Chapter 151: Surging Waves Grotto-Heaven

Jiang Feng halted his steps, his expression dark and gloomy as he gazed at the red-robed, veiled woman. The veil across her face was nothing more than a gossamer layer; logically speaking, anyone with even slightly acute eyesight should have been able to easily peer through it and see the visage concealed beneath. Yet, no matter how much Jiang Feng strained his vision, everything remained hazy and indistinct. Even when he extended his already formidable spiritual sense to probe past it, he found himself entirely unable to discern her features.

It was only then that he realized, with a sudden jolt of understanding, that even a simple veil of this kind was an extraordinary, supreme-grade dark nether artifact.

He had never had any dealings with the people of the Xingtao Grotto-heaven. However, during his time in Jiuyan Town, he had heard no shortage of stories about this sect. Rumors had it that their members did not possess the haughty and overbearing demeanor characteristic of the disciples of the Langya Chamber of Commerce; at the very least, when dealing with others, they were capable of putting aside their status.

In fact, he held a trace of favorable impression toward the people of the Xingtao Grotto-heaven. From what he understood, they were the first faction in the Eastern Nether to dare to stand up against the Langya Chamber of Commerce. While full-scale wars had never broken out between them, minor frictions were constant, and the discord between these two major powers was an open secret across the Eastern Nether. Furthermore, the Xingtao Grotto-heaven’s fearlessness in the face of absolute power, their heaven-reaching influence, and the legendary figure of the revered Master Xingtao himself all stirred within him a faint desire to witness them in person.

Ever since he had laid eyes on the Demonic Commander Molinhai, an intense obsession with absolute power had taken root in him. To be able to contend against the entire roster of true传 disciples of the Langya Chamber of Commerce from Lingbo Town using just a single strand of hair—and to slaughter every last one of them—was a level of might that Jiang Feng could only look up to with despair.

He reckoned that even if Master Xingtao lacked such monstrous strength, at the very least, the man would not find himself in a position where he had to仰望 others as Jiang Feng did!

Weighing all these factors, he concluded that it was best to observe the Xingtao Grotto-heaven from a safe distance and avoid excessive entanglement.

However, now that the other party had spoken up, and considering that he was not using his true identity—having never revealed his aura or nether power to her, making it impossible for her to recognize him—he had no need for excessive caution.

"What is the matter?" Jiang Feng put on a cold, aloof expression that seemed to reject anyone a thousand miles away.

"This humble one is Jin Lin of the Xingtao Grotto-heaven. I wished to ask Senior Brother a few questions; I wonder if that might be acceptable? I heard that Senior Brother came to this Xuantao Pavilion in search of Five-Elements Quintessence to temper your Five-Elements Nether Arts and break through your cultivation realm. Perhaps there is some way I might be of assistance." The moment the woman named Jin Lin spoke, she immediately positioned herself on friendly terms—at the very least, not as an enemy. Yet, Jiang Feng noticed that as she spoke, her eyes swept up and down his entire body, as if she were searching for something.

"Ask away." Jiang Feng licked his lips in a movement too subtle to detect, a series of cold sneers echoing in his heart.

Jin Lin, the disciple of the Xingtao Grotto-heaven, gestured with her hand. "This is not a place for conversation. Please follow me, Senior Brother." With those words, seeming entirely unbothered by the flash of hostility in Jiang Feng's eyes, she transformed into a streak of red light and took flight. Jiang Feng did not hesitate either. With a powerful leap upwards, he turned into a streak of azure light and, with a ferocious bound through the air, quickly caught up to her.

When it came to the art of flight, Jiang Feng’s Wood Sovereign nether power wrapped tightly around his body, reducing air resistance to the absolute minimum. It took him merely the blink of an eye to close the distance and tail Jin Lin closely.

Feeling the heavy, explosive sound of displaced air rushing beside her, Jin Lin felt a surge of inner alarm. She thought with astonishment: *This person's cultivation is truly extraordinary to possess such terrifying speed. In my experience, someone of his age with this level of speed is almost invariably a disciple of the Langya Chamber of Commerce. Yet judging by his attire and styling, he is no member of the Langya. Could he truly be nothing more than a rogue cultivator?*

Flying through the dreamlike expanse of Daxuan Town, it was only a short while before Jiang Feng saw the red light ahead of him abruptly descend toward a majestic, forty-eight-story tower. Inscribed upon the body of the tower were several gleaming golden characters: Xingtao Tower!

