novelraw Chapter 703: Is Ning a Fat Sheep?
Chapter 703: Is Ning a Fat Sheep?
The Sky-Grade Trading City isn’t large, only having a few dozen marketplaces.
The cultivators coming and going in this city mostly have cultivation levels above Fracture Eighth, and Fate Immortals are not uncommon.
When a sporadic Fate Immortal cultivator flies across the sky, it always attracts the admiration of many Void Fragmentation cultivators.
Ning Fan’s gaze deepened slightly; there are quite a few Fate Immortals here, most of whom have come to purchase what they need.
He must act low-key and definitely cannot stir up any trouble within the scope of Shaoze Star.
Having traversed more than forty marketplaces in this city, Ning Fan bought over a dozen Inlaid Star Compasses from lower-level star domains and also bought two from mid-level star domains.
As for the Inlaid Star Compasses of the upper starfield, he hasn’t seen a single one, let alone the Ancient Chen Star Disk.
It seems what the Divine Transformation Realm old man said was true; all upper-level starfield compasses are only put up for auction at the Sky-Grade Trading City’s auction house.
Looking up at the golden gigantic palace floating in the sky, Ning Fan frowned.
That gigantic palace is the city’s only auction house, where it’s said a Fate Immortal from Shaoze Star personally oversees it.
This city holds an auction every ten years, and it’s one year until the next one.
According to the rules of Shaoze Star, items for each auction are announced in advance, and cultivators wishing to participate only need to spend a few Dao Crystals to purchase an intelligence jade scroll.
Except for the finale items, all auction items can be known in advance.
Ning Fan purchased an intelligence jade scroll from the auction house and went to a Spirit Tea Teahouse in the northern city, casually sitting by the window to sip tea and carefully browse the jade scroll in his hand.
After a long time, after reading the jade scroll, Ning Fan frowned deeply in silence.
The auction items for this auction happen to include the Ancient Chen Star Disk that Ning Fan needs.
But the price of this star compass far exceeds Ning Fan’s expectations...
An Inlaid Star Compass from a lower-level star domain can be purchased for only tens of thousands of Dao Crystals, and the most expensive won’t exceed a hundred thousand Dao Crystals.
An Inlaid Star Compass from a mid-level star domain can be bought for tens of thousands of Dao Crystals, and the most expensive won’t exceed a million Dao Crystals.
But an Inlaid Star Compass from an upper starfield costs more than ten million Dao Crystals...
As for the star compass of the Ancient Chen Star Domain, the starting price is as high as fifty million Dao Crystals!
Fifty million Dao Crystals!
This is just the starting price, and after a round of bidding, the price of the star compass might go even higher, possibly breaking a billion.
Gently patting the storage pouch, Ning Fan sighed slightly; he only has twenty million Dao Crystals on him, which is far from enough to bid on the Star Compass of the Ancient Chen Star Domain.
The auction items in this auction also include many good things.
For example, the Feather Ascension Pill!
A low-grade Eighth Revolution Feather Ascension Pill with a starting price of thirty million Dao Crystals is also something Ning Fan can’t afford.
The Fate Immortal Dao Fruit! The starting price is as high as a billion Dao Crystals, which is even more out of Ning Fan’s reach.
These items are not even the finale...
One really wonders what kind of priceless thing the finale item will be.
While sipping tea, Ning Fan deliberated deeply.
This was the first time he felt that he was very poor, extremely poor.
He was determined to obtain the star compass of the Ancient Chen Star Domain for the Immortal Soul Grass and for Mu Weiliang, no matter what.
If the money is not enough, then find a way to get it!
In this Sky-Grade Trading City, there are countless ways to make money.
If your dan refinement skills are high enough, you can make money by alchemy.
If you’re in urgent need of money, you can also sell the treasures on you for money.
This place also has gambling houses where you can try your luck.
Ning Fan pondered carefully; with his peak Sixth Revolution dan refinement skills, even if he advanced, he could at most refine low-grade Seventh Revolution Pills.
Seventh-grade pills don’t make much money, even if he painstakingly refines pills for a year in the Xuan Yin Treasure, he could at most earn hundreds of thousands of Dao Crystals.
