Chapter 1766: Spirit Talisman Conference

Fangcun Mountain arrived at Myriad Manifestation Ocean, where five Sun-Radiant cultivators personally came out to greet them, showing them immense respect.

At Myriad Manifestation Ocean, Sun-Radiant cultivators from both sides met. Four Sun-Radiant cultivators from the Midget Race appeared, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then all nine figures headed together towards Myriad Manifestation Island.

Although the Spirit Talisman Convention was important, Sun-Radiant cultivators would not personally handle such matters. Instead, Moon-Blossom cultivators from both sides would manage the exchanges and discussions.

As the nine Sun-Radiant figures disappeared, the area outside Fangcun Mountain gradually became lively, with figures emerging from within the mountain, undoubtedly members of the Midget Race.

They curiously observed Myriad Manifestation Ocean, while countless cultivators simultaneously observed them with equal curiosity. Everyone had heard legends of the Midget Race, but this was the first time seeing them in person. A moment later, many cultivators looked disappointed, as the Midget Race appeared no different from humans in physical form.

A Moon-Blossom cultivator from the Myriad Manifestation Star System stepped forward to coordinate with the Midget Race. After a brief discussion, a large number of Midget Race members flew towards Great Plate Island, each finding a suitable spot and setting up their own stalls.

In just a short while, thousands of Midget Race members flooded Great Plate Island. Most were Constellation cultivators, with a smaller number of Moon-Blossom cultivators.

Outside Fangcun Mountain, numerous Midget Race Moon-Blossom cultivators remained on guard to prevent infiltration.

At this point, a late-stage Moon-Blossom cultivator from Myriad Manifestation Ocean announced loudly, "Fellow Daoists, the Spirit Talisman Convention begins today! This convention will last for ten days. Those interested in acquiring spirit talismans can enter Great Plate Island to trade with fellow Daoists from the Midget Race. This old man wishes both parties a successful and prosperous exchange!"

With that announcement, over a hundred thousand cultivators, who had been waiting for a long time, surged into Great Plate Island from all directions, swarming the Midget Race cultivators' stalls. In the blink of an eye, nearly every Midget Race stall was packed with people.

Among the crowd were Old Tang and Luan Xiao'e. They had already set their sights on a specific location where a Midget Race Moon-Blossom cultivator was. The two were representing Three Realms Island to trade for a significant quantity of spirit talismans. Naturally, they had to choose a suitable trading partner; Midget Race Constellation cultivators were not within their selection range, with Moon-Blossom cultivators being their first choice.

Almost as soon as the Myriad Manifestation Ocean Moon-Blossom cultivator's voice fell silent, the two rushed towards Great Plate Island. However, while they were fast, others were even faster. Before they could reach their destination, they watched helplessly as a group of cultivators surrounded that spot.

The cultivators' eagerness for Midget Race spirit talismans exceeded expectations. After all, Midget Race spirit talismans could be continuously nurtured; if one acquired a good spirit talisman, it could even be treated as a family heirloom. Across the entire Myriad Manifestation Ocean, there were numerous spirit islands, and Old Tang and Luan Xiao'e's plan was not unique. Many Moon-Blossom guardians from various spirit islands shared the same intention. This directly led to the cultivators gathered around the Midget Race Moon-Blossom cultivators being almost entirely representatives from major spirit islands, all of them Moon-Blossom stage cultivators.

The Midget Race clearly hadn't anticipated such an enthusiastic situation. For a moment, they didn't know what to do. They tried to maintain order, but at such a time, it was first-come, first-served. Moreover, everyone was a Moon-Blossom cultivator, and no one was willing to yield, so how could order be maintained? Fortunately, despite the lively scene, cultivators from all spirit islands remained relatively restrained. No one dared to cause trouble at this time.

Such was the situation for the Midget Race Moon-Blossom cultivators, and it was similar for the Constellation stage cultivators. Although thousands of Midget Race members had arrived this time, there were over a hundred thousand cultivators gathered there. Even if averaged out, each Midget Race stall had at least dozens of people in front of it.

The Spirit Talisman Convention began amidst this lively and boisterous atmosphere. It was conceivable that such excitement would last for a day or two before the fervor gradually subsided.

A thousand miles away from Great Plate Island, Lu Ye leisurely piloted his star-boat towards the area. Ya Ya sat on his neck, one hand clutching his hair, the other pointing forward, childishly yelling, "Let's watch the fun! Let's watch the fun!"

Lu Ye felt a little helpless. After learning that it was Western Fangcun Mountain visiting this time, he stopped paying attention. The matter of Three Realms Island exchanging spirit talismans with the Midget Race was handled by Tang Jun and Luan Xiao'e, and he couldn't contribute much. As it turned out, Ya Ya heard the news from somewhere and insisted on coming to watch the excitement. When Lu Ye refused, she actually threw a tantrum and rolled around. Helpless, Lu Ye could only agree to her request, and only then was Ya Ya satisfied. The "father and daughter" duo then headed towards Great Plate Island.

The thousand-mile distance was quickly covered. From afar, Lu Ye immediately spotted Fangcun Mountain suspended nearby. Compared to Eastern Fangcun Mountain he had seen before, Western Fangcun Mountain didn't seem to have much difference. Looking at Great Plate Island, it was bustling with crowds, truly lively. Lu Ye tried to find Tang Jun and Luan Xiao'e in the crowd, but couldn't locate them for a while. He wondered where they had squeezed themselves into. Ya Ya loved such lively scenes. Perhaps she had been lonely for too long inside the Mist Dragon. At this moment, both her eyes were sparkling.

