Green Snake Market

Before connecting to the Golden Land, Wentesi sent all his Devil Creature underlings who were still patrolling outside the planting area away to attend to their own business.

He then returned to the dragon's lair, lay down in the most comfortable spot, curled up, and closed his eyes.

He began using his Divine Sense to connect to the Golden Land, using it as a relay to reach the Field of Merit golden eagle.

His Divine Sense followed the Golden Land to connect with that faint trace of perception.

Silently, it crossed the barrier between the two worlds and reached the Field of Merit golden eagle.

With the slightest movement, Wentesi could possess the golden eagle and control its body.

But Wentesi did not do so. Instead, he observed the situation from a third-person perspective.

The golden eagle was flying alongside Crow Lord, passing through layer upon layer of clouds and mist toward the rolling green mountains ahead.

The two flew at great speed, accompanied by fluctuations of [Wind Qi] that helped them ride the wind and reduce air resistance.

Among the rolling green mountains ahead, a market had been built along the mountainsides, spanning the space between two peaks. It was quite a magnificent sight.

A closer look revealed rows of buildings within the market, arranged in an orderly yet varied pattern.

A ring of gray-green walls surrounded the market, giving it a neat and orderly appearance.

Seeing that they were about to fly over the market, Wentesi stirred his mind and sent his Divine Sense into the golden eagle.

In an instant, the Field of Merit golden eagle's dark brown eyes turned gilded crimson, and a vicious killing aura emerged with them.

Wentesi had officially taken control of the golden eagle's body.

He instinctively beat two pairs of wings forward, but the golden eagle's body was structured a little differently from a true dragon's, and the stroke failed.

The golden eagle's body jerked to a halt and wobbled in midair.

These wings are awkward to use. I'm not used to them.

Wentesi muttered to himself.

A golden eagle's wings were, after all, vastly different from those of Wentesi's true dragon body, with its four legs and two wings.

The way the shoulder and wing bones exerted force was different too. Possessing it for a short time was fine, but any longer would not do.

Crow Lord, flying alongside him, was fairly perceptive and noticed the golden eagle's unusual pause.

He tilted his head toward the golden eagle and was about to open his beak to warn him when he saw those gilded vertical pupils.

Crow Lord immediately cawed twice and said with some excitement:

"Shilongzi, you're back! We're almost at the market. Look down there."

Crow Lord gestured somewhat happily toward the sprawling market below and ahead. Wentesi had noticed it long ago and needed no reminder, so he asked directly:

"Do we land right in there, or should we land outside the market?"

Crow Lord restrained his happiness, shook his head, and said:

"Not the market yet. I have to go see my friend first and pay my respects to a local big brother."

Pay respects to a local big brother?

Wentesi was momentarily taken aback. Why do we have to pay respects to a local boss?

Why are these demons playing gangsters?

Crow Lord knew he was puzzled and said frankly with a caw:

"That friend of mine is a collared crow named Yan Shijiu. He's running with Great King Bearded Vulture now.

"Little demons like us have to pay our respects to a big brother when we come onto someone else's turf. Only with a big brother backing us will no one dare bully us.

"Oh, and you have to hand over a share of spiritual resources to pay respects to a big brother. That's the rule."

The collared crow belonged to the same genus as crows and was a close relative. The only difference was a white ring around its neck; otherwise, they were the same.

And the bearded vulture was, in fact, a large bird of prey that lived on carrion-a vulture.

Crow Lord's thinking was quite simple: find a local snake to be his big brother, and he could live in peace.

But Crow Lord had no idea that inside the golden eagle beside him was actually a true dragon.

Wentesi narrowed his eyes slightly upon hearing this.

You want a true dragon like me to pay respects to a vulture as my big brother?

What kind of joke is that? I'm a true dragon!

There was no reason even for the Field of Merit golden eagle to pay respects to a big brother.

Still, Wentesi was fairly cautious. He suppressed his disdain and first asked to get the full picture:

"What cultivation level is this Great King Bearded Vulture of yours?"

"Yan Shijiu said Great King Bearded Vulture is an expert at the Middle Stage of Qi Ingestion!

"He cultivates [Stomach Earth], and during Qi Ingestion, he consumes second-grade [Earth Virtue] Spiritual Qi. He's very fierce around here and commands a lot of respect."

Crow Lord spoke with a look of longing, holding Great King Bearded Vulture in high esteem.

"Second-grade Spiritual Qi?"

It was the first time Wentesi had heard the term, so he asked:

"Does Spiritual Qi have grades?"

