Chapter 225: The Location of the State of Zhao

Wang Lin stayed at an inn in Lianmo City for three days. During these three days, Nascent Soul Cultivators arrived one after another to visit him. Wang Lin changed his cold attitude and received them one by one, managing to meet quite a few eccentric and talented people.

Most of these Nascent Soul Cultivators were not from this city but had come specifically to attend the Secret Market. Wang Lin's battle with the bald man had immediately earned him their respect. One must know that in the Cultivation World, everything is determined by strength. The ease with which Wang Lin killed the bald man had immediately shaken these people to their cores, which was why they had come to visit in person.

Three days passed in a flash, and in the blink of an eye, the day the Secret Market opened arrived. Early that morning, a Core Formation Cultivator came to the inn, respectfully handed Wang Lin an invitation to the Secret Market, and then personally led the way to the shop.

Upon seeing Wang Lin, the old man at the shop revealed an extremely respectful look in his eyes. He carefully welcomed Wang Lin into the shop and then cast a Hand Seal onto a wall in the backyard. Immediately, the wall rippled like water.

After doing this, he took out a set of straw rain capes from his Storage Pouch and respectfully handed it to Wang Lin.

Wang Lin stood where he was without taking a step. Instead, he swept his Divine Sense inside and immediately discovered that there was a whole different world within. It was an exquisitely beautiful pavilion where seven or eight Nascent Soul Cultivators were already sitting. All of them were wearing straw rain capes, some sitting quietly alone, others talking softly to each other.

When Wang Lin's Divine Sense swept in, except for a middle-aged scholar who had been resting with his eyes closed, no one else noticed a thing. This person was also the only one not wearing a straw rain cape.

The middle-aged scholar's expression remained normal, but a trace of surprise flashed in his eyes.

Wang Lin felt a jolt in his heart. When his Divine Sense swept through just now, he discovered that most of the Cultivators in the hall were at the Early Stage, but this particular Cultivator, while his surface cultivation appeared to be at the Early Stage, actually had a true cultivation that had reached the Peak of the Late Stage of the Nascent Soul Stage, only one step away from Soul Transformation.

And this person, not knowing what kind of Cultivation Technique he Cultivated, had a rather powerful Divine Sense, actually capable of discovering Wang Lin's Divine Thought.

After withdrawing his Divine Sense, Wang Lin took the straw rain cape and put it on his head. Without a word, he took a step and entered the wall. When he appeared, he was already inside the hall. Finding a seat, he sat down and closed his eyes to rest.

His actions immediately made some Cultivators who were preparing to strike up a conversation with him change their minds.

Although Wang Lin's eyes were closed, his Divine Sense remained vaguely fixed on the middle-aged scholar at an angle from him. From the moment he had entered just now, the middle-aged scholar's gaze had remained on him, lingering for a long time.

After a while, several more Cultivators arrived. Among these people, most were wearing straw rain capes to conceal their appearances, and some even had a layer of black mist radiating from their bodies.

Seeing this, Wang Lin already understood that these people were clearly worried about being recognized, fearing that if they revealed the treasures they were trading, it would bring trouble upon themselves.

However, among the Cultivators here, there were also many who did not conceal their appearances, clearly having some reliance and not fearing the exposure of their identities.

However, Wang Lin had a doubt in his heart: how could a mere Lianmo City Secret Market have so many Nascent Soul Cultivators coming here?

He looked around; there were about thirty seats in this hall. Could it be that more than thirty Nascent Soul Cultivators were attending today's Secret Market?

Although he was doubtful in his heart, Wang Lin appeared calm and composed on the surface.

After waiting for a while longer, no more Cultivators arrived. At this moment, a person wearing a straw rain cape sitting at the head of the hall gave a dry cough, swept his gaze across the room, and slowly said, "This Secret Market is being held jointly by three cities, which is why there are more people. However, everyone has come here to exchange for what they need, so I believe everyone will return with a full load. I will go first." As he spoke, he took out a Storage Pouch and poured it out in front of him. Immediately, several inner cores and a few Magic Treasures flew out from within.

The Magic Treasures revealed a sharp edge, clearly possessing great power.

