Chapter 644: Bolt from the Blue
The moment Shang Xia pressed his hand on Zheng Chang’s shoulder and sent a strand of extermination qi into his body, it fused with the extermination qi already contained within before turning into a formless existence.
Of course, that didn’t mean that it melded into Zheng Chang’s dantian and became a part of his strength.
If Zheng Chang observed his dantian, he would be able to discover that the strange ball of extermination qi that was placed by Shang Xia was still present. It was just a lot harder to discover.
He might be able to discover the change in the ball of qi placed by Shang Xia, but that wasn’t what he was shocked by. Instead, he was surprised that the changes Shang Xia ensured that other people would not be able to easily discover the ball of extermination qi within his dantian.
It was clear what Shang Xia was doing. He was preventing news of him controlling Zheng Chang from leaking out, and he was sending an unmistakable message to Zheng Chang that even if he got the assistance of the Martial Dipper Realm Ancestor of the Lushan Sect involved, there was nearly no chance of getting rid of the restriction. The revelation might also cause him to be hated by the entire Lushan Sect with his identity as a traitor.
“You’re vicious!” Zheng Chang growled.
Shang Xia, who had found a pouch in Zheng Chang’s sleeves, looked through the items inside while chuckling casually, “Brother Zheng, of course not! If I was truly planning to harm you, I wouldn’t resort to such means!”
A light flashed through Shang Xia’s eyes while he was looking through the treasures and he took out a sealed spirit case. Opening the restrictions, he noticed a stack of rank four talisman paper within and after flipping through it, he discovered that there were 10 of them in total.
“I didn’t think that Brother Zheng would bring such valuables on him. You should have brought them out sooner!” Shang Xia didn’t hesitate to keep all 10 rank four talisman papers. “Alright. What do you wish to trade them for?”
“Hehe… Will you give me what I want for them?” Zheng Chang sneered.
Shang Xia didn’t seem too affected and he explained, “As long as I have the capabilities to do it, I don’t wish to lose such a valuable ally like yourself.”
A strange light flashed through Zheng Chang’s eyes and he muttered, “Well, I know that you’re a Talisman Grandmaster.”
Shang Xia wasn’t surprised that he knew. He became a little more serious and asked, “Does the Lushan Sect require rank four talismans?”
“Talisman Grandmaster Hao of our Lushan Sect is reaching the end of his lifespan. He can’t really craft talismans any longer.” Zheng Chang sighed.
Chuckling softly, Shang Xia clapped Zheng Chang’s back. “Look at that! That’s where we can both benefit. Do you guys also plan to purchase rank four talismans during the trade fair? What types are you guys looking for?”
The look in Zheng Chang’s eyes turned even more strange as he looked at Shang Xia. “I heard that the Tongyou Hall once sold a talisman that could allow one to travel through the void for 50 essence crystals?”
“That’s the Abyssal Void Shattering Talisman.” Shang Xia introduced before pulling out a talisman that was slightly gray in color. “Brother Zheng, is this what you need?”
“Heh, is there anyone who will reject rank four talismans? Of course I want your Abyssal Void Shattering Talismans! I naturally wish to obtain other talismans as well!” Zheng Chang replied.
Nodding slowly, Shang Xia asked, “Do you know the rules when requesting for talismans?”
“3 talisman paper in exchange for a talisman. I know the rules. However, are you really going to abide by them?” Zheng Chang sneered.
“Hehe, Brother Zheng, you still don’t seem to trust me!” Shang Xia replied.
Snorting once, Zheng Chang no longer replied.
“Alright, I won’t ask for you to believe me, but I hope you can trust that I’m not a short sighted person. No matter what, there’s a holy land behind you and I’m not foolish.” Shang Xia muttered. “... However…”
Seeing the change in Zheng Chang’s expression, he smiled. “Let’s not trade 3 talisman papers for a rank four talisman. I’ll give you 3 talismans in exchange for 10 pieces of talisman paper.”
“Heh. Do I get to negotiate?” Zheng Chang revealed a grim smile.
A casual smile appeared on Shang Xia’s face in response. “Of course not. However, you can tell your clan that you made a long-term agreement with me. I can use as many pieces of talisman paper as you can provide. In addition, I can promise you that I won’t add any unreasonable requests for you to provide talisman brushes, talisman ink, recovery incense, and the like.”
Even though the common rule set by Talisman Masters out there was that they would exchange 3 pieces of talisman paper for a complete talisman, they would usually come up with many requests to get resources such as talisman ink from the other party.
Even though Shang Xia’s long term agreement with the Lushan Sect would seem disadvantageous to them as he was trading 10 talisman papers for 3 complete talismans, they wouldn’t actually be losing much if Shang Xia didn’t ask for any other resources.
