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◈ Ophidian of the Immortal World ◈

Chapter 88: Exchange Gathering

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Guests arrived at Black Shark Island.

There was nothing unusual about receiving guests, but these visitors were not of the Human Race. They were of the Demon Race.

Nor were they ordinary members of the Demon Race. All four were Great Demon Beasts.

“Welcome.”

Black Shark Palace had undergone several rounds of repairs, expansions, and even complete reconstruction. It was now much larger than before.

The interior, in particular, was spacious enough for Jegyeong, whose body had grown again after Molting, to move about freely.

Yet the vast space now felt cramped.

That was because of the presence and Aura radiating from the five Great Demon Beasts.

Jegyeong looked over the four Great Demon Beasts he had summoned.

Dae-yeong, an enormous fish-shaped Great Demon Beast.

Seon-gu, whose form seemed to combine a crustacean and a cephalopod.

Ha Sonseo, who resembled a massive boulder but concealed dozens of legs and eyes within.

Jang Yeong, whose upper body was that of a giant with rough features, while the lower half consisted of dozens of tentacles.

Jegyeong had chosen them carefully.

They were not overly savage, so they could be reasoned with. They were clever enough to weigh gains and losses. Lastly, their strength was not so great as to be troublesome.

Finding those who met even one or two of those conditions was possible. Finding those who met all three was not easy.

The second condition was especially difficult.

Those who were not savage were usually timid, and among them, those clever enough to weigh profit and loss were exceedingly rare.

Knowing how to weigh gains and losses meant knowing how to pursue advantage. That meant possessing greed.

For a cultivator, greed meant possessing a Dao-Seeking Heart. They had not gathered here because of a few words from Jegyeong, but because something in their own hearts had drawn them here.

“Since such esteemed guests have answered my invitation and come all this way, I should begin by thanking you.”

“There’s no need. We all came because we each want something.”

“Ah, naturally.”

Dae-yeong’s small eyes rolled in their sockets.

Dae-yeong cautiously looked up at Jegyeong’s overwhelming body before speaking.

“Fellow Daoist Jegyeong, let’s begin without dragging this out. We all know why we’ve gathered here, don’t we?”

Great Demon Beasts were usually impatient.

One could say they lacked patience, or that they were honest about their desires.

They rarely hesitated or watched for others’ reactions.

To Jegyeong, they were, in some ways, better trading partners than the Human Race.

Of course, that was because he too belonged to the Demon Race.

Only the Demon Race could truly control the savage nature of their own kind.

“If that’s what you want, then let’s do so. As I said, I have goods.”

The Great Demon Beasts twitched at those words.

They looked ready to rush forward and seize the goods at any moment.

But their instincts were suppressed by the intimidating giant before them.

They too were Great Demon Beasts. Even Jang Yeong, the smallest among them, was over ten meters long.

But before Jegyeong, their size made them seem like children.

Though half his body rested on the ground, Jegyeong’s head still loomed far above them. His gaze bore down on them like one looking at ants.

They were still Great Demon Beasts. They would not be cowed simply because their opponent was larger.

Yet Jegyeong’s distinctly Jiao Dragon-like appearance made them instinctively shrink back.

Combined with a body so enormous that it made them look like ordinary Water Demons, even those who ruled their own territories like kings had no choice but to behave themselves.

“My goods are genuine. I wonder whether yours are as well.”

“I brought everything I have.”

“I brought plenty of good things too. The gift Fellow Daoist Jegyeong gave us was very useful.”

The Great Demon Beasts took out Storage bags one after another.

Jegyeong had distributed them through Hyeon-gwi. No, he had gifted them to the Great Demon Beasts so they could safely bring their treasures here.

They were not remarkable gifts, but the Great Demon Beasts were satisfied.

Jegyeong was satisfied as well. Their reaction confirmed once more that they had never interacted with Human Race cultivators.

If they had, they would not have treated low-grade Storage bags like priceless treasures.

‘Purple Monkey Grass. Bugamsayeong. What is that?’

Jegyeong examined the items they began taking out of their Storage bags one by one.

Some were spiritual treasures. Some were rare spirit medicines that did not qualify as spiritual treasures. Others looked impressive but were completely useless.

Jegyeong had memorized a vast amount of information about spiritual treasures and spirit medicines from the Spirit Talisman Merchant Association’s catalogues. He recognized the items the Great Demon Beasts displayed at a glance.

‘Not bad.’

There was nothing he could use himself, but quite a few items could be sold to the Human Race.

There were also several things suitable for Cheongo or the humans under his command.

“Bring them over.”

After quickly inspecting the goods, Jegyeong gave an order to Hyeon-gwi, who had been waiting at a distance.

* * *

In some ways, Great Demon Beasts were certainly foolish.

But they were never stupid, and in certain respects, they were even better than the Human Race.

For example, they possessed an instinctive sense of what they needed and what would benefit them.

The situation before him proved it.

Gulp!

When Hyeon-gwi dragged in the Human Race cultivators wearing Dharma-Restraining Artifacts, the Great Demon Beasts could barely take their eyes off them.

Some smacked their lips. Some even drooled.

Their instincts, rather than their minds, told them that swallowing those cultivators would bring immense benefits.

The cultivation of the Demon Race was Blood Meal, and even Great Demon Beasts with Bloodlines were no exception.

Devouring again and again to nourish oneself was a simple but effective form of cultivation.

Yet nothing in this world came with benefits alone. The more one cultivated through Blood Meal, the more muddled one’s Spirit and Flesh, including one’s Spiritual Essence, became.

Demon Beasts did not know about such problems, nor did they need to.

Once they reached the level of a Great Demon Beast, though, those with keen instincts gradually began to sense the ruined pill of Blood Meal.

