Gu Qingfeng toyed with the two Earth Fiend Mysterious Orbs, then raised his hand to pull the Purple-Gold White Jade pipe from his mouth. He blew a thick puff of spiritual smoke towards the Old Shopkeeper and said with a smile, "What's the matter? Don't recognize me now?"
"Great Old Master, you..." The Old Shopkeeper stared at Gu Qingfeng, exclaiming in amazement, "Your handiwork is truly too grand, so grand it leaves this old man utterly awestruck!"
"This lord's handiwork has always been grand."
As he spoke, Gu Qingfeng took another puff from the Purple-Gold White Jade pipe. It had to be said, taking a drag from this thing felt quite pleasant—cool upon entering, very comfortable. He continued, "Old Shopkeeper, how did the discussion go? Will your Firecloud Manor sell its treasure of the manor or not? Give this lord a straight answer."
"If the Great Old Master wants it, how could Firecloud Manor have any reason not to sell?"
"Heh, quite sensible."
Horse King, standing beside them, asked, "How much?"
"The price isn't urgent just yet. The Grand Carriage has long been prepared. This old man will first take the Great Old Master to have a look. If the Great Old Master is satisfied, then discussing the price will not be too late."
"Let's go."
Gu Qingfeng and the other followed the Old Shopkeeper to the rear garden of Firecloud Manor. The moment they entered, they caught sight of a majestic and extravagantly luxurious Firecloud Grand Carriage.
Nine Firecloud Crimsonflame Tigers—three in front, three in the middle, and three in the rear.
Each one was a massive nine meters in size, their bodies covered in crimson-red fur like burning flames. Merely lying coiled on the grass, they gave off a strong sense of oppression, their imposing aura especially fierce.
Behind the nine Firecloud Crimsonflame Tigers was a Grand Carriage. This carriage was undeniably huge, its entire body made of crimson-gilded jade, looking like a luxurious palace castle.
The Old Shopkeeper introduced it to Gu Qingfeng, explaining that this Grand Carriage was a top-grade Immortal Artifact treasure.
Hearing the words 'top-grade,' Horse King's heart immediately jolted.
In the Great Desolate, Immortal Artifact treasures emphasized an innate grade.
There were innate low-grade, innate mid-grade, innate top-grade, and above that, innate fine-grade, innate supreme-grade, even innate perfection-grade.
Typically, any Immortal Artifact treasure that entered a grade had a high value, around five million or so—and that was just the price for low-grade.
The higher the quality of the Immortal Artifact treasure, the greater the difficulty and the more resources required for its refinement.
Therefore, in the Great Desolate, many people's Immortal Artifact treasures were ungraded. Like Horse King, who had cultivated for over a thousand years, he had never used a single graded Immortal Artifact treasure—firstly, he couldn't afford to buy one, and secondly, he couldn't afford to maintain one.
As for innate mid-grade, the price was even higher, with a market value in the tens of millions. And an innate top-grade item was often priceless and unavailable on the market.
"Inside the Grand Carriage, a total of sixteen thousand restrictions, over thirty-four thousand formations, and ninety thousand or more divine abilities and mysteries have been arranged. This old man personally tested it; once the formations are activated, even a Great Luo Golden Immortal would be helpless against it."
Gu Qingfeng nodded. "Not bad, not bad. Quite interesting."
The Old Shopkeeper leaped up onto the Grand Carriage, lifted the curtain, and said, "Great Old Master, please come inside."
Gu Qingfeng also jumped onto the Grand Carriage and went in to take a look.
Good heavens.
The interior of the Grand Carriage was a world of its own, simply a luxurious palace.
The ceiling was as dazzling as a starry sky, the floor as ethereal as the void. In the center was a magnificent hall, with exquisitely quiet and elegant rooms to the side.
There was a meditation room for cultivation, a bedroom for rest, a cauldron furnace for refining pills, a tea table, a wine table, a garden, even large trees, pavilions, and, damn it, even a hot spring.
