Chapter 410: Four Seas (For the White Silver Grand Alliance Leader)
Chapter 410: Four Seas (For the White Silver Grand Alliance Leader)
"Nascent Soul Exchange? "
Fang Xi was actually quite tempted by this. After all, once one reached the Nascent Soul stage, Spirit Stones became exceedingly difficult to use for purchasing necessary cultivation items.
True Monarchs primarily relied on private bartering for their needs.
And with his wealth, simply taking out a few items should allow him to get what he desired.
However. . . the Jiang Kingdom's cultivation world was far stronger than the Yuan Kingdom's, and it even boasted a late-stage Nascent Soul demonic cultivator, which made Fang Xi somewhat hesitant.
After all. . . he still carried the 'Resentful Soul Lure' from the Primordial Demon Sect!
Although they weren't from the same sect, one could imagine that if he encountered an old demon who could detect this lure, they certainly wouldn't give him a kind look, and might even be hostile.
'An early-stage Nascent Soul old demon is nothing, and even if I can't defeat a mid-stage one, I can still escape. . . The only concern then, is that Tian Du Mojun? '
"Well. . ."
Huang Yungong evidently hadn't expected Fang Xi to ask this question, but it wasn't any secret information.
He thought for a moment before replying, "That Demon Lord's talent was extraordinary. He formed his Nascent Soul before the age of two hundred, gaining renown throughout the world. It has been six or seven hundred years since then, I believe. . ."
"So that's how it is. It seems that Tian Du Mojun will likely have no trouble leading the Jiang Kingdom through this Realm Descent disaster. . . After all, such Realm Descents usually pass within a few decades."
Fang Xi appeared quite thoughtful.
In reality, his heart relaxed: 'Assume the worst, even if he's eight hundred years old now. . . late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators generally live longer than early-stage ones, and he might have some lifespan-extending techniques and pills, but thirteen to fourteen hundred years is likely his limit. Five or six hundred years of lifespan poses no pressure to me. . . '
"So that's what Fellow Daoist was concerned about. . ."
Huang Yungong, however, furrowed his brow. "It's hard to say. . . Although ordinary Realm Descents last only a few years or decades, if it's a 'Great Realm Descent', it could potentially stretch for a hundred or even several hundred years. . . And according to some fellow Daoists, the recent void phenomena have been quite significant. . ."
"No wonder. . . the Seven Fiends Hall is already preparing its retreat, and the Yuan Kingdom is in utter chaos as well. " Fang Xi sighed, voicing his doubt, "Such actions. . . Tian Du Mojun isn't intervening?"
"Demonic cultivators have always been selfish and self-serving, and at the Nascent Soul level, they're even more cunning and treacherous. . . " Huang Yungong seemed to dismiss this with a wave of his hand. "What's more. . . that Grand Elder of the Seven Fiends Hall—the Seven Kills Demon Lord—is the second most powerful figure among the Jiang Kingdom's demonic cultivators. He seems to have made a promise: only a portion of the sect's disciples will be moved into the Yuan Kingdom, while the Nascent Soul old demon will remain to resist the Realm Descent alongside his fellow cultivators in the Jiang Kingdom. . . With his mid-stage Nascent Soul divine abilities, as long as he doesn't fall into a certain death situation, the dangers within the Realm Descent aren't actually too great."
"I see. . . where will that gathering be held, may I ask? " Fang Xi silently repeated the key information—Seven Kills Demon Lord, mid-stage Nascent Soul—in his mind twice, then asked aloud.
"Three years and five months from now, at Ice Fiend Lake!"
Huang Yungong said, "Fellow Daoist can cultivate at Huangyun Stream for a period, then come with this old man. . ."
"Haha. . . This is my first time in the Jiang Kingdom, and I'd like to explore a bit more and collect some unique materials."
Fang Xi politely declined with a smile.
Gathering resources was only one reason; the key was still to find a method to break the 'Resentful Soul Lure' curse.
