I forge immortality with a pagoda.

"If you two fellow Daoists only need to disrupt this sea of ​​qi and divert Yang Qing's spiritual energy elsewhere, you can buy me a moment, and I can quickly retrieve the Nine Dragon Herbs during this opening."

Qing Lingzi said, "If you, a brute, really succeed in retrieving the Nine Dragon Mushroom, the reward we agreed on earlier will be more than just a mid-grade talisman."

Cai Mei shook her head as well, echoing, "I suppose Fellow Daoist Hong is aware of the power of the Golden Qi Sea. If it were just a mid-grade talisman, the risk would be far too great."

A surge of anger suddenly welled up in Hong Lie's heart; he hadn't expected these two to try and raise the price so blatantly.

Although mid-grade talismanic artifacts are not considered precious, they are still magical treasures he has painstakingly accumulated over many years, and they are hard-won.

But Hong Lie also knew that if he didn't agree to let the two of them leave the volcano, it was uncertain who would get the Nine Dragon Herbs.

He suppressed his anger and lost his previous arrogance, and said in a kind voice, "What you two fellow Daoists say is true. If it were me who helped, I would naturally feel that the reward was too little."

"How about this?"

"How about we distribute the resources from our sect's two Ren-grade spiritual veins to you two fellow Daoists?"

"We will set a five-year period. Within five years, you two can dispose of them as you see fit. After five years, I will take back these two spiritual veins."

Qing Lingzi shook his head and said, "Fellow Daoist agreed so decisively. What if you suddenly change your mind after leaving this place? We'll both end up empty-handed."

"How about Fellow Daoist Hong offers something more substantial first?"

Hong Lie gritted his teeth, cursing the entire family of this hypocritical Taoist priest in his heart.

Then, with great reluctance, he took out two mid-grade talismanic artifacts and threw them to the two people in front of him.

The two were satisfied with the talisman and said no more.

They all took a step forward, unleashing their profound skills, and in an instant, a brilliant blue and black light shone forth.

The vast golden sea of ​​qi was immediately disturbed by the two of them, surging like a raging storm.

Hong Lie gathered his energy and lightened his body, taking a single step into the depths of the golden sea of ​​energy.

...

...

Stalls are scattered like chess pieces, and eaves and houses are intertwined.

Outside Liexing Valley, a market town had been built, with rough and simple houses, clearly hastily constructed.

The wide stone main road was not very smooth, and there was still some dust that had not been cleaned up.

Both sides of the stone road are lined with stalls.

These stalls are filled with a dazzling array of goods, including pills, cultivation techniques, magical treasures, and spiritual herbs and plants. Many stalls emit various colored halos, with goods floating and slowly rotating above them. Some cultivators even command Yellow Turban Warriors or puppets to carry huge shelves.

The air was filled with a complex mix of scents. Shen Yu snorted and smelled a refreshing medicinal fragrance, a refreshing herbal scent that invigorated the spirit, and some strange smells that Shen Yu had never encountered before.

The sounds of vendors hawking their wares filled the air.

"Take a look! Crimson Flame Crystals, just extracted from the Earth's Fire Vein, are top-grade materials for crafting fire-type magical artifacts!"

"A hundred-year-old Purple Cloud Flower, in exchange for a foundation-strengthening and vital-nourishing elixir; trade only, not for sale!"

"Ancestral earth-遁 (earth-遁 is a type of talisman used for escaping into the ground), a life-saving tool in critical moments, only three left!"

"Young fellow Daoist, are you interested in the low-grade offensive talisman weapon, the Chenbi Sword?"

Shen Yu waved his hands repeatedly, refusing the merchants who were selling treasures.

This was his first time attending the monks' gathering, and many things in the gathering were still quite new to him.

Shen Yu was overwhelmed by what she saw and marveled at it.

In his daze, he seemed to have returned to that world.

There are no cultivation levels there, nor are there any legendary immortals.

When he was a child, his mother would take him to temple fairs when he returned home for the Lunar New Year.

The lively temple fairs were so similar to the neighborhood fairs of today.

"Rock candy... gourds!"

"These crunchy candy ears are so delicious—kids won't cry or fuss after eating them, and wives will beam with joy after eating them!"

"Hey—potstickers! Potstickers!"

Shen Yu seemed to hear the shouts and calls from the temple fair.

He immediately shook his head and gave a bitter laugh.

"Even if I went back there, I probably wouldn't be able to find that feeling from my childhood."

He turned his attention back to reality and suddenly heard the vendors shouting from the stalls beside him.

"Flying talisman, a low-grade flying talisman, only selling for 1,000 talisman coins. This is the last talisman for today. After I sell it, I'm going home to find my wife."

This remark drew laughter from those around him.

A male cultivator chuckled and joked, "This fellow Daoist is truly a remarkable person. In that case, why not give me the eight hundred talisman coins, so you can pack up your stall early and go back to enjoy some intimate moments with your wife?"

Upon hearing this, the stall owner immediately shook his head vigorously, waving his hands repeatedly, and said, "Oh dear, fellow Daoist, your bargaining is quite ruthless! This flying treasure is extremely precious, and selling it for a thousand talismans is a bargain. If I accept your price, I'm afraid I'll have to carry a lamp on my head tonight."

The male cultivator continued, "How about this, we each compromise and settle for a middle ground: nine hundred talisman coins! What do you say?"

The stall owner pondered for a moment, then slammed his hand on the table and said decisively, "Very well, since you really want it, I'll sell this talisman!"

The two exchanged money and goods, completing the transaction efficiently.

Shen Yu actually wanted to buy a flying talisman, but low-grade talismans were not to his liking, so he gave up after just a glance.

Otherwise, he should have been the one who obtained the gourd talisman from the stall owner.

He obtained a large amount of talisman coins from his own master, and also searched the bodies of those Zhan Yue Sect disciples for a considerable amount of talisman coins.

At this moment, Shen Yu already had more than ten thousand talisman coins in his hand, not to mention various talismanic artifacts and several Taoist cultivation manuals.

What he lacks most right now is actually a type of elixir.

Shen Yu considered himself to be half a member of the Lu Jing Sect, but he had not yet paid homage to the sect and was constantly on the move, so he was unable to find a spiritual vein to cultivate in for a long time.

However, if he had some elixirs to nourish his vital energy, he could cultivate while traveling, achieving twice the result with half the effort.

If the Xuanqiong Pagoda can be used, there is no need to worry too much about pills and other remedies.

However, this tower has been dormant ever since it was used beyond its level last time, which is a major headache for Shen Yu.

"It seems we can't take such risks like that time again."

The thought of that near-death feeling sent a chill down Shen Yu's spine.

He had died before, but in his previous life he died suddenly, a quick and clean death.

The time he used the pagoda beyond his level, he watched helplessly as his life force was drained away; the horror of that moment was self-evident.

Shen Yu visited several more stalls and stopped to chat and haggle over the price when he came across a vendor selling Qi-cultivating pills.

However, these Qi-cultivating pills are too expensive, sometimes selling for a hundred talismans per bottle, which is really not worth it.

Shen Yu knew that the path of alchemy was profound and complex, and that ordinary people could not fully understand it even if they devoted their entire lives to it; they could only ever get a superficial understanding.

Therefore, many cultivators do not focus their attention on alchemy.

Over time, alchemists became extremely scarce, and the price of their pills naturally increased.

Shen Yu understood the reasons behind this perfectly, but he still couldn't accept such a high price.

Shen Yu was not discouraged. He wandered around the market all morning and finally found a stall.

...

...