After fifteen years of cultivation, he finally reached the pinnacle of the first rank!

Chapter 377 Making Money
Upon hearing the woman's words, the others from the seven major sects all showed curiosity and hurriedly asked:

"Can you tell what this big cat has written?"

Upon hearing this, the woman frowned, her gaze fixed on the marks left by the large black cat, and she began to try to identify them with great difficulty:
"I have no idea what the first few characters mean, but these two characters should be 'gold'."

As she spoke, the woman pointed to another mark and said:
"And this is probably the character '魔' (mó), but it has too many strokes, so they probably didn't know how to write it and omitted half of the strokes. As for the following character, it's simple, so it should be the character '元' (yuán)..."

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the members of the seven major sects immediately changed:
"gold?"

"Demonic energy!"

In an instant, everyone from the seven major sects looked at the large black cat crouching in front of the door, a hint of wariness flashing in their eyes.

After all, the matter of demonic energy is of great importance, and it is extremely strange that this big black cat knows about it. We must be wary of it.

Some even had a murderous glint in their eyes. They knew they couldn't let their plans slip out, or the black cat would surely bring them to their deaths.

At this moment, the big black cat, who was squatting on the ground, saw that the woman could barely recognize the few words she had written. Although it was not very satisfied, it still nodded to the crowd with some reluctance, indicating that the woman had some sense and had guessed the words correctly.

Then, ignoring everyone's expressions, it stretched out its paws and started gesturing again.

Seeing this, the members of the seven major sects looked at each other in bewilderment, and did not immediately make a move against the big black cat in front of them.

After all, they also wanted to figure out what the other party's purpose was in showing up, and whether there was someone else behind them.

So, everyone's gaze shifted and they all looked at the woman from before.

After observing the large black cat for a while, the woman's expression gradually became somewhat serious.

She hesitated for a moment, then tentatively asked the large black cat in front of her:
"You mean... you have demonic energy and want to exchange it for gold?"

Upon hearing this, everyone around fell silent.

The next moment, they all looked at the big black cat with surprise on their faces.

Then, the big black cat glanced at the woman, meowed, and slowly nodded its head toward the crowd.

"This……"

The members of the seven major sects were stunned, clearly finding it hard to believe.

At this moment, the woman who understood the black cat's meaning suppressed her shock and asked again to confirm:
"Do you really possess demonic energy?"

"Meow--"

The big black cat meowed impatiently, signaling the other party not to ask such nonsense.

Immediately, it stretched out its paw and gestured, clearly asking how much gold these people could afford.

Without any hesitation, they went straight into the negotiation stage.

Seeing this, the people from the seven major sects gradually came to their senses, looked at each other for a while, and then began to secretly transmit their voices to each other.

Some people questioned the big black cat, believing that its behavior was too strange and that it was not an ordinary cat, but possibly the work of a demonic sorcerer.

Some people believe that the big black cat seemed to have no malicious intent, and since it showed itself, it must have already discovered them beforehand.

If the other party harbors malicious intent, the best course of action is to quietly retreat without making a sound, then send word to summon powerful demonic cultivators or imperial henchmen to wipe them out in one fell swoop.

While the two sides were arguing, the woman looked at the large black cat in front of her and continued to negotiate with it:
"How much gold would it take to exchange for the demonic energy in your hands?"

Upon hearing this, the big black cat narrowed its eyes slightly and then extended a paw.

Seeing this, the woman tentatively asked:
"One hundred taels?"

A look of disdain flashed in the big black cat's eyes, and it shook its head.

"That's a thousand taels?"

The woman continued to ask questions, but the big black cat shook its head again.

"Ten thousand taels of gold?"

The woman frowned and waved her hands repeatedly, saying:

“We can’t possibly produce that much gold. Ten thousand taels of gold would be almost equivalent to the income of the seven major sects over many years.”

Upon hearing this, the big black cat's face clearly showed extreme disgust, and two words seemed to appear in its pair of green cat eyes—"poor bastard".

After all, the big black cat had followed Li Musheng to the treasure vault of Luoshen Peak and seen mountains of gold and silver. Its appetite had been spoiled and its standards were very high.

The fact that the seven major sects of the Great Xuan Jianghu couldn't even produce ten thousand taels of gold clearly made it look down on them.

