After staying at the inn for a few hours, waiting for the sky to darken and the stars and moon to climb into the night sky, Zhang Ling left the inn again.
He used a secret technique to transform himself into a middle-aged scholar in a white robe. He quickly passed through the city streets and went all the way to the west city, entering the West City Fangshi(坊市: market).
He arrived at a sparsely populated street and, according to the guidance of the jade slip containing the item list given to him by the Chen disciple of the Xishan(西山: West Mountain) Academy, Zhang Ling found a three-story pavilion called Yinlong(隐龙: Hidden Dragon) Pavilion at the corner of the street.
From the outside, Yinlong Pavilion looked like a bookstore, with only two or three low-level cultivators organizing books inside.
Zhang Ling scanned the area with his divine sense, but it was isolated by a strange restriction, making it impossible to clearly investigate the situation inside the bookstore. As for why he came here, it was because Yinlong Pavilion was the location that disciple told him where the secret meeting would be held.
With a frown, he wondered if he had found the wrong place. Just as he was thinking this, he heard a voice transmission in his ear. "Fellow Daoist, are you here to attend the secret meeting? Please come in."
The voice was somewhat familiar, and Zhang Ling recognized it as the voice of Mr. Bai Mo. He smiled and walked straight in.
Entering Yinlong Pavilion, the light and shadow in front of him dimmed slightly, and he saw Mr. Bai Mo sitting next to a bookshelf, looking at him with a scroll in his hand.
Earlier outside, he had not sensed this person's aura. It seemed that there was a special restriction here. At the same time, Zhang Ling also sensed the aura of five or six Nascent Soul monsters hidden in the pavilion.
Mr. Bai Mo sized Zhang Ling up and down a few times, and gave a polite smile. "Several of Bai's fellow apprentices are also here to receive fellow Daoists, so you don't need to mind."
Zhang Ling returned the salute, and the two exchanged a few simple words. Mr. Bai Mo led him into the back hall, through a corridor, and into a secret room.
In the secret room, there was a long stone staircase leading downwards, passing through a white light door all the way down. He entered an underground square, which was not small, with a thousand measurement unit, 1丈 ≈ meters wide. Although it was located underground, it was brightly lit, and many Nascent Soul monsters had already arrived here.
Mr. Bai Mo had a smile on his face and was about to say something when he suddenly saw a white light shooting into the passage he had just passed through. Mr. Bai Mo's expression froze, and he quickly took the white light.
Zhang Ling glanced at it. The white light turned into a spiritual light, on which some words were displayed. It seemed to be a sound transmission talisman.
Mr. Bai Mo took a look and quickly put away the transmission talisman. He hurriedly said, "Fellow Daoist, you can wait here for a moment. The secret meeting will begin in a quarter of an hour. Bai has some trivial matters to deal with, so I won't accompany you." Saying that, without waiting for Zhang Ling to respond, he directly turned into a escaping light and left.
Zhang Ling frowned. Could something have happened to make this person so hurried? Just as he was thinking this, he sensed several gazes sweeping over.
Looking left and right, this venue had some tables and chairs placed every few measurement unit, 1丈 ≈ meters, which seemed very spacious and simple. Compared to the auction held half a day ago, the style was completely different.
His arrival attracted the attention of a few people.
Most of the Nascent Soul cultivators who had arrived here first had chosen a place to close their eyes and rest, which made the atmosphere of the entire venue oppressive and quite quiet.
With a flash of his figure, Zhang Ling also chose an unoccupied spot to sit down and quietly waited for the start of the secret meeting.
Soon, a quarter of an hour had passed, and the number of gathered cultivators had also reached hundreds. Compared to the auction held on Jade Dragon Mountain during the day, the old monsters who came here mostly concealed their own auras, or wore masks, cloaks, and other treasures that isolated auras, or used secret techniques to change their auras.
Generally, in secret meetings like this, the traded items tend to be more precious, but their origin is a bit unclear. Therefore, the cultivators who can come here naturally don't want others to know their details.
"The time is almost up, and the fellow Daoists who should have come have arrived. Those who have not come can only wait until next time. Let's start the secret meeting now." Suddenly, a black light shot in from the entrance passage, and a muffled voice came.
After the voice, a figure wearing a jade crown and a yellow shirt appeared, with a faceless mask on his face.
This person's voice immediately attracted the attention of all the cultivators.
Zhang Ling's gaze swept over, and he observed that the person who suddenly appeared was also a strong man whose strength had reached the middle stage of Nascent Soul. Although he did not reveal his true appearance, his voice sounded like a middle-aged man.
This person did not introduce himself at all, but everyone present could see that this masked man was the organizer of this secret meeting.
Following the man's words, a measure word of white light emerged from his hand. The white light whirled around above his head and turned into a circular disc floating in front of him.
The disc looked like a huge plate.
"This secret meeting will still use the same method of trading treasures as before, with rare spiritual objects being exchanged for other objects. Of course, spiritual stones can also be used, as long as both fellow Daoists agree. First, I will provide a batch of spiritual objects for trading. Then, fellow Daoists can trade on your own." The masked man didn't waste any words. As he spoke, he pointed at the white jade disc floating in front of him.