"Of course. From first grade to ninth grade, first is the worst and ninth is the best."

Crow Lord explained:

"To break through from Embryonic Breathing to Qi Ingestion, you need to absorb a strand of Spiritual Qi.

"That Spiritual Qi usually has to be compatible with your own Dao lineage. You can't just do as you please, or it'll harm your future cultivation."

"Human cultivators can often use Qi-gathering methods they created themselves to absorb the Spiritual Qi between heaven and earth and refine it into Spiritual Qi.

"Most of us in the Demon Race, on the other hand, draw the spiritual essence of heaven and earth into our bodies and transform it into Spiritual Qi.

"We gather Qi five or six years, or even seven or eight years, faster than human cultivators who slowly collect it.

"But because the spiritual essence of heaven and earth we Demon Cultivators draw in is too mixed, our Spiritual Qi is liable to be impure and of a lower grade."

Wentesi understood and silently committed it to memory, then said:

"So second-grade Spiritual Qi is considered impressive?"

Crow Lord cawed and nodded. "Of course. Among scattered Demon Cultivators like us, that's already very impressive."

Hearing this, Wentesi had a better idea of the situation.

Speaking of Qi-gathering methods, he happened to have one that went with the Hairy Head Sun Method.

The Hairy Head Sun Method itself was an eighth-grade Immortal Method, so the grade of the spiritual Sha condensed through its accompanying Qi-gathering method was probably not low either.

It was definitely higher than second-grade Spiritual Qi.

Wentesi turned the golden eagle's head slightly and looked at Crow Lord.

"Then who do you think is stronger, that Great King Vulture or me?"

Crow Lord's mind wandered as Wentesi's enormous form and ferocious appearance from several previous occasions surfaced in his mind. He shook his head.

"That... I can't really say."

Judging by Crow Lord's reaction, that vulture was not necessarily stronger than Wentesi.

Though it was at the Middle Stage of Qi Ingestion, it was not necessarily stronger than him.

Wentesi was a true dragon, after all, and he had swallowed a firebird at the first level of Qi Ingestion whole.

In that case, why pay respects to the local boss at all?

"Then let's not go pay our respects."

Wentesi's tone brooked no argument.

"Rather than pay respects to him as your big brother, you'd be better off following me."

Crow Lord hesitated for only a moment before nodding.

He had originally wanted to seek the vulture's protection because he thought it was fairly powerful here, a local top dog capable of keeping him safe.

Shilongzi's true form was clearly more powerful; Crow Lord had at least seen it for himself.

And his prospects seemed better than the vulture's too.

Shilongzi had followed that eminent Buddhist monk and eaten who knew how many good things. In just half a year, he had grown that enormous body.

Perhaps even the scraps of Golden Core that fell from Shilongzi's mouth were far better than the spiritual treasures Crow Lord had found before.

Thinking of it that way, wouldn't following Shilongzi be wonderful?

After all, what did it matter whom he followed?

As long as Wentesi did not convert him into a mount for those Buddhist bald donkeys, he could accept it.

"Caw, caw, Shilongzi, I'll listen to you from now on."

Crow Lord cawed happily.

Wentesi did not mind. Shilongzi it was, then.

One day, he would show this world the might of a true dragon.

Speaking of true dragons...

Wentesi suddenly recalled the account in the Commentary on the Water Classic and could not help saying to himself:

This world seems to have dragons too. They all seem to cultivate [Water Virtue], and they're a naturally noble breed.

If I get the chance, I should go take a look and see what the dragons of this immortal cultivation world are really like.

"Shilongzi! We're about to reach Green Snake Market. Let's land outside first."

Crow Lord's voice brought Wentesi back to reality.

Crow Lord spiraled straight down to land, and Wentesi followed close behind.

As they flew downward, Crow Lord continued explaining:

"Green Snake Market was founded jointly by a green snake demon at the Foundation Establishment Realm and a human cultivator. I heard that human cultivator is also her dao companion."

Wentesi was startled and asked instinctively:

"What's that human cultivator's surname?"

"Uh... I think it's Xu."

A green snake demon and a cultivator surnamed Xu, who were also dao companions.

Wentesi's expression grew momentarily dazed as he listened.

Someone surnamed Xu and a green snake demon?

Why does that combination sound so familiar? It can't be that Legend of the White Snake, can it?

No, it should be called the Legend of the Green Snake.

Crow Lord said no more about the green snake demon, instead explaining the rules of the demon market and the things to watch out for.

They then landed on the outskirts of the demon market.