By the middle stage of the Great Demon Realm, or even the late stage, when they began looking toward the Demon King Realm, the wise ones finally realized the truth.

With such a muddled and unstable foundation, they could not hope to reach a higher realm.

If they tried to force a breakthrough into the Demon King Realm without resolving those ruined pill effects, nine out of ten would die miserable deaths.

Even those fortunate enough to survive usually fell into demonic deviation and forgot even themselves.

Those gathered here knew none of that and could not predict their future ends.

They were merely letting their eyes wander according to the instincts of Great Demon Beasts.

“Three Human Race Foundation Establishment cultivators. Four Mind-Release Flowers. Two bottles of Earth Treasury Oil.”

The Great Demon Beasts’ gazes moved across the three kinds of goods.

Their eyes first settled on the Foundation Establishment cultivators, lingering there the longest. Yet greed also appeared in their eyes as they looked at the Mind-Release Flowers and Earth Treasury Oil.

Jegyeong watched their reactions with inward satisfaction.

He had paid a considerable price to obtain all these goods from the Spirit Talisman Merchant Association.

The three early Foundation Establishment Calamity Cultivators went without saying.

Though demand for them was low, Foundation Establishment cultivators were still Foundation Establishment cultivators. The Spirit Stones Jegyeong had paid to acquire them were comparable to what he had spent on the Mind-Release Flowers and Earth Treasury Oil.

Mind-Release Flowers and Earth Treasury Oil were ingredients in some Medicinal Pills, but their uses were limited. Few people cultivated or harvested them, making them difficult to obtain.

That was what Gwak Jeongsin had told him.

Jegyeong thought it was an excuse.

Gwak Jeongsin surely knew the effects of these spirit medicines. He had probably guessed how Jegyeong intended to use them as well.

‘He probably thought I meant to use them myself.’

Jegyeong understood Gwak Jeongsin’s thoughts, but did not bother correcting his misunderstanding.

Why would he?

If Gwak Jeongsin misunderstood, that only benefited Jegyeong.

Jegyeong did not want Gwak Jeongsin to know that he was doing business with the Demon Race.

Even if Gwak Jeongsin found out, it probably would not cause any major problems. But there was always the possibility of trouble.

The more useful secrets one had, the better.

“You all seem to have good judgment, so I trust you can estimate these goods’ value. Let’s begin.”

Everyone gathered here had traded with Jegyeong through exchanges before.

This was their first time trading together in such numbers, but their prior experience kept them from stumbling.

The goods they wanted were before their eyes, and they knew what they needed to do to obtain them.

All that remained was to raise their voices.

“I’ll give you all of this! Give me those humans in return!”

Dae-yeong, impatient by nature, shouted as Dae-yeong shook their fish head fiercely.

Jegyeong looked at the items Dae-yeong offered and shook his head.

“Not enough.”

“Not enough?”

“That’s right. These are no ordinary humans. They’re Foundation Establishment cultivators. In terms of cultivation, they’re on the same level as us.”

“Urgh.”

Dae-yeong’s anger flared for an instant, but their momentum faded when they heard that.

Then Seon-gu waved a massive tentacle like an arm and spoke.

“I’ll give you all my goods. In return, give me two humans. And those... what did you call them? Mind-Release Flowers.”

“Not enough.”

Jegyeong refused once more.

There was no point in considering it.

By his standards, more than half of Seon-gu’s goods were trash.

As soon as Seon-gu dejectedly lowered their tentacles, Jang Yeong spoke.

“Could I trade four of my items for two Purple Monkey Flowers and one bottle of Earth Treasury Oil?”

“Not enough.”

“What if I offer five?”

“Hmm...”

Jegyeong considered it briefly, then nodded.

At last, the first trade was completed.

Dae-yeong, Seon-gu, and Ha Sonseo became anxious and began calling out prices more actively.

Dae-yeong had initially demanded all three humans with great confidence. Before long, Dae-yeong was desperately trying to obtain even one.

Seon-gu was no different.

Ha Sonseo, whose demeanor was as heavy and solid as their appearance throughout the exchange gathering, openly asked Jegyeong instead.

“Fellow Daoist Jegyeong. How many can I obtain with my goods?”

This was Jegyeong’s first time dealing with a negotiation that was not quite a negotiation, so he was slightly taken aback.

He quickly gathered his thoughts.

“Two.”

Among the four Great Demon Beasts, Ha Sonseo had brought the best goods. Their value was slightly higher than that of two Foundation Establishment cultivators.

The price Jegyeong named was not excessive.

“Good. Let us exchange for two.”

When two Foundation Establishment cultivators entered Ha Sonseo’s possession, Dae-yeong and Seon-gu’s eyes reddened.

They competed for the one remaining cultivator. In the end, Seon-gu, who poured out all their possessions, became the winner without truly being a winner.

Dae-yeong also received two Purple Monkey Flowers, but Dae-yeong seemed far from satisfied and kept smacking their lips.

“Fellow Daoist. What would you trade one human for?”

Unable to give up, Dae-yeong began pestering Ha Sonseo.

Ha Sonseo did not so much as budge.

“Fellow Daoist, I like this stone. Name your price.”

The major trades had ended, but many goods remained.

The Great Demon Beasts’ eyes shone as they looked over one another’s offerings.

Dae-yeong continued clinging to Ha Sonseo, but when Ha Sonseo finally reacted violently, Dae-yeong flinched and withdrew.

Then Dae-yeong approached Jang Yeong to see whether they could obtain even one Purple Monkey Flower or a bottle of Earth Treasury Oil.

‘They’re quite honest.’

Jegyeong quietly curled the corner of his mouth as he watched Dae-yeong.

Footnotes:

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