Jade Token Obtained

Looking at the Tou She Ancient God Jade in his palm, Zhang Nian smiled slightly and silently placed it on the table. He then waved his hand, and an invisible energy surged out from his body. Immediately after, faint ripples appeared in the surrounding space, and many jade bottles and brocade boxes appeared out of thin air on the table. He spoke to Xiao Zhan in front of him:

"I will not deceive you. This jade pendant is a supreme treasure; there is no need for you to know what level it belongs to. If those with ill intentions were to find out, the Xiao Clan would only suffer the disaster of extermination. For now, feel free to choose from these items; it wouldn't matter if you took them all."

As Zhang Nian's voice fell, several elders stared at the items on the table, dumbfounded. Many of them could not even name the objects, and they only recognized a few lower-grade medicinal pills, yet they still stood there sighing in awe.

"My goodness... a Tier 3 Ju Qi San?"

"Those patterns on that pill, could it be a Two-Pattern Green Spirit Pill? That must be Tier 4 as well!"

"And that pale purple one, could it be a Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pill? Heavens, there seem to be several in that one jade bottle alone?"

Just as the few were stunned, Xiao Zhan felt his face flush. Although he was very tempted, now that they were in front of an outsider... could they... forget it. In front of a Dou Sheng powerhouse, their existence was no different from that of simple country folk.

"Ahem..."

With a light cough, Xiao Zhan still chose to pick up that last shred of dignity. The clan elders also realized their lack of decorum and immediately shut their mouths.

"Lord Saint, you should take these things back. This clan heirloom jade pendant was never a valuable object to begin with. Since you have taken a liking to it, please accept it as a gift. Consider it a humble offering from the Wutan City Xiao Clan to welcome you to the Jia Ma Empire."

Hearing these words, Zhang Nian was slightly taken aback. He had underestimated them; Xiao Zhan's words were undoubtedly saying that they were gifting the item, but the Xiao Clan also wanted to establish a connection with him.

"Hehe..."

With a faint smile, Zhang Nian did not want to get involved with the other party. At this time, the Xiao Clan was nothing, and even that Xiao Yan... hmm... according to the timeline, it wasn't even certain if Xiao Yan had been born yet, and he wasn't particularly interested.

He stood up abruptly and gave Xiao Zhan a meaningful look. This single glance caused cold sweat to break out on Xiao Zhan's back. It was true that he had his own little schemes, but for the century-long plan of the Xiao Clan, this gamble was worth it. After all, while this jade pendant was a treasure in the eyes of the other party, it was nothing to the Xiao Clan...

"Hoo..."

Sighing, Zhang Nian spoke slowly: "Since that is the case, I shall help your Xiao Clan set up a barrier, which can ensure the safety of your clan for a time."

After saying this, Zhang Nian flew out of the main hall, his figure shooting straight into the sky. He then spread his hands, and a touch of spatial power spread outward from his palms. At this moment, as a Three-Star Dou Zun, he exerted his full strength, and the entire Xiao Clan territory was slowly enveloped by an invisible energy. From an outside perspective, the interior appeared as a mere illusion, and such a spatial barrier could only be broken by a powerhouse above the Nine-Star Dou Zun level.

Looking at the scene in the sky, Xiao Zhan let out a long sigh of relief. He had bet correctly; this Dou Sheng powerhouse was not one to seize things by force, and this barrier would indeed protect the Xiao Clan from a future disaster of extermination.

Below, the Xiao Clan members, unaware of the truth, looked at the mysterious and profound sight in the sky and exclaimed one after another:

"Wow, Mommy, that person is actually hanging in the air, so amazing~"

"Smack, shut up, you silly boy!"

"Wuwuwu~"

Establishing such a spatial barrier took Zhang Nian a full two hours. After finishing this, he returned to the center of the plaza and said to the four people in front of him: "Alright, the transaction is complete. Those medicinal pills remain yours, and I will take the jade pendant."

As his words fell, a verdant green light streaked out from the room. A green shadow plunged directly into his Storage Ring. Zhang Nian then left behind several badges made of jade and instructed: "Spatial power has been injected into these badges. If outsiders do not have this jade token, they cannot forcibly break through the barrier without the strength of a Nine-Star Dou Zun."

After speaking, his figure shot straight into the sky, leaving the few people in the plaza staring at each other in confusion...

"A Nine-Star Dou Zun cannot forcibly enter..."

"Is the Xiao Clan truly an impenetrable fortress now?"

"Are these medicinal pills really ours?"

Only Xiao Zhan felt a sense of doubt in his heart, and a trace of curiosity arose regarding the jade pendant that had been passed down through the generations of the Xiao Clan...

What kind of treasure could it possibly be to make a Dou Sheng powerhouse go to such lengths...

Arriving at the Magical Beast Mountain Range, he set up a spatial wormhole to connect this place to the Jia Ma Empire. Accompanied by a ripple, a pitch-black hole appeared before him. Zhang Nian dove straight in. The Tuoshe Ancient God Cave was the only opportunity in the Dou Qi Continent to ascend to the rank of Dou Di. That incomplete Emperor-grade pill contained the Source Qi of the Emperor. Although he could level up quickly by relying on his ten-thousand-fold return, no amount of Dou Qi cultivation would be useful when facing this chasm. This had already been proven by Hun Tiandi of the Soul Clan and Gu Yuan of the Ancient Clan.

There was still a tough battle to be fought ahead. Before that, he needed the wings of a high-level magical beast. Hmm, he would leave this matter to the people of the Mite'er Family; in any case, he could enhance them through his ten-thousand-fold return.

Jia Ma Empire

After a brief spatial traversal, Zhang Nian arrived at the Mite'er Family and found Hai Bodong. In the magnificent courtyard, with its well-arranged houses and servants coming and going, the place seemed full of vitality.

He released his soul sense to perceive the surroundings and quickly found Hai Bodong's location.

"Swish~"

A sound of air being torn apart came from inside the room. Hai Bodong stood up abruptly, suddenly feeling a chill down his back. He turned his head stiffly to look behind him, and upon seeing the person there, he hurriedly knelt on one knee to salute:

"Hai Bodong greets Master!"

This... why was this form of address so strange...

Zhang Nian waved his hands repeatedly, a flash of panic crossing his youthful face, and a hint of disgust rising in his heart. The two of them were grown men; for you to do this was somewhat inappropriate...

"No, no, no, let's change the address. You can call me Saint, or you can call me Boss. 'Master' is just not right; it sounds a bit strange to me..."

Not quite grasping Zhang Nian's point, but following his instructions regardless, Hai Bodong nodded and said: "Understood, Lord Saint."

That was much better...

He nodded slightly and then said: "Hai Bodong, I need the wings of a high-level flying magical beast. Does your Mite'er Family have any in stock?"

He thought about it in his heart; the high-level magical beast that Lord Saint spoke of...

His face turned bitter, and he cupped his hands, his tone filled with a trace of apology: "I apologize, Lord Saint. Mite'er is only a small family in the Jia Ma Empire... the best in our treasury are only the wings of a Tier 5 flying magical beast..."

"That is enough. Give them to me, and I will take them away immediately."

He waved his hand; a Tier 5 magical beast had already met Zhang Nian's expectations. Hearing this, Hai Bodong hurriedly ordered his servants to handle the matter.

Sitting on a rattan chair, Zhang Nian began to think about how to go about subduing Ya Fei. With his own strength, it would likely be very difficult to find the locations on the map...