Horse King looked around, utterly awestruck, and couldn't help but murmur, "Damn it, where is this a Grand Carriage? It's practically a flying grotto-heaven!"
The Old Shopkeeper responded, "Though the sparrow is small, it has all five organs complete. Calling it a mobile grotto-heaven is not an exaggeration."
The Old Shopkeeper took out the Firecloud Whip and said, "Please sit tight, Great Old Master. This old man will take you for a trial ride."
As his words fell, the Old Shopkeeper raised his arm, and the Firecloud Whip cracked explosively in the air.
The nine Firecloud Crimsonflame Tigers, originally coiled on the grass, hearing the crack of the whip, seemed to awaken instantly. They immediately stood up, opened their bloody maws, and let out deafening tiger roars.
*Crack!*
Another whip crack exploded. The Old Shopkeeper pulled the reins, and the nine Firecloud Crimsonflame Tigers began to run forward, covering over ten meters with each step. After three steps, they soared into the air and began to weave through Greatsun Exchanges City.
It had to be said, these nine Firecloud Crimsonflame Tigers were truly fierce. Roaring in unison, their tiger cries shook heaven and earth. The various young masters and tycoons idling in Greatsun Exchanges City all hurriedly made way, and the spirit beast mounts beneath their feet also seemed frightened, letting out bursts of cries.
Watching this scene, Horse King was especially excited, saying fervently, "This is just too damn crazy!"
After touring Greatsun Exchanges City for a round and returning to Firecloud Manor, the Old Shopkeeper asked, "Great Old Master, how did it feel? Are you satisfied?"
"Not bad, not bad. Quite satisfactory."
"Satisfactory is good. Would the Great Old Master like to take it for a test drive?"
The Old Shopkeeper handed over the Firecloud Whip and also took out a jade slip, saying, "The jade slip records some techniques for the Firecloud Whip. Memorize these techniques, and driving these nine Firecloud Crimsonflame Tigers won't be difficult."
"I won't test drive it. Let him do it."
Gu Qingfeng pointed at Horse King.
Horse King was taken aback. "Great Old Master, you want me to test drive?"
"Nonsense. This lord is here to enjoy sitting inside the Grand Carriage. What would I test drive for? You're so big and tall; it'd be a waste of talent if you didn't drive the carriage."
As he spoke, Gu Qingfeng tossed the Firecloud Whip and jade slip to Horse King.
Horse King was somewhat at a loss. He glanced at Gu Qingfeng, opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but ultimately didn't speak. Instead, he took a deep breath to calm his excited heart.
To be honest.
It wasn't that he didn't want to test drive it. On the contrary, he wanted to test drive it more than anyone else, especially after watching the Old Shopkeeper drive this Grand Carriage through Greatsun Exchanges City earlier. Seeing the city's tycoons and young masters all making way, that feeling was just too majestic.
Horse King dreamed of experiencing it once.
He crushed the jade slip, and all the recorded techniques and key points flooded into his mind. He mentally rehearsed them several times, feeling he had it roughly down. Then, gripping the Firecloud Whip tightly, he said, "Then... Great Old Master, please sit tight, old sir. This is my first time; I'm not very confident. And Old Shopkeeper, you must keep an eye on me from the side."
"This lord knew from the first glance that you, kid, had great talent in driving carriages. Don't worry, this lord believes in you."
"This old man will watch over from the side."
After mustering his courage, Horse King walked outside, took a few deep breaths, and suddenly swung the Firecloud Whip.
*Crack!*
The nine Firecloud Crimsonflame Tigers immediately awoke.
*Crack!*
With another crack, the nine Firecloud Crimsonflame Tigers began to gallop swiftly.
Horse King clung tightly to the reins, holding his breath, sweating profusely from nervousness.
Thankfully!
Driving this thing was much easier than imagined. Once it started running, it didn't feel too difficult. After making a round, Horse King also began to gradually relax.