From a martial arts disciple to a god through countless trials and tribulations

Chapter 169 Market
On the wasteland, eight red-scaled beasts pulled a gorgeous carriage forward. At the front of the demon-suppressing convoy was a middle-aged demon-suppressing general with an elegant temperament, sitting astride a Taoist-level beast that looked like a Qilin.

Chen Xuan sat in the carriage, lowered the curtain, and withdrew his gaze from the middle-aged Demon Suppression General who looked about 60% similar to Pei Yuanyong, and asked:
"The great master of the Hedong Pei family's Dinglu?"

Not only Chen Xuan is going to the Two Worlds Market, some monks from the Demon Suppression Division in the Luoyue City area are also going to the market to exchange resources.

Jiang Qinghuang sat upright on the soft couch, her phoenix robe spreading on the ground like a blooming peony. She nodded and said:
"Once the war broke out, all the great cultivators of the Hedong Pei Family joined the Demon Suppression Division one after another."

Among the two great Dinglu masters that the Demon Suppression Division had pieced together, one of them was the current head of the thousand-year-old Pei family.

"The Pei family is quite good. There's a man named Pei Yuanyong who is a rare talent with great potential."

Chen Xuan agreed, thinking that in his own treasure, there was also a drop of cauldron blood given by the Pei family, which must have come from this demon-suppressing general.

Jiang Qinghuang rolled his eyes at Chen Xuan and jokingly said:
"General, are you recommending a talent to me? This is a good thing. Are you ready to establish yourself and develop in Chu?"

She naturally knew Pei Yuanyong, an outstanding disciple of the younger generation of the Hedong Pei family. Although his talent was not as good as Cui Che of the Qinghe Cui family, it was not bad. If he practiced step by step, there was a high probability that he would become a Dinglu master within twenty or thirty years.

At present, Pei Yuanyong, that stupid Taoist, is on another battlefield, working as a blacksmith and doing the logistical work of repairing treasures.

Chen Xuan scratched his head and said in a muffled voice:

"Princess, you're losing your sense of boundaries... Hurry and bring out the Phoenix Scripture."

He stretched out his hand and asked for the true scriptures, and Jiang Qinghuang took out a handwritten booklet and placed it in Chen Xuan's hand.

"The first half of the Phoenix Scripture, the Phoenix Breathing Technique, the Little Phoenix Bird Tricks, the Feathering, Taoist Canon, and the Cauldron Chapters are all here..."

She told Chen Xuan that the second half of the "Phoenix Sutra" was kept by the main branch of the Jiang family in the Central Plains of China and was not passed on to outsiders.

Chen Xuan weighed the booklet and turned a page. The lines of handwriting were as sharp as swords, simple and majestic, without any of the delicate air of a young woman.

He glanced at it twice and said to Jiang Qinghuang in a serious tone:

"Princess, this sutra is extremely difficult to understand. I need to study it carefully. Please don't disturb me."

As he spoke, he slightly turned sideways, leaving his back to Jiang Qinghuang, pretending to be very focused... He didn't want to waste time chatting with Jiang Qinghuang.

"it is good!"

Jiang Qinghuang nodded. She knew the difficulty of the "Phoenix Sutra". Although Chen Xuan might not be able to practice it, it was not an easy task to comprehend and learn from it. It required full concentration.

"Wow..."

In about half a cup of tea, Chen Xuan had memorized the contents of the handwritten scripture completely. It wasn't too difficult. Immediately, he closed his eyes, comprehended the essence of the Phoenix Scripture, and compared it with other ancient scriptures from the mountains and seas he knew.

"I've got the Phoenix Scripture, as well as the dragon-related Yinglong Scripture, and the upper halves of various other ancient mountain and sea scriptures."

"I have been comprehending the [Secrets of the Five-Treasured Military Immortal Body] for a while now. Next, I need to start practicing and refining the Hundred Sutras."

"The Heavenly Mandate Sutra is not a sure thing. We must follow both Heavenly Mandate and the ancient ways."

Chen Xuan pondered in his heart, after experiencing the events of [Tian Yan Dao] and [Yandi Ming], he realized that the True Scripture of Destiny was extremely dangerous.

