Chapter 3044: Trading

Many years have passed; the Ephemeral Yuan Fruit tree might have been discovered by other cultivators, or perhaps by demon beasts who ate its fruits. Additionally, the Ephemeral Yuan Fruit tree might have suffered setbacks in its growth. Anything is possible.

"I can tell you the Five-Thunder Spirit Transformation Pill formula. There's a page of Profound Spirit Jade Scroll in the storage ring; if you swear on it not to kill me, I can tell you the location of the Ephemeral Yuan Fruit tree. That dangerous area is fraught with peril; even Integration-stage cultivators risk falling. Without me to guide you, even if you know the location, you might not reach your destination," Hunyuanzi said meaningfully.

"I can swear on the Heavenly Void Jade Scroll. First, tell us the Five-Thunder Spirit Transformation Pill formula and the location of the Ephemeral Yuan Fruit tree. You can refuse, but then don't blame us for being impolite. Who knows if what you're saying is true?" Wang Mengbin said in an unyielding tone.

"I can tell you the Spirit Fusion Great Art and the Five-Thunder Spirit Transformation Pill formula. You swear on the Profound Spirit Jade Scroll, and then I'll tell you the Ephemeral Yuan Fruit tree's location. Otherwise, just make your move! Don't even think about soul-searching me. I'm currently an artifact spirit; it's impossible to separate me from the Spirit-Breaking Orb. I can't defeat you, but self-detonation is no problem for me." Hunyuanzi assumed a defiant stance, showing no fear of further threats. If he were merely a remnant soul, he couldn't avoid soul-searching. However, he is attached to the Spirit-Breaking Orb, and to soul-search him, he would first need to be separated from it. Wang Yingjie and the other three frowned; the information Hunyuanzi possessed was too crucial.

Hunyuanzi revealed the pill formula and the techniques of the Spirit Fusion Great Art, which Liu Hongxue diligently recorded. Wang Mengbin found a page of Profound Spirit Jade Scroll in his storage ring. The Profound Spirit Jade Scroll was easy to identify, so there was no concern about the other party tampering with it. Out of caution, Wang Yingjie thoroughly inspected the Profound Spirit Jade Scroll and found no issues. He swore an oath on it not to kill Hunyuanzi, but Wang Mengbin and the other two did not.

"What is the meaning of this? Are you playing games with me?" Hunyuanzi raged.

"How do we know if what you're saying is true or false? Besides, my oath alone is enough. If we really wanted to kill you, we could just hand you over to others," Wang Yingjie explained.

"Help me find a body for me to seize. As for the Ephemeral Yuan Fruit tree's location, I will naturally tell you its whereabouts once I possess a body and cultivate to a certain realm." Hunyuanzi didn't press the issue, instead making a new demand.

"We'll discuss that later. I hope you don't try any tricks with us. If the Five-Thunder Spirit Transformation Pill formula or the Spirit Fusion Great Art is off by even half a character, I will immediately destroy you, with no room for negotiation." Wang Mengbin's face was filled with killing intent.

"Every word I've spoken is true; you can verify it. Find me a suitable body as soon as possible. If my soul dissipates, you can forget about knowing the Ephemeral Yuan Fruit tree's location. Don't even think about soul-searching me or separating me from the Spirit-Breaking Orb; otherwise, we'll both lose out. The Spirit-Breaking Orb has excellent effects against most formations and restrictions below eighth rank. If my soul scatters, I will also destroy this treasure," Hunyuanzi said with a hint of warning. Both sides were wary and cautious of each other.

"The feeling is mutual. Come in for now!" Wang Mengbin flipped his right hand, and a small, shimmering golden pagoda flew out. He cast a hand seal into it, and the golden pagoda glowed brightly, its size expanding rapidly. It then shot out a golden mist that enveloped the Spirit-Breaking Orb, drawing it into the giant golden pagoda. Spirit bodies were most vulnerable to lightning-attributed attacks. As long as Hunyuanzi made any unusual move, Wang Mengbin could immediately activate the treasure, unleashing lightning power to destroy him. Wang Mengbin made another hand seal, and the golden pagoda quickly reverted to its original size. He then took out several shimmering talismans, affixed them to the small golden pagoda, and put it away.

