Chapter 254

"Hey, you snake, wait a minute!" The fat Daoist Priest reached out to block the young man formed by the Purple Gold Divine Dragon: "How dare you take my things for free? Five thousand spirit stones—drop one, and you won't leave Dongtinghu!"

"Damn fat bastard, you wanna go a round with Dragon Grandpa?" The purple-clad youth glared, eyes sharp as blades, causing the surrounding space to tremble: "What's in Dragon Grandpa's ancestral tomb belongs to Dragon Grandpa."

"Wang! How do you prove your ancestor is your ancestor?" The dog demon sneered, clearly offended by the words "dog damn": "What if you're not even blood-related? Wouldn't that be embarrassing?"

So cruel! Truly cruel! The onlooker cultivators thought: if they were in the place of that true dragon, they'd fight this dog demon to the death.

"So you can't prove you're not sleeping with this fat bastard either?" The purple-clad youth looked disgusted: "Humans shouldn't—no, can't—ugh, this world is really dog damn."

This true dragon not only didn't get angry—he got even cruder. The onlookers were stunned; they'd never seen such an uncultivated dragon, not even the most evil demonic cultivators were this uncivilized.

This was a dragon!! When Jiao Ba Zhenjun saw the Purple Gold Divine Dragon appear, he was overjoyed—it had been his lifelong dream to one day cross the Dragon Gate and become a true dragon. But now…

It felt a little like disillusionment.

His eyes went hollow; the desire to befriend this elder vanished completely.

"Snake, have the guts to fight me outside? Win, and I'll flay you, strip your sinews, turn you into a supreme tonic." The fat Daoist Priest issued a challenge: "Nah, judging by your look, you've got zero yang energy—cowardly as a female dragon. No tonic value at all."

"If you lose, you'll only ever bark like a dog—go bark with this dead dog: Wang-wang-wang~!"

Duan De knew the true state of this dragon—otherwise he wouldn't have dared to covet the Purple Gold Divine Dragon's essence blood earlier.

Now, the verbal sparring between the man, the dragon, and the dog carried a tinge of personal grudge.

"Today, I'll make you, fat bastard, my human servant, turn this snake into my mount, and use your two catfish whiskers as reins!" The dog demon, enraged, had already scattered array patterns across heaven and earth without notice.

A sudden wind arose in the heavens, blades of wind, mist swirling—touch it, and it turned to powder; a subtle, yin force flowed.

"Can't we fight elsewhere? Give me some face…" The voice came again—it was Lord Dongting, but now with a hint of helplessness and pleading.

"Wang! Who the hell are you? When I served beside the Emperor, you were still playing with mud!" The black dog roared: "Go sit over there."

"What's your generation? I gave you face before because you're a dragon. Little brat, if you call me Dragon Grandpa again, I'll whip your ass!" The purple-clad youth spoke—and the crowd fell utterly silent.

Lord Dongting fell silent, no longer speaking, as if he'd given up interfering.

"Oh? This dead dog once followed some Emperor?" The fat Daoist Priest's eyes gleamed; he recalled the ancient Emperor's mysteries hidden in the black dog's array patterns, and deliberately provoked him with common-world knowledge:

"In modern terms, even licking is following—aren't you some Emperor's lickspittle?"

"I suggest you jump into the pot and boil yourself. After all, lickspittles die badly—ending up in my belly is a decent fate."

Lightning crackled; the light in the eyes of the man, the dragon, and the dog collided, emitting "crack-crack" sparks like lightning dancing.

Without warning, the void shattered—these three were about to truly fight, yet every cultivator stood frozen, unable to move, not even flee; under the wrath of a great transcendent, not a single hair of their bodies belonged to them.

Dark winds howled, sword qi like rainbows, violet lightning shattered the sky—this place would soon become a place of absolute slaughter.

Qu Yanping suddenly understood why resurrection techniques were so easily obtainable in this world.

And just then, a cow cart passed nearby; the bright gentleman in imperial robes glanced coldly this way and said: "I heard someone here wanted to discuss the Dao? Count me in."

The adventurer-dressed bright gentleman stepped out from the witch's shop next door, holding half a watermelon, and said: "That dragon's mine."

Among the crowd, another bright gentleman in a dark trench coat, wearing a monocle, pulled a brilliant blue longsword from a box and chuckled: "Sounds interesting—count me in too."

Qu Yanping's pupils contracted—that brilliant blue longsword was a heavenly Dao artifact he'd once seen at the Yuzhe Sect.

At this moment, a ghostly blue spiritual light surged from the sword, as if the sun, moon, and stars howled within its blade.

The man, the dragon, and the dog all froze—moments later, the shattered void restored.