At this moment, the disciples of the seven major sects naturally noticed the black cat's disdainful expression towards them.

Many people stopped and secretly communicated with each other, feeling both ashamed and angry.

After all, this was the first time in their lives that these people had been discriminated against for being poor by a cat.

"Leaving aside the matter of gold, how can you, a cat, prove that you possess demonic energy?"

One of the seven sects spoke up, and before they knew it, they no longer simply regarded the obviously intelligent black cat as a cat, but instead took the initiative to talk and communicate with it.

Moreover, everyone had already observed the big black cat, and it did not seem to be carrying anything resembling demonic energy.

The big black cat glanced sideways at the person who spoke, showing no intention of answering the question.

He simply waved his paw, making a disdainful gesture, and reluctantly reduced the amount of gold to be traded to one thousand taels.

"A thousand taels of gold... we can't come up with that right now."

The woman who had spoken earlier shook her head helplessly, then added:

"However, we can pay part of it first and then issue an IOU, but only if you let us confirm that you really have the magic energy."

Upon hearing this, the members of the seven major sects exchanged glances and then slowly nodded.

To be honest, their main focus is still on the demonic essence. If the black cat really has this, it wouldn't be a big problem for the seven major sects to pay some money.

At this moment, the big black cat squatted in place, slowly looking around at the group of penniless people from the seven major sects, a thoughtful expression on its face.

The demonic energy was hidden under its belly, but it was somewhat unwilling to trade with these guys.

A bunch of poor bastards who have no gold but want to get something for nothing and take away its magic essence, they're dreaming.

However, the big black cat hasn't slept well since it started searching last night.

Its patience was almost exhausted, and it really didn't want to run around the city anymore, searching for people of the demonic path.

Thinking about it, the big black cat's pair of bright green eyes darted around, then it looked at the woman from before, beckoned with its paw, and turned to walk out of the courtyard.

Seeing this, the woman's expression shifted, and she frowned, saying:
"It's... taking us to see the Demonic Essence."

Upon hearing this, everyone around showed a strange expression, and someone immediately whispered:

"Should we catch this cat?"

“We shouldn’t be concerned about the cat, but about the person behind it. Think about it, have we ever seen such a big, intelligent cat before? The person who can raise this cat must be extraordinary.” Someone cautiously spoke up to stop them. Apart from looking down on their poverty, the fat black cat in front of them had never shown any malice.

If they act rashly and actually provoke someone they can't afford to offend, that would be extremely unwise.

"So what should we do now? Should we really follow them, and what if it turns out to be a trap?"

"We should not stay here any longer. The most urgent thing is to leave immediately. As for that demonic essence, I suggest that each of the seven major sects send an expert to follow it and take a look."

"If you sense anything amiss, retreat immediately. If that big cat truly possesses demonic energy, then you must capture it."

……

After some discussion, the members of the seven major sects decided that some of them would follow the big black cat, while the rest would immediately abandon the stronghold and retreat.

The woman from Yaoyue Palace who recognized the black cat's writing earlier was also among the seven people following the black cat.

When the big black cat saw the people from the seven major sects following, it meowed and its figure transformed into a black shadow, leaping and disappearing quickly across the rooftops.

Upon seeing this, the people from the seven major sects all showed strange expressions.

This big black cat was incredibly fast; they had to be on their guard if they wanted to keep up and not be left behind.

Before long, the big black cat rushed back to the inn, and then, in a flash, it arrived at Cao Gaoshan's room.

After Cao Gaoshan advanced to the Celestial Realm, he spent most of his time in his room consolidating his cultivation.

Upon seeing the big black cat arrive, he slowly opened his eyes, but he didn't understand why the other party wanted to see him.

The reason the big black cat sought out Cao Gaoshan was naturally because, apart from Li Musheng, Cao was the only person who could somewhat understand its meaning.

Then, the big black cat gestured its intention to Cao Gaoshan.

After roughly understanding what the big black cat meant, Cao Gaoshan's expression changed.

He never expected that Li Musheng would give the Demon Essence to the cat in front of him, and what surprised him even more was that this greedy cat was thinking of selling the Demon Essence.