The disc flashed a few times, and hundreds of phantoms appeared on it. These phantoms, at first glance, looked like illusions, some transforming into herbs and spiritual medicines, some transforming into swords and magic weapons, some were blocks of spiritual ore, and there were also books, jade slips, and other items.
They all seemed to be items to be auctioned.
Seeing this scene, Zhang Ling was surprised and took another look at the white jade disc. He immediately knew that the disc seemed to be a storage magic weapon.
At this time, with a crisp sound, many of the phantoms on the jade disc dissipated, leaving only a square green jade box silently opening, with a measure word of green light emerging from it.
A fist-sized, wrinkled green fruit lay quietly in the box, with strands of gray spiritual energy entwined around it.
"A Green Fiend Fruit. This fruit is a ghost core congealed in the body of a high-level demon ghost, sealed in a Yin Fiend Land, and nurtured over the years by the Green Fiend Ghost Tree. It can only be grown after a hundred years of careful cultivation. It contains pure ghost fiend energy. For cultivators who practice Yin Fiend techniques, this fruit is definitely comparable to a top-level spiritual medicine. The starting price is eight hundred thousand spiritual stones."
"Nine hundred thousand spiritual stones."
"One million."
"One million one hundred thousand."
......
In an instant, it attracted some cultivators to compete, and the originally quiet scene became lively.
Zhang Ling took a few more glances at the wrinkled fruit on the jade disc. He could feel that the spiritual fruit was entwined with traces of Yin Fiend ghost energy, and it was indeed a rare Yin attribute spiritual fruit. However, from the feeling, the spiritual power entwined on this spiritual fruit was not very strong. It was roughly equivalent to a fourth-grade spiritual medicine of five or six hundred years.
He didn't expect so many people to increase the price. It seemed that many people recognized this spiritual fruit. He had never heard of this Green Fiend Fruit.
However, listening to the masked man's introduction of the fruit's information, Zhang Ling guessed that the Green Fiend Fruit might be a special spiritual fruit cultivated by some secret method.
He also became somewhat interested, but in the blink of an eye, the fruit's price had exceeded one million five hundred thousand. Narrowing his eyes, Zhang Ling gave up the idea of joining the bidding.
In the end, the Green Fiend Fruit was sold for one million seven hundred thousand spiritual stones.
Without stopping, the masked man pointed at the jade disc, and a red jade box appeared, containing a piece of blood-flashing blood jade.
"Red Core Treasure Jade, a top-quality treasure jade occasionally produced in red jade spiritual mines. This object is a extremely yang treasure and can be used to refine the famous Evil Breaking Treasure Mirror. There is no need for me to say more about its value, but the original owner of this treasure requires exchanging it for fire attribute materials of the same value, such as Purple Pattern Thunder Fire Stone and White Flame Demon Jade. Priority will be given to those with these two materials."
The Eastern Region cultivation world is vast and rich in resources. Someone can actually take out Red Core Treasure Jade. The Evil Breaking Treasure refined from this treasure can emit Evil Breaking spiritual light, which is most effective against Yin evil things.
Zhang Ling sighed in his heart. His eyes were also горячий(горячий: hot) staring at the blood-colored treasure jade, and he couldn't help but lick his lips. However, the Purple Fire Thunder Fire Stone and White Flame Demon Jade required to exchange this treasure were also top-notch fire attribute materials, which he did not have.
Looking at the second auction item, the cultivators in the field had горячий(горячий: hot) eyes, and many people whispered to themselves. The atmosphere became a little strange.
Only the masked man occasionally looked at a certain place in the field, moving his lips as if he was transmitting sound to someone, but each time he only transmitted a few words and shook his head. Obviously, someone wanted to exchange the treasure jade, but they did not meet the requirements and were rejected by him.
After a cup of tea's time, seeing that no one had come up with items that met the transaction requirements, the masked man's tone became a little colder. He swept the audience and asked, "Is there no fellow Daoist who is interested in this treasure jade? If there are no items that meet the requirements, it can only be unsold."
As soon as his words fell, he seemed to have received a sound transmission from a certain cultivator again. He turned his eyes and looked at a cultivator shrouded in gray light in the southeast corner.
"Does this fellow Daoist really have that material? Let me check it. If it meets the requirements, you can naturally exchange for this Red Core Treasure Jade."
In an instant, everyone's eyes fell on that person. The figure in the gray light nodded and threw out a black leather storage bag.
The masked man grabbed the storage bag and probed into it with his divine sense. After a while, he said softly, "The fellow Daoist's material meets the exchange requirements, but this item does not seem to be properly preserved, and its spirituality is a little worse. How about this, if the fellow Daoist adds two million spiritual stones, I can decide to exchange this treasure jade for you."
The gray light figure was silent for a moment and threw out another storage bag. The masked man took it and immediately congratulated him. "This Red Core Treasure Jade belongs to you." With a wave of his hand, the Red Core Treasure Jade on the jade disc turned into a bloody light and flew towards that person.
The gray light person took the treasure jade and carefully checked it before putting it into the storage bag. He still sat in place, making it impossible to see his depth.
