Chapter 3770: Meeting Appointment

A mid-grade Immortal-Slaying Cannon has a starting price of 100,000 Immortal Origin Stones and is highly sought after, often being priceless on the open market. To his knowledge, a low-grade Immortal-Slaying Cannon costs tens of thousands of Immortal Origin Stones, enough to purchase a decent mid-grade immortal artifact. A mid-grade Immortal-Slaying Cannon, on the other hand, costs hundreds of thousands of Immortal Origin Stones, sufficient to acquire several sets of second-tier immortal arrays.

Hundred Refinements Island had been actively acquiring Rapace Crystals. Based on their acquisition price, the Rapace Crystal in Wang Changsheng's possession was valued at 50,000 Immortal Origin Stones, an item highly coveted yet with no fixed market price. Wang Changsheng had acquired the Rapace Crystal for only 1,000 Immortal Origin Stones, not to mention the other materials, making an enormous profit. Without the Azure Lotus Creation Cauldron, he wouldn't have purchased that lump of material in the first place, nor would he have been able to restore it to its raw form. Given the Rapace Crystal's value, Wang Changsheng could easily trade it for a mid-grade immortal artifact, but he had no intention of doing so, as it would be a tremendous waste. The Heavenly Beast Sect's treasury also contained numerous artifact-refining materials, but they paled in comparison to the Rapace Crystal. The Azure Lotus Creation Cauldron had restored the lump of material into nine different components. Aside from the Rapace Crystal, the remaining eight materials could all be used to refine mid-grade immortal artifacts.

He speculated that a Golden Immortal cultivator was in the process of refining the core component of an Immortal-Slaying Cannon using the Rapace Crystal. Mid-refinement, Chaotic Beasts breached the city. The Golden Immortal cultivator was forced to stop, hastily putting away the item just as Golden Immortal-stage Chaotic Beasts surged in. After a fierce battle, the cultivator perished at the hands of the Chaotic Beasts, and Mu Duoduo seized the item amidst the ensuing chaos. Of course, perhaps Mu Duoduo hadn't told the complete truth. Regardless, Wang Changsheng had stumbled upon an incredible bargain immediately after arriving at Lihuo Island, and his excitement was palpable.

"A Rapace Crystal! If Immortal Mu knew, she would surely be green with regret!" Wang Ruyan said with a smile.

"She made a significant profit already," Wang Changsheng analyzed. "Selling a semi-finished product for 1,000 Immortal Origin Stones is enough for her to acquire a Calamity-Substitution Immortal Artifact. I heard that when the Chaotic Beasts breached the city, immortals were their prime targets. For her to have survived, her strength must be considerable, not just luck, or she would have long since perished." Without genuine ability, Mu Duoduo would have died long ago.

Wang Ruyan nodded. "Her asking price of 1,000 Immortal Origin Stones certainly indicates she was unaware of this item's true value. However, for a semi-finished product, 1,000 Immortal Origin Stones is already quite high. Aside from the original owner, others likely wouldn't know what it was intended to be refined into, nor could they use it for artifact refining. It would simply be a useless item in their hands."

"This auction is quite large in scale," Wang Changsheng said, looking hopeful. "I hope we can acquire some good items. That would be excellent."

Wang Ruyan nodded, saying nothing further.

In a quiet manor, three men and one woman were seated in a blue stone pavilion, with Qi Shuting among them.

"Daoist Xu, why didn't Daoist Dongfang come?" Qi Shuting asked curiously, looking at a pale-faced elder in a yellow robe.

"Daoist Dongfang perished," the yellow-robed elder said, his voice somewhat weak. "We were exchanging cultivation resources when several Golden Immortal-stage Chaotic Beasts broke through the formation and charged in. He unfortunately met his demise. If I hadn't fled quickly, I wouldn't be here to see you either."

"I also heard about it," a medium-built youth in a blue robe remarked. "The beast tide was quite extensive, and several fellow Daoists were killed. Daoist Xu, for you to have survived, is truly a blessing amid misfortune." This was Du Tianhe, an early Golden Immortal from the Nine Immortal Sect.

"Indeed!" complained a tall, thin elder in a white robe. "Speaking of which, it's all Heavenly Venerate Xuanling's fault. If not for him, the beast tide wouldn't have been triggered." The white-robed elder's build was considerably larger than Qi Shuting's and the other two. His skin was snow-white, with faint white spiritual patterns on his body, and both his eyes and hair were also white. This was Xiang Tianfeng, a mid-stage Golden Immortal from the Snow Crystal Clan.

"Have they still not figured out how Heavenly Venerate Xuanling triggered the beast tide?" Qi Shuting asked with a frown. "If the cause isn't thoroughly investigated, then if there was a first time, there could be a second." Heavenly Venerate Xuanling had already caused them severe losses by triggering one beast tide; they couldn't withstand another.