Ning Fan discarded the idea of alchemy.
Should he sell some of the treasures he has to exchange for Dao Crystals?
The market price of a small chiliocosm is around fifty million Dao Crystals, and the Cauldron Ring and Yuan Yao Jade are valuable items.
Unfortunately, these items have special significance to Ning Fan and cannot be sold.
As for the Incense Flame Demon Puppet and Black Demon Scissors, they are also valuable, but Ning Fan would not sell them.
Other treasures are either heavily involved, not suitable for exposure, or not worth much.
At the moment, Ning Fan truly had nothing he could sell.
Speechlessly, he took out the Inlaid Star Compass given by Meng Xuanzi; only now did Ning Fan realize how valuable this compass was.
An Inlaid Star Compass from an upper starfield can be auctioned for over a billion Dao Crystals, and if sold, this Star of the Celestial Emperor’s Inlaid Star Compass would probably fetch an astronomical price...
Of course, Ning Fan would not sell this item.
This item is related to a North Heavenly Immortal Emperor, and if sold, it would surely attract the covert attention of countless old monsters, bringing endless trouble.
Putting away the star compass, Ning Fan took out the yellowed IOU.
If only he could find Wei Wuzhi who owes the debt, he could reclaim ten billion Dao Crystals to solve the current money problem.
Unfortunately, Ning Fan has no idea what Wei Wuzhi looks like, his cultivation, or his identity.
The only thing known is that this person is a cultivator from the Eastern Heaven Immortal World, and has some unclear entanglements with the old monster.
Within Eastern Heaven, there may be millions to tens of thousands named Wei Wuzhi; how is Ning Fan to know which one owes the debt?
Even if he knew, where could he quickly find this person to collect the debt...
Unexpectedly, the fearsome devil lord Ning has come to be troubled by an empty pocket someday...
"Should I try my luck at the casino? My good fortune seems to have always been quite good..."
Ning Fan was pondering over this, when his gaze suddenly sharpened.
He noticed a red-robed old man, who was smiling and sitting opposite him, clasping his hands with a smile towards Ning Fan,
"Daoist friend seems to have a troubled expression, not sure if this old man can help you out a bit?"
This was a Loose Immortal Cultivator, with deeply hidden Evil Qi, yet he concealed it very well.
On the surface, this person seemed amiable, but he may not necessarily be a good person.
"Who are you!"
Ning Fan’s gaze was extremely sharp, piercing into the red-robed old man’s divine sense causing him pain.
The red-robed old man was slightly startled and then squinted, seemingly underestimating Ning Fan.
However, this was no matter.
"Hehe, it doesn’t matter who this old man is. What is important is that this old man has a way to make money and can help Daoist friend earn Dao Crystals. If I’m not mistaken, among the auction items at this event, there should be something that Daoist friend needs. Judging from Daoist friend’s expression, it seems you’re a bit short on Dao Crystals..."
Having spoken, the red-robed old man quietly watched Ning Fan, as if waiting for him to ask questions.
Ask him what the way to make money is.
Ning Fan took a deep look at the red-robed old man, his gaze subtly glanced out the window to the long street, continued to sip his Spiritual Tea, seemingly lost in thought, but did not respond to the red-robed old man.
The red-robed old man was not annoyed, smiled awkwardly, and continued to say, "Daoist friend, why didn’t you ask this old man what that money-making method is?"
"I am more interested in knowing why, with such a way to make money, you would seek an insignificant Shattered Seven Cultivator like me to share such wealth!"
Seeing the wariness in Ning Fan’s eyes, the red-robed old man chuckled and explained.
"Hehe, Daoist friend, being able to enter the Sky-Grade Trading City with Fracture Level Seven Cultivation, if I’m not mistaken, your dan refinement should be above the Sixth Revolution upper level, right?"
"So what if it is?"
"Hehe, to be honest, outside Shaoze Star, this old man discovered on an Abandoned Star, a million-year ancient herb, which has become a spirit and is hiding within the Abandoned Star. This old man has found it hard to locate, hence needs to rely on the power of your medicine soul to search for this herb."
"Abandoned Star... a million-year ancient herb..."
Ning Fan muttered to himself, his eyes wandering, pondering over something unknown.
