novelraw Chapter 1060: Thunder Yin-Yang
Chapter 1060: Thunder Yin-Yang
Making a deal with the One-Realm Heavenly Dao, leveraging its power to mobilize the entire realm’s resources for cultivation, such an inconceivable event had never occurred in the history of the Supreme Pill Sacred Domain.
Today, however, Ning Fan set this precedent within the Supreme Pill Sacred Domain!
With the help of Little Kitten, Ning Fan effortlessly intimidated the other four Heavenly Dao Souls of the Supreme Pill Sacred Domain. With just one command, a continuous flow of Heavenly Earth Lightning Force was summoned from all directions within the Supreme Pill Sacred Domain.
The originally gray sky gradually gathered large swathes of silver lightning. As they continued to converge, they formed billions of bolts of lightning reaching up to the heavens, weaving across the sky. These massive flashes grew more numerous, expanding the scale above this Fiendish Domain Continent, forming a thunderstorm, and a colossal vortex of thunder appeared in the air.
Initially, the power of the thunderstorm was equivalent to the full strength of one Immortal King.
Gradually, the might of the thunderstorm increased to the level of two Immortal Kings working together, and it continued to rise.
Three Kings, Four Kings, Five Kings...
Ten Kings, a hundred Kings...
A thousand Kings!
The thunderstorm, equivalent to the combined power of a thousand Immortal Kings, finally took shape, wreaking havoc in the sky!
What an astounding thunderstorm! Countless beasts and creatures on this Fiendish Domain Continent shivered incessantly under the overwhelming heavenly might of the storm. Even some magic beasts of the Immortal Venerable level were filled with dread under the storm’s oppressive power. Gradually, many beasts began fleeing to other continents nearby, no longer daring to linger here, fearing that the thunderstorm in the sky might fall and destroy everything!
Although Ning Fan’s expression remained unchanged, he felt a shock in his heart. While he intended to use the might of the Supreme Pill Sacred Domain’s Heavenly Dao to summon a realm’s lightning power for cultivation, he hadn’t anticipated such a quantity of lightning power. Upon asking the four Heavenly Dao Souls, he learned that they had unexpectedly mobilized a tenth of the Supreme Pill Sacred Domain’s realm lightning power for his cultivation!
What a grand gesture!
The thunderstorm before him, merely in terms of power, far exceeded the most formidable thunderstorm provoked by Xian Luoli’s evolution into the Thunder Body that day!
This was not a power that cultivators could withstand! Even an Immortal Emperor caught in the center of such a thunderstorm might be obliterated into ashes within moments!
It was a force no human could withstand! For any Second Step Immortal Cultivator, the thunderstorm before them was a natural disaster!
Fortunately, the four Heavenly Dao Souls high above didn’t dare reveal their true forms lightly. Thus, even though they could summon such a quantity of lightning power, they couldn’t control it. It could only naturally gather in the sky, forming into natural phenomena, resulting in a thunderstorm, unable to turn it into a Divine Skill to attack Ning Fan.
If it weren’t for Little Kitten’s intimidation, if these four Heavenly Dao Souls revealed their true forms to control this lightning power to destroy Ning Fan, Ning Fan estimated that his chance of survival in a direct battle would be less than half a percent, and that half a percent would be with the God-Extinguishing Shield fully open. In terms of escape, he had quite a bit of confidence...
He originally intended to slightly refine the lightning diagram but now had a new idea!
Why not directly consume a tenth of this realm’s lightning power, and cultivate Thunder Yin-Yang! The current lightning power was summoned directly by the Heavenly Dao, far purer than any thunder summoned by cultivators!
It’s an excellent material for cultivating Thunder Yin-Yang!
"Well, please understand, under your pressure, we dare not reveal our true forms, fearing being captured by your Nine-Tailed Fox servants using the same technique. Thus, our powers as Heavenly Dao are limited. We can provide at most a tenth of the realm’s lightning power for your cultivation needs; the remaining nine-tenths of the realm’s lightning power are under the Will of the Saint’s supervision. Even we as Heavenly Dao cannot use them recklessly. And without revealing our true forms, all we can do is summon this quantity of lightning power, unable to control it at will. Assisting you in refining lightning power is something we cannot accomplish. Therefore, how much you can gain from this lightning power entirely depends on your own abilities!"
"It doesn’t matter, I don’t need your assistance to cultivate with this lightning power. You may leave and wait for my next summoning."
