Bombarding Cultivators with Cluster Artillery
Chapter 536 - 521: Human by Day, Beast by Night

Jiang Ding glanced at a corner of the city wall.

This was a dog hole.

A few feet high, its interior covered with smooth silk, forming a large nest. Around the dog hole, occasionally one could see some white feces, and there were several dried urine stains on the wall.

Such dog holes were scattered around the city gates, with one near every soldier guarding the city, regardless of whether they cultivated Qi or were foundation-building cultivators.

Even on top of the city wall, there was a dog hole ten times larger, faintly emanating the stench of urine.

A Golden Pill Monk was meditating not too far away.

"Dog Department..."

Jiang Ding kept walking, muttering to himself.

Beast Spirit Immortal City was the core territory of the Beast Dao Hei Clan, with a peculiar phenomenon within it.

Humans by day, beasts by night.

During the day, they dressed finely, carrying themselves with the elegance of great cultivators, flying around, free and joyful.

At night, whether from the direct lineage or collateral lineage, vassals or passing travelers, all transformed into livestock—pigs, cows, sheep, dogs, and the like—each with its inherent habits. Pigs sleeping and gluttonous, cows grazing, dogs barking; their senses could become muddled and unclear, which was more than just a change in appearance.

The Dog Department specifically consisted of monks responsible for guarding the city within Beast Spirit Immortal City.

Every monk practiced magic such as "Dog Spirit Skin Peeling Method." At night, they would transform into various kinds of exotic dogs like fiery hounds, gold-headed dogs, stone dogs, and so on. As a pack, they were fairly strong in battle, often able to annihilate most loose cultivators with a single assault.

Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, no outside cultivators wished to stay in Beast Spirit Immortal City.

Even if they had to stay, they would seal their dwellings first to avoid losing their sanity and wandering out or having others break in.

"Spiritual Dog, Spirit Bird, Spirit Turtle, Spirit Horse..."

As Jiang Ding entered Beast Spirit Immortal City, his eyes were wide open in amazement.

The streets bustled with people, most of whom practiced various Beast Dao cultivation methods; just taking the Spirit Turtles for example, one could easily see hundreds of different kinds, each with attributes of metal, wood, water, fire, or earth, and no two alike.

Near the inns and shops, one could see scattered buildings like horse stables, fish ponds, chicken coops, pigsties, with piles of excrement and an overpowering stench, yet the passing cultivators paid no heed, having long grown accustomed to it.

"The speed of cultivation using the Peeling Method is indeed very fast. It's quite common to see foundation-builders in their thirties and forties on the street. Even if there are drawbacks, with shortcomings in lifespan and mana, it is still remarkable."

"It's just unknown how many skins they've peeled from others to wrap around themselves," Jiang Ding thought silently.

"They, too, will become raw materials for the Hei Clan's skin-peeling in the future."

"This entire Beast Spirit Immortal City can be regarded as a livestock pen for Divine Crow Immortal and his direct descendants, ready to be harvested, skinned, and bled as soon as needed."

"Diabolism, a crime against humanity, indeed fits the description."

Within the chaos and bloodshed, prosperity was also evident.

The surrounding shops were dazzling, offering talismans, magic tools, cultivation methods, and auctions—everything one could need. Decorated lavishly, third-order spiritual materials, treasures, and third-order talismans were common.

Golden Pill Monks could readily buy everything they needed for their cultivation here.

This was something not easily found elsewhere.

No wonder, despite the numerous and bizarre rules of Beast Spirit City, cultivators kept coming and going, including many Golden Pill Monks, continuously generating wealth.

Jiang Ding browsed through various major shops in the city, buying and selling goods occasionally, and got a general understanding of the prices here.

Compared to Tushan Immortal City, the prices of treasures, talismans, and elixirs here had dropped by about ten percent, while the prices of ores and raw elixir materials had fallen by about five percent.

The net gain and loss represented a substantial amount of spirit stones, an essential factor for many cultivators.

Northern Plains,

indeed was the most suitable place for cultivation among the surrounding realms, with its abundance of mines, spiritual veins, and spiritual lakes; the natural conditions were outstanding, giving rise to many powerful immortal sects.

Finally, Jiang Ding stopped in front of the most imposing shop.

Lingbao Commerce Association!

Not just one or two shops, but an entire street block belonged to Lingbao Commerce Association. Talismans, treasures, spiritual materials, animal skins, blood souls, furnace cauldrons—everything available, spread over an area of more than ten acres.

It was practically a city within the commercial world!

Jiang Ding deliberately revealed a hint of Middle Jindan Stage aura.

"Fellow Daoist!"

"I am Shang Sanwu, the manager of this place. Welcome to our esteemed establishment."

A friendly-looking chubby man waved his hand to stop the foundation-building maids who were coming forward to greet him and approached personally, leading him to a private room, offered clear tea, and said with a smile, "What may I assist you with, fellow Daoist? Our commerce association will surely meet your requirements with utmost dedication."

"Manager, you are too kind."

Jiang Ding gave a slight nod of his head.

Although the Lingbao Commerce Association was profit-driven, there was one aspect he appreciated—they never inquired about where their clients came from or where they were going. They got straight to business concerning goods and profit.

"I need a large quantity of this item. Do you have it here?"

Jiang Ding flicked his sleeve, and a coppery piece of ore appeared on the table.

This was a priority material for No. 21 Synthetic Geng Metal. He had obtained a sample once through Tushan Immortal City, but so far, he had not discovered its mines, leaving him no choice but to ask around here.

"First-order material, Gold Copper Stone."

"A fine material, which can be used to craft gold-attribute magic tools. It's necessary for medium-grade, and occasionally even for high-grade magic tools."

Shang Sanwu swept it with his Divine Sense, recognizing it immediately. Slightly disappointed yet showing no sign, he said, "Friend, how much do you need? Our store has roughly one hundred thousand jin, priced at two hundred thousand low-grade Spirit Stones."

"Two hundred thousand?"

Jiang Ding's eyebrows furrowed.

According to his investigations, ordinary first-order materials, even at one hundred thousand jin, would only amount to twenty to thirty thousand low-grade Spirit Stones.

"Friend, you might not be aware."

Seeing a Golden Pill Monk haggling over a mere two hundred thousand low-grade Spirit Stones did not cause Shang Sanwu to look down upon him. On the contrary, he perked up, "Although this material is only first-order and not particularly rare, it is mined near King's Court, far from the Beast Spirit Immortal City. Hence, the transportation costs... have raised the price somewