The Four Directions Assembly was about to begin. Guests from all directions and the demon kings of the twelve nations gathered, along with representatives from the three major sects—Qingjing, Wuwei, and Hehuan—and various aristocratic families and sects who came to join the grand event.
For a time, the skies above the Rakshasa Sea Market were filled with exquisite flying boats and tower ships. Inside and outside the Sea Market, the bustling crowds were packed with cultivators from various sects, all dressed differently and possessing varying levels of cultivation.
Spiritual light descended as magical treasures gleamed like dots of starlight. Mountain spirits, wild monsters, ghost cultivators, and demons had all come specifically for the Four Directions Assembly.
Ordinary cultivators knew nothing of the schemes and calculations of those in power; they came solely for opportunities and fortune.
But where there were many people, conflicts naturally arose.
In just a single morning, Nan Zhi witnessed three separate spell-fighting incidents triggered by verbal disputes.
One involved a violent cultivator from the Caiyi Sect who, over a minor disagreement, drew a human-bone staff to fight a Lanshan Garden cultivator over some goods, dragging a crowd of innocent onlookers into the fray.
Although the Sea Market's shrimp soldiers quickly dragged them away and threw them into the dungeon, one could still keenly sense the tension in the salty sea breeze, like the calm before an impending storm.
“Miss! Miss!”
By the time Hongluo came running up the stairs, Nan Zhi was sitting in her room meditating.
Before her sat a Gu Jar, inside of which lay two chubby grubs with translucent, eggshell-green wings on their backs.
The two insects were incredibly plump, measuring half a palm wide when spread out. Chubby and comical, they looked more like silkworms than centipedes.
—They had hatched from the centipede eggs she obtained after killing the Golden-Winged Flying Centipede.
Nan Zhi kept her eyes closed, slowly exhaling a thin stream of white mist. Only after a long while did she speak:
“What is the matter? You are in such a rush. Have you finished today's lessons? I will be doing a random check in a couple of days.”
“Oh.”
Hongluo fidgeted with her hands. Seeing that Nan Zhi was cultivating again, she couldn't help but lower her voice and whisper:
“An announcement was posted in the Sea Market, and everyone is talking about it. They say the rules for this year's Four Directions Assembly have changed.
“In previous years, it was about hunting demon beasts, but this year it is about hunting the sky demons in the Wuwang Sea. They even put up something called a ‘Demon Slaying Board,’ divided into the Heaven and Earth boards. It will last for three months, and anyone who makes the list will receive treasures.
“Miss, guess, just guess what the top prize is!”
“There is nothing strange about that. The expansion of the Sky Demons is too rapid, which is not a good thing for the Three Sects either.”
Nan Zhi said slowly:
“Since the Rakshasa Sea Market is the main host, the top prize should naturally be provided by Lady Dragon Girl. As for the second and third prizes, the Three Sects will probably have to bleed a little too.”
—To put it bluntly, the Three Sects and Ao Mingzhu were joining forces. They wanted to use the Four Directions Assembly as a carrot to motivate cultivators to hunt down the Sky Demons.
As for dividing it into the Heaven and Earth boards, it was clearly a way to distribute benefits among the large sects and prominent families.
“Miss, you are so amazing. You know so much without even stepping out the door.”
Hongluo said excitedly, “This Demon Slaying Assembly only allows Golden Core and Foundation Establishment Masters to participate. The top prize is a treasure of the Dragon Palace, the Eight-Direction Sea-Settling Wave-Parting Blade, along with a Longevity Pill that can increase one's lifespan by five hundred years.
“I heard that the top ten of both the Heaven and Earth boards will also receive a Breaking Realm Pill, in addition to other various rewards!”
A Longevity Pill and a Breaking Realm Pill?
Ao Mingzhu was indeed being exceptionally generous this time.
The Three Sects were also paying a heavy price.
Nan Zhi suddenly opened her eyes.
The path of cultivation was not like gathering water, where fullness led to overflow and emptiness was easily replenished. Sometimes, when hitting a bottleneck, even if one was at the great perfection of Foundation Establishment or the peak of Golden Core, they might still be stuck for a hundred or even a thousand years trying to advance.
In the end, their lifespan would be exhausted without making any progress. Their bodies would perish, and their cultivation would dissolve, leaving them to die with resentment, unwilling to accept their fate.
But if one could consume a Breaking Realm Pill and also have a Longevity Pill to extend their lifespan, the probability of advancing would increase significantly.
Cultivators sought longevity, let alone an extra five hundred years of life.
This alone was enough to drive the cultivators of the world mad.
The Dragon Palace was indeed wealthy, and Ao Mingzhu's years of management were no joke if she was willing to offer such a treasure as a prize.
