Expansion

Xiuyuan Trading House.

As soon as Yang Tianyou stepped inside, a young servant with a beaming smile greeted him, "Senior, are you here to purchase magic stones?"

"A magic stone?" Yang Tianyou looked puzzled.

Upon seeing this, the servant immediately understood; it seemed this was a new customer.

His smile seemed to brighten even more as he hurriedly explained to Yang Tianyou, "The so-called 'magic stone' is what we call it in our industry. To put it bluntly, it refers to various resources that have been heavily polluted by Devil Qi. Even Demon-Expelling Master don't want to go to great lengths to obtain these resources, as the returns don't justify the effort. However, occasionally, some extraordinary treasures can be found within magic stones, similar to gambling on stones in the mortal world, hence the name 'magic stone.'"

After the servant's explanation, Yang Tianyou immediately understood what the magic stone meant.

"May I ask, senior, would you like to buy a few magic stones to try your luck? The magic stones here are all carefully selected, and the probability of finding treasures is far higher than that of magic stones outside," the servant said solicitously.

"Alright, let's start with a few pieces and try our luck," Yang Tianyou said with a faint smile.

Upon hearing this, the servant hurriedly brought over some items that exuded billowing Devil Qi: clothes, various utensils, and mottled, blood-stained scale armor—it was practically a pile of junk.

But hidden among these ruins are some truly valuable things, though they are extremely rare.

"Please wait a moment, senior. Allow me to inform the Demon-Expelling Master to come." The servant bowed and said.

Yang Tianyou waved his hand, "No need, I am the Demon-Expelling Master!"

"Huh? Senior is actually Demon-Expelling Master?" The servant looked surprised.

"What? Don't I look like it?" Yang Tianyou glanced at him, a half-smile on his face.

"No, no, no, it's just that I didn't sense any similar aura from you, senior. It seems you concealed it very well. This technique of concealing one's aura is truly breathtaking!" the servant quickly flattered.

Yang Tianyou stopped teasing him and instead picked up a palm-sized, diamond-shaped scale in front of him, with strands of pure white light appearing in his hand.

This is a pure power evolved from Primordial Power, naturally antagonistic to Devil Qi. Its ability to purify Devil Qi is even far superior to that of Buddhist light. The radiance pulsed and seeped into the scales before it, causing the Devil Qi to recede rapidly like pure white snow in spring, revealing the scales' true color: crimson red, entwined with extremely fine yet incredibly complex Spirit Mark. Judging from its appearance, it was at least a scale from Eighth Tier being, and possibly even Ninth Tier.

"Congratulations, senior! You've found something amazing on your very first magic stone. Your Fortune is truly at its peak!" the servant said with a beaming smile.

Yang Tianyou remained noncommittal. The value of this scale was only about 50-60% above the cost price, not a huge gain. However, it was still not bad that he didn't lose money on his first time opening magic stones. Yang Tianyou felt a little hopeful and continued to open the remaining magic stones.

After an incense stick had burned, Yang Tianyou sat there expressionless, while his servant trembled, his forehead covered in beads of sweat the size of soybeans. In front of them lay a pile of junk, genuine junk. Ever since he had opened the scale, every magic stone Yang Tianyou had opened since had yielded nothing. This left the servant, who had previously boasted about the quality of his magic stones, speechless.

"Alright, call your manager out here!"

Yang Tianyou waved his hand and said.

"Senior, the probability of getting good items from these magic stones is not high to begin with. It's not my fault. Please be lenient, senior." The servant was so frightened that his face turned pale, and he kept apologizing.

"Who told you I was here to complain?" Yang Tianyou glanced at him and said irritably, "I have other important matters to discuss with your manager. Go and report it quickly. If you delay my time, then I will complain!" Yang Tianyou threatened.

Upon hearing this, the servant breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly rushed to the back hall. After a while, a middle-aged man wearing a brocade robe, with a large belly and a short beard, walked over. His cultivation level was much higher; he was clearly a cultivator at the Body Integration Realm.

"Greetings, Daoist Friends. Daoist Friends ask what brings you here?" the innkeeper said with a friendly expression.

Yang Tianyou cupped his hands in greeting, his eyes also showing a friendly smile, "So that you may know, Daoist Friends, that I have a business deal I'd like to discuss."

"Oh? Please come Inner Hall for a detailed discussion."

The shopkeeper gestured with one hand, and the two entered the Inner Hall one after the other.

"I am Daoist Linhai. May I ask your name, Daoist Friends?" The plump shopkeeper poured Yang Tianyou a cup of tea, then sat down in the chair opposite him and asked with a smile.

"I am unworthy, my Daoist name Great White," Yang Tianyou said, cupping his hands in greeting. He then picked up his teacup and took a sip.

"So it's Fellow Daoist Taibai. My apologies for my rudeness. May I ask what business you wish to discuss?" Daoist Linhai asked, his eyes flickering slightly.