"In that case, we wish you success in your cultivation. As for the matter concerning Que Gu... since you are unwilling to release him, we can only let it go for now. We just hope you abide by our agreement, only subduing Que Gu as the spirit of the lightning diagram. If you violate the agreement and secretly use the Jiuli King Bow to kill Que Gu, seizing our Ancestral Thunder Sparrow lineage’s fortune, we will forsake everything to eradicate you, generation after generation, until death!"
With that, the four giant beast eyes on the dome disappeared. The Heavenly Dao of the Supreme Pill Sacred Domain required their supervision to function and they could not neglect their duties for too long, let alone accompany Ning Fan throughout his cultivation here.
On the desolate continent, fewer and fewer creatures remained until only Ning Fan, Little Kitten, and a few unfortunate magic beasts controlled by Ning Fan’s illusionary arts were left.
After Ning Fan’s single command, Little Kitten lazily yawned and lay down to sleep. Ning Fan, on the other hand, once again operated the Tai Su Lightning Diagram, opening it.
He didn’t immediately use the Tai Su Lightning Diagram to absorb the lightning storm to cultivate but first released the Ancestral Thunder Sparrow, originally captured in the lightning diagram.
This was a Fifth-Stage Emperor Grade Ancestral Thunder Sparrow, apparently named Que Gu, currently paralyzed and unable to move due to Little Kitten’s Dao-Banned Toxins.
At this moment, Que Gu’s expression was extremely complex, harboring a reluctance for being captured by a mere foreign cultivator, a despair from being abandoned by other companions, and a fear of future fates.
After being captured by Ning Fan, who knows what means the other four Heavenly Dao Souls used. In any case, Que Gu had lost the status of a Heavenly Dao Soul and could no longer wield the power of a realm’s Heavenly Dao. Naturally, this was to prevent Ning Fan from easily controlling the realm’s Heavenly Dao through Que Gu’s power.
Having lost the ability to exercise Heavenly Dao powers, Que Gu was merely a Fifth-Stage Emperor Grade Dao Soul creature, with cultivation equivalent to a Five Tribulations Immortal King. Having such a strong fighter by his side was undoubtedly beneficial for Ning Fan.
"Your name is Que Gu, right?"
"Yes, yes, indeed..." Now being the fish on the chopping block, Que Gu was not stupid, lowering its status extremely low, nodding its sparrow head like a pecking chick.
"You seem quite afraid of me. There’s no need for that, rest assured, I won’t kill you. Your power is useful to me. I hope you can become the spirit of my lightning diagram. Are you willing?"
"This..."
Que Gu struggled internally.
If it agreed to become Ning Fan’s diagram spirit, it would need to have its life linked to Ning Fan’s Tai Su Lightning Diagram. From then on, it was the diagram, and the diagram was it. The destruction of the diagram meant death for Que Gu, and if Que Gu died, the diagram would be harmed... this meant it would lose its freedom for life.
It had been a supreme Heavenly Dao for so many years. Suddenly becoming a servant was naturally unacceptable.
But could it really refuse Ning Fan?
If it refused... would it be killed by the Jiuli King Bow?
Compared to losing personal freedom, wasn’t ensuring the continuation of its lineage’s fortune more important...
"You don’t wish to, do you?"
"No, master misunderstood, Que Gu... is willing."
A single ’master’, a simple ’willing’, seemed to drain all of Que Gu’s strength, its expression becoming desolate.
Ning Fan wasn’t interested in Que Gu’s interior life; as long as the other side recognized its situation, that was enough. Ning Fan could never have any sympathy for Que Gu, after all, Que Gu initially had a heart to kill him.
"In that case, I will cast the spell to connect your life with this lightning diagram of mine. The process will require some cooperation from you; if the lightning power of the diagram invades your body, you must not resist."
"...Alright."
Three days later, Ning Fan completed the ritual on the lightning diagram, thoroughly refining the Fifth-Stage Emperor Grade Que Gu into the Tai Su Lightning Diagram’s spirit.
From this moment onward, should Que Gu betray, Ning Fan need only a thought to use the connection from the Tai Su Lightning Diagram to obliterate it, intimidating Que Gu without needing Little Kitten’s assistance.
Under Ning Fan’s indication, the Dao-Banned Toxins within Que Gu were removed by Little Kitten.
Once its power was restored, the Fifth-Stage Emperor Grade cultivation of Que Gu was unrestrainedly released, impressing Ning Fan greatly.
Not a bad Five Tribulations Immortal King fighter; in the future, if faced with Immortal Kings from the Dabei clan, Ning Fan wouldn’t even need to act himself, simply releasing Que Gu from the lightning diagram would suffice.
