Chapter 200: Demon Communication Workshop

Chapter 200: Chapter 200: Demon Communication Workshop

"But you don’t look happy at all," Zong Ziqi asked curiously as they were leaving. "Did something happen? Why did it take you almost a month to emerge from seclusion?"

Jiang Xu sighed in resignation. He could only give a vague answer, because in reality, he didn’t really know what had truly happened to him either.

"Don’t worry, Brother Zong. It’s just a small issue."

"Oh, so that’s how it is." Zong Ziqi nodded. It was unclear what he understood, but he didn’t press the matter further.

In truth, Jiang Xu and Zong Ziqi had already made an agreement. Once Jiang Xu finished his seclusion and successfully broke through to Foundation Establishment, he would go with Zong Ziqi to deal with the three villains responsible for Zong Ziqi’s current predicament.

However, Jiang Xu was now having second thoughts.

He had just broken through to Foundation Establishment and still didn’t have a firm grasp of everything the realm entailed.

Originally, Jiang Xu had thought that after breaking through to Foundation Establishment, he might be able to upgrade his Perfect Level Skills again.

If that were the case, those three Demon Cultivators would have been nothing but small fries to him.

But Jiang Xu never imagined that breaking through to Foundation Establishment would only unlock a prerequisite for further upgrading his Skills.

There were other requirements beyond this prerequisite, and Jiang Xu didn’t even know what they were.

’I have over 130 Limit-Breaking Points right now. Instead of saving them to increase the Skill Level of my Perfect Level Skills, I’d be better off using them all to raise more Skills to the Perfect Level. I’ll boost my combat power first,’ Jiang Xu mused.

’I have a good number of life-saving methods, but when your life is on the line, the more guarantees, the better.’

’All the Skills I currently have were learned during the Qi Cultivation Stage. With so many Limit-Breaking Points, why not learn a batch of Tier Two Techniques from the Foundation Establishment Realm?’

’My Tier One Techniques from the Qi Cultivation Stage were already effective against ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivators. If I cultivate a Tier Two Technique to the Perfect Level, wouldn’t that make me invincible within the Foundation Establishment Realm?’

At this thought, Jiang Xu immediately changed direction, leading Zong Ziqi toward the only Marketplace he remembered in the area.

...

There is only one inter-domain road between Dinghai State and Demon Spirit State.

It is called the "Demon Passage."

At the beginning of this Demon Passage lies a Marketplace named the "Demon Communication Workshop."

The Demon Communication Workshop has no single, clear ruling power.

It is jointly controlled by the Seven Stars Association, the Beast Taming Sect, and the Duo Bao Pavilion, a power native to Dinghai State.

That’s right—the very same Duo Bao Pavilion that Jiang Xu used to frequent in the Purple Profound Celestial Marketplace.

The Duo Bao Pavilion is a massive commercial organization spanning the entire Great Qi. Its presence can be felt in almost every State Domain.

However, the Duo Bao Pavilion’s place of origin is right here in Dinghai State.

The Duo Bao Pavilion did not participate in the recent conflict between the Righteous and Demonic Daos.

As merchants, they couldn’t clearly favor either side and had to remain neutral. Otherwise, they would be dragged into the conflict, unable to remain uninvolved, and could no longer conduct business as usual.

Neither the Righteous nor Demonic Daos in Dinghai State made things difficult for the Duo Bao Pavilion. After all, they also relied on the Pavilion to provide many of their Cultivation Resources.

What’s more, the Duo Bao Pavilion was simply too wealthy. In Dinghai State alone, it retained more than ten Golden Core Zhenren as Tributors, not to mention its forces in other State Domains.

Precisely because the Demon Communication Workshop was controlled by the Duo Bao Pavilion, the majority of the countless shops lining the city streets bore the Pavilion’s golden signboards. They offered all sorts of Cultivation Resources and Magical Treasures, encompassing everything from basic Refining Materials to rare, top-tier Elixirs.

However, in this Marketplace almost monopolized by the Duo Bao Pavilion, a few shops from other powers were still dotted about. Among them, naturally, were those belonging to its fellow controllers, the Beast Taming Sect and the Seven Stars Association.

Among these, the shops run by the Beast Taming Sect were particularly unique. These shops specialized in selling Spirit Beasts suitable for taming by various Cultivators. They offered everything from beautiful, easy-to-raise ornamental Spirit Beasts to flying mounts that served as transportation, such as the graceful Cloud Crane and the Black Camel Bird, which was capable of carrying many passengers.

In addition, the shops also sold Combat Spirit Beasts with considerable fighting strength. They were either born with Divine Power or possessed unique Divine Powers. Of course, their prices were also exceptionally high.

The shops opened by the Seven Stars Association, on the other hand, had a different specialty: they focused on precious resources from the depths of the ocean.

The shelves inside were lined with various rare Spirit Medicines and Spirit Grasses that could only be harvested from deep-sea Secret Realms. In some aspects, their medicinal efficacy often far surpassed that of common terrestrial varieties.

Furthermore, they also sold marine Demon Beasts with Water Attributes. These Demon Beasts either possessed unique Water Attribute abilities or contained powerful Innate Water Element Essence within their bodies, making them priceless treasures for Cultivators who practiced Water Attribute Techniques.

At the same time, there were also special Spiritual Materials that could only be found in undersea mineral veins, such as Coral Jade Marrow, Pearl Mother-of-Pearl, and Thousand-Year-Old Undersea Volcanic Rock. These were all precious and indispensable materials for refining high-level Water Attribute Magical Treasures.

...

The place Jiang Xu was dragging Zong Ziqi toward was precisely this "Demon Communication Workshop."

"No wonder this Marketplace is jointly controlled by the Duo Bao Pavilion and the Beast Taming Sect. It’s truly incredible!"

Arriving at the entrance of the Demon Communication Workshop, even though he had been here once before, Jiang Xu couldn’t help but marvel inwardly.

In front of the Marketplace, a towering and magnificent stone archway rose from the ground, so tall it seemed to pierce the clouds. Its surface was intricately carved with lifelike patterns of Divine Beasts, where totems of the Four Symbols—the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise—intertwined with auspicious clouds, exuding a profound aura of ancient simplicity and solemnity.

In the center of the archway, the name "Demon Communication Workshop" was inscribed with forceful, elegant calligraphy. Each stroke seemed carved by the passage of time, vigorous and powerful, and every line pulsed with unfathomable waves of Magical Power.

Before this magnificent Marketplace entrance, Cultivators streamed in and out in an endless flow. Some were heavily burdened, clearly returning with a full harvest; others moved with haste, obviously eager to find something they needed.

Among them were extravagantly dressed Foundation Establishment Cultivators with extraordinary auras, as well as plainly-dressed Qi Cultivation Cultivators whose simple attire could not hide their hardships.

The most eye-catching sight of all was the two squads of guards patrolling the skies above the Marketplace.

They rode upon a variety of strange and extraordinary flying mounts. Some were on celestial cranes, their snow-white wings spread in elegant, powerful flight. Others rode exceptionally agile, five-colored luan birds, which brandished fiery tail feathers as they weaved through the radiant glow of the sky.

These guards soared above the clouds or weaved between the buildings, constantly vigilant of all movement inside and outside the Marketplace, ensuring the safety and order of the entire Demon Communication Workshop.

Zong Ziqi was, in reality, a sect homebody who hadn’t seen much of the world. Looking at the Demon Communication Workshop before him, he couldn’t help but swallow nervously.

"Brother Jiang... why are we here?"