The Demonic Cultivator In Zombie World-Chapter 365: Trading Begins

The three of them—Chu Xuan, Ximen Changqing, and Wei Ji—strode confidently into the forest. The rich Spiritual Qi immediately enveloped them, a refreshing breeze mingled with the fragrance of the trees, invigorating their spirits. Though the Spiritual Qi here couldn't compare to the prime days of the Heavenly Metal Battlefield, it was still a rare and treasured experience to be in such a rich environment now.

Soon, the trio arrived at the center of the forest, where they found other cultivators. There were around twenty or so of them, gathered in small clusters around tables of various sizes, speaking in hushed tones.

Their arrival drew attention. Nascent Soul cultivators were few, and most of them knew each other. Since Chu Xuan, Ximen Changqing, and Wei Ji were from the Heavenly Infinite Sect, they were unfamiliar to the others. This, in part, was why Chu Xuan didn't easily alter his appearance—his sect's distinct identity would make such efforts pointless.

A young cultivator in white robes smiled and cupped his hands. "I am Kang Jia from the Fiery Sky Cloud Tower. Fellow Daoists seem unfamiliar. May I ask which sect you come from?"

Chu Xuan immediately transmitted a message to Wei Ji, telling them they were from the Falling Sun Demonic Fortress.

Wei Ji sighed, reluctantly speaking up. "I am Wei Ji, from the Falling Sun Demonic Fortress."

Kang Jia froze for a moment. "The Falling Sun Demonic Fortress? A demonic sect?!" With a swift motion, he retreated several steps, holding a talisman in his hand, his face full of suspicion.

Thud, thud, thud.

Several righteous dao cultivators stood up immediately. One of them pointed an accusatory finger at Wei Ji and shouted angrily.

"How dare demonic cultivators join a trading gathering! Get out!"

"Vile demons! If it weren't for your kind, we wouldn't be trapped in this situation!"

However, most of the righteous cultivators remained seated, watching coldly without making a move. Chu Xuan and Ximen Changqing stood motionless, arms crossed.

The atmosphere grew increasingly tense, as if a confrontation was imminent.

At this moment, a voice rang out, calm and smiling. An old man with a youthful face and flowing white hair strode over, his presence radiating authority.

"Fellow Daoists, there's no need to be so tense. These three are here simply to attend the gathering, not to engage in life-and-death battles. We are all trapped in the Heavenly Metal Battlefield. The priority now is how to survive. Why waste energy fighting among ourselves?"

Next to him stood an elderly woman, who merely snorted without speaking.

Kang Jia and the other righteous cultivators immediately cupped their hands in respect. "Greetings, Senior Brother Shangguan, Senior Sister Qiu."

The two elders—Shangguan He from Fiery Sky Cloud Tower and Qiu Wanhong from the Crazy Dragon Valley—had organized this trading gathering. The third person, however, had yet to appear.

Earlier, when Chu Xuan and his group had approached the entrance, the voices from the puppet guards had been those of Shangguan He and Qiu Wanhong.

Kang Jia couldn't help but speak up, "But... they are still demonic cultivators, after all. The righteous and demonic paths have never coexisted. How can we possibly align ourselves with them?"

Shangguan He spoke in a solemn tone, "Junior Brother Kang, you've just recently entered Nascent Soul. You might not understand, but the conflict between the righteous and demonic paths must be considered in context. This war is, at its core, the struggle between the Reincarnation Sect and the Heaven Shaking Sect. Our respective sects were dragged into this conflict without cause. Now, we are all trapped in the Heavenly Metal Battlefield due to the sudden depletion of Spiritual Qi and the failure of the teleportation arrays. In the end, we are all innocent victims caught in the crossfire. Why make things difficult for one another?"

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Kang Jia scratched his head, looking somewhat perplexed but also feeling that there was some truth in what Shangguan He said.

Qiu Wanhong snorted coldly, "Rest assured, fellow daoists, these demonic cultivators wouldn't dare cause trouble."

Shangguan He smiled and waved his hand, "This gathering has nothing to do with the conflict between the righteous and demonic paths. It's just a simple trade. Please, everyone, take your seats."

