A late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator could casually cast a spell with power equivalent to a second-rank lower-grade talisman.

So—

Second-rank lower-grade talismans weren’t in high demand among cultivators at the Foundation Establishment Realm. Compared to actual spellcasting, their only real advantage was being instantly activated.

Hearing this, Wei Tu didn’t feel particularly disappointed. He was already a second-rank mid-grade talisman master, and most of the talismans he crafted were mid-grade.

He had no concern over selling off lower-grade talismans anyway.

“Besides talismans,” Wei Tu continued, “I also have a few magical tools I came across in the Cloud Ze Secret Realm. I wonder if the Jiu Yun Merchant Guild would be willing to purchase them.”

Having finished discussing talisman business, Wei Tu smoothly shifted the topic to the “ill-gotten goods” in his possession.

He had two reasons for coming to the Jiu Yun Merchant Guild this time:

First, to gain entry to the underground auction, buy treasures, and increase his own strength.

Second, to offload the loot he had obtained through “killing and taking treasure” during the Cloud Ze Secret Realm expedition.

Back then, when Chai Ping invited him to attend the underground auction, she had mentioned that some items sold there didn’t exactly have “clean” origins.

“Magical tools found in the secret realm?” Manager Fan raised her eyebrows slightly upon hearing that. As a seasoned figure in the trade, how could she not understand the deeper implication behind Wei Tu’s words?

“So it’s as expected—Wei Tu surviving the Cloud Ze Secret Realm wasn’t all just luck,” she thought silently.

“The Jiu Yun Merchant Guild has its own special channels for handling magical tools. Even if the item came from the three great sects, we’re able to take them all… though the price will be lower,” she said cautiously.

She wasn’t lying.

Magical tools originating from within the three great sects were marked differently than those sold openly in regular markets. They bore special “insignias” that required either a weapon-crafting master or a Golden Core cultivator to erase before resale.

Because of that, tools taken from the three major sects always fetched lower prices.

“Hmm… fair enough.” Wei Tu nodded and took out the magical tools he had seized from the two cultivators of Green Bamboo Mountain.

There were seven tools in total—five of second-rank mid-grade, and two of second-rank lower-grade.

As for the magical tools he had taken from Si Qing, Wei Tu didn’t plan to sell them. He intended to keep them for himself.

Every single tool he’d taken from Si Qing was top-tier—the tortoiseshell shield and the blood-colored short sword were both second-rank high-grade magical tools, with impressive power.

More importantly, he worried that Si Qing’s items might also carry the unique “insignias” of the Heavenly Maiden Sect. If sold, they might attract unwanted attention or even bring serious trouble.

After all, while killing inside the Cloud Ze Secret Realm was permitted by all factions, openly selling magical tools marked by the Heavenly Maiden Sect could pose a greater risk.

On the other hand, the magical tools from the Green Bamboo Mountain cultivators had already been accounted for publicly when they exited the secret realm—there was a trail for those.

A short while later, the transaction was complete.

Wei Tu’s storage pouch now held three thousand eight hundred spirit stones.

…

After leaving the market town, Wei Tu returned to the Xia Ya Mei Clan’s estate at Mist Cliff, awaiting the upcoming underground auction next year.

However, a single letter completely disrupted his mental state.

The letter—

It was the second one he had received from Fu Lin, following the previous warning about the demonic invasion.

“The Supreme Elder of the Jing Kingdom’s Beastmaster Sect, a powerful Nascent Soul cultivator named Hu Yanpeng, has fallen in battle. Both the Beastmaster Sect and Sky Dome City plan to withdraw and take refuge in the Zheng Kingdom…”

“Soon, the Zheng Kingdom will become the next Jing Kingdom…”

Just a few short lines sent Wei Tu’s thoughts into chaos.

The Jing Kingdom wasn’t like the Zheng Kingdom—it only had two major sects: the Beastmaster Sect and Sky Dome City.

Yet in terms of strength, those two sects together were slightly more powerful than the Zheng Kingdom’s three great sects.