"The inner cores are from Medium Grade Yao Beasts. As you all know, these Medium Grade Yao Beasts are already equivalent to the cultivation of the Late Stage of the Nascent Soul Stage. These Magic Treasures are all crafted from the bones of Medium Grade Yao Beasts, and their power is quite good. Especially this bell, which is made from the eardrum of a Winged Beast, has extraordinary effects. These items are only for exchange for Spirit Stones," the person said slowly.

These items floated in front of him. If anyone took a liking to them, they only needed to reach out and summon them, and the items would immediately fly into their hands. In this kind of Secret Market, there was no fear of anyone reneging after getting the items; one must know that this hall had a Formation of considerable power. If someone were to snatch the treasures and flee, they would only be asking for trouble.

Wang Lin had learned these things during his conversations with people over the past few days. When he heard the other person say that this Secret Market was being held jointly by three cities, he immediately realized that this place must be an existence similar to a space Rift. Within the three cities, there must be many existences like the shop Wang Lin had just entered, and these Cultivators only needed to choose one to be teleported here.

In this way, the safety of the traders was more securely guaranteed.

After waiting for a long time, except for one masked Cultivator who exchanged Spirit Stones for the bell Magic Treasure, no other Cultivators moved. Soon, it was the next person's turn.

Slowly, various Magic Treasures, Spirit Pills, and secret manuals were brought out by everyone in the hall, one after another. Each of these items was of great value, far beyond what ordinary Cultivators could obtain.

Even if one of them were taken out and placed in an Artifact Refining Pavilion, it could be placed on the highest shelf and sold for an astronomical price. Most of the Cultivators in the hall only exchanged and did not sell. They often preferred various Materials for Alchemy and Artifact Refining. Of course, if finished Magic Treasures or Spirit Pills were offered for exchange, they were even more welcome. Besides these, there were Spirit Stones.

Before the fog in the Cultivation Devil Sea dispersed, the consumption of Spirit Stones was not very high, so their value was gradually becoming lower, only used for daily meditation.

But after the fog in the Cultivation Devil Sea dissipated, Yao Beasts ran rampant. As a result, traveling in the wild became very dangerous, so more and more people chose to use Teleportation Formations.

One must know that there are two types of Teleportation Formations. One is the Ancient Teleportation Formation, which was created by Cultivators in the ancient times and has remained to this day. Not only are they few in number, but most are also damaged, and not many can still be used. Once activated, depending on the consumption, it can teleport one at least a million miles away. However, to use an Ancient Teleportation Formation, one can only use Top-Grade Spirit Stones. As a result, almost no one in the Cultivation Devil Sea can use them.

After all, Top-Grade Spirit Stones are almost extinct. Even if someone has such Spirit Stones in their hands, they are rarely willing to use them for teleportation.

The other type is the ordinary Teleportation Formation. This kind of Teleportation Formation is simple. Each time it is used, depending on the distance, the consumption of Spirit Stones ranges from ten Low Grade ones to a hundred Medium Grade ones. Although the teleportation distance is at most a few hundred thousand miles, it is affordable and is currently the main way for Cultivators in the Cultivation Devil Sea to travel.

However, because of this, a large amount of Spirit Stones are consumed, and gradually, the value of Spirit Stones has increased.

After several people had traded, it was the turn of a Cultivator wearing a straw rain cape. He lowered his head and said in a hoarse voice, "I don't have many items, just some ancient classics. If any Fellow Daoists are interested, we can trade. However, given the special nature of these items, I will not let everyone view them up close." After speaking, he patted his Storage Pouch, and immediately seven or eight Jade Slips flew out from within.

These Jade Slips were all dull in color, and some were even slightly cracked, emitting waves of an aura of vicissitudes, clearly having a certain age.

Outside these Jade Slips, there was a layer of cyan protective barrier, clearly some kind of Magic Treasure set up by this person to prevent others from taking them to examine.

"This is an ancient Yao Beast catalog, this is ancient Cultivation World secret history, this is an Ancient Teleportation Formation construction diagram, this is… These items are only for exchange for inner cores, at least Medium Grade Spirit Rank. Five inner cores for one Jade Slip." After the Cultivator introduced them one by one, he said nothing more and waited quietly for someone to inquire.

Some people around immediately frowned, thinking to themselves that this person's price was really too expensive. Exchanging five Jade Slips for one Medium Grade Spirit Pill was already not very cost-effective, let alone the other way around.