After hearing these words, the righteous cultivators who had stood up returned to their seats, albeit reluctantly. Chu Xuan, Ximen Changqing, and Wei Ji casually found a spot and sat down.

Chu Xuan rubbed his chin thoughtfully. It seemed likely that some of the righteous cultivators had already realized that the sudden loss of Spiritual Qi was caused by the formation.

That formation, of course, had been laid down by the Reincarnation Sect. This undoubtedly caused a lot of resentment toward the Reincarnation Sect, which might explain why some cultivators were reluctant to serve them. It was only natural that they would prefer trading with demonic cultivators instead.

Shangguan He smiled again, "I won't waste time with pleasantries. Let me start with something of value." He raised his hand, and two copper coins appeared in his palm.

The first coin was ancient and weathered, dark and lustrous, with faint traces of mortal history etched into its surface. The second coin was as fresh as new, startlingly white, as if it had just been forged.

Shangguan He gently infused some Spiritual Qi into them, and in an instant, the two coins began to expand. Within the blink of an eye, they had grown to the size of a zhang.

Kang Jia immediately exclaimed in surprise, "One old and one new, one black and one white... these are Senior Brother Shangguan's Two Yis Copper Coin, aren't they? These are top-tier magic treasures! Senior Brother Shangguan is willing to part with them?"

Shangguan He withdrew his Spiritual Qi, and the Two Yis Copper Coin returned to their original size. He gently stroked them, a trace of melancholy crossing his face.

"Whether I am willing or not, in the end, I've had to part with them. It's all for the sake of survival."

He looked at everyone, "The Two Yis Copper Coin, a top-tier magic treasure, capable of both offense and defense. In exchange, I would like two bottles of Black Dragon Pills. If you don't have Black Dragon Pills, ten great spiritual stones will suffice."

Black Dragon Pills were a type of pill used by Nascent Soul cultivators to rapidly replenish their Spiritual Qi.

Chu Xuan raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. A top-tier magic treasure, under normal circumstances, would require at least one hundred thousand small spiritual stones to purchase. One great spiritual stone could be exchanged for a hundred medium spiritual stones, or ten thousand small spiritual stones. Thus, the price of this treasure, in terms of great spiritual stones, would usually be a hundred. But now, Shangguan He was offering it at a tenfold discount. It was clear that the value of pills and spiritual stones had surged dramatically.

Chu Xuan had anticipated the sharp rise in the value of pills and spiritual stones, but he hadn't expected it to surge to this extent. At this moment, he was even more grateful for his foresight in seizing the spiritual stone mine in advance.

"It's a shame this trade conference doesn't allow for disguise," he thought, his heart giving a quiet sigh. "Otherwise, I'd buy every single top-tier magic treasure here."

The current prices of these treasures were absurdly low. He had plenty of great spiritual stones, but if he were to buy one treasure after another, it would undoubtedly attract the envy of the righteous cultivators. Such attention would cause trouble, and before he knew it, a group of them would be ganging up on him.

That was why he had asked Wei Ji to claim they came from the Falling Sun Demon Fortress instead of revealing their true identities. After all, many cultivators had fought fiercely over the spiritual stone mine in the past, and although some had fled midway, there was always the possibility that someone might return secretly, lurking in the shadows, observing from a distance.

Then there were Dong Qi from the Fallen Sun Demon Fortress and Su Jue from the Heavenly Corpse Palace. Chu Xuan had originally intended to silence both of them, to eliminate any potential future threats.

However, these two hadn't yet shown all their cards, and Chu Xuan couldn't gauge their full strength, so he had refrained from acting rashly. Instead, he allowed them to leave unharmed. He certainly didn't expect either of them to keep their mouths shut. The news of him seizing the great spiritual stone mine outside Heaven-Three City had likely already spread over the past six months.

Whether the news was confined to a small circle or had reached a broader audience, Chu Xuan couldn't say for certain. These righteous cultivators weren't fools. If he were to suddenly start splurging large amounts of spiritual stones here, they would likely recognize him immediately. At that point, he would become the target of their collective hostility.

The Two Yis Copper Coin were indeed valuable, but they weren't an ideal fit for him. It would be better to wait for other treasures to make an appearance and then make a move when the time was right.