The Xuan Tortoise seemed to sense something and pointed at one of the jade bottles. The jade bottle instantly flew above its head, exploding with a bang and scattering a large amount of bright black water droplets.
These water droplets were very strange, each one not merging into a liquid but remaining as a soft, gel-like substance.
At the same time, an astonishing spiritual force surged from the Xuan Tortoise's body, controlling these water droplets to scatter around it, whirling around with a rustling sound.
Suddenly, several of the water droplets collided with a bang, immediately exploding into a large cloud of black mist.
The Xuan Tortoise inhaled, and a large portion of the black mist was sucked into its mouth. Instantly, the icy cold spiritual force emanating from its body became even more intense.
Controlling the spiritual force within its body, it continuously absorbed and refined the black mist, gradually condensing a layer of black frost between the Xuan Tortoise's hands.
This frost was rapidly changing, sometimes transforming into a swirling vortex, sometimes solidifying into a tangible form, growing out like ice sculptures into sharp ice thorns.
As the bright black water droplets continued to explode, the Xuan Tortoise absorbed more and more black mist, and the frost conjured in its hands became thicker and thicker.
These bright black water droplets were the materials needed to condense the Ice Soul Poison. They were condensed from the toxicity of many Yin-cold spiritual herbs, and ordinary cultivators would suffer from cold poison if they came into contact with them.
Through the mental connection between Zhang Ling and his second soul, he could sense that the Xuan Tortoise had already condensed a small amount of Ice Soul Poison. As long as enough was condensed, it would be a powerful supernatural ability.
The cultivation plan he had set for the Xuan Tortoise, in addition to cultivating the Ice Soul Poison, also included condensing Water-Gale Divine Lightning within its body.
This divine lightning was originally a water-attribute Yin-lightning supernatural power, very suitable for the Xuan Tortoise to cultivate.
The method for condensing Water-Gale Divine Lightning was recorded in the Weak Lightning Art obtained from a snake woman he defeated during the Treasure Seizing at Hundred Spirits Pool in the Hidden Demon Valley.
However, condensing this divine lightning was not easy, and it was extremely difficult without external assistance.
Fortunately, he had the stone mirror that could condense Water-Gale Divine Lightning, which could assist in cultivating this art.
This was an unexpected surprise.
Of course, Zhang Ling's own cultivation had not fallen behind at all. In addition to studying puppetry, the several high-level spells and supernatural powers he cultivated were gradually becoming more proficient, and mastering these techniques allowed him to better exert the strength of the Nascent Soul stage.
...
Time flew by, and three years passed in the blink of an eye. On this day, Zhang Ling transformed into a streak of light and left Fire Cloud Island again, flying all the way south towards Myriad Manifestation City.
With this departure, he would never return to Myriad Manifestation City for a hundred years, but that's another story.
During the flight, Zhang Ling took out the token carved with strange patterns and various bird and animal designs. A wisp of divine sense was constantly checking the information inside.
This token was the Azure Cloud Pavilion token obtained from the treasures left by Old Ancestor Windfire. Now, a layer of strange black light was floating on the token. As long as divine sense touched the light, it could detect a piece of information. According to the information above, one could find the special merchant alliance controlled by this demon clan force, Azure Cloud Pavilion.
The Azure Cloud Pavilion would open once in the last month, holding a trade fair between high-level cultivators. The information above also listed some of the treasures that the Azure Cloud Pavilion would bring out for trade, all of which were top-notch spiritual items.
Among them were not only the Earth Spirit Fruit needed to condense the Nascent Soul Pill, rare spiritual mines, millennium-old spiritual herbs, and more than ten ancient treasures. Obviously, they were all to attract high-level cultivators, especially Nascent Soul-level cultivators, to participate in the trade fair.
Zhang Ling left Fire Cloud Island also intending to participate in this trade fair. Some of the spiritual items were exactly what he needed.
At the same time, the Ice Soul Jade needed for the Xuan Tortoise to condense Ice Soul Poison, the few pieces collected three years ago were almost used up, and it was necessary to collect some more.
The Azure Cloud Pavilion was different from the human race's market. Materials such as spiritual herbs and spiritual mines were quite difficult to find on the human race's side, but in this merchant alliance opened by the demon race, they were more likely to appear.
After all, the demon race's territory was not small, and it could produce a lot of cultivation resources. Moreover, demon cultivators did not refine tools or pills.
Furthermore, the Azure Cloud Pavilion was not just simply selling various cultivation resources. Some of the treasures were auctioned off like an auction.
But there were also extremely precious treasures that could not be bought with spirit stones, but were exchanged in a rather primitive barter trade.
This was the main purpose of opening the Azure Cloud Pavilion, so it was called a trade fair, or a trade fair between Nascent Soul cultivators and transformed demon cultivators.
