Chapter 128

Chen Zheng, you will die a horrible death!

Outside Taibai City, in a mountain forest, Meng Shaobai held the Heavenly Fang Halberd, his eyes blood-red, his whole body exuding murderous aura that shot up to the heavens, like a lone wolf howling at the moon, his voice desolate.

All treasures were seized by Chen Zheng.

His heart was dripping blood.

Moreover, Chen Zheng not only seized his treasures, but also humiliated him with merely a spiritual artifact Heavenly Fang Halberd.

Simply outrageous!

He wished he could use this halberd to stab Chen Zheng to death!

Beside them, Wu Li and others had faces ashen, their hearts also dripping blood.

Earlier, while inside the Daoist Pavilion, their treasures on their persons were also plundered by Chen Zheng.

Especially, the Profound Iron True Person had his profound iron battle robe stripped off, and the supreme treasure Great Store Heavenly Dragon Sword he had obtained through a fortunate encounter was also lost.

Pain.

Simply painful to the point of being unable to breathe!

But what can be done?

The Dharma treasures can never be recovered.

Chen Zheng is too terrifying; Meng Shaobai is no match for him in a single exchange, let alone them being able to provoke him.

Even if they immediately returned to the Ascendant Sect, went to the Ascendant Heaven Palace to lodge a complaint against Chen Zheng with the Heaven Punishment Thus we have Title: Elder, it would probably have little effect.

Because Chen Zheng even seized the Nine Palaces Golden Pagoda of Huatian Capital, and not only did he not receive punishment from the Heaven Punishment Thus we have Title: Elder, he also didn't return the Nine Palaces Golden Pagoda, let alone the fact that he merely snatched a few people's treasures.

Apart from swallowing their broken teeth, they had no recourse.

Meng Shaobai suddenly stopped his roar and shouted: "I will take revenge on Chen Zheng, I will do it now, make him pay the price!"

The Profound Iron True Person gave a wry smile: "Shaobai, just forget it; against such a terrifying figure as Chen Zheng, we have no chance of winning."

"Indeed."

"Senior Brother Shaobai, although we lost our treasures, at least we preserved our lives in Chen Zheng's hands, which is far better than Jiang Lingkong and Wan Luo and the others."

"Senior Brother Shaobai, have you ever considered that you might turn misfortune into blessing? If you pretend sincerely and genuinely acknowledge Chen Zheng as your adoptive father, you could soar to great heights thanks to that connection..."

Wu Li and others all urged, and even a disciple advised Meng Shaobai to sincerely regard Chen Zheng as his adoptive father.

"Shut up, I will never regard him as my adoptive father!" Meng Shaobai, furious, swept the Heavenly Fang Halberd fiercely, sending that disciple flying.

He then said to the others: "I have already thought of a good plan; without personally facing Chen Zheng, I can make him pay the price."

"What good plan?"

Several people hurriedly asked for details.

"You just need to do as I say, first like this, then like that..." Meng Shaobai lowered his voice and explained his plan to the several people.

"Marvelous, too marvelous!"

"This way, the three paths of immortals, demons, and monsters might all be stirred, causing a great uproar, and Chen Zheng's enemies will surely hear the wind and act."

"Alright, let's do it like that!"

Wu Li and the others, the more they listened, the brighter their eyes became; their fear of Chen Zheng vanished, and they all became excited.

…………

Xuanhuang City is the capital of the Great Xuan Empire, located at the very center of the country, hailed as the foremost city under heaven.

Xuanhuang City is who knows how many times larger and more prosperous than Taibai City; the bricks and stones on its roads are all gilded and spotless.

As for the buildings inside the city, needless to say, even a random courtyard is taller, broader, and deeper than any nation's imperial palace.

Even a divine-ability cultivator visiting for the first time would feel overwhelmed, sighing that this place is a heavenly palace, the abode of immortals and gods.

Indeed, in Xuanhuang City, cultivators walk everywhere; Heavenly Human realm true persons are as common as dogs.

Even Golden Core realm Ancient Giants are not rare; one can occasionally run into one or two on the main street.

