“Half-step Nascent Soul stage?”
Lu Yang picked up the medallion. It looked older than his and Meng Jingzhou’s ages combined.
A “half-step Nascent Soul stage” sounded intimidating enough, almost like an actual Nascent Soul, but wasn’t it still just the Golden Core stage when all was said and done?
With the combat prowess of the two brothers, every single metric of theirs belonged in the Nascent Soul stage, save for their actual cultivation boundary.
Any random Nascent Soul cultivator who met them would politely call them fellow daoists. If it were someone with no spine, they might even call them seniors. Of course, if it were someone who actually knew their true identities, shouting “Give me your life!” wasn’t out of the question either.
A treasure vault left by a half-step Nascent Soul was truly a chicken rib to them—worthless to keep, yet a pity to discard.
They barely cared for the Soul Formation stage.
What was Lu Yang’s status? Young Cult Master of the Heavenly Court Cult, majority shareholder of the Try Again Barbecue Shop, and patent holder of the flying car—saying he raked in mountains of gold every day was no exaggeration.
A rich second generation waiting around to die like Meng Jingzhou wasn’t even qualified to compare with him.
Meng Jingzhou also found the medallion rather useless.
As the Eldest Young Master of the Meng Family, calling himself the world’s number one playboy was no exaggeration. Anything he casually leaked through his fingers could incite a fierce struggle among Soul Formation powerhouses.
A freeloader like Lu Yang, who merely got lucky by latching onto Eldest Senior Sister and the Immortal Fairy, wasn’t even qualified to compare with him.
“Then many thanks, Chieftain.”
Since it was an act of goodwill from the chieftain, it was best to accept it.
If outsiders ever learned that the feeble Qiang Insect Tribe possessed such an item, it would bring utter ruin upon them.
“One more question: how did you know this opens a half-step Nascent Soul treasure vault?”
“Found together with this medallion was the corpse of a demon. The flesh and blood had already been gnawed clean by demon beasts, leaving only a skeleton, a sheet of paper, and this medallion. Our tribe was built right on top of that skeleton.”
“The paper was like a diary. It clearly stated the medallion’s function: it can open the entrance to the treasure vault. The vault’s owner was a mixed-blood white snake named Ancestor Baitan, but it didn’t mention the location of the vault.”
“So that’s how it is.”
The two did not press further; it seemed the chieftain didn’t know much about the medallion either.
Demon beasts were a rather peculiar existence among the demon race. Their bloodlines were pure, but their intellect was low—or rather, they lacked even the most rudimentary sapience. Yet because demon power was rooted in bloodline, demon beasts were often exceptionally formidable.
As for what caused their low intellect, Lu Yang guessed it was an issue of inbreeding.
Marriages within three generations and five degrees of kinship were very common in the demon race. If placed in Great Xia, they wouldn’t even be eligible for a marriage certificate.
The two set out, following their predetermined route to rendezvous with Third Senior Sister.
Both slapped Divine Stride Talismans onto their legs. These were fine goods exchanged from the Mission Hall, deeply loved by disciples of the Dao Seeking Sect.
Because venturing out into the world made it easy to court trouble, the Divine Stride Talisman helped them swiftly escape dangerous situations and preserve their lives.
When used for traveling, the talisman was likewise superb.
Slapped onto the calves, the talismanic power generated a thrust that propelled the user forward, saving effort while boosting speed.
After sprinting at full speed for an entire day, they passed many Foundation Establishment demon tribes along the way. The commotion they made in passing was so loud that numerous old Foundation Establishment demons came out to inspect the situation. Upon seeing their lightning-fast speed, the demons were frightened into scurrying right back into their lairs.
At first glance, their cultivation was clearly higher. Many demons were proud and unruly; a mere glance from an outsider could be seen as an insult, easily inciting thunderous fury and courting disaster.
Bad news, bad news.
“Hmm? There are so many demons here, but it doesn’t look like a tribe. Could this be the cultivator market Old Ba mentioned?”
The demon race had no cities or towns, but they frequently needed to barter goods, so cultivator markets arose to meet the demand.
Those capable of opening a market in the Demon Domain were typically regional overlords with absolute crushing strength over the surrounding tribes. As for being socially adept or skilled in diplomacy, that was secondary.
