Lin Moyu’s expression remained unchanged. “The windfall is indeed quite large, so I must spend it to avoid damaging my fortune.”

The Third Ancestor naturally wouldn't believe Lin Moyu's nonsense. "Alright, let's continue. Next is the great dao undying pill."

"The great dao undying pill is a treasure of the Dao Venerable 7th Realm. I sold it to you before, but in truth, the great dao undying pill is worth more than that."

"However, this old man won't bully you. I'll give it to you at the original price of 100,000 each, but I can only sell you three at most."

Lin Moyu knew that the great dao undying pill was extremely difficult to refine, and even the Lufeng Chamber of Commerce wouldn't have too many in stock.

Moreover, as a life-saving item, the Lufeng Chamber of Commerce could easily sell the great dao undying pill for a high price at various auctions.

Lin Moyu agreed immediately. "Then three pills it is, thank you, Senior. However, I have a request: if you obtain more great dao undying pills in the future, please prioritize selling them to me."

The Third Ancestor smiled. "Very well, Lu Lian, make a note of this."

Lu Lian said from the side, "I have noted it, Senior."

Following that, Lin Moyu and the Third Ancestor continued their transactions.

Life and Death Origin Grass, Time Sand, Space Crystals…

Every item was extremely precious and carried a high price, yet Lin Moyu didn't even frown and bought them all.

By the time the transaction was completed, the total amount had reached a staggering 5 million Tier 3 high-quality origin crystals.

The Third Ancestor narrowed his eyes. "Not to mention six-star factions, even the top seven-star factions in the Southern Continent wouldn't have more liquid wealth than you, Young Friend Lin."

Lin Moyu smiled without saying a word; at this moment, explaining was worse than not explaining.

If the Third Ancestor truly had any malicious intentions, he would have no way to resist.

Lin Moyu couldn't see through the Third Ancestor's cultivation level at all; he only felt that the Third Ancestor's realm was very high, and killing him would be as easy as flipping a hand.

Not to mention the Third Ancestor, there was also Lu Lian. As the head steward of Shang City, her combat power within the city was equally terrifying.

After the money and goods were settled, the Third Ancestor continued to ask, "Alright, is there anything else you want to buy?"

The implication was that if he had nothing left to buy, he could leave. He was being ushered out, but Lin Moyu smiled and said, "Naturally, there is."

"I wish to purchase materials related to formations, artifact refining, and alchemy. The more comprehensive, the better."

The Third Ancestor scrutinized Lin Moyu. "You are planning to build your own faction, aren't you?"

Lin Moyu nodded. "I do indeed have that intention."

The Third Ancestor followed up, "Have you found an origin spirit vein?"

Lin Moyu did not deny it. "I have. By the way, if possible, I would also like to purchase an origin spirit vein."

The Third Ancestor glared at him. "We don't have any. Don't even think about it; even if we did, we wouldn't sell it."

Lin Moyu gave a sheepish smile; in fact, he had already anticipated this answer. Who wouldn't want an origin spirit vein? If the Lufeng Chamber of Commerce had one, they would likely use it themselves; how could they possibly sell it?

Lu Lian had already organized the pricing for the materials. "The complete materials for formations, artifact refining, and alchemy total 10 million."

"Very well!" Lin Moyu didn't hesitate at all and directly took out 100 Tier 7 high-quality origin crystals. For all his transactions, he paid using Tier 7 high-quality origin crystals.

Anyway, in front of the Third Ancestor, he couldn't be bothered to hide it. After the transaction was completed, the Third Ancestor asked, "Anything else?"

Lin Moyu nodded. "The next information I want to buy, I suspect you definitely have, Senior, but I don't know if you are willing to sell it to me."

"I am just mentioning it; if it cannot be sold, please do not be offended, Senior."

The Third Ancestor nodded slightly. "Tell me."

Lin Moyu said, "I would like to purchase information regarding the Dongling Empire!"

Lin Moyu felt the aura on the Third Ancestor's body tremble for a fleeting moment. In that instant, he seemed to see a terrifying existence, revealing an invincible majesty and looking down upon all living beings.

But it was only for a moment; the Third Ancestor's aura had already retracted. The Third Ancestor said in a low voice, "How did you know?"

Lin Moyu shook his head. "I cannot say. Regardless, I know of it. I just wanted to ask you, Senior, can it be sold?"

The Third Ancestor countered, "How did you know that we have information about the Dongling Empire?"