The so-called Abandoned Star is a Cultivation Star devoid of spiritual energy and unsuitable for cultivation.
As for a million-year ancient herb, it is an extremely precious item. If a mortal takes such an herb, they can ascend to become an Immortal...
The market price of a million-year ancient herb is usually above tens of billions of Dao Crystals.
If there truly is a million-year ancient herb on that Abandoned Star, Ning Fan indeed wanted to earn a huge fortune.
Only...
Ning Fan’s gaze lightly swept over the red-robed old man without revealing any expression.
The red-robed old man’s gaze slightly intensified, he thought for a moment, and then took out a storage pouch from his sleeve.
In the storage pouch, there were two hundred million Dao Crystals!
"If Daoist friend helps this old man find the herb, this old man is willing to pay you five hundred million Dao Crystals! Consider these two hundred million Dao Crystals as a down payment to prove my sincerity. I also know that helping me find the million-year ancient herb for only five hundred million Dao Crystals is a bit little. However, you need to understand, you are just a Shattered Seven Cultivator, and that million-year ancient herb has already become a spirit with strength not less than a Loose Immortal, you cannot help this old man capture the herb, and I don’t need you to capture the herb. No extra money will be shared with you!"
The red-robed old man spoke bluntly, not feeling there was anything inappropriate about what he said.
Ning Fan’s eyes flashed a few times with an inexplicable meaning before accepting the 200 million Dao Crystals.
"When do we set out?"
"Set out immediately!" The red-robed old man replied.
"Where is the location of the Abandoned Star?"
"South of Shaoze Star! Specifically where, this old man can’t tell you yet, just follow this old man, and you’ll naturally reach that Abandoned Star."
"Is that so... in that case, let’s go."
Ning Fan glanced around the teahouse, taking in the unusual glances of many tea patrons, but did not expose it.
"Daoist friend surely is a straightforward person! Haha!"
The red-robed old man laughed heartily, his form flickered, turning into a blazing escape light, heading straight outside Shaoze Star.
Ning Fan’s eyes showed a hint of subtle ridicule, and he also flickered into escape light, closely following behind.
The two travelled southward, journeying for about ten days before spotting an Abandoned Star.
The red-robed old man landed on it, while Ning Fan treaded the void, not landing.
"Hehe, Daoist friend, after traveling for ten days, must be quite tired. Why not rest on this star until your mana is replenished, then we can begin searching for the ancient herb?"
Ning Fan ignored the old man, still standing in the void, his eyes openly displaying a hint of derision.
The red-robed old man seemed to understand something, his face darkened instantly, sneering while exuding a murderous aura.
"When did you see through my plan!"
"From the beginning..."
Ning Fan wasn’t foolish; he didn’t believe in such good fortune simply falling from the sky, or that someone would share wealth.
"Hmph! Daoist friend knew this old man harbored sinister intentions, yet dared to accompany this old man here, you certainly have some boldness, indeed befitting the devil lord Ning of Blood Massacre Seven Stars! Millennium Fellow Daoist, this old man and others lack money lately, would borrowing your head be agreeable!"
The red-robed old man clapped his hands, and six Loose Immortals, who had been hiding here, immediately revealed themselves, flickering to encircle Ning Fan.
Including the red-robed old man, there were a total of seven Loose Immortals present!
These Loose Immortals each possessed greedy looks, intending to kill Ning Fan for reward!
Ning Fan’s gaze swept over the seven Loose Immortals. Upon discovering two among them were also wanted demons, he nodded with satisfaction.
One was worth 8 million Dao Crystals, the other 15 million Dao Crystals.
"To be honest, Ning also came here because of tight money, hoping to borrow your heads!"
"Hahaha!" Including the red-robed old man, all seven Loose Immortals laughed at what seemed like the most ridiculous thing they’d ever heard, throwing their heads back in laughter.
A Fracture Level Seven Cultivator daring to challenge seven Loose Immortals, what reckless arrogance!
No wonder even dared to provoke the Seven Fiends Sect, hehe!
"Kill! Leave the spirit and head intact, afterwards extract the spirit and seal the residual spirit’s power into the head, then bring it to the Slaughter Pavilion in the west side of the Sky-Grade Trading City to exchange for reward!"