Clearly, this was the stronghold of the Xingtao Grotto-heaven within Daxuan Town. There were no such structures in Jiuyan Town where Jiang Feng resided, which implied that a sect of the Xingtao Grotto-heaven's stature simply disdained developing in a place like Jiuyan Town.

Feeling a fleeting sense of disappointment in his heart, Jiang Feng followed closely behind Jin Lin and descended as well. He cared little about what others might try to do to him; violent crimes and assassinations were not something one needed to worry about within Daxuan Town, and furthermore, in his understanding, the Xingtao Grotto-heaven was an orthodox and reputable sect.

Upon landing inside the tower, Jiang Feng saw that the entire interior of the Xingtao Tower was paved with fine gold and polished jade. Luxurious carpets covered the floors, and in certain places, nether artifacts were lavishly hung as mere decorations—a display of sheer, unadulterated wealth. Standing atop such a towering edifice, almost the entire panorama of Daxuan Town was laid out before one's eyes, a truly boundless luxury.

Compared to architecture of this caliber, everything Jiang Feng had witnessed in the past appeared utterly impoverished and crude.

"This Xingtao Tower is an asset of our sect here in Daxuan Town. I wonder if Senior Brother has any interest in establishing such an asset for yourself within Daxuan Town? Such an investment would yield countless benefits for you!" Jin Lin had already drifted down and casually seated herself on a stool carved from pristine jade, simultaneously gesturing for Jiang Feng to take a seat as well.

Jiang Feng, however, remained standing, the expression on his face as cold and frosty as ever. He said bluntly, "If you have something to say, say it directly. I do not care for beating around the bush."

Although Jin Lin's words sounded exceedingly courteous on the surface, they were actually dripping with irony. Her invitation for Jiang Feng to establish property here was a thinly veiled flaunting of her own sect's wealth. At the same time, Jin Lin had already deduced that Jiang Feng was merely a rogue cultivator; even if he possessed some wealth, the majority of it would have been plundered through killing and pillaging. He simply lacked the capital to ever construct a property of this scale!

That remark of hers had made Jiang Feng deeply uncomfortable.

"Very well then. Please tell me, Senior Brother, just what on earth is that nameless divine wood that you went to such exhaustive lengths to win at the auction? While it is certainly peculiar, it is by no means worth a rogue cultivator spending a massive fortune of three million to acquire it. What is more, to purchase this item, you even supplemented the payment with a vast quantity of Nether Infant Pills. As everyone knows, among all the various sects, Nether Infant Pills are the finest medicinal elixirs, and these pills are the exclusive, closely guarded secret recipe of the Langya Chamber of Commerce. To my knowledge, Senior Brother is supposed to be a rogue cultivator rather than a disciple of the Langya, so just where did you acquire such a vast quantity of these elixirs?"

The veiled woman in red reeled off a continuous string of questions like a volley from a rapid-fire cannon, chattering relentlessly until Jiang Feng felt a looming headache coming on.

"That is my personal privacy. For you to pry in such a direct manner feels somewhat like an interrogation. Isn't that rather inappropriate?" Jiang Feng let out a dry laugh, genuinely at a loss for how to explain himself. "As for that nameless divine wood, I have no idea what its true origins are either. However, the nether arts I cultivate happen to include wood-attribute techniques. Since it is a piece of divine wood, naturally I wanted to buy it back to see if I might refine it. Who knows, perhaps it will allow me to break through into the seventh stage of the True Nether Realm!"

As he spoke and gestured, a formidable pressure emanated from Jiang Feng's eyes. At the same time, by boasting that he was on the verge of breaking into the seventh stage of the True Nether Realm, he was deliberately placing pressure on Jin Lin, hoping to make her abandon her obsession with the fragments of the Immortal World's Sacred Tree.

Jin Lin let out a self-deprecating chuckle. "It seems Senior Brother has no intention of speaking the truth. However, if Senior Brother were to be honest, I would be quite willing to gift you this item!" With a wave of her hand and a flash of her sleeve, a blue cloud swept through the air with a whistle, and the 'Sea God Pearl' appeared out of thin air.

The radiant, glowing Sea God Pearl spun continuously in mid-air, a breathtaking sight to behold.