Moreover, the significance of subduing Que Gu was not just about gaining the strength of a Five Tribulations Immortal King. More importantly, after the Tai Su Lightning Diagram fused with such a powerful diagram spirit, the ancient illustrations on the diagram gained the totem of the Ancestral Thunder Sparrow, consequently causing a significant increase in the power of the diagram, raising its suppression of thunder to an unprecedented level!
Given Ning Fan’s current cultivation, under the Immortal Emperor level, any thunder attack could be devoured and dissolved in an instant! This is truly powerful!
"In the future, if I encounter powerful creatures skilled in thunder, I can capture them and refine them into diagram spirits, which should further enhance the Tai Su Lightning Diagram..."
In terms of cultivating the Tai Su Lightning Diagram, Ning Fan had found a direction. Of course, cultivating the diagram was not the immediate priority; it was time to leverage the enormous power of the lightning storm for cultivation.
With the thunderstorm formed from a tenth of the thousands of realm lightning power, its magnitude was too vast, and even with the assistance of the Tai Su Lightning Diagram, it wouldn’t be possible without ten thousand years of hard work.
The time-limited Ning Fan naturally would not choose to refine the vast lightning power outside. Instead, he spent nearly a month continuously refining and dividing the lightning power of the thunderstorm, then compressing it into countless silver-glowing lightning spheres, sealing them for preservation.
In a month, the terrifying thunderstorm was entirely compressed by Ning Fan into over a million lightning spheres.
The thunderstorm dissipated, and the sky regained its original appearance. However, the order of the Dao of thunder residual in this place remained somewhat chaotic, and with the spiritual energy surging, this place was no longer suitable for Masters to cultivate.
This was not something Ning Fan was concerned about.
Without the obstruction of the Heavenly Dao, Ning Fan easily opened the Xuan Yin Treasure in the Supreme Pill Sacred Domain and entered one of the Millennium Age Towers inside.
In the blink of a millennium, when Ning Fan walked out of the tower, apart from a hint more fatigue and slightly stronger aura, there were no significant changes.
A minor lightning tribulation was crossed in the tower, yet this small trial naturally did not harm Ning Fan in the slightest.
"In a millennium, with a million lightning spheres, I have only refined over sixty thousand... Indeed, to completely refine all this lightning power is not an easy task."
Without much hesitation, Ning Fan entered the second Millennium Age Tower, and then the third, fourth, fifth...
Until when Ning Fan walked out from the seventeenth Millennium Age Tower, his aura finally had a noticeable change.
Thunder Yin-Yang, achieved!
Ning Fan’s bone age, due to a series of time cultivation, transformed to sixty thousand years.
Thunder Yin-Yang became the fourth Ancient God Yin-Yang that Ning Fan mastered. The completion of Thunder Yin-Yang naturally resulted in a significant increase in Ning Fan’s Ancient God cultivation.
Ancient God cultivation was raised to the peak of the Mid Stage of Shekong. If it weren’t for the Shekong Heart Tribulation, Ning Fan could fully rely on the completion of Thunder Yin-Yang to break through to the Late Stage of Shekong and possibly even advance to the Peak of Shekong.
That Shekong Heart Tribulation truly is quite a troublesome bottleneck...
For Ning Fan’s Ancient Chaos Grand Emperor and Calamity Blood Cultivation, the promotion of Ancient God cultivation has a negligible effect on the overall increase of Mana. However, it greatly aids the integration and qualitative change of the four types of power within Ning Fan.
Ning Fan could feel that as his Ancient God power advanced, some qualitative change among the four types of power seemed a step closer...
Streams merging into an ocean, steadily approaching...
If before mastering Thunder Yin-Yang, Ning Fan’s aura with all four types of power active reached the lower level of the Second Calamity Immortal Lord, now it reached the mid-level of the Second Calamity Immortal Lord.
In the Xuan Yin Treasure, Ning Fan glanced at the Tower of Years. There are still 28 Millennium Age Towers remaining, and 9 Ten-thousand-year Age Towers remaining. As long as he possesses sufficient resources, with these sealed ages, his power has significant growth potential.
Ning Fan raised his hand and pointed towards the sky, and a half-illusory, half-real ancient scripture appeared in mid-air.
It was the first volume of the Dao Scripture self-created by Ning Fan on Mu Island, and now, the contents of the first volume of the Dao Scripture expanded somewhat.
[Ancient God Yin-Yang] Four Chapters of the scripture: Rain Chapter, Battle Chapter, Dark Chapter, Thunder Chapter.
[Ancient Demon Yin-Yang] One Chapter of the scripture: Phoenix Chapter.
