Houtu

The old pig demon cautiously glanced at the Daoist priest in front of him.

He had spent many years mingling in the Marketplace and had developed a keen eye for detail.

The Daoist priest before me appeared ordinary and unremarkable at first glance.

But the old pig demon observed carefully.

But it startled me so much that I broke out in a cold sweat.

What material is this robe made of?

'How could I not sense his cultivation level?'

'This Daoist priest, this Daoist priest, is that powerful being traveling through the Mortal World again?'

Our ancestor was Taiyi cultivator.

But I've never felt this way before.

"I wonder if Dao Brother could exchange this blood ginseng for our clan?"

"Our clan is willing to exchange it for spiritual items of equal value."

Zhou Yuan glanced at the respectful old pig demon.

Shaking his head slightly:

"I'm in a hurry."

"A fellow Daoist is still waiting."

The old pig demon wanted to say something more.

But when he met Zhou Yuan's indifferent gaze, he felt a chill run down his spine.

I dared not say another word.

He hurriedly took the blood ginseng and placed it into the Treasure Gathering Basin.

Not long after.

Within the Grand Void, the Five Virtues manifest.

One by one, the Five Virtues Coins gushed out from the Treasure Gathering Basin.

Jin Chentao, his eyes gleaming, took them all in a storage bag made of animal hide.

Zhou Yuan took out a Five Virtues Coin and held it in his hand, examining it closely.

Magical power is activated.

Before long, the Five Virtues Coin vanished into nothingness.

Compared to ordinary spiritual energy.

'The effects of practicing with the Five Virtues Coin are even more remarkable.'

'Unfortunately, this only works on cultivators below the level of Great Luo Dao Lord.'

But Zhou Yuan reconsidered.

The items required by the Great Luo Dao Lord are beyond the value of ordinary spiritual objects.

"Besides, how many Great Luo Dao Lords are there in the entire universe?"

"Of all living things, in this vast Mortal World, ordinary beings still make up the vast majority."

"As long as we control ordinary living beings, there won't be any major difficulties in the Acquired Merchant Dao."

His divine sense swept across the entire Marketplace.

Zhou Yuan was quite satisfied with the Marketplace established by the Demon Clan.

'The Demon Clan Marketplace are jointly managed by the Huai River Water Palace, the Phoenix Perch Mountain Dao Lineage, and the Sun Palace.'

Even if the Demon Clan of Phoenix Perch Mountain and the Sun Palace were to manipulate things for their own selfish gain.

'I don't intend to hold it against you.'

'After all, what I seek is fortune and merit.'

A few spiritual items are fine as long as they're not overdone.

Zhou Yuan glanced at the Myriad Treasures Pavilion.

At his level, the secrets of Heavenly Secrets are as clear as the lines on the palm of one's hand.

At a glance, it's crystal clear who embezzled and who was corrupt.

'Later, have Guizhenzi select a group of beings from the Wuyi Mountain Dao Lineage and appoint them as Wuyi Mountain Walkers.'

'Regularly go down the mountain to audit these Marketplace.'

That would avoid most of the problems.

As for the remaining minor issues, Zhou Yuan did not intend to concern himself with them.

Water that is too clear has no fish.

If you want a horse to run like a horse, you still have to feed it grass.

The observation of Langlang Mountain Marketplace has been completed.

Zhou Yuan's interest waned considerably.

He glanced at the eager Jin Chentao:

"I still have important matters to attend to."

"You may leave now."

Jin Chentao's eyes immediately lit up with boundless joy.

This Marketplace is really interesting.

But with the master present, he dared not act recklessly.

Now that he had spoken, I was finally free to move around as I pleased.

'I just heard people shouting in the street that two new fox spirits have arrived at Spring Breeze Courtyard.'

'I wonder if some other creature has beaten me to it.'

That's what he was thinking.

Looking back, Zhou Yuan was nowhere to be seen.

"Brother."

Where is my Five Virtues Coin?

The little pig demon stared strangely at the tall, imposing man before him.

Why is your smile so lewd?

Jin Chentao noticed that all the living beings around him seemed to have never seen Zhou Yuan before.

A feeling welled up inside me:

'How terrifying it is that the Great Luo Dao Lord can reverse cause and effect and alter perception.'

'If he doesn't want you to know, you can't know anything.'

He let out a soft sigh.

He casually took out a few Five Virtues Coins and gave them as a reward to the little pig demon in front of him.

Jin Chentao then quickly went to Spring Breeze Courtyard.

Having nothing to do today, I'm listening to music at the brothel.

At this moment, Zhou Yuan arrived on the main street.

Looking at a woman standing not far away, he gave a slight bow and smiled:

"This humble Taiyuanzi, greets the Empress Houtu."

Houtu looked at him curiously:

"How did you know I was here, Daoist priest?"

Zhou Yuan naturally couldn't say that his family had used Heavenly Secrets calculations to predict her whereabouts.

He could only laugh and say:

"This humble Daoist priest is currently inspecting various Marketplace."

"Today, here, I suddenly see the aura of Earth element permeating the Grand Void."

"This tells us that a Great Divine Ability User of the Earth Virtue Great Dao has descended upon this place."

"I never imagined it was the Empress Houtu."

Houtu didn't know whether she believed it or not.

She just smiled faintly.

And so the topic was dropped.

"Dao Brother, do you know why I've come to this Marketplace?"

Houtu and Zhou Yuan walked on the streets of the Marketplace.

The creatures on both sides seemed to be completely oblivious to them.

Slowly, the two entered the Grand Void.

We found a secluded spot and sat facing each other.

"The Demon Clan Marketplace is developing well."

"With the integration of all races, the cohesion of the Demon Clan has been strengthened."

"This is a boost to the clan's fortune, not a simple increase in strength."

"I suspect that Your Highness has come here for this very reason."

Empress Houtu clapped her hands and laughed:

"Dao Brother has discerning eyes."

"The lich and the demons were originally enemies, but now our old adversary is rising to prominence, while our race is still stagnating."

"This truly makes me unable to eat or sleep."

She had a smile on her face.

But a chill crept into his eyes.

Zhou Yuan remained unmoved.

Still beaming, he smiled faintly:

"Simple."

"Your Majesty, wouldn't it be enough to persuade the other Ancestral Witches to also establish Marketplace within the Witch Clan?"

"Thus, the Marketplace the Demon Clan has Witch Clan also has."

"It can also enhance the Witch Clan's fortune."

"I am in charge of the Acquired Merchant Dao and would very much like to see the establishment of Marketplace the Witch Clan."

"This move will benefit me in every way and cause me no harm whatsoever."

"This is a win-win situation."

As soon as Zhou Yuan finished speaking, he saw the pale yellow palace goddess in front of him turn pale and cold, her pretty face contorted with malice.

"Dao Brother, that's a good idea."

"But Dao Brother is still receiving a salary in the Demon Clan Heavenly Court."

"How dare we allow the Acquired Merchant Dao to enter the Witch Clan?"

That's what they say.

But Empress Houtu only responded coldly.

But no other action was taken.

They felt the faint, imperceptible gaze cast upon this place from the Grand Void.

Zhou Yuan then understood why Houtu had come.

He chuckled to himself.

'We still need to cooperate with this empress.'

'Whether the Acquired Merchant Dao, and whether we can successfully enter the territory of the Witch Clan, depends on this opportunity.'