"Aowu! Duan De! Fat bastard, long time no see!" The purple-clad youth rushed forward and gave the fat Daoist Priest a huge hug: "Scared the piss out of you, huh? Hahaha! Dragon Grandpa pretended not to know you!"

"Aiyao, Wu Liang Yuanshi Tianzun! You slimy snake, how'd you finally take human form? Dao Grandpa missed you so much—last time I saw you was inside the dragon tomb's coffin, hahaha!" The fat Daoist Priest patted the purple-clad youth's back, emotionally: "By the way, what's your name again?"

"Dragon Grandpa, just call me Dragon Grandpa." The purple-clad youth murmured: "I'm your Purple Gold Divine Dragon Grandpa, aowu~."

"Pizi Long." Duan De gave the Purple Gold Divine Dragon a "friendly" punch to the chest.

"Wang! I'm your supreme Black Emperor!" The dog demon tugged up his flowered shorts and barked at Duan De and the purple-clad youth.

"So you're not fighting? Boring." The cow cart driver withdrew his gaze and walked off in another direction.

The Yuzhe Sect's bright gentleman adjusted his monocle carved from water mirror and said: "No. 67, you said there was a never-before-seen heavenly Dao artifact here—where is it?"

The adventurer-dressed bright gentleman 067 said: "That guy riding the cow cart—he's the one. You haven't seen him since he was dug up."

"@! #." The Yuzhe Sect's bright gentleman muttered under his breath and vanished into bubbles.

Seeing the scene under control, bright gentleman 067 bit into his watermelon and turned away, pulling out a cellphone to dial: "Hello, Lord Dongting? It's handled. Don't forget to send the money."

"Ugh!" The Purple Gold Divine Dragon gagged, pushing Duan De away:

"You've poked the hornet's nest—067, this ungrateful bastard still wants to attack Dragon Grandpa? Doesn't he remember who dug him out?"

"I'll spare you today. Let's talk business—will you give me this or not?"

"Dao Grandpa dug it up by his own skill—why should I give it?" Duan De sneered: "Besides, the dragon tomb's turned into a zombie graveyard—go ask those zombie dragons for it."

"Fat bastard, ignore this snake—I want this one. Fifty." Black Emperor picked up a "Purple Gold Lock."

"I'll give you fifty—go fight this snake!" Duan De glared at Black Emperor: "The immortal lock of a supreme demon from nine thousand years ago is worth at least fifty thousand."

The tense atmosphere had vanished; the crowd grew bold, stepping forward to inspect what was on the fat Daoist's stall, some even asking prices—but the prices were universally terrifying.

Qu Yanping was among them; earlier he couldn't run, now he didn't need to—he hadn't expected to meet so many great figures in one day, and though these great figures were casual, they could casually set up stalls without caring about their status.

The stall's goods were plentiful: bronze bells, purple gold locks, jade ge, broken swords—each bore traces of ancient time, some still caked with soil.

"How do I know if this is real or fake?" A cultivator spoke—he had his hair tied back, black hair, black eyes, dressed like a modern man: "I saw you buying a batch of goods at the Ye Zhetian Trading House this afternoon."

"Which sect are you from?" Duan De's gaze turned vicious: "Tonight I'll dig up your ancestral master so you can see if it's real."

"Longhu Mountain. Ancestral master Zhang Daoling." The tied-hair cultivator said casually: "But I live on Shuijing Peak normally."

"I'd dig up Mount Everest for you—what's Shuijing Peak?" Duan De pointed at the goods, reciting the world's terminology and the memories implanted by the Saint-King: "Everything on my stall comes from dragon tombs, the old capital of Chaoge, or the ruins of Shanhai—if you find a fake, I'll pay tenfold."

"Then why don't you use it yourself?" The Purple Gold Divine Dragon asked.

"Because I don't know the origins of many things—maybe they hide opportunities." Duan De pointed from left to right:

"This pile is five thousand spirit stones per item. This pile is fifty thousand spirit stones per item."

"Of course, I also have items for fifty each—your choice."

Many nearby cultivators glanced, shook their heads, and left—they weren't fools; if there were real opportunities or treasures, they wouldn't be left for them—and the valuable items were priced exorbitantly.

Qu Yanping shared the same thought—he didn't believe he could gain any advantage against such a powerful being.

「？」

Qu Yanping froze—he suddenly saw the upright-walking dog demon, Heihuang, staring at him.

Seeing this, Qu Yanping silently cursed and immediately tried to blend into the crowd and flee, but the moment he stepped back, he appeared directly at the center of the three, his disguise rippling faintly before being forcibly stripped away!

