Looking at the Tou She Ancient God Jade in his palm, Zhang Nian smiled faintly and silently set it on the table. Then he waved his hand, and an invisible energy surged out from his body. The space around him rippled, and countless jade bottles and brocade boxes appeared out of thin air on the table. He turned to Xiao Zhan and said:
"I won't keep you in the dark. This jade pendant is an unparalleled treasure. You don't need to know what level it's on. If it fell into the hands of someone with ill intentions, the Xiao Clan would face annihilation. For now, you can take whatever you like from these things. You can take all of them, if you want."
As Zhang Nian finished speaking, the elders stared at the items on the table in stunned silence. They couldn't even name most of them. They recognized only a few of the lower-grade pills, and even those left them rooted to the spot, sighing in amazement.
"Oh my... a third-grade Ju Qi San?"
"Those markings on that pill—could it be a Two-Pattern Green Spirit Pill? That's a fourth-grade pill, too!"
"That pale purple one couldn't be a Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pill, could it? Good heavens, there must be several pills in that jade bottle!"
Just as the men stood there, dumbstruck, Xiao Zhan felt his face flush. He was tempted, too, but to reach for the treasures in front of an outsider... could he really...? Never mind. In front of a Dou Sheng Expert, people like them were no different from country bumpkins.
"Ahem..."
With a slight cough, Xiao Zhan chose to grasp at that last shred of dignity. The Clan Elders realized they had been rude and promptly fell silent.
"Saint, please take these things back. This family heirloom jade token isn't worth much. Since you've taken a liking to it, please accept it as a gift from us. Think of it as a small token of welcome from the Xiao Clan of Wutan City, to celebrate your arrival in the Jia Ma Empire."
Hearing this, Zhang Nian paused. He had underestimated Xiao Zhan. Those words were essentially saying, "We're giving you these things, but the Xiao Clan hopes to build a relationship with you."
"Heh..."
Zhang Nian gave a faint smile. He had no desire to get involved with them. At this point in time, the Xiao Clan was nothing. And as for Xiao Yan... Hmm... Given the timing, Xiao Yan might not even have been born yet. Zhang Nian wasn't particularly interested in him, either.
He suddenly stood and gave Xiao Zhan a meaningful look. That single glance left Xiao Zhan's back drenched in cold sweat. It was true that he had his own little schemes, but for the Xiao Clan's future, this gamble was worth taking. After all, the jade pendant was a treasure in Zhang Nian's eyes, but it meant nothing to the Xiao Clan...
"Phew..."
Zhang Nian sighed and slowly said, "In that case, I'll create a barrier to protect your Xiao Clan. It should keep you safe for a while."
With that, Zhang Nian flew out of the hall, shooting straight into the sky. He spread his hands, and a ripple of spatial energy spread from his palms in every direction. Now a Three-Turn Dou Zun, he was exerting his full strength. An invisible energy slowly enveloped the entire Xiao Clan grounds. From the outside, everything within appeared illusory. Only experts at Nine-Star Dou Zun or above could break through a spatial barrier like this.
Watching the scene in the sky, Xiao Zhan let out a long breath. His gamble had paid off. This Dou Sheng Expert wasn't the kind to seize things by force, and the barrier he had created would indeed save the Xiao Clan from a calamity that could have wiped it out.
Below, the Xiao Clan members who didn't understand what was happening stared up at the mysterious scene in the sky and cried out in astonishment:
"Wow, Mom! That person's floating in the air! He's amazing!"
"Smack! You silly boy, shut up!"
"Waaah!"
Creating a spatial barrier like this took Zhang Nian a full two hours. When he had finished, he returned to the center of the square and said to the four people before him, "All right, the deal is done. Those pills still belong to you, and I'll take the jade pendant."
As soon as he finished speaking, a green light shot out of the room and went straight into his Storage Ring. Zhang Nian left behind several markers carved from jade and instructed them, "These markers contain spatial energy. Without one of these jade tokens, outsiders will need to be at least Nine-Star Dou Zun to force their way through the barrier."
With that, he shot into the sky, leaving the people in the square staring at one another...
"Even a Nine-Star Dou Zun can't force their way in..."
"Does that mean the Xiao Clan's now as secure as a fortress?"
"Those pills are really ours?"
Only Xiao Zhan felt a flicker of curiosity about the jade token that had been passed down through generations of the Xiao Clan...
Just what kind of treasure was it, to make a Dou Sheng Expert go to such lengths?
After arriving at the Magical Beast Mountain Range, he opened a Spatial Wormhole connecting this place to the Jia Ma Empire. With a ripple, a pitch-black hole appeared before him, and Zhang Nian plunged straight into it. The Tuoshe Ancient God Cave was currently the only chance on the Dou Qi Continent to advance to Dou Di. The incomplete Emperor Grade Pill contained the Source Qi of the Emperor. Although the ten-thousandfold return could help him level up quickly, no amount of Dou Qi cultivation would let him cross this chasm. Hun Tiandi of the Soul Clan and Gu Yuan of the Ancient Clan had already proved as much.
There was still a tough battle ahead. Before that, he needed the wings of a high-tier Magical Beast. Hmm, he'd leave that to the Miteer family. After all, he could enhance them through the ten-thousandfold return.
Jia Ma Empire
After a brief journey through space, Zhang Nian arrived at Miteer and found Hai Bodong. The lavish courtyard was full of orderly arranged buildings and servants coming and going, making it seem quite lively.
He released his soul perception and searched the area. It didn't take long to locate Hai Bodong.
"Whoosh!"
A sound of rushing air came from inside the room. Hai Bodong sprang to his feet, suddenly feeling a chill down his back. He stiffly turned to look behind him, and when he saw who was there, he hurriedly dropped to one knee and bowed.
"This subordinate, Hai Bodong, greets Master!"
That... was a strange way to address him...
Zhang Nian hurriedly waved his hands, a flustered look crossing his youthful face. A faint sense of revulsion rose in him. They were both grown men. This was more than a little awkward...
"Don't, don't. Call me something else. You can call me Saint or Boss, but let's skip 'Master.' It sounds strange to me..."
Hai Bodong didn't quite get what Zhang Nian meant, but he followed his instructions. He nodded and said, "Understood, Saint."
Much better...
Zhang Nian nodded slightly, then said, "Hai Bodong, I need the wings of a high-tier flying Magical Beast. Does the Miteer Family have any in storage?"
Hai Bodong thought for a moment about the high-tier Magical Beast the Saint had mentioned...
Then his expression turned bitter. He clasped his hands and spoke with a trace of apology. "I'm sorry, Saint. Miteer is only a small family in the Jia Ma Empire... The best we have in our treasury are the wings of a fifth-tier flying Magical Beast..."
"That'll do. Give them to me and I'll take them with me."
Zhang Nian waved his hand. A fifth-tier Magical Beast was already good enough for him. Hearing this, Hai Bodong quickly ordered his servants to take care of it.
Sitting in a wicker chair, Zhang Nian began thinking about how to recruit Ya Fei. He would probably have a hard time finding the location on that map by himself...
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