"Not yet," Xiang Tianfeng sighed. "Heavenly Venerate Xuanling cannot be found, so everything is just speculation."

"Given such a major incident, haven't the higher-ups conducted an investigation?" the yellow-robed elder wondered. "If they dispatched a Golden Immortal-stage diviner to ascertain Heavenly Venerate Xuanling's general whereabouts, wouldn't the rest be easy to handle?"

"Daoist Xu, do you truly believe diviners are omnipotent?" Qi Shuting analyzed. "To divine an immortal's whereabouts, it not only requires their vital blood but also a specific immortal artifact. For more complex cases, the assistance of a special grand array is also necessary. How could it be so easy to divine his location? If the karmic entanglements he's involved in are too vast, the backlash would be immense. If Heavenly Venerate Xuanling possesses special treasures or talismans, the diviner would suffer greatly, possibly even perishing in severe cases. Given that he could trigger a beast tide, I estimate that Golden Immortal-stage diviners wouldn't dare attempt to divine his movements."

Diviners are highly revered in the Immortal Realm, but high-level diviners rarely divine personal movements due to significant restrictions. If the karmic entanglements are too vast, they themselves could face trouble. More often, diviners are consulted to divine opportunities for others.

"In the entire Tianchen Sea Region, Immortal Luoshui is the only Golden Immortal-stage diviner," Xiang Tianfeng said, a look of envy on his face. "The rapid rise of the Murong family is largely attributed to her." A high-level diviner is crucial to a faction, capable even of determining its rise or fall; the Murong family serves as a prime example. The Murong family's heritage spans less than ten million years, yet it stands as the largest force in the Tianchen Sea Region, eclipsing the Cangyun Palace, which boasts a heritage of over thirty million years. This is largely due to Immortal Luoshui, in addition to their own inherent strength. The Tianchen Sea Region has witnessed multiple major wars, yet the Murong family consistently incurred the fewest losses and experienced the smoothest development on the Chaos Continent. While one success might be attributed to luck, it's impossible for every instance to be mere chance.

"Indeed!" Qi Shuting said with an envious tone. "Unfortunately, divination is even more challenging than array formations. Talented individuals are rare, even if divination inheritances are relatively easier to obtain."

After chatting for over half an hour, they dispersed, each returning to their respective residences.

A day quickly passed. Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan stood at the entrance of an eighteen-story pavilion, its plaque displaying the large characters "Five Dragon Pavilion." A medium-built youth in a golden robe quickly emerged and respectfully stated, "Welcome, Senior Wang and Senior Wang, to our establishment. Patriarch Yushuang has been awaiting your arrival for some time."

Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan followed the golden-robed youth into the Five Dragon Pavilion. A faint medicinal aroma immediately greeted them, and numerous bottles and jars were neatly arranged on the shelves. A team of green-robed attendants were introducing elixirs to customers. Though the Huo family, which had initially risen to prominence through alchemy, was now in decline, elixirs remained their primary source of income.

Upon reaching the fifteenth floor, Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan met Huo Yushuang. The fifteenth floor was elegantly furnished. In a corner, a purple incense burner held a silver stick of incense, approximately a foot long. Faint white smoke unfurled, and a refreshing, subtle fragrance permeated the entire fifteenth floor. Huo Yushuang was seated beside an antique-styled tea table, upon which rested an exquisite tea set. Crafted from a type of jade, the tea ware featured delicate patterns on its surface.

"Daoist Wang, Madam Wang, please try our Huo family's exclusive spiritual tea, Red Glaze Tea," Huo Yushuang said. She picked up a blue teapot and poured two cups of steaming, reddish spiritual tea.

Wang Changsheng picked up the teacup and took a sip. A surge of heat flowed down his throat and into his abdomen; he felt as if he had consumed not tea, but a ball of raging fire. After a moment, the heat dissipated, replaced by a refreshing coolness. His divine soul felt incredibly comfortable; this tea indeed possessed the effect of nourishing the soul.

"Excellent tea!" Wang Changsheng exclaimed. He praised it, then drained the tea in his cup.

Before attending the meeting, Wang Chuanming had already briefed Wang Changsheng on the Huo family's circumstances, including their True Immortal cultivators, their divine abilities, dispositions, treasured items, and their most valuable immortal elixirs. Red Glaze Tea was indeed the Huo family's exclusive spiritual tea, renowned for its soul-nourishing properties. However, it could only be harvested once every 300,000 years, yielding merely tens of catties of processed tea at a time, making it exceptionally precious.

Huo Yushuang smiled faintly and poured Wang Changsheng another cup. After a few cups of tea, they began to converse freely.

"Madam Huo," Wang Changsheng began, getting straight to the point. "I am very interested in Azure Dragon Pills. I wonder if you could sell some to me? I can offer items in exchange."