Immortality begins with meditation puppets

Chapter 238 The Demonic Sect Attacks, the Demon-Subduing Pestle! (Two Chapters Combined)

A sudden clap of thunder, and suddenly rich; in the blink of an eye, a wealthy man.

With a fortune of over two hundred spirit stones in his pocket, Su Qing headed straight for the Treasure Pavilion.

He'd been incredibly bored lately, spending all his time at home crafting lizard knights and phantom leopards for others. He'd even leveled up the runes on those weapons to level three, while the puppet he was waiting to craft for himself was still unmounted.

Isn't this simply because we're short on funds and don't have enough ingredients?

With plenty of money and food today, it's the perfect time to add more powerful and capable soldiers to our ranks.

He stormed into the Treasure Pavilion, looking like he was about to wreak havoc.

This immediately caused Tong Xin to abandon an old client with whom he was currently making a transaction.

Even the longest-standing client can't compare to Su Qinglao.
Even the wealthiest client can't compare to Su Qingkuo.
"It's been quite a while since I've seen Fellow Daoist Su. Seeing how radiant you look today, has the deal with Yunshan Sect been finalized?"

Tong Xin came over and enthusiastically patted the snowflakes off Su Qing's robe. In fact, there wasn't a single snowflake on him, but whether there was or not didn't matter; the action was important.

"Of course it's settled. If it hadn't worked out, I wouldn't have dared to step into the threshold of your Hundred Treasures Pavilion!" Su Qing said with a smile.

"I knew long ago that the Lin family's puppets couldn't defeat Fellow Daoist Su. In my opinion, the Yunshan Sect's puppet battle is pointless. The army of the Desire Demon Immortal Kingdom is almost at our doorstep. Why waste our time?"

"The Desire Demon Immortal Kingdom has arrived so quickly?" Su Qing was surprised upon hearing this.

Today, snow is falling heavily in the wild, and the temperature is dozens of times lower than in previous years. The monsters are all somewhat listless in this kind of weather, and no monsters outside the city walls are enduring the cold to fight.

With the monster attacks gone, it was thought that White Cloud Immortal City would be more peaceful this winter.

Unexpectedly, the Desire Demon Immortal Kingdom was so impatient that it digested Yunluo City so quickly.

"That's right. Outside the western city wall, you can already see the army of the Desire Demon Immortal Kingdom setting up camp and laying down a large formation. They are building the city wall day and night, and it seems that they also want to establish a city to confront the White Cloud Immortal City."

This group of demonic cultivators gathered in one place; it was a huge, swarming crowd, countless cultivators, quite terrifying!

The Baibao Pavilion was bustling with people, and with so many people talking, Tong Xin knew much more timely information than Su Qing.

"So the Yunshan Sect just watches them establish the city?" Su Qing asked again.

"How could that be? Most of the forces in the Immortal City are now focused on the western city wall. Last night, the Yunshan Sect even led a group to fight the Demon Sect's army, but it seems they didn't gain much advantage!"

Tong Xin vividly described the battle that took place the previous night.

Golden Core cultivators dance across the heavens, Foundation Establishment cultivators summon clouds and mist, Second-Order Body Cultivators slay unparalleled opponents, and Qi Refining cultivators suffer countless deaths and injuries.

After he recounted the grand scene of the previous night as if he had personally experienced it,

Su Qing thought to himself that wine and women had led him astray. The gourd of spirit wine that Guo Qiaolian had sent last night was so intoxicating that after he fell into a deep sleep with Hongshang and Princess Bao, he was completely unaware of such a grand occasion.

I won't dare drink again next time!
"The Demonic Sect has not yet established a firm foothold, and the Cloud Mountain Sect has not yet gained any advantage. Once they complete their array system and erect various magic cannon puppets on the city walls, White Cloud Immortal City will likely only be able to defend itself, with no way to attack."

However, this is normal. If they could defeat the Demonic Sect, they wouldn't have been chased all the way here!

Su Qing shook his head. Although he was somewhat disappointed with the Yunshan Sect's combat strength, he wasn't too worried.

