Chapter 1307: True Honored One of the Mud-Swamp

Ten years later, the True Scripture Auction House had gathered back every last one of the heaven-and-earth treasures it was capable of collecting.

Jiang Ding swept his divine sense over them, a trace of satisfaction surfacing on his face.

One had to understand that these several million portions of heaven-and-earth treasures of varying ranks were all ones that, in his soul's calculations, might offer inspiration for the study of immortal-gate materials science, artifact-forging, botany, and other disciplines.

Even so, they had still been gathered with ease — dispatching merely a single Soul Transformation-level faction, with no real difficulty at all.

The Upper Realm was truly too bountiful, its immortal-path ecosystem too complete, the very center of immortal civilization for an entire stretch of cosmic starry sky.

"Fellow Daoist Li, you've done well. Is there any reward you desire?"

Jiang Ding was in excellent spirits and asked with a smile.

"I wouldn't dare—"

"Being able to work for the master is simply my duty."

True Monarch Li Wang was modest at first, but after all, he had cultivated his way up through bitter hardship, and he could not possibly let slip such a once-in-ten-thousand-years opportunity.

One must know that a casual promise from a high-rank cultivator was exceedingly precious; to stand on ceremony at this moment would be the height of folly.

"Master, I dare to ask — if you do not take offense — I would like a Soul Transformation opportunity…"

True Monarch Li Wang said boldly.

This was the greatest dream of every peak Nascent Soul cultivator.

"Fellow Daoist, you truly are bold."

Jiang Ding smiled, but gave no further response.

Merely purchasing a few things — no fighting, no real hardship — this was not Soul Transformation battle-merit, at least not by his reckoning.

No matter how wealthy he was, he could not accept such an inflated price.

True Monarch Li Wang's heart sank.

"This junior was rash — I beg Canghai Tianjun to pardon the offense!"

He prostrated himself on the ground.

In truth, he was also ashamed, knowing full well he had been asking far too much.

Speaking fairly, if a Jin Dan cultivator had run errands for him once or twice and then demanded a Nascent Soul opportunity, he too would have been angered, and might even have punished him severely.

"Enough, it's only human nature."

"There's no need for this."

Jiang Ding was not the sort to condemn others over words; with a casual toss he flung him a bottle of pills: "A Soul Transformation opportunity I don't have, but this bottle of Clear-Meridian Heaven-Spirit Pills I do. They can repair the hidden wounds left in your body by the Wind-Flow Human-Demon, so that on the path to Soul Transformation there will be no external obstacle."

"As for actually achieving Soul Transformation, that will depend on your own fortune."

"Hidden wounds? Wind-Flow Human-Demon?"

True Monarch Li Wang was startled in his heart.

Clearly, he had no idea at all that something had been done to him in secret, let alone anything about a Wind-Flow Human-Demon.

However, the ordinary-looking youth offered no explanation; with a sweep of his sleeve a gust of wind blew, and True Monarch Li Wang found himself already outside the door.

……

On the great street of the Mud-Swamp Demon City, Jiang Ding strolled along at a leisurely pace.

The people and objects around him flew backward at speed; the Mud-Swamp Demon City's flight-prohibition formation, when not specifically targeting him, could not affect him in the slightest.

Soon, a palace appeared before him — like jelly of glazed glass, yet also as if refined from sludge — which exuded an emerald poisonous mist year-round, capable of dissolving the fleshly bodies of nine out of ten cultivators beneath the heavens in an instant.

This poisonous mist, if combined with a special sachet-type treasure worn by cultivators, would form a marrow-washing, essence-refining holy medicine, which had subtle effects even on Soul Transformation cultivators, and for Nascent Soul, Jin Dan, and Foundation Establishment cultivators could truly be called a great opportunity.

This place was the largest auction house in the Mud-Swamp Demon City — the Mud-Swamp Auction House!

This poisonous mist was the merchant's tactful threshold, signaling that cultivators below Soul Transformation need not come, because this was an auction house hosted by a Void-Comprehension True Honored One, whose presence was not required, lest they create a disturbance and trouble the True Honored One's pure cultivation.

Naturally, this was not a hard rule.

If some Nascent Soul cultivator was powerful enough, or his treasure strong enough, or if someone brought him in, naturally he could enter as well.

Jiang Ding treated the deadly thing before him as if it did not exist; he stepped inside, passed through layer upon layer of poisonous mist, walked for dozens of kilometers, and suddenly the view before him cleared, revealing a palace of emerald glazed glass, within which a small number of people occasionally walked about, conversing in low voices.

