Chapter 309

Indeed!

Upon hearing He Pingsheng's words, Wei Chuan Princess trembled inside.

Previously, she had suspected He Pingsheng had defeated the Golden Core demon beneath the earth.

Thus, she doubted his cultivation base surpassed Foundation Establishment.

Now, based on this statement of his, the conclusion was virtually certain.

"Rest assured!" Wei Chuan took a deep breath and said, "From start to finish, I never intended to use force!"

"But, Xu Daoist, your 【Soul-Nourishing Banner】 is truly invaluable to me!"

"Think about it—this Soul-Nourishing Banner, though a top-grade magic treasure, has a singular function!"

"It possesses no offensive or defensive capability; its only use is soul-nourishment!"

"Who would care for such a treasure if they had no need for soul-nourishment?"

"So, I truly need it!"

"Here's what I propose—I'll exchange it for a magic treasure of equal rank!"

"Or rather, we'll mutually pledge them as collateral!"

"I'll leave a top-grade magic treasure with you, and take your top-grade magic treasure… as for this fourth-rank 【Teleportation Talisman】, consider it my gift to you as borrowing collateral!"

"Agreed?"

Wei Chuan gazed at He Pingsheng with eager hope.

He Pingsheng smiled and said, "Alright…"

There was no reason to refuse.

Yet Wei Chuan Princess added, "But I don't possess any top-grade magic treasure—I need time to procure one. I'll leave now, gather it, and we'll exchange when you exit this secret realm!"

"Of course, to show sincerity, I'll give you this fourth-rank 【Teleportation Talisman】 first!"

As she spoke, Wei Chuan pulled a talisman from her storage pouch.

The talisman glowed faintly green, cool to the touch, like a piece of jade.

He Pingsheng took the talisman.

Wei Chuan added, "Xu Daoist, once activated, this talisman teleports you away in a single breath—but I must warn you: the destination is random!"

He Pingsheng said, "I understand—it could be any direction: east, south, west, or north."

"No…" Wei Chuan shook her head, "It could also be the empty sky above—or the depths of the earth ten thousand li below!"

"If you're teleported underground, with your Foundation Establishment cultivation, you'll never escape!"

He Pingsheng's spine chilled instantly: Right—the earth is also a direction.

That means, with random direction, the odds of landing in the sky or underground are each fifty percent.

Damn!

"So!" Wei Chuan said, "Don't use it unless absolutely desperate!"

"I understand," He Pingsheng tucked the talisman away.

If he teleported into empty air, it'd be manageable—he could use his spiritual sense to guide his sword or summon a flying vessel for a slow descent.

But if he landed underground, he'd be doomed.

Even if it's only ten thousand li down, how do I get out?

Is life and death left to luck?

Still, when facing death, one must take the gamble.

He Pingsheng stored the fourth-rank talisman.

Then he waved his hand and dissolved the outer barrier.

Outside, beneath the golden dragon, the crowd had grown larger.

"Xu Daoist…" Wei Chuan glanced around, "Since we've agreed, please honor your word—I'll leave now to find a treasure of equal rank!"

He Pingsheng nodded.

Wei Chuan hesitated, then pulled out a jade slip. "Since I won't go further in, here's the map of Five Dragon Gully!"

"And it's the imperial family's internal map!"

"It's yours!"

"Wish you smooth progress!"

He Pingsheng's eyes lit up. "Thank you, thank you…"

With this map, navigating the Five Dragon Gully secret realm would be far easier.

"Also, I'll give you a friendly warning," Wei Chuan leaned close, lowering her voice. "The man sitting across from you, opposite the golden dragon—do you see him? He's the Ninth Imperial Prince. Don't offend him!"

"It's not just the Ninth Prince who came to Five Dragon Gully—several other princes are here too!"

"They all see this secret realm as their stage to impress His Majesty!"

"Do you understand what I mean?"

He Pingsheng remained silent, expression calm.

Wei Chuan added, "So their goal is strangely uniform: to obtain the Black-White-Yellow-Red Lotus. Xu Daoist, you're at Foundation Establishment Level Eleven—surely you also want the Black-White Lotus to trade for the 【Blood Jade Purple-Skinned Jujube】?"

"If so, be careful!"

"Hehehe…"

"That's all I'll say."

"Goodbye!"

Puff…

Wei Chuan Princess gently squeezed her fingers—her Life-Death Tablet shattered instantly.

A circular barrier formed around her.

After three breaths, she was teleported away.

Her sole need in the Five Dragon Gully secret realm was the Pure-Yin Golden Metal; now that the exchange was complete, she had no reason to stay.

For her, rare treasures mattered little—her mother's soul mattered most.

She must hurry out to gather a top-grade magic treasure.

Puff…

Puff-puff-puff…

Likewise, the five cultivators who had accompanied the princess each crushed their Life-Death Tablets and vanished.

Many in the square stared in confusion.

He Pingsheng walked to the edge of the square and sat on a random stone.

No one paid him any attention.

Then he pulled out the jade slip Wei Chuan Princess had given him.

According to her, this was the complete map of the Five Dragon Gully secret realm.

Boom…

As he pressed the jade slip to his forehead, his spiritual sense surged into it.

It was indeed a map.

But not just one map.

After a long while, his spiritual sense withdrew from the Five Dragon Gully map.

His brow furrowed.

This secret realm was different from what he'd imagined.

Five Dragon Gully, as the name suggests, consists of five gullies.

Each connects end to end.

From outermost to innermost: Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth.

The Metal Dragon Gully contained relatively few resources.

Only the Metal elemental essence, plus some exposed subterranean mineral veins.

Possibly spirit stone deposits, or various alchemical materials.

The most abundant rare treasures lay in the second gully: the Wood Dragon Gully.

Within it, a segment of Wood elemental essence pulsed, radiating rule-force and continuously spewing Wood spiritual energy.

This caused countless spirit herbs and medicinal plants to flourish.

Legends claimed even fourth-rank rare treasures grew there.

Crucially, the Wood Dragon had transformed into a colossal tree, bearing fruits infused with Wood elemental essence.

These were not true fruits—but because they contained the Wood essence, they were priceless.