Chapter 261

Jiang Yu took out five sword talismans, clutched them, and at the same time gave Guo Jue a signal with her eyes, letting him seize the chance and flee quickly, "Senior, you must disregard your status and seize openly."

But I did not bring several important items.

While speaking, she also voluntarily removed the storage ring, storage bracelet, receiving ring and storage bag, and they whooshed toward the old shopkeeper.

"Hmph, here you go!" Jiang Tu also threw a storage ring from his palm to him.

The old shopkeeper was startled by this maneuver, pausing; he glanced at the five storage devices floating before his eyes.

Then he suddenly spread his palm and struck; as Jiang Yu's sword talisman was about to activate, he brushed it away and seized Guo Jue, who was also about to fling a sword talisman, saying, "Your petty tricks, don't embarrass yourselves."

Truly, a newborn calf is not afraid of the tiger; even a tiny core formation dares to play with fire before this old man.

He casually tossed Guo Jue in front of Jiang Yu, and with a crack, several bolts of lightning encircled them, forming a thunder net.

Then with a wave of his hand, he returned the storage tools to Jiang Yu, saying, "You should be grateful; in the past thousand years I've cultivated and no longer harm lives.

I trust that your storage tools contain no thunder bamboo, so just wait for your master to fetch one from Tianyuan to exchange for your freedom."

Jiang Tu swiftly retrieved them one by one, saying, "Old Dragon King, you're not bad; if you could also withdraw the thunder net, you'd be a truly great dragon."

"Dream on, I lift my front foot, and you can figure out how to escape with your rear feet." The old shopkeeper walked back to the table and sat down, clearly keeping his eyes fixed like a jailer.

Jiang Yu watched him stare at her own lightning‑flashing true sword, felt a tightening in her chest and quickly withdrew it into her dantian.

The old shopkeeper slightly frowned, "Hmph, you little girl actually cultivated some thunder‑type magic.

Humans really waste; a perfectly natural defensive celestial wood, yet they must forge it into a weapon.

And they keep adding all sorts of spirit materials inside, diminishing the greatest advantage of the purple‑golden thunder bamboo."

"Our human bodies are not as robust as the Yao Race, so we must rely on external aids to boost combat power.

Refining weapons is to optimize one's own combat ability; a single‑material artifact does not suit all humans." Jiang Yu, seeing that he was not harming them for the moment, breathed a silent sigh of relief.

She then looked at Guo Jue, sent a voice message, "Sorry for involving you."

"We are friends and teammates, sharing blessings and bearing hardships…" Guo Jue did not think so; he also took out a transmission jade talisman to contact his master.

But he found it couldn't send, "We are completely sealed?"

"Hmm, probably the Domain Divine Skill of the Transforming God, which can cut off all external connections.

Now we can only wait passively, which is perfect for meditation; no need to worry about outsiders disturbing us." Jiang Yu thought with a bitter smile, and outwardly she acted the same.

The old shopkeeper brewed a round of tea, then saw the two cultivators and the Yao Race quietly begin their practice, truly a grand scene.

But the reality was not quite accurate: Guo Jue was fully immersed in his cultivation, while Jiang Yu only cultivated a small micro‑cosmic cycle and communicated with Jiang Tu within her sea of consciousness.

"Jiang Yu, I'll simply use the relocation technique to give him…"

"Neither you nor I can easily enter the Dragon Pearl to extract thunder bamboo, because once it senses the Dragon Pearl it will definitely demand a second thunder bamboo to test whether we have a hidden treasure‑hiding artifact." Jiang Yu dared not take that risk.

Jiang Tu sighed repeatedly, wishing he had never planted it; now he still cannot touch it, only Jiang Yu can excavate, "Hope Fuju Zhenjun will retrieve that one from the Grand Void Sect."

As Jiang Yu knows, the complete purple‑golden thunder bamboo she submitted to the sect has been exchanged by the elders for merit points, several sections taken away, leaving only half a stalk in the sect's secret valley.

