Chapter 141: The Egg of a Third-Tier Black Phoenix Descendant

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The Outer Sea of Ten Thousand Stars.

Shen Lian had no idea where he currently was. The sea route map he had purchased earlier had long since become useless.

Swimming beneath the surface, he encountered all kinds of groups of demon beasts along the way.

Just like human cities on land, every stretch of territory was occupied by a different demon-beast clan.

Clashes frequently broke out between these clans, with one group hunting and devouring another.

There were the usual demon beasts, such as giant-clawed golden-scale shrimp, demon eels, and sea-scaled elephants, as well as countless other marine creatures whose appearances Shen Lian did not recognize.

Whenever he encountered a group of demon beasts, he simply went around it.

The fact that he could still encounter so many demon beasts meant that he was still within the region of the Demon Sea Island Chain. It would be troublesome to cause too much commotion over a few demon beasts.

Shen Lian took his life seriously.

...

Two months later.

Within a heap of brilliantly colored coral, a head slowly emerged. Shen Lian surveyed the tricolored scallop dwelling deep among the swaying seaweed ahead.

Question: How many steps were there to catching a demon beast?

Remain motionless as a stone, lock onto the target, gather strength, strike as swiftly as the wind—hiya!

A streak of water flashed, and the tricolored scallop vanished from its original position.

Shen Lian, meanwhile, had already swum more than three hundred yards away.

After leaving the Demon Sea Island Chain behind, he still found groups of sea demons everywhere, but fewer and fewer of them had reached the second rank.

Whenever he encountered a solitary creature that looked pleasing to him, he casually collected it into his storage artifact.

The Outer Sea of Ten Thousand Stars was simply too vast. He had traveled for two whole months, using every swimming style imaginable—dog paddle, backstroke, diving, and more—yet he still had not encountered a single island.

There had once been islands in the Outer Sea of Ten Thousand Stars, but the sea races had destroyed them all. Without islands, humans could not survive there, and the region had naturally become an uninhabited zone.

...

Upon the boundless ocean.

A dark treasure ship two hundred yards long cleaved through the waves.

At the very top of its mast hung a flag embroidered with a large word: Market.

This was a famous floating market ship in the waters near the Outer Sea, similar to the markets on land, except that it had been moved onto the sea.

Compared with markets on land, floating markets were somewhat more dangerous, but their profits were also greater.

Some demon-hunting cultivators ventured deep into the open ocean. If they were seriously wounded while hunting and happened to encounter a floating market ship, they might just survive.

Of course, when a floating market ship purchased spirit materials, it offered prices somewhat lower than those of markets on land.

Operating such a ship also required enormous expenses.

If it happened to encounter danger and the ship was destroyed with everyone aboard, even the owner’s entire fortune could be lost.

“We have gone too deep. The sea-demon waters lie ahead. Stop advancing, turn around, and change course.”

A voice rang out aboard the traveling market ship. The treasure ship then slowed and began to turn.

The Outer Sea of Ten Thousand Stars and the Inner Sea of Ten Thousand Stars were terms used by cultivators of the Ten Thousand Stars Sea.

In the mouths of cultivators from the Southern Sea Region, anything beyond the continent belonging to that region was known as the Endless Ocean.

The area north of the Demon Sea Island Chain was called the Inner Sea, while the ocean beyond the former Demon Sea Island Chain was called the Outer Sea.

The Inner Sea itself was divided into three regions. The coastal waters were the safest. Close to the mainland, they were home to the greatest number of cultivators.

Beyond the coastal waters lay the Floating Mound Sea, which contained a number of islands and was inhabited by some demon beasts. It was considered a relatively safe place.

Beyond the Floating Mound Sea lay the Demon Sea.

From the outer edge of the Floating Mound Sea all the way to the Demon Sea Island Chain, the vast waters were considered part of the Demon Sea. Not only were demon beasts found there, but one could also encounter the sea races.

In the highest pavilion aboard the treasure ship, the shipmaster studied a sea chart with deeply furrowed brows.

Their market ship had always traveled back and forth within the Floating Mound Sea. However, their recent gains had been so meager that they were barely covering their costs. They had therefore been forced to venture farther out, hoping to bring in more demon hunters.

After several days of traveling outward, they had indeed gained something, and a number of cultivators had boarded the treasure ship.

Yet for the sake of safety, they still could not enter the Demon Sea. If danger struck, he could not afford the price of a shipwreck and total loss of life.

On the open ocean, Shen Lian emerged from the water, summoned a spirit boat, and leaped aboard. He then headed toward the treasure ship in the distance, whose large flag bore the word Market.

Before this, he had already stealthily approached the treasure ship and conducted a reconnaissance.

He had discovered that, compared with the Ten Thousand Stars Sea, there was nothing unusual about the cultivators’ clothing or speech.

He had never expected to find a mobile floating market on the Southern Sea Region. The minds of humans truly were beyond comparison with those of demon beasts.

As he approached the market ship, Shen Lian made no attempt to conceal his presence or his cultivation level.

Before long, when he was within a thousand yards of the treasure ship, a divine sense swept over him. It belonged to a richly dressed old man in the highest pavilion aboard the ship.