The composition of cultivators is quite complex: whatever the Correct Path, Demonic Sect, Demon Dao, Earth Devils, powerful beings from extraterrestrial stars, and Free Cultivators from all places—all are present, yet orderly, coexisting harmoniously in Xuanhuang City and acting according to the rules.

Moreover, no one dares to slay demons and eliminate devils here; otherwise, under the emperor's feet, the Great Xuan imperial family will teach you how to behave.

The emperor of the Great Xuan is a terrifying existence equivalent to the supreme masters of all sects!

At this moment, Chen Zheng, following Thirteen Niang, took the transmission gate from Taibai City and arrived at the headquarters of the Daoist Pavilion in Xuanhuang City, entering a grand hall that seemed like an independent space-time.

Clearly, the headquarters of the Daoist Pavilion, like the Profound Tortoise Pavilion, is also a Dao artifact.

Moreover, it is not merely a low-grade Dao artifact; it should be medium-grade.

From this, one can see the Daoist Pavilion's immense wealth and generosity.

Chen Zheng, however, knows that the Daoist Pavilion is actually not a native force of the Xuanhuang Grand World, but comes from beyond the realm.

The Daoist Pavilion's headquarters in Xuanhuang City is also not truly a headquarters in the proper sense; it can still only be considered a branch.

Its true headquarters lies far away, who knows how many billions of trillions of light-years distant, in the cultivation great world.

The Nine Cauldrons Pavilion and the Six Dao Alliance, these two guilds on par with the Daoist Pavilion, also have their headquarters in the cultivation great world.

That place is truly the paradise for cultivators to buy and sell and trade.

It is said that as long as you have enough elixirs, not to mention low-, medium-, and high-grade Dao artifacts, even a supreme Dao artifact of the Ascendant Heaven Palace grade can be purchased in the cultivation great world.

Unlike these cultivators of the Xuanhuang Grand World, who startle and fuss over seeing a mere low-grade Dao artifact.

Especially, when Chen Zheng and Jiang Lingkong fought on the Heaven Punishment Platform, Fang Qingxue unleashed a high-grade Dao artifact, the Indestructible Lightning Talisman, shocking the entire sect's great elders.

One can only say that after the war with the divine race, the Xuanhuang Grand World is utterly impoverished; the cultivators are too poor, their wealth not even comparable to a single hair casually plucked by an ancient cultivator.

Back to the main story.

Inside a great hall of the Daoist Pavilion, more than ten stewards warmly welcomed Chen Zheng, this major client.

Even the chief manager of this place came out personally to receive Chen Zheng.

This person is a young man whose body does not exude a particularly strong aura, yet he gives the impression of vastness like the sea and a bright moon in a clear sky.

Chen Zheng has seen many strong men, and at first sight of this young man, he knew his realm was not below Wan Lianshan; he is a Tenfold-level divine power who defies Heaven to alter fate.

Of course, a realm is a realm and combat power is combat power; they cannot be equated, and the young man is certainly not as strong as Wan Lianshan.

"Young Master Chen, this person is one of the Heaven Dao Law King's direct disciples, named Xiao Gangzi, extremely formidable, ranking seventeenth on the Immortal Candidate List."

Prince Yi's expression grew solemn as he transmitted his voice to Chen Zheng, introducing the young man's identity.

Indeed, Prince Yi also followed to the Heaven Dao Hall headquarters.

In fact, his true residence is inside Xuanhuang City; the mansion in Taibai City is merely one of many holdings.

Because he needed to attend the Treasure Sale Grand Event and bid on the finale, the Pure Yang Exquisite Treasure Great Brahma Light Vessel, he traveled from Xuanhuang City to Taibai City.

But since meeting Chen Zheng, especially after witnessing Chen Zheng's effortless suppression of Meng Shaobai, the matter of bidding for the Great Brahma Light Vessel no longer mattered to him.

He saw through everything; his most important current goal is to cling to Chen Zheng's thigh.

Even a slightest connection with Chen Zheng would be greatly beneficial to him.

"The Heaven Dao Law King's true disciple Xiao Gangzi, then?" Chen Zheng nodded slightly.