[Ancient Chaos Grand Emperor Yin-Yang] One Chapter of the scripture: Wood Chapter.
"Now that I have self-created the first volume of the Dao Scripture to cultivate the Twenty-Seven Yin-Yang, this move has conveniences and challenges. The convenience lies in the unification of all the Yin-Yang in terms of cultivation techniques, avoiding mana turbulence that may arise from simultaneously running multiple Cultivation Techniques... The challenge lies in self-created techniques being clearly more troublesome than seeking existing ones. If I still wish to cultivate other Yin-Yang, I need to create other Chapters of the Dao Scripture..."
"With the limitation of the Shekong Heart Tribulation, even if Ancient God, Ancient Demon Yin-Yang are achieved, they cannot directly trigger a qualitative breakthrough in cultivations, such as this time, although I mastered Thunder Yin-Yang, which clearly could propel Ancient God cultivations to the Peak of Shekong, yet due to the heart tribulation, it remains stuck at the peak of the Mid Stage of Shekong..."
"Even with many Tower of Years, they should be used reasonably, rather than for the cultivation of Ancient God, Ancient Demon constrained by the heart tribulation, it is better to focus on the cultivation of Ancient Chaos Grand Emperor... Ancient Chaos Grand Emperor cultivation should be a breakthrough for rapid cultivation increase within a short time!"
"However, it’s still not enough... How to save Emperor Butcher under the watchful eyes of countless experts on the Holy Mountain, under the gaze of the Bright Buddha..."
"After the rescue, then what..."
"Perhaps my thinking has encountered some misconceptions... Rescuing someone from the Bright Buddha doesn’t necessarily mean I have to have the strength to confront directly... I might also leverage external powers..."
Ning Fan still has the Extreme Yang Water taken from under the Netherworld, which is a valuable item for Quasi-Saints... If this item is used for trade, can it move characters of the Five Supreme level of Dabei to act...
The trade may succeed, or it may fail, potentially leading to the so-called Five Supreme, out of greed, directly kill to seize treasures...
Or perhaps, he could use those Extreme Yang Waters himself...
Forget it, the execution of Emperor Butcher is still months away, he still has time to formulate a plan properly.
Let’s first try out the Ancient Kingdom Trading Formation given by Wu Laoba and see what benefits can be gained...
Ning Fan left the Xuan Yin Treasure, returned to the outside, and did not linger on this continent of chaotic spiritual energy. Instead, he flew across dozens of Barren Continents to find a new landing point with excellent spiritual energy and sparse population.
The landing spot was chosen within an ancient forest, where occasionally some Demon Beasts attacked Ning Fan, all entranced by Ning Fan’s Fu Li demon eyes with one look, turning into the most loyal footmen, patrolling around.
In a clearing in the forest, Ning Fan took out a mountain of Dabei Gold and Silver. Setting up the Ancient Kingdom Trading Formation requires using a certain amount of Heavenly Dao Gold and Silver as materials, and during the trade, these Heavenly Dao Gold and Silver are inevitably used. Therefore, Ning Fan’s first task is to extract the components of Heavenly Dao Gold and Silver from the Dabei Gold and Silver.
With Ning Fan’s attainment in the Dao of formations, he effortlessly set up the Ancient Kingdom Refining Formation here, commencing the extraction of Heavenly Dao Silver.
The extraction process was quite unsuccessful at first; in the first extraction, over a thousand taels of white silver were directly turned to ash by the formation fire of the refining formation.
The second extraction still failed, again losing over a thousand taels of white silver.
The third, the fourth...
The initial failures were due to Ning Fan’s unfamiliarity with the Ancient Kingdom Refining Formation, and it was inevitable that his technique would be somewhat clumsy.
But as the number of failures increased, Ning Fan’s technique became increasingly proficient, and finally, he succeeded on the twenty-third extraction.
Extracting from over a thousand taels of Heavenly Dao silver, only a minuscule amount of Heavenly Dao silver flakes was obtained!
Subsequent extractions were much smoother, succeeding five times in ten attempts, and in the time of one incense stick, Ning Fan refined all the Dabei Gold and Silver he had on hand.
He obtained a total of one tael and two qians of Heavenly Dao Gold and nine taels and seven qians of Heavenly Dao Silver. One tael equals ten qians, so the Heavenly Dao Silver obtained was less than ten taels, much lower than expected.
"Though my refining technique has improved considerably, it still hasn’t reached perfection, otherwise I would surely be able to extract more Heavenly Dao Gold and Silver..."