The words of the old man in red robes are exactly the method for exchanging bounty in the Eastern Heaven Immortal World.
The Slaughter Pavilion is a branch force of the Slaughter Hall, specializing in accepting and issuing bounty tasks and collecting intermediary fees.
Of course, when disciples of the Slaughter Hall train, they also take on some well-paid tasks from the Slaughter Pavilion.
With a command from the old man in red robes, the other six Loose Immortals immediately unleashed vast mana, striking Ning Fan with divine skills.
Ning Fan neither dodged nor avoided, as ghostly black starlight flickered around him.
The divine skills of the six Loose Immortals hit Ning Fan, causing significant injuries, yet he healed in an instant!
"Star... Star Healing Technique! And this kid’s Star Healing Technique is so formidable, it can withstand attacks from us Loose Immortals unharmed!"
All seven Loose Immortals were greatly astonished. At the same moment, Ning Fan moved.
He stepped into a black coat, raised his hand to perform Soul Extraction, and his cultivation was instantly raised to the limit of a Loose Immortal!
His body turned into a black shadow flowing apart, and at the same time, all seven Loose Immortals felt a sense of impending doom.
"This Thousand Autumn Ancestor’s divine skills are not trivial; not a Fate Immortal cannot kill him. Quick, run!"
The old man in red robes grit his teeth and gave the order for everyone to flee in different directions.
Their escape was not slow, yet the black shadows pursued even faster!
A lopsided slaughter unfolded in the void!
At this moment, Ning Fan’s mana was even above that of a typical Loose Immortal!
This Black Turbulent Separation Art was simply irresistible to ordinary Loose Immortals!
All seven Loose Immortals were trapped within the black shadows, desperately resisting the shredding of the shadows.
They deeply regretted in their hearts, had they known this Thousand Autumn Ancestor was so ruthless, they would not have dared seek this bounty.
They were negligent!
How could a devil lord with a bounty of thirty million Dao Crystals be an easy adversary!
Bam! Bam! Bam!
One by one, the Loose Immortals were slaughtered in the blood mist. In the end, except for the old man in red robes, all six Loose Immortals perished.
The two Loose Immortals who had been bountied received special treatment from Ning Fan, and after destroying their spirits, he sealed the remaining spirit force in their respective heads, sealing the bloody heads and placing them into his storage pouch.
The black shadow twisted, intending to kill the old man in the red robes.
The old man trembled all over, grit his teeth, and said in extreme fear, "My... my vitality is still intact!"
Having vitality intact meant this person was an old virgin.
In the cultivation world, it was rare to find someone who had cultivated to the Loose Immortal Realm and remained an old virgin.
The old man said this merely to save his life.
Although he also knew how miserable his end would be if he revealed this secret.
"So your vitality is still intact..."
A cold, sinister laugh from Ning Fan echoed from the black shadow, delivering a severe blow to the old man in red robes, but not killing him.
A flash of Illusory Art from the left eye rendered the old man unconscious.
He took out a magical treasure in the form of a peak Immortal Void rope and bound the old man like a dumpling.
The storage pouches of the old man and the other six Loose Immortals all became Ning Fan’s property.
In this battle, Ning Fan gained a total of eight million Dao Crystals.
With the 2 million Dao Crystals from when the old man tried to deceive Ning Fan, he acquired a total of ten million Dao Crystals.
The two demon heads were worth another 23 million Dao Crystals, and after deducting intermediary fees, it was still a substantial amount of money.
As for the old man in red... he was a valuable commodity.
Cauldron Furnace! And a male cauldron with intact vitality at that!
For some Fate Immortal Female Demons, the old man in red was very tempting indeed.
If his cultivation was enhanced to the level of a Fate Immortal with a certain fatal secret technique, he would become a Fate Immortal Male Cauldron!
After a single night together, the benefits for a Fate Immortal Female Demon would be immense, while the old man in red would certainly die.
This type of Loose Immortal Male Cauldron would easily sell for ten million Dao Crystals.
This was the reason Ning Fan spared his life.
Without hesitation, Ning Fan performed Soul Search and destroyed this soul remnant on the old man, turning him into an idiot, and Ning Fan’s expression showed a slight disdain.
