novelapdf Chapter 320 Trading
Chapter 320 Trading
The interior of the ancient mulberry tree is very spacious, and Zhang Lingyu took many detours on his way there.
Besides the crisscrossing tree branches, there were many familiar things inside.
Wooden puppet.
These inhuman, ghostly beings filled one of the spaces.
There are at least a hundred more, so it seems those earlier were just a test for them.
After an incense stick had burned, Zhang Lingyu finally arrived at the place where Wang Menghan and the other two were being held.
Zhang Yuanyao saw an incredibly familiar face appear before her, and even she could hardly believe her eyes. She exclaimed in surprise, "Could it be that old monster disguised as the clan leader, here to deceive us?"
"That's possible, but how did that old monster know what Master looked like?"
The three of them immediately became very vigilant.
"Sigh, you guys." Zhang Lingyu shook his head with a laugh, summoned the Six Xuan Ting Flying Swords, and swiftly shattered the prison into pieces.
Upon seeing the familiar flying sword, the three realized that the man standing before them was not a puppet created by the Yuan Sang Ancient Tree Sect, but the real Zhang Lingyu!
"Master/Clan Chief!"
With the cage broken, smiles immediately appeared on the two women's faces as they thanked them repeatedly. Mo Wuyai, standing behind them, also felt a great weight lifted from his heart and bowed deeply.
"Master, it was our failure to protect ourselves that led us so recklessly into the cave. We nearly lost our lives and even caused you to risk your own life to rescue us..."
"Life is unpredictable. Even my master didn't pay much attention to it at the time. Let's just take it as a lesson."
Seeing the girl's aggrieved expression, Zhang Lingyu smiled and shook her head, saying, "It's alright now. You can go out first; the Grand Elder is still waiting outside."
"Even the Grand Elder is here? Where are you, Master?"
"I still have some things to discuss with this senior colleague. You may leave now."
"this..."
They had long experienced the terrifying power of the Yuan Sang Ancient Tree. If it weren't useful to them, they would have been turned into wooden puppets long ago. Seeing Zhang Lingyu staying here, Wang Menghan couldn't help but feel a little worried.
Just as he was about to speak up to offer some advice, Zhang Yuanyao tugged at his sleeve, her meaning crystal clear.
Although she didn't know what this elder wanted to talk to Yuan Sang Ancient Tree about, her intuition told her that it was best not to ask.
"Master, be careful." Wang Menghan whispered a reminder before retreating with the other two.
After confirming that the three had left the Yuan Sang Ancient Tree, Zhang Lingyu called out loudly, "Senior, now that there are no outsiders left, would you be so kind as to show yourself for a chat?"
"What's the point of talking to a bunch of selfish cultivators like you? What I just saw made me want to vomit. Now that I've released your disciples and clansmen, what else do you want? Are you trying to take advantage of me and squeeze some benefits out of me?"
An old man's face slowly appeared on the inner wall, his expression furious, as if he was about to pierce the other person through the heart in the next second.
At the same time, it was also a bit strange. Most people would want to run away as soon as they got to this point, but why did this person seem to want to reminisce with him?
"Senior, please don't get agitated. I just want to make a deal with you."
"A deal? You're just a Foundation Establishment cultivator, what right do you have to make a deal with me? You cultivators are all cunning scoundrels, get out!"
"Is that so? That's such a pity. I was hoping to help you escape this cage and go out into the world."
Zhang Lingyu's casual remark caused Yuan Sanggushu's expression to freeze instantly. After a long while, he sneered:
"Do you take me for a three-year-old? The cultivator who could help me escape this secret realm would have to be at least a Nascent Soul cultivator. Do you even know what a Nascent Soul cultivator is?"
To be honest, for a moment just now, it was indeed tempted.
But what followed was endless doubt and vigilance.
Zhang Lingyu could easily produce more than ten mid-grade fifth-level talismans, so there must be a Nascent Soul cultivator behind him.
While it could indeed help it break free, it knew all too well its own worth.
Once it leaves the secret realm, it can trigger a lightning tribulation to reach the fifth rank.
With the accumulation of ten thousand years, it might be possible for it to break through to higher levels continuously. At that time, in the eyes of a Nascent Soul cultivator, it would be a highly sought-after commodity, a spiritual material that could be used to refine magical treasures.
If we agree too easily, wouldn't we be like lambs to the slaughter?
Rather than doing that, it would be better to remain in hiding, waiting for other cultivators to stray into this place before implementing one's own plan, without relying on external forces to break free from this prison.
But after a moment's thought, it realized something was wrong.
"No, since he dared to make those demands, there must be a Nascent Soul cultivator behind him. He'll probably report this after we get out. Whether I agree or not, I can't escape the order to be refined."
