Chapter 2241: Chapter 2243: Life-Substitute Talisman

When Gongye Qianxin saw Feng Jun, he did not intend to put on airs, nor did he want to flatter the other party. He believed it was best to communicate as equals. Now, when the other party unexpectedly suggested that he should have negotiated nicely from the start, he felt... are you getting a bit arrogant?

He was displeased but didn’t show it. He had lived for over two thousand years—what hadn’t he seen? Young people getting a bit arrogant after a little success was something he’d encountered countless times. Sooner or later, society would teach them a lesson.

However, Feng Jun did not continue. After muttering softly for a while, he produced the Daoist Crown, saying, "Just take a look... don’t touch it."

Yi Jue was already in a ready state, feeling poised to act at any moment. Even Xia Nichang was alert, while Cang Jing the True Immortal simply watched the scene unfold with leisure.

The Gongye clan prided themselves on their integrity—they had intended to handle the crown. But upon hearing Feng Jun’s words, they were noticeably displeased, yet only let out a light snort and used their Divine Sense to carefully perceive the crown.

In the next moment, Gongye Youbao’s expression froze, and his breathing hastened, "This is... this is?"

Gongye Qianxin’s eyebrows furrowed slightly and he glanced at Gongye Youbao.

The two exchanged glances for about three seconds before Gongye Qianxin spoke solemnly, "Feng Xiaoyou, name your price."

Feng Jun also sensed something was amiss and spoke steadily, "I haven’t figured it out yet—is this really something of your Gongye clan?"

"The Daoist Crown is certainly part of the Gongye family," Gongye Qianxin replied gravely, "but it’s not as we initially imagined, so I won’t prove why it belongs to the Gongye family. Just price it as a damaged True Treasure."

Clearly, there was some problem here, but Feng Jun was too lazy to ponder it—the secrets of others had nothing to do with him.

Thus, he straightforwardly answered, "If you treat it as a damaged True Treasure, then you should make an offer... you are the ones wanting to buy, not me selling, so why should I name the price?"

Anyone would understand that the one who first names a price is at a disadvantage, and Feng Jun’s intention was not necessarily to sell this item.

The two from the Gongye family exchanged another glance before Gongye Youbao spoke, "How about five hundred Upper Spirit Stones?"

True Treasures come in various grades; generally speaking, you can’t buy a decent True Treasure for five hundred Upper Spirit Stones. Feng Jun wasn’t quite sure what miraculous properties this crown had, but he knew that head protection, if not very cheap, is exceedingly expensive.

A True Treasure that the Gongye family valued so highly would fetch at least two thousand Upper Spirit Stones; how high exactly was unknown.

But Feng Jun didn’t understand the value conversion of this broken Daoist Crown; in his heart of hearts, he felt that five hundred Upper Spirit Stones had already exceeded his expectations.

Since it exceeded... there was no need to add more. Feng Jun always believed himself to be a casual person rather than a money-grubber. If the other party had offered too low, he might have made an exorbitant demand. But since they offered a fair price upfront, he wouldn’t haggle further.

Of course, expecting him to lower the price further was impossible—their relationship wasn’t at that level. If it were Yi Jue, he might voluntarily lower the price, but for these two arrogant fellows, he wouldn’t be unreasonable.

So he nodded, "Alright, it’s settled then. However, I’m not interested in Upper Spirit Stones. Does the Gongye family have any specialty Heaven and Earth Treasures?"

Gongye Youbao named his price immediately, not for the sale—he didn’t have the authority—but to unsettle Feng Jun.

He had already recognized the origins of the Daoist Crown, so the price was indeed on the low side. He expected Feng Jun to raise the offer, and then he’d drop from five hundred Upper Spirit Stones to two hundred, and as the other party haggled, he’d continue lowering.

In short, he was determined to acquire the Daoist Crown unseen, believing no outsider could grasp its mystery.

After Feng Jun agreed swiftly, Gongye Youbao was left speechless, "You’re not going to counteroffer at all?"

Feng Jun gave him a strange look, turned to Elder Cang Jing, and pointed at his head, "Is he... ill here?"

Elder Cang Jing shook his head and spoke earnestly, "We’re about to close the deal, everyone should restrain themselves a bit."

Finally, Gongye Qianxin spoke up, "The Gongye family doesn’t have any special produce but is willing to trade with a Two-Element Inscription Heart Tracing Spirit Embryo. Would young friend be interested?"

The Inscription Heart Tracing Spirit Embryo is cultivated from a Heavenly Spirit Embryo, primarily used to prevent memory loss during reincarnation. If a cultivator plans rebirth, possessing such a Spirit Embryo can greatly safeguard past-life memories and assist in early awakening.

Take the Spirit Embryo offered by Gongye Qianxin; once the Two-Element Water Embryo or Fire Embryo is cultivated, a Two-Element Inscription Heart Tracing Spirit Embryo can be obtained, with the Two-Element Fire Embryo’s value hovering around two hundred Upper Spirit Stones.

Plus, the cultivation is intricate, requiring ample resources, undoubtedly worth five hundred Upper Spirit Stones.

