Immortality Cultivation
Chapter 294: Battle for the Void Stone
The next morning, after Fang Hao finished his meditation and adjusted his state to its peak, he left the inn and joined the bustling crowd of Tiangong City, heading toward the "Hundred Crafts Workshop" area located in the middle of the giant mountain.
The closer he got to the Hundred Crafts Workshop, the thicker the mixed scent of metal, fire, Spirit Medicine, and Ore became. Along the streets, the originally neat shops were gradually replaced by simple stalls of various sizes made from colored Ores, beast skins, and even the remains of old Magical Artifacts. The cultivation levels of the stall owners varied, from minor Qi Refinement Stage Cultivators to shrewd Golden Core Cultivators with deep auras. The items for sale were even more diverse, ranging from low-grade Spiritual Plants, Ores, and Demon Beast Materials to crudely refined Magical Artifacts, Medicinal Pills, and Talismans, and even broken objects covered in mud and rust dug up from some Ancient Tomb ruins, a dazzling array that made one’s eyes wander.
Shouts of hawkers, bargaining, arguments, and appraisal sounds rose and fell, noisy and full of vitality. Countless Cultivators moved through the crowd; some had clear goals and went straight to a stall, while others stopped and started, their eyes scanning the many goods, hoping to find a treasure.
Fang Hao restrained his aura, appearing like an ordinary Early Golden Core Stage Cultivator as he strolled through the crowded streets. He was in no hurry to buy; instead, he released a portion of his Divine Sense to subtly sense the various material auras coming from the surrounding stalls and shops. The list of Materials needed to repair the golden puppet and the silver light shuttle was already etched in his mind. Most of the auxiliary Materials were not particularly rare, but several core Materials, such as "void crystal," "geng metal marrow," and "ten thousand year ironwood heart," were treasures that could be sought but not easily found.
He first spent half a day wandering the ordinary stall area on the outskirts with little success, only managing to buy two relatively common auxiliary Materials. Although high-quality goods occasionally appeared at those stalls, most were inferior products passed off as high-quality, or the prices were inflated, requiring excellent judgment and patience. Fang Hao’s time was precious, and he was unwilling to waste too much of it there.
Afterward, he entered the core area of the Hundred Crafts Workshop. The streets here were much wider, and the shops on both sides appeared more formal and grand, mostly two or three-story pavilions with eye-catching signs like "Divine Weapon Pavilion," "Ten Thousand Materials Tower," "Hundred Herbs Hall," and so on. The quality of the goods here was significantly higher, and naturally, the prices rose accordingly.
Fang Hao visited several large material shops in succession and gathered most of the auxiliary Materials needed to repair the golden puppet, but the core "void crystal," "geng metal marrow," and "ten thousand year ironwood heart" remained nowhere to be found. The shopkeepers either claimed they were out of stock or offered prices that were outrageously high, far exceeding Fang Hao’s expectations.
"It seems I can only try my luck at the largest few shops or an auction," Fang Hao thought to himself, preparing to head to the "Tiangong Pavilion" to take a look.
Just then, he passed a relatively quiet small street where the shops on both sides were older and the flags hanging at the entrances were more archaic. His gaze inadvertently swept across an inconspicuous little shop at the corner. This shop had a narrow storefront, and the sign only bore two ancient characters, "Mo Study." It was deserted, forming a sharp contrast with the surrounding bustle.
What caught Fang Hao’s attention was not the shop itself, but an extremely faint, special spatial fluctuation that came from within the shop when his Divine Sense swept over it! This fluctuation was very similar to a certain material he had encountered in the Tiangong Ruins; it seemed to be... the aura of "void crystal"!
Fang Hao’s heart stirred. He paused slightly, then turned and walked into this small shop called "Mo Study."
The light inside the shop was dim, and the furnishings were simple, with only a few rows of ancient wooden shelves sparsely holding some Ores, bone fragments, and broken Jade Slips. They all looked covered in a layer of dust, as if they hadn’t been tended to in a long time. An old man with white hair and beard, a withered Face, and an aura only at the Foundation Establishment Early Stage was napping behind a counter with peeling paint, showing no reaction to Fang Hao’s entrance.
Fang Hao didn’t mind and walked straight toward the wooden shelf where the spatial fluctuation originated. In a corner on the bottom shelf, he saw a fist-sized, grayish, unremarkable stone piled haphazardly. The surface of the stone was covered in signs of weathering, and the Spiritual Qi fluctuation was so weak it was almost negligible. Had Fang Hao’s Divine Sense not far surpassed those of his level and had he not been sensitive to spatial fluctuations, he likely would have ignored it as an ordinary rock.
He calmly picked up the stone; it felt slightly heavy in his hand. As he used his Clear Spring Spirit Finger Eyes, the faint fluctuation with a unique spatial attribute indeed came from inside the stone. Although the exterior was wrapped in a thick layer of unknown stone skin that masked most of its aura, Fang Hao was almost certain that the interior of this stone must contain "void crystal," and the purity might even be quite high!
"Shopkeeper, how much for this stone?" Fang Hao asked softly, holding the stone as he walked to the counter.
The napping old man finally lifted his head groggily. His cloudy old eyes glanced at Fang Hao and the stone in his hand, seemingly surprised that someone would take an interest in this "waste stone" that had been sitting in his shop for who knows how many years.
"Oh, this one... I picked it up years ago in an abandoned mine on the outskirts of the Valley of Buried Soldiers. It looked unusual, so I brought it back, but no one has ever wanted it. If Fellow Daoist is interested, give me... thirty Mid-Grade Spirit Stones, and you can take it." The old man yawned and casually quoted a price. For a "waste stone," this price was exorbitant, clearly an attempt to overcharge.