The Yunshan Sect has poured years of accumulated resources into building Baiyun Immortal City into an impregnable fortress; there's no reason why they couldn't even hold it for a year or two.

Tong Xin, who gets carried away with his embellishments and relies entirely on his imagination to create grand scenes, should quickly shut up, fulfill his duties as the shopkeeper, and stop acting like a third-rate storyteller.

"If Fellow Daoist Su does not wish to hear, then I will not say. What did Fellow Daoist Su come to my shop to buy today?"
Our shop has recently received quite a few new items; fellow Daoist, please take a look!

Knowing that Su Qing had just landed a big order and was now flush with cash, Tong Xin took Su Qing around the shop.

Su Qing hadn't visited the Treasure Pavilion for a while, and after browsing around, she found that the first floor alone had a lot of new and interesting items.

"A Tier 1 High-Grade Puppet Tiger General, wasn't it sold out? And now it's back in stock?"

"A first-tier Qi and Blood Pill? Manager Liu is willing to put it on the first floor for sale?"

"I've seen Fellow Daoist Helian use the Heavenly Thunder Pearl once before, and its power was quite impressive. But isn't it a bit excessive that you're charging 50,000 spirit crystals for it?"

Su Qing looked around, then turned to Tong Xin and asked:
"With such a complete selection of goods, what's this? The trade route is open again?"

"That's for sure. A few days ago, the demon kings of the Hundred Beasts Mountain Range suddenly started fighting amongst themselves, which cut off the trade route to the east of my Hundred Treasures Pavilion. Now that the commotion is over, everything is back to normal. In fact, due to the needs of White Cloud Immortal City, the goods transported to my shop are more and better than those of other Hundred Treasures Pavilions in other immortal cities!"

Tong Xin said with some pride, "The Baibao Pavilion has a wide network and a large variety of goods, which gives the managers who rely on it for their livelihood even more confidence."

Su Qing nodded, knowing that Baibaoge had been holding back for a long time and was now going to make a fortune from the war.

Without giving them a chance to exploit her, Su Qing glanced at all the fine items.

He only planned to buy two bottles of Qi and Blood Pills, and asked Tong Xin to prepare the materials for refining the puppet.

His gaze suddenly stopped on the vajra, which radiated a Buddha-like light.

What is the significance of this vajra? Is it a Buddhist treasure? Or a ritual implement?

It wasn't that Su Qing had a sudden flash of inspiration and realized that this vajra was extraordinary.

Instead, the wooden fish of merit held by a group of eminent Buddhist monks inside the storage bag were emitting a warm Buddhist light, seemingly due to the vajra.

The intuitions of eminent Buddhist practitioners are certainly accurate; this vajra is undoubtedly a treasure no different from the merit-making wooden fish.

"This treasure is called the Vajra Pestle. It was left behind by a highly accomplished Buddhist master who once flourished in the cultivation world of the Western Sea. Buddhist treasures have no rank, but those with the right affinity may be able to unleash its power comparable to a third or fourth-rank magic weapon!"

Seeing that he was interested in this treasure, Tong Xin quickly introduced it to him.

"Those who are destined to possess this treasure will find it as if they hold a third or fourth-tier magic weapon. But what about those who are not destined?" Su Qing was not about to be fooled by his words.

Tong Xin remained unfazed: "Even if those without affinity cannot unleash the full power of this Buddhist treasure, the seven-colored glazed gold it contains makes it comparable to a first-tier ultimate combat weapon, even if used merely as a battle tool!"

"Then I'll try to see if I'm destined to have this treasure before deciding whether to buy it or not!"

"It's worth a try, one trial costs 100 spirit crystals..."

"To tell you the truth, how many people have tried this Buddhist treasure?"

"In just over ten days at this small shop, two or three hundred fellow Daoists have tried it, but unfortunately, none of them have the chance."

"Then there's no need to try. I have a puppet that needs this Seven-Colored Glazed Gold. I'll buy it and melt it down to make a puppet."

Since many people have already seen the Vajra Pestle for the first time, there have been very few unsuspecting people willing to try it out these past few days.

Therefore, when Su Qing proposed to buy this treasure, Tong Xin did not dare to quote a high price. He only asked for 20,000 spirit crystals, and Su Qing put the demon-subduing pestle into his possession.