In fact, the Cultivator in the straw rain cape was also sighing inwardly. He himself did not have anything presentable. These Jade Slips were found by him in an ancient Cultivator's secret mansion. That ancient Cultivator was also extremely poor; in the entire mansion, there was nothing else besides these Jade Slips.

When this Cultivator in the straw rain cape first started, the price was not expensive. But after attending many Secret Markets and having no one show interest, he became angry and directly asked for an astronomical price. In his mind, if these things were in the hands of someone useless, they would be worthless, but if he met someone who truly needed them, even if the price were higher, they would definitely buy them.

In fact, he guessed right.

When Wang Lin heard "Ancient Teleportation Formation construction diagram," although his expression remained normal, his heart pounded. He did not expect that he would actually encounter the Ancient Teleportation Formation Jade Slip he had been searching for so bitterly here.

Without a word, he suddenly moved his right hand. While the Cultivator in the straw rain cape was stunned, he easily broke the cyan protective barrier on the Jade Slips and directly grabbed the Jade Slip recording the Ancient Teleportation Formation from the air, taking it over.

The person in the straw rain cape was shocked in his heart. The face hidden under the straw rain cape immediately became ugly. He knew that although this cyan protective barrier was not strong, he was at least unable to break it so easily. And he believed that even a Middle Stage Nascent Soul Cultivator could absolutely not be so understated. All of this could only be explained by the fact that the other party was a Late Stage Nascent Soul Cultivator.

After getting the Jade Slip, Wang Lin swept it with his Divine Sense and immediately put it into his Storage Pouch without a word. At the same time, he threw out five Medium Grade Yao Beast inner cores from within.

The Cultivator in the straw rain cape caught the inner cores and sighed inwardly. He did not pursue the matter of the other party forcibly breaking the cyan light, but waited for a while longer. Seeing no one asking, he put these Jade Slips away.

In the moment just now when Wang Lin made his move, three Nascent Soul Cultivators present paid close attention. One of them was the middle-aged scholar, and as for the other two, they were wearing straw rain capes. Although their faces could not be seen, from the moment they looked up, their eyes flashed with sharp light.

After a brief silence, another Cultivator began to introduce his treasures.

Not long after, it was Wang Lin's turn. At this moment, the surroundings suddenly became quiet. All the Cultivators looked over. One must know that when an expert makes a move, one knows if they have it. Wang Lin's grab just now immediately made these people understand that this Fellow Daoist wearing a straw rain cape in front of them had extraordinary cultivation.

These Cultivators could not help but be quite curious about what Wang Lin could take out.

Wang Lin pondered for a moment, then tapped his Storage Pouch. Several Medium Grade Spirit Beast cores flew out, along with a few Magic Treasures he no longer needed.

Seeing Wang Lin bring out these ordinary items, everyone felt a slight disappointment in their hearts. However, underneath their rain cloaks, their faces revealed nothing. After all, these people were all old and cunning; their control over their expressions had reached the pinnacle.

"I want to trade for a map of the Vermilion Bird Star. The more complete, the better," Wang Lin said slowly, his tone calm.

Once these words were spoken, the surrounding Cultivators all wore strange expressions. After a long while, one of them tentatively asked, "Fellow Daoist, it will be very difficult to trade for a map with these items. I fear you won't even be able to trade for a map of the Cultivation Devil Sea."

Wang Lin's expression remained unchanged as he asked, "Oh? Then what items would be needed to trade for a map?"

The middle-aged scholar smiled gently and said, "Fellow Daoist, you must not have been in the Cultivation Devil Sea for long. Let me explain. Not to mention the Cultivation Devil Sea, on the Vermilion Bird Star, the map of any Cultivation Country is a very precious item. After all, the Vermilion Bird Star is too vast; without a map, it is extremely inconvenient."

As for the Cultivation Devil Sea, it is even more so. A Low Grade map, if converted into High-Grade Spirit Stones, would require at least one hundred thousand. As for Medium or even High Grade ones, they are basically priceless and hard to find. Your items, Fellow Daoist, are simply not enough.

Not to mention a map of the entire Vermilion Bird Star; that is something an individual Cultivator can almost never obtain. If you have items of equivalent value, I do have a map of the Cultivation Devil Sea, though it is only a Low Grade one, and many places within it are not very complete."

Wang Lin was silent for a moment before saying slowly, "Fellow Daoist, do you have a large-scale map that includes the cultivation Countries surrounding the Cultivation Devil Sea?"

