Chapter 489: By Day a Human, By Night a Beast

Cluster Heavy Cannon Bombardment of Cultivators, Main Text Volume 521 Chapter: By Day a Human, By Night a Beast. Jiang Ding glanced at a corner of the city wall.

This was a dog hole.

Several feet high, its interior paved with smooth silk to form a large nest; around the dog hole, pale feces were occasionally seen, and several dried urine stains marked the walls.

Such dog holes were scattered all around the city gates; not far from every city guard stood one, whether the cultivator was at Qi Refining or Foundation Establishment.

Even on top of the city wall, there was a dog hole ten times larger, from which a faint stench of urine wafted.

A Jin Dan cultivator meditated quietly not far away.

"The Dog Division..."

Jiang Ding kept walking, muttering to himself in his heart.

The Beast Spirit Immortal City is the core territory of the General Heishi Clan of the Beast Dao, and within it lies a peculiar phenomenon.

By day a human, by night a beast.

By day, they are impeccably dressed, great Immortal cultivators, soaring and flying freely, carefree and joyful.

By night, whether main lineage, collateral branches, or vassals, and even passing travelers, all transform into livestock—pigs, cattle, sheep, dogs, and so on; pigs are sleepy and gluttonous, cattle eat grass, dogs bark, and so forth, each retaining its natural habits; their consciousness, if not guarded, quickly becomes blurred; it is not merely a change in form.

The Dog Division consists of cultivators within the Beast Spirit Immortal City specifically responsible for city defense.

Every cultivator practices techniques such as the "Dog Spirit Skin-Flaying Method"; come nightfall, they transform into strange dog breeds like Fire-Flame Dogs, Golden-Head Dogs, and Heavy-Stone Dogs; under group combat, their strength is formidable, and an equal number of rogue cultivators can often be wiped out in half with a single charge.

Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, no outsider cultivator wishes to stay in the Beast Spirit Immortal City.

Even if forced to stay, they will seal their dwelling beforehand to prevent themselves from losing reason and going out, or from others breaking into their cave dwelling.

"Spirit Dogs, Spirit Birds, Spirit Turtles, Spirit Horses..."

Upon entering the Beast Spirit Immortal City, Jiang Ding's eyes were immediately opened wide.

People came and went on the streets; most practiced Gong Fa of the Beast Dao, of countless varieties; take the Spirit Turtle as an example—hundreds of kinds could be seen casually, with attributes of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth, none repeating.

Beside inns and shops, scattered haphazardly were structures such as stables, fish ponds, chicken coops, and pig pens; excrement and urine piled up, the stench overwhelming; passing cultivators ignored it, long accustomed to it.

"The Skin-Flaying Method indeed cultivates very quickly; on the streets, Foundation Establishment cultivators in their thirties or forties are common; even with long-term consequences, with shortcomings in lifespan and magic power, it is still remarkable."

"I just wonder how many people's skins they have flayed and worn upon themselves."

Jiang Ding thought silently.

"They, too, will one day become raw materials for the General Heishi Clan's skin-flaying."

"This entire Beast Spirit Immortal City can be regarded as a livestock pen for Master Dinghai Master Dinghai Zhenjun and his direct descendants; once needed, they can be immediately harvested, skinned, bled, and devoured with great relish."

"The Demonic Dao, crimes against humanity—indeed, the description fits perfectly."

Amidst the chaos and bloodshed, prosperity was also visible.

Surrounding shops were brimming with wares: talisman shops, magical artifact shops, Gong Fa shops, auctions—everything was available; decorated lavishly, Grade Three Spirit Materials, magical treasures, Grade Three talismans, and the like were not uncommon.

A Jin Dan cultivator here could completely purchase everything needed for cultivation.

This was difficult to achieve elsewhere.

No wonder the Beast Spirit Immortal City had numerous and strange rules; yet cultivators still came and went constantly, Jin Dan cultivators were not uncommon, continuously creating wealth.

Jiang Ding strolled through the major shops within the city, occasionally buying and selling items, and gained a general understanding of local prices.

Compared to Tushan Xiancheng, prices for magical treasures, talismans, pills, and the like here were about ten percent lower, while raw materials such as ores and spirit herbs were about five percent lower.

Between the increase and the decrease, it amounted to a large sum of spirit stones, a factor already crucial for many cultivators.

Northern Plains,

indeed the most suitable place for cultivation among the surrounding regions; numerous mines, spirit veins, spirit lakes, and the like existed, natural conditions were superior, thus giving rise to many powerful Immortal cultivation sects.

Finally, Jiang Ding stopped before the most magnificent shop.

Spirit Treasure Merchant Guild!

Not one or two shops; an entire city block belonged to the Spirit Treasure Merchant Guild, covering talismans, magical treasures, spirit materials, beast skins, blood souls, cauldrons, and everything else, each distributed across more than ten mu of land.

It was practically a city of commerce!

Jiang Ding deliberately revealed a hint of Jin Dan Zhong Qi aura.

"Fellow Daoist!"

"I am Shang Shang Sanwu, honored as the manager here; welcome, esteemed guest."