For Tong Xin, this was merely an appetizer to Su Qing's many expenses today; it wouldn't matter much if it were given to him as a gift.

But for Su Qing, this treasure was already considered the greatest gain of the day.

Because of his need for body refining, he spent more than 20 spirit stones to buy three bottles of first-grade Qi and Blood Pills. The Treasure Pavilion insisted on paying with spirit stones, and if he paid with spirit crystals, he would have to pay 10% more. They were extremely greedy.

After the two transactions were completed, Su Qing took out the list of materials she had prepared earlier.

When Tong Xin first saw the paper covered with densely packed materials, he was overjoyed, convinced that he hadn't misjudged Fellow Daoist Su; this was definitely a large order. But after reading through all the materials, his expression turned bitter.

"Exploding Stone, Blazing Crystal, Obsidian Stone, Serpent Spirit Powder..."

Fellow Daoist Su, my shop can provide other materials, but these few materials, although my shop also has them, are exclusively for the Yunshan Sect.

"For independent cultivators like you, Fellow Daoist, the Yunshan Sect's prohibition forbids small shops from selling such items, especially since you're ordering such a large quantity!"

Due to the demand from the Yunshan Sect for crafting magical cannons such as the Gale Cannon and the Flame Cannon, the control over these items has been strengthened. Even if Tong Xin wanted to do this business again, he would be in a bit of a dilemma at this moment.

"I am currently working for the Yunshan Sect and am still crafting puppets for them. Fellow Daoist, rest assured, the Yunshan Sect might investigate other rogue cultivators for obtaining these materials, but I will certainly be fine. Please go ahead and prepare!"

Su Qing said calmly that he had accepted the puppet order from Yunshan Sect, and that it was more convenient to obtain these controlled materials, which was one of the advantages. He would use them if he could.

Tong Xin was still somewhat undecided. He apologized and went upstairs to discuss it with Manager Liu before coming downstairs to prepare for him.

Because he needed a large quantity of these materials, even though the individual prices were not high, the total cost was over three million spirit crystals.

While Tong Xin and his team were preparing the materials, Su Qing went up to the second floor to buy some second-tier materials to process the dragon bone and the little roc king.

Upon entering the second floor, I saw a familiar face.

Wei Debao is a big, burly man with many older sisters and brothers-in-law!
"Manager Liu, Debao has just advanced to the second level and is about to go to the west to have a good fight with those demonic cultivators. After a round trip, he can easily snatch a few demonic cultivators' storage bags. Tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of spirit crystals are nothing to him."

"I admire Fellow Daoist Wei for daring to fight against the demonic cultivators, but I fear that even if Fellow Daoist Wei manages to fight his way out, he might not be able to return. I cannot afford to bear the debt that would be incurred!"

"Manager Liu underestimates me, Wei Debao. I won't bother with you for now. My reputation isn't worth 100,000 spirit crystals, but my brother-in-law's reputation is worth at least 100,000 spirit crystals. Put it on my brother-in-law's tab!"

"Fellow Daoist Zhao from Yunshan Sect has spoken; he will deny all debts owed to Brother Debao!"

"Hey, that Zhao Ergou is really no good. He won't even help his brother-in-law. My sister helped him build his foundation for nothing back then!"

Wei Debao and Manager Liu had a bit of a tug-of-war, while Su Qing stood aside and listened for a while.

After learning that Wei Debao had advanced to the second-tier body cultivator, he wanted to buy first and second-tier battle equipment, but because he did not have enough spirit crystals, he wanted to borrow 100,000 spirit crystals first and take the second-tier battle equipment with him.

Finally, after bringing out several of his brothers-in-law, Wei Debao, who still couldn't get Manager Liu to back down, turned to look at Su Qing.

"Fellow Daoist Su, Debao has a good thing for you. Do you want a Daoist partner? For one million spirit crystals, Debao will arrange for Eighth Sister to marry you. You're getting a great deal!"

Su Qing shook his head repeatedly upon hearing this. Even though Wei Debao's eighth sister was made of spirit crystals, she was not worth a million spirit crystals.