Jiang Ding's gaze swept once, and he was slightly surprised.

Over a hundred Soul Transformation cultivators were here trading and conversing — and this was no grand auction day, merely an ordinary occasion.

In such a tiny corner of the world, so many Soul Transformation cultivators gathered — truly a sight to behold.

"Welcome, guest. This servant is Teacher Ouyang Nu'er, an executor of the Mud-Swamp Auction House…"

A wave of fragrant breeze drifted past, and a bewitching woman approached with graceful steps, asking softly, "Is this your first visit, guest?"

"Please keep this item safe as your credential; it can be used to temper your magic power and divine soul with the Elite Emerald Mist, and offers decent benefits even for us Soul Transformation cultivators."

"All this is the True Honored One's benevolence."

Her fingers were fair and delicate as she handed over a jade pendant of emerald green.

Jiang Ding neither answered nor took the jade pendant, simply watching her in silence.

"Guest…"

The bewitching woman felt an inexplicable chill in her heart; she wanted to explain, but her body had gone utterly rigid, unable to move a single inch no matter what.

"Who dares to cause trouble?!"

"What nerve!"

The Mud-Swamp Demon City was indeed a powerful faction that survived in the cracks between two great True Sects — its vigilance was extremely high and its training superb; even though the incident here had lasted only an instant, they had already become aware and reacted.

In an instant, the dozen-plus Soul Transformation cultivators who had appeared to be chatting idly formed a battle formation and launched an attack; the auction house—

The formation too was triggered, pressing down — everything as instinctive and swift as thunder and lightning.

"Fellow Daoist, it seems you suffer from quite the case of suspicion…"

Jiang Ding shook his head slightly.

Clang~

He drew the long sword at his waist, slashed, then returned it to the scabbard.

"Kill—"

A blaze of fire appeared in the throats of Teacher Ouyang Nu'er and the dozen-plus Soul Transformation cultivators, and in an instant the flames engulfed their entire bodies, burning their flesh and blood to ash.

What remained on the spot was not white bone and clothing, but a patch of spiritual light.

These people were illusions, and the surrounding Soul Transformation cultivator guests were also illusions.

The moment Jiang Ding entered, he had walked straight into the illusion.

For someone who had mastered the Materialist Solar Sword Soul, this kind of illusion—even if it were only a clone—was far too insubstantial.

The surroundings fell silent for an instant.

"Hahaha…"

"Fellow Daoist, please don't take offense. This Thunder Flame Domain rarely sees Void Refinement cultivators beyond the two great True Sects. I was seized by the hunter's itch at the sight, my heart itched beyond endurance, and I ventured a small test."

From a corner of the palace, a burly, stalwart-looking big fellow with a verdant toad squatting on his left shoulder stepped out, bowed with cupped hands, and said sincerely, "I beg Fellow Daoist to pardon the offense."

"Greetings, Fellow Daoist Mire."

"This poor Daoist arriving uninvited is truly rude of me."

Jiang Ding returned the bow with cupped hands and smiled faintly.

"Not at all. This old fellow's Mire Demon City is in the business of trade—travelers from afar are honored guests. There's no such thing as arriving uninvited…"

After exchanging a few pleasantries, led by True Venerable Mire, the two arrived together at a rather exquisite jade pavilion and sat down.

After a brief round of courtesies, Jiang Ding stated his purpose: "Fellow Daoist, of those seventeen sixth-tier heaven-and-earth treasures of yours, I want the Sun-Melting Crystal Jade, the Returning Water Jade Liquid, and the Withering-Flourishing Branch—at the price you listed."

With a sweep of his sleeve, three heaven-and-earth treasures appeared on the table—all materials of wood-poison and spatial attributes, also sixth-tier.

The grade wasn't far off.

As for value, that was harder to estimate.

Because for a Void Refinement cultivator, what one needs is naturally priced high; if one doesn't need it, the value naturally drops considerably. The Thunder Flame Domain is a lower domain, not valued by Taiyi Qingmu Xianzong, and commerce at the Void Refinement stage is underdeveloped, still in the barter stage.

True Venerable Mire started.

"Haha… good, Fellow Daoist is indeed a man of swift and frank words."

With a laugh, he didn't dawdle, nor did he raise the price on the spot. He immediately fetched the three items and delivered them to the guest's hand.

Jiang Ding examined them carefully—they were indeed what he wanted.

"Many thanks. Farewell."

Jiang Ding had no interest in socializing with strangers. He gathered his things and turned to leave.