"Master, when are we going to the Land of Life and Death?"
Hu Miao asked.
"Wait a moment. We've just arrived in the Central Divine Land. Our forces are still thin and scattered. Let's go find some allies first. More hands will make lighter work."
Ye Yunfei thought for a bit before replying.
"Find some allies?
Master, we've only just arrived in the Central Divine Land. We don't know anyone here. Where would we even look for allies?"
Hearing Ye Yunfei's words, Hu Miao couldn't help but be taken aback.
"Have you heard the saying: the enemy of my enemy is my friend?"
Ye Yunfei answered with a smile.
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend?
Master, do you mean that anyone who is an enemy of Tianyou Tomb and the Corpse World could be our friend?"
Hu Miao pondered and asked.
"Yes.
Both Tianyou Tomb and the Corpse World have enemies here in the Central Divine Land.
Let's find those enemies, then join forces against Tianyou Tomb and the Corpse World.
That way, we won't be fighting alone."
Ye Yunfei replied.
"But... will the enemies of Tianyou Tomb and the Corpse World agree to form an alliance with us?"
Hu Miao asked again.
"As long as we demonstrate our strength and value, they will naturally choose to ally with us."
Ye Yunfei chuckled.
"Master, do you know who the enemies of Tianyou Tomb and the Corpse World are?"
Hu Miao inquired.
"Of course I do."
Ye Yunfei nodded.
"For now, I'm going to go look up an acquaintance."
Ye Yunfei said after a moment of thought.
Then, Ye Yunfei controlled the green flying boat to head in a specific direction.
"An acquaintance?"
Hu Miao was puzzled. They had just arrived in the Central Divine Land, where would they have acquaintances? However, she soon recalled something and had a guess in her heart.
After all, she had followed Ye Yunfei all the way from Tianxuan Continent to Hongmeng Continent, and she had vaguely guessed many things over the years.
Throughout all these years, she and Ye Yunfei had practically been inseparable!
***
Eastern Barrens, Yueying City.
Yueying City was somewhat famous in the Eastern Barrens because of its Treasure Street.
The so-called Treasure Street was a place where all martial artists could bring their prized possessions to set up stalls and sell them, or come to hunt for treasures.
On this Treasure Street, if your luck was good, you might unearth some rare and precious artifacts.
The tradition of Yueying City's Treasure Street supposedly dated back to ancient times. Later, several of the superpower sects from the Central Divine Land jointly established a rule that prohibited any fighting or robbing of treasures within Yueying City.
This caused Yueying City's Treasure Street to flourish more and more, becoming a sacred ground for treasure exchange in the hearts of many martial artists.
Of course, it was also a mixed bag of authenticity here. With a momentary lapse of attention, one could easily end up buying a counterfeit item.
Ye Yunfei brought Hu Miao into the bustling Treasure Street.
Stalls were lined up on both sides of the street, many of the stall owners shouting their wares to sell the treasures they had brought.
"Master, it's so lively here! So many treasures!"
Hu Miao loved bustling environments by nature and watched with great enthusiasm.
"Master, is this 'acquaintance' you mentioned here?
Are they perhaps running a stall here?"
Hu Miao asked Ye Yunfei.
Ye Yunfei smiled but didn't answer, heading straight for one of the stalls.
The stall owner was a youth with dark skin, a robust build, and a seemingly honest face.
"Nirvana-grade pills! Annihilation-grade treasures! Divine Crystals! Rare cultivation techniques retrieved from forbidding lands like the Land of Life and Death, the Colorless Abyss, and the Ancient Battlefield! Everything you could ever want! Come have a look! Fair prices! No cheating even the young or old!"
That youth was shouting at the top of his lungs.
"How is that possible!
Master, he actually has so many valuable treasures!
And he's willing to put them out for sale!"
Hu Miao exclaimed in surprise upon hearing this.
"Young lady, never mind why I'm willing to put these treasures up for sale. If you're interested, come have a look. I guarantee all my treasures are genuine! A counterfeit sold brings a ten-fold penalty!"
