Twenty Spirit Stones, Can Daoist Friend Pretend Not to Have Seen This

Chen Ganliu cast two "Light Talismans" on himself and strode away, intending to leave the Suiyang Immortal Market first.

His current mastery of talisman techniques was catching up to his previous life.

In his past life, he met Immortal Master Five Willows in his early twenties and learned the Twelve Talismans of the Profound Gate. He lived to eighty-six, but his lifespan was nearing its end. He had spent sixty to seventy years diligently practicing this talisman art. Now, inheriting the experience from his past life and comprehending the Heart Talisman Technique, even though his cultivation was only at Qi Refining Layer One, the Golden Essence Jade Liquid stage, his talisman skills were still incredibly proficient.

This first Light Talisman was enough to lighten his body by tens of pounds. The second one wouldn't be as effective, only reducing his weight by a few pounds, serving more as a comfort. Combined with the Great Vehicle Myriad Flower Fist, which he had cultivated to the third level, he could stride out over ten feet with each step, as if he were a martial arts master who had practiced "lightness skill" for decades. In just a few leaps, he was out of the Suiyang Immortal Market.

Chen Ganliu sprinted wildly. Suddenly, a black mist shot up into the sky behind him. His heart trembled slightly, and he mused, "What a powerful demonic art. This Demonic Cultivator is likely going on a killing spree."

"During the major and minor market days, all three immortal sects sent representatives to maintain order. This Demonic Cultivator might not get away with it. I wonder what he wants? Why cause trouble in the Suiyang Immortal Market?"

As Chen Ganliu's thoughts raced, he suddenly heard a "pfft" sound. He was sprinting with all his might and couldn't stop in time. His vision brightened, and he saw a Daoist priest pulling an iron rod from the body of an elderly cultivator. He inwardly cursed, "This is bad." But it was too late to retreat, and their eyes met.

Chen Ganliu recognized the Daoist priest as Ling Xiaozi, who had sold him the Green Jade Stone. He didn't recognize the deceased elderly cultivator, but that wasn't important. What mattered was that he had stumbled upon a crime scene and would likely be silenced.

Having lived three lives, Chen Ganliu suppressed all his panic, smiled slightly, and performed a proper salute. He said slowly, "There's a Demonic Cultivator causing trouble in the Suiyang Immortal Market right now. I'm under orders to track him down. Have you seen anyone pass by, fellow Daoist Ling Xiaozi?"

For now, his only option was to bluff his way out. If he could escape cleanly, Chen Ganliu was determined to leave the Suiyang Immortal Market for a while to avoid trouble.

Ling Xiaozi's eyes flickered, and he suddenly said, "Twenty Spirit Stones. Can you pretend you haven't seen this, fellow Daoist?"

In the Suiyang Immortal Market, Chen Ganliu had always "hidden his strength," possessing only his exquisite talisman skills, which showed decades of mastery. Ling Xiaozi didn't know how capable he truly was.

Furthermore, Chen Ganliu had immediately claimed to be on a mission to pursue a Demonic Cultivator, implying he "certainly" had a sect behind him and that reinforcements "could" arrive at any moment. If he delayed any longer, or if he couldn't quickly kill this person in one encounter and caused a commotion, he might not be able to escape.

Therefore, Ling Xiaozi decided to try bribery first. What if it worked?

Twenty Spirit Stones were a "fortune" for any Rogue Cultivator.

Even Daoist Wu Chang, who was at the sixth layer of Qi Refining, had only accumulated that much after decades of saving. Ling Xiaozi didn't believe Chen Ganliu wouldn't be tempted.

Chen Ganliu suppressed all the stirring in his heart, smiled slightly, and replied, "Fifty Spirit Stones, plus all the Green Jade Stones you have on hand."

The reason he made such an exorbitant demand was to stabilize Ling Xiaozi's mind, not because he was truly greedy.

In this time, this place, and under these circumstances, if he asked for too little, Ling Xiaozi might become suspicious.

Ling Xiaozi didn't dare to waste time. He gritted his teeth, threw a bag of Spirit Stones and a pile of Green Jade Stones, and then, with a pained expression, tossed out a Magic Treasure. "I don't have that many Spirit Stones, so let this Magic Treasure make up the difference."

