As Lo Jik suspected, he didn't get a lot of chances to be with Bai La or Feng Jin Huang after that night. Feng Jin Huang returned to Hu Immortal Blessed Land using the Hole Earth Gu connecting the sect's public blessed land and Hu Immortal Blessed Land. Meanwhile, Bai La was afforded some leeway to stay in the public blessed land for a while and gather some funds before being appointed to protect one of the sect's large resource points. This was a blessing as well as a curse.
Bai La couldn't help but curse her fate. She was once part of Anti-Feng Faction. No, in reality, Anti-Feng Faction only came to be after Feng Jiu Ge joined Spirit Affinity House. Before Feng Jiu Ge, Xu Hao was the sect's most promising gu immortal. It also helped that he was a rare wisdom path gu immortal. As such, Bai La maintained a stable and good relationship with the man. She further supported Xu Hao when they were defeated by Feng Jiu Ge.
A faction, so to speak, was not an organization within the sect. It was a loose relationship between a group of gu immortals further solidified by transaction and other business opportunities.
Back then, Shu Ye was part of Feng Faction. But Lo Jik and his increasing affinity with Shu Zhe forced the woman to jump ship as she stopped most of her business with the Feng Faction and started doing transactions with Anti-Feng Faction.
Because of Tian Ti's mess and the damage to Spirit Affinity House, it became dangerous to mingle with Bai La, Lo Jik, Bai Qing, and Black Moon. Bai Qing was still fine. Feng Jiu Ge was an impressive rank 7 gu immortal. Not only was he strong but he was also incredibly wealth and had a profound foundation. So, the Feng Faction was still stable and most gu immortals like Mi Yao did not change their allegiances.
Speaking of Mi Yao, she was the only gu immortal rewarded by the sect once the group returned.
Mi Yao performed diligently the entire time. Her compound killer move showed impressive results. Even if a rank 6 gu immortal, the sect started focusing on her a little more. However, this result came to be after Mi Yao was forced to reveal her trump card. Only future could tell whether this was a worthwhile trade or not because Mi Yao would, predictably, spend more time perfecting her compound killer move and seeking other methods as her trump cards.
On the other hand, the end of her relationship with Anti-Feng faction instantly stopped several of Bai La's important transactions. She also had a business in Treasure Yellow Heaven but it was nothing compared to the internal trading between the few supreme elders. Bai La also urgently required a lot of resources. There was an option to borrow from the sect, but that was her last resort.
Bai La's divine sense roamed Treasure Yellow Heaven as she chanced upon something interesting. There was a commotion in a small portion of the market as a significant pillar of treasure light focused on one store.
'This is False Moon Silver.' Bai La observed the sizable slab of metal path immortal material. As a metal path gu immortal, Bai La obviously maintained a reserve of metal path immortal materials and worked towards refining her immortal gu worms to the next rank. False Moon Silver was useful to her but she didn't rush to negotiate with the will of the store owner. She observed other materials offered by this Faceless Transformation Immortal before feeling stunned.
'False Moon Silver. Soul Shaking Wind. And there are three living desolate beasts!'
Tall treasure lights covered Faceless Transformation's line-up.
Soul Shaking Wind was barely visible to the naked eye and could whisk away someone's soul if they weren't prepared for it. It was a great soul path immortal material used in refining offensive soul path immortal gu worms.
Bai La turned her attention to the three desolate beasts.
One of the unconscious desolate beasts was a mountain-sized crab boasted as the lord of the swamps—Swamp Crab. Its body was filled with earth and water path dao marks and presented a great attraction to water and earth path gu immortals. Furthermore, Swamp Crab was considered more impressive among other desolate beasts, fetching a greater price than average. Bai La already noticed Mi Yao's divine sense also lingering around the store, most likely concerned about this desolate beast.
The second desolate beast left a bad taste in Bai La's mouth. It was dark-blue in color and looked vicious and strange. It was none other than a desolate soul beast! Bai La instantly recalled the mysterious group who ambushed her daughter as she gritted her teeth in hatred. Soul Shaking Wind and this live desolate-level soul beast also attracted several soul path gu immortals.
Lastly, the third desolate beast was a huge bear-shaped diamond! A large portion of the divine sense focused on this desolate beast filled with earth path dao marks—Diamond Bear. Diamond Bears were rarely seen in the five regions. It became clear to Bai La that this Faceless Transformation Immortal was fortunate and plundered a great location. Diamond Bears were not ordinary. The location they resided was filled with Diamond Soil. Diamond Soil was a type of soil rich in nutrients and highly sought after by other gu immortals. It was formed from a Diamond Bear's excretion.