"Besides, the Heavenly Fate Sutra is not much more profound than the Ancient Mountain and Sea Sutra."

There are many ancestors who practiced the ancient mountain and sea methods and became immortals or saints. This is the orthodox way to practice Qi.

To put it bluntly, the path of destiny is ultimately just a quick shortcut.

"rumble……"

The wheels rolled, and the red clouds in the sky spread rapidly forward.

Soon after.

The convoy of the Demon Suppression Bureau arrived at the edge of Luoyue City. In the distance, a thick green fog with a golden hue, emitting a faint breath of space, enveloped a canyon.

The Two Worlds Market has arrived.

"Crack!"

The carriage stopped.

Chen Xuan and Jiang Qinghuang got out of the car and walked into the fog.

"tread!"

Chen Xuan and others walked forward dozens of steps, as if they had passed through a transparent space barrier like water waves, and stepped onto a small path of glazed tiles.

"This market is much more normal than the weird and spooky ghost market in the southern wilderness."

Chen Xuan looked up and commented in his heart.

White jade locust blossoms drifted onto the bluestone floor, creating moon-white ripples. Two rows of black crystal lanterns hung in the mist, their pulsing spiritual fire sometimes transforming into dancing mermaids, sometimes condensing into the fluttering wings of a blue phoenix. From afar, the ethereal trembling of chimes echoed, each wave of sound creating pale golden runes in the air.

Amidst the ethereal sound, a bustling market with heavy traffic gradually revealed its true appearance in a misty fog.

There are rows of stalls on both sides of the path. The stall owners have different appearances, but they all exude an ethereal and strange atmosphere.

"Freshly produced, top-grade Fire Spirit Essence from the Chu State, comes from the battlefield of Luoyue City." Among the peony flowers, the plant spirit monster from the Zhi State shouted loudly.

"The genuine Wood Virtue Spirit Essence, transported all the way from Flame Turtle City...hiss! Demon Suppression Division." When the human traveling merchant saw Chen Xuan and others strolling by, his eyes narrowed and he lowered his face quietly.

"The dew at midnight changes to five-colored soil, and the flower of rebirth seeks the scales of the Forgetful River." A revolving lantern emerged from the spiritual mist. In the pictures on the lamp wall, the Jade Rabbit ghost holding medicine suddenly turned around and blinked at Chen Xuan, as if recognizing Chen Xuan's identity.

"..."

Chen Xuan walked along the winding bluestone path. This two-world market was mainly populated by humans and Zhiguo monsters, while the non-human ghost merchants from the Southern Wilderness were very rare and could only be seen occasionally.

"Huh? The mushroom spirit is here too."

Chen Xuan found the stall of Zhiguo Mushroom Spirit in a corner, where he was selling Fire Virtue Spirit Essence.

When the mushroom spirit saw Chen Xuan and the others, he couldn't help but shudder, and muttered to himself with an ugly face: "The same group..."

"Hey? Boss Mushroom, you're making a comeback..." The accompanying deputy general Xu Chang walked to the mushroom spirit stall and asked with a smile.

"Well, it's just a small business." The mushroom spirit answered tearfully. Last time, it became a "traitor" to the country of Chile. Although it was threatened, it did make a small fortune from the war... There will be endless troubles, and it is afraid that it will not be able to return to the country of Chile.

"..."

Chen Xuan continued walking along the street and came to the center of the market, where he saw the traveling merchant who built the market.

A bronze Nuo mask, a human-shaped creature in a moon-white robe, sat behind the stall. On the wooden table in front of it were exquisite sachets. The sachets were made of silk as thin as feathers and embroidered with runes of various shapes. The runes flickered with a faint light and seemed to be gently dancing, with a faint fluctuation of mysterious power.

"An unknown Dinglu-level traveling merchant." The accompanying Demon-Suppressing General Pei, the head of the Pei family, whispered to Jiang Qinghuang.

Chen Xuan smelled the subtle fragrance in the air. The fragrance emitted by the sachet was like a clear spring in the mountains, which could instantly dispel the haze in his heart and make people intoxicated.

