Chapter 185: My Rules Are the Rules! (Two-in-One Request)

The fat Daoist's surname is Jin, though he is also a Foundation Establishment Cultivator who only arrived in the Jinzi Domain recently.

Yet he did not come from the Nanhuang, but rather ran over from the north of the Immortal Sect.

Daoist Jin comes from a cultivation family in the north and holds a position within the Immortal Sect himself.

His ancestor was a True Disciple of the Immortal Sect.

Furthermore, that Old Ancestor who branched out the family line is still alive, only, like many big shots, he is trapped at the Zhu Feng and unable to spare a body.

As for their descendants who are not of the direct main lineage, they could only choose to let them fend for themselves.

Daoist Jin's branch received a warning from the Old Ancestor's channels not long after the Evil Qi Tide began to erupt.

Their Patriarch was quite decisive; after consulting the main lineage on some details,

this Patriarch directly abandoned the base they had operated for many years, tallied up the family assets, and then the entire family split into three, moving to different regions to seek refuge with local kin before the north turned into an Evil Domain.

Daoist Jin's branch originally went to the Mu Zi Yu.

As it turned out, their luck was poor; they had just settled down there and were preparing to farm and lay low for a while to observe the changing winds and clouds of the world.

Yet they did not expect that the greatest change during this period would happen right at their doorstep.

An Evil God descended upon the Mu Zi Yu, and with the massive outbreak of Evil Spirits, it had already become a place where even Foundation Establishment is difficult to survive.

Daoist Jin had no choice but to take his clansmen on another long journey, first going to the Overseas Islands to avoid the impact of the snow disaster.

Afterward, he learned that the Artifact Heart Sect had designed a plan to capture a Demonic Path prodigy alive, and the entire sect had relocated there, looking very much like they would stabilize the situation and develop for the long term.

This Daoist Jin could not help but feel tempted.

As a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, he was, after all, unaccustomed to staying in the overseas regions that lacked Spirit Veins.

He only took a portion of the elders who had achieved success in Qi Refining and ran to the vicinity of Yunshan to see if there were any development opportunities.

As it turned out, the independent Spirit Vein or Market he wanted as a place for family inheritance did not materialize.

Instead, after attending a few Auctions and visiting large Markets several times, nearly half of the Spirit Stones he brought were gone.

Hearing the sound of flight through the air and a loud call from behind, Daoist Jin narrowed his eyes slightly, and more than a dozen Golden Talisman lights appeared on the inside of the Dharma Robe he was wearing.

Several Dharma Artifacts also quietly floated up.

At the same time, his mount, a crane, slowed its speed slowly in telepathic communication with True Person Jin.

"So it is True Person Baihe; is there some good news for calling me to a halt?"

After True Person Jin turned his body and saw clearly who had come, besides a flash of astonishment in his eyes,

his wariness faded slightly.

When at the Biluo Immortal Boat gathering, those clever maidservants had helped with introductions.

It let True Person Jin know that the person before him was a rather inspirational Foundation Establishment Loose Cultivator.

Of course, he would not completely relax his vigilance.

Every Foundation Establishment Cultivator has their own little secrets to some extent; who knows what the other party's trump card is?

Daoist Jin chose to meet him with a smiling face.

"Many thanks to True Person Jin for stopping!"

After Su Ping caught up to the other party, he also slowed down and cupped his hands in a salute.

"Daoist, I have a business matter I wish to discuss with you in private."

"Business?"

"Hehehe, surely you aren't having ideas about some ruin, are you?"

True Person Jin shook his head slightly:

"Let me guess, did you obtain a clue to some ruin and feel that as long as there are a few more Foundation Establishment Daoist friends, it will be a sure thing?"

Su Ping heard the playful tone of the other party and replied with a faint smile:

"Daoist, you are overthinking it."

"Although I only just reached Foundation Establishment not long ago, I also know that those ruins and Secret Realms are deeper than one another."

