“Strange treasure.”
Zhang Ling frowned, somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected this kind of thing. His gaze circled the old man a few times, and he asked curiously, "Since you have a strange treasure in your possession, why not seek a professional appraisal or take it directly to an auction?"
"I've naturally tried those methods over the years. Several appraisers have examined the treasure, but none of them could identify what it was. I also considered auctioning it, but the result was the same. After studying it for a long time, the appraisers flatly refused, saying it wasn't qualified for auction," the old man said with a wry smile, a hint of loneliness in his eyes.
"If that's the case, then the treasure you have must be quite special. Take it out and let me have a look," Zhang Ling said, intrigued by the old man's words.
"Alright," the old man nodded after a moment of silence.
However, the old man first took out a square token and cast a spell. The token flew above his head, emitting a red light that entered the carriage. The entire carriage shook slightly, and a layer of red light rose around it.
Zhang Ling glanced at it casually, not paying much attention. It was just an ordinary protective shield to prevent other cultivators from spying.
Seeing that he didn't react, the old man relaxed. He pinched his storage bag, and a square stone box flew out, with two golden spiritual talismans pasted on it.
"Senior, please take a look. This is the item."
He removed the spiritual talismans, and the stone box opened with a click, revealing a dusty gray object inside. It looked like a piece of silk, but there were no words or patterns on it.
When divine sense landed on it, it was instantly repelled. With a wave of his hand, the gray cloth landed in Zhang Ling's hand, and he began to examine it carefully.
The silk felt rough to the touch and didn't seem like good material, not even as good as ordinary silk. There were no spiritual fluctuations on it.
However, the edges were neat, as if they had been deliberately cut. It was two feet long and one foot wide, with no difference between the front and back.
He gently stretched it, and the silk slightly elongated, even deforming the threads. But there were still no other changes.
When he released it, the cloth returned to its original shape. After examining it for a long time, Zhang Ling suspended the object in front of him and gently tapped it with one finger, sending a black spiritual light into it. After absorbing the spiritual power, the cloth only trembled slightly, still without any change.
Zhang Ling revealed a hint of doubt. Although he had only released a little spiritual light, it didn't seem like much. But the spiritual light injected into it actually contained a bit of True Devil Qi. The spiritual power content wasn't low.
Then, he put the cloth in his hand, and a cloud of black mist emerged, enveloping the object.
In the old man's eyes, he was still injecting spiritual power.
In fact, Zhang Ling had already used his original earth attribute ability, but it only made the cloth tremble more violently, still without any substantial change.
At the same time, he also found that after absorbing a certain amount of spiritual power, the cloth would release the absorbed spiritual power. It wasn't an object that could store spiritual power.
"Senior, can you tell what this is?" Zhang Ling also asked Lan Que through voice transmission, waking up the guy to check the strange cloth together.
"Hmph, do you think I know everything? Divine sense can't penetrate it, and the injected spiritual power is dissipating quickly. It's really strange. I can't show myself now and can't examine it carefully. Take it first," Lan Que said, not seeing the trick of the cloth, and suggested.
Zhang Ling nodded and withdrew his spiritual power, suspending the cloth in mid-air and shaking his head. "Fellow Daoist Luo, I can't recognize what this material is either."
The old man shook his head and laughed dryly, revealing some frustration.
"Senior can't see what this is either. Alas, is it really useless? It can't store spiritual power, and there are no special changes, only the effect of shielding divine sense."
The old man raised his left hand, wanting to take the cloth back, but his face changed. The cloth remained suspended in mid-air, without any movement. He couldn't help but look at Zhang Ling with a slight change in expression. "What does this mean?"
Zhang Ling chuckled. "Fellow Daoist, don't worry. Although I can't tell what this is, it can be considered a special material. I love collecting such objects. If Fellow Daoist is willing to tell me the origin of this thing, I will take it."
Hearing this, the old man frowned, revealing some suspicion, but then he seemed to remember something, and his expression immediately disappeared.
Although Zhang Ling saw the change in the man's face, he didn't care about it at all.
"The origin of this thing is not a secret. It was obtained by this old man and a few friends while hunting demonic beasts in the outer sea when my strength was still there," the old man said after hesitating, telling the origin of the cloth.