"It's fortunate that only a few Spirit-Breaking Divine Crystals were refined into the Spirit-Breaking Orb," Liu Hongxue said with relief. "If a large quantity had been refined, the Five-Element Restriction Light might not have been effective."

"We can't fully trust his words. The Spirit Fusion Great Art he described reminds me of the Immortal Suppressing Pagoda in the lower realms." Wang Yingjie's face showed a reminiscent expression. Wang Changsheng had mentioned Ye Xuanji to him. Could Ye Xuanji also have used the Spirit Fusion Great Art to entrust her soul to the Immortal Suppressing Pagoda and descend to the lower realms? But why would Ye Xuanji descend? To avoid a great heavenly tribulation? Or was there another hidden reason?

"If this art is as he described, it would make things much easier for the Dark Hall," Wang Mengbin said with a smile. With this secret art, it would be much easier for the Wang family to plant spies among other races. However, the drawbacks of this secret art were also evident: first, a relatively high failure rate, and second, the greater power of great heavenly tribulations and the lightning tribulations experienced when breaking through major realms.

He flicked his wrist, and after a golden glow swept across the ground, a large pile of items appeared: four mid-grade Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasures, all offensive; over twenty million spirit stones; spirit medicines that had already spoiled; and a pile of jade slips and refining materials. The contents of the jade slips were quite varied. From them, it appeared that this person had stayed on Qianyuan Continent for a long time, as the slips recorded the customs, traditions, and unusual anecdotes of various races there. They found a piece of Ice Soul Crystal and a piece of Silver Adamantine Crystal, both rare Dharma Aspect materials. They then divided the treasures among themselves.

Bai Yuqi's eyebrows furrowed as she took out a light-blue formation plate from her robes. She cast a hand seal into it, and the plate lit up brightly, revealing many golden dots, one of which flickered continuously. "The alarm formation has been triggered. I don't know if it's a demon beast or a cultivator. It might have been drawn by the disturbance from us breaking the restriction. Judging by the direction, it's coming from where the seventh-rank demon beasts are. It could be an Integration-stage cultivator or a seventh-rank demon beast," Bai Yuqi analyzed.

"Retreat immediately. No need to create more trouble." Wang Mengbin waved his hand, leading them away from the area.

Dozens of miles away, a deafening blast echoed from a patch of green bamboo forest, shaking the ground. After a thunderous roar, hundreds of centenarian green bamboo stalks snapped in half, revealing five men and one woman. The leader was a tall, thin old man in golden robes, with exposed fangs, clearly an Integration-stage Yaksha. The old man in golden robes grabbed at the ground with one hand, and a broken green formation flag flew into his grasp. "The formation flag is so new, this array must have been set up by human cultivators. Be careful, there are human cultivators here," the old man in golden robes warned. Soon after, they appeared at the foot of a towering peak. Two Yaksha tribesmen entered a cave to investigate. The golden-robed old man's divine sense spread wide, sweeping over the peach blossom forest, but found no anomalies. "Elder Ba, there's an ancient cultivator's cave here, but human cultivators got here first," a short, stout man in red robes reported. The Yaksha tribe's cultivation techniques and divine abilities differed from those of humans, and thus the traces left by breaking formations were also distinct. A loud bang came from the southeast, and a crimson fiery glow shot into the sky. "Let's go, let's check it out." The golden-robed old man waved his sleeve, leading his clansmen to the location of the crimson fiery glow. When they arrived at their destination, they only saw a giant crater emitting black smoke. They found no cultivators and no demon beasts. The golden-robed old man found some red formation flags on the ground, then scoffed, "Luring the tiger away from the mountain?" They rushed back to the peak, meticulously searched, but found no trace of any cultivators, so they could only give up.

Less than half a month later, Wang Mengbin and the other three flew out from the Fallen Spirit Ruins. They had almost encountered the Integration-stage Yaksha cultivators, but fortunately, they were fast enough to escape. They flew towards the sky, disappearing into the horizon.