Stealthily cultivating in the chaotic world of demons and martial artists
Chapter 460 - 458: Heavenly Dome Sea of Clouds (Celebration for the alliance leader’s diligence in reading)"_1

Chapter 460: Chapter 458: Heavenly Dome Sea of Clouds (Celebration for the alliance leader’s diligence in reading)"_1

Fang Xi and Nangong Li delved deep into the earth.

Before long, they arrived at a massive underground cavern.

The ground was clean and tidy, and embedded in the walls were fist-sized night pearls, emitting a dim glow...

Once in this place, Nangong Li’s aura became mysterious, conversing with Fang Xi only through Divine Consciousness Transmission as they took a seat in a corner.

Before long, a flash of earthy-yellow light appeared, and another Nascent Soul old monster arrived using ’Earth Escape Skills,’ wearing a bamboo hat that was an Exotic Treasure, impenetrable even to Divine Consciousness. He found a rock confidently and sat down in meditation, without any intention to converse with those around him.

Sometime later, Fang Xi’s Divine Consciousness stirred and his expression changed subtly.

Whoo-whoo!

From somewhere underground, suddenly came the sound of wind blowing.

With a flash of blue light, a member of the Transformed Demon Clan, looking like a young man in his twenties from the human race and dressed in a green feathered robe, walked in boldly and didn’t even bother to disguise his face.

"Sir, be cautious, this person is Feng Shisan from the ’Heavenly Phoenix Clan,’ a mid-tier peak strength of the fourth order. I once caught the attention of this demon and almost had my magic body destroyed, and had to flee with my Nascent Soul..."

Nangong Li conveyed to Fang Xi with a wary Divine Consciousness Transmission.

Although this woman had only recently reached the mid-Nascent Soul stage, her strength among Jiang Country’s Nascent Souls was certainly not weak.

Such wariness indicated the strength of this Feng Shisan; he might even rival the Unfettered Duke!

No wonder he dared to come to the private exchange meeting so boldly.

As long as he did not recklessly fall into a trap within a Great Array or get surrounded and attacked by multiple mid-Nascent Soul demons, within Jiang Country, he would presumably be free to do as he pleased.

After all, the Heavenly Phoenix Clan was known for excelling in speed with their Wind Fire and Void Attributes’ magical techniques and Divine Skills.

"I see, I wonder what formidable methods this demon possesses..."

Fang Xi showed a wary expression and asked Nangong Li in detail, preparing to see if he could defeat the other.

After all, Xiao Qing in his Spirit Beast Bag had already cultivated to the peak of the third tier and just needed an opportunity to advance!

After Feng Shisan’s arrival, more Nascent Souls from both the human and demon races appeared.

Most of them had concealed their forms, making it impossible to see their true faces.

As for using Divine Consciousness to forcefully break through?

Unless one’s Divine Consciousness was strong enough that all the cultivators present could not detect it, such actions would surely be met with hostility and a likely group assault, with the possibility of falling on the spot.

Fang Xi even saw a few cultivators with an aura only around Core Formation. It was unclear whether it was a deliberate concealment of their own magical power fluctuations or if they were truly just Core Formation cultivators...

But if Core Formation cultivators dared to come, they must have some kind of trump card, perhaps one or two fourth-order techniques!

...

After several hours, in the underground cavern, there were already more than thirty traders.

Seeing this scene, Fang Xi slightly furrowed his brows.

It wasn’t too few, but rather too many!

Even with some Core Formation cultivators among them, an unexpected number of top-stage cultivators from both the human race and the demon race had arrived!

’It seems, this situation has even received tacit approval from the upper echelons of both human and demon races?’

Fang Xi thought to himself, "That’s right... it’s said that it’s difficult to offend a collective fury. Even the Demon Lord Tian Du, if he offended all the Nascent Soul cultivators, probably wouldn’t live to see next year..."

As he was pondering, a cloud of white mist suddenly appeared in the space above the center of the cavern.