"Those muddy waters are meant for the sect disciples to go to; I have absolutely no interest in them."

"Oh?"

After hearing that the tone of this Foundation Establishment Loose Cultivator before him was truly indifferent toward those Secret Realms and ruins,

True Person Jin could not help but size Su Ping up a few times, and a sense of mutual appreciation arose in his heart.

"What is the transaction? Let's hear it."

After all, he is a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, and it is not the kind of risky business he had imagined, so True Person Jin began to ask seriously after preparing himself.

Su Ping then truthfully informed this True Person Jin of what he needed.

It actually made this True Person Jin's expression turn strange.

True Person Jin did not expect that this True Person Baihe came to find him because he learned that he came from a large northern clan with a profound foundation in family learning.

Especially regarding the Side-Door Path, because the north often dealt with those Side-Door practitioners, they had recorded quite a lot.

And then, the request he mentioned was actually the hope of being able to transcribe his family's collection of books.

Furthermore, he knew that True Person Jin was skilled in brewing wine.

As it happens, he has a batch of Spirit Rice with good appearance that he can sell to True Person Jin.

The crane under True Person Jin suddenly let out a cry.

Hearing this cry, True Person Jin gently patted the crane's chubby head and said slowly:

"Transcribing books other than Secret Techniques is a small matter."

"High-quality Spirit Rice... True Person Baihe, please do not joke."

"In this day and age, good Spirit Rice is all controlled by..."

As True Person Jin said this, he saw the True Person Baihe before him take out a Storage Bag and toss it gently into mid-air.

True Person Jin took it over, and after a probe with his Divine Sense, he couldn't help but let out an "eh."

The Spirit Rice in the Storage Bag was a very common variety.

Yet the high quality left True Person Jin somewhat shocked.

He had never seen such plump and vibrant Spirit Rice.

Judging from his hundred years of experience in brewing, the Spirit Wine made from this Spirit Rice might not be very effective for cultivation due to its low grade.

But who drinks Spirit Wine just for cultivation!

The mouthfeel and the state of drunkenness are what matter more to those who love wine!

"How much more of this Spirit Rice do you have?"

"I want it all!"

True Person Jin didn't even ask the price, looking directly at Baihe Zhenren with bright, piercing eyes.

Su Ping did not intentionally keep him in suspense.

This Spirit Rice was rarely seen in the Cultivation World.

But with his ability as a master of farming, he could mass-produce even better ones.

It wasn't that there were no similar Spirit Body cultivators in the Cultivation World.

It was just that such Spirit Body cultivators were often busy cultivating important Spirit Plants within the Secret Realms of Immortal Sects.

They had no time to cultivate Spirit Rice for brewing just to satisfy the gluttony of a few people.

Even now.

True Person Jin did not guess that Su Ping had found a relevant Spirit Body.

Instead, he leaned toward the idea that some kind of divine ability practiced by this Baihe Zhenren might be related to this Spirit Rice.

It might even have some connection to the copied books he mentioned earlier.

With the accumulation of so many years in the Cultivation World, there were millions of divine abilities and Secret Techniques.

No one dared to guarantee how many divine abilities and Secret Techniques with strange requirements they knew of.

Therefore, after True Person Jin saw that the other party could indeed provide what he needed.

He wisely chose not to pursue the motive behind Baihe Zhenren's request.

True Person Jin took Su Ping straight to the seaside.

There, Su Ping saw a fleet composed of twelve large Tall Ships.

The Tall Ships in the fleet were also kept at a large distance from one another.

Those on this fleet were True Person Jin's clansmen.

As for why he was unwilling to dock or simply occupy a small island.

True Person Jin generously told Su Ping.

He felt that the islands in these Overseas Islands... were not safe either!

On the contrary, this vast Dahai with its constantly flowing water was safer, and once an Evil Spirit appeared, one could calmly choose whether to save or run.