Moreover, in his mind, his brother-in-law was already synonymous with a sucker; he couldn't afford to offend such a brother-in-law.

"You don't even know how to take advantage of a good deal, Fellow Daoist Su, you're so foolish!"

Wei Debao snorted and angrily went to find his brothers-in-law. If they didn't gather his spirit crystals today, their homes would never have a moment's peace!
"Fellow Daoist Su should have agreed earlier. All the women of the Wei family cultivate the Profound Essence Cauldron Technique. When they become Daoist partners, they can transfer a mouthful of Profound Essence Pill Qi to their husbands. This can increase the probability of a Dharma cultivator breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage, and it can also help a Body cultivator ignite their furnace fire."

A million spirit crystals? Fellow Daoist Su, you won't lose out!

After Wei Debao left, Manager Liu said with some regret for Su Qing.

Su Qing suddenly realized what was going on.

No wonder Wei Debao is living such a comfortable life by taking the brother-in-law route.

It turns out that her sisters all possessed extraordinary skills!

But he wasn't too disappointed. Although the Xuanjing Danqi was wonderful, it wasn't very useful to him now.

After chatting with Manager Liu for a few minutes, he took out another list.

This list contains only a few types of materials.

But Liu's eyes lit up even more than Tong Xin's.

"Twenty pieces each of the first-tier ultimate wind sword falcon, demon bone, and demon body."

A first-order ultimate cloud roc, forty portions each of demon bones and demon body.

One second-tier dragon demon core.

Five catties of third-tier dragon bone powder

One blueprint for the Sky-Shattering Crossbow, and ten sets of corresponding materials.

Has Fellow Daoist Su recently developed a new type of puppet? It requires so many rare materials.

The shop has enough stock, but I wonder if Fellow Daoist Su has prepared enough spirit crystals!

Manager Liu is a rival who is dozens of times more cunning than Tong Xin.

Despite Su Qing's persistent pleading, she ultimately failed to negotiate a significant price reduction.

The main reason is that only the Hundred Treasures Pavilion and the Yuanlai Tower in the vast White Cloud Immortal City could provide him with the materials he needed.

Yuanlailou is even more shady than Baibaoge. Even though it operates under Liang Haishun's name, it doesn't offer the same level of benefits as Baibaoge.

Therefore, he earned money in the morning and spent it at night. When he came out of the Treasure Pavilion, he didn't bring home a single one of the more than two hundred spirit stones he had just received that morning. He even owed the Treasure Pavilion eight Explosive Hammer War Bears, which he needed to refine within three months.

But the material in the two or three bulging storage bags.

But it also allowed him to return to the shop in a pleasant mood.

Returning to the small shop made me even happier.

It was already sunset, and the small shop was about to close.

At this moment, however, crowds are thronging the area, with a constant flow of customers.

It seems that the news of the Demonic Sect's advance has once again spurred the rogue cultivators to spend money.

Upon his appearance, many rogue cultivators began to complain about him.

"Fellow Daoist Su, why don't you hire more helpers? It's really too much of a hassle for just Xiong Er to sell the goods."

"When Fellow Daoist Su was refining this bear, did you use obsidian to fill its heart? That's a bit too greedy. I bought five lizard warriors and didn't even get a discount!"

"I heard that Fellow Daoist Su was fighting puppets in the east today, and the lizard knights he gave to the Yunshan Sect sold much better than those in this shop. What, Fellow Daoist Su, do you think that we rogue cultivators can't afford good stuff? Quickly bring us some enhanced lizard knights!"

All who come are guests, and all are people who bring money.

While it's easy to complete large orders from Yunshan Sect, it's also important to carefully maintain the steady, long-term income from the small shop.

Su Qing greeted the group of independent repairmen with a beaming smile, and fondly reminisced about the days when Qinghe was around.

I wonder how this temporary shopkeeper, who's been working for free, is doing on the western battlefield. I hope she pays off He Xinyan's debt soon and comes back to work at the shop!
In the future, we will change it to 4+4+2 or 5+5, and the minimum number of chapters will still be 10,000 words, so don't worry.



(End of this chapter)