A large batch of diamond soil could be sold for thirty immortal essence stones and this was just a conservative estimate! Anyone who possessed a Diamond Bear could create a business involving Diamond Soil. After all, every gu immortal had to consider the fertility of the soil in their blessed lands. They all purchased different types of soil to cultivate various plantations and beast groups. The soil could be considered a huge component when deducing a blessed land's foundation!
So, it wasn't strange that Diamond Bear was the most expensive desolate beast among the group, its price far surpassing the usual range of 100-120 immortal essence stones.
Unfortunately, this gu immortal was only selling the first two immortal materials for immortal essence stones while placing different conditions on the sale of desolate beasts.
Immortal essence stones had a huge purchasing power, but Treasure Yellow Heaven was not a regulated market. It was also not as developed as the markets of Lo Jik's previous world. There was no rule forcing others to sell only using liquid currency. Many gu immortals bartered their commodities because there were simply too many types of immortal materials and beasts. Every gu immortal had to consider their own situation.
For instance, Faceless Transformation Immortal wanted to exchange these desolate beasts for other desolate beasts.
Swamp Crab could be exchanged for desolate beasts filled with illusion path dao marks.
The desolate soul beast could be exchanged for top quality wines, at least five huge vats of different wines! Faceless Transformation accurately pointed out the necessary amount of the wine needed to be used for the exchange.
Lastly, the most expensive of the group, Diamond Bear, could only be exchanged for strength path beast group over a million beasts in size including four desolate beasts. However, this demand did not feel excessive at all. In fact, there were already gu immortals bidding for Diamond Bear. After all, one side was exchanging a desolate beast that was almost never seen in the five regions of the gu world and could help the gu immortals set up another business and the other side was only offering strength path desolate beasts that had no additional monetary value.
Bai La felt a great pity. She would have also taken part in this tiny auction if she wasn't hurting for funds. She contacted Mi Yao and realized the latter was in negotiation with Faceless Transformation Immortal for Swamp Crab while trying to outbid two other competitors. Desolate beasts with illusion path dao marks were rare but not as rare as a Diamond Bear. Furthermore, a Swamp Crab's strength was mighty and it had a great potential to advance. Mi Yao could nurture it into an ancient desolate beast Muddy Swamp Crab with enough time and resources.
With her somewhat heightened prestige in the sect, Mi Yao was already looking for other supreme elders' support to acquire desolate beasts like a Peach Wolf which was filled with illusion and wood path dao marks.
Bai La observed False Moon Silver and contacted Faceless Transformation's will.
"False Moon Silver is worth 110 immortal essence stones," it replied rigidly as Bai La gritted her teeth. How could she not negotiate? She tried to lower the price fiercely but all of it fell to deaf ears. It was after all the gu immortal's will and not Faceless Transformation Immortal themselves. The will could only follow the commands the main body left behind.
Just when Bai La was about to give up, she noticed Faceless Transformation Immortal's divine sense returning to the market and taking charge.
Another bright light covered the entire store as Bai La and other noticed a new addition to the line-up.
"Whoa!"
"Could this be…"
"Amazing! I'm seeing it for the first time in my life!"
"Another beast that is hardly seen in the five regions!"
"Who is this Faceless Transformation Immortal?"
"Such luck… hateful!"
Even Bai La felt slightly complicated. She would have jumped at the chance of acquiring this desolate beast!
Well, it was only a desolate beast due to its current strength.
'Golden Cloud Qilin!' Bai La's heart twitched. Once full-grown, this beast would be a genuine ancient desolate beast filled with metal and cloud path dao marks! Bai La's blessed land was once filled with metal and cloud path resources. Such a beast was heaven-sent opportunity!
Yet…
She gritted her teeth.
"Huh? Tell me if you want to buy this piece of False Moon Silver. Don't crowd my store if you're poor. Shoo! Shoo!"
Bai La instantly hated this gu immortal's attitude. His words pushed most of her buttons as the woman smiled coldly. Her fury only turned colder with time. Those who knew Bai La understood this fact.
"Poor?" She shot back with a mocking laugh. "Sell me this False Moon Silver for forty immortal essence stones if you're so rich!"