Otherwise, attending a gathering of Nascent Soul old demons while carrying such a major karmic debt would be a bit too thrilling.
"In that case. . . very well. This old man won't press you. Three years from now, this old man will await Fellow Daoist around Ice Fiend Lake."
Huang Yungong said.
"Many thanks!"
Fang Xi cupped his fist, then discussed some small cultivation tips and taboos for the Nascent Soul stage with Huang Yungong, gaining quite a bit from the exchange.
At the Nascent Soul stage, cultivators found advancement even more difficult, relying on supplementing each other's experiences.
Although he had just recently formed his Nascent Soul, his second primordial spirit had already achieved its breakthrough long ago, and he cultivated an ancient path of Dharma cultivation, so some of his insights were quite enlightening to Huang Yungong.
After all, Huang Yungong had been an early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator for many years and had considerable experience in nurturing and solidifying the Nascent Soul in its initial stages, which greatly benefited Fang Xi.
...
After leaving Huangyun Stream, Fang Xi leisurely explored the Jiang Kingdom, casually collecting some local spiritual specialties.
'Speaking of this Jiang Kingdom. . . the demonic path holds great power, while the orthodox path can only barely survive. Their only Nascent Soul sect seems to be the 'Tai Xu Sect'. . . Earlier, they foolishly went to the Yuan Kingdom to sow discord, and then I killed a Nascent Soul seed with a Heaven-grade spiritual root from them. . . '
'This also landed them on my little ledger of grudges. Unfortunately, the records within that sect only contained information about the 'Resentful Soul Lure', with no method to break the curse. '
Fang Xi controlled a streak of demonic light to conceal his appearance and aura, maintaining his cultivation at roughly the Core Formation stage, and descended before a cultivation city.
"Welcome, Immortal Master, to Four Seas Market!"
A stunningly beautiful young woman immediately stepped forward, smiling enchantingly, every gesture seemingly professionally trained. "Does this Immortal Master require a guide? It's only one Spirit Stone per day."
"Oh? You're a mortal?"
Fang Xi's gaze swept over her, a hint of surprise in his eyes.
"This humble one, Yan Yan, is indeed a mortal."
A touch of sadness flickered across Yan Yan's face, but she quickly puffed out her chest. "However, this humble one knows every blade of grass and every stone in this market like the back of her hand. I will surely not disappoint senior. . ."
“How is it that I've heard. . . that mortals in this Jiang Kingdom live as if in hell? ”
Seeing many mortals soliciting business around them, Fang Xi couldn't help but feel surprised.
"It seems senior comes from another country?"
Yan Yan dismissed this with a smile, explaining, "That rumor is mistaken. Immortal Masters are high above us; why would they deliberately slaughter us mortals? It's just that in the mortal world, every household must periodically surrender a portion of its population, which is known as the 'Blood Tax'. . . Aside from that, mortals and the cultivation world are quite separate. Immortal Masters remain high above, and usually do not interfere with our lives. . ."
After Yan Yan's explanation, Fang Xi understood.
The demonic path also cultivated by absorbing spiritual energy, and thus needed to select individuals with spiritual roots from among mortals as new blood.
Mass slaughtering mortals was a foolish act that undermined their own foundation.
As for the 'consumables' needed for cultivating various demonic techniques?
Naturally, there was the 'Blood Tax' offered by the mortal dynasties.
Some dynasties even specifically encouraged childbirth, especially during specific times like Yin years, Yin months, and Yin days. . . Children born at such times would often receive more generous rewards from the sects once they were offered up.
'As for this bit of Blood Tax. . . to be blunt, even without it, countless people would still die from dynastic changes, natural disasters, man-made calamities, famines, and wars. . . For a vast population base, it was simply negligible. '
Thinking this, Fang Xi looked back at Yan Yan.
This Yan Yan was also a part of the 'Blood Tax', having been offered to a nearby Core Formation sect—the 'Blood Sea Sect'!