"Fellow Daoists, let's continue. The next treasures will definitely not disappoint you." The masked man in charge of the auction was in a good mood. He smiled and clapped his hands, and three green jade bottles appeared on the jade disc. "Three Nascent Soul Pills, each with a starting price of one million spiritual stones."
"Ancient treasure, Yellow Wind Fan, exchange condition: seventh-order thunder attribute demon core."
"Ancient secret technique, Spring Water Art."
One top treasure after another appeared, either requiring the exchange of special materials or requiring a large number of spiritual stones for auction.
The cultivators in the field were also not stingy. Once they encountered a treasure that they liked, they would bid fiercely. This made the scene of this secret meeting even more intense.
In the blink of an eye, two hours had passed, and hundreds of rare items had been auctioned off. Among them, there were also a few things that Zhang Ling was interested in. He made a few bids, but only two bottles of Earth Spirit Liquid were bought by him with a thousand-year-old spiritual medicine.
Earth Spirit Liquid could only be considered an unexpected harvest. This spiritual liquid helps to cultivate earth attribute cultivation techniques and condense the spiritual power in the body.
This secret meeting also made him realize that the financial resources of the Nascent Soul monsters here were much more abundant than those in the Northern Plains cultivation world. The transaction prices of many auction items exceeded his expectations.
After another half an hour, the auction items that the masked man took out were all auctioned off. This person took out hundreds of auction items, most of which were exchanged for special materials. Each one could be used as a final treasure in a large auction.
Although there were also a few extremely rare treasures that were unsold, this person seemed to be in a good mood. He cupped his hands to the cultivators in the field.
"Thank you fellow Daoists for your support. Most of the items we took out have been traded. Next, everyone can trade freely, but let's get the ugly words out of the way first. For free transactions, I am not responsible if any fellow Daoist makes a mistake. But it is best not to have conflicts, otherwise, I and my fellow apprentices will have to ask people to leave. Well, fellow Daoists, please help yourselves."
As this person spoke, a piece of white light suddenly appeared behind him. The white light flashed and disappeared, and three figures appeared.
They were three cultivators wearing the same faceless masks. They sat cross-legged on the ground, and the aura they emitted was three more guys in the middle stage of Nascent Soul. After speaking, the masked man also flashed and retreated to the side of the three people behind him, took out a cattail hassock and also sat cross-legged, closing his eyes and resting.
The venue immediately became noisy. Between the flashes of various spiritual lights, many cultivators took out their treasured treasures.
Not far in front of Zhang Ling, a cultivator wearing a bamboo hat and exposing his shoulders laughed loudly. With a wave of his hand, more than a dozen jade boxes appeared on the table in front of him. Several of the jade boxes were opened, revealing amazing spiritual power.
"Ha, fellow Daoists, come and take a look at my side. I have more than a dozen high-level demon cores, and also an eighth-order water attribute demon core. I want to exchange them for a few bottles of pills that help cultivation."
This person's words attracted the attention of more than a dozen people next to him. Hearing that there was an eighth-order demon core, Zhang Ling's gaze also cast over. This person was holding a black wooden box in his hand, which contained a light blue ball sealed in ice. It emitted extremely pure water attribute spiritual power.
It was indeed an eighth-order demon core. At the same time as Zhang Ling looked over, two escaping lights, one green and one black, appeared next to this person and began to communicate, obviously very interested in the eighth-order demon core.
Looking at the others, many cultivators had also started to communicate in groups of two or three. At first glance, it seemed that they had arrived at the market square and merged into the stalls of those low-level cultivators.
But everyone present was a Nascent Soul cultivator. If ordinary cultivators were to see this scene, they would probably be shocked.
But thinking about it, it is rare to see such a scene where so many of these high and mighty old monsters gather. Basically, everyone has a few treasures that are difficult to find, and the probability of exchanging and obtaining satisfactory treasures with fellow cultivators is greater.
Therefore, this method of item to item is more common in high-level cultivator venues.
Zhang Ling also took out three or four thousand-year-old medicines and a few treasures that he could not use and placed them on the table in front of him. He waved his hand and cast out a yellow light, covered these treasures.
Between the flowing of the yellow light, lines of fluorescent small characters appeared. Among them, a few words were written exactly what he required to exchange for, the top-quality wood spirit stone, and related information.
The masked man who hosted the auction didn't bring out any top-grade spirit stones, which left Zhang Ling feeling slightly disappointed. Now, his only hope lies with the hundred or so fellow cultivators of the same rank. Hopefully, he can gain something from them.
At the same time, he stood up and walked towards the cultivator who had presented the eighth-order water-attribute demon core. Five other cultivators had already gathered around this person.
A water-attribute demon core would be of great help to the Xuan Turtle controlled by his second soul. Especially an eighth-order demon core.
Zhang Ling naturally wouldn't miss it, especially since he had already sensed that the spiritual energy fluctuations on this person leaned more towards earth-attribute energy, suggesting that he probably cultivated an earth-attribute technique. He was confident that he could fulfill the exchange requirement for earth-attribute pills.