The young man, hearing Hu Miao's words, immediately called out towards them.
"Huh?
Miss, look! Here's a longsword. Its design is beautiful, and its grade seems quite high.
Miss, you're skilled in sword techniques. This sword would suit you."
Before Hu Miao could respond, two women passing by stopped. A charmingly dressed young woman who appeared to be a maid pointed at a particular longsword and spoke.
That longsword had a colorful phoenix coiling around its hilt, looking vividly real. It also emitted an invisible, chilling aura that made one's heart tremble.
It truly seemed like a fine sword.
"This young lady surely has a discerning eye!
This sword is called the Heavenly Phoenix Sword. It belongs to the high-grade Annihilation Treasure category. An average Annihilation Treasure would be like pulverized dregs compared to it!"
The young man looked honest and sincere, but his eloquence was excellent. Seeing potential customers, his spirits immediately lifted and he began his sales pitch.
"This longsword is truly a high-grade Annihilation Treasure?"
The maid asked.
"Of course it's genuine!
At my stall, counterfeits are penalized ten-fold! You can rest assured!"
The youth patted his chest firmly.
"Rou'er, I've heard this street is a mixed bag. There are many selling fake goods. We must be careful."
The other, a young woman in a pink dress, spoke up. She was around eighteen or nineteen, with a slender figure, exquisite features, and the refined demeanor of a young lady from a prominent family.
"Miss, if you don't believe me, I can prove it to you right now.
These three are high-grade Sentient Treasures. You can take them and have a look."
The youth pulled out three artifacts: a saber, a long spear, and a war halberd, and handed them to the maid.
"These three are indeed Sentient Treasures, Miss. You can have a look too."
The maid took each of the three treasures in turn, feeling them carefully, then handed them to the young woman in the pink dress.
"They are indeed Sentient Treasures."
The pink-dressed young woman also felt each of the three artifacts and nodded.
Identifying high-grade Annihilation Treasures might be beyond their capability, but they frequently handled Sentient Treasures and could easily recognize them.
"Look closely, you two ladies!"
The youth suddenly reached down, grabbed the Heavenly Phoenix Sword from the stall's display, and swung it at the three Sentient Treasures.
*Clang! Clang! Clang!*
The three Sentient Treasures broke cleanly in response.
"Did you see that? If it weren't an Annihilation Treasure, could it so easily slice through three high-grade Sentient Treasures?
Believe me now, don't you?"
The youth declared triumphantly.
"You... you destroyed those three Sentient Treasures!"
The two girls stared dumbfounded.
"We who set up stalls to do business value our reputation the most. Since you two ladies doubted the authenticity of the treasures I'm selling, I had no choice but to prove my innocence."
The youth put on an expression of heartfelt pain yet absolute resolve.
"Master, he's putting on an act. Those three Sentient Treasures were already broken. He's just performing a rather advanced Illusion Art.
The acquaintance you mentioned... it wouldn't be him, would it?"
As a member of the Primal Heaven-Fox race, illusion arts were a racial talent for Hu Miao. She saw through this youth's trickery in a single glance.
"My apologies.
Rou'er, let's buy this Heavenly Phoenix Sword."
The pink-dressed young lady spoke in a voice filled with remorse.
"Alright.
How much for this Heavenly Phoenix Sword?"
The maid turned to the youth and asked.
"To be honest with you two ladies, since this Heavenly Phoenix Sword is a high-grade Annihilation Treasure, the price is a bit steep.
But seeing how sincere you are, I'll try to give you the biggest discount I can..."
The youth pretended to hesitate slightly before speaking.
"Ahem, a word of caution. This young lady is the eldest daughter of Longevity Palace. She probably sneaked out to play this time. If you dare swindle her out of her money, experts from Longevity Palace will undoubtedly come looking for trouble.
At that time, even if you had seventy-two transformations, the trouble would be absolutely unbearable."
It was at this moment that Ye Yunfei took a step forward and said calmly.