Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension Chapter 1532: 829: Jiuxuan City, Ku Rong Forests (Part 2)
The avenue stretched broad and direct, flanked by lively stores including the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, the Artifact Refining Tower, the Elixir Cauldron Pavilion, and the Spirit Medicine Room. Countless cultivators bustled to and fro, with commerce flourishing vigorously.
Zhao Sheng strolled down the avenue, casting casual looks at the establishments lining either side, his face showing a touch of apathy.
Having traversed roughly seven or eight miles, he reached the vicinity of an enormous root etched with scale-like fissures, measuring more than three hundred feet across.
Gazing upon the majestic entrance carved specially under the root, Zhao Sheng halted abruptly, eyed the couplets flanking it, and noted they proclaimed: “The moon and sun in the pot float on the ocean; the Qi Sea nurtures the universe and grows the Golden Lotus.”
Such grand claims!
In a flash of intent, Zhao Sheng entered the premises.
Once inside, he discovered a vast chamber, overhead embedded with almost a hundred head-sized Bright Pearls, each radiating intense light that rendered the area as luminous as midday.
Around the chamber's walls stood nine arched gateways, each bearing spirit-script signs marking their purposes like the first layer Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion, the second layer Treasure Restaurant, the third layer Auction House, the fourth layer Qunxian Residence…and others.
Zhao Sheng considered briefly before darting swiftly through the gateway to the first layer Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion.
The interior lay vacant, featuring just a small-scale transmission array etched into the ground.
Zhao Sheng entered the array, which promptly lit up gently, surrounding him in its glow.
Within an instant, he materialized in an elegant hall where seven or eight attendants clad in green robes, possessing striking looks, stood ready beyond the array.
As the arrival shimmered into view, one green-robed attendant advanced promptly: “Welcome, esteemed guest. I am Hu Shiba, here to serve you.”
“Hmm, I have some treasures to sell. You’re not capable for this; let Ku Rong Ancestor come personally.” Zhao Sheng exited the transmission array, regarded the individual, and abruptly declared with gravity.
The green-robed attendant replied politely, smiling: “Esteemed guest may not know, Ku Rong Ancestor only accommodates guests with Earth-level authority and above. For those below Earth-level, we handle the reception.”
Zhao Sheng smiled faintly: “Oh, how do I elevate my authority?”
Having fielded myriad such inquiries, the green-robed attendant elaborated readily: “Our trading company has three guest levels: Heavenly, Earth, and Human. Each level contains nine ranks… Anyone who spends over ten Directions of top-grade Spirit Stones here can elevate their authority to Earth-level, then with every ten Directions spent, they rise one rank… Additionally, Nascent Soul cultivators automatically get Human-level authority, Divinity Transformation True Monarch corresponds to Earth-level authority, and Half-Immortal of the Void are the supreme Heavenly level guests, immediately attended to by Ku Rong Ancestor upon arrival.”
Upon absorbing this, Zhao Sheng paused thoughtfully, then abruptly released his restraints, unleashing his aura.
At once, an immense, overpowering force materialized from nowhere, saturating the whole area.
Simultaneously, a Five-Colored Dao Lotus bloomed from void, radiating an unfathomable archaic Dao aura.
The following moment brought a thunderous rumble, causing the entire hall to quiver several times like an awakening entity.
Upon the west-side wooden wall of the hall, a colossal visage abruptly formed, sharply defined, eyes aglow with Wisdom Light, yet bearing a trace of wryness.
“Infinite Heavenly Venerate! So, a fellow Divinity Transformation cultivator has arrived. Old Ku Rong was remiss in not welcoming you sooner; I hope you will not take offense, Taoist Zhao.”
Zhao Sheng smiled faintly, flicked his sleeve suddenly, making the Five-Colored Dao Lotus vanish utterly, while the immense force faded away.
Though his cultivation had recently advanced to Late-stage Nascent Soul, mimicking nearly all of Divinity Transformation realm's pressure proved effortless.
Zhao Sheng formed a cupped-hand salute and stated, “I am Zhao Sheng, greetings, Elder Ku Rong. I was in a bit of a hurry, which led to my unruly display, disturbing you elder, and for that, I apologize.”
Ku Rong Ancestor truly embodied the essence of this Ancient Kuro tree. While its realm matched Divinity Transformation, its might and longevity greatly exceeded the Divinity Transformation Limit, placing its actual standing akin to a Half-Immortal of the Void.
The renown of Wanyou Trading Company across the Red Cloud Spirit Domain owed much to Ku Rong Ancestor.
“Haha, esteemed guest is too modest. I bear no grudges for such things. This isn’t the best place to chat, so please proceed to the Earth number six secret room for further discussion.”