Lin Moyu said, "I guessed it. This time, the Dongling Empire attacked various factions. As I traveled, all major cities were in ruins, and existences above the Dao Venerable 4th Realm had all disappeared. In all likelihood, they have met with misfortune."

"Only Shang City remains intact. I haven't seen any existences above the Dao Venerable 4th Realm in the city. I initially thought the Chamber of Commerce had received news and all existences above the Dao Venerable 4th Realm had evacuated."

"But seeing you here, Third Ancestor, overturned my guess. It seems the Lufeng Chamber of Commerce has a way to evade the detection of that special spirit beast of the Dongling Empire."

"Moreover, Miss Lu Lian mentioned earlier that this city has existed for 830,000 years and has never been attacked."

"Therefore, I boldly speculate that the Lufeng Chamber of Commerce either knows about the Dongling Empire and can evade its various actions, or it has a connection with the Dongling Empire, which is why the Dongling Empire does not attack the Lufeng Chamber of Commerce."

Lin Moyu did not hide anything and stated his speculation directly. As he spoke, he carefully observed the Third Ancestor's expression and aura fluctuations.

He hoped to find some clues, but other than the initial fluctuation of aura, the Third Ancestor remained as calm as an ancient well.

After Lin Moyu finished speaking, the Third Ancestor said indifferently, "Are you done?" Lin Moyu nodded. "I am done."

The Third Ancestor said, "Then I will tell you: we do indeed know about the Dongling Empire. Not only do we know, but the upper echelons of several top factions in the Southern Continent also know."

"However, no one will speak of it, nor can they. This is an agreement we have with them. The things involved are very deep; it is not something you can get involved in."

"However, the Dongling Empire's actions this time were indeed unexpected; it might be related to their new ruler. We still need to discuss the specific situation with the Dongling Empire."

Then the Third Ancestor sighed. "The old king has passed, and a new king has been born. The former agreements are all void. I don't know how the Eastern Continent will evolve from here on."

"An eventful year, truly an eventful year!"

Lin Moyu's heart, however, was in turmoil. "The old king has passed, and a new king has been born. The Dongling Empire has a new king. Could the new king be Antares?"

Lin Moyu guessed it was highly likely and asked, "Do you know who the new king of the Dongling Empire is?"

The Third Ancestor looked at Lin Moyu with a strange expression, as if asking, why are you so concerned about the Dongling Empire?

No matter how turbulent his heart was, on the surface, he remained expressionless.

After a moment, the Third Ancestor seemed not to see anything. "That new king is very mysterious; there isn't much information at the moment. We only know that after he became the new king, the Dongling Empire underwent some changes and seems to have become more aggressive."

Lin Moyu asked, "Senior, can you tell me what the Dongling Empire was like before? If payment is needed, just name your price."

The Third Ancestor chuckled. "The Chamber of Commerce does not sell information on the Dongling Empire, but I can chat with you privately. Lu Lian, do not record my conversation with Young Friend Lin."

Lu Lian immediately replied, "I understand, Senior."

Lin Moyu immediately pricked up his ears. He knew that what the Third Ancestor said next could not be recorded.

The Third Ancestor continued, "The Dongling Empire is an empire composed purely of spirit beasts, and it is the most ancient empire in the entire Eastern Continent, so ancient that it cannot be traced back."

"For some unknown reasons, very few people know about the Dongling Empire. Even if some people do find out, they will forget about it after a period of time."

"The Dongling Empire is extremely mysterious. From the moment we knew of them, they have always remained hidden in mystery."

"No one knows why they are like this, and no one knows what they want to do."

"Every once in a while, the Dongling Empire launches attacks on other factions in the Eastern Continent. Most of the time, it only targets experts above the Dao Venerable 4th Realm."

"Occasionally, they will destroy cities and strongholds, but as long as your resistance isn't too intense, they won't kill you."

Lin Moyu asked, "When I first arrived in the Eastern Continent, I saw a city of the Heavenly Sword Sect destroyed by spirit beasts. Was that also the work of the Dongling Empire?"

The Third Ancestor thought for a moment and shook his head gently. "No, that time it wasn't the Dongling Empire's doing. It was because someone in the Heavenly Sword Sect provoked a powerful spirit beast."

"That idiot stole the spirit beast's child, wanting to keep it as a spirit pet."

"Then the whole city was destroyed, and not a single person inside survived. It could be considered bad luck for those guys; sometimes when people are unlucky, even drinking cold water makes their teeth ache."

"This time, with the new king of the Dongling Empire taking office, the entire Eastern Continent was swept through, and most of the guys at the Dao Venerable 4th Realm couldn't escape."

Lin Moyu looked at the Third Ancestor and thought to himself, "But you escaped, didn't you?"

He asked aloud, "According to what you said, there are other experts above the Dao Venerable 4th Realm who escaped this calamity."

The Third Ancestor said, "Of course. Do you think the few peak factions are just for show? They naturally have corresponding means."

"But those large cities…" Lin Moyu was a bit puzzled. "Could it be that they were sacrificed on purpose?"

The Third Ancestor said, "More or less. There is indeed an element of them being sacrificed on purpose."

"Why?" Lin Moyu's heart trembled. Those were experts above the Dao Venerable 4th Realm being sacrificed; for the various factions, they could be considered the pillars of their strength.

The Third Ancestor snorted. "Those old fellows are ruthless. Some people have no path forward, so what is the use of keeping them? If they continue to live, one has to find ways to help them self-seal; it is better to take the opportunity to send them off and be done with it."

"As for why they were sent, you can guess slowly."

The Third Ancestor deliberately kept him in suspense; he clearly knew the reason but didn't want to say it.

Lin Moyu thought for a moment. "Is it because of fortune?"

The Third Ancestor's eyes narrowed. Lin Moyu's answer clearly exceeded his expectations.

He said softly, "It seems you know quite a bit. I have said so much, it is time for you to speak."

Lin Moyu said, "I had a guess that the purpose of the Dongling Empire's action this time is very likely for fortune."

"Hearing what you said, Senior, I feel that it matches up."

"Although the Dao Venerable 4th Realm can provide fortune for a faction, they themselves also occupy a large amount of fortune. If the path ahead is severed, the fortune they occupy will exceed the fortune they provide."

"When it reaches this point, in terms of fortune, it is more harmful than beneficial to the faction."

Although the Dao Venerable 4th Realm has extremely strong combat power, some peak factions are not lacking in experts at the Dao Venerable 4th Realm.

Those who are truly high and powerful care more about fortune. Only vast fortune can push them to continue moving forward.

Therefore, some Dao Venerables who have no path forward, in their eyes, instead become obstacles to their own advancement.

Listening to Lin Moyu's analysis, the Third Ancestor narrowed his eyes and said, "It seems your understanding of fortune is already very deep. You are right; on the Origin Continent, fortune is indeed very important."

"Without fortune, nothing can be accomplished. Therefore, once you became the Son of Taiyin, you would be targeted by countless people. And the higher your realm, the stronger your fortune, and the more people will target you."

"Before, various factions only dispatched some ordinary Dao Venerables. If you become a Dao Venerable, the ones who make a move might be those powerful Dao Venerables."

Lin Moyu took a deep breath. "I understand. So, this time I came, I also wanted to ask to purchase an item from you, Senior."

The Third Ancestor smiled. "You want to purchase something that can conceal the taiyin talisman, right? Things containing the Power of Origin of the Sun are not common, and not every item is suitable."

"Lu Lian, see if there is any in the warehouse." Lu Lian searched immediately, and just one minute later, she had the results. Lu Lian shook her head and said, "There is nothing suitable. There was some before, but it was bought by someone else."

The Third Ancestor said, "The Sun Origin is too difficult to control. You can find those artifact refiners above Tier 8 to help you refine it. You should be able to afford the price, but the materials are very difficult to find."

Lin Moyu said, "To tell you the truth, I actually have one, but it has usage restrictions and needs to be replenished with energy."

"Before, on the hurricane warship, the formation in the room could replenish its energy, so I want to purchase the method to set up that formation."

Lin Moyu was just testing the waters by asking. He knew that in all likelihood, it would not be sold to him. Moreover, he had already mastered the formation to a large extent. Once he reached the Dao Venerable Realm, he could try to set it up.

At worst, he would fail hundreds or thousands of times, but he would eventually be able to set it up. Purchasing it now was just for current use, and also to test the bottom line of the Lufeng Chamber of Commerce.

According to his speculation, the hurricane warship was the foundation of the Lufeng Chamber of Commerce, and naturally, it was also their bottom line.

As he spoke, no information could be seen from the Third Ancestor's eyes. The Third Ancestor was an old fox; with his own ability, it was normal that he couldn't see anything.

The Third Ancestor did not answer directly but said, "It seems your fortune is truly strong to an excessive degree. Take out that item of yours and let this old man have a look, how about that?"

Having a favor to ask, Lin Moyu had no way to refuse. Lin Moyu took out that red silk scarf.

The Third Ancestor took it expressionlessly. After examining it for a while, he said to Lu Lian, "Get a Sun Stone."