The key aspect is... there are none on the market, truly absolutely none. Treasures that awaken one’s Predestined Wisdom would be hidden away by whoever possessed them, even if most True Immortals among the Seven Gates and Eighteen Paths don’t have them.

However, the Grand Repository of the Seven Gates and Eighteen Paths certainly harbors such items... they are strategic resources.

Similarly, those secret families with deep foundations gathering a few spiritual fetuses is quite normal.

The Two-Element Spirit Embryo is already good enough; both Golden Core and Nascent Soul cultivators can use it. However, if it’s for the Emergence Stage, it’s best to use a One-Element Spirit Embryo.

So, what Gongye Qianxin has offered is considered quite sincere.

But for Feng Jun, this thing is quite useless, considering that cultivators who can reincarnate have a cultivation level no less than Golden Core, and there’s no guarantee of success—it’s only relatively safe at the Nascent Soul stage.

Waiting for someone in Luohua to reach the Nascent Soul stage? Feng Jun thinks that day is too far off, even the most talented Zhang Caixin and Yu Qingzhu can currently only be regarded as Golden Core seedlings, and with their talents, it will take at least sixty years to reach the Golden Core.

Before then, this spirit embryo is of no use in Luohua; only Feng Jun could use it, but if he really needs to use this thing, who will protect him?

Moreover, Feng Jun very much doubts whether reincarnation is possible at all since the Heavenly Dao on Earth has already collapsed; truly, it’s a big question mark.

So this spirit embryo is utterly useless to him, especially since he already possesses sufficient treasures, and adding this one more seems like he’s afraid of attracting unwanted attention due to his lack of motivation?

Thus, he waves his hand and speaks indifferently, "The Two-Element ones... well, forget it. If there are no other treasures, giving some Spiritual Energy would suffice."

Forget the Two-Element ones? Even someone as composed as Gongye Qianxin couldn’t help but snort, "We use the Two-Element Qing Emperor as the base, do you think it’s the rubbish found everywhere?"

Upon hearing this, Feng Jun pretended to be slightly surprised, "Oh? That’s rare, but I’m really not interested in that... how about trading it for some lower-tier longevity treasures?"

He knows well that many clans have quite a few longevity treasures that mortals can use.

For secret families, treasures that can extend a cultivator’s life are always desired, but those for mortals don’t attract much attention.

As a mortal, being a burden to the clan is normal, and it’s lucky enough to die peacefully; what face do you have to ask for longevity treasures?

In clan society, this logic is very common; clan members can respect the elders, but as elders, they must also consider the clan.

Unless a mortal has excellent children who become successful cultivators and bring longevity treasures back for the elder, in such a case, the elder can ’reluctantly’ accept it—as they’ve contributed by raising talents for the clan.

However, Gongye Qianxin couldn’t help but darken his expression, "Five hundred units of lower-tier longevity treasures... my Gongye family isn’t wealthy enough for that."

Lower-tier longevity treasures aren’t expensive; you can buy them in Tiantong. However, even with the Gongye family’s accumulated wealth, they haven’t saved up that many ordinary longevity treasures—it’s not too high-end, but too low-end, why would the Gongye family need that much? Why hoard this low-end stuff?

"Then Spiritual Energy it is," Feng Jun casually waves his hand, adopting a "I don’t care if you have it or not" attitude.

This wasn’t an act; it was genuinely his thought, as his main purpose was to spread the message that he cared about longevity treasures, hoping others would be inclined to curry favor!

Before this, the folks on White Pebble Beach had done the same, and several people indeed catered to his preference. However, the significance of ’Mountain Master Feng’s subordinates’ compared to that of Feng himself is not the same!

Gongye Qianxin was infuriated by his indifferent attitude; who do you think you’re looking down on?

In the past, only the Gongye family looked down on others. Now they were being belittled by a mere Small Golden Core!

Thus he spoke gravely, "Then I’ll give you two Life-Substitute Talismans, they should be worth five hundred units of Spiritual Energy, right?"

The Life-Substitute Talisman is different from the Substitute Soul Puppet; it can completely replace both the physical and spiritual death, and, purely from the perspective of substitution, it’s far more practical than the Substitute Soul Puppet.

Upon hearing this, Feng Jun first nodded, then slightly shook his head, "The Life-Substitute Talisman is a good thing, but I think two of them are a bit much; my life isn’t that cheap."

"Then offer some Void Material," Gongye Qianxin responded easily, "Ensure you think it’s valuable enough."

Seeing this, Feng Jun decisively brought out his Daoist Crown, exchanged it for two Life-Substitute Talismans, and added some Void Materials.

His escape skills are strong, but Life-Substitute Talismans... there’s never enough of those.

Then Feng Jun waved goodbye and returned to White Pebble Beach, starting his secluded cultivation to reach the Golden Core third layer.

Earlier, he also accepted Kunhao’s Domain Care, feeling only a paper-thin layer short of advancing, yet he never crossed it. That made him a bit puzzled: it shouldn’t be this way, I’m the one responsible for increasing spirit mechanisms, there’s no reason for others to advance but not me.

Later, he vaguely deduced: the issue with progression likely resides in his cultivation technique—the Devouring Primordial Heaven Technique is too domineering, and... it absorbs too much Spiritual Energy.