“Let’s go take a look.”
A demon cultivator market was also something new to them.
Within the market were all transformed demon beasts. According to the Immortal Fairy, this had been one of the standardized measures established by the Five Ancient Celestials in antiquity—communicating in human form.
Demon species varied wildly. Large ones like the kunpeng stretched hundreds or thousands of li, while small ones resembled golden crows or jade rabbits. Not to mention, many had neither hands nor feet, and their daily living habits differed completely. When various demons mingled together, such issues grew even worse, causing numerous disputes over size and form in the ancient era.
Later, when the Five Celestials governed the world, they established the principle of putting humanity at the center; when different demons gathered together, all had to assume human form.
Though the Five Celestials vanished one after another, their influence endured to this day.
Transforming didn’t mean becoming completely human either. With Immortal Kirin as a role model, many demons retained part of their race when transforming—such as the rabbit clan keeping their ears, the cat clan keeping their tails, and so forth.
There were also demons that transformed completely, so Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou did not stand out in the market.
“Come take a look! Dry Qi Pills concocted by Master Golden Monkey, five hundred spirit stones a pill!”
“What? Pills made by Master Golden Monkey?! Master Golden Monkey is a Foundation Establishment-grade grandmaster alchemist with a one-in-three success rate!”
“Blades and clubs forged by the Bronze Rhinoceros Tribe! Guaranteed quality, bigger discounts for bigger purchases! We even have a dharma treasure personally refined by the Bronze Rhinoceros Tribe’s chieftain! Wielding it, an early-stage eighth-layer Qi Refinement cultivator could very well defeat an early-stage ninth-layer Qi Refinement cultivator!”
“What?! Such a massive boost, crossing an entire minor realm!”
Lu Yang: “...”
Meng Jingzhou: “...”
What kind of shoddy vegetable market was this? What kind of garbage were they selling? A one-in-three success rate—on Pill Cauldron Peak, the Seventh Elder would beat someone to death for that.
And that dharma treasure refined by the Bronze Rhinoceros chieftain was riddled with impurities and flaws. Even Lu Yang, who knew nothing of artifact forging, could craft something better.
“There really aren’t any experts in this market. Just a bunch of Qi Refinement cultivators and the occasional Foundation Establishment one.”
Both had rich combat experience. With just a glance at the way the demons walked and breathed, they could roughly gauge their cultivations.
“Forget it. A place like this ought to have a pawnshop. Let’s just sell the medallion.”
In the most bustling section of the market, the two found a pawnshop.
A pawnshop rarely saw business, but a single deal could feed them for half a year. The clerk was currently dozing off out of boredom. He had a pair of large horns atop his head, resembling those of a water buffalo.
For the past two months, he hadn’t received any decent goods—just worthless trinkets—and the shop boss had gone inside to sleep.
“Clerk, take a look at this medallion and tell us how much it’s worth.”
Lu Yang retrieved the medallion from his robes and handed it to the clerk.
At first, the clerk didn’t care. He swept a casual glance over it, but then his eyes glued themselves to the medallion, unable to look away.
“Th-This...”
Seeing the medallion, the clerk’s heart skipped a beat.
If this really was that legendary treasure, they would make an absolute fortune!
Judging by Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou’s indifferent expressions, they probably didn’t recognize what they had.
He hurriedly called over the boss, who was currently lying flat in bed fast asleep.
Upon hearing the clerk’s description, the boss bolted upright from his bed.
If this was genuine, their pawnshop wouldn’t need to open for the next ten years!
It was unclear what race the boss hailed from; a pristine white horn grew atop his head, and snake scales covered his neck. Perhaps he was a mixed-blood demon.
The moment the boss saw the medallion, his hands trembled so violently that he nearly dropped it.
This was actually the famous Ancestor Baitan’s treasure medallion!
This belonged to the legendary Ancestor Baitan, who had been a mere half-step away from the Nascent Soul stage!
The corners of Lu Yang’s and Meng Jingzhou’s eyes twitched slightly. Why did their reaction make it feel like Ancestor Baitan wasn’t a half-step Nascent Soul, but a half-step Tribulation Transcendence?
Chapter 565