"Hahaha! Do you truly believe you can goad me? What am I? A child?" Faceless Transformation Immortal laughed before deriding her. "Sure. Here, take this False Moon Silver for chump change and don't forget this grandpa who took pity on you! Hahaha!"
Bai La was shocked.
What?
She didn't even care that Faceless Transformation Immortal called him her grandpa.
What was he? A child?!
She instantly initiated the trade and acquired False Moon Silver for less than half the price!
'What an arrogant man!' Bai La's impression of this gu immortal deepened, but not in a good way. 'He clearly gained some great fortune but does not have great disposition to handle all this wealth. Truly, heaven is fair to all. Idiots like him only know how to squander their wealth. This guy… he must be a newbie gu immortal who does not truly understand how resource intensive our cultivation gets later on, especially after every calamity and tribulation.'
Bai La did not push and left the area quickly even if her heart was set on that Golden Cloud Qilin.
She hadn't traveled far before noticing another commotion. This wasn't strange at all. Treasure Yellow Heaven was the largest gu immortal market. Quality and treasured materials appeared at every corner in this market.
Bai La followed the commotion and was shocked.
Desolate Core Immortal was selling a huge strength path beast group and required plenty of metal path materials.
'This is a Bandit Monkey beast group. And the number is so huge! It also has seven desolate beast level bandit monkeys!'
Desolate Core Immortal had just arrived and the streams of divine sense surrounding it were still thinking about this transaction.
Bai La thought instantly and initiated a trade with Desolate Core Immortal. She actively borrowed some materials from Bai Qing knowing full well that it was the same as asking Feng Jiu Ge's help. However, Bai La did not have the face to meet that man… or initiate her usual insults. Still, Bai La quickly finished the deal and returned to Faceless Transformation Immortal's store.
She had asked Bai Qing to keep an eye on this store the moment she encountered Desolate Core Immortal, realizing she struck a great opportunity!
Treasure Yellow Heaven was huge. There were often many gu immortals who could fulfill each other's request but simply didn't know about one another. Desolate Core Immortal had just appeared and was unaware that his bandit monkey group was valuable to Faceless Transformation Immortal. Desolate Core could have exchange it for Diamond Bear and used the latter to acquire even more metal path resources!
"Oh? You? Do you want another handout? Hahahaha!" Faceless Transformation Immortal laughed derisively as Bai La merely snorted coldly.
She could only watch the Golden Cloud Qilin longingly before revealing the bandit monkey beast group.
"Hmph… sure, we can trade." Faceless Transformation happiness vanished as if Bai La's wealth annoyed him. Meanwhile, Bai La won the auction with seven desolate level bandit monkeys and a huge number of ordinary bandit monkey including several hundred-beast kings, thousand-beast kings, myriad beast kings, and beast emperors.
Bai La could have obtained Golden Cloud Qilin in a perfect world. Alas, it was the gu world. Furthermore, Bai La knew about her situation and needed to procure enough funds. She had a great use for Diamond Bear and would set up a business for diamond soil. It would become another source of income.
"I will pay you back. Thanks." Bai La communicated with Bai Qing before leaving Treasure Yellow Heaven. She did not dare stay around her daughter for too long as Bai Qing exhaled a soft sigh. Bai Qing could only wait patiently for her mother and daughter to come around after this… notable experience.
<<<>>>
Lo Jik opened his eyes and smirked mischievously.
He was Faceless Transformation, and Desolate Core Immortal was none other than Old Man Desolate Heavenly Spirit.
Being a wisdom path great expert, Lo Jik accurately deduced Bai La's actions. It was easy for someone like him not only because of his wisdom path attainment and methods but also the fact that he and Bai La were intimate. This was a huge clue!
In reality, Lo Jik couldn't accumulate enough achievements to form one golden achievement and decided to cash in all of them.
Of course, he would want to help Bai La as long as it was convenient and didn't ruin his benefits.
He turned his attention to his first blessed land.
The huge number of bandit monkeys instantly scattered about. In the south was another howling Diamond Bear.
His second blessed land also had a few desolate beasts.
First one was the grazing dream path colt. The second was a pair of house-sized kittens. One was pitch-black with a glossy fur and huge red eyes and black pupils. It was extremely cute and licked its companion. The other desolate beast, licking the black kitten in return, was an equally cute house-sized kitten with a coat of pure-white fur and huge blue eyes and white pupils. These two kittens rested and continued licking each other without stop. They were spirited the entire time without needing any food.
