Chapter 1279: Chapter 216: Mystical Artifact Exchange (2)

Zhang Yan returned to the Cave Mansion, and after settling on the couch, he first formed a hand seal to set up a Forbidden Array. Then, with a flick of his sleeve, a flash of brilliance occurred, and over twenty Dharma Treasures leapt into the air. In an instant, sharp whistles and mournful howls filled his ears, and countless black mist and demonic qi whirled around, rushing about crazily as if trying to escape the cave.

His expression remained unchanged as he pressed his hand down. Mana surged forth from his body, and the roaming Dharma Treasures steadied immediately, obediently floating in front of him.

Most of these Dharma Treasures were seized from Demon Sect Practitioners during the Sixteen Sects Sword Fighting Conference, including some Mystical Artifacts among them.

However, many of these treasures are crafted from evil filth, which not only doesn’t align with his cultivation technique but can easily contaminate one’s inner yuan and taint one’s heart and spirit if their Daoist cultivation isn’t strong enough. Thus, it’s not suitable to pass them on to disciples. This time, they would serve well as rewards.

After picking and choosing, he finally selected three Mystical Artifacts and then instructed the Daoist boy outside the door, "Someone, go find Junior Brother Zhao."

Not long after, Zhao Ge entered the hall, bowed, and greeted, "Greetings, Senior Brother."

At this moment, the Dharma Treasures had not yet been put away and continued to float in mid-air, but he paid them no heed.

Zhang Yan nodded quietly and said, "Junior Brother Zhao, I need you to handle a matter for me."

Zhao Ge replied in a deep voice, "Please, Senior Brother, instruct me."

Several days later, several High Grade Profound Artifacts were displayed in the Floating Tower of Divine House Mountain Immortal City, claiming to exchange them for three types of Spiritual Objects. As soon as this news spread, it immediately attracted numerous attention.

In East Victory Continent, High Grade Profound Artifacts are typically treasures that stabilize a city and are rarely shown to others. However, Divine House Mountain Immortal City suddenly took out several at once, which was truly surprising.

Upon hearing this, even Yong Fu couldn’t resist going to take a look. After seeing them, he couldn’t help but feel tempted. Having a decent Dharma Treasure on hand provides a significant advantage in fighting others. As for the demonic qi contained in the Dharma Treasure, as a Nascent Soul cultivator, he naturally isn’t afraid of it, and he also doesn’t think he’ll often need to use it.

But since he had none of the items Zhang Yan needed, he sent out more than a dozen Flying Books to inquire with trusted friends.

Divine House Mountain Immortal City became much busier immediately, with many cultivators coming due to the news of exchanging for High Grade Profound Artifacts. Unfortunately, half a month passed without anyone being able to exchange the Elixir Materials Zhang Yan needed for the Dharma Treasures.

On this day, a man and a woman arrived in the city. The female was slender and graceful, around twenty years old, with a chignon on her head, bright eyes like cutting water, wearing ordinary clothes yet naturally beautiful, with an undeniable charm.

The man was dressed as a Taoist, with a head full of silver hair and a face that showed no signs of aging, possessing a hidden imposing aura between his brows.

As they walked, they attracted frequent attention from passing cultivators.

The two seemed accustomed to being noticed, remaining unaffected, and upon disembarking the Flying Carriage, they headed straight for the Floating Pavilion, asking directly to see the three Dharma Treasures.

The Deacon Daoist recognized their distinctive backgrounds and said, "I wonder if Your Excellency has brought the Spirit Grass the City Lord desires?"

The female replied, "The two of us were merely passing by, and upon hearing that spiritual objects could be exchanged for Mystical Artifacts in this Immortal City, we hurried over. We weren’t aware of the specifics."

The Deacon Daoist said, "The Spirit Grass desired by the City Lord consists of three items, each capable of exchanging for one treasure. They are the Earth Hidden Lotus, Snake Ring Essence, and Ghost Sunflower."

The female smiled and said, "I’ve heard of the Earth Hidden Lotus and happen to have some with me."

The Earth Hidden Lotus is formed when a hundred-year-old Spiritual Lotus is struck by lightning and falls, then buried underground for a thousand years, emitting a strange fragrance. It has the effects of warding off evil, calming the mind, and bringing about peace, loved by female cultivators who often grind it into powder and carry it with them. She had a pouch with her.

The Deacon Daoist quickly said, "Your Excellency might be mistaken. The Spirit Lotus desired by the City Lord must be intact and complete, without a single blemish."

The female chuckled and said, "That doesn’t mean it can’t be done."

She turned to the white-haired man beside her and asked, "Elder You, you are well-learned, have you heard of Snake Ring Essence and Ghost Sunflower?"

Elder You smiled humbly and said, "So-called Snake Ring Essence is actually two things: it’s the shed skin from an Evil Snake during its tribulation, filled with Purple Sparrow Juice, and placed in the Cold Pond to absorb Yin Hua Qi. After a hundred days, it is taken out, the skin is split open, and a disc of Snake White Paste is obtained. This is the item. However, due to the short lifespan of Evil Snakes, many perish from spring to autumn, so few manage to become spirit monsters and even fewer can transform, making it extremely difficult to find."

The female retorted indignantly, "Is it that our sect doesn’t have it either?"

Elder You didn’t shy away from the Deacon Daoist and said casually, "On normal days, Lady Lian only needs to say a word, and a thousand cultivators would obey, naturally finding it. But currently our sect is in the midst of fighting with Xuanyue Sect, so manpower is insufficient and it’s impossible to fulfill."

Lady Lian sighed and said, "Then...what is the origin of Ghost Sunflower?"

Elder You thought for a moment, "Ghost Sunflower forms from resentment, growing in barren mountains and wild areas, three to four feet tall, with black stems and white leaves, hair growing from its surface, flowers resembling ghost faces, bowing heads as if picking something at noon, roots extending several miles, forming into a spirit in a hundred years and capturing white birds, becoming an essence in a thousand years capable of devouring pythons. It can be used in refining and curses to harm people invisibly. But it’s difficult to harvest, as the root dies if broken. I’ve never seen it myself."

Lady Lian’s beautiful eyes sparkled and said, "So there exist such wonderful things in the world."

The Deacon Daoist praised, "Daoist’s knowledge is profound, for half a month no one has been able to explain the origins of these three items."

Lady Lian said, "Deacon, may we see those three Dharma Treasures?"

The Deacon Daoist didn’t refuse this time and said, "Please wait a moment, I’ll fetch them."

Once he departed, Elder You suddenly remarked, "I’m afraid this City Lord isn’t from the right path."

Lady Lian was taken aback and asked, "Why?"

Elder You said deeply, "All the Spirit Grass desired by this Immortal City Master is gathered from Yin Hua; I suspect this person is likely an Outer Dao Qi Refiner."

...

...(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for the recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)