He knows the Heaven Dao Law King, who is the master of Heaven Dao Hall, whose cultivation is lofty, not inferior to the supreme heads of the major sects.

"Brother Chen, the matter of selling twenty Exquisite Treasures and over five hundred other treasures has already been told to me by Thirteenth Lady. Rest assured, our Heaven Dao Hall headquarters has prepared enough pills and will give you a satisfactory price." After the hosts and guests took their seats and exchanged a few courtesies, Xiao Gangzi smiled and went straight to the main topic, discussing the transaction.

"Brother Xiao misspoke; it is now twenty‑two Exquisite Treasures."

Chen Zheng corrected Xiao Gangzi's statement, waved his hand, and the Great Hidden Celestial Dragon Sword of the Mysterious Iron True Man and Meng Shaobai's Void‑Born Sword, along with the Five Prison King Cauldron and other artifacts, all flew out and piled into a mountain inside the main hall.

Gung—!

Even though more than ten Heaven Dao Hall stewards knew Chen Zheng was selling a large quantity of artifacts, seeing the massive treasure mountain before them made them involuntarily swallow a mouthful of saliva.

"It seems that rumor is true; Chen Zheng indeed plundered a great amount of resources from the Xuan Gui Hall at Wan Gui Sea Market, and even killed several Ancient Giants of Wan Gui Immortal Island, as well as the great thieves Zhu Xiandao and Ci Yue Dao."

Xiao Gangzi saw Wan Qin and the famed artifacts of numerous great thieves among the treasure mountain, his eyes flickering briefly.

He quickly returned to a normal demeanor, leading the stewards to circle a heap of artifacts and begin busy appraisal of their properties, grades, and values.

Chen Zheng and Prince Yi sat upright on the adjacent seats, leisurely sipping tea.

Thirteenth Lady kept company beside them.

They looked one by one.

The tea served to Chen Zheng by Heaven Dao Hall was premium Warm Jade Tea; a sip made his whole body feel warm, as if every inch of flesh were wrapped in tea fragrance, its effect comparable to a regional‑grade pill.

This shows Heaven Dao Hall's wealth and generosity.

After a moment, Xiao Gangzi and the stewards finished the appraisal, came over with a jade tablet, and smiled: "Here is the price list for Brother Chen's batch of treasures; please review it, and if there are no issues, I will immediately arrange the pills."

Chen Zheng took the jade tablet, glanced at it, and his eyebrows lifted instantly as he thought to himself, "What a good fellow."

"Five Prison King Cauldron: an Exquisite Treasure pill furnace, forged by the Five Prison Great Demon King using nine‑heaven fallen iron, five‑qi true steel, blood‑shadow phantom, and the blood sacrifice of three hundred sixty‑five demon king lives, valued at 235,000,000 White Sun Pills."

"Nine Palace Golden Tower: a Pure Yang Exquisite Treasure, crafted by the Supreme Head of the Feathered Ascension Sect from collected starlight gold sand, earth essence… and refined, valued at 130,000,000."

"Qingmu Divine King Sword: an Exquisite Treasure, forged in Lingxiao from eight‑extreme divine wood… and refined, valued at 100,000,000."

"Ink Shadow Warship…"

The jade tablet was filled with thousands of lines, clearly listing the grades, functions, materials used, and values of several hundred artifacts.

That's what professionalism looks like.

Chen Zheng glanced at the bottom of the jade tablet; Xiao Gangzi quoted a total of 4.3 billion White Sun Pills for the over five hundred artifacts.

That's fairly fair.

However, Chen Zheng haggled with Xiao Gangzi, raising the final price to 4.5 billion.

Both sides exchanged money for goods, completing the deal, each appearing very pleased.

With these pills, Chen Zheng can further boost his strength.

Xiao Gangzi, having obtained this batch of artifacts, can hold a grand auction and earn a lot.

"Brother Xiao, does Heaven Dao Hall accept this treasure?"

Chen Zheng thought for a moment, took out the Xuan Gui Hall and placed it in the center of the main hall.

"What?"

"This… this is the Xuan Gui Hall from Wan Gui Immortal Island, a low‑grade Dao Artifact!"

