"So it's Mister Zhen. I apologize if my sudden visit disturbed you," said Yi Tianxing with a smile. At first glance, he had already recognized where he was—this immortal city was perched on the back of a Wandering Bird.
He had seen several traveling merchants before and was no stranger to these mystical creatures. The moment he landed, he already knew this was the base of a travelingmerchant caravan.
Fate truly works in mysterious ways, he mused.Even while astral traveling, I ended up in a merchant city again. The odds of that happening are astronomically low.
"Just call me Old Zhen," said Zhen Deqiong, smiling warmly. His instincts screamed that this visitor might be a big spender.
It didn't matter who the man was—falling out of the void and directly into his merchant city was a sign of destiny! And destiny... meant potential for massive profit.
"Boss Zhen, your operation is quite impressive," said Yi Tianxing conversationally."I've encountered a few traveling merchants before. Some even had mobile cities. But none of them compare to yours in scale or variety. You must be in possession of quite the treasures."
He spoke with genuine interest while subtly indulging Zhen Deqiong's pride—a surefire way to build rapport with a businessman.
"Haha, you're too kind," chuckled Zhen Deqiong."We traveling merchants are just humble deliverymen, carrying what people need to where it's needed and exchanging the unnecessary for the rare. We're the middlemen of the Eternal World, nothing more. We make a hard living... barely enough to get by."
Looking at Zhen Deqiong's wealthy appearance, it was obvious he hadn't known hardship in a long time.
Yi Tianxing simply smiled and took the flattery as a joke.
"Why don't we head to your Treasure Pavilion?" suggested Yi Tianxing."I'd love to take a look around."
"Ah, now you're speaking my language!" Zhen Deqiong grinned."I recently acquired several excellent treasures—perfect timing for a discerning eye such as yours."
He turned to lead the way.
"By the way, Boss Zhen, which realm are we in now?" Yi Tianxing asked curiously.
"We're in a realm close to the Seventy-Two Spirit Domains, called the Barbaric Wilderness Realm. This area is covered in towering ancient trees and wild, untamed lands filled with deadly forbidden zones. Most civilizations here are tribal or town-based, and they constantly fend off attacks from barbaric beasts and wild monsters."
"Due to dangerous terrain, many regions remain isolated, unable to communicate or trade easily. But they also develop unique cultures and produce rare goods, making this realm a goldmine for wandering merchants like us."
Zhen Deqiong's eyes lit up as he spoke—he clearly meant every word. He understood well that each realm is like a world of its own, with unique ecosystems, civilizations, and values.
And the Barbaric Wilderness Realm was exactly that—chaotic, dangerous, but brimming with opportunity.
It bordered one of the Seventy-Two Spirit Domains, specifically the Hutian Spirit Domain, where Zhen Deqiong was planning to go next.
"Our next destination," Zhen said, lowering his voice and grinning mischievously,"is a paradise for men—the most enchanting land a man could dream of."
"Oh?" Yi Tianxing raised an eyebrow."Do tell. What kind of paradise are we talking about?"
"Ah, I can't say, I can't say," Zhen Deqiong chuckled, eyes twinkling."You'll see when we get there. One look, and you'll understand everything."
Yi Tianxing laughed lightly. There was no need to press further—he'd find out soon enough.
They arrived at the Treasure Pavilion, a towering structure filled with flowing treasure light. Yi Tianxing stepped in to find the interior glimmering with mystical energy. Everywhere he looked, rare artifacts and precious items caught the eye.
"Hmm? Boss Zhen, you've got quite the collection of cultivation manuals here."
Yi Tianxing's gaze fell upon several shelves stacked with martial arts and arcane books, their auras clearly marking them as extraordinary.
"Ah yes," Zhen Deqiong said."I recently visited a few fascinating realms—most notably the Dou Qi Realm and the Magic Realm."
One realm focused solely on cultivating Battle Qi, its combat force and destructive power unmatched. The other specialized in magic, whose elegant spells invoked the laws of heaven and earth through meditation and incantations.
"Each has evolved into a highly sophisticated civilization," Zhen explained."But in the Seventy-Two Spirit Domains, there are even more advanced versions: the Dou (Battle) God Realm and the Arcane Law Realm—the pinnacles of each path."
He then gestured to the rows of manuals, brimming with variety:
"Red Tiger Battle Qi"
"Blazing Palm"
"Whirlwind Sword Technique"
"Flame Blade Method"
"Frost Qi"
"Wings of the Skyhawk"
"Storm Battle Qi"
And for magic:
"Fireball Spell"
"Wind Spirit Meditation Method"
"Flame Meditation Method"
"Basic Meditation Method"
There were tens of thousands of books—manuals on cultivation, spellbooks, alchemy, enchanting, battle formations, and more. Together, they formed a nearly complete legacy of Battle Qi and Magic.
In the hands of any capable force, these texts could rapidly cultivate entire generations of warriors and mages.
Of course, Zhen Deqiong wasn't selling the originals, only copies—but they were still immensely valuable.
"Quite the haul. How do you plan to sell these?" asked Yi Tianxing.
"Ah, depends. Which one are you interested in?" Zhen asked, his eyes already glimmering in anticipation.
"All of them," Yi Tianxing replied flatly.
For a moment, Zhen Deqiong nearly burst from joy.
Now that's a customer!
He's not just rich—he's a walking treasure vault!
"The currency used here is Eternal Coins. All the manuals total over a million volumes, and the price would be just over 2 billion Eternal Coins. But for you, let's call it even at 2 billion."
Yi Tianxing nodded. He knew the price was more than fair.
With a wave of his hand, he produced the sum.
"Ah, truly a generous man!" Zhen exclaimed, eyes gleaming, as he handed over a storage pouch containing all the purchased manuals.
Yi Tianxing swept his spiritual sense over the contents and stowed it away.
"Friend Yi," Zhen added with a twinkle in his eye,"I also happen to have a Cartographic Record of Realms. It's a comprehensive map of the regions I've traveled—landmarks, factions, trade hubs... all marked and annotated."
"I'll take it," Yi Tianxing said immediately."Name your price."
For Great Yi, such records were priceless.
"Only one million Eternal Coins," Zhen replied, laughing.