He glanced at the bronze Nuo mask on the market owner's face. It was similar to the bronze masks worn by the subordinates of the two world masters, but upon closer inspection, they were not the same... Like the three-tailed fox Bai Gan Gan in the Southern Wilderness, he was the spokesperson for the local market.

"Only the mighty Dinglu has the power to maintain the stability and order of the Two Worlds Market."

Chen Xuan thought about it, and then began to look for the hiding place of the two world masters in the huge market.

Because this was the first day of the market, there were not too many peddlers. Soon, in a corner, I saw a familiar two-story teahouse.

"Exhortation..."

The teahouse was shrouded in mist, and the faint and mournful sound of a pipa could be heard. A graceful figure could be seen walking behind twelve layers of gauze curtains. A maid wearing a bronze mask opened the window lattice and hung wooden signs written in cinnabar.

"Mengpo Soup (a residual recipe of the Dan Ding Dao) - washes away the self-consciousness of the rebellious Daozang, requiring all three thoughts of greed, anger, and ignorance to be exchanged."

"Recruiting Qi practitioners as guards. The contract starts at three years, working from nine to five, with food and lodging provided, as well as training resources. There are certain risks..."

"Recycle any ancient artifacts from the Shanhai era (anything else is recycled)."

"Space array service, payment will be made in Liangjie Tongbao Liuli coins according to the distance of transmission."

"..."

Chen Xuan stared at the wooden signs hanging in the air, examining them carefully one by one.

Jiang Qinghuang asked curiously, "Is this teahouse the business run by the legendary Lord of the Two Realms? There should be a teahouse like this in every spatial treasure in the market."

As she spoke, she glanced at Patriarch Pei behind her.

The head of the Pei family shook his head and said, "Your Highness, there is no aura of the powerful Dinglu in the teahouse."

All the powerful ones in the cauldrons and furnaces could sense it. As soon as the head of the Pei family stepped into the market, he only sensed the breath of the market vendor in the center. Apart from him, there were no other powerful ones in the cauldrons and furnaces here.

"There are countless Two Realms Markets in the world. It's not surprising that the Two Realms Master is not here... I'll go in and ask about the situation."

Chen Xuan said goodbye to Jiang Qinghuang, "Princess, go somewhere else and have a look. You don't have to wait for me to come back."

Immediately, he strode into the teahouse.

There was a maid playing the piano in the teahouse. Behind the counter, a maid wearing a bronze mask was flipping through a storybook out of boredom. At this moment, she raised her face and looked at Chen Xuan through the mask with a scrutinizing gaze.

"What kind of business are you planning to start?" she asked, raising her arm and pointing at the wooden sign hanging in the air. "Big business."

Chen Xuan walked to the counter and said straight to the point, "I have something important to discuss with the two world masters."

The maid was stunned when she heard this, and stared at Chen Xuan for a long time, then leaned over to look outside the door, at Jiang Qinghuang and a group of monks from the Demon Suppression Division who were accompanying them as guards.

"Fellow Daoist, my master is not here."

She shook her head and chuckled, appearing very polite.

The maidservant did not understand what important matter could a cultivator from a remote place like Yaoguangzhou have that could be related to her master?
Could it be related to the war between Chu and Zhi? But why didn't the monks from the Demon Suppression Division outside come here in person? They often deal in war business.

Chen Xuan said, "You came here through the teleportation array in the marketplace artifact, right? There must be a way to find the two world masters."

The market just opened today, and these maids from the teahouse appeared. Unless they live in the market, they must have come here through a space teleportation array.

"We were teleported here from the nearby Two Worlds Market."

The maid replied, paused, and continued:

"But my master should be at the Southern Region Main Store Market in Yunmeng Province right now. If you insist on seeing my master, you can use the teleportation array to find him... But I don't know if my master is willing to see you."

Three thousand states in the southern region.

Yunmeng Prefecture is the legendary Yunmeng Lake.

This is one of the most famous states in the Southern Territory. It is located in the eastern part of the Southern Territory, about three million miles away from Yaoguang State. Even if a powerful Dinglu travels day and night, it will probably take several months or even a year.

At this terrifying distance, ordinary communication talismans had no signal at all, and the maid was unable to help Chen Xuan inquire about the news.