"I told you to come—why are you running?" The towering black dog patted Qu Yanping's shoulder, its eyes brimming with unmistakably human disdain: "Cowering like this? I'm offering you a chance, and you refuse?"

This turn of events came too suddenly—Qu Yanping never imagined this dog demon had targeted him?!

"Isn't this the brother who peered into the Heavenly Dao artifact during the Heavenly Dao Artifact Contest?" a cultivator beside him said: "My master even sent me to look for him."

"His pupil technique was praised by Master Guangming—he must know something about the Heavenly Dao artifacts," another cultivator speculated.

"My nose is far more useful than eyes or perception," Heihuang pulled Qu Yanping firmly to his side and said: "Help me examine these items. If you find something good, you'll be rewarded—though most importantly, check whether this fat bastard is cheating."

Qu Yanping's face twisted into a faint bitter smile—he hadn't considered his scent, and now he'd been caught at the worst possible moment.

"Elder, can I refuse?" Qu Yanping asked.

"You want to be my human servant? I'll consider it," Heihuang said, cradling his dog paws.

Qu Yanping's face darkened. Helplessly, he turned his gaze toward the goods—and at that moment, two distinct voice-whispers reached his ears.

【If you spot something good, tell Dragon Dada—guarantee you'll eat well and drink fine!】

【Fusheng Wuliang Tianzun, young friend, I heard of you yesterday when I returned. If you discern anything, please tell me first—I have a tremendous opportunity to offer you.】

Qu Yanping felt no joy at being noticed by these three great figures—it contradicted his entire plan to stay low-key; one misstep and the other two would blame him.

Judging by the conduct of these three, they didn't seem like powerful experts with any moral boundaries.

Refusing to obey them wasn't an option—that would insult their dignity. He had no sect, no patron—if he angered these beings, his future days would be unbearable.

Qu Yanping's craving for power grew stronger—he desperately wanted greater strength to seize control of his own fate.

Otherwise, his current state was no different from the past: forever at the mercy of the powerful.

More and more cultivators gathered around; the sky above the small gathering swarmed with cultivators who had come drawn by the rumors.

【At least, as long as I stay on Lord Dongting's territory, safety shouldn't be too much of an issue.】

【Probably.】

Qu Yanping took a deep breath and activated his Heavenly Eye technique. The items on the stalls transformed into three-dimensional patterns in his vision, revealing fragmented, simple information.

Gradually, he saw many scenes.

A Buddha, in the desert, personally forged a purple-gold demon-subduing mace; a small fragment of purple-gold divine iron was later recited over day and night by Bodhisattvas and Arhats, eventually cast into the Purple-Gold Lock.

A bronze lamp flickered with a flame ready to be snuffed out; the flame swayed in the wind as a demonic entity poured all its demonic energy into it, coiling dragons and phoenixes dancing, a great demon swallowing the moon to forge the artifact—then came a bloody, violent battle, and the lamp was buried deep in the earth. Ten thousand years later, it lay broken and ruined.

A cracked bowl floated, appearing utterly ordinary—yet as time reversed, the bowl began to inhale and exhale stars and galaxies, its interior deepening into an endless star domain, radiating supreme pressure that made one want to kneel.

The scenes shifted endlessly—he saw seventeen artifacts of different origins. Though some were severely damaged, they were undeniably genuine ancient relics?!

Qu Yanping gasped inwardly—were all these items treasures?! The moment this thought arose, the vision changed: it was a bronze sword caked in soil.

【Your Ye Zhetian Trading Guild's defective goods cost me fifty spirit stones per ton? Too expensive—give me a discount.】

【Forty-nine? Fine. Make it look more worn—I don't care why I need it.】

The fat Daoist Priest, whose aura was weak, glanced around, then placed a pile of ritual artifacts on a altar, muttering something under his breath.

Soon after, the aura of those artifacts aged, as if they had endured eons, faint traces of broken Dao resonance flickering briefly.

Qu Yanping snapped back to awareness—he looked down and realized his gaze had settled on the area where each item cost fifty spirit stones.

Opposite him, Daoist Duan De smiled warmly and asked: "Young friend, what do you think?"

【Any fakes? Expose him! Don't be afraid—I've got your back!】

【Any good items? Tell Dragon Dada quick!】

Qu Yanping ignored the other two for now—he was suddenly curious about this Daoist Priest's origins. Though his aura was weak in the vision, he possessed so many hidden treasures, and his forgery technique was exquisitely profound.

He stared at the fat Daoist Priest and activated his Heavenly Eye.

An ancient ridge stretched like a celestial dragon; within the mountain, a fat man awoke from an ancient coffin.

"Who the hell is spying on your Dao Master?!" The fat Daoist suddenly turned around and cursed.