"Evil Spirits mostly like to stay in one fixed place."

"If one breaks out on a ship, it is indeed possible that it would only affect one Tall Ship, and as the ship sinks, it would be trapped on the seabed and unable to do evil."

Su Ping nodded slightly, playing along with True Person Jin.

True Person Jin smiled and flew into one of the Tall Ships.

He began to enthusiastically introduce Su Ping to his clansmen.

He especially highlighted his several granddaughters.

These granddaughters did not look like the chubby True Person Jin; most had delicate features and graceful figures.

One of them even had a rare Superior Grade Spiritual Root.

According to True Person Jin's proud tone, it was just that the timing was wrong, otherwise this granddaughter would have long been recommended to the main branch.

And after some maneuvering, with their Jin Family's status in the Immortal Sect, there would have been a good chance for her to become an Inner Sect Disciple directly.

One hour later.

Having completed the transaction, Su Ping took his leave.

Watching Su Ping depart.

A black shadow emerged beside True Person Jin.

"Lao Hei, what do you think of this Baihe Zhenren? I heard he is just a Foundation Establishment Loose Cultivator!"

"Hehe, a Loose Cultivator?"

The black shadow chuckled:

"Would a Loose Cultivator be so calm and composed after detecting my presence?"

"This guy definitely has the confidence to escape under our joint attack, and perhaps even counterattack."

Recalling his probing of Baihe Zhenren, the black shadow said with lingering fear:

"I dare not say anything else, but his Divine Sense is unfathomable!"

"How could such a Cultivator be a Loose Cultivator!"

"Fortunately, the other party should have no hostility toward us."

"And he likely possesses a divine ability or Secret Technique for cultivating Spirit Rice."

"He probably sought you out this time because he took a fancy to your brewing skills!"

"Perhaps we can cooperate more in the future; if the world above really collapses one day, it will be good to have one more fellow traveler to huddle together with for warmth."

…………

Su Ping returned alone, stopping by several Markets on the way.

Even though he had revealed his financial resources, he did not discover anyone following him along the way.

It made Su Ping feel somewhat emotional that now that he was at Foundation Establishment, the number of blinded-by-greed scoundrels he encountered had decreased accordingly.

It also left him with fewer opportunities to wait for a rabbit to hit a tree stump.

With an Array Tool in hand, Su Ping already had the confidence to resolve one or two Robber Cultivators of the same realm without anyone knowing!

Jiuye Mountain Market.

Su Ping met with the Cultivators from various places he had recruited during this period.

There were a total of twelve alchemists, eleven Talisman Masters, and five Artifact Refiners.

As for an Array Master, no one was willing to come to a small place like Jiuye Mountain Market.

Even the alchemists were mostly of the First Tier Low Grade level.

It was not that the Spirit Stone compensation Su Ping offered was insufficient.

It was that the quality of the Spirit Vein at Jiuye Mountain Market was too low.

Cultivators with higher-level skills also hoped to deepen their cultivation to extend their lifespans.

However, Su Ping was quite satisfied to have received these talents.

He directly took out a large amount of materials and had them operate at full capacity in their respective workshops.

At the same time, Su Ping also allocated Spirit Stones to set up a cultivation skills training class, hoping to find some talented individuals among the refugees of Loose Cultivators.

It was just that this was a long-term plan, and it would not yield any results in the short term.

Then, not many days after participating in the Biluo Immortal Boat banquet.

Su Ping discovered that his Jiuye Mountain Market suddenly had quite a few unfamiliar Cultivators arriving one after another for supplies.

After inquiring, he learned that the Ancient Relic near the original Jinmu City had been eyed by several small sects from Nanhuang.

After obtaining the map and Breaking Formation Talisman provided by the Artifact Heart Sect.

These small sect Cultivators ran over together.

As the nearest Market, Jiuye Mountain Market was naturally treated as a place for rest and reorganization by those Cultivators.