Prince Yi, Thirteenth Lady, and the more than ten Heaven Dao Hall stewards all widened their eyes instantly upon seeing the Xuan Gui Hall artifact, their eyeballs nearly popping out.

No one expected the Xuan Gui Hall to be in Chen Zheng's hands and offered for sale.

It should be known that Heaven Dao Hall has been doing business in the Great Xuan Empire for years, yet has never sold a single Dao Artifact, nor has anyone sold one to them.

The Six Paths Alliance and the Nine Tripod Pavilion are the same.

Because Dao Artifacts are rare supreme treasures that can only be encountered, not sought, only Ancient Giants gather countless precious materials and spend hundreds to thousands of years refining them to forge one.

Divine‑power cultivators can hardly ever obtain a Dao Artifact.

Even if they obtain one, they treat it as a treasure and would not sell it.

Yet Chen Zheng took out a Dao Artifact to sell.

How could they remain calm about that?

Even Xiao Gangzi, the chief decision‑maker, could not stay calm; his body shivered violently.

He himself already possesses a Dao Artifact, so Chen Zheng selling one does not surprise him much.

He is shocked by another matter.

According to the information he received, after Chen plundered the Xuan Gui Hall, he also uprooted the entire Dao Artifact pavilion, which led to simultaneous hunts by Wan Qing Mountain and the Qi Tian Dao.

At first he did not fully believe the rumor, only accepting that Chen had indeed plundered a large amount of resources from within the Xuan Gui Hall.

As for taking the Xuan Gui Hall itself, that was baseless; there was no pursuit by the two great masters.

Otherwise, how could Chen Zheng still be alive to come to Heaven Dao Hall to sell treasures?

An Ancient Giant plus a Qi Tian Dao hunting him simultaneously would make his death inevitable.

Even besides Hua Tiandu, Yan Shuiyi, Wan Lianshan and others who rank high on the Longevity Candidate List, no one could survive.

Chen Zheng has only reached Shentong Wu Chong; how could he possibly escape?

But now, Chen Zheng has even taken out the Mysterious Tortoise Pavilion; what does that mean?

This indicates the news is likely true.

Chen Zheng actually escaped the pursuit of the Ancient Colossus!

For a moment, Xiao Gangzi's gaze toward Chen Zheng turned horrified, as if looking at a terrifying monster.

Even the Ancient Colossus's pursuit couldn't kill him; what kind of person is this if not a monster?

Not even the youthful Exquisite Immortal Venerable and the Yellow Springs Great Emperor could manage that.

"Fellow Daoist Xiao? Will your Heavenly Dao Pavilion accept or reject this Mysterious Tortoise Pavilion?" Seeing Xiao Gangzi dazed, Chen Zheng waved his hand in front of his eyes.

"We... we'll accept!" Xiao Gangzi shuddered, regaining his composure.

Chen Zheng said: "Then name your price."

"Fellow Daoist Chen, please wait." Xiao Gangzi examined the Mysterious Tortoise Pavilion from head to toe, pondered for a long time, then took a deep breath and said: "Fellow Daoist Chen, for this low-grade Dao artifact, my Heavenly Dao Pavilion offers 14 billion White Yang Pills. How about that?"

"14 billion?" Chen Zheng stroked his chin, pondering.

The price is acceptable.

However, such a Dao artifact has a price but no market.

If the Heavenly Dao Pavilion spreads the news and holds an auction for this Dao artifact, all sects' true disciples and elders will flock.

Even some Ancient Colossuses will come upon hearing the news, competing to bid on the Dao artifact.

The final transaction price will likely exceed 14 billion White Yang Pills.

Chen Zheng would be at a huge loss.

"15 billion!" Seeing Chen Zheng silent, Xiao Gangzi felt uneasy, gritted his teeth and added another billion.

Chen Zheng still remained silent, merely giving a half-smile, quietly watching him.

Xiao Gangzi slumped back, wryly smiling: "15.5 billion is the utmost sincerity my Heavenly Dao Pavilion can offer; any more and we truly couldn't afford it."

"Deal."

Chen Zheng finally spoke.

(End of chapter)