Bombarding Cultivators with Cluster Artillery

The foundation-building cultivator who had been captured by Fox King Bai Hua and under whose restrictions he was placed,

was none other than Han Lin, whom they hadn’t seen for a long time!

”It really has been a long time.”

Jiang Ding sighed slightly.

This one had rather unlucky fate; just when he had decided to explore the Demon Country to find a way to escape the war and head to the Northern Plains Cultivation World, he was captured by the rather leisurely Fox King Bai Hua.

But this was also expected.

Although his journey seemed smooth and without troubles, that was because no monsters or cultivators were qualified to discover him.

For other foundation-building cultivators to think about leaving a Cultivation Domain was like flirting with death, facing incessant crises. To have made it to the capital of the Demon Country was nothing short of a stroke of good fortune.

Jiang Ding could understand.

The other one, with a quadruple spiritual root, without the backing of a powerful organization, and possessing inferior cultivation methods, could only gamble with his life to attempt the foundation establishment, seeking the slim chance to succeed.

He glanced over and then looked away.

They had some acquaintance, and he could lend a hand if it was convenient.

But taking on a mid-stage Golden Pill fox monster head-on? Forget it - at most, he would pour a cup of wine to pay respects when he would eradicate man-eating monsters en route someday.

Jiang Ding’s gaze returned to the first float’s leading courtesan, the handsome and confident Yulingzi, and his heart stirred slightly.

Through divine consciousness,

he appeared to be nothing more than a mortal, inside and out.

Perhaps just a bit more confident, but that was normal. Many of the demon race who made a living as courtesans had special training methods. Not to mention confidence, they could cultivate traits like inferiority, shyness, or generosity if given enough spirit stones.

But from the perspective of Sword Intent,

this was an Early stage Golden Elixir Cultivator!

”The aura of an unfamiliar magic-level technique, stronger than the techniques of Qiyu Sect, even those of Xuetu Hall, among those of the same level. It must have a high magic level.”

Jiang Ding’s expression remained unchanged as countless thoughts surged through him.

”He must be a foreign Golden Pill cultivator, and moreover, he must have some designs on Fox King Bai Hua, daring to target a mid-stage Golden Pill so fearlessly.”

”It’s even possible that he’s from the Liudao Sect...”

Jiang Ding shuddered inside.

The floats gradually moved away, the noisy crowd gradually calming down.

Jiang Ding changed his stride, abandoning the idea of entering Lingbao Trading Company, and instead turned towards the Chuyun Commerce Association made of white jade. He also turned down the intensity of his disguise to stand out amongst foundation-building cultivators, and then added some well-concealed injuries.

He entered.

It wasn’t as dazzling as he imagined; the light was soft. Looking around, demon cultivators came and went, mostly trading spirit ores and elixirs for weapons and elixirs, with one or two demon generals present.

”Honored Demon General.”

A beautiful maid, at the late-stage of Qi practicing, whose magic tool had just vibrated slightly in her arms, hurriedly stepped forward, her voice soft, ”Welcome to our shop. This is a branch of the Northern Plains’ large Chuyun Commerce Association. We have elixirs, magic tools, and demon cultivation methods of everything you could need,

and even if we don’t have it now, with a deposit of three thousand spirit stones or thirty thousand Vital Souls with pre-death intelligence, it can be brought over from the headquarters in twenty years.”

”This way, please.”

The beautiful maid led Jiang Ding to a private room, served him a pot of first-order Spiritual Liquor, and poured it herself.

”I want to buy information.”

Jiang Ding didn’t bother with pleasantries or beating around the bush and went straight to the point, ”I want information about the Cultivation World in the Northern Plains, especially about recent major events, as well as details about the Spiritless Gobi.”

”Does Chuyun Commerce Association engage in this kind of business?”

”We do.”

The beautiful maid’s eyes lit up, and she bowed on one knee, ”Please wait a moment.”

Sometime later, an aura belonging to the Latter Stage of Foundation Building approached, and a pale-skinned young man appeared at the door, entering from outside and cupping his hands, ”My name is Xu Zheng, I pay my respects to you, fellow daoist.”