"How much Liuli money do I need to go to Yunmeng Province?"

Chen Xuan asked directly. He saw a wooden sign in the teahouse that said that it provided a teleportation array service, which could be used to teleport from the market here to another market between the two worlds that was about to open.

"Ten thousand miles, one jin of colored glass coins is required. Yunmeng Prefecture is over three million miles away from here. I'll give you a small change, three hundred jin of colored glass coins."

"But three hundred kilograms of glass coins is not a small amount. If you don't have any serious matters, please think twice before you act."

The maid replied with a smile, as if considering Chen Xuan, and continued to persuade:
"After all, Glazed Coins are as valuable as Daoist Spiritual Essence. Ten Glazed Coins can usually be exchanged for Daoist Spiritual Essence of the first Daoist Heaven level... If you, Daoist friend, spend a huge amount of money to go to the Yunmeng Province main store, but ultimately fail to meet my master, then the loss outweighs the gain."

It costs three hundred Liuli coins to go, and three hundred Liuli coins to come back, so one trip costs six hundred Liuli coins.

This huge amount of money is enough for Chen Xuan to practice a true scripture from the first level of Taoist Canon to the fourth or fifth level, or to exchange it for a top-grade Taoist Canon-level treasure.

"Are you sure the two world masters are in Yunmeng Province now?"

Chen Xuan asked in a deep voice. He had 961 kilograms of glass coins obtained from Taoist Liu, which was enough to support a round trip.

The maid replied, "My mistress's whereabouts are uncertain and she is everywhere. Even if she is not at the main store in Yunmeng Province at the moment, the people who stay at the main store will know her exact location."

The Liangjie Market in Yunmeng Prefecture is open all year round and never closes day or night.

"Okay, activate the teleportation array."

As Chen Xuan spoke, he used the Mountain and Sea Scroll treasure, waved his hand on the counter, and released a long snake-like stream of Liangjie Tongbao glass coins.

"Ah? Are you really going?"

The maid exclaimed in surprise, staring in amazement at the bronze-colored glazed coins on the counter, which exuded a strong spatial aura. Was this person really willing to spend such a huge sum of money just to meet the Two Realm Masters? Wasn't he afraid of getting nothing?

But as soon as she said this, she realized she had made a mistake and quickly apologized. Then she said solemnly:
"Fellow Taoist, please follow me."

In the courtyard behind the teahouse, there is a high platform made of special space spirit stones. It is shining and engraved with a space array diagram, and is filled with star-like luster.

"Wow!"

Chen Xuan walked onto the teleportation array and slowly exhaled. He was about to travel to a strange place three million miles away.

"Fellow Daoist, please leave quickly and return quickly. If you stay too long, this market will close. You will then have to return through the other two-world markets nearby."

The maid told him some precautions, and then a yellow light flowed from her fingertips and fell on the space array diagram. Suddenly, a dark yellow light shot up into the sky.

"This maid is a Daoist monk who cultivates the earth virtue and yellow qi."

Chen Xuan was surprised, and then his body was engulfed by the mysterious light. He thought to himself, "If this trip goes well, it would be reasonable for the two world masters to repay their kindness and reimburse the round-trip expenses."

……

Absolute silence, no time passing, no light or shadow appearing, it is in a pitch-black void, extremely quiet.

Chen Xuan felt like he had become a stream of light, shuttling between the cracks in heaven and earth. This reminded him of his experience of shuttling between the present world and Taixu.

It seems like a fleeting moment, yet also like a reincarnation of a hundred lifetimes. This magical journey makes people feel the flow of time and the interweaving of space.

"I saw some strange scenes..."

Chen Xuan's gaze suddenly fixed. Along the way, strange lights and shadows flashed across his vision. There was the ancient dark Taixu, a mysterious realm with ethereal air, magnificent mountains and rivers stretching for thousands of miles, and a huge ancient figure like a blue dragon or a Kunpeng...

"Xinzhai, it seems that I can see various things along the way..."

However, this was Chen Xuan's first time using the teleportation array, so he didn't dare to act rashly. Even when he saw something within reach that looked like a treasure, he remained silent and didn't make any move.

All the scenes along the way appeared for a moment and then disappeared in a flash.