Among these 'Blood Tax' offerings, the luckiest ones with spiritual roots could become outer disciples. . . The rest of the mortals, those with robust physiques became slave miners, while those with beautiful appearances became concubines or playthings.
The even unluckier ones became consumables for cultivating demonic arts. . .
However, in this regard, demonic sects treated everyone equally. Even outer disciples and inner disciples. . . it was common for those who failed to serve to their elders' satisfaction to be taken away for cultivation experiments.
This Yan Yan possessed both cunning and beauty, but alas, she had no spiritual root. Thus, she was assigned to serve as a maid in the market, and all the Spirit Stones she earned daily naturally had to be handed over to the Blood Sea Sect.
"If we don't meet the daily quota for Spirit Stones, we'll be. . ."
Yan Yan's face was filled with a pitiful expression, and she gazed at Fang Xi expectantly, even hinting that she could do "other things."
"Enough of that. . . lead the way. First, we'll buy some high-grade spiritual items, then proceed to the best place for pleasure in the market."
Fang Xi waved his hand, tossing out a low-grade Spirit Stone. Yan Yan was overjoyed, yet a hint of melancholy also crossed her face.
For maids like them, the best outcome was merely to be favored by some passing cultivator, redeemed, and bought to serve as concubines or servants. Otherwise, once they grew old and their beauty faded, they would likely face. . .
Alas, Fang Xi had no interest in this woman.
He was already tired of Celestial Maidens and the like; instead, he felt a certain novelty towards demonic women, and wished to experience that. . .
"Within the market, the best place for pleasure and entertainment is the 'Ecstasy Pavilion'. . ."
Yan Yan spoke of it as if reciting family treasures: "The 'Ecstasy Pavilion' is a business of the Ruyi Sect. . . The Ruyi Sect holds immense prestige in my Jiang Kingdom; it's a major Nascent Soul sect renowned for its dual cultivation and harvesting arts. . . It's said that the 'Enchanting Concubines' in the Ecstasy Pavilion specialize in a reverse dual cultivation technique, which can inversely enhance a cultivator's cultivation. A single session is no less effective than taking a pill that boosts one's magical power, and it offers supreme enjoyment. It has an excellent reputation among nearby cultivators, though the fees are quite exorbitant. . ."
"First, let's visit a few material shops. . . and also pill shops."
Fang Xi said.
Though it was unlikely, what if they happened to sell fourth-tier pill recipes here?
A moment later.
Inside Four Seas Market.
Fang Xi emerged from a spiritual material shop, followed by the shopkeeper, who bowed deeply in respectful farewell.
'This Immortal Master. . . to command such respectful bows even from Foundation Establishment experts, could he possibly be an Old Ancestor-level figure who has formed a Golden Core? '
Yan Yan respectfully led the way, having lost her earlier coquettishness.
If Fang Xi were still a Qi Refinement or Foundation Establishment cultivator, she would have dared to flirt brazenly in hopes of being redeemed and bought.
But after realizing Fang Xi might be a Core Formation Old Ancestor, such thoughts instantly vanished from her mind.
Such Old Ancestors possessed long lifespans; what beauty hadn't they seen? There was no need to humiliate herself and invite trouble.
'Alas. . . as expected, there aren't many truly high-grade treasures in this market. . . or rather, items useful to Nascent Soul cultivators rarely appear. '
Fang Xi sighed inwardly, then said, "To the Ecstasy Pavilion!"
A place of pleasure and entertainment like this was bound to be the most well-informed location. He intended to go there to gather some intelligence. . .
"Senior, the Ecstasy Pavilion is just ahead."
Yan Yan led Fang Xi to a pavilion whose very timber exuded a strange fragrance. Her face was slightly flushed, evidently unable to resist the allure of the scent.
"Hm?"
Fang Xi lifted his foot, about to step inside, when his gaze swept over someone. He couldn't help but be slightly startled: "It's him? !"
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