”Fellow daoist? Who’s your fellow daoist?”

Jiang Ding’s expression changed.

”Then it appears I’ve been too presumptuous, Brother Hou.”

The pale young man smiled, ”I thought that only human cultivators would be interested in the Northern Plains Cultivation World. Demon cultivators, even when they leave their clans, usually prefer going to Wanyao Valley.”

”That was thoughtless of me, Brother Hou, please excuse my words.”

”This is a rough overview of the Northern Plains Cultivation World, along with a map of the Spiritless Gobi. The total price is fifty thousand low-grade spirit stones, or alternatively, five hundred thousand souls with spiritual intelligence from before their death.”

He placed two jade slips on the table.

”That’s too expensive.”

Jiang Ding frowned, ”Foundation Building Pills only cost around ten thousand spirit stones each, and this is just some information and a map, nothing top-secret...”

”The shop does not bargain.”

Xu Zheng smiled and said, ”I assure you, Brother Hou, you will find the same prices elsewhere, only more expensive, never cheaper.”

He had an indifferent take-it-or-leave-it attitude.

Jiang Ding fell silent for a moment.

”Fine.”

He waved his hand, releasing fifty thousand low-grade spirit stones, picked up the jade slips, and poured Divine Sense into them.

”...Northern Plains Cultivation World, the strife between good and evil, the Great Sun Sect of the evil schools... truce since over a hundred years ago... still without a ripple...”

Divine Consciousness scanned the content, and it was similar to the information from Qiyu Sect, although the current situation differed slightly from King Kong Que’s memory.

It also included a map of the Spiritless Gobi.

Jiang Ding looked at the pale young man once again, stood up, and left.

...

Xu Zheng ignored the fine spirits on the table in favor of pouring himself some tea. Drinking it alone, he stared at the retreating back of the demon monkey and pondered something.

”Manager.”

A short, rotund Early Stage Foundation Building Cultivator walked in and whispered, ”Should we inform Tu Mountain Demon Palace directly, like with the last one?”

”No, bring a few junior brothers along, I will act personally.”

Xu Zheng licked his lips, ”This one is much richer than the last, likely a ruler of a small Golden Pill Sect trying to flee for his life.”

”Moreover, I have a premonition that his eyes and hands are of great use, suitable to be grafted onto my body and accelerate my cultivation progress.”

”Yes!”

The short Foundation-builder showed a look of envy and responded firmly.

In Tianrendao, the cultivation of the ”Tiaren Transformation Method” is practiced; it dictates that Tianren are immaculate. The technique is devious and special, requiring the replacement of body parts such as arms, facial skin, eyeballs, livers, etc., from others with exceptional talent, which are then integrated to form the Tianren mystic body.

Their cultivation also involves a secret technique for sensing compatibility, allowing them to discern which body parts match their own.

Seeing how strong this senior brother’s sense of compatibility is, he will surely ascend to a higher realm of cultivation after replacing parts of his body.

After leaving the shop, Jiang Ding did not linger but hurriedly headed outside the city, quickly disappearing over the horizon.

Some time later,

He landed on the sands a hundred or so kilometers away.

”The accuracy of the information cannot be judged.”

Jiang Ding muttered to himself, ”The credibility of these Cultivation World trading companies is not trustworthy. Even if there’s nothing wrong, they could easily omit details or shift the timeline of the information, forward or backward. It shouldn’t be used as a basis for strategic or tactical decisions.”

”This is my first time handling such matters; I’m still inexperienced. I wonder if he will come after me.”

The edge of his robe was tainted with a faint, invisible fragrance that he controlled painstakingly to prevent the Electromagnetic Stealth Robe from automatically cleansing and shielding it.

”If he doesn’t come, I’ll simply enter the city and abduct him. Given the mingling resentful spirits around him and how he spoke of souls, he’s no good man. It would be like acting on behalf of heaven.”

Before a quarter of an hour passed, six Foundation-building cultivators with concealed forms appeared on the horizon, silently flying this way without disturbing a trace of Spiritual Energy or kicking up dust or sand.

”Lucky me.”

Jiang Ding revealed a smile.