Now, with the Beastmaster Sect and Sky Dome City defeated and preparing to retreat to the Zheng Kingdom…

What this meant—

Wei Tu understood all too well.

Originally, the Jing Kingdom was the main battlefield of the demonic invasion. But now, with the retreat of both the Beastmaster Sect and Sky Dome City, it was only a matter of time before the Zheng Kingdom became the next major war zone.

And once the Zheng Kingdom became the main battlefield, the intensity of war there would be on a whole different level than anything it had faced before.

“I must leave the Zheng Kingdom before it’s completely swallowed by the war and head to one of the safer kingdoms in the rear.”

Wei Tu made up his mind.

But he knew very well this was going to be hard. After all, even before the situation turned critical, the three great sects had already shut down all external routes out of the Zheng Kingdom.

Now, with the news that the Jing Kingdom front had fallen and that the Zheng Kingdom would become the next battleground—

The three great sects would only tighten their control of every checkpoint and strictly prevent cultivators from fleeing.

“Wanling Cult…”

Wei Tu muttered softly, his gaze falling on a black rib-shaped symbol on the letter.

That black rib was none other than the symbol of the Wanling Cult—one of the five demonic sects. In the cultivation world of Great Cang, it was an infamous and feared mark.

At this moment, Fu Lin using letterhead stamped with the Wanling Cult’s symbol was a clear message—it meant that Fu Lin was now a disciple of the Wanling Cult.

“If escaping through the gates controlled by the three great sects is impossible… then what if I detour through territory occupied by the demonic sects?”

Wei Tu began to evaluate the feasibility of this plan.

After all, he already had the Demonic Soul Foundation Establishment Method in his hands. If he disguised himself as a demonic cultivator, escaping the Zheng Kingdom wasn’t entirely impossible.

“Not so fast.”

Wei Tu shook his head and suppressed the wild thought for now.

Just because the righteous sects’ exits were hard to pass didn’t mean the demon-occupied regions would be easy to move through. If he truly entered demonic territory, there would be no safety net—no one he could rely on.

“I’ll wait for Fu Lin’s next letter.”

Wei Tu made up his mind.

In the letter, Fu Lin had mentioned he would write again—or possibly meet with them—within three years.

…

One year later.

Wei Tu emerged from seclusion and followed the directions on his invitation to attend the next underground auction.

This time, the auction wasn’t held near Canglong Mountain but near Xiaoyao Mountain instead.

Xiaoyao Mountain was a branch range of the Demon Wolf Mountains.

Back before he had formed his Foundation, the manager Shen from the Baibao Pavilion at Danqiu Mountain had tried to lure him to Xiaoyao Mountain to act as a decoy for a group of robbers—hoping to kill him and steal his possessions.

But Wei Tu had seen through the ploy in advance and rejected the invitation.

Now thinking back on it, he recalled Manager Shen’s face clearly. If the opportunity ever came up, he planned to settle that old score.

Same as before.

After arriving near Xiaoyao Mountain, Wei Tu didn’t rush in to join the underground auction. Instead, he planned to wait until the last few days before entering.

Two days later—

He spotted a few familiar faces who were also here for the underground auction.

Cultivators from the Shuyun Alliance.

Cultivators from the Hengshan Huang Clan.

Cultivators from the Qiyue Zhao Clan.

Cultivators from the Xuefeng Zheng Clan.

All of them had sent people to attend this time.

“Pill Master Shu didn’t even bother to disguise himself? Is he really that confident?”

When Wei Tu saw Pill Master Shu openly striding past him, he couldn’t help but feel puzzled.

As a second-rank talisman master, he himself had always been cautious—afraid someone might covet his wealth and ambush him.

But Pill Master Shu was a full-fledged second-rank alchemist, someone far richer than he was. And yet, he seemed completely unbothered.

“I’ll have to be careful around him.”

Wei Tu silently added a note of caution about Pill Master Shu in his heart.

Half a day later—

Wei Tu finally saw Kou Hongying again. After exchanging divine sense messages with her, he intentionally delayed his entrance by a day before stepping into the underground auction venue.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep