Chapter 111: Old Monster's Deal

Snowlight reflected off Jiuyou's youthful face, his expression calm, brows relaxed, dark light flickering in his eyes like a crescent moon's glow against the sky.

The biting wind swept past, and the young man spoke in a flat tone.

"Not curious."

As the words fell, Jiuyou's heart stirred. Several ancient relics slowly floated above his head and beneath his feet, mirroring each other like an upright Bagua disc, rotating slowly. Spiritual light interwove, cold glints flickered, a sight that made one's heart skip a beat.

No one who came would ever expect a Mid-Nascent Soul cultivator to possess so many ancient relics, several of which were objects of astonishing power.

The brilliance around Jiuyou flared brighter, his posture clearly stating that he would fight to the death if anything went wrong. But he did not strike. The other party was right. Sustaining control over so many magical treasures for an extended period could have his magic power replenished by Ten Thousand Year Spirit Milk, but the drain on his Divine Sense was not something that could recover quickly.

Moreover, the distant roar of that Tier 10 Demon King filled him with mounting wariness. Blood Abyss Sect's Nether Luo was dead, his Soul Lamp extinguished along with him. His sect must have already received word, and who knew if they were already on their way.

If he continued fighting like this, perhaps...

The young man deliberated for a moment, his gaze still unmoved. He simply stared quietly at the other party, as serene as the desert snow and cold wind around him.

On the other side, the youth who called himself Shang Ming, the Grand Supreme, saw Jiuyou's indifferent yet murderous gaze. He deliberately paced back and forth in the air a few times with feigned urgency, then let out a helpless smile, his tone carrying a hint of placating a child.

"Not curious? Heh heh, what's the matter, still angry? It's not like I nearly killed you or anything, what's the big deal? This cultivation world has always been about fighting, killing, life and death, and trading interests, isn't that how it's always been? Don't you want to reach Spirit Transformation?"

Spirit Transformation.

The moment those words left his mouth, Jiuyou's ears instinctively latched onto the key point. A strange glimmer actually flashed across his usually composed face. That fleeting change in expression was instantly caught by the other party.

A sinister smile crossed Shangming's face. He clapped his hands, his tone laced with temptation.

"That's right, Spirit Transformation... let me tell you. That remote Tianyuan Sea you came from, and Lingchuan where you went later, neither has a Spirit Transformation cultivator. But here in Qian Prefecture, there are several old monsters at the Spirit Transformation stage. From what I know, the trouble at Tianyuan Sea has already been resolved. Guess who made the move? And who would even have the qualifications to do so?"

Jiuyou's heart suddenly clenched.

What did the other party mean by this? Could it be that the blood mist... had been dealt with by a Spirit Transformation cultivator?

He coldly recalled the powerful Divine Sense that had swept over him back in Blood Demon Valley. Could that have been a Spirit Transformation cultivator from Qian Prefecture? They received word and crossed Blood Demon Valley directly to reach Lingchuan, or even Heavenly Abyss Mountain in the Tianyuan Sea?

Jiuyou was slightly stirred inside, yet his expression remained completely unchanged. As if he had pondered for a long time, he finally answered slowly.

"Fine. What are your terms?"

Seeing Jiuyou agree so readily, Shangming naturally beamed with joy. His gaze flicked toward Jiuyou's Mutated Soul-Eating Insects, and he licked his lips with a sinister smile.

"Soul-Nourishing Wood. To have raised Mutated Soul-Eating Insects of such quality, you must have at least a few chunks of Soul-Nourishing Wood with considerable age on hand. I don't ask for much, just a palm-sized piece, at least three thousand years old. That shouldn't be too hard for you, should it?"

Jiuyou heard this but did not immediately agree. He shifted the topic, his tone turning icy.

"Hmph, your appetite is certainly not small. Why should I believe you actually have information about Spirit Transformation? And even if you do, I can't verify its authenticity right away. No matter how I look at it, I'm the one at a disadvantage."

The youth took his time, taking a few more steps in the air before finally sitting down out of sheer boredom, crossing his legs. After hearing Jiuyou's words, he nodded as if in agreement.

He sprang back to his feet, a flash of rosy light shimmering in his right palm, and a brown Bamboo Slip appeared in his hand. He looked at Jiuyou with nothing but "sincerity" in his eyes.