This matter greatly angered the sect master, but most elders insisted on exchanging it, because the bamboo is mature, can be reserved for use thousands of years later, and they have the right to use it.

While she was pondering how Master Fuju would conceal the old shopkeeper when entering the Dragon Pearl, the courtyard gate's seal was triggered again.

Jiang Yu quickly opened her eyes, but her spiritual sense could not extend beyond the thunder and lightning.

"Very good, your Nascent Souls have arrived," the old shopkeeper said, but seeing who it was, he lifted his hand and withdrew the thunder net.

Jiang Yu swiftly opened the gate and blocked the doorway, "Master Fuju."

"Master," Guo Jue was quite pleased to see his master; he wanted to say there was a Transforming God in the courtyard, but a glance at the corner revealed that the old shopkeeper and the tea table had both vanished.

Outside the gate stood Fuju Zhenjun and three other True Lords, one of whom was from the City Lord's residence.

Master Fuju and his companions stood neatly blocking the entrance, laughing, "What, didn't invite us in?"

Jiang Tu reported, "No, we were just trapped in the courtyard by the Transforming God Thunder Dragon; although it hid itself, if you come in you would also be trapped."

The three Nascent Souls felt a chill in their hearts, their spiritual senses also scanned the courtyard, but ultimately found nothing.

"Master Fuju, seniors, it would be best to change location," Jiang Yu genuinely worried that the three might also be trapped; although moving elsewhere would be the same, the mood would differ.

Master Liao Wu said, "Amitabha, then we'll move to the City Lord's city, wait for a few fellow cultivators to retrieve the traded items, and then relocate."

"Everyone, the residence has prepared a guest courtyard, please follow me," the Nascent Soul cultivator of the City Lord's residence gestured, still somewhat concerned about these three having to stay outside.

Jiang Yu felt puzzled, and as she walked beside Master Fuju, she couldn't help sending a voice, "Master Fuju, are they…?"

"They have three Nascent Souls and have already been transmitted back to Tianyuan with several fellow cultivators," Master Fuju replied simply.

"Isn't that just swapping protons?"

Jiang Yu asked Xu Wu again, learned that she, Qin Zhuo, and Elder Gu were still on the deserted island, so she asked no further.

The City Lord's residence is at the end of Zhuque Street; after leaving the inn and walking a short distance along the street, one arrives.

Jiang Yu had no interest in observing the City Lord's main hall, as cultivator architecture is generally similar—pavilions, towers, bamboo and flowers reflecting each other.

After moving in, the City Lord's residence offered spiritual tea with excellent vitality; just looking at it made the aura swirl, but Jiang Yu didn't taste any.

She and Master Fuju shared a courtyard; Master Fuju closed the door and asked, "Have we contacted the Xun Sect? One condition for Pursuit Island is that all who are transmitted must leave a spiritual‑sense signature."

Jiang Yu handed her the transmission jade talisman and asked, "Did the Transforming God request the complete purple‑golden thunder bamboo from me?"

Master Fuju's brow twitched, "Hmm? We told the City Lord that the thunder bamboo has already been cut, and the sect is willing to send the remaining half."

"What a crafty old dragon, he just deceived us!"

And yet we truly were deceived, promising to give him," Jiang Tu was furious, waving his forelimbs as if to strike.

Master Fuju knew well that Jiang Yu had taken an incorrect number of thunder bamboos back then; other disciples would also try to hide treasures, and the sect didn't mind—being able to hide is a skill.

Jiang Yu said apologetically, "It was originally a share for Jiang Tu, but now it can't be kept."

"Had we known, we would have planted it in the sect's secret valley from the start."

Master Fuju merely listened and said, "Did you give it?"

"Not yet, I insist on delivering it only when both sides have witnesses," Jiang Yu thought, but her strength was still too weak, fearing death.