The ancient mulberry tree has lived for tens of thousands of years. Even though it has not had much contact with cultivators from the outside world, its intelligence is no less than that of ordinary cultivators. It can be considered a kind of survival instinct.
"In this case, I cannot let this person and those cultivators from the outside world escape, otherwise the consequences will be endless... But if I don't let them go, I will also perish and my cultivation will vanish in an instant."
For a moment, it found itself in a dilemma.
"Senior, I know what you're thinking. Don't worry, I won't tell outsiders about the situation here, and neither will those people outside. They won't hire any Nascent Soul cultivators to harm you."
After Zhang Lingyu finished speaking, the Yuan Sang Ancient Tree was less worried. However, cultivators are always cunning, and perhaps these words were just a delaying tactic.
"Oh, since you won't even ask a Nascent Soul cultivator for help, how dare you spout such nonsense here, claiming you can help me escape?"
"It's simple. Once I reach the Nascent Soul stage, I can help you escape this predicament, senior."
"You...you, a junior who hasn't even formed your core yet, dare to speak so arrogantly? Are cultivators these days too arrogant, or have all the geniuses in the outside world died out?" Yuan Sang Ancient Tree seemed to have heard a huge joke, and his voice trembled slightly, a rare occurrence.
It seems he was indeed amused.
After a long pause, looking at Zhang Lingyu's calm expression, it said in a deep voice, "Are you... serious?"
"Senior, it's not about whether I'm serious or not, it's just that this is the only path you can take right now."
To be fair, the Yuan Sang Ancient Tree only has two options right now: either it takes over a cultivator's body and leaves the outside world, or it gets help from a Nascent Soul cultivator. Otherwise, there is no other way.
It dared not trust anyone at all, and said in a deep voice: "Young man, I understand your intentions, but you are only a Foundation Establishment cultivator. I dare not gamble on whether you can become a Nascent Soul cultivator in the future. Even without the help of a Nascent Soul cultivator, I still have a way to escape."
"Is that so? You mean possessing a cultivator's body? But every time it ends in failure?" Zhang Lingyu's lips curled up, his gaze intentionally or unintentionally glancing at the wooden puppets.
Clearly, those wooden puppets were the Yuan Sang Ancient Tree's failed creation.
There's no other reason than that the human's weak physical body simply cannot withstand its immense vitality. Furthermore, even if one could possess it, one would be unable to cultivate, because at the moment of possession, the cultivator's physical body would have already been assimilated into a part of its branches.
But it was unwilling to give up and insisted on continuing to try...
"Senior, it's fine if you continue to try. Anyway, this deal doesn't conflict with either of us. On the contrary, it can even help you."
"Oh, tell me about it..." Yuan Sang Gu Shu pulled himself out of his thoughts and asked with interest.
"Senior, the terms of the deal are simple. Before you leave the secret realm, I will send some of my clansmen to plant spiritual plants in this secret realm. They will not interfere with your daily cultivation. As long as you promise not to harm them and provide assistance when outsiders enter, that's all that matters."
Zhang Lingyu finally voiced his thoughts:
"In return, our family will capture some demonic beasts and demonic cultivators for you to continue your experiments. If you succeed, all the better; if you fail, it doesn't matter. If I ever break through to the Nascent Soul stage, I will definitely help you escape this predicament."
"Anyway, you've already lived here for tens of thousands of years, so what's a few hundred more?"
He will soon be able to form his core, and after cultivating for a few hundred more years, barring any unforeseen circumstances, he should be able to reach the threshold of the Nascent Soul stage.
"You seem quite confident in yourself, young man, but those who reach the Nascent Soul stage are all exceptionally talented. I can certainly wait a few hundred years, but can you really succeed?"
"If I perish or die under the lightning tribulation, my clansmen will fulfill my promise. You just saw my three juniors; they are quite talented and have a good chance of success."
"Then they can't succeed either. What if your family never produces a Nascent Soul cultivator or is wiped out one day? Who will I complain to then?" Yuan Sang Ancient Tree persisted.
"Senior, as I just said, you can wait and experiment at the same time. If my family really can't produce a Nascent Soul cultivator, there's nothing we can do about it. After all, things are unpredictable. It all depends on whether you're willing to take a gamble."
To gamble or not to gamble...
Just as a cultivator faces the dilemma of whether to compete with others for the opportunity before him, the Yuan Sang Ancient Tree is once again caught in a dilemma.
There was no other reason than that Zhang Lingyu's words just now had genuinely moved it.
To be honest, over the past ten thousand years, it has tried too many experiments to get rid of this body, all of which have ended in failure, and it has almost become numb to it.
Now that a golden opportunity is before it, it hesitates again.
Are you really going to put the chance to escape this cage on a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator?
Doesn't this kind of investment seem a bit ridiculous?
"Then... I'll agree to it. What if he really does become a Nascent Soul cultivator someday, or if there's a genius in his clan... Anyway, I've lived for ten thousand years, so I don't mind waiting and seeing."