"I want to Demonic Transformation business, but I don't know where to start. So I'd like to ask you, shopkeeper, for a recommendation. This is just a small token of my appreciation," Yang Tianyou said, handing over a Storage Ring.

After receiving it, Daoist Linhai scanned it with his Divine Sense, a look of surprise appearing in his eyes. Then, the somewhat fake smile on his fat face became sincere. Since ancient times, money has been the key to solving most problems. If it can't, it must be because the money wasn't paid enough. This is also a golden rule in the Cultivation World.

Having received Yang Tianyou's resources, the Daoist Linhai began to tell him about many unspoken rules of the magic stone industry. He also gave Yang Tianyou several Communication Talisman, which could be used to contact magic stone merchants and purchase various magic stones at the lowest prices. Of course, Yang Tianyou had reservations about this so-called lowest price. He didn't believe that the Daoist Linhai would reveal all his secrets on their first meeting. The resources Yang Tianyou provided were not enough; their relationship would also need to be strong afterward.

However, Yang Tianyou was only paving the way for this matter. Yang Tianjiu would handle the follow-up matters. Yang Tianyou's top priority was to improve his strength as quickly as possible. As the pillar of the Lineage, his strength had to be strong enough.

After leaving Xiuyuan Trading House, Yang Tianyou went to another shop that specialized in selling the corpses of Gods and Devils and demons.

About an hour later, the shopkeeper saw Yang Tianyou off with a big smile. Such a big customer was truly rare, so of course he had to serve him well.

"Spirit Stones come quickly and go quickly!" Yang Tianyou sighed as he walked along the road. After a shopping spree, Spirit Stones poured out like water, but a large amount of resources followed.

The corpses of Gods and Devils used for cultivating the Life-and-Death Blade, the precious resources used to upgrade the grade of one's natal Spirit Treasure, the various resources purchased for Spirit Beasts, and the Nine-Dragon Heaven-Burning Furnace, a gold-devouring behemoth. The latter was originally of a very high grade, ranking among the High-Grade Spirit Treasures. At its peak, it could even collide head-on with cultivators undergoing the second Tribulation Transcendence. Although it is currently in a damaged state, it can still unleash Tribulation Transcendence- level combat power.

Currently, Yang Tianyou's ways to improve his combat power are threefold: first, expanding the Great White Grotto Heaven; second, cultivating Divine Abilities; and third, Spirit Treasures. Whether it's his natal Spirit Treasure or the Nine-Dragon Heaven-Burning Furnace, he must take good care of them. In fact, the latter is even more important, since it's something that can save his life in critical moments.

Back in the luxurious room the team had rented, Long Kuang was already waiting there, gnawing on a thick beast leg. He seemed to be enjoying it. When Yang Tianyou came in, Long Kuang took out another roasted beast leg from his Storage Ring and tossed it to him.

Yang Tianyou caught it, and with a flash of light, he cut off the fattest piece, put it in his mouth, and found the meat tender and melt-in-your-mouth. Moreover, it had a good strengthening effect on the Fleshly Body, which made his Shen Yi light up.

"What kind of meat is this? This is the first time I've ever eaten it." Yang Tianyou and Long Kuang sat side by side and began to eat heartily.

Seeing that his food was appreciated, a smile appeared on Long Kuang's face. He said calmly, "Dragon meat!"

"??"

Yang Tianyou was stunned. He looked at the beast leg in his hand, then at the dragonman beside him. Good heavens, was this person eating their own kind?

"Don't misunderstand, I'm not Dragonfolk, I was transformed Acquired. Dragon Clan meat is my favorite, especially this kind of specially bred dragon beast, which has a unique flavor that can only be found in the Extraterrestrial Battlefields." Seeing Yang Tianyou's expression, Long Kuang knew what he was thinking and couldn't help but explain.

Upon hearing this, Yang Tianyou seemed to understand something and didn't press the matter further. Everyone has their own secrets and private spaces, and no matter how good the relationship, one shouldn't overstep those boundaries. Yang Tianyou was very clear about this.

"Wow, you guys are eating something delicious and you didn't even invite me? That's too much!" Jie Yuan pushed open the door and walked in, carrying a small cloth bag containing a dessert made with spirit honey. He had been enjoying his dessert at first, but seeing Yang Tianyou and Long Kuang devouring it, the sweetness in his mouth seemed to wane. Good things are always better shared, aren't they?

And so, one more person sat in the row, and the whole room was filled with the aroma of meat.

Time passed slowly, and teammates returned one by one. Hong Ya was the last to return, and he had a clear smile on his face when he came in, indicating that the sale of supplies had indeed been very successful.

"So, Captain, how many Spirit Stones did you sell?" Jie Yuan rubbed his greasy mouth and asked expectantly. The others looked over at him.