Not to mention the fact that the Talisman Grandmaster of the Lushang Sect was basically gone. If Zheng Chang could really find a stable way to obtain rank four talismans, he would gain a huge amount of credit back in his sect. Of course, the extra price they had to pay was a nonissue.
Realizing the things he stood to gain, Zheng Chang agreed. “Alright, let’s do that! If you are truly sincere in trading with me, take the talisman papers and leave 3 Abyssal Void Shattering Talismans behind.”
Even though the 3 super factions had methods to send low-leveled cultivators to the Three Unity Island en masse, an Abyssal Void Shattering Talisman still proved to have great appeal among high-leveled cultivators.
From how valuable those talismans seemed, Zheng Chang could be said to have made a profit even if he gave Shang Xia 10 pieces of rank four talisman paper.
Well, that hinged upon the fact that Shang Xia would actually agree.
With a wide smile on his face, Shang Xia took out 3 Abyssal Void Shattering Talismans and placed them in Zheng Chang’s pouch.
Before making the trade, Shang Xia had 6 pieces of rank four talisman left. He had a Divine Restraint Talisman, and 5 pieces of Abyssal Void Shattering Talismans. It would be impossible for him to give Zheng Chang the Divine Restraint Talisman as it was much more valuable than an Abyssal Void Shattering Talisman.
The pouch Zheng Chang was using was an ordinary spatial artifact that could be compared to Shang Xia’s Embroidered Cloud Case. It was no Spatial Pouch, but it was good enough for storage at the moment.
Seeing as Shang Xia kept his promise and gave him 3 valuable Abyssal Void Shattering Talismans, Zheng Chang understood that he wasn’t messing around.
Watching Shang Xia look through his pouch, Zheng Chang revealed voluntarily, “There are 3 sticks of rank four talisman ink in one of the cases I brought out earlier. Do you want them?”
“Oh?” Shang Xia revealed a joyful expression. “Brother Zheng, you brought talisman papers and talisman ink. Were you already planning to trade with me?”
As he spoke, he opened the case. There were 3 sticks of ink that contained powerful spiritual qi and 2 of them were jet black in color. The other shone a dark red. Those were the most commonly seen ink out there.
After admiring the inksticks, Shang Xia kept the case.
Zheng Chang chuckled in a slightly mocking tone, “What would you like to give me in exchange for the ink you already kept?”
Raising his brows slightly, Shang Xia understood that talisman ink was worth a little less than talisman paper. However, a single stick of ink could be used to craft 3 talismans at the very least.
Thinking about it for a moment, Shang Xia muttered, “What do you want for them? Do you want essence crystals?”
“Do you still have more Abyssal Void Shattering Talismans?” Zheng Chang asked.
“I only have 2 of them left. Brother Zheng, you seem to like them a lot. Can I ask why?” Shang Xia felt slightly curious.
“2… Fine! I’ll take 2 of them.” Zheng Chang’s eyes lit up. As if he was afraid that Shang Xia would go back on his offer, he hastily added, “Give me both of them and you can keep the talisman ink.”
Handing over the last 2 Abyssal Void Shattering Talismans, Shang Xia continued to stare at him.
Understanding that Shang Xia was waiting for his answer, the sneer on his lips appeared again. “What’s the matter? Brother Shang, haven’t you heard? Or could it be that the Martial Dipper Realm Ancestors of the Tongyou Institution are still kept in the dark?”
“Brother Zheng, do enlighten me.” Shang Xia replied.
Zheng Chang wanted to continue messing around with Shang Xia but smartly decided against it when he saw the look in his eyes. “Martial Extermination Realm cultivators aren’t the only ones who can use the Abyssal Void Shattering Talisman. Martial Dipper Realm ancestors can do the same.”
“Martial Dipper Realm Ancestors can already travel through the sea of stars with their physical body. Is there a need for them to use the talisman?” Shang Xia asked. Thoughts flashed through his mind while he waited for an answer. “There’s something wrong here. Brother Zheng, is there something else you wish to say?”
Avoiding Shang Xia’s gaze, Zheng Chang explained, “There is a rumor going around that there have been experts of the Spirit Abundance World who have infiltrated the Azure Origin World and the Azure Spiritual World. It’s very likely that our position in the sea of stars has already been revealed. It won’t be long till the Spirit Abundance World starts their invasion. Before that, they might send multiple Martial Dipper Realm Ancestors over to cause some trouble. When that happens, the space outside the Beyond Heavens Pavilion will definitely turn into a chaotic battlefield. Currently, all the Martial Dipper Realm Ancestors who have received the news are making their preparations. It’s true that they don’t need the Abyssal Void Shattering Talisman to travel through the void, but it will come in handy when they sneak attack experts of the same level.”
Slapping Zheng Chang’s shoulders twice, Shang Xia saw the look of panic that flashed through his eyes for a second.
“I knew it was a smart move to look for you before entering the pagoda!”
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