Though the divine sense passed over him, Shen Lian showed no sign of abnormality. He continued to display the demeanor appropriate to an ordinary fifth-level Foundation Establishment cultivator and descended toward the treasure ship.

“Fellow Daoist.”

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On the deck of the treasure ship, a Foundation Establishment cultivator who looked to be a young man had been waiting there for some time.

After Shen Lian landed on the deck, he cupped his hands toward the young-looking cultivator.

“Fellow Daoist, you have crossed the Demon Sea with such boldness. You have truly displayed the bearing of our kind. I admire you.”

The young cultivator returned the salute. “I am Liu Yun, steward of the Liu Family Market Ship.”

Now that was how one spoke.

After swimming the dog paddle all the way here, Shen Lian felt much better upon hearing those words.

Encountering one of his own kind felt wonderful.

“Fellow Daoist, please.”

Shen Lian glanced at the ship’s buildings, which were enveloped in restrictions. “May I ask how much your market charges as an entry fee?”

“It is like this, Fellow Daoist. If you sell demon beasts you have hunted at our market, purchase spirit materials, or stay in one of our guest rooms to rest, then you need not pay an entry fee.”

“If you do not conduct any trade at our market, you must pay one hundred spirit stones to enter.

“Additionally, each extra day you remain aboard the treasure ship costs another hundred spirit stones.”

Shen Lian nodded. The rules were quite reasonable.

Immortal cities on land all charged entry fees. A market ship wandering the sea consumed far more resources than a market on land.

Led by Liu Yun, Shen Lian walked toward the ship’s buildings. He did not particularly want to buy anything. After drifting on the sea for so long, he mainly wanted to stand on something solid.

The Liu Family market ship had four levels in total. The lower two were market areas, the third was a lodging area, and the highest, fourth level was not open to outsiders.

Moreover, the market had been designed quite cleverly. Anyone wishing to reach the third-level lodging area had to pass through the first- and second-level market areas.

The first-level market area was the largest. Nearly a hundred cultivators had gathered there, the vast majority at the Qi Refinement level, and more than half of them were proprietors of independent shops.

The structure of the market ship truly opened Shen Lian’s eyes. The cultivators operating those independent shops were not members of the Liu Family.

The Liu Family provided the ship and the cultivators who guarded it, divided the first level into shops of various sizes, and rented them to outside cultivators.

Some sold pills, some sold aquatic creatures, and others sold...

Even before boarding the ship, Shen Lian had already sensed it with his divine sense.

At the innermost part of the first-level market, more than thirty heavily made-up female and male Qi Refinement cultivators, as well as humanoid sea fish and similar creatures, occupied separate stalls.

In some of the stalls, the passionate sounds of battle could even be heard.

Clearly, whether on land or at sea, pleasure could be found everywhere.

The spirit materials on the first level were all intended for Qi Refinement cultivators. Nothing caught Shen Lian’s eye, so he walked straight through and went up to the second floor.

The second-level market had far fewer shops, and they were decorated much more lavishly. The quality of the spirit materials sold there rose sharply.

There were nine shops in total on the second floor, each guarded by a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

By that calculation, excluding the formation and restrictions, the seller’s side alone possessed nearly twenty Foundation Establishment cultivators aboard a single market ship. Its strength could be considered formidable.

The second floor was quiet. More than a dozen Foundation Establishment cultivators sat cross-legged in the spacious areas outside the shops, each keeping watch against the others.

Several Foundation Establishment cultivators had placed a few spirit materials before them. For items that were inconvenient to bring out, they had specially written descriptions on signs and set them in front of themselves.

Liu Yun did not need to explain. Shen Lian had already observed everything clearly from outside.

Naturally, Liu Yun had no intention of explaining either. These were all common sights.

The cultivators setting up stalls outside were those who roamed the sea regions. Whenever they encountered a market ship, they would board it specifically to sell their goods and rest.

The guest rooms aboard the ship were too expensive, so they could only make use of empty spaces in the second-level market.

The market ship did not force anyone to sell their spirit materials to the market itself. If they felt the market’s offer was too low or did not meet their requirements, they could remain in the market and set up a stall.

However, they had to give the market a portion of their sales. If nothing sold, they still had to pay a stall fee before leaving.

Shen Lian had already taken in the entire scene on the second floor at a glance.

“Fellow Daoist, would you like a treasure map?”

Seeing a newcomer, several Foundation Establishment cultivators selling spirit materials moved their lips slightly and transmitted their voices to Shen Lian.

“Fellow Daoist, three-hundred-year-old Jadeblood Coral.”

“Fellow Daoist, the scales and armor of a third-rank demon beast. Guaranteed genuine.”

...

“Fellow Daoist, the cave dwelling of a Half-Pill True Person. Guaranteed genuine.”

Several Foundation Establishment cultivators transmitted their offers one after another, and Shen Lian was momentarily stunned.

What in the world was a Half-Pill?

Which genius cultivator had invented this new cultivation term?

He soon figured it out. It was merely the cave dwelling left behind by a ninth-level Foundation Establishment cultivator, with the word “pill” added to make it sound as though it had been elevated to another realm.