This level of trade fair was rare. It was not certain that one would encounter it once in a hundred years. In addition to collecting some spiritual items, Zhang Ling's main purpose was also to see it.
His current cultivation had been completely consolidated, and the next cultivation needed to be carefully considered. For this reason, he would inevitably come into contact with some Nascent Soul old monsters.
This trade fair would gather many Nascent Soul cultivators. Contacting these old monsters and inquiring about news would also be helpful for future cultivation.
Of course, the Xuan Tortoise was also brought along, currently cultivating in the Two-Worlds Gourd in his sleeve.
The Xuan Tortoise was controlled by his second soul and was already a true transformed demon cultivator, so naturally, it would no longer be placed in an ordinary spirit beast bag.
Staying in the gourd was just right, both not delaying the Xuan Tortoise's cultivation and being able to summon it for help in times of crisis.
Flying south for tens of thousands of miles, if he continued to fly south, he would reach the Demon Wind Mountains in a few days. However, for the next part of the journey, Zhang Ling changed direction and flew down below the clouds.
Although the Azure Cloud Pavilion was a demon clan merchant alliance, it was not in the Demon Wind Mountains. The location of each opening was not fixed. It was also an extremely mysterious force. This time, according to the information displayed on the token, the Azure Cloud Pavilion was opened in this cloud sea.
Before long, Zhang Ling once again saw the endless flowing cloud sea. He couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
Thinking back to decades ago, when the wild beast tide had not yet passed, he and Jiang Hao, Su Yu'er, and others entered this area to collect Heavenly Heart Stones. They encountered that big-headed freak and then desperately escaped. It was as if it had happened yesterday.
Flying in the endless cloud sea for a few more days, except for encountering a high-level demon bird that was easily killed by him, he did not encounter any traces of demon beasts, nor did he bump into any cultivators.
Zhang Ling sensed the Azure Cloud Pavilion token. Calculating the distance, he would reach the location of the Azure Cloud Pavilion in two more days. There were still seven or eight days before the trade fair began.
Although there was still plenty of time, he couldn't help but complain in his heart, wondering what the demon clan forces were thinking, opening the merchant alliance in this kind of place.
Flying for hundreds of miles again, suddenly, Zhang Ling's expression moved slightly. He sensed spiritual power fluctuations dozens of miles ahead, and he could also hear bursts of hissing sounds, as if he had encountered demon beasts again.
Condensing his divine sense and scanning over there, he found a large group of Crimson Fire Crows, like a cloud of fire, flying rapidly. There were bursts of chirping sounds, and there were also spiritual power fluctuations of other attributes, appearing chaotic. This group of demon beasts seemed to be besieging something.
Out of curiosity, Zhang Ling carefully checked and found that the Crimson Fire Crows were besieging three Golden Core cultivators. An old gray-haired man in the late Golden Core stage, a bald burly man, and a charming female cultivator in a green dress.
These people released several magical treasures, turning them into various powerful attacks to continuously hunt Crimson Fire Crows.
But the Crimson Fire Crows besieging them were not easy to deal with. This kind of demon bird was not weak. There were as many as three or four hundred of them, most of them were in the third or fourth rank, and there were also one seventh-rank and one sixth-rank Crimson Fire Crow. The three were surrounded in the middle, unable to get rid of them.
"What a coincidence, I didn't expect to meet these people here."
Zhang Ling looked at the three people and felt somewhat familiar. He instantly remembered their identities and chuckled. He flew towards that side. With his escape technique, he crossed dozens of miles in the blink of an eye and approached the Crimson Fire Crow group.
A green light flashed in his sleeve, and three flying swords immediately flew out, rushing into this group of demon birds at an extremely fast speed. Wherever the green light passed, dozens of Crimson Fire Crows were instantly killed.
The sword light, with the momentum of crushing everything, attacked the two high-level Crimson Fire Crows directly.
After the three green lights killed a large number of Crimson Fire Crows, they merged together into a dazzling green light, piercing the head of the sixth-rank Crimson Fire Crow like an arrow.
On the other side, the seventh-rank Crimson Fire Crow, like a chicken with exploded feathers, squawked twice and sensed the danger. Its wings spread out, turning into a firelight and soaring into the sky, trying to escape.
But the green light had already appeared in front of it. With a gentle stroke, the bird's neck was cut off, and it was instantly killed.
Finally, the green light re-divided into three flying swords. Zhang Ling waved his hand and collected them into his sleeve. At the same time, he flicked out two yellow rays, covering the bodies of the two high-level Crimson Fire Crows. The corpses of the two demon birds were pulled to his side and collected into his storage bag.
The three Golden Core cultivators were stunned, not understanding what had happened.
The squawking sounds filled their ears. The Crimson Fire Crows that had been besieging them just now scattered and fled, disappearing without a trace in an instant.
"Ah, this junior thanks this senior for your help."