After struggling for a while, it decided to take a gamble and fight for that sliver of hope!
"Okay, I agree!"
"You're so straightforward, senior!"
Zhang Lingyu laughed loudly, took out a Netherworld Blood Contract, wrote down its contents, and signed it first when neither party had any objections.
Although spiritual plants do not have souls, they possess a true spirit at the moment of their birth. A drop of dark green liquid was suspended in mid-air, presumably the original substance of the Yuan Sang Ancient Tree.
After being fully immersed in the blood pact, both parties immediately sensed each other, indicating that the Heavenly Dao had recognized the pact.
This was the first time the ancient mulberry tree had felt this way, so it cautiously showed hostility towards Zhang Lingyu, only to immediately feel an unprecedented fear.
That's a sign that the tribulation of lightning is about to appear!
Startled, it immediately retracted its thought, and then the fear that had been swirling within it gradually dissipated.
After the contract was signed, the ancient tree's attitude improved considerably, and it asked with some curiosity, "There's nothing of value inside or outside this secret realm. At most, you can plant some spiritual plants and provide resources for cultivators. Is that really all you're interested in?"
"It's all clearly stated in the contract; how could I dare to lie to you?"
"That's true."
But seeing Zhang Lingyu's smile, I always felt there was another reason...
But none of this matters much to it; all it cares about is getting itself out of trouble.
In fact, Zhang Lingyu only had these two meanings.
This secret realm is where the Divine Tree Sect cultivates spiritual plants. The Zhang family happens to lack a high-quality spiritual herb garden, and with this secret realm, their industrial development will not be a problem.
Furthermore, this is also an excellent sanctuary. True Monarch Yunhe said that there will be a great calamity in ten years, and relying solely on the two fifth-order formations behind Xiaohe Village is not enough to ensure safety.
Having more options is always a good thing.
"Unfortunately, this secret realm is located on the outskirts of the Myriad Spirits Mountain Range. Fortunately, there aren't many demonic beasts in Yixian Valley, and it's not on the main route for attacking Tianliu City."
Speaking of safety outside, Zhang Lingyu suddenly remembered something and frowned as she asked, "Senior, what's the deal with that array outside the secret realm used to conceal it?"
"An array? What array? I can't even leave the secret realm, how would I know about this?"
Yuan Sang Ancient Tree asked in confusion, then offered his own guess: "It must have been established by the descendants of those cultivators from the Divine Wood Sect."
Are there any descendants of the Shenmu Sect cultivators still alive?
"No...they should all be dead by now."
According to the ancient tree of Yuansang, since the destruction of the Divine Tree Sect, the cultivators who were responsible for guarding the spiritual plants in the secret realm became the last group of people who survived in the world. At that time, the great calamity outside had not yet ended, so they remained huddled in the secret realm.
After the calamity passed, some began to leave one after another, saying they wanted to find the ruins of the sect to rebuild the Divine Wood Sect. Unfortunately, they failed, and very few cultivators returned.
"Until more than 5,000 years ago, there were still some descendants of the Divine Wood Sect in this secret realm. At that time, I had become the master of the secret realm. One day, a descendant returned to the secret realm and said that someone outside had become a Nascent Soul cultivator and rebuilt the Divine Wood Sect. So he took most of the people out and left only a small number of people to guard it."
Yuan Sanggushu's old face was somewhat complicated as he sighed:
"At first, some people came back to visit, but gradually almost no one returned. Some people in the secret realm went out to search but there was no news. The rest of the people stayed. But more than three thousand years ago, when the last person in the secret realm passed away, I knew that the Divine Wood Sect had no descendants left."
He pointed to the wooden puppets and said:
"These wooden puppets were actually made from the bodies of those who died in the secret realm or failed in their breakthroughs. I've never experimented with living people, not even your disciple. She only thinks about waiting for them to perish..."
Zhang Lingyu did not deny that Wang Menghan and the others had been in the secret realm for nearly a month. Normally, they would not have survived more than a day, but they managed to stay there for a whole month.
"It seems it still has some bottom line."
In this way, he understood that the formation outside was set up by the descendants to prevent outsiders from finding this place.
The fragments of the map that the three obtained were mostly left by their descendants; otherwise, how could ordinary cultivators find this place?
"We'll need to rearrange the formation after we go out; that would be much safer."
The man and the tree chatted for a while longer. Just as he was about to take his leave, he remembered something and asked, "Senior, since the descendants of the Divine Tree Sect once lived here, did they leave behind any cultivation techniques or spells?"
"Yes, there are some, but they are just descendants of disciples who guard the herb garden. They don't have any advanced techniques, just some common cultivation methods and secret techniques for cultivating spiritual plants."
"It's alright, senior, please feel free to show it to me."
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