Chen Ganliu's sleeves fluttered as he collected the items with a flick of his hand. Without stopping, he swept past Ling Xiaozi and sped away.

He kept casting Light Talismans on himself along the way, but his talisman skills had limitations. The first Light Talisman could lighten him by tens of pounds, but the second one's effect was reduced, and the third one was almost useless.

Chen Ganliu worried that Ling Xiaozi would realize he had been bluffed. Although he didn't know Ling Xiaozi's cultivation level, with his own Qi Refining Layer One cultivation, he definitely couldn't resist. After sprinting for over ten miles, he spotted a hidden cliff. He floated up and found a recess, hiding within.

All the way, his hand hadn't left his Beast Skin Pouch, as he continuously circulated the Azure Emperor Jia Yi Art to refine the Magic Treasure Ling Xiaozi had given him.

Chen Ganliu also worried that Ling Xiaozi might have set some "backdoor" in the Magic Treasure. If this treasure had any quirks, he would have discarded it on the way. He hadn't expected that after a brief refinement, he encountered almost no obstacles. Although completely refining it would take ten days to half a month of hard work, there were no apparent issues.

After concealing himself, Chen Ganliu took out the Magic Treasure and secretly examined it.

It was a set of small banners, six in total, stored in a magic treasure pouch.

This treasure was called the Cloud and Mist Banner. It condensed the essence of the clouds and mists from the highest heavens to create wondrous effects. Both righteous and demonic sects had methods for refining it.

The refining method for this set of Cloud and Mist Banners was quite orthodox, not a treasure of evil or demonic paths.

If it were an evil refining method, it would incorporate various souls, and killing flying birds, beasts, and fish from the sea would be considered mild. The more vicious ones would secretly integrate the spirits of living people to activate it, causing evil smoke to billow and resentment to rise to the heavens, which was extremely cruel.

The Cloud and Mist Banner had infinite potential. As long as the foundation was excellent, it could be refined continuously, and even cultivators in the Golden Core Realm and True Yang Realm could use it.

This treasure was still in the early stages of refinement, only at the Qi Refining level. It couldn't fully unleash its intended power. If fully unleashed, it could generate a mass of colorful mist spanning over ten mu, offering some defensive capabilities, but it was primarily used to confuse enemies.

Chen Ganliu mused inwardly, "If I refine the Illusion Talisman into it, besides the cloud and mist energy, it will also generate illusionary techniques. This treasure might accompany me for a long time."

The Peach Mountain Seal that Chen Qing had traded him was only suitable for use at the second or third layer of Qi Refining. If he encountered an enemy with higher cultivation or who had mastered some protective spells, hitting them with this treasure would be like ignoring it. Even with further diligent refinement, its power wouldn't increase much.

It was just that Chen Ganliu was extremely poor. Having a Magic Treasure for protection, he wouldn't be picky.

Chen Qing couldn't even sell the Peach Mountain Seal in the Suiyang Immortal Market, which showed its value.

Chen Ganliu confirmed that the set of Cloud and Mist Banners had no hidden traps. He put it into his Beast Skin Pouch, ignoring the bag of Spirit Stones. Instead, he touched the Green Jade Stones he had bluffed out, his heart heating up. He mused, "I wonder if I'll have the luck this time to open the White Emperor's Legacy."

He regretted that he couldn't go out now. The Green Jade Stones he had bluffed from Ling Xiaozi numbered fifty to sixty. He just wanted to crack them open quickly and examine each one carefully.

After a moment of excitement, Chen Ganliu suppressed his various emotions and slowly circulated the Azure Emperor Jia Yi Art, intending to patiently wear away the time until the matter of the Demonic Cultivator passed and Ling Xiaozi lost his patience. Then, he would flee again, find another place to hide for several months. Just then, he heard a world-shattering explosion that even shook the mountain cliff where he was hiding.

His heart trembled, and he finally remembered that he had heard about this incident in his previous life...

This chapter was difficult to write, as it is a crucial point for the plot of the following chapters. I stayed up all night yesterday to sort out the storyline. Please give me a monthly ticket, a collection, and an investment. I'll try to write two more chapters today.