Jiang Feng wore a smile that did not reach his eyes. Refusing even to spare the Sea God Pearl a glance, he said, "This Sea God Pearl is indeed a fine treasure, capable of pushing any water-attribute nether art to the realm of great accomplishment, and even holding the potential for someone to master the ability to summon the Sea God. However, I am in no urgent need of such a treasure. What I truly desire is the Nine-Heavens Nether Crystal."

The Nine-Heavens Nether Crystal—even a casual, ordinary fragment of it contained the nether power equivalent to several thousand nether stones, making it a cultivation material dreamed of by every practitioner of nether arts!

"Senior Brother is certainly ambitious. Such rare treasures as the Nine-Heavens Nether Crystal could likely not be obtained for even ten million medicinal elixirs," the veiled woman in red paused for a moment. "It appears I underestimated Senior Brother's financial resources. However, you are likely planning to trade Nether Infant Pills for it, am I right? Very well, I happen to know that the Xuantao Pavilion offered you a price of upwards of one hundred thousand Nether Infant Pills. How about this: as long as Senior Brother is able to produce one hundred thousand Nether Infant Pills in a single transaction, I will offer you twice the going rate per piece?"

"Twice the price for all of them?" Jiang Feng’s heart skipped a beat, and he couldn't help but be tempted. The other party's proposal meant that if he could produce one hundred thousand Nether Infant Pills at once, she would give him two pieces of the Nine-Heavens Nether Crystal.

Such terms were practically unheard of anywhere else!

However, one hundred thousand Nether Infant Pills was a colossal sum. The three major chambers of commerce—the Xuantao Pavilion, the Six Paths Alliance, and the Langya Chamber of Commerce—could easily produce such a quantity, but whether Jiang Feng himself could readily cough it up was another matter entirely.

Yet, if he were to compromise so easily now, it would appear as though he were grasping at straws in a panic, making it far too easy for the other party to probe his true bottom line.

What Jiang Feng needed to do right now was to play the pig to eat the tiger—feigning weakness while hiding his true strength. He refused to let the other party easily discover his foundation, regardless of the method they used!

"To acquire such a massive quantity of Nether Infant Pills all at once... What is the Xingtao Grotto-heaven planning?" Jiang Feng possessed a nimble mind, immediately bringing up the conflict between the Xingtao Grotto-heaven and the Langya Chamber of Commerce to muddy the waters.

For two major factions locked in competition, the most crucial factor was the rapid enhancement of their strength, and nothing was more vital to that end than medicinal elixirs.

Nether Infant Pills were the finest top-grade elixirs available on the market. For the Xingtao Grotto-heaven, which lacked the ability to manufacture Nether Infant Pills themselves, the Langya Chamber of Commerce was a target of intense covetousness!

If every single disciple of the Xingtao Grotto-heaven were to consume Nether Infant Pills for their cultivation, within three to five years, practitioners in the True Nether Realm would undoubtedly sprout up like bamboo shoots after a spring rain, with dozens added every single year without fail. Even those formidable experts in the Void Nether Realm, if supplied with massive quantities of Nether Infant Pills daily, would see their strength surge explosively and their realms ascend.

Even an expert of Jiang Feng's caliber currently absorbed an amount of ambient worldly spiritual energy daily that was equivalent to five hundred Nether Infant Pills.

"Such terms would tempt anyone. Very well, I suppose I agree to your proposition. Ten days from now, I will produce three hundred thousand Nether Infant Pills for you. I only wonder if you have the appetite to swallow such a huge sum?" Jiang Feng pondered for a moment, shrugged his shoulders, and put on an appearance of effortless ease.

Right now, he could spontaneously generate roughly over thirty thousand Nether Infant Pills every single day. If he were to actively refine them as well, ten days from now, leave aside three hundred thousand—even half a million was a figure he could comfortably pull out.

All he needed was time.

"Three hundred thousand? Can you truly produce three hundred thousand within ten days? You must realize that such a colossal sum is something even the Vice President of the Langya Chamber of Commerce, True Person Ruxue, could scarcely manage." This time, it was Jin Lin's turn to be shaken. She had originally assumed that asking the fellow to trade with Nether Infant Pills was a sarcastic jab at his financial capabilities, only to be horrified to realize that if this transaction actually went through, she would end up taking a massive loss!

"Ten days from now, won't you know just by looking?" Jiang Feng cupped his fists in a salute, a smile playing across his face.