But halfway through his words, he asked strangely, "Do you believe in the True Spirits recorded in ancient books?"
"True Spirit?"
The old man's sudden mention of the words True Spirit startled Zhang Ling.
"Hehe, although True Spirits are only recorded in ancient books, if Luo says he has really encountered a True Spirit, would you believe it?" the old man said with a chuckle.
"Although I have never seen such creatures, there are many records in ancient books. I think such beings do exist," Zhang Ling replied in a deep voice.
"Fellow Daoist is willing to believe this old man's words?" Seeing him nod, the old man's face stiffened.
"Fellow Daoist Luo, please tell me about the origin of this thing," Zhang Ling interrupted the old man's question in a timely manner.
"Haha, this old man is digressing. That time, when I and a few others were hunting demonic beasts, we encountered a strange thing in the outer sea. Although it was only a brief moment, I will never forget the scene."
"At that time, we were hunting demonic beasts. Including me, there were four Golden Core cultivators. We didn't encounter any danger and successfully hunted several high-level demonic beasts. When we were resting on a deserted island, the change occurred."
"That day, the sky was clear, but when the change occurred, the sea surged, creating waves thousands of feet high. Then, a strange vortex appeared in the distant sea. We didn't know what was happening at the time, so we flew into the air in shock, watching the vortex from a distance."
"Then, a strange sound came from the vortex, like a beast's roar or thunder. The moment the sound came, the spiritual power of all of us was out of control, and we lost our ability to fly, falling towards the sea. Even stranger, the sea level suddenly rose by a hundred feet, and the vortex exploded, and a huge figure rushed out of it, like some kind of giant beast, or some strange fish breaking out of the water, but the size was too large, and we didn't see the whole picture."
"But that monster flew into the sky in an instant, covering the sky and blocking the sunlight. It was as if it had turned into night in an instant."
"Then, there was a loud noise in the sky, and the giant beast disappeared, but the sky seemed to collapse, and countless dark cracks opened, from which streaks of light shot out."
"At that time, we were swept away by the sea, and two of us died on the spot. If I hadn't practiced a body refining technique, I would have almost died. The other person was also seriously injured."
"At the same time, a violent gale rose between the sky and the sea. Although I had recovered my cultivation at the time, I couldn't control myself when I was swept away by the gale. I sacrificed several life-saving methods, but I still fell into a coma after a while."
"When I woke up, I was in pain all over, and my cultivation had plummeted, only having the strength of the Foundation Establishment stage. The other seriously injured companion had long disappeared."
"Naturally, I didn't dare to stay in the outer sea for long with my cultivation falling, so I drove my magic weapon and flew towards the land. Before I flew for long, I found this strange piece of cloth on the sea. After I came back, I checked many books and learned that those cracks in the sky at that time may have been space cracks that appeared instantly. Breaking so many space cracks at once, even the legendary God Transformation cultivator can't do it, and that was a giant beast, I guess it may be the legendary True Spirit…"
The old man seemed to have opened a chatterbox, telling the origin of the cloth in one breath, describing the experience at that time vividly, and his expression seemed a bit crazy.
After speaking, the old man seemed to be deflated, his eyes rolled over, and he fell on the car. Zhang Ling turned a blind eye to this, just frowning slightly, wondering what he was thinking.
The old man's sudden fall was because he used a little trick. He used a soul-stirring technique, otherwise it would take a lot of time to get the information.
Although fighting is strictly prohibited in the city, Zhang Ling is confident that he will not make any noise to deal with a guy whose cultivation has fallen.
This old man's experience sounds a bit absurd, and most people who hear it may not believe it.
But Zhang Ling at this moment thought of his own experience. Two hundred years ago, he also encountered a strange thing in the sea and was taken to the Flowing Cloud Sea by a huge thing.
It seems a bit similar to this person's experience. Could it be that there really is a True Spirit in the outer sea of the Northern Plains Cultivation World?
Thinking of this, he waved his hand, and a spiritual light hit the old man. The old man climbed up, opened his eyes, but his eyes were empty, and he still hadn't recovered much sense.
"When did this happen?" Zhang Ling asked again. The old man stiffly opened his mouth and replied, "Seventeen years ago."