With those words, the west-side wall of the hall split open abruptly, unveiling a pathway from emptiness.
Zhao Sheng’s eyes sparkled, and he morphed into a streak of Flowing Light, vanishing into the pathway.
Once he passed through, the pathway sealed shut instantly, restoring the hall wall to its prior state.
Shortly thereafter, within a room expansive, luminous, and simply furnished, Zhao Sheng positioned himself cross-legged on a timber lounge, peering with delight at the facing wall.
The wall displayed intricate wood patterns, centered by an embedded, pristine bead the size of a fist.
Right then, the facing wall parted suddenly, allowing an aged, bald figure with a sour look to step forth.
The old man wore a flowing green robe, shuffling unsteadily, seeming rather awkward in his gait.
“Infinite Heavenly Venerate! I am…”
Following some polite exchanges, Ku Rong Ancestor cut to the chase: “Haha, I am eager to see the treasures Taoist Zhao mentioned, please do present them, so I may feast my eyes.”
“Alright.” Zhao Sheng consented at once but shifted topics, “However, this place is too small, it’s rather limiting.”
“That’s not a problem; when I say it shall be large, it will be large!”
No sooner said, the whole secret room swelled autonomously, growing in size twofold or beyond.
“Is this sufficient?”
“Not enough, it needs to be ten times larger!”
“Alright, alright!” Enthralled, Ku Rong Ancestor stamped his foot, and sans any spell, the secret room enlarged once more.
After a single breath, the secret room had become a gigantic expanse exceeding a thousand feet in length and over a hundred meters in height.
Observing this, Zhao Sheng nodded approvingly, and abruptly, a circular mirror emerged from within him.
Next, ripples stirred on the mirror's face, from which a True Dragon Skeleton, immense like a peak, poured out.
Beholding the translucent, majestic True Dragon Skeleton, Ku Rong Ancestor’s countenance shifted, as a ray of Flowing Light darted beneath his feet.
The radiance dove into the earth, boosting its resilience by scores of times in a flash.
Boom!
The True Dragon Skeleton slammed down forcefully, provoking a deep-throated growl from the floor.
Bypassing Zhao Sheng’s explanation, Ku Rong Ancestor’s gaze lit up as he rushed ahead.
In a twinkling, he shifted into myriad verdant tree roots, enveloping the True Dragon Skeleton completely. The roots writhed through and around it like coiling snakes, producing sibilant noises.
Soon, Ku Rong Ancestor’s voice resounded through the secret room: “What a marvelous True Dragon Remains! And in such perfect preservation, truly rare, truly rare!”
Noting this, Zhao Sheng inquired, “May I ask, Taoist, what is the value of this treasure?”
“In terms of top-grade Spirit Stones, it’s worth at least a hundred Directions. But for trading treasures, it depends on what Taoist wishes to exchange for.”
“I intend to trade for Pocket World Jade. How many Directions can your company offer?”
“At most, three Directions,” Ku Rong Ancestor’s voice echoed in the room.
Without pause, Zhao Sheng countered, “Minimum ten Directions! Else I won’t trade!”
One Direction of Pocket World Jade can produce a hundred single jades, and each single jade can be exchanged for ten to several tens of top-grade Spirit Stones.
Of course, while top-grade Spirit Stones are solid currency, they aren’t particularly rare.
Pocket World Jade, on the other hand, is in high demand and often priceless. The two cannot be compared.
“Five Directions! The maximum is five Directions. Pocket World Jade is extremely rare. Our stock is only so much. Were it not for the Dragon Ball still inside this True Dragon, old I would offer no more than two Directions of Pocket World Jade.”
Ku Rong Ancestor was honest, not concealing the existence of the Dragon Ball.
Zhao Sheng certainly knew the skeleton contained a Dragon Ball; otherwise, he wouldn’t have offered the exorbitant price of ten Directions of Pocket World Jade.
“Impossible, the Dragon Ball can help a Dragon Serpent transform smoothly into a pureblood True Dragon, how precious! Minimum seven Directions of Pocket World Jade… Five Directions is acceptable, but it must be accompanied by twenty Directions of top-grade Spirit Stones.”
“Five Directions of Pocket World Jade and five Directions of top-grade Spirit Stones! This price is the highest in millennia. Old I never deceives, does Taoist believe?”
“I believe, certainly do! Just…”
After a fierce yet brief negotiation, Ku Rong Ancestor finally conceded a step, and the two parties settled at five Directions of Pocket World Jade and eleven Directions of top-grade Spirit Stones.
The secret room’s floor soon cracked open, and the True Dragon Skeleton slowly sank down.
Meanwhile, another Ku Rong Ancestor emerged from the wall, holding a dusty pouch.