Fang Hao laughed inwardly; the old man probably didn’t know the true value of this stone himself. Thirty Mid-Grade Spirit Stones were practically a bargain compared to the "void crystal" that might be inside. He was about to agree to avoid any complications.
Suddenly, a cold female voice, tinged with surprise and a hint of urgency, came from the doorway:
"I’ll take this stone!"
Fang Hao’s brow furrowed imperceptibly as he turned to look. Standing at the door was a young female Cultivator dressed in goose-yellow palace robes, with a clear and elegant appearance and an otherworldly temperament. She looked to be only in her twenties, but her cultivation had surprisingly reached the Late Golden Core Stage. A faint spiritual light flowed around her, indicating she came from a distinguished background. At this moment, her bright eyes were fixed on the grey stone in Fang Hao’s hand, her gaze carrying a hint of pleasant surprise and determination.
"Miss, I saw this item first," Fang Hao said calmly. With a flick of his finger, thirty Mid-Grade Spirit Stones appeared on the counter. "Shopkeeper, here are the Spirit Stones; I’ll take the item."
The old shopkeeper looked at Fang Hao, then at the female Cultivator at the door who clearly had an extraordinary bearing and higher cultivation. A look of difficulty appeared on his Face as he rubbed his hands and said, "This... Fellow Daoist, you see..."
"I’ll offer sixty Mid-Grade Spirit Stones!" the yellow-clothed female Cultivator said directly to the shopkeeper without even looking at Fang Hao, her tone carrying a hint of authority.
Fang Hao’s gaze turned slightly cold. It wasn’t that he couldn’t afford a higher price, but he disliked the female Cultivator’s attitude. Moreover, her urgent bidding showed she also recognized the stone’s value, or at least knew it was extraordinary. If she got it, obtaining "void crystal" would likely involve much more trouble.
"One hundred." Fang Hao spoke flatly, more than doubling the price. The void crystal was crucial for repairing the golden puppet, and he was determined to get it.
The yellow-clothed female Cultivator’s brows knitted slightly. She hadn’t expected an ordinary-looking Early Golden Core Stage Cultivator to dare compete with her. She scrutinized Fang Hao and found his aura steady and his gaze calm. Even facing her, a Late Golden Core Stage Cultivator, he showed no fear, which made her feel a hint of wariness. But thinking of the importance of this item to her Master, she gritted her teeth:
"Two hundred Mid-Grade Spirit Stones!"
The old shopkeeper was already dumbfounded. A "waste stone" he had dismissed could actually fetch a sky-high price of two hundred Mid-Grade Spirit Stones? His gaze toward the stone instantly became fervent.
Fang Hao’s heart also sank. Two hundred Mid-Grade Spirit Stones already far exceeded the normal value of this "stone." Even if there truly were a fist-sized "void crystal" inside, it would be worth about this much. The other party was so relentless that she was clearly determined to have it. But he needed it just as much.
"Three hundred." Fang Hao raised the price again, his tone still flat. He was quite wealthy now, having gained much from the Valley of Buried Soldiers and his previous adventures; he could afford a few hundred Mid-Grade Spirit Stones. He decided that if she raised the price again, he would consider "persuading" her in another way—for example, by revealing some of his strength or trading other precious Materials.
"You!" A flash of anger appeared on the yellow-clothed female Cultivator’s Face. She hadn’t expected Fang Hao to be so unappreciative. Three hundred Mid-Grade Spirit Stones was no small amount for her either. She took a deep breath, suppressed her anger, and said coldly, "Fellow Daoist, this item is of great use to my Master. I hope you can do me a favor. I am Liu Yiyi, a Disciple under an Elder of the Tiangong Alliance in Tiangong City. If you can part with it, the Tiangong Alliance will surely reward you generously."
By stating her identity, she was both applying pressure and making a promise. In Tiangong City, the name of the Tiangong Alliance was indeed resonant; ordinary Cultivators would give them some Face.
However, Fang Hao only shook his head slightly. "I’m sorry, Fairy Liu, but this item is equally important to me. The highest bidder wins; that’s the rule." He deliberately ignored the underlying threat in her words. Tiangong Alliance? While he didn’t want to easily offend a local power, he wouldn’t give up something he desperately needed because of it. Besides, with his current strength, as long as a Nascent Soul Cultivator didn’t personally intervene, he had nothing to fear.
Liu Yiyi’s pretty Face turned cold, and she was about to say something more.
Suddenly, an old, flat, yet invisibly majestic voice rang out in the small shop:
"Young friend, this ’void stone’ is indeed of some use to this old man. Could you part with it? I am willing to exchange a third-grade High Grade defensive Magical Artifact for it."
Along with the voice, an old man with a simple grey robe, a lean Face, and white hair appeared silently at the shop’s entrance like a ghost. He stood there as if blending into the surroundings; if one didn’t pay attention, his presence would almost be ignored. But when Fang Hao’s Divine Sense swept over him, it was like a clay ox entering the sea; he couldn’t sense the depth of the other’s aura at all. He only felt the man was unfathomable, like a deep pool or a towering mountain.
A Nascent Soul Cultivator! And definitely not just an ordinary Early Nascent Soul Stage one!
Fang Hao’s heart skipped a beat, and his gaze instantly became solemn. He hadn’t expected a seemingly unremarkable "void stone" to draw out a Nascent Soul Old Monster! And seeing Liu Yiyi’s respectful attitude toward him, this old man’s status in the Tiangong Alliance was likely quite high.
Trouble has arrived.