owlsbooks Chapter 153 Crossing Boundaries, Ice and Snow Valley Market
Chapter 153 Crossing Boundaries, Ice and Snow Valley Market
Several months later.
The border region between the Eastern Ming Kingdom and the Southern Yue Kingdom.
In the midst of continuous mountain ranges.
A blood-red warship, hundreds of feet long, flew over the mountains. A hideous blood-red skull was branded on one side of the ship. The warship sailed by in a grand manner, without making any attempt to conceal itself.
The cultivators from the Southern Yue Kingdom stationed at the border did not intercept the blood-red ship upon seeing it, but instead chose to let it pass.
In the Two Realms Mountains, which lie between the two great cultivation kingdoms, the demon cultivators above the Core Formation stage all chose to avoid seeing the ship and ignored it.
The owner of that blood-red ship was the Blood God Sect, a Nascent Soul stage power within the Southern Yue Kingdom.
There are at least a dozen demonic cultivators at the Core Formation stage and two old demons at the Nascent Soul stage within the sect, all of whom are notorious. It can be said that the Blood God Sect has a formidable reputation within the Southern Yue Kingdom.
Even those Nascent Soul cultivators within the Eastern Sea Kingdom were willing to give the Blood God Sect face.
That is why the Blood God Sect has established merchant guilds in major markets in both the Eastern Sea Kingdom and the Southern Yue Kingdom, in order to earn spirit stones from the lower-level cultivators.
Currently, the territory of Dongming Kingdom is ravaged by sea monsters and is quite chaotic. It is precisely because of this that many cultivators of Dongming Kingdom are willing to spend a lot of money to leave Dongming Kingdom and seek refuge in Nanyue Kingdom.
However, the Nascent Soul forces within the Eastern Sea Kingdom have already ordered the closure of many market and merchant guild access routes.
Very few merchant guilds are allowed to pass; only those with Nascent Soul stage power are permitted to pass.
However, due to the pressure from the Nascent Soul stage forces above, they will be forced to reduce the number of times the ships pass through, changing it to once every three days.
However, precisely because of this, even a single ticket on this luxury ship is sold for an exorbitant price.
now.
The interior of the ship.
Lin Li, dressed in a black robe and with the appearance of a fox head and a human body, was sitting cross-legged in a cabin.
The Blackwater Demon King did not follow Lin Li to the Southern Yue Kingdom, because the Blackwater Demon King had been placed under a restriction by a Nascent Soul stage demon cultivator from the Star Sea. Core Formation stage cultivators like the Blackwater Demon King who had surrendered twice would be restrained by such restrictions.
That's why Lin Li only brought eight sea monsters at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage or above with him on this trip, stuffing them all into his spirit pet bag and carrying them with him.
The rest was left to the Blackwater Demon King, who was to continue managing the Five Poisons Sect and searching for and cultivating Gu worms with exceptional bloodlines within the sect.
If a mutated Gu worm could be cultivated, that would be ideal, as it would be of great help to Lin Li.
Lin Li traveled in a very low-key manner.
The purpose of this trip is to go to Zhuixian Valley in Yunzhou, Nanyue Kingdom.
The cultivation aura of a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator was suppressed to around the early-stage Foundation Establishment level, so as not to be too conspicuous.
Now, his bloodline aptitude is improving every day, and it is already extremely close to the upper level of the third tier.
It's estimated that within a few days, his bloodline aptitude will be upgraded to the upper level of the third tier, and the fourth tier Nascent Soul stage aptitude will be just around the corner.
Lin Li's cabin had a total of four berths, with a narrow aisle and cramped space.
Among these multi-story ships, it is considered to be of medium quality.
Further down, there are six and eight berths, which are even more crowded.
At the bottom level, there was a cargo hold, which was also crammed with people, all to make the most of the space and create an extra ticket for leaving Dongming Kingdom.
Notice.
Each ticket could fetch a high price.
The cargo holds at the bottom were mostly purchased by Qi Refining stage cultivators, while Foundation Establishment stage cultivators like Lin Li purchased separate cabins.
After all, this three-tiered building ship is only so big. With fewer ships traveling together, the only option is to make the most of its space.
"Fellow Daoist Liu, as a spiritual cultivator, what are your plans now that you've arrived at the Ice and Snow Valley market?"
"The attitude towards spiritual practice in the Southern Yue Kingdom is much better than it was in the Eastern Sea."