Soon, a bright light appeared in the field of vision.

"Have you arrived at the market in Yunmengzhou?"

Chen Xuan was thinking excitedly and expectantly, and his figure was spotted from another teleportation array.

He stood firm, looked up, and was suddenly shocked to find that the scene of this market was mysterious and vast, completely beyond his imagination.

"Ang~"

In the boundless sky, a huge black fish, tens of thousands of feet long, was like a mountain. It used the sky and earth as its river, swallowed up clouds and mist, and its bird-wing-like fins stirred the black rain as it slowly floated over the head.

Fish? Kunpeng?
Chen Xuan's eyes were dull as the huge creature floating above his head was a giant beast with the blood of exotic beasts from the mountains and seas, and the signs of atavism were very obvious.

It is at least a behemoth at the peak of the Dinglu level, and may even be not far from [Tao Hongchen]!
On top of the black fish, a group of rain masters in black Taoist robes sat cross-legged, discussing the Dao. Brilliant golden words flowed from their mouths: "The Dao says, 'Mysterious Pure Life...'"

"Swipe!"

In the clouds on the other side, a group of white-robed swordsmen were flying across the sky like a group of meteors, their clothes fluttering in the wind, and each figure had a strong aura.

The leading white-robed swordsman was like a golden-white sun. Chen Xuan even had an illusion that he was a [Tao Hongchen] figure walking in the mortal world!
"Whoosh!"

Looking down, one can see magnificent palaces towering into the clouds among the mountains. There are graceful fairies dancing, white cranes soaring in the sky, and a six-tailed fox playing the zither...

Countless vast scenes of the immortal way unfolded like a scroll in Chen Xuan's vision.

"Is this the legendary Yunmeng Prefecture? It's much higher than Yaoguang Prefecture."

Chen Xuan was amazed at the astonishing scale of this two-world market in Yunmeng Prefecture. It was completely incomparable to the remote and poor place like Yaoguang Prefecture... With just a cursory glance, he could see so many people and figures in his field of vision that he couldn't count them with both hands.

Yunmeng Lake is famous throughout the world for its outstanding people and beautiful scenery.

"People from the Yaoguangzhou area..."

In the teahouse in the distance, on the second floor, a maid wearing a bronze mask gently opened the window curtain and glanced at the teleportation array in the courtyard.

"Huh? It's him...Miss, Miss!" the maid screamed excitedly.

"Who is it?" A lazy and charming female voice sounded softly.

Chen Xuan stood in the huge square in the courtyard, surrounded by more than ten legendary magic circles. Occasionally, a pale yellow light would light up, and traveling merchants or monks on the road would emerge from the high platforms of the magic circles.

"Indeed, only by going on a long journey can you realize how vast the world is."

Chen Xuan was filled with emotion, feeling like a country bumpkin who had come to the city. He had spent three hundred glass coins, which was truly an eye-opener and a great experience. But he quickly calmed down and walked towards the teahouse not far away.

The teahouse was extremely lively, with dozens of Qi practitioners gathered there, each with extraordinary aura. They sat in groups of three or four, sipping tea.

"Hmm? The atmosphere seems a little off."

When Chen Xuan walked into the teahouse, he immediately felt that the situation was very strange and the atmosphere was vaguely prickly.

"Hua Liuli's practice of Earth Virtue Yellow Qi is simply courting death." In the teahouse, a young man in green clothes, who was sipping tea, smiled and said.

"Now, she even dares to take over the earth virtue cause and effect left by [Taixuan Zhenjun] Zhang Tianshi, and tries to reopen the mountains and seas... Haha, the people of [Taixuan Zhenjun]'s lineage have been dead for thousands of years!" Elsewhere, a middle-aged man in a Taoist robe sneered. He was a powerful cauldron master.

"This is what will happen to those who are destined to be chosen. There will be no place for Hua Liuli to stay in the three thousand states of the southern region." The monks talked among themselves, all staring at the stairs to the second floor of the teahouse with unfriendly eyes.

Chen Xuan frowned slightly, listening to the whispers around him. It seemed that he had come at the wrong time, as the two world masters were in trouble.

(End of this chapter)