A friendly-looking fat man waved to stop a Foundation Establishment maid who had stepped forward to greet, then came forward himself, personally led Jiang Ding to a private room, served clear tea, and said with a beaming smile: "What does the Fellow Daoist require? Our Merchant Guild will certainly do its utmost to fulfill your request."

"Manager, you are too polite."

Jiang Ding nodded slightly.

Although the Spirit Treasure Merchant Guild was profit-driven, there was one thing he admired: they never asked where guests came from or where they were going; they simply asked about goods and profit.

"This item is needed in large quantities; does the Manager have it here?"

Jiang Ding flicked his sleeve, and a bronze-colored ore appeared on the table.

This was a priority material for Synthetic Synthetic Gengjin No. 21; through Tushan Xiancheng, a specimen had once been obtained, but its ore deposit had never been found, so he could only come here to inquire.

"Grade One material: Gold-Copper Stone."

"A fine material, usable for forging Metal-attribute magical artifacts; medium-grade and above, even high-grade artifacts occasionally require it."

Shang Shang Sanwu swept with his divine sense, immediately recognized it, felt some disappointment inside but showed no trace: "How much does the Fellow Daoist need? Our shop has roughly one hundred thousand jin; priced at two hundred thousand low-grade spirit stones."

"Two hundred thousand?"

Jiang Ding frowned.

According to his investigation, ordinary Grade One materials, even one hundred thousand jin, cost only twenty or thirty thousand low-grade spirit stones.

"The Fellow Daoist may not know."

Seeing a Jin Dan cultivator haggle over a mere two hundred thousand low-grade spirit stones, Shang Shang Sanwu felt no contempt; instead, his spirits lifted: "Although this material is only Grade One and not particularly rare, it is produced near Wang Ting, a great distance from the Beast Spirit Immortal City; therefore, the shipping cost... has risen somewhat."

Wang Ting.

Jiang Ding searched through the many memories he had collected.

This place is the center of the entire Northern Plains, and also the ruling center of the Zhengmo Alliance, where numerous fourth-tier spiritual veins converge — not lacking fourth-tier mid-grade and fourth-tier upper-grade spiritual veins — with strong cultivators emerging generation after generation.

General General Heishi's Master Tushan Xiancheng is somewhat remote in comparison.

"How much does the Daoist friend need?"

Shang Shang Sanwu's gaze burned with eagerness: "If it's a large amount, the price is not unnegotiable."

"Ten million jin."

Jiang Ding said.

Each year, the priority for exchanging No. 21 Synthetic Synthetic Gengjin requires roughly several hundred thousand kilograms, but one can't exactly buy it once a year — if it were always like this, the Lingbao Commerce Guild would likely develop all sorts of unsavory thoughts.

Although it's not necessarily something to fear, it would be troublesome.

Ten million jin can last over a dozen years; we'll talk about it again when the time comes.

"Ten million?!"

Shang Shang Sanwu's spirits soared. He thought rapidly for a moment, then said loudly: "Daoist friend, fifteen hundred thousand spirit stones per hundred thousand jin, for a total of fifteen million lower-grade spirit stones — how does that sound?

I guarantee this is absolutely the lowest price in Master Tushan Xiancheng. If anyone can offer a lower price, I am willing to sponsor the Daoist friend with a million spirit stones, to do a good deed for all."

From Wang Ting to here, the journey is long — who knows how far — and full of many dangers, enough to swallow up a Jin Dan cultivator whole.

If one were simply transporting these ores, one would likely lose everything down to the last copper.

But if there is a mature trade route and teleportation array, the cost would drop dramatically. Carrying some along in a large spatial treasure would be but a trivial expense, easily earning profits of more than tenfold.

"Urgent."

Jiang Ding also knew all this, didn't haggle, and raised another request.

"That's easy to arrange."

Shang Shang Sanwu said: "I'll first gather some goods from the surrounding area — I should be able to get a million jin of golden copper stone for the Daoist friend as an emergency supply. Then, after waiting at most one or two years, the remainder can be delivered."

"It's just that the journey is long, so the deposit needs to be at least thirty percent. What do you think…"

He probed.

"Signing a spiritual contract will do."

Jiang Ding swept his sleeve, and a storage bag landed on the table: "Additionally, intelligence on the Dari Sect, and some recent major events in the Northern Plains Cultivation World — how much would these cost?"

"Broad, general intelligence isn't expensive — a million spirit stones will do. Please wait a moment, Daoist friend."

Shang Shang Sanwu's face bloomed into a smile, and he hurried off.

A moment later, he returned, two more storage bags in hand.

"Daoist friend, how about I deliver the remaining nine hundred thousand jin of golden copper stone in three days? You may pick it up yourself, or leave an address and the Commerce Guild will deliver it to your door free of charge."

"I'll pick it up myself."

Jiang Ding's divine sense swept over — indeed it was a hundred thousand jin of golden copper stone, along with a dossier of intelligence and a spiritual contract bearing the Lingbao Commerce Guild's seal, which could be used to claim the goods.

He put away the items and turned to leave.

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