The middle-aged scholar smiled bitterly and shook his head, saying, "I do not have such a map."

"I have one!" a Cultivator in a rain cloak sitting in the corner suddenly spoke up. This person was one of those whose eyes had gleamed when Wang Lin first made his move.

Wang Lin's gaze focused and landed on this person.

"A High Grade map of the Cultivation Devil Sea and the four surrounding continents, covering one hundred and forty-eight cultivation Countries. What price are you offering?" the Cultivator in the rain cloak said slowly, his tone calm.

As soon as these words were spoken, the surrounding Cultivators cast their gazes over, their eyes shining with bright light. One must know that a High Grade map is already at an astronomical price, and this person's map actually included the four surrounding continents and one hundred and forty-eight cultivation Countries—this was already equivalent to almost one-tenth of the entire Vermilion Bird Star.

The price of this map must be unimaginably high!

Wang Lin was silent for a moment. He currently had two maps in his possession; one was a rubbing from Qiu Siping, and the other was a gift from the woman in the palace dress from the War God Hall.

The map from the woman in the palace dress could be considered relatively comprehensive, but it only extended as far as the Cultivation Devil Sea. It was most detailed regarding the Xuanwu Continent where the Fire Burning Country was located. As for the periphery of the Cultivation Devil Sea, it was slightly inferior, and once one entered the inner sea, there were basically only rough outlines, and some Teleportation Formations were not even marked.

As for the continent on the other side of the Cultivation Devil Sea, it could not even be considered a rough outline; there were only some simple sketches of mountain ranges. Wang Lin had previously analyzed that this continent should be where the State of Zhao was located, but there was no detailed introduction on it. Wang Lin was only guessing, which was why he had not acted rashly and was instead looking for a more comprehensive map.

"What do you want?" Wang Lin said after a moment of silence.

"Fellow Daoist, there is no rush for this matter. How about we have a private discussion after the market disperses?" the Cultivator in the rain cloak transmitted his voice.

Wang Lin glanced at this person and nodded.

Seeing this, everyone understood and stopped paying attention, although they were quite curious about what Wang Lin would use to trade for such a precious item.

An hour later, the secret market ended, and everyone stood up and left. Wang Lin walked out of the main hall, took off his rain cloak in the courtyard, and returned to his shop. A charming female Cultivator was already waiting inside.

Upon seeing Wang Lin, the woman hurriedly stepped forward and said respectfully, "Senior, my master said he has an appointment with you and asked me to take you to see him."

Wang Lin's heart stirred, and he immediately became alert, but his gaze remained calm. He glanced at the woman; she was no longer a virgin, and her cultivation was only at the late Foundation Establishment stage. However, her internal spiritual energy was depleted, clearly caused by frequent dual cultivation harvesting.

Wang Lin already had an analysis in his heart: that Cultivator in the rain cloak must be skilled in harvesting techniques.

Guided by the woman, Wang Lin arrived at an inconspicuous residence within Lianmo City. The woman stopped outside the door and said in a charming voice, "Senior, please go in. This Junior will wait outside."

Wang Lin did not waste words and pushed the door open to enter. His Divine Sense had already spread out, taking in everything inside at a glance.

He saw an old man with a hooked nose wearing a red shirt, sitting upright in the courtyard with a set of emerald green teaware beside him. Upon seeing Wang Lin enter, the man laughed heartily, stood up, and cupped his hands, saying, "Fellow Daoist, please. This is high-quality Flame Tea from the Fire Burning Country, which I have specially brought out to entertain you."

Wang Lin cupped his hands, flicked his hem, and sat opposite the old man. He did not even look at the teacup, but instead calmly surveyed his surroundings. With a single sweep, he had already seen that the other party's cultivation was at the middle Nascent Soul Stage.

The old man did not mind, personally poured two cups of tea, took a sip, and looked at Wang Lin with a smile. "May I ask for your name, Fellow Daoist?"

Wang Lin smiled slightly and said, "Wang Lin!"

"Fellow Daoist Wang, I am Zhou Wude," the old man said with a gentle smile as he put down his teacup.

Wang Lin's expression froze, and he glanced at the man.

The old man saw Wang Lin's expression and said in surprise, "Have you heard of me, Fellow Daoist Wang?"

"No, it's just that your name is the same as an old friend of mine, so I was a bit distracted," Wang Lin shook his head and said calmly.