"With this little Heavenly Dao Gold and Silver, who knows what can be purchased..."
Ning Fan took out the jade scroll of the Ancient Kingdom Trading Formation offered by Wu Laoba, probing it with his spirit sense, studying and contemplating it carefully.
There are two types of formation deployment methods for the Ancient Kingdom Trading Formation.
The first is the official formation, which will directly trade with the legendary Ancient Holy Sect Tongtian Sect.
The second is the private trading formation, which, through the mediation of the Tongtian Sect, trades with Masters from all heavens and myriads of worlds.
Ning Fan used one tael of Heavenly Dao silver flakes, plus various other formation materials, and set up an official formation.
This is a large formation, with the formation’s scope covering several miles, numerous illusionary formation’s eyes, yet only one real formation’s eye. Once this formation was activated, at the lone real formation’s eye position, suddenly appeared a giant bronze heavenly scale, a hundred zhang in size, landing on the ground. That bronze heavenly scale flickered between illusion and reality, exceedingly bizarre, sometimes Ning Fan could touch its entity, sometimes he couldn’t.
"Young master, are you a cultivator from the Land of Dreams? You seem to be using the Ancient Kingdom Trading Formation for the first time and are quite interested in the phantom of this Ancient Kingdom Scale."
In the formation, suddenly a voice rang out, giving a distant feeling, as if transmitted through countless distances, linked by the Ancient Kingdom Trading Formation. The voice sounded quite elderly, akin to an old man, and its aura was deliberately disturbed by the Ancient Kingdom Trading Formation, drifting unpredictably, making it hard to determine his cultivation.
"Indeed, this is my first time using the Ancient Kingdom Trading Formation. Sir, are you a disciple of the Tongtian Sect? How should I address you?" Ning Fan inquired.
"Hehe, that question of yours is quite taboo. Whether it’s an official formation or a private trading formation, the primary rule of this Ancient Kingdom’s trading formation is that you must absolutely not inquire into the other’s background. This is also why I haven’t asked about your identity at all. You must know that in this world, many transactions are initially feasible, but if you learn each other’s identity, sometimes, due to grudges or positions, they cannot be completed. Enough about that, just tell me what you wish to purchase from our Tongtian Sect?" the elder’s voice answered.
So, this is a transaction that absolutely won’t reveal each other’s identities... The security of the Ancient Kingdom’s trading formation is indeed very high.
Ning Fan nodded in satisfaction. In fact, in setting up this official formation, he was also somewhat wary. This question was merely a test, after all, he came from the Dreamland Realm created by the Purple Dou Immortal Sovereign. If this cross-world transaction with the Real Realms’ Tongtian Sect brought any disaster to the Dreamland Realm, it would simply be too costly. Should the other side attempt any sensing or probing on his realm through the Ancient Kingdom trading formation, he would destroy the formation at the first instance, halting their detection.
Fortunately, such concerns turned out to be unnecessary. The Tongtian Sect appeared to abide strictly by their regulations, and there would be no probing for any customer coming for trade.
"I don’t have much Heavenly Dao Gold and Silver on hand, so I might not be able to buy very good things from your sect," Ning Fan said, reining in his thoughts.
"Hehe, you need not worry about the transaction amount. Our sect follows the principle of ’Strive for Every Bit.’ Even if this trade earns only a measly bit of Heavenly Dao Silver from your hand, I will personally be dedicated to serving you. Just tell me what you wish to purchase," the elder replied.
"I want to buy some puppet materials, and also some blueprints, roughly at the Emperor Puppet level. I also want some Evil Dao techniques, preferably at the Nine-Star Technique level. Does your sect have any stock?"
"Blueprints and materials for Emperor Puppets... Nine-Star Evil Dao techniques... The prices of Nine-Star level Evil Dao techniques vary greatly depending on the type. The cheapest technique costs at least ten taels of Heavenly Dao Silver per book, and if they’re powerful, it might even go up to ten or a hundred taels of Heavenly Dao Gold. What specific requirements do you have for the Evil Dao techniques? How about the selection of Five Elements? Or do you need some special trait techniques? Please specify in detail. As for the blueprints and materials for Emperor Puppets, there are many categories, with prices ranging from 1.5 taels of Silver to 100 taels. Do you have specific names for the materials you need, young friend?"
The elder’s explanation left Ning Fan rather helpless.
His wealth seemed not that substantial. The cheapest Evil Dao technique costs ten taels of Heavenly Dao Silver per book...
He initially wanted to purchase some Evil Dao techniques for reference, to prepare for writing other Chapters of the Dao Scriptures. Now it seemed that this idea might be a bit difficult to accomplish.