It turned out that the old man in red was a habitual offender on Shaoze Star, often luring bounty-seeking demons new to Shaoze Star, to kill them for reward.
No wonder the people in the teahouse gave such strange looks...
No one warned Ning Fan to be cautious about the old man in red.
This is the indifferent cultivation world, and also the cultivation world Ning Fan despised.
Putting away the old man, Ning Fan returned to Shaoze Star.
He visited the Male Cauldron Pavilion in the northern city, which specialized in selling and buying Male Cauldrons with intact vitality.
Although the red-robed old man had become an idiot, it did not hinder others from harvesting him.
This old man, who frequently murdered for profit, would never have imagined being captured by Ning Fan, turned into an idiot, and sold as a male cauldron one day.
After selling the red-robed old man, Ning Fan earned ten million Dao Crystals, having a total of forty million Dao Crystals.
His figure flickered, and he fled toward the Slaughter Pavilion.
Although someone placed a bounty on Ning Fan, the Slaughter Pavilion had its own rules.
A bounty was still considered a guest even if someone targeted them, and the monks of the Slaughter Pavilion would not take action against them.
For each task a bounty hunter completed at the Slaughter Pavilion, they received one year of safety, during which the disciples of the Slaughter Hall would not secretly assassinate them.
If the bounty hunter killed other bounty-seekers and the total bounty exceeded their own, the disciples of the Slaughter Hall would completely abandon any attempt to kill them.
Of course, whether or not others kill this demon is not a concern for the disciples of the Slaughter Hall.
Ning Fan kills other bounty demons, not only to obtain Dao Crystals but also to avoid clashes with the disciples of the Slaughter Hall.
This time, he has killed two bounty demons, with a total bounty reaching 23 million. He only needs to kill one more bounty demon with a reward of 7 million to no longer worry about the disciples of the Slaughter Hall targeting him.
"Millennium Fellow Daoist, have you come to hand in a mission?"
Inside the Slaughter Pavilion, a middle-aged man in a blue robe with a scholarly appearance squinted his eyes and smiled at Ning Fan.
He was a Loose Immortal cultivator!
Though he was a Loose Immortal, he gave Ning Fan a slight sense of danger!
Ning Fan’s gaze slightly sharpened. If he were to fight this person, even if he won, he would sustain serious injuries.
This person was not among the seven Level 1 Loose Immortals!
And this person could tell his background at a glance, which made Ning Fan secretly alarmed.
It seemed that as soon as he entered Shaoze Star, he was already being watched by the people of the Slaughter Pavilion.
If he hadn’t come to hand in the bounty this time, it was likely that the disciples of the Slaughter Hall would have already attempted to assassinate him...
The ones who would come to assassinate him definitely wouldn’t be the Fate Immortals of the Slaughter Hall.
Although Ning Fan claimed not to be afraid, he did not want to overly provoke such a colossal entity as the Slaughter Hall.
"That’s right, I am here to hand in the mission."
After speaking, Ning Fan flicked his sleeve, and two Loose Immortal heads fell directly onto the counter in front of the man in the blue robe.
In an instant, the man in the blue robe’s squinted eyes suddenly opened wide in surprise,
"’Red Ghost’ Lu Wei, bounty of 8 million Dao Crystals, ’Demon Array’ Elder Qu, bounty of 15 million Dao Crystals! Daoist friend, you are indeed a figure of the Blood Massacre Seven Stars, having just entered Shaoze Star and already beheading two bounty demons!"
"How much bounty can I get?" Ning Fan asked directly.
"Eighty percent, 18.4 million Dao Crystals."
After the man in the blue robe finished speaking, he sent a few sound transmissions to the inner chamber.
Soon, a small child with blood-red eyes came out from behind the counter, holding a heavy storage pouch which he handed to Ning Fan.
Although the child was only of intermediate Golden Core cultivation, his Evil Qi was extremely intense, having even killed a peak Gold Core powerhouse...
Could a mere child of the Slaughter Hall be so formidable...
Ning Fan retracted his gaze, put away the Dao Crystals, turned around, and left swiftly.
