Tianxia Chamber of Commerce (2)
As expected of the headquarters of the World Commerce Association. Even the gatekeepers are at least at the Tribulation Transcendence stage! Yue Qianchou was secretly horrified when he saw Guan Zhongkai bowing respectfully to his left and right, saying, "Uncle-Master." Yu Landu also bowed in return.
Two people emerged from the stone chambers on either side, both nodding to Yu Landu before their gazes fell upon Yue Qianchou. Guan Zhongkai quickly introduced, "This is Niu Youde, Senior Niu. He is the person our master wishes to see, and I have been ordered to lead the way."
"So it's Mr. Niu." One of them bowed politely, Yue Qianchou nodded in acknowledgment. The other person, however, had a stern face and a serious expression, frowning as he asked, "Guan Zhongkai, since you are Master's guest, why are you coming this way?"
Guan Zhongkai replied, "Senior Niu wanted to see the scenery of the Treasure Gathering Basin and specifically requested to enter from here."
The man said "Oh," and then asked, "Mr. Niu, you need an entry and exit permit as a travel guide to get in from here. Do you have one on you?"
Yue Qianchou sensed a hint of disdain in his tone and thought to himself, "What have I done to offend you?" He shook his head calmly and said, "Nothing."
"Then there's nothing we can do. I'm afraid we'll have to trouble you to go through the special passage that's allowed. The rules here can't be broken," the man said expressionlessly. Guan Zhongkai was taken aback, Yu Landu looked around in surprise.
Another person with a more amiable expression said in a low voice, "Junior brother, don't be rash. This is Master's guest." He then cupped his hands and smiled at Yue Qianchou, "Please don't take offense, sir. My junior brother is just like this. Please come with me to get an entry and exit jade pass, and then you can come and go freely."
"So it turns out you can get an entry and exit permit." Yue Qianchou chuckled, staring at the unfriendly man and asking softly, "So, you're deliberately making things difficult for me by sending me back the way I came?"
Guan Zhongkai was shocked. He had experienced Niu Youde's formidable nature firsthand, and he was known for his fiery temper, capable of turning on anyone in a moment. Even his master couldn't handle him. He immediately bowed repeatedly, saying, "Senior, please calm down, please calm down." Yu Landu took a step back, her eyes darting around, seemingly ready to watch the show.
The amiable-looking man stepped in to smooth things over, saying, "It's nothing, don't worry about it. Junior brother, why don't you apologize to the master?"
To everyone's surprise, the man said with a cold face, "Apologize? I didn't say anything wrong. Without the Imperial Passport as a travel permit, you can't enter from here in the first place. Besides, I didn't stop him from getting the Imperial Passport."
"Fine!" Yue Qianchou said with a forced smile, "You've got some nerve, daring to provoke me like this. You're really asking for trouble." As soon as he finished speaking, a powerful, chilling, and terrifying aura suddenly erupted from his body, instantly filling the entire passage.
"Senior, please calm down!" Guan Zhongkai cried out in panic, but before he could finish his sentence, the extremely terrifying aura forced the rest of his words back down his throat, and he began to tremble. He thought to himself, "It's over!"
The temperature inside the cave instantly plummeted below freezing. Coupled with the bone-chilling cold, everyone was affected, even those in the side chambers, their teeth chattering. The man with the kind face, his expression now filled with terror, slowly raised his hand and said, "Senior..." He found it incredibly difficult to utter a word.
The person with the unfriendly tone was in for a terrible fate. Yue Qianchou gathered the terrifying aura of black fire and punished him severely without hesitation. He was left rolling his eyes and swaying precariously for a while before finally collapsing to the ground, unconscious, his fate unknown.
"Hmph!" Yue Qianchou sneered, "Considering that we might become family in the future, I'll spare your life for now. But if there's a next time, I'll kill you without mercy! Even if Yin Baikang comes, he can't protect you." The terrifying aura in the cave vanished without a trace with his last words, and everything returned to normal.
However, the others still felt their bodies stiffen. They couldn't recover for a long time, and all looked at Niu Youde in horror. Guan Zhongkai glanced at his unconscious uncle lying on the ground, a look of exasperation on his face. He thought to himself, "Why did you do this? You've dragged others down with you."
As Yu Landu used his internal energy to expel the terrifying aura that had seeped into his body, he was secretly astonished. He knew that Niu Youde was powerful, but he had never experienced it firsthand. He hadn't expected him to be this powerful. A master at the late Tribulation Transcendence stage didn't even need him to lift a finger in front of him; he could deal with him simply with that terrifying aura. It was too frightening! He had to inform his master of this as soon as possible.
As the group gradually regained their mobility, the first thing the amiable-looking man did after recovering was to squat down and check on his junior brother. Finding him alive but unconscious, he immediately breathed a sigh of relief. He waved for two people to come out of the stone chamber, who quickly lifted his junior brother and took him away. He then bowed and apologized, saying, "Thank you for your mercy, senior. Please come with me to process your entry and exit permits." He knew this man was someone he couldn't afford to offend.
Yue Qianchou followed expressionlessly. The man personally took out a jade tablet, asked Yue Qianchou to infuse it with a wisp of True Essence, and then immediately inscribed a set of Method Formula into the jade tablet. It was quickly completed and handed to Yue Qianchou.
