Nine Transformations of the True Spirit.

Chen Yuan waited for two full hours before the array enveloping the quiet room suddenly dissipated, and a young man in black robes pushed open the door from the other side and entered.

This man appeared to be only thirty years old, with a rather handsome appearance. He was a head taller than Chen Yuan, but among the demon race, he was only considered ordinary. He had a smile on his face, just like Steward Fu Yuan, which made people feel very friendly.

His gaze fell on Chen Yuan's mask, a type of mask extremely common in the Demon Burning Realm, painted with a lifelike Vermilion Bird.

The demon race claims to be descendants of the true spirits and holds them in high esteem. In the dark market, five or six out of ten people wear various masks of the true spirits.

The young man in black robes clasped his hands in a bow, his face full of apology: "My name is Kong Lie, and I am honored to be a steward of this hall. I apologize for keeping you waiting, fellow Daoist."

"Our hall has been busy with many guests, and due to the usual practice of the dark market, each guest is received individually, which has caused quite a delay. Please forgive us, fellow Daoist. May I ask why you have come here?"

Chen Yuan got straight to the point: "I have a magical weapon that I would like to exchange for a five-thousand-year-old body-tempering herb."

Having said that, he flipped his hand and took out the wolf-tooth club he had obtained from the Demon General Jiu Hu, and hung it above the table. The scorching fire elemental energy swept through the quiet room, and the air suddenly became distorted.

Upon seeing the spiked club, the young man in black immediately became serious: "Please wait a moment, fellow Daoist, and allow me to examine it."

He reached out and took the spiked club, his hands holding a layer of thick demonic power to avoid being injured by the club's intense spiritual energy, and examined it carefully.

After a long while, the black-robed youth released the spiked club, raised his head, and looked at Chen Yuan meaningfully: "If I remember correctly, the Wood-Eroding Demon King has a mid-level demon general under his command, whose divine weapon seems to be a spiked club."

"And he recently died at the hands of a mysterious demon general, and the divine weapon was lost as a result. Could it be this treasure?"

Chen Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly behind the Vermilion Bird mask: "What do you mean by that, Deacon Kong Lie?"

The young man in black robes laughed heartily: "Fellow Daoist, you are overthinking it. Our hall welcomes guests from all directions and never inquires about the origin of treasures. Even if it is a heaven-reaching spiritual treasure in the hands of some demon saint, our hall will accept it without hesitation!"

Chen Yuan coldly asked, "Why does Deacon Kong Lie ask such a question?"

Kong Lie said, "I am just reminding you, fellow Daoist, that once you leave this hall, this treasure will not be easy to sell."

"I've also heard that the Wood-Eating Demon King is furious and has summoned dozens of high-ranking demon generals from several other demon kings to lay a trap, just waiting for that mysterious demon general to walk right into it."

Chen Yuan's heart skipped a beat, and he said calmly, "I don't understand what Deacon Kong Lie is saying."

Kong Lie smiled and said, "I only remembered this matter after seeing this treasure, and I had no other intention."

Chen Yuan's tone softened: "Deacon Kong Lie is indeed well-informed. Although he is in Silver Tide City, he knows everything about the Corrosion Cave."

Kong Lie laughed and said, "I am in the dark market, and most of the things I handle are stained with blood. If I were ignorant, how could I do business?"

"To be honest, in addition to buying and selling all kinds of treasures, our hall also buys and sells information."

"As long as it is within the Bloodtooth Domain, no matter which cave it is in, whether it concerns a demon general or a demon king, fellow Daoist, if you have any needs, just say the word, and this hall will definitely satisfy you."

Chen Yuan's eyes flashed: "No matter what the information is, your esteemed institution can find it out?"

Kong Lie seemed to remember something and said, "Apart from matters concerning the Bloodtooth Demon Saint and the Bloodtooth Cave, our hall will do its best to investigate the rest. If we fail, we will immediately refund the deposit."

Chen Yuan said, "Aren't the other demon kings and demon generals also under the command of the Bloodtooth Demon Saint?"

Kong Lie laughed and said, "They each lead a territory and divide up a region. What does that have to do with the Bloodtooth Demon Saint?"

Chen Yuan was taken aback, then nodded slightly: "I understand. If I need anything, I will come to you, Steward."

Kong Lie flipped his hand and took out a crimson token, handing it to Chen Yuan: "Fellow Daoist, when the time comes, show this token and I, Kong, will come out to greet you."