He had no surprise towards the Slaughter Hall’s two-tenths commission.
Watching Ning Fan’s departing back, the man in the blue robe’s gaze suddenly carried an interested expression.
"A promising talent. If given the chance, this young man might be able to join our hall... Someone, pass on the order from the Pavilion Master: those assigned to pursue Millennium Fellow Daoist, retreat immediately, and do not make a move against him for two years!"
...
Upon leaving the Slaughter Pavilion, Ning Fan looked at the bustling street, seemingly searching for those who were bounty demons.
Killing for a reward truly is the fastest way to make money.
It’s just that, even though he found several bounty demons on Shaoze Star, as long as these bounty demons didn’t leave Shaoze Star, Ning Fan didn’t dare to make a move.
Even the red-robed elder and the others had to lure Ning Fan out of the Shaoze Star range before daring to act, didn’t they?
Ning Fan already had 58.4 million Dao Crystals, just enough to cover the starting price for the Ancient Chen Star Disk.
If the price goes up any further, Ning Fan won’t be able to purchase the Ancient Chen Star Disk.
Indeed, it’s time to head to the casino to try his luck, isn’t it?
After all, a fat sheep like the red-robed elder delivering themselves to the doorstep is a rare occurrence you hardly expect.
"Oh? This fellow Daoist seems to be in a bit of a bind, perhaps your Dao Crystals aren’t sufficient to spend? I happen to know of an excellent place where you could multiply your Dao Crystals several times over in one day. Would you like to try your luck?"
A Loose Immortal old Taoist, full of smiles, suddenly appeared in front of Ning Fan, speaking affably and greeting him with a fist salute.
Ning Fan was speechless.
Do I look like a fat sheep? Do I look easy to trick? Why have I come across another swindler?
"The place you’re referring to for making money, is it the Immortal Luck Gambling House in the southern city of this town?" Ning Fan spoke indifferent.
"Aha, you are truly an exceptional intellect to know exactly where this old man refers! To be honest, I am most skilled at reading fortunes and observing human luck. Your luck is only average, you’ve likely had poor fortune all along. However, today is different, with the Rebellion of Heaven’s prediction shifting east, your luck is showing signs of transformation into a reverse dragon’s fortune! "Path of Luck" says, when one’s luck is as black as night, if destined to rebel against Heaven’s fate, with the shift of Heaven’s prediction eastward, the cracks in Heaven’s fate could reverse one’s dark fortune to Immortal Luck! It must be right! Your gambling luck today rivals that of an Immortal Emperor! If you go to the Immortal Luck Gambling House, you’ll surely have a major windfall!"
The old Taoist spoke with the tone of a swindler.
He could naturally see that Ning Fan’s luck borderlined on black, among the worst of lucks.
The phrase ’Rebellion of Heaven’s prediction shifts east, cracks in Heaven’s fate, dark fortune reverses to Immortal Luck’ was indeed not lying.
It’s said that when things reach an extreme, they tend to reverse. Even those with the worst luck occasionally hit an unexpected stroke of luck.
When the Rebellion of Heaven’s prediction shifts east, and cracks appear in the Heavenly fate, the unluckiest cultivators can often find themselves suddenly showered with fortune, though only for a brief moment.
However, the old Taoist knew that at this moment it was not the time of Heaven’s prediction shifting east.
Ning Fan heading to the gambling house now could only result in losing all, with no chance of hitting even a bit of unexpected luck.
He was a swindler, a shill, specifically luring unlucky cultivators to the gambling house to lose money, for which he would receive a commission.
He had seen Ning Fan just come out from the Slaughter Pavilion.
Regardless of whether Ning Fan had gone there to issue a mission or to hand one in, he would certainly have plenty of Dao Crystals.
If he tricked Ning Fan into going to the gambling house, hehe... he could probably earn a significant amount of Dao Crystals.
Ning Fan looked at the deceitful Taoist, and blandly said, "Please, lead the way. I happen to have some extra money and want to try my luck at the Immortal Luck Gambling House..."
He took the bait!
The old swindler did not reveal a hint of joy on his face but was greatly overjoyed in his heart.
Haha, watch how I squeeze every last drop out of you, you little fat lamb!
(2/2) (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)