After a moment of silence, among the three Golden Core cultivators, the old man in the late Golden Core stage, who had the highest strength, was the first to recover and bowed respectfully.
Zhang Ling then swept a glance at the three and showed a smile. "It's fine as long as you don't blame me for snatching your prey."
"Senior is joking. If it weren't for senior's help, it's hard to say whether the three of us would be safe and sound," the old man said, his mouth twitching a few times. "We are disciples of the Flying Cloud Sect. May I ask for senior's honorable name?" The three looked at each other and answered carefully.
This young senior was extremely unfamiliar. They had never seen him before.
In the world of cultivation, encountering a cultivator who was a major realm higher than oneself was not a good thing. Especially a strange Nascent Soul old monster. Killing the three of them was easy.
Zhang Ling was already a Nascent Soul cultivator, so naturally, there was no need to hide his appearance. And these three were none other than the elders of the Flying Cloud Sect.
Before, in order to collect Swallowing Cloud Stones, he disguised himself as White Cloud Wanderer and mixed into the Flying Cloud Sect. He stayed on Flying Cloud Island for half a year, met these three many times, and resisted the beast tide together.
The gray-haired old man was that Senior Brother Yang. When he mixed into the Flying Cloud Sect, this Senior Brother Yang had spoken to him. The bald burly man next to him, if Zhang Ling remembered correctly, seemed to be an enforcement elder surnamed Zhou.
As for the charming female cultivator, he had an even deeper impression of her. She was Tang Qingqing, who had entered the Flying Cloud Sect at the same time as him. This woman's identity seemed to be not simple, and it seemed that there was also a Nascent Soul cultivator behind her.
He didn't know why these people were also here. Could it be that they were hunting demon beasts together, or... were they also going to participate in the Azure Cloud Pavilion's trade fair like him?
Zhang Ling thought in his heart and asked. "You are disciples of the Flying Cloud Sect. How is the Yellow Cloud True Person of your sect doing?"
"Uh, so senior recognizes our sect's Yellow Cloud Ancestor. Senior Uncle Yellow Cloud has been in closed-door cultivation in the sect since the beast tide," Senior Brother Yang, Tang Qingqing, and the three others were obviously relieved to hear this.
"Zhang Mou has had dealings with Fellow Daoist Yellow Cloud once," Zhang Ling said casually, and then asked. "How did you get here? Could it be that you are also going to the Azure Cloud Pavilion? If we are going the same way, we can travel together." Saying that, he showed a kind smile.
Senior Brother Yang's eyes turned, and after pondering for a moment, he replied. "So senior is going to the Azure Cloud Pavilion? The three of us are also going there..."
Zhang Ling looked at this person's hesitant speech and looked around and chuckled.
"Hehe, you don't have to worry. I just don't know much about the Azure Cloud Pavilion. Seeing your appearance, you know a lot about it, so I just want to ask."
"Haha, senior is laughing at us. It is our good fortune to be able to travel with senior."
"Very good, then let's go, we will talk in detail on the way," Zhang Ling flew directly forward. Senior Brother Yang and the three others hesitated for a moment and quickly followed.
...
Two days later, Zhang Ling and the three members of the Flying Cloud Sect were finally about to approach the Azure Cloud Pavilion.
He sensed the Azure Cloud Pavilion token in his hand. According to the markings above, he could reach the Azure Cloud Pavilion in two or three hundred miles.
"Senior, if we talk about the human race's top ten sects, there are many Nascent Soul seniors who are famous. Not to mention those Nascent Soul late-stage great cultivators, even the Nascent Soul early and mid-stage old monsters have many cultivation secrets and are not weak. Like several old monsters who have been quite active recently."
The Thunder Cloud Sect's Thunderstorm True Monarch, this True Person cultivates the Purple Thunder Mantra, and his Purple Thunder supernatural power is unmatched. It is said that he also advanced to the Nascent Soul mid-stage more than ten years ago. There is also the Yin Fiend Old Demon in the Yin Underworld Valley, who is also one of the top ten sects. It is said that he recently cultivated the Evil Wind Secret Technique and defeated the Worry-Free Palace's Red Plum Granny in one fell swoop, making a small name for himself.
There is also the True Yang Sect's Xuanmu True Monarch, who has also achieved the Senmu Great Law, and has even reached the peak of the Nascent Soul mid-stage. It is said that he fought against two Holy Demon Sect elders of the same level and fought evenly without losing ground.
The Gale Mountain's Mad Wind Old Monster, an ancient demon of the Mad Demon Sect, and the loose cultivators Fire Spirit Upper Man, Nameless Old Ancestor, etc. are also very famous.
"You know a lot about the situation of these old monsters," Zhang Ling glanced at Senior Brother Yang, who was talking with flying saliva and a look of admiration and longing, telling the rumors of the Nascent Soul old monsters, and couldn't help but laugh.