Better to buy puppet materials first. Now that the Mysterious Yin World is accessible, Ning Fan plans to take advantage of the countless years in the Tower of Years to refine an Emperor Puppet.
This might slightly increase the odds of rescuing the Emperor Butcher...
"May I ask what the exchange ratio for gold and silver in your sect’s transactions is?" Ning Fan asked instead of replying directly.
"One Gold is worth ten Silver."
"I see. I only have 1.2 taels of Heavenly Dao Gold and 8.7 taels of Heavenly Dao Silver. I’ll skip buying the Nine-Star Demon Technique for now; please sell me a blueprint for an Emperor Puppet so I can decide on the necessary materials."
"A puppet blueprint, you say... Our sect has a collection of 306 Emperor Puppet blueprints for your perusal, young friend, so you could browse and choose the one you need..."
As the elder’s words fell, a glimmer of light suddenly flashed on one side of the bronze balance scale, and then a jade scroll appeared gradually within that light, alternating between solidity and insubstantiality.
The jade scroll then flew towards Ning Fan, who grabbed it in his hand, and with a sweep of his spirit sense over it,
Inside the jade scroll, the introductions of all Emperor Puppet blueprints stored in the Tongtian Sect’s library were recorded, along with their prices.
Fire Crystal Puppet blueprint, a puppet with the unique Fire Crystal of the Volcano Realm as its core, priced at 4.9 taels of Silver.
Earth Armor Puppet blueprint, a puppet with White Realm’s earth as its skin, priced at 3.4 taels of Silver.
Juchen Puppet blueprint, a puppet with armor made from the scales of a Juchen, priced at 6.6 taels of Silver.
...
Suddenly Ning Fan found among the numerous blueprints the price for the Lotus Root Puppet.
Lotus Root Puppet blueprint, a puppet with Creation Lotus Root as its trunk, priced at 2.1 taels.
This blueprint was exactly what Ning Fan needed!
However, judging by the price of the blueprint, a puppet refined with Creation Lotus Root didn’t seem to be any high-end product.
Forget it. As Ning Fan didn’t have main materials to craft high-end products and only had a Creation Lotus Root, he would just purchase this blueprint.
"I want the Lotus Root Puppet blueprint."
"Lotus Root Puppet, is that so... Please don’t underestimate its materials just because the Lotus Root Puppet blueprint is cheap. The ingredients needed for this puppet are quite expensive, even surpassing some mid-grade Emperor Puppet by thirty percent. For instance, its main material, Creation Lotus Root, is worth twelve taels and four qian Heavenly Dao Gold, which is 124 taels in Silver. Are you sure about this blueprint?"
Just one Creation Lotus Root is that costly?
Wasn’t Wu Laoba saying that his master bought an Innate Treasure for just three taels of Heavenly Dao Gold?
"I’m sure of it, just this blueprint. But I have a somewhat irrelevant question to ask; a friend of mine once bought an Innate Lower Grade Magical Treasure from your sect for three taels of Heavenly Dao Gold. Does this mean your sect sells Innate Treasures very cheaply?"
"Hehe, three taels of Heavenly Dao Gold for an Innate Treasure? More likely it was a clearance item. Typically, any Innate Treasure is worth over twenty taels of Gold at least, and some better Innate Lower Grade Treasures could sell for several hundred taels of Gold. Occasionally, there are problematic items acquired from the myriad worlds, which we sell at a low price. Your friend most likely bought a clearance item. So, you seem quite interested in clearance items; would you like to see our current list of clearance items? You might find something of interest."
"I am indeed interested in your sect’s clearance items. But from your tone, it seems your sect also acquires various goods from all the heavens and worlds?"
"That’s correct. If you are in urgent need of money, you could also sell some of your valuable items to our sect. However, the purchasing price from our sect would surely not exceed the market price, and we do not acquire goods below the True Immortal level."
"I understand..."
Ning Fan suddenly became intensely interested in the Ancient Kingdom’s trading formation and the Tongtian Sect behind it.
He had plenty of good items, and many useless ones as well. Selling them to the Tongtian Sect might fetch a handsome sum.
First of all, he should complete the transaction with the blueprint.
The jade scroll recording the puppet blueprint details suddenly vanished from Ning Fan’s hands with a whirring sound.
Then, on one side of the bronze balance scale, a blueprint tightly sealed and alternating between reality and illusion appeared. Instantly, the balance tipped towards the blueprint side.
"Please place the gold and silver on the other side of the scale. If the scale balances, the transaction is established," the elder said.