Because of this, quite a few disputes broke out at the beginning.

Fortunately, out of respect for the fact that the owner of the Market was at Foundation Establishment.

It was just that both sides could not help but resort to fisticuffs during bargaining, and then they were each given thirty strokes by the law enforcement team.

However, this morning.

The dispute suddenly escalated.

And it happened in the residential area for mortals at the foot of the mountain!

A Nanhuang Cultivator took a fancy to a child from a wealthy family at the foot of the mountain, and when an attempt to buy the child by force failed, he intended to seize the child by force.

He even struck and injured several Loose Cultivators who were in charge.

Regarding this, Su Ping naturally would not indulge them.

Before the manager Dong could rush over to report this matter.

Su Ping, who had not returned from the Pot Heaven for long, sensed the abnormality and understood the initial situation after probing with his Divine Sense with the help of the Array.

Su Ping flew directly out of the main building.

He instantly appeared behind the Nanhuang Cultivator who was forcibly seizing the mortal.

After reaching out and grabbing the stinking face of the other party, which still wore an arrogant expression.

Right in front of the surrounding Nanhuang Cultivators watching the show and the trembling crowd, he smashed that Cultivator directly into the ground, creating a large pit with a bang!

At the same time, his Divine Sense erupted, suppressing the entire scene!

"Market Master!"

A Loose Cultivator who recognized Su Ping exclaimed in ecstatic surprise.

The Nanhuang Cultivators, who had turned angry after their initial surprise, changed their expressions slightly.

They had also heard of the reputation of Baihe Zhenren.

Although they looked down on his background as a Loose Cultivator in their speech, when truly facing him... which of them at Qi Refining dared to be disrespectful to a Foundation Establishment?

"Daoist!"

Suddenly, two rays of white light descended from the sky.

It was the leaders of these Nanhuang Cultivators, two Foundation Establishment Early Stage Cultivators who had sensed the disturbance and hurried over.

One of these two wore a white robe and had a handsome face.

The other had sword-like eyebrows and star-like eyes, carrying three Long Swords on his back; he appeared to be a sword cultivator.

The combat power of a sword cultivator is generally stronger than that of an ordinary Foundation Establishment, and because of this, this sword cultivator looked at Su Ping with a trace of contempt.

"Daoist, your actions were a bit excessive."

The white-robed Foundation Establishment saw the disciple in the large pit at Su Ping's feet.

That disciple did not just land on his face; the bones all over his body had been shattered.

His cultivation, which should have been at the late stage of Qi Refining, was also crippled.

And in the current environment, it was impossible for their small sects to provide resources again for a cripple to start over.

"Excessive?"

"This place is my Market."

Su Ping looked at the surrounding houses collapsed by the Nanhuang Cultivators and those mortals:

"They are the people I promised to protect."

"You do not follow my rules, yet you think my punishment is excessive?"

"You!"

Hearing Su Ping's rebuke, the Foundation Establishment Sword Immortal's face flushed slightly, and the three Dharma Swords on his back emitted a crisp, faint sound.

The white-robed Foundation Establishment cultivator also let out a cold snort:

"Baihe Zhenren, you are just a Loose Cultivator who got lucky with Foundation Establishment; have you forgotten yourself now that you have your own Market?"

"Don't think that just because you've climbed up to Xiao Mu Zhenren of the Artifact Heart Sect, you can rest easy."

"We are here under the orders of Elder Biluo..."

"Senior Brother, why say so much! Let me teach this Loose Cultivator a lesson; he clearly looked down on us sect Cultivators just now, so let him know what it means to have heavens beyond heavens!"

The sword-cultivating Foundation Establishment cultivator stepped forward and spoke loudly on purpose.

The white-robed Foundation Establishment cultivator sighed and took a step back, saying:

"Junior Brother, be careful, don't take any lives; after all, he is an old acquaintance of Xiao Mu Zhenren..."

