of Returning Ruins that his true self was comprehending, the gap in power between him and the Demon Lord’s incarnation was steadily closing.

’It’s no small feat,’ he mused. ’The being the Demon Lord corrupted was a Spirit Immortal, and at its peak, it was likely stronger than an ordinary Spirit Immortal.’

After the transaction was complete, Fang Cheng bid farewell and left. He still wanted to stay in Yuhua Tower a while longer to continue browsing and shopping.

A market of this scale was like stumbling upon a major opportunity in the Void Ghost Marketplace.

Opportunities in the Void Ghost Marketplace were a matter of luck, not something one could actively seek out. Especially after he reached the Tribulation Realm, he had found next to nothing of value there.

...

After Fang Cheng left, the two in Jiyu Pavilion continued to discuss him.

"Seventh Uncle, were you able to discern that man’s origins?"

The blue-skirted young woman picked up her teacup, took a sip, and asked.

The robust man shook his head and sighed. "The myriad heavens are vast and full of extraordinary people. Judging by his appearance, I’d say he walks the Mechanical Spirit Dao. No wonder he was so set on acquiring the Void Demon Embryo."

"The Mechanical Spirit Dao?" The blue-skirted young woman looked curious.

"Flesh is weak, Spiritual Mechanisms grant ascension." The robust man smiled. "This is a Dao passed down from the Upper Realm. Its core tenet is to modify one’s own body with the myriad things of heaven and earth in the pursuit of eternal life through the Celestial Dao. There was once a World Heaven where every cultivator followed this path. They expanded frenetically, ultimately triggering a war that embroiled dozens of other World Heavens."

The blue-skirted young woman said thoughtfully, "No wonder."

The robust man gestured to the magical artifacts in the room. "If I’m not mistaken, these were all the Lifebound Magical Artifacts of a cultivator who had passed the Ninth Celestial Tribulation. Now, I ask you, who would give away all of their Lifebound Magical Artifacts?"

"Besides, this Golden Boat is so heavily damaged... it’s clearly the result of a battle."

"They are the spoils of him killing someone for their treasures," the blue-skirted young woman said with a faint smile.

"Correct. The man’s power is unfathomable. In a straight fight, without relying on treasures, I fear even this incarnation of mine might not be his match," the robust man said with a solemn expression.

The blue-skirted young woman’s expression flickered. She knew the true power of the man before her. Throughout the entire Beiming Immortal Race, Beiming Xiao was a peerless expert of his generation, towering over the members of every branch.

Although this was only one of his external incarnations, earning his acknowledgment was an extraordinary feat in itself.

Among the hundreds of millions of cultivators across the eight World Heavens ruled by the Beiming Immortal Race, there were fewer than ten such individuals.

"Seventh Uncle, I have an idea."

"We aren’t completely certain about our upcoming expedition to the Spirit Immortal’s Abandoned Mansion in the Lingkong Celestial Ruins... but if we were to bring him along..."

Hearing this, the robust man’s eyes flickered, and he fell into silent contemplation.

...