He had not even bothered to take a second look at the cave dwelling of Ying Shui, a genuine Golden Core True Person. What use was there in looking at the dwelling of some ninth-level Foundation Establishment cultivator called a Half-Pill?

After glancing over the roadside stalls, Shen Lian found nothing that interested him. Instead, he looked toward a shop beside them.

Inside stood rows of wooden shelves. Each shelf held a transparent light barrier, and each light barrier contained a single spirit object.

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The shopkeeper was an old cultivator dressed in a robe, with a cultivation level at the sixth stage of Foundation Establishment.

Seeing Shen Lian’s gaze fall upon his shop, the shopkeeper split his mouth in a grin. “Fellow Daoist, come in and take a look. You can see everything more clearly inside.”

Shen Lian stepped into the shop, his gaze settling on a completely crimson demon-beast egg within one of the light barriers.

The egg radiated wave after wave of scorching heat, plainly informing all who saw it that it was a little fire-attribute egg.

“Fellow Daoist has an excellent eye. This is the egg of a third-rank Demon King, a Black Phoenix. Once it hatches, you will have a third-rank Demon King serving as your protector in the future.”

The robed shopkeeper was not exaggerating. This hot-radiating bird egg had indeed been laid by a Black Phoenix.

Black and crimson avian markings intertwined across its shell. Its aura was somewhat weak, of course, though still far stronger than Three Thousand’s had been back then.

In terms of bloodline, it was many times superior to Three Thousand as well.

Everyone in the cultivation world knew what was going on with Three Thousand’s dragon bloodline. True dragons were simply too promiscuous, leaving descendants everywhere.

As a result, their descendants were now far from rare. One could not say they were found everywhere, but they had certainly become one of the pillars of the demon races.

The Black Phoenix bloodline was comparatively more orderly in its inheritance, though not entirely so.

According to legend, the Black Phoenix was born from an affair between a Golden Crow and a phoenix.

Even now, the descendants of mighty true immortals and divine beasts, after passing through generation after generation, had spread among ordinary demon beasts.

Of course, if one spoke of widespread bloodlines, the true dragon was unrivaled. Its bloodline had even flowed into low-grade demon beasts.

“Fellow Daoist, what do you think? A descendant of a third-rank Black Phoenix. There is a ninety percent chance it will eventually advance into a third-rank Demon King. One hundred thousand spirit stones is not expensive, is it?”

Shen Lian ignored the shopkeeper’s boasting.

Three Thousand had once been called a quasi-third-rank beast from birth, after all.

How many times had the price multiplied for advancing a bloodline by an entire rank?

With one hundred thousand spirit stones, how many little Three Thousands could he buy?

“Too expensive.”

“One thousand spirit stones.”

The moment Shen Lian named his price, the robed shopkeeper grew anxious.

This was the true descendant of a third-rank Demon King. Though no one knew why its aura was so weak, it still possessed vitality. Otherwise, it would have been sold long ago.

The price of one hundred thousand spirit stones was indeed high, but had he not set it that way to leave room for bargaining?

Who would have thought that not only would the room for bargaining vanish, but the offer would stab him directly in the heart?

He might as well have been killed outright.

“Ninety thousand spirit stones.”

“If it fails to hatch, am I supposed to keep the egg around to make egg soup?”

Shen Lian glanced at the shopkeeper.

“Egg soup made from a ninety-thousand-spirit-stone egg? Shopkeeper, you certainly are extravagant.”

The robed shopkeeper looked awkward.

Even a Golden Core True Person would probably be unwilling to drink egg soup worth ninety thousand spirit stones.

“Fifty thousand spirit stones at the lowest.”

In the end, the robed shopkeeper gritted his teeth and named a price. He had acquired the egg a long time ago, but it had never sold, precisely because the probability of hatching was too low.

No matter how many spirit stones it cost, if it could not hatch, the money would be no different from throwing it into the water.

Furthermore, most cultivators who roamed the open ocean possessed metal or water spiritual roots. Very few were willing to purchase a fire-attribute spirit beast.

The robed shopkeeper had not failed to consider other options. If it could not be sold in a floating sea market, he could always take it to a major immortal city.

The result...

The result was that the egg had ended up back here once again.

Who would casually spend fifty or sixty thousand spirit stones to buy a spirit-beast egg with such a low chance of hatching?

Even worse, the spiritual nature within this Black Phoenix egg was weak. Even if it hatched, its origin might be deficient.

A deficient origin meant that its future potential would be greatly reduced.

Taken together, this spirit-beast egg, whose third-rank potential had been severely diminished, could only be sold at the price of a second-rank specimen.

That was also the price Shen Lian had offered.

Considering that its aura was considerably stronger than little Three Thousand’s, he had offered the price of three Three Thousands.

Besides, his own Three Thousand was no weakling. After absorbing two demon cores, it had proven that its potential was beginning to awaken. By now, it was probably comparable to this Black Phoenix egg, and advancing into a second-rank demon beast was virtually assured.

It was just that Dahei’s son...

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End of Chapter.