"Haha, this harvest is equivalent to the previous hundred years, a full 180 million Extreme Spirits, and that's only because we didn't sell the sixteen Origin Fruit." Hong Ya laughed heartily.

"My goodness, so many Spirit Stones?" The group looked at each other, their eyes filled with excitement.

"It's mainly that ancient tree; it alone sold for seventy million," Hong Ya explained.

"One hundred and eighty million! If we split it with Yan Ju Squad, we'll get ninety million. That's enough to buy a High-Grade Spirit Treasure, right?" Kumao exclaimed in surprise.

"Heh, who would be stupid enough to sell High-Grade Spirit Treasure? Even if this were to be sold, it would be through barter." Kumao Duo Ling without any politeness. The two often bickered, and everyone was used to it.

"With these ninety million Extreme Spirits, I've acquired seven Ninth-Tier Talisman and Forbidden Artifacts for our team, one for each of us. Keep them safe; they could be lifesavers in a critical moment." With that, Hong Ya waved his sleeve, and seven orbs of light floated up in front of everyone.

"Let each of you choose!"

Yang Tianyou carefully examined the Forbidden Artifacts and Talisman in front of him, and finally chose an item that looked very much like a teacup.

As I probed into it with my Divine Sense, relevant information flooded into my mind.

The Shadowless and Traceless Vessel is crafted from the Nine-Heavens Spatial Spirit Qi and the Shadow Divine Crystal. It can merge with space to evade attacks and contains a Power of Principle called "Void," making it an excellent treasure for survival.

Soon, the group finished their selections. Hong Ya took the last remaining Forbidden Artifact for himself, which shows Hong Ya his teammates respected him so much; he truly fulfilled his responsibilities as captain.

After selecting the Forbidden Artifacts and Talisman, Hong Ya distributed a large quantity of Pills, all of them high-grade Eighth Tier, for various Pills including cultivation, healing, burst damage, and special effects...

Finally, Hong Ya took out seven treasures of different shapes and sizes. Some were blazing with intense heat, some were like surging rivers carrying incredibly dense water vapor, and some seemed to have emerged from the depths of hell, exuding an aura of Ghost Qi...

The aura originating from the very source of the universe ignited the passion in everyone present.

"I've already exchanged seven of the Origin Fruits for Origin Items corresponding to everyone's attributes. You can each take them. As for the remaining one, we'll follow the old rules: everyone bid, and whoever bids the highest gets it. How about that?" Hong Ya said.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Yang Tianyou reached out and took a broken sword that exuded the Geng Metal Qi. Its sharp edge was dazzling. He could feel the Metal Element Power of Principle within his body cheering and jumping for joy, as if it couldn't wait to break through the shackles of the Fleshly Body and devour the broken sword to strengthen itself.

Sensing this, Yang Tianyou's eyes flickered slightly, and he had an urge to absorb it immediately. However, in the end, he resolutely suppressed the restlessness of the Power of Principle. Great White Grotto Heaven was his foundation, and he could not forget this. So Yang Tianyou simply decided to ignore it and put the broken sword into the Grotto Heaven.

The next moment, the Grotto Heaven was filled with turbulent winds and thunder, countless Tribulation Clouds rolled, and seven-colored rays of light shone through. One by one, the power of rules that was originally hidden in the deepest part of the Grotto Heaven emerged. Rules are a power that is more powerful than Principle, but Yang Tianyou could not control them, because they are the foundation of the Grotto Heaven and cannot be moved lightly. Just like the beams and pillars of a house, once they are removed, the house will collapse.

The power of the rules surged forth, shattering the broken sword. At the same time, the Grotto Heaven began to tremble, and countless hazy forces descended from the Void, pouring into the Grotto Heaven like a torrent.

Rumble!!

The Grotto Heaven began to expand, and Yang Tianyou, who was inside Grotto Heaven, could sense that after absorbing the Origin Power, the rules of the Grotto Heaven seemed to have become more perfect. This was not an illusion.

"Could it be that the Jade Register Heavenly Book was evolved from the Original Demon Realm cosmic origin of the Demon Realm that was shattered back then?" This guess involuntarily surfaced in Yang Tianyou's mind. The more he thought about it, the more likely he felt that this was possible. Otherwise, there would be no reason to create such a miraculous creation, and there would be no way to explain why the Jade Register Heavenly Book reacted so strongly after absorbing the cosmic origin of the Original Demon Realm.

The enhancement of the Grotto Heaven did not last long. Soon, the diameter of the materialized Grotto Heaven expanded to five hundred li, more than a hundred li larger than before. The Grotto Heaven's source was more abundant, and Yang Tianyou was able to mobilize even more power.

"Am I now capable of exchanging a few blows with Bandit Cultivator?" Yang Tianyou clenched his fist, his eyes seemingly containing a universe that encompassed the Ba Huang.