According to what he'd heard, the Penglai Immortal Sect and the Primordial Devil Sect had never gotten along. In fact, they'd been at odds for thousands of years. But there was something very odd in that statement. Penglai was powerful, yes, but it was ultimately just an upper sect. How could it stand against a Holy Land? Its inheritance over thousands of years could not be explained by simply saying it retreated to the outer sea. An Ascendant could destroy an upper sect with a casual strike, so was it just that the Primordial Devil Sect's Ascendants hadn't bothered to act?

Moreover, now that the Holy Land had been wiped out, the Penglai Immortal Sect had returned to the inner domains to contend for dominance of the Northern Sea. Yet at the center still stood the Blue Sea Alliance, led by an Ascendant. So what gave them such confidence?

Recalling Fu Chaosheng's earlier tone when speaking of his sect, Luo Chen formed a faint suspicion. This so-called Penglai Immortal Sect likely had ties to the Heaven Origin Dao Sect. Only that could explain everything.

I suppose I'll find out if I keep observing them.

As more Adepts arrived, most went straight to greet Yu Gao. Even those who did not know him made their way over and were introduced. These guests had all been invited by the Heaven Origin Tower and all had ties to the Heaven Origin Trade Alliance. Their eagerness was no coincidence—it was clearly encouraged from above.

At the same time, Yu Gao's behavior matched Luo Chen's expectations. He remained indifferent toward rogue cultivators, friendly with sect and family cultivators, and notably warm toward those closely tied to the Heaven Origin Trade Alliance. That earlier air of detachment had vanished right away, replaced by these shifting attitudes.

Luo Chen watched coldly as his understanding deepened. Fu Chaosheng was somewhat dismissive of the Myriad Immortal Society and said the Blue Sea Alliance was bound to fall, yet he remained neutral toward the Penglai Immortal Sect. Thinking about it now... he was hinting that I should join them. But there's no way I can do that. If the Heaven Origin Dao Sect was willing to take me in, I'd go in head first. The Penglai Immortal Sect...

Luo Chen shook his head inwardly. The sect was tightly unified, yet it still fell short of Holy Land status. If his affairs were exposed, they would never protect him. In that case, it was better not to go to Penglai. But then what about the Myriad Immortal Society? He had hoped to see some cultivators from that side, but even after more than a dozen people arrived, there was not a single person from the society.

Just as disappointment set in, his heart tightened. At the entrance, water ripples stirred as five people walked in one after another. The leader wore a gloomy expression and looked hard to approach. The aura of a late-stage Adept only confirmed it. But what made Luo Chen tense was the second man in the group. His hair was tied in a flying cloud knot, he wore brown Daoist robes, and... he was an old acquaintance!

Shan Shubao soon introduced them one by one.

"This is Fellow Daoist Eagle Devil, from the First Lineage of Devil's Snare!"

"This is Fellow Daoist Divine Witch from the Blood Nightmare Lineage!"

"This is the Hundred-Faced Old Monster from the Rift Heaven Lineage Lord!"

"This is..."

Within Devil's Snare, most had ties to the former devil sect. Thus, the Dao titles of its high-tier cultivators often bore the names of gods, devils, or monsters. Wu Qi, for example, came from Divine Witch Island and called himself Divine Witch.

Luo Chen stared at him for a moment, and Wu Qi seemed to sense something. But with everyone watching him, he could not trace the source. However, he did linger on Luo Chen for a moment, and a hint of suspicion flickered across his face.

Naturally, Luo Chen had disguised himself before the journey to Jadecold City. With his mastery of Myriad Path Convergence, he could adjust his features at will and even imitate others' auras. Most cultivators would not see through it. As for his flushed face, it had only deepened after years of True Flame Pills and practicing the Heavenly Phoenix Nirvana Scripture. There was no way Wu Qi could recognize him just like that.

Indeed,Wu Qi felt a trace of familiarity, but he could not quite place it. He did not linger on the thought. He turned instead and went to greet Yu Gao and the others.

Luo Chen stood in a corner and silently watched the lively gathering. The five from Devil's Snare had arrived together, each representing one of the twelve lineage lords. As soon as they entered, they went straight to Yu Gao of Penglai and spoke with him at length. That was quite telling. Was the Heaven Origin Trade Alliance acting as an intermediary, bringing Penglai and the Devil's Snare together? Or had the three sides already been in contact before this? These Adepts were the backbone of their factions, and their presence here was no coincidence. More likely, this meeting was the stage where an agreement would begin to take form.

Luo Chen naturally had little information about the undercurrents here, but he was no spring chicken, and he was able to notice plenty of subtle clues. Just based on these things, he had already glimpsed part of the truth. The fact that there were no cultivators from the Myriad Immortal Society and not a single member of the Blue Sea Alliance only served to support his speculation. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

With everyone present, the gathering officially began. The format was simple. It started with barter. All of them came from different places, and all were Adepts. Whether through production or battle, each had accumulated large amounts of resources. Because their cultivation paths differed, what was useless to one might be valuable to another. Naturally, it was best to trade as quickly as possible.

