Chapter 208: Temporary Camp (Patreon)
Content
Immortal Path Space : Table of Content/Chapter List
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After six Flying Boats departed from Boundary City, they flew for hundreds of miles before landing in a relatively flat area.
This place might become a temporary camp because even Flying Boats, despite their ability to fly, consume Spiritual Energy and cannot stay airborne indefinitely.
The Flying Boats were arranged in a sparse circle on the flat ground, with the Flying Boats serving as a temporary wall, and people rested within the circle.
These Flying Boats were large magical treasures that couldn't be absorbed into a cultivator's body like other treasures. They could be activated either with Spirit Stones or Spiritual Power.
At this moment, the six Flying Boats parked on the outskirts were more secure than the walls of Boundary City.
After half a day of rest, those who could recover had already done so, while those with severe injuries were still recuperating.
With nothing urgent to attend to, many cultivators brought out the spoils they obtained in the last battle and set up stalls in a corner to sell or trade.
After the intense battle, the resources of many cultivators were depleted. Therefore, they exchanged things they didn't need for items they urgently required.
It was rare for over a thousand Foundation Building Cultivators to gather in one place. Although they were in the same city before, they were scattered all over. Gathering a couple of hundred people at once was considered a grand scale.
Seizing the opportunity, these Foundation Building Cultivators turned this temporary camp into a bustling trading fair.
Moreover, considering the current situation, although the human side suffered a setback, the casualties among Foundation Building Cultivators were not too severe. Their combat strength was still relatively intact.
If they didn't stabilize their foothold in the Boundary Mountain Range, the Demon Clan would have no constraints within the range, essentially opening the gate to the East Zhou Cultivation Realm. There would be no peace from then on, so they had to reclaim the city.
Now, all they could do was wait for reinforcements from the East Zhou Cultivation Realm. As soon as the reinforcements arrived, they would undoubtedly launch a counterattack.
At this moment, Wang Hong was squatting in front of a stall, carefully selecting materials from a pile of Demonic Beast parts.
He took advantage of this opportunity to purchase various materials. Currently, he needed a wide range of items: alchemy materials, refining tool materials, talisman-making materials—anything he could use.
"Excuse me, Fellow Daoist, how many Spirit Stones for this piece of beast hide?" Wang Hong asked, holding a piece of second-tier Demonic Beast hide, which could be used to make second-tier Talisman Paper.
"I apologize, Fellow Daoist. I only exchange my materials; I don't sell them, unless you have mid-grade Spirit Stones," the vendor replied.
Currently, ordinary Spirit Stones didn't help him much, and it was challenging to find items he needed with low-grade Spirit Stones.
"May I inquire, Fellow Daoist, what items you are looking to exchange?" Wang Hong asked softly.
"I accept Spiritual Herbs that enhance cultivation or heal, Pills, and if there's Spirit Wine, even better."
At present, Pills, mid-grade Spirit Stones, Spirit Wine, Talismans, and Spiritual Weapons were all highly sought after.
Having these items allowed cultivators to exchange for almost anything they desired at any stall.
"I have a plant of Essence Nurturing Grass, would Fellow Daoist be interested?"
"Of course, and do you have more Essence Nurturing Grass? I have a few more pieces of this kind of beast hide."
The vendor happily took out the remaining pieces of hide from his storage bag and placed them in front of Wang Hong.
Wang Hong examined the pieces and confirmed that they could be used to make second-tier Talisman Paper.
"There are seven pieces in total. I don't have that much Essence Nurturing Grass, but I can offer you a set of Nourishing Essence Pill materials, along with an additional Healing Blood Pill. How about that?"
Healing Blood Pill was a commonly used healing Pill among Foundation Building Cultivators. Wang Hong had a few hundred of them in stock, and he couldn't possibly consume them all even if he got injured every day. So, he took this opportunity to exchange some of them.
"Of course, and do you see anything else you need? All of these are available for exchange," the vendor replied, pointing to his stall, hoping to make a few more transactions.
Currently, Demonic Beast materials were abundant, and almost every cultivator had some. It was challenging to trade them away.
"Thank you, Fellow Daoist. I only need these for now."
After saying that, Wang Hong took out the items for the trade – several Jade Boxes containing Nourishing Essence Pill materials and a vial from which he poured out a Healing Blood Pill, handing it to the vendor.
Having completed the transaction with the vendor, Wang Hong moved on to the next stall.
He went through a few hundred stalls, exchanging for many useful materials. Some could be bought with Spirit Stones, and for those that couldn't, Pills were always accepted. If that failed, there was always Spirit Wine, which was guaranteed to work.
As a second-tier Alchemist, Wang Hong had a stockpile of Spiritual Herbs. It wasn't surprising, and he wasn't selling them on a large scale anyway.
While passing by a stall, a large piece of ore caught his eye. It was placed on the ground, over five feet tall, entirely black.
"Excuse me, Fellow Daoist, what type of ore is this?"
He had some recollection of this ore. Back in the sect, he had inquired with a refining tool master from the Myriad Treasures Tower who had provided him with a list of materials needed for refining close combat Spiritual Weapons.