Lo Jik had an instinct towards this pair of luck path desolate beast but did not have relevant gu worms to confirm his suspicions.
Soon, Lo Jik placed a sleeping Peach Wolf in the human path blessed land and traded the Swamp Crab. It wasn't long until Lo Jik sold the desolate soul beast and Soul Shaking Wind for vats of top-quality wine and 105 immortal essence stones respectively.
The next round of rewards from Bai La had earned him that white-furred kitten, two of the same Diamond Bears, a Swamp Crab, and that extremely precious Golden Cloud Qilin.
Since Lo Jik did not wish to reveal his trait to anyone and let others infringe upon his benefits, he chose to act more discreetly in this situation unlike the time when he modified a wisdom path inheritance before handing it to Shu Zhe. He also considered Bai La's feelings and personality. Trying to help her overtly at this moment would come across as patronizing to her and she won't share the same sense of happiness and relief as Shu Zhe did when taking the wisdom path inheritance.
Lastly, Lo Jik did not scheme against Bai La to 'luckily' let her obtain the Golden Cloud Qilin. He simply couldn't do it because Lo Jik also wanted other resources for his cultivation. He was more than happy to share a rare desolate beast such as a Diamond Bear because he got a duplicate! Bai La would make significant profits off of this transaction over time.
The only thing that left Lo Jik slightly annoyed was the fact that these beasts did not have any gu worms on their bodies.
'Oh?'
Lo Jik's attention returned to Treasure Yellow Heaven. He successfully sold all his products aside from Golden Cloud Qilin because of the price he was asking. The infant Golden Cloud Qilin could only be exchanged using beasts filled with refinement path, formation path, or theft path dao marks!
He hadn't expected someone to fulfill his requirements so quickly.
While refinement path was developed extensively and utilized by every gu master and gu immortal whenever they refined gu worms, beasts filled with the dao marks of this path were extremely rare and precious. Formation path, on the other hand, was second only to wisdom path when it came to rarity of gu masters and gu immortals due to its restrictions and sky-high requirements to enter. Nothing else needed to be said about beasts filled with formation path dao marks. Lastly, theft path has always been rare with its secrets jealously guarded by anyone lucky enough to encounter one. However, there were a few known theft path beasts and plants.
'A Jeweled Eyes Crow!' Lo Jik observed the condition of the bus-sized pitch-black crow. It was extremely weak and hibernating. The gu immortal who offered to exchange for Lo Jik's infant Golden Cloud Qilin revealed honestly, saying how he did not understand the theft dao too deeply and accidentally encountered this crow desolate beast before capturing it. Unfortunately, the gu immortal could not find information to feed and nurture this crow. Instead of letting it die, he put the crow in hibernation to prevent it from dying from malnutrition.
This gu immortal might not have a way to nurture this crow but Lo Jik did!
Something happened just as he was about to complete the transaction.
The pair of black and white kittens in Lo Jik's human path blessed land stopped licking each other. Their bodies shook as they started coughing and gagging loudly. Their mewls turned strained and loud, shocking and scaring the clones observing the two beasts and learning whatever they could about the pair.
It had been a huge scare but the two kittens suddenly coughed out two pearls.
The black kitten coughed out a gleaming white pearl covered in a milky glow. When the clones observed it, they found hair-like texture on the pearl.
The white kitten coughed out a sinister-looking pitch-black pearl gleaming with an eerie glow. When the clones observed it, they also found hair-like texture on the pearl.
These were… hair balls. Each hair ball was the size of an adult's fist.
Lo Jik's and the other gu immortal's expressions changed the moment the two cats coughed out the two hair balls.
The light surrounding the Jeweled Eyes Crow dimmed significantly, suddenly appearing no different from a pillar of light above desolate beast corpses. Only it was slightly longer and more brilliant because theft path was extremely rare and fetched a higher price.
It had died.
The crow was already living on its last breath. The sudden transportation to Treasure Yellow Heaven caused its death.
Lo Jik's lips parted open before he sighed deeply.
Even the other gu immortal was incredibly embarrassed and saddened by the crow's death. The deal could not succeed as Lo Jik waited for someone else to meet his demands.
***
Join the discord through the link in the synopsis.
Read 60 chapters ahead @ Patron and Subscribe Star (Links in the synopsis.)
Support the Fanfic through comments, likes, reviews and such (if the published site allows it.)