Luo Chen had experienced this many times before and was quite familiar with it, but he didn't have much interest in the offers here. Some of the pills were decent, but the quantities were too small to be of real use to him. As for enchanted treasures, he had little need. His life-bound cauldron had been nurtured for fifteen years now, and with the sheer amount of pills he'd concocted, their connection had reached a level more than sufficient for combat.

During the process, a fire-element short spear appeared. It was a mid-grade piece that drew quite a bit of attention. However, when another Adept offered a more valuable resource along with a large sum of spirit stones, the owner quickly agreed to the deal.

Luo Chen was tempted, but he could only give up. He had many valuable items; the Millennial Lightning Essence or the Profound Rock Armor, for instance, were treasures others would give an arm for. But clearly, there was nothing here worth such an investment.

When it was Luo Chen's turn, he spoke openly, "I'm just a rogue cultivator with nothing much to speak of. I've got five bottles of second-tier pills called Imperial Nectar Pills. They can help Qi Refinement cultivators break through to Foundation Establishment..."

At this point, the expressions of those present did not change, but there was clear disdain in their eyes. Foundation Establishment Pills? Everyone present was an Adept! Who would care for such things? Was this even worth bringing out for trade?

Luo Chen remained unfazed by their disdain and continued, "...but their main effect is to help demonic beasts build a foundation and advance in cultivation. It can also purify their bloodline and unlock inherited bloodline abilities if there are any."

As soon as these words were spoken, many cultivators became interested. "Is that true?"

Luo Chen raised his eyes slightly. The one who had spoken was an elder of a Golden Core family. He said, "Absolutely. The Heaven Origin Tower can vouch for me."

Everybody turned toward Shan Shubao, who nodded. The gifts Luo Chen had given to Fu Chaosheng included Imperial Nectar, and its effects had been verified by a master of the Heaven Origin Tower.

With Shan Shubao as a guarantee, interest among the others deepened.

The Northern Sea was vast and rich in resources, and demonic beasts were everywhere. While this made the environment more dangerous, it also meant that sects and forces kept more spirit beasts under their control. Over the years, methods of taming and raising demonic beasts had grown into a well-developed system. Demon-suppression talismans, spirit beast pouches, binding rings, and spirit-feed pellets were all common. Nearly every Northern Sea force had some form of demonic beast-related enterprise. Who would not be tempted by pills that could raise a demonic beast's cultivation and possibly unlock a bloodline inheritance? If they could strengthen their tamed spirit beasts, they would also indirectly strengthen themselves.

Someone asked, "Your pills are only second-tier. Will they work on Demon Kings?"

Luo Chen nodded. "As long as the grade is high enough, they'll work."

"Then what grade is your Imperial Nectar?"

Luo Chen grinned and opened the jade bottle. A rich medicinal fragrance spread out. "Supreme grade!"

The moment the fragrance spread, a flicker of surprise passed through the crowd. A second-tier supreme-grade pill was comparable in potency to an ordinary third-tier pill, and in terms of rarity, it even surpassed normal third-tier pills. And indeed, such pills would have an effect on Demon Kings. And if there were several bottles....

Among the crowd, Wu Qi watched the exchange with narrowed eyes.

Someone asked, "Then what do you want in exchange?"

Luo Chen sealed the jade bottle and said, "Since forming my core, I haven't had any real defensive means, but I happened to obtain a Turtle King's shell a while back. I'm looking to trade for a method to craft a defensive enchanted treasure."

As soon as he said this, someone in the room chuckled. "Just a few second-tier pills, and you want to exchange them for a defensive enchanted treasure crafting method? Fellow Daoist Luo, that's a bit wishful."

Luo Chen did not get angry. "I can add spirit stones. We can discuss the exact price and I'll make sure it's worthwhile."

At this point, he continued persuasively, "Ordinary demonic beasts are nothing special. But if you can get your hands on a Demon King with some potential and help it awaken a bloodline inheritance, it won't be any weaker than an Adept. And I'm not even asking for a defensive enchanted treasure, just a blueprint. That's a winning deal no matter how you look at it."

Those words struck a chord with many. Indeed, it was only a crafting method. How could it compare to the combat strength of an Adept? And even if they handed it over, they could still use it themselves. Moreover, Luo Chen was not their enemy, so it wasn't like they were helping strengthen a foe.

They were still hesitating, but finally, someone spoke up. "I happen to have a crafting method like that. I'll trade it for your five bottles of Imperial Nectar, plus two hundred thousand spirit stones. Of course, you must swear not to pass this method to others."

Luo Chen looked over—the bidder was Yu Gao himself! With a flick of his hand, a metal scroll flew toward Shan Shubao. After checking it, Shan Shubao nodded to Luo Chen. "It seems like it fits what you're looking for."

A crafting method from the Penglai Immortal Sect... Not bad! Luo Chen pressed his lips together, then broke into a smile. "Deal!"