"Don't worry, I've always been the most faithful to good faith. This Bamboo Slip records the method of replacing the Nascent Souls of nine Late Nascent Soul cultivators from Blood Abyss Sect's forbidden Spirit Transformation art, the 'Blood Soul Forbidden Art.'

And that ten-thousand-year Nether Soul Spirit Mushroom is the best substitute they've been able to find so far. This item is an extremely special spiritual object. Over the years accumulated in this treacherous place, it has absorbed the souls of those who died over the past ten thousand years. The refined spirit essence within it has every possibility of replacing the Nascent Soul of a Late Nascent Soul cultivator."

The corner of his mouth curled up.

"Hahaha, weren't you curious at first about how I possessed Late Nascent Soul strength right after the Possession? Those mere three cultivators' Nascent Souls were certainly not enough. Another major reason was that ten-thousand-year spiritual fungus. By devouring the massive amount of spirit essence contained within it, I was able to rapidly recover to my current state."

Before he could finish speaking, another enormous roar echoed from the deep valley in the distance, even more furious and frenzied than before.

Shangming's expression changed drastically, his tone hurried.

"Well? Still unwilling to trade? Let me tell you, the opportunity for Spirit Transformation is something you can't just stumble upon whenever you want. This Bamboo Slip records this person's centuries of research on the replacement method. Now it's only one step away from actual testing."

He spoke while observing Jiuyou's face. Seeing that Jiuyou remained completely unruffled, he quickly added.

"Don't blame me for not warning you. That's a Tier 10 Demon King with a trace of ancient demon beast bloodline. Its combat power far exceeds that of same-rank Demon Kings. It sleeps once every hundred years, and each sleep lasts at least fifty years. Our great battle just now completely woke it up, and it will definitely come looking for trouble with the both of us. In our current states, we are absolutely no match for it."

He paused, then continued.

"Oh right, those two Early Nascent Soul cultivators' Storage Pouches are still where they died. I haven't touched them. I'll give them to you as well, just exchange it for a thousand-year piece of Soul-Nourishing Wood. My demands are already very low. You definitely won't lose out."

Before the words even faded, thunderous rumbling sounds came from the distant valley. The ground trembled under the weight of heavy footsteps, growing closer and closer. Some colossal creature was charging in their direction.

Jiuyou glanced at Shangming once more. Seeing the other party's resolute attitude, he knew that if they didn't trade now, Shangming would immediately flee. He also understood this was the greatest leverage the other party could offer.

He fell silent for a few breaths.

Jiuyou spoke slowly, his voice low.

"Give me the Bamboo Slip and the Storage Pouches first."

Shangming's brow furrowed, then relaxed. He knew this was Jiuyou testing whether the items were genuine. Time was pressing, and he couldn't be bothered to quibble. He raised his hand and tossed the Bamboo Slip and the two Storage Pouches over.

Jiuyou raised his hand to receive them. Those few items hovered several zhang away as his Divine Sense instantly probed into the Bamboo Slip. A moment later, he gave a slight nod and tucked the Bamboo Slip into his robe. He also swept his gaze over the two Storage Pouches, confirmed there were no hidden tricks, and stored them away as well.

He flipped his palm, retrieving a fist-sized piece of Soul-Nourishing Wood from his Storage Pouch. Dark light swirled around it, and soul energy emanated in wisps. Its quality barely exceeded a thousand years, but it was far smaller than the "palm-sized" piece Shangming had demanded.

Shangming took the Soul-Nourishing Wood, his face darkening.

"You..."

He took a deep breath, glared fiercely at Jiuyou, but did not flare up. Time waited for no one. The Demon King's aura was growing closer by the moment. He tucked the Soul-Nourishing Wood into his sleeve and let out a cold snort.

"Fine, you win."

Before the words faded, his entire body transformed into a streak of blood-red light, shooting off in another direction at breakneck speed. In the blink of an eye, he vanished beyond the horizon, not even sparing a moment to look back.

Jiuyou watched the other party's retreating figure, a cold laugh in his heart. He didn't dawdle either. Gathering up all his ancient relics, a gray light flared from the Heavenly Wind Robe on his body as he transformed into a pitch-black streak of light, speeding off in the direction he had come from.

The cold wind howled, the snowy plain receding rapidly beneath his feet. Behind him, the Tier 10 Demon King's roars shook heaven and earth, making everything tremble.

Jiuyou's expression remained wooden, his azure streak of light accelerating by another three parts.

He had no desire to see what that beast looked like, or what divine abilities it possessed.