Chapter 168: Chapter 168: Vanished?
As Jiang Xu stepped into Demon Hunting City, he couldn’t help but be shocked by the sight before him.
The once bustling and noisy Purple Profound Celestial Marketplace was now completely unrecognizable. In its place stood a new city, thick with a grim and murderous atmosphere.
On the streets, the dazzling array of shops were now mostly closed, their doors and windows shut tight, as if slumbering in a deathly silence.
The few shops that remained open were mostly selling wartime bestsellers like weapons, armor, Elixirs, and Talismans.
The Cultivators on the streets all wore solemn, vigilant expressions. Though they still wore the robes of their respective Sects, their former elegant and carefree air was gone, replaced by Battle Armor or blood-stained robes.
Many of them clutched weapons, their steps hurried. It was clear they had just survived a fierce battle, the stench of blood still clinging to them.
In the streets and alleys, wounded Cultivators could be seen from time to time, supported by their companions as they rushed to get medical treatment. Their injuries looked particularly gruesome under the sun.
And at every street corner and major intersection, heavily armed Cultivators stood guard on patrol.
Jiang Xu was stunned.
’This change is just too drastic!’
Like a country bumpkin in the big city for the first time, Jiang Xu gawked at his surroundings, looking completely out of his depth.
’It seems the Cultivators of Dinghai State have been living pampered lives for too long. Even when they encountered danger, it was just Tribulation Cultivators and the like. They’ve never seen a scene like this. Being thrown into it for the first time, they’re bound to take a serious beating.’
’But as long as this didn’t crush them completely, it’ll be difficult for the Demon Dao to defeat them so easily in the future.’
As he mused, Jiang Xu began to search for the "World’s Number One Talisman" from memory.
It was obvious that the buildings inside the Marketplace had also been severely damaged.
Although they had been rebuilt, the lingering traces of destruction were still very clear.
After wandering around for a long while, Jiang Xu finally seemed to have arrived at the location.
But why "seemed"? Because Jiang Xu wasn’t entirely sure he was in the right place.
In his memory, the spot where the Talisman Shop should have been was now an empty lot.
The empty lot was completely bare.
It was as if a small shop called "World’s Number One Talisman" had never existed.
Stunned, Jiang Xu rubbed his eyes. He scanned the empty lot with his Divine Sense and the Spiritual Eye Technique.
But he found that there was indeed nothing there.
He even tried to check underground, but his Divine Sense detected nothing out of the ordinary.
’No way. Could that bastard Elder Demon Su have really flattened it? Was my guess completely wrong? Was there no mighty expert who left behind a failsafe to protect this Talisman Shop?’
Jiang Xu licked his dry lips.
’If I hadn’t managed to sabotage Elder Demon Su’s Counter-Array back then, and he had successfully broken the Marketplace’s Array and started slaughtering everyone inside... then staying in the Talisman Shop wouldn’t have offered me any protection at all, would it?’
’On top of that, I wouldn’t have been able to call for help, the Profound Origin Sect’s reinforcements wouldn’t have come, and every single Cultivator in the Marketplace would have been wiped out.’
A shiver ran down Jiang Xu’s spine at the thought of this outcome.
It seemed that fleeing like a stray dog was a hundred times better than hiding like a coward in his shell.
Still, Jiang Xu was a little puzzled.
If a small shop was destroyed, there should have been some rubble left behind.
But Jiang Xu saw no such traces.
It was as if the Talisman Shop had vanished into thin air.
Jiang Xu didn’t leave in a hurry. Instead, he stood there for a long time, lost in thought.
Then he left.
...
"Excuse me, do you remember a Talisman Shop over there?"
"Nope."
...
"Friend, do you remember the Talisman Shop over there?"
"Get lost, don’t bother my business— Er, uh, please calm down, Senior, please calm down! This lowly one only arrived a few months ago, so I don’t know! All I know is that for as long as I’ve been here, that spot’s always been empty."
...
"That’ll be three Spirit Stones... I don’t know anything about that... Hey, hey, hey, don’t ask for a refund!"
...
He asked everyone he could, short of asking the cats and dogs on the street.
But he still found no clues.
It was as if the Talisman Shop had truly vanished into thin air—or more accurately, as if it had never existed at all.
But when Jiang Xu sank his consciousness into his Sea of Consciousness...
...the resplendent golden Celestial Rune floating in the center reminded him that it was by no means an illusion.
’I don’t get it... Forget it. It doesn’t matter. If we are fated, we will meet; if not, we are strangers even face-to-face. If it’s meant to be, we’ll cross paths again. I won’t force it.’
Jiang Xu was indeed regretful, but not overly so.
If he didn’t have that Celestial Rune in his Sea of Consciousness, Jiang Xu would have been filled with regret. But he’d already reaped a great benefit. Being insatiably greedy would probably lead to no good end.
...
After leaving the spot where the Talisman Shop had been, Jiang Xu wandered around the nearby stores, looking for anything good.
But after wandering for a long time, he didn’t find anything particularly useful.
Let alone a treasure like the Foundation Establishment Pill.
Jiang Xu had asked the shops about it.
But the shops told him that because of the destruction Elder Demon Su had caused, many Cultivation Commerce Associations no longer trusted Demon Hunting City’s security and had pulled out.
This included some of the major businesses, such as Duo Bao Pavilion and Wanxiang Tower.
Only major shops like those would have a precious Tier Two Elixir like the Foundation Establishment Pill.
As for Demon Hunting City, it didn’t seem to care much anymore.
It had now become a major stronghold for the surrounding Righteous Cultivators to fight against the Demon Cultivators and the Barbarian Race.
Demon Hunting City was no longer very concerned with its commercial aspects.
Jiang Xu found this extremely regrettable.
This was truly a case of having Spirit Stones but nowhere to spend them.
Buying one in another Marketplace was an option, but they were far away, and passing the identity verifications would be difficult.
It would be better to go to the Profound Origin Sect and see if he could exchange for a Foundation Establishment Pill there.
While asking around, Jiang Xu also heard an important piece of news.
Because Demon Hunting City had become a stronghold, the Cultivators inside were all returning from brutal battles outside, looking to relax and unwind.
Since the major shops were gone, how were the Cultivators supposed to spend their Spirit Stones and spoils of war?
This gave rise to several other major industries.
First and foremost was the brothel business.
Cultivators fought to the death, which naturally took a severe toll on their minds and bodies. It was common for their personalities to become tyrannical and irritable.
The path of Cultivation, however, emphasizes tranquility, inaction, and naturalness; one must walk the path with a peaceful state of mind.
A radical and irritable personality was, of course, detrimental to Cultivation. It could even give rise to Heart Demons, create bottlenecks, and obstruct one’s path.
Therefore, the path of Yin-Yang Dual Cultivation, rooted in balance and harmony, naturally exploded in popularity.
At least, that’s what Jiang Xu heard from others.
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