At that moment, the young man in blue robes on the bed opposite Lin Li asked with a hint of curiosity.
Besides, on the other two berths, there was an old woman in a gray robe and a young female cultivator in a white robe, wearing a jade crown and holding a whisk. The female cultivator had a bit of cinnabar between her eyebrows, which was very conspicuous on her snow-white skin.
"I have one or two friends in the Southern Yue Kingdom, and I will have no choice but to seek refuge with them."
Lin Li slowly opened his eyes, looked at the ordinary-looking man in the green robe in front of him, and said calmly.
"A friend?"
"I wonder if Fellow Daoist Liu would be interested..."
Before the man in the green robe surnamed Yan could finish speaking, Lin Li slowly shook his head.
"I have already made arrangements with my friend, and besides, I am used to being carefree and have no plans to join any merchant guild or sect for the time being."
Lin Li refused without hesitation.
His destination was naturally the Treasure Market outside Fallen Immortal Valley.
Being in a prime location gives one an advantage; if the fourth-order restriction in Fallen Immortal Valley were to be opened, the Treasure Market would undoubtedly be the first to suffer.
It is very likely that this was the first place they would stay in Linchuan.
"In that case, I will say no more."
The man surnamed Yan then fell silent, a hint of regret flashing in his eyes. He then looked at the other two figures in the cabin, an old man and a young man, who were all sitting cross-legged on their berths, meditating peacefully.
A spiritual energy shield was erected around him, giving him an air of keeping people at a distance.
Moreover, the old man and the young man clearly came aboard together. Both of them are cultivators at or above the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, and it is highly likely that they both have sect inheritances.
Those two would definitely look down on their chamber of commerce's influence, and even if they tried to say a few more words, the other party would most likely ignore them.
Three days passed.
With the ship rocking slightly, they arrived smoothly at Ice Valley Market, located in the easternmost state of the Southern Yue Kingdom.
Furthermore, because the Ice Valley Market is built on a snow-capped peak thousands of feet high, it is covered in ice and snow year after year.
hum!
Inside the cabin.
Lin Li and the others, who had been sitting quietly for several days, opened their eyes almost at the same time. Their divine senses all detected that the formation outside the ship had been dispelled.
A Foundation Establishment divine sense descended upon them, and they all heard a woman's voice in their ears.
"Fellow Daoists, we have arrived at Ice Valley Market. Please disembark immediately."
"If any fellow Daoists wish to return to Baihua Mountain Market within the territory of Dongming Kingdom, they may come back in three days."
After the transmission of sound.
Lin Li and the man surnamed Yan walked out of the cabin one after the other. The old woman and the girl who were slightly inside exchanged a glance and then followed them out.
After exiting the cabin, they passed through a passage several tens of feet long and arrived at the deck outside the ship. They could see Foundation Establishment cultivators emerging from their respective cabins.
Anti-flight magic array.
Lin Li frowned slightly.
Standing on the deck, Lin Li looked around and saw that all around him were pavilions covered in ice and snow, most of them dozens of stories high, and some even hundreds of feet tall, like straight, towering ice and snow buildings.
The ship was situated on a vast ice and snow platform, and around it, one could clearly see numerous flying boats of varying sizes docked.
Many Qi Refining cultivators were also unloading goods from the surrounding airships, their bodies steaming with heat.
Lin Li could now sense a very obvious anti-air formation enveloping him.
So many Foundation Establishment cultivators…
Lin Li glanced at the number of cultivators on the deck. There must be at least a hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators. So many Foundation Establishment cultivators were escaping from the Eastern Sea Kingdom on every passing ship.
How could those Nascent Soul stage forces within the Eastern Sea Kingdom tolerate this?!
If so many Foundation Establishment cultivators are allowed to leave the cultivation world of Dongming Kingdom simply because of the Blood God Sect's intimidation, then the price and number of tickets on this ship will definitely skyrocket in the future.
What a great deal!
Looking at so many Foundation Establishment cultivators, Lin Li figured that the spirit stones he earned from this trip would be enough to buy a fourth-tier spirit item.
Simultaneously.
On one side of the deck, a servant opened a small door leading to the underground cargo hold, from which several slightly disheveled Qi Refining cultivators emerged.
And they all had a putrid smell.
Lin Li glanced at it and, like the other cultivators, stepped off the deck of the ship. He decided to go into the city first and find out what was happening in the Fallen Immortal Valley.
Then we will proceed with the next step of the plan.