Following the instructions, Ning Fan placed 2.1 taels of Heavenly Dao Silver on the other side of the bronze scale, restoring balance to the previously tipped scale.
As soon as the scale balanced, a vast and magnificent power suddenly emanated from the scale; the surrounding space of heaven and earth alternately switched between reality and illusion with the scale’s momentum.
A strong sense of danger emitted from the scale, making Ning Fan instinctively back away from it, followed by the elder’s reminder.
"Be careful. The Ancient Kingdom’s scale is now exercising its power for realm exchange. If you get too close, you might be swept into this exchange and lose your life."
Whirring sound!
Countless lights flashed at both ends of the scale. From the light, the Heavenly Dao Silver Ning Fan had placed vanished, and then the blueprint originally vacillating between reality and illusion solidified and transformed into a stream of light, flying straight into Ning Fan’s palm.
The transaction for the Lotus Root Puppet blueprint was successful!
"This... is the Ancient Kingdom’s trade, is it? How incredible, actually being able to transmit goods from the Real Realms across numerous world interfaces right into my hands!"
This teleportation ability was simply astonishing! The abilities of the Tongtian Sect were indeed remarkable.
Ning Fan opened the blueprint and swept his gaze over it. He possessed most of the materials for the Lotus Root Puppet. The main material was intact; he just needed to buy a few corner materials from the Tongtian Sect.
In the ensuing time, Ning Fan spent an additional 5.1 taels of Heavenly Dao Silver, purchasing all the materials directly from the Tongtian Sect. With ample time at his disposal, he could start refining the Emperor Puppet any time!
"Once the Ancient Kingdom’s formation is activated, it can last for three hours. Do you wish to purchase anything else?" the elder inquired.
"I would like to see your sect’s clearance items list."
"Alright, please wait a moment," the elder seemed quite agreeable and, having made numerous transactions with Ning Fan, sounded considerably warmer to him.
Before long, a jade scroll that appeared intermittently was sent to Ning Fan’s hand via a bronze balance scale.
Ning Fan scanned the jade scroll with his spirit sense and was speechless for a moment. He somewhat understood why Wu Laoba’s master could buy an innate treasure with just a few gold coins. The so-called defective artifacts must have unimaginable flaws to be sold cheaply by a profit-seeking sect like the Tongtian Sect.
Ning Fan found several such defective innate magical treasures.
"Ancient Emperor’s Scepter Polluted by Lethal Toxins," innate inferior grade, having been infiltrated by lethal toxins. Each use causes spirit sense to be corroded by toxins, severely harming Immortal Emperors below the Eight Tribulations, hence sold for four gold and six silver pieces...
"Cursed Fleeting Cloud Boots," innate inferior grade, a flying escape-type magical treasure, this item is tainted by the Art of Worm’s Curse and cannot be dispelled. The user suffers from dizziness and fever day and night, with symptoms worsening over time, eventually leading to the collapse of the divine sense and death, priced at six gold and five silver pieces...
"Host-Devouring Dao-Seeking Sword," innate inferior grade, each use of this sword results in the consumption of the host’s cultivation, causing a continuous fall in the host’s cultivation level, processed for five gold and five silver pieces...
"The Nebula Chain of Killing Kin to Attain the Dao"...
"Heaven’s Scorned Jade Belt"...
"The Jade Ruyi That Will Cause Certain Death After Three Uses"...
...
Ning Fan searched for a long time without finding anything usable among the defective artifacts. Not only magical treasures, but all other categories of defective items were also unusable.
Suddenly, Ning Fan noticed something among the defective artifacts.
"Ill-Fated Dark Immortal Cloud"...
A cloud-type escape treasure that can be used with the host’s own escape technique, significantly enhancing the host’s flying escape ability. The drawback is that each use taints the host’s good fortune, originally priced at three hundred and thirteen gold, it is now sold for thirteen gold and four silver pieces...
Got it!
This defective item, it seems others can’t use it, but Ning Fan can!
"Could it be... that many years ago, Wu Laoba’s master also found and exchanged for a fortune-tainting item among numerous defective items like me..."
Ning Fan speculated.
He was a Fu Li2 with tainted fortune, although his fortune had been restored, he still had no fear of any ill fortune in the world.
This treasure might ruin others’ fortunes, but it was harmless to him!
Moreover, this treasure’s enhancement of escape technique made Ning Fan tempted, an innate-grade flying escape treasure, how could its power be small!
This was originally priced at three hundred and thirteen gold, even after processing it could still sell for thirteen gold...