Cao Gaoshan didn't know what to say, but he didn't refuse the big black cat and followed it to the lobby of the inn.

Meanwhile, the seven people who had come here with the big black cat had already entered the inn.

The innkeeper immediately recognized the group as people from the martial arts world.

However, he didn't show any emotion, and just kept his head down calculating the accounts.

The seven looked around and then saw the big black cat leading Cao Gaoshan down the stairs.

"Everyone be careful, this is a master."

Someone immediately sent a secret message, having sensed the aura of Cao Gaoshan, a master of the Celestial Realm.

"The situation is not good, let's retreat!"

Among the seven, the strongest martial arts master was only a Grandmaster, so none of them could be a match for Cao Gaoshan, who was at the Celestial Realm. Sensing something was wrong, they immediately planned to retreat.

Just then, Cao Gaoshan narrowed his eyes slightly, and an invisible pressure of sword energy descended upon the seven people who had arrived.

The seven people who were about to retreat immediately stopped, their bodies enveloped by a sharp and domineering sword intent, and they dared not move at all.

It was as if any slight misstep would result in being cut in two.

At this moment, the big black cat swaggered towards the seven people in the hall, then jumped onto a chair and squatted down.

"What is your purpose in leading us here?"

The seven people remained motionless, all looking at Cao Gaoshan beside the big black cat with grim expressions.

Cao Gaoshan remained silent, but gestured to the innkeeper to bring writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, which he then placed on the table in front of them, saying:
"Since it's a transaction, we definitely need to draw up a contract, after all, ten thousand taels of gold is no small sum."

Upon hearing this, the seven realized that Cao Gaoshan seemed to want to continue the deal that the big black cat had mentioned.

However, soon someone suddenly said in a hurry:
"Wait a minute, didn't we agree on a thousand taels of gold? How did it become ten thousand taels?"

Upon hearing this, the big black cat grinned and then gestured at Cao Gaoshan.

Upon seeing this, Cao Gaoshan glanced at the other person, his eyelids twitching slightly.

But he still coughed once and said in a deep voice:
"Now that you've come here, the conditions can no longer be the same as before."

As he spoke, Cao Gaoshan gestured to the big black cat, which immediately took out the demonic essence from under its belly.

Upon seeing the demonic energy, all seven of them immediately had a change of expression.

……

Before long, the seven finally compromised and signed an IOU for 10,000 taels of gold with the seven major sects.

Aside from the demonic energy, they had no choice but to sign; otherwise, under Cao Gaoshan's control, they might never have been able to leave the inn in front of them.

The big black cat then ransacked the seven people, taking all their money, before finally letting them leave.

"It is undoubtedly true demonic energy!"

The seven people walked out of the inn, and looking at the demonic energy in their hands, a look of joy appeared on their faces.

The grievances I felt from being ripped off by the big black cat have mostly dissipated.

After all, their interception of this demonic essence, preventing the three sects of the demonic path from obtaining the demonic master's demonic arts inheritance, was a tremendous achievement.

"Leave this place first; the demonic energy cannot be lost."

The seven people turned back and took a deep look at the inn behind them before quickly disappearing into the distance.

The big black cat crouched on the roof of the inn, watching the departing figures of the group, its tail wagging slightly.

It looked down at the contract under its paws, a satisfied expression on its face.

A seemingly useless magic elemental coin earned ten thousand taels of gold, more than it had initially planned to earn.

But at that moment, the contract paper under the big black cat's feet suddenly flew into the air.

Upon seeing this, the big black cat's eyes changed, and it immediately meowed, reaching out its paw to grab it.

Unfortunately, it was still much slower. The contract paper flew away with a "whoosh" and then flew to the roof of a house next to the inn.

The big black cat suddenly turned its head and looked around, only to see a woman dressed in green standing on the roof next to it.

The woman had long, flowing black hair and an exquisitely beautiful face. With a flick of her slender hand, she snatched the contract.

The big black cat was instantly enraged. That was its ten thousand taels of gold; how could it tolerate it being stolen?

He immediately leaped into the air, transforming into a black shadow as he pounced on the other woman. However, the woman merely glanced at him before her figure shifted rapidly, causing the large black cat to miss its target.

(End of this chapter)