As for information about Lingxu City, it's estimated that it's impossible to find out anything about it in this Ice and Snow Valley market.
After all, the information in that city mostly came from Nascent Soul stage cultivators.
Lin Li wouldn't be foolish enough to deliberately inquire about Lingxu City; if he did it, he would inevitably leave a trace.
That's the flaw.
Especially those old monsters in the Nascent Soul stage, each one of them is a cunning old fox, so one must be cautious when dealing with them.
"Fellow Daoist Liu, this is my address in the Ice and Snow Valley Market. If you change your mind, you may come here to find me."
"I will not change the location of this cave dwelling for at least three years."
After disembarking from the ship, the man surnamed Yan took out a jade slip from his storage bag, imprinted the location of his current cave dwelling on the jade slip, bowed, and then turned to leave.
Lin Li looked at the communication jade slip floating in front of him, released his divine sense, and carefully examined the jade slip several times. After confirming that there was no hidden trick in the jade slip, he put it away.
However, when he leaves this Ice and Snow Valley, Lin Li will naturally dispose of the jade slip and throw it away.
Foundation Establishment cultivators like Lin Li can easily mobilize their internal spiritual energy to form a spiritual energy shield around their bodies, preventing the invasion of the surrounding cold air and allowing them to move freely without any inconvenience.
As for the Qi Refining cultivators, they couldn't be as carefree as the Foundation Establishment cultivators. Many of them were shivering from the cold, after all, the Ice and Snow Valley Market was built in a valley between these high peaks.
The cold wind raged.
It is very difficult for cultivators who practice Qi cultivation to survive in it.
After Lin Li stepped off the stone platform, there was a passage leading to the underground of the Ice and Snow Valley. Once he entered the underground area, several feet below, most of the surrounding chill dissipated.
Beneath the ground, an underground city has been carved out of the Ice and Snow Valley Market.
The underground location.
Lin Li immediately noticed a number of demon cultivators setting up stalls on both sides of the road, creating a lively scene. The surrounding rock walls were inlaid with red flame stones the size of goose eggs.
Although those Crimson Flame Stones were just cheap, low-grade first-tier spirit stones, they could continuously release warmth, making the entire underground city feel like spring all year round.
Qi cultivators don't need to mobilize their own spiritual energy to resist the cold.
However, the distance between the ship's docked location and the outside requires some spiritual energy to resist.
At this moment, Lin Li walked on the streets of this underground city, and a faint wisp of his divine sense swept across the area on both sides of the stall.
Maybe we can find a bargain.
It's a pity. If we had a treasure-hunting spirit dog like Er Gou, we would definitely be able to find good things in this Ice and Snow Valley Market.
"Huh?"
"Is this an animal skeleton?"
Lin Li sensed that his divine sense, which was comparable to that of the mid-stage Core Formation realm, was being blocked by a piece of unknown, dark beast bone, which aroused his curiosity.
Then she walked toward a seemingly ordinary stall in front of her. The stall owner was a thin girl who looked to be only ten years old. She was wrapped in a thin black dress and was curled up against the wall.
When Lin Li approached, the girl in black merely glanced at him a few times and then ignored him.
This stall sells practically everything.
The stall sells talismans, cultivation techniques, array plates, and spiritual herbs, but most of the items are of low to medium grade one, with only a handful of medium grade three items.
The stall owner, a girl in black, was only at the fourth level of Qi Refining, and she was surrounded by death energy. According to Lin Li's calculations, the girl's vital energy was severely depleted, and she didn't have many years left to live.
Within her dantian, a pulling force was slowly eroding the spiritual energy within the black-clad girl.
After sensing it with his divine sense, Lin Li felt a sense of curiosity about it. Perhaps he could explore the contents of the girl's dantian, especially if it was related to living beings.
It can also collect a portion of the bloodline and add it to the Reincarnation Plate.
No matter how you calculate it, you won't lose out.
"How much are these items?"
Lin Li suppressed his Foundation Establishment stage aura, revealing only a faint aura comparable to the late Qi Refining stage. At this moment, he, along with the unknown beast bone and the other three spiritual objects, spoke to it and asked a question.
"If you are interested, you can take it for twenty-seven spirit stones."
"Those few spiritual herbs are not expensive, but I obtained that beast bone from a cultivator, which cost me a lot."
The thin, black-clad stall owner girl's gaze fell on the piece of animal bone, and then she began to speak.
Then.
After haggling a few times, Lin Li took all the items from the stall with him.