If not for the restriction on cultivation realms, even some old monsters who refused to die and had been stuck in the deity transformation stage for a long time would probably cast aside their dignity to take action and fight for it.
Ao Mingzhu was truly too clever.
The Three Sects had arrived aggressively, but she had turned the tables. By throwing out a single Longevity Pill, she had stirred up the already murky situation, making the water even muddier.
This way, many people's focus would shift from seizing power to competing for the Longevity Pill.
Moreover, the Three Sects were by no means a monolithic entity.
There were bound to be old monsters whose lifespans were nearing their end and who were unwilling to perish.
By then, the sects would scheme against each other, only cooperating superficially while having to hold their noses and work together to crusade against the Sky Demons.
Their connection wouldn't be too tight, nor would they scatter like loose sand.
For at least these three months, Ao Mingzhu's position as the Sea Market Master was temporarily secure.
Lady Dragon Girl was truly too clever.
Fortunately, Nan Zhi had rewritten the originally destined ending.
Nan Zhi couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
...
That night, the Yin Yang Mirror of Two Realms suddenly fluctuated. Wearing her Azure Sea Sky Boots, Nan Zhi teleported thousands of miles away and set up a concealment formation before solemnly checking it.
—If any disciple of the Qingjing Sect were here, they would definitely realize that the formation she set up was identical to the formation lines on the hull of the Splendid Platform.
“Master, it is indeed as you said. The Sky Demons have grand designs. I intend to use the strength of the Rakshasa Sea Market and the Three Sects to clear the surrounding sea areas and restore peace to the twelve nations of the four directions.”
The Mirror of Two Realms lit up, and Ao Mingzhu appeared on the other side, clad in full armor with a solemn expression:
“However, the Sky Demons are cunning. If they realize my intentions, they will surely gather a massive army of Sky Demons to strike back. Therefore, I can only use the pretext of the Four Directions Assembly's demon slaying to eliminate the Sky Demon forces in some sea areas for now.
“It is my incompetence. Please punish me, Master.”
With her Foundation Establishment cultivation, Nan Zhi was temporarily unable to control a Deity Transformation-grade artifact for long, so she just listened silently without saying a word.
“Thank you for your leniency, Master.”
On the other side of the Mirror of Two Realms, Ao Mingzhu seemed to have imagined something. She pursed her lips and continued:
“As for the whereabouts of high-grade pill fires, I have already ordered people to search for them secretly, and we have had some success.
“The ten innate divine fires are: Samadhi True Fire, Nanming Li Fire, Golden Crow True Fire, Liuding Divine Fire, Lunar True Fire, Ziwei Heavenly Fire, Red Lotus Karmic Fire, Nine Heavens Profound Fire, Nirvana Fire, and Netherworld Ghost Fire.
“There are also ten earthly fires: Crimson Flame Demon Fire, Crimson Dragon Fire, Candle Dragon Divine Fire, Sovereign Fire, Crimson Heart Fire, Yellow Springs Cold Fire, Purple Spirit Heart Fire, Bodhi Buddha Fire, Earth-Emerging Golden Lotus Flame, and Merit Golden Fire.
“Then there are the low-grade pill fires: the thirty-seven demon fires, sixty-four pill fires, and seventy-nine treasure fires. Unfortunately, their grades are all too low to be worthy of you, Master.”
Saying this, Lady Dragon Girl's cheeks flushed with anticipation, her expression tinged with a hint of self-satisfaction:
“Therefore, I temporarily offer you one portion of Huodou Tail Flame, one bundle of Snowy Mountain Earth-Core Vine Fire, and one portion of the Wuwei Sect's Bodhi Buddha Fire. As for the Qingjing Sect's Purple Spirit Divine Fire, it will take a few more days to acquire.”
Nan Zhi: “……”
If she remembered correctly, the Bodhi Buddha Fire was a treasure of the Wuwei Sect, right?
What on earth did you do to the Wuwei Sect?
How did you get your hands on their closely guarded pill fire?
And what do you want to do to the Qingjing Sect?
Calm down, we are still in the cooperation phase!
She didn't want to hear news like “Sea Market Master Lady Dragon Girl steals divine fire, causing hostility with the Three Sects” in a few days!
But Nan Zhi was currently playing the role of the “mysterious Great Witch,” so she could only keep these thoughts to herself.
Nan Zhi pulled out a Large Spiritual Energy Cluster and struggled to stuff it into the Mirror of Two Realms. Her spiritual energy was nearly drained completely before she managed to transmit two words:
“Passable.”
—Sure enough, acting like a supreme boss came with a price.
Rate on N.U.