Upon entering Great Plate Island, sounds of bargaining filled the air. There were also cultivators secretly grumbling and cursing, clearly unhappy with their transactions with the Midget Race. Lu Ye had no specific purpose; he was just strolling around with Ya Ya. So he casually chose a direction and walked. It must be said that the Myriad Manifestation Star System had prepared quite well for the Spirit Talisman Convention. Around the periphery of Great Plate Island, new, exquisite shops had been built. Each Midget Race member occupied a shop as their stall. Spirit talismans were displayed on the shop counters for visitors to inspect and observe. If someone was satisfied, they could discuss the price with the stall owner, either purchasing with spirit jade or exchanging with materials. Lu Ye roughly estimated that Great Plate Island had at least several thousand shops. To have prepared this much in such a short time was quite impressive.

However, the order… was somewhat chaotic. This was unavoidable, as too many cultivators had come, including many Moon-Blossom stage ones. Even Myriad Manifestation Ocean couldn't manage it properly and could only let nature take its course. As long as no one caused trouble or conflicts on Great Plate Island, it wasn't a major issue.

Ya Ya was very happy, shaking her head and swaying her body from side to side while riding on Lu Ye's neck. As Lu Ye walked by, a somewhat familiar voice suddenly reached his ears: "Fellow Daoist, I told you, this Hundred Defense Talisman is a rare treasure. It can absolutely save your life at a crucial moment. Don't bother negotiating if you don't have five hundred thousand spirit jade. Next!"

Lu Ye looked in the direction of the voice. Through the dense crowd, he indeed saw a familiar face. The other party's gaze inadvertently swept across his face. Initially, he didn't pay much attention, but his eyes quickly returned, meeting Lu Ye's, and then a look of astonishment appeared on his face. Immediately after, the Midget Race member exclaimed in surprise, "Brother Lu?" Lu Ye smiled and replied, "Brother Ye!"

The other person was none other than Ye Chaoqun, who had participated in the Black Abyss Conflict years ago! At that time, Lu Ye was the leader of Eastern Fangcun Mountain, and Ye Chaoqun was the leader of Western Fangcun Mountain. They had led their respective teams in intense battles within the Black Abyss, with Eastern Fangcun Mountain ultimately proving superior and claiming first place. There was also Duan Xiuchen, the leader of Southern Fangcun Mountain.

Lu Ye wasn't too surprised to see Ye Chaoqun here. Since Western Fangcun Mountain was visiting this time, it wasn't strange for Ye Chaoqun to be present. Back then, he was a late-stage Constellation cultivator. Now, after all these years, Ye Chaoqun had clearly advanced to the Moon-Blossom stage. That's why the cultivators gathered around his shop were all Moon-Blossom stage cultivators.

As the two spoke, many Moon-Blossom cultivators looked surprised and suspicious. No one had expected the Midget Race to have acquaintances in Myriad Manifestation Ocean. Upon seeing Lu Ye's face, some recognized his identity. Many people had observed the Battle of Baiyue from afar, so they had naturally seen Lu Ye before. Envy momentarily flared. Midget Race spirit talismans were excellent items. These Moon-Blossom cultivators had been haggling with Ye Chaoqun, but none had officially concluded a deal yet. However, if Lu Ye was an acquaintance of Ye Chaoqun, he would undoubtedly have many advantages.

"My humble shop is closing for now. Please come back later, everyone!" Ye Chaoqun suddenly called out, beginning to dismiss the crowd. Although the Moon-Blossom cultivators were helpless, they were not the type to pester. As they left, each of them looked at Lu Ye with envy, feeling that the spirit talismans here were likely to fall into Lu Ye's hands.

After the many trading cultivators had left, Ye Chaoqun enthusiastically welcomed Lu Ye into the shop. He specially took out a sign, wrote "Closed" on it, and hung it up. Inside the shop, Ye Chaoqun invited Lu Ye to sit down. He curiously glanced at Ya Ya, who had climbed down from Lu Ye. Then he took out a sound-transmitting talisman and sent a message, chuckling, "Brother Lu, please wait a moment. There are a few old friends you should meet."

Lu Ye nodded, thinking that those "old friends" either tried to kill him or were killed by him. Furthermore, he wasn't very familiar with the Midget Race from the western side, and even Ye Chaoqun himself wasn't a close acquaintance; they had only clashed in the Black Abyss. However, since the other person had already done so, he could only take it as it came. When they met, a few polite pleasantries would suffice. As for using such a connection to facilitate spirit talisman transactions... Lu Ye hadn't considered it. After all, they weren't that familiar, and Midget Race spirit talismans were rare commodities. It wouldn't make sense to take advantage of them. If it weren't for Ya Ya wanting to watch the excitement, he wouldn't even have come to Great Plate Island at this time.

"Brother Lu, how did you come to be in Myriad Manifestation Ocean?" Ye Chaoqun asked curiously. After the Black Abyss Tournament, he had inquired about Lu Ye's origins from a Sun-Radiant cultivator in his sect. He learned that Lu Ye's home star system was very remote and should not have the capability to travel to Myriad Manifestation Ocean. Therefore, when he saw Lu Ye today, he almost thought he had mistaken him for someone else.

"It's a long story," Lu Ye sighed. "After the Black Abyss Tournament, I returned to my home realm and encountered an external enemy invasion. During our confrontation, space collapsed, and a wormhole initially formed, leading me to Myriad Manifestation Ocean. It has been several years now."

Ye Chaoqun understood: "So that's how it was? Then Brother Lu must have found fortune in misfortune. Myriad Manifestation Ocean is a good place indeed."

"Though the place is good, it's not easy to gain a foothold."