A figure emerged slowly from within the white cloud, wearing a white robe and with three whiskers, appearing quite the Immortal Taoist archetype.

"Unfettered Duke, your Cloud Escape Skill has become even more marvelous and ineffable..."

A human Nascent Soul cultivator complimented.

"Heh heh, the trivial talents of an old fogey, please forgive our inexperience, Fang Family..."

The Unfettered Duke cupped his hands towards all sides: "Among those present are previously acquainted fellows, as well as new friends... I shall reiterate the rules: please drop all hostilities and resolve all grievances during the trade meeting. Otherwise, myself and a few fellows will intervene to maintain order... As for what happens after the meeting, feel free to take action as you will. If the traded items contain hidden issues, I will not be responsible."

"Once the trade meeting begins, I will first auction items of my own and those entrusted to me by a few friends. After that, please proceed with your own dealings..."

"Hehe, to ensure everyone’s safety, all trades are to be conducted within my ’Heavenly Dome Sea of Clouds’..."

The Unfettered Duke said with a smile, his sleeve sweeping like flowing clouds.

Layers of white mist instantly enveloped the entire underground cavern, turning it into a sea of clouds.

Within the sea of clouds, a jade platform rose, and seats like white clouds appeared.

Sitting on a cloud-shaped chair, Fang Xi inwardly praised: ’This Unfettered Duke really knows how to enjoy life; this chair is extremely comfortable...’

Sitting in the chair, he looked towards the jade platform, feeling it was ethereal yet tangible, illusory yet real, profound and extraordinary.

With a flash of light and shadow, Unfettered Duke had already taken his place on the jade platform.

"Rumor has it, this Unfettered Duke possesses a type of ’Cloud Spiritual Root’ among the peculiar Spiritual Roots, reaching the Heaven Grade. In his youth, he accidentally entered the dongfu of an ancient cultivator by chance and fortuitously obtained his complete legacy. That ancient cultivator also practiced an ancient cloud-based cultivation method. After hundreds of years of secluded cultivation, he achieved a Great Nascent Soul and has since roamed Jiang Country unopposed, even mastering several powerful Divine Skills..."

"This ’Heavenly Dome Sea of Clouds,’ seemingly neither a magical treasure nor a Divine Skill... It’s said to be modeled after the ’Celebrating Cloud’ of an ancient Divine Skill cultivator, capable of defending and protecting the body, as well as harming others... It has various wonderful uses."

Fang Xi’s eyes moved slightly as he quietly recalled the information given by Nangong Li.

At that moment, Unfettered Duke continued, "I have ’Cloud River Sand’ weighing five hundred catties, a ’Sky Ganoderma’ of five thousand years old, and a pair of spiritual treasures ’Sea Exploring Spear’... I wish to trade for ’Rising Cloud Pill’, or Longevity Elixirs, which are of great use to us cultivators."

With a wave of his hand, several treasures floated in mid-air, each radiating a dazzling brilliance.

Next to Fang Xi, Nangong Li stirred, seemingly tempted by something.

Then, a nearby Nascent Soul cultivator whispered, "This ’Rising Cloud Pill’ is an ancient miraculous pill that has long since lost its Pill Recipe, perhaps available only to the fortunate cultivator who explores ancient cultivators’ dongfus... From hearsay, this Spiritual Pill should greatly benefit us cultivators in breaking through our bottlenecks. Could it be that Unfettered Duke is even contemplating to break through the late Nascent Soul stage?"

"This person has been famous for many years, even before Demon Lord Tian Du; I fear his long lifespan is not far off... hence his search for Longevity Elixirs?"

"Difficult... There are few longevity spiritual objects useful to Nascent Souls like us... It’s harder to find than extending one’s lifespan through a breakthrough in cultivation level..."

A group of Nascent Soul cultivators all fell silent.

After a long while, someone from the Monster Clan, shrouded in a black aura, stood up, "Longevity spiritual objects... I happen to have a ’Ten Thousand Life Flower.’ I wonder if it meets Sir’s requirements?"