Su Ping watched the two of them perform their double act as if they were idiots.

By the time the three Dharma Swords on the sword cultivator's back flew out in unison.

Su Ping had already activated the Jiuye Mountain Market Array.

In an instant!

Clouds and mist emerged from thin air, obscuring the field of vision.

Then, after no more than a few breaths, accompanied by a thunderous sound: "Scram!"

Under the deafening roar, the clouds and mist rolled and surged into the sky.

More than twenty Nanhuang Cultivators, including the two Foundation Establishment ones, were all swept up by the clouds and mist and thrown far away!

"Ah!"

These Cultivators fell heavily to the ground, and with the Protective Spiritual Light or Talismans on their bodies having been broken when the clouds and mist surged in.

This fall added quite a few more casualties.

Even those two Foundation Establishment cultivators were quite disheveled, their expressions terrifyingly gloomy.

"That Baihe Zhenren is actually an Array Master!"

"No wonder he is so arrogant. Junior Brother... are you alright?"

After the white-robed Foundation Establishment cultivator swallowed a Healing Pill to treat his injuries, he looked at the sword cultivator.

At this moment, his sword-cultivating Junior Brother had his own Dharma Swords stuck in his chest, left shoulder, and right leg, respectively.

One look and it was clear this was done after that Baihe Zhenren activated the Array.

The injuries might not be very severe, but the humiliation was extremely intense.

"It's nothing!"

The sword cultivator gritted his teeth, enduring the pain as he channeled his energy to pull out the Dharma Swords.

"Senior Brother... since we ended up in such a miserable state this time, does it count as completing the mission?"

"..."

Hearing this, the white-robed Foundation Establishment cultivator hesitated for a moment and said:

"Of course it counts as completing the mission!"

"It's just that the sect originally wanted us to stir up conflict with the other party, preferably recording evidence of them making a move, and then use thunderous means to unexpectedly create a fait accompli, thereby taking over the Jiuye Mountain Market in a logical manner."

"That way, even if the Artifact Heart Sect knew there was more to it, they wouldn't investigate in detail for the sake of a Loose Cultivator, and we could just throw out a scapegoat or two to resolve the matter."

"But now..."

"That Baihe Zhenren being an Array Master is an accident, and the fact that the Jiuye Mountain Market's Array is so powerful is an even bigger accident!"

"I'm afraid we will need to stage a bitter-meat scheme and go to the Jiuye Mountain Market again under the pretext of offering an apology."

"We have to go back in?"

The sword-cultivating Foundation Establishment cultivator's expression shifted as he recalled the painful memory of being helpless like fish on a chopping block under the shroud of clouds and mist.

"Don't worry, Junior Brother; this time the sect will surely send out its elite, and will even bring the sect's foundation."

"As long as we suddenly erupt while inside the Array, what ability could that Loose Cultivator Foundation Establishment have to resist?"

The white-robed Foundation Establishment cultivator said what he said.

But in his heart, he no longer believed that Baihe Zhenren at the Jiuye Mountain Market was some Loose Cultivator.

It was just that the arrow was on the string and had to be fired.

For small sects like theirs in Nanhuang, taking over ruins for development was a last resort.

To this end, seizing a low-level Market in this region as a fallback for the sect's heritage was also a matter of course.

At the same time, this should also be something tacitly approved by the large sects.

Even if that Baihe Zhenren had some background, he was, after all, just one person!

The white-robed Foundation Establishment cultivator believed that as long as the sect elders took action personally, everything would be fine!

Meanwhile.

Su Ping sat cross-legged in the high sky, riding the clouds and mist.

Although his eyes were closed, he was actually listening to the whispers of those Nanhuang Cultivators through the Array.

Su Ping did not find this surprising.

These guys suddenly causing trouble was clearly for no good reason!

It was just that he hadn't expected that after these small sects also came running, his own small industry would actually be coveted by these fellows!