The old man laughed dumbly, but inwardly he was wary, thinking to himself, what does this person mean by these words? Is he putting on this act to mock me?

The old man could not quite guess the other party's thoughts, but on the surface, he laughed heartily and said, "Oh, if there is a chance, I would like to get to know this person."

After speaking, he tapped his Storage Pouch, took out a Jade Slip, and said, "Fellow Daoist Wang, this Jade Slip is the map I mentioned. I will display it for you to check. Once you have confirmed it is correct, we can then talk."

The old man released his spiritual energy, and the Jade Slip immediately emitted a soft light. Following that, a massive map suddenly flashed out from within it, displaying itself before Wang Lin.

This map was extremely detailed, even containing detailed descriptions of the damage level of every Ancient Teleportation Formation. Furthermore, it included introductions to various forces, Schools, and cultivation Families, and even listed the names of Cultivators at or above the Nascent Soul Stage within them.

These were not the main points; the key was that for the Ancient Teleportation Formations, there were relatively detailed introductions to the directions they led to. For this point alone, the value of this map instantly multiplied.

What made Wang Lin feel even more moved was that there were also simple descriptions of the forces behind the various cultivation Countries, and even relatively detailed records of some mineral deposits and habitats of Spirit Beasts. As such, the preciousness of this map went without saying.

If these things made him interested, what caused Wang Lin to be shocked in his heart was that he clearly saw that the surroundings of the Cultivation Devil Sea were not just two continents like the map from the woman in the palace dress from the War God Hall.

On this map, it was clearly described that there were a total of four continents, and on the one on the left, there was a very small location with the character "Zhao" written on it!

The old man casually pointed his right hand at a location on the map, and the map suddenly disappeared, transforming into the location the old man had pointed at. This area continued to enlarge, and the map displayed before Wang Lin was as clear as if someone were bird's-eye viewing from high in the sky.

Afterwards, the old man waved his right hand, and the entire map disappeared, retracting back into the Jade Slip, which he then placed into his Storage Pouch, looking at Wang Lin.

Wang Lin's gaze was calm as he looked at the old man. He now had the urge to kill; if he just killed the other party and snatched this Jade Slip, he could return to the State of Zhao at the fastest speed.

The old man immediately stepped back a few paces, his expression solemn as he said, "Fellow Daoist, this Jade Slip is quite old and easily shattered. To prevent it from shattering, I have connected my Divine Sense to it."

Wang Lin's gaze was calm as he said slowly, "What do you want? Speak."

The old man gritted his teeth and said, "As long as you join hands with me to kill one person, I will give you this Jade Slip!"

"What cultivation level?" A cold glint flashed in Wang Lin's eyes.

"Nascent Soul Late Stage Great Perfection, semi-god Realm!" the old man said quickly.

Wang Lin stood up and said calmly, "Is it now? Lead the way!"

The old man was stunned. After a moment of hesitation, he immediately said, "Good, Fellow Daoist Wang, please follow me!" After speaking, his body flashed, and he flew into the air, with Wang Lin following closely behind.

In the blink of an eye, the two of them left Lianmo City. Three thousand li outside the city, there was a basin. Not long after, the two arrived above this place. Wang Lin swept his Divine Sense and immediately sneered in his heart. He had felt something was wrong earlier; this person seemed to have known about him for a long time, especially that female Cultivator in the shop who had immediately stepped forward upon seeing him. At the time, he had felt that this matter was highly suspicious.

In that residence, he had probed with the mention of the same name. Although the old man's expression was normal, with the strength of Wang Lin's Divine Sense, he immediately detected a slight disturbance in the other party's mind. Now that he saw this, it was indeed as he had guessed.

Beneath this basin, there was a Formation, within which four Nascent Soul Cultivators were hidden.

"It is a pity; if that bald Cultivator hadn't died, the six of you would have been just right to form the Annihilation Escape Killing Formation here!" Wang Lin said slowly, his tone calm.

The old man with the hooked nose's expression changed instantly. At that very moment, Wang Lin's extreme realm was activated. The old man had no time to crush the Jade Slip; all he could see in his eyes was red lightning.

——Tomorrow, I will leave the Cultivation Devil Sea and return to the State of Zhao; the climax is about to begin. Brothers, for those who give me monthly votes, I will treat you to a meal. I really mean it. Come to Mudanjiang, and I will treat you!