One side of the token was blank, with only a few simple cloud patterns, while the other side was engraved with the character "空" (Kong), very simple. Chen Yuan put away the token and said, "Deacon Kong Lie, name your price. How many Body Tempering Spirit Herbs can you exchange this spiked club for?"

Upon hearing this, Kong Lie's face showed a hint of difficulty: "If you wish to exchange for top-grade spirit stones, I can immediately produce over a thousand."

"However, five-thousand-year-old body-tempering herbs are extremely rare and expensive. I can only offer two, and the rest can be made up with spirit stones. What do you say?"

Chen Yuan said, "If there is no body-tempering spiritual herb, then a five-thousand-year-old spiritual herb will be used instead."

Deacon Kong Lie smiled and said, "I will do as you say, fellow Daoist."

After some haggling, the two finally agreed on a price of two 5,000-year-old body-tempering herbs and three 5,000-year-old spirit herbs.

Chen Yuan originally offered ten five-thousand-year-old spiritual herbs, but Kong Lie said that this wolf-tooth club was just an ordinary spiritual treasure among divine weapons, and he would only offer three five-thousand-year-old spiritual herbs at most.

This was far too different from Chen Yuan's asking price, so naturally he wouldn't agree.

The two were locked in a stalemate, and Kong Lie said helplessly, "The spiked club in your hand, fellow Daoist, has only just begun to condense its spirit. It lacks spirituality and cannot manifest itself, nor does it possess any special supernatural powers."

"It can only be considered a third-grade spiritual treasure weapon, and it only plays a role in the hands of demon generals. It is the most common spiritual treasure weapon."

"Our hall has taken out two five-thousand-year-old body-tempering spiritual herbs, plus three five-thousand-year-old spiritual herbs, which is already quite a lot."

"There is no other shop in the black market that can offer such a high price."

A sense of curiosity arose in Chen Yuan's heart, and he asked, "How exactly are spiritual treasures and divine weapons classified?"

Kong Lie said, "Spiritual treasures and divine weapons are essentially the same, and there is no obvious difference in their quality."

"However, based on the materials used, the level of spirituality, and the magnitude of power, they can be roughly divided into three grades."

"The spiked club in your hand, fellow Daoist, has only just begun to condense its weapon spirit and cannot yet manifest its form. Its power is also insufficient, posing little threat to the Demon King. It can only be considered a third-grade spiritual treasure weapon."

"Second-grade spiritual treasures and divine weapons are made of unique materials and possess extraordinary power. Although their spirits still cannot take form, they can slay demon kings."

"As for first-grade spiritual treasures and divine weapons, their weapon spirits take form, their power is boundless, and they can even slay demon saints!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Yuan immediately thought of the three magical treasures and divine weapons in his possession.

According to Kong Lie, the power of the Demon-Slaying Blade and the spiked club are similar, and they can only be considered as third-grade spiritual treasures.

The spirit of the Guanghan Bow cannot yet take physical form, but it can draw upon the power of the moonlight to condense a moonlit arrow, which is extremely powerful. However, it does not seem to pose a threat to the Refining Void Demon King, so it can be tentatively classified as somewhere between the third and second rank.

As for the Cangming Halberd, it was formed from the spirit of a Peng bird and possesses extremely high intelligence. Even in the lower realm, it can unleash power that is almost comparable to that of a demon king, touching the limitations of the laws of heaven and earth. It is undoubtedly a first-grade spiritual treasure weapon.

However, since arriving in the Demon Burning Realm, he has yet to wield the Azure Sea Halberd in combat. He will need to test it out upon returning...

Chen Yuan suppressed his thoughts and asked, "Does your establishment sell any first-grade spiritual treasures or divine weapons?"

Kong Lie shook his head: "How precious are first-grade spiritual treasures and divine weapons? As far as I know, most of the weapons held by the Demon General are third-grade spiritual treasures and divine weapons."

"Many of the magical treasures and divine weapons commonly used by demon kings are only of the second rank."

"A first-grade spiritual treasure weapon can only be fully unleashed by a demon king in the late stage of the Void Refinement realm. It is a common item used by demon saints, but our hall cannot produce one."

Chen Yuan said, "If a first-grade spiritual treasure can kill a demon saint, then wouldn't the legendary heaven-reaching spiritual treasure pose a threat to a great saint?" (End of this chapter)