"What do you think, Senior?"
"Hehe, this old man has some knowledge. Although I'm not sure if it's a True Spirit, but listening to the description, there is indeed a high probability. True Spirits are powerful, and it's difficult to see them even in the Spirit World. However, these powerful beings have the ability to break through space and travel to various worlds. Many True Spirits are stronger than Mahayana cultivators, and even some are comparable to True Immortals.
That being said, this cloth may have fallen out of the space crack, and may not be something from your world." A golden light flashed in his sleeve, and Lan Que flew out, dancing around the cloth in mid-air.
"Then I will trouble you, Senior, to see what this thing is," Zhang Ling also agreed.
"Hmph, alright, I'm also a little interested in this thing, so I'll help you see it." Lan Que snorted, holding the cloth in his mouth and returning to his sleeve.
Zhang Ling turned to look at the old man and asked about some details.
The old man is not a cultivator here, but moved here a few years ago. He is also considered shrewd. During this time, he has found many Golden Core cultivators here to appraise treasures.
Although some cultivators have also seen the extraordinary, the old man has not easily taken action.
Although this person's current cultivation is indeed at the Foundation Establishment stage, his divine sense still maintains the Golden Core level, and he can also activate part of the power of his natal magic weapon.
Even dealing with the late stage of Foundation Establishment can be easily won. He values him as a Golden Core middle stage cultivator, and also wants to sell the cloth for a good price.
After asking some questions, Zhang Ling finally asked. "What do you plan to exchange the cloth for?"
"I want to exchange for a large number of magic stones to buy spirit pills to restore my cultivation." Although the old man was confused by the soul-stirring technique, he still instinctively trembled and said his wish.
Zhang Ling frowned slightly, not feeling strange.
He waved his hand, and the old man fell into a coma again, and then he began to check his injuries.
After a while, Zhang Ling smiled wryly. Although this old man was originally a Golden Core cultivator, his injuries are not light, and the time he has been dragging on is a bit long, and many meridians in his body have atrophied.
Such injuries are not easy to treat.
However, after a moment of contemplation, Zhang Ling decided to treat his injuries after all. After all, he took the old man's things, and this person's experience also made him feel something.
First, he took out a pill and fed it to this person, and then threw out vines to wrap this person in it, and operated a trace of refined True Devil Qi, which could only sort out the meridians.
It sounds simple, but it is not easy for ordinary cultivators to save this person. Fortunately, there is True Devil Qi, this special devil qi, which operated a few circles on it, and the somewhat broken golden core in this person's dantian was stabilized.
Then, nourishing the meridians became much simpler. After two hours, Zhang Ling left the beast cart and disappeared on a street.
Although it cannot let the old man immediately restore his cultivation, after repairing the meridians, the injuries have been 60-70% healed. To restore his original Golden Core stage strength, he still needs to cultivate hard for a long time.
These of course are not what Zhang Ling needs to care about anymore.
Before long, Zhang Ling found a remote inn and spent a few magic stones to stay there.
In the following two days, he wandered around the city every day, occasionally collecting some things, and also selling some of the magic beast materials he had collected before, and exchanged them for some magic stones.
Two days passed in a flash, and it was the first day of the Golden Goose Mountain Fair.
Now there are many more cultivators gathered in the city than usual. There are at least two hundred Golden Core cultivators, and even more low-level cultivators who came for the name.
At this time, there is a large cloud of auspicious clouds in the sky. A Nascent Soul cultivator surnamed Mo, is leading more than ten Golden Core cultivators, and is busy with something in the sky.
This Nascent Soul cultivator surnamed Mo is one of the two Nascent Soul cultivators who actually manage this city, and is an elder of the Black Cloud Tribe.
Just now, this person also made a special appearance, saying some polite words, and at the same time, for the safety of the auction, he also decided to open the city's great formation.
At this moment, these people in the clouds are starting the city's great formation.
In a burst of rumbling, the top of Golden Goose Mountain shone with golden light, and a golden cloud of mist was transformed.
The cloud of mist kept rolling and changing. Some turned into clusters of auspicious clouds, and some turned into thousands of golden lights, surrounding the periphery of the entire Immortal City.