Among them was a material called Falling Star Profound Iron, a refining tool material known for its dense and solid texture, incredibly heavy.
"This material is called Falling Star Profound Iron, an excellent material for refining Spiritual Weapons. Especially a piece this large, it might even be possible to refine a top-grade Spiritual Weapon," the vendor enthusiastically explained upon seeing Wang Hong's unfamiliarity with the material.
"But, I heard from a refining tool master that Falling Star Profound Iron, due to its excessively heavy texture, results in Spiritual Weapons that are bulky and challenging to control," Wang Hong expressed skepticism, his interest in the ore diminishing.
"That's pure rumor. Falling Star Profound Iron is undoubtedly a top-tier refining tool material, a rare find," the vendor quickly defended, seizing the opportunity to counter Wang Hong's unintentional revelation of the ore's drawbacks.
Lamenting the scarcity of fools nowadays, he thought, "It's not easy to deceive anyone!"
"Oh! What price is Fellow Daoist planning to sell this piece for? If it's too expensive, I might reconsider," Wang Hong feigned a lack of interest and casually inquired.
"I can see that Fellow Daoist and I have a good connection. I'll give you a discount. How about two mid-grade Spirit Stones or equivalent value in other Pills?" the vendor proposed.
Wang Hong, pretending to leave, was stopped by the vendor who hastily said, "Fellow Daoist, let's discuss. I can offer you a lower price. After all, we have a good connection!"
In the end, Wang Hong gave the vendor one mid-grade Spirit Stone and a few Pills, reaching a deal that was below market price. Although Wang Hong had ample resources, he disliked being taken for a fool and managed to negotiate the price down.
With this piece of ore and some additional auxiliary materials, he could finally refine a handy close combat Spiritual Weapon.
After concluding this transaction, he visited all the remaining stalls. His haul included over a hundred pieces of second-tier beast hides suitable for talisman-making and various other materials.
He was particularly pleased to acquire a two to three feet tall ink pine sapling. Ink pine was an excellent material for making spirit ink, and he was struggling to find good ink for talisman-making. With the ink pine tree, he could produce his own spirit ink in the future.
Additionally, when ink pine matured to a certain age, it would produce pine nuts. Wang Hong had read in some ancient texts that these nuts were delicious and even had some life-prolonging effects when consumed regularly.
Inside the temporary camp, cultivators from Qingxu Sect gathered together, as did members of other major factions.
As for some smaller factions, some had disappeared after this battle, and the remaining ones were as insignificant as a couple of small cats.
After Wang Hong finished browsing the stalls and returned to the gathering point of Qingxu Sect, he found many cultivators who didn't belong to Qingxu Sect.
Upon seeing his return, everyone greeted him warmly, as if Wang Hong were a long-lost relative.
Wu Dayong rushed over when he saw Wang Hong and pulled him aside, explaining in detail.
It turned out that this battle was too dangerous, and everyone was fighting for their lives. Even lower-level cultivators like alchemists and refining tool masters, who usually focused on their crafts, were thrust into the front lines against Demonic Beasts.
After a fierce battle, many alchemists, who weren't adept at combat, suffered heavy casualties. Now, among the over a thousand Foundation Building Cultivators, only Wang Hong, a second-tier alchemist, remained. As a result, those in need of pills flocked to him.
"Junior Brother Wang, do you have time now?" After explaining everything to Wang Hong, Wu Dayong asked for his opinion.
The current situation was an opportunity to expand the sect's influence, but Wu Dayong couldn't force Wang Hong. With Qingxu Tower gone, everything depended on Wang Hong's decision.
"There's nothing urgent now. Senior Brother Wu, you can go ahead and arrange the alchemy requests," Wang Hong replied, maintaining the coordination they had at Qingxu Tower.
"Great! I'll go arrange it right away!" Wu Dayong happily turned to attend to the customers.
As Wu Dayong approached, the crowd immediately surrounded him, with everyone enthusiastically presenting their requests.
"Wu Fellow Daoist, my senior brother is critically injured and lying on his bed, his life hanging by a thread. We're waiting for life-saving pills. Please arrange the refinement as a priority. We'll be eternally grateful."
"Wu Fellow Daoist, my master is severely wounded. I fear he won't last a few hours. Please, Wu Fellow Daoist, have mercy!"
"Your master is dead; you can inherit his legacy. Go back and wait calmly!"
At this point, another burly man squeezed through the crowd and loudly declared, "Who doesn't have an emergency? Li Erha's Dao Companion is still bleeding profusely in bed, just like nothing happened."
"Mighty Bear, stop talking nonsense. I know about my Dao Companion's situation. Can you refine alchemy? If not, then leave!" Li Erha shouted from the crowd.
"Of course, I can. I was just giving an example," Mighty Bear replied, turning to Wu Dayong with a smile. "Wu Fellow Daoist, as I'm the first one here, can you please arrange for Wang Fellow Daoist to refine pills for me?"
Li Erha, still dissatisfied, shouted loudly, "Mighty Bear, you used my Dao Companion as an example. Why?"
"Because I don't have a Dao Companion!" Mighty Bear turned around and said.
Li Erha, hearing this, thought Mighty Bear had a point and stopped arguing.
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