Absolutely a good thing! Unfortunately, Ning Fan seemed unable to afford it...
"I want to buy this Ill-Fated Wuxian Cloud, but I’m quite short on money. I wonder if I can sell some of my things to exchange for some Heavenly Dao Gold and Silver?"
"Of course, as long as the items are above True Immortal grade, our sect does not refuse anyone, though the price might not satisfy you."
"No problem, as long as I can exchange them for money."
Ning Fan took out a pile of junk from his storage pouch.
Although it was "junk," it was only relatively so for Ning Fan. To ordinary True Immortals, there were quite a few treasures among Ning Fan’s junk.
"Oh? You actually have a lot of good stuff. Let me see, the recycling price for Acquired First Nirvana treasures is one silver per hundred items, for Second Nirvana it’s one hundred items for two silver pieces, for Third Nirvana it’s..."
Uh, does the Tongtian Sect really purchase acquired magical treasures by the hundreds... Acquired treasures sure are inexpensive.
Which makes sense; even many flawless innate treasures are only priced at dozens of gold pieces, how could acquired treasures be expensive, especially when sold at a discount...
After selling off the junk magical treasures he didn’t need, Ning Fan earned only three silver pieces, not even one tael of gold...
Of course, he also had good things he could sell, but why sell them at a loss when they were good things?
"It seems that just selling the junk won’t earn much money. This Wuxian Cloud will have to be abandoned for now..."
The trade ended, and Ning Fan terminated the Ancient Kingdom Trading Formation, erasing all the original formation marks.
After which, he entered the Xuan Yin Treasure, using four shao millennium towers to refine an Emperor-grade puppet.
The millennium towers, only 24 were left.
During the process of puppet refinement, he naturally consumed Sha Bailou’s Spirit as material to refine the puppet.
The appearance of the puppet was refined by Ning Fan into a majestic and burly man. Though ugly, it was fierce, with a constant sinister smile on its face. It had its own spirit awareness but it was not high; for Ning Fan’s orders, it showed absolute obedience, filled with a desire for slaughter.
Apparently, by using Sha Bailou’s Spirit, Ning Fan successfully refined a killing weapon that satisfied him.
As such, other than having a Que Gu, the Ancestral Thunder Sparrow as a fighter, Ning Fan now had this humanoid killing weapon as well, rivaling a Quasi-Emperor. Without an Immortal Emperor intervening, he could roam unchallenged.
"You are not needed for now, slumber!"
"As you command!"
With Ning Fan’s command, the burly man with a sinister smile suddenly transformed into a lotus root doll the size of a palm. It would only be awakened at Ning Fan’s command, unleashing carnage upon the world.
"There is an abundance of gold and silver circulating among the Dabei people. If I were to seize all Dabei gold and silver and refine Heavenly Dao Gold and Silver, I wonder how much can be refined? What good things I could buy from the Tongtian Sect!"
"The waters run deep among the Dabei Clan. If I openly plunder the Dabei gold and silver, it might reveal that I possess the methods of the Ancient Kingdom Refining Formation and Trading Formation. To figures of the Five Supreme Lords level, such formations would certainly be of heavenly allure. While enmity with the Dabei may not have the likes of the Supreme Ox Demon interfering as Quasi-Saints shy away like venomous snakes from causality. When I fled successfully from Liuli City, neither the Supreme Niu Gui nor Shifeng intervened, which was proof..."
"But it would be different if the existence of the Ancient Kingdom Two Formation leaked. Driven by self-interest, who knows whether these old monsters would not make a move on me..."
"The Dabei gold and silver being beneficial to me naturally has to be taken, and taken entirely, but how to take them is a matter of strategy..."
"It’s not just about the gold and silver of the Dabei Clan; there are other issues to handle. I am curious, on that day, the Immortal Emperor of the Thunder Sound Lineage bore me no grudge, why did he suddenly make a move against me? Who is behind this manipulation..."
Ning Fan wiped his hand over his face, slowly revealing the silver ghost mask that he hadn’t used for a long time.
Then his full head of black hair turned silver due to the ghost mask’s divine skills.
Ghost Mask, Silver Hair!
The concealment effect was even stronger than before due to Ning Fan’s elevated cultivation!
Under the ghost mask, Ning Fan’s gaze grew colder than ever.
He was never one to take a loss.
Since he had stumbled in the Dabei Clan, those responsible for his fall would have to pay a price!
"Holy Mountain... Thunder Sound Lineage!"
With a soft hiss, a red light flashed around Ning Fan’s body, and he disappeared without a trace.