"How many Spirit Stone do you need?" Yue Qianchou waved the jade tablet in his hand. The man waved his hands repeatedly and said, "Senior is a distinguished guest of my master, how dare I accept your Spirit Stone?" After saying that, he winked at Guan Zhongkai.
Guan Zhongkai understood and quickly came over to ask Yue Qianchou to leave. Yue Qianchou, not wanting to waste any more time, followed the two men. The man behind him continued to bow, saying, "Respectfully seeing you off, senior." He then shook his head with a wry smile and slowly exhaled. He thought to himself, "Finally, I've seen this terrifying fellow off. He was truly frightening!"
Yue Qianchou strolled along with his hands behind his back. The people standing in the passage quickly made way for the three of them, all standing on either side, looking at him with awe. These people were cultivators from various factions who were originally going to pass through the passage. They never expected to encounter the famous Niu Youde here, and even witness a spectacle. However, the aura that filled the cave just now was truly terrifying; everyone still felt like they hadn't fully recovered.
They hadn't gone far when they encountered a barrier of mysterious light, its color almost identical to the luster emitted by the fluorite. If they weren't careful, they would surely crash into it. The three of them took out their jade tablets, infused them with True Essence, and unleashed a white light that struck the barrier, creating three gaps just large enough for the three of them to pass through. After they had passed, the gaps quickly closed again.
Such a mysterious light barrier, forming three obstacles within the short passage of nearly a hundred meters, prompted Yue Qianchou to once again marvel at the tight defenses of the World Commerce Association. If someone were to cause trouble and attempt to escape, even if they managed to break through these three barriers, it would undoubtedly take considerable time. Similarly, anyone attempting to intrude from the outside would face the same predicament. The World Commerce Association, however, had ample reaction time to respond.
Emerging from the cave, a breathtaking sight unfolded before them. A bustling city lay before them, nestled within a basin surrounded by mountains. It was hard to imagine that such a prosperous city could exist in such a desolate, uninhabited primeval forest. Yue Qianchou clicked his tongue in amazement, exclaiming, "This is truly Treasure Gathering Basin! It really does resemble a basin!"
It was far larger and more bustling than Hundred Flower Valley. Although it wasn't as large as the capitals of the various countries Yue Qianchou had visited, the various buildings within were exquisitely crafted, far surpassing the ordinary, commoner-style architecture of the secular world. Thinking about it, it made sense; the buildings here, used for business, mostly represented the various powers of the Cultivation World, far exceeding what the secular world could offer.
The most striking feature is the cone-shaped mountain within the complex, the renowned God of Wealth Peak in the Cultivation World, standing at the very center of the Treasure Gathering Basin, the core area of the World Commerce Association. Various buildings are scattered around the foot of the mountain in an arc shape.
Seeing the surprise in Yue Qianchou's eyes, Guan Zhongkai felt a little smug. He smiled and said, "Senior, this is the headquarters of our World Commerce Association. Please!" He gestured towards the steps below. Yue Qianchou nodded, and the three of them walked up the steps into the basin.
Stepping into the bustling city center, with its throngs of people, it felt just like being on a secular street. If one didn't know this was the renowned World Commerce Association of the Cultivation World, who would believe they were currently in such a Cultivation World area?
On both sides of the street, there were tall buildings with green tiles and red eaves, taverns and shops everywhere, and new buildings were under construction in some places. As Yue Qianchou looked around, he couldn't help but admire Yin Baikang, who was indeed a business talent, and managed to turn such a desolate place into such a prosperous place.
Along the way, people kept greeting Guan Zhongkai and Yu Landu, but when they saw the two respectfully accompanying a middle-aged man, they couldn't help but glance at them with surprise, finding him somewhat unfamiliar. However, upon remembering someone the two had been accompanying in the Cultivation World recently, their expressions changed slightly, realizing who this person was.
Before long, news of Niu Youde's arrival at the World Commerce Association spread rapidly throughout the entire Treasure Gathering Basin.
"Spring Sleep Tower?" Yue Qianchou read aloud the sign of a building, then glanced at the dozen or so women dressed provocatively downstairs. These women were mostly at the Foundation Establishment Realm stage. They were constantly pulling at male cultivators passing by on the street...
Yue Qianchou murmured, thinking he had misread it, and asked the two of them blankly, "What are they doing?"
"They're soliciting customers!" Yu Landu said dismissively. Yue Qianchou said incredulously, "Is this a brothel? There are brothels in the Cultivation World? Do cultivators do this kind of work? Are they being forced into it?" His expression turned somewhat unpleasant as he said this.
Guan Zhongkai explained, "No one forced them; it was all voluntary. Some Rogue Cultivator, lacking a source of Spirit Stone but wanting to continue their cultivation in the Cultivation World, often do this. Once they've accumulated enough Spirit Stone, they'll focus on cultivation; when they run out, they might come back to do it again. Of course, this place isn't like a brothel in the secular world, where personal freedom is restricted. Here, the madam takes a cut; you can come if you want, and leave if you don't. It's very convenient."
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