’Generally speaking, human race Nascent Soul cultivators who get their hands on longevity spiritual objects mostly use them for themselves.’

’The lifespan of the Monster Clan is long, indeed they possess quite a few good stuff...’

Fang Xi saw a trace of joy appear on Unfettered Duke’s face and thought to himself.

"May I know how old your ’Ten Thousand Life Flower’ is, Sir, and what would you like to trade it for?"

A hint of a smile appeared on the face of Unfettered Duke.

The shadow obscured by the black qi chuckled and switched to Divine Consciousness Transmission.

The two bargained in secret right in front of the other Nascent Soul cultivators.

Fang Xi glanced at Nangong Li beside him. She was now enveloped in a dark red glow, her figure difficult to discern, not even distinguishable as male or female.

’Now, Nangong Li couldn’t still be eavesdropping with the help of a Spiritual Beast, could she?’

’Doing something like this, aren’t they afraid of being discovered and beaten to death...’

He mentally scoffed, then saw Unfettered Duke throw out the ’Sea Exploring Spear’ spiritual treasures, and even added a Storage Bag, finally trading for the ’Ten Thousand Life Flower’ from the shadow of the demon.

’It seems that Old Monsters of Nascent Soul truly have an extraordinary yearning for extending their lifespan.’

’Too bad I didn’t inherit any resources from Green Emperor Mountain, otherwise making a few Longevity Elixirs would definitely make a fortune, enabling me to exchange for countless resources!’

As Fang Xi thought this, he saw another Nascent Soul cultivator stand up, "On my person, I have a longevity Spiritual Pill—a ’Hundred Profound Pill.’ Heh heh, if it weren’t for the fact that this pill only works the first time for a cultivator and is useless if taken again, I would never have offered it."

"A Hundred Profound Pill, eh? What a pity... I’ve already used that myself."

Unfettered Duke shook his head with a look of genuine regret.

The Nascent Soul cultivator sighed softly and sat down again.

After Unfettered Duke auctioned off his three treasures, he gestured with his hand, bringing forth a dozen dazzling magical treasures or materials, though they seemed somewhat inferior to the previously mentioned ’Cloud River Sand’ and other treasures.

Even so, many cultivators made bids, and a series of trades were completed.

After Unfettered Duke stepped down, a figure surrounded by demon qi and a Transformed Great Demon with a booming voice took to the platform, "I have in my possession a fourth-grade demon pill, a special produce of the Monster World—’Blood Profound Crystal’—and thirty drops of ’Dragon-patterned Spirit Tree’ sap..."

For a moment, the materials spoken of by this figure captivated even Fang Xi.

Many Nascent Soul cultivators hurriedly made bids and completed transactions with him, the scene even more intense than before by a good measure.

Fang Xi seized the opportunity to acquire a multitude of materials he needed by offering a substantial amount of Spirit Stones.

Particularly those Core Formation cultivators who took the stage, their offered spiritual objects were so diverse that Fang Xi found it eye-opening. It became clear that the items were likely not their own possessions but rather handled on behalf of their Family or Sect...

A monster wind gently swept by.

Feng Shisan ascended the jade platform.

His cold eyes, devoid of any emotion, swept over the multitude of human cultivators below, giving off the impression of piercing into their very souls.

"To all the human cultivators present, if we meet on the battlefield in the future, Feng Shisan will not show mercy!"

He first snorted coldly, and then said, "I have here a spiritual treasure, a middle-grade fourth-grade demon pill, and a vial of ’Phoenix Origin Pill.’ If the items on this list are in your possession, you may bring them forth to trade."

He beckoned with his hand, and pieces of illusory green feathers drifted down into the hands of the cultivators below.

Nangong Li huffed, "The Heavenly Phoenix Clan is indeed haughty!"

But Fang Xi found it quite interesting, ’This demon seems to not have come of his own volition, could it be that he’s representing the Heavenly Phoenix Clan to make purchases?’

His Divine Consciousness entered the feather, and upon seeing the first line of human script, his expression subtly changed.