"I wonder where Senior Brother plans to stay during these ten days, and where I should look for you when the time comes?" asked Jin Lin, the veiled woman in red.

Jiang Feng waved a hand dismissively. "I am merely wandering about this place and have no fixed residence. Besides, once one's cultivation reaches a certain height, there is no need for sleep. Ten days from now, I will naturally come here to conduct the transaction with you. By then, I kindly ask that Senior Junior Sister has the six pieces of Nine-Heavens Nether Crystal prepared."

"Naturally. Please take your leave, Senior Brother." Even if Jin Lin wished to back out now, it was already too late. She had no choice but to swallow this bitter pill, holding onto the sole hope that the origins of that nameless divine wood would ultimately prove worthy of such a steep price.

Jiang Feng cupped his fists in farewell, then transformed into a streak of fleeting light and vanished once more.

"Senior Sister Jin Lin, do you really believe he can produce three hundred thousand Nether Infant Pills?" After Jiang Feng departed, a young girl materialized out of empty air from the space behind Jin Lin. The girl wore a bright, charming smile, seemingly entirely unbothered by the heavily loss-making deal Jin Lin had just struck.

"That I cannot say for certain. However, the Xingtao Grotto-heaven is an orthodox, prestigious sect; since we have already agreed to this trade, we must see it through. Yet, if he truly is able to produce three hundred thousand Nether Infant Pills, it would prove that the nameless divine wood he labored so hard to acquire is an absolute treasure. When that time comes, we can mobilize all the resources of our sect to track down the other fragments of the nameless divine wood." Jin Lin paused, a hint of worry coloring her tone. "In these troubled times, the Samsara Sea is plagued by endless turmoil. I've heard that the appearance of a single youth has even sparked a war between the righteous and demonic factions. I believe these rumors are not unfounded, and we must elevate our own strength in the shortest time possible."

The young girl tilted her head in thought for a moment, then suddenly recalled something and chimed in happily, "That youth seemed to be called Jiang Feng. Heh, I truly wonder what kind of lawless, unbridled eccentric he must be!"

"Heh, those matters have nothing to do with us." Jin Lin gazed at the young girl with a doting look. "It's just a pity that ten years ago, Senior Sister Huolian suffered a backlash during her tribulation while refining a nether pill and perished in body and soul. Otherwise, given her aptitude, she would likely have broken through to the Void Nether Realm by now. Ah, Mozhu, with your natural talent, you could have advanced to the sixth stage of the True Nether Realm long ago. Why on earth are you so stubbornly unwilling to apply yourself?"

The young girl called Mozhu let out a muffled chuckle and playfully replied, "I simply don't like cultivating."

Meanwhile, Jiang Feng was quietly wandering around Daxuan Town. The town was simply too vast; it was impossible for him to explore the entirety of it in a short span of time. After repeatedly utilizing his nether arts to teleport around and confirming that no one was tailing him, he asked Zhuue to alter his appearance using the Mirage Qi Art, transforming him into an entirely different person. He then randomly selected an inn and checked in.

He had originally intended to release Duan Xingyun from the White Emperor Glass Cauldron, but fearing that Duan Xingyun might perceive him cultivating the Immortal World's Sacred Tree, he had no choice but to leave the man confined within the cauldron a little longer. Involuntarily, Duan Xingyun had thus been reduced to Jiang Feng's prisoner.

This session of secluded cultivation was primarily aimed at forging a tighter bond between his spiritual sense and the Immortal World's Sacred Tree.

At this moment, the Sacred Tree of the Immortal World residing between his brows flickered between reality and illusion, as though its root system had plunged deep into the meridians throughout his entire body. Every single strand of his nether power was linked to the Sacred Tree, and the sapling itself had grown more than a hundredfold larger than before. Lush with foliage, it constantly absorbed the ambient worldly energy, which condensed into Nether Infant Pills within his sea of consciousness every single moment.

He had once asked Zhuue when the method for refining Nether Infant Pills had first originated, but even Zhuue could not provide an answer. This left him deeply perplexed as to why the Sacred Tree of the Immortal World possessed the ability to spontaneously generate Nether Infant Pills on its own.

However, once he entered a state of deep cultivation, he swept all such distracting thoughts entirely from his mind.

"Man and tree as one!"

Jiang Feng gathered all his spiritual focus, striving to merge completely with the Sacred Tree of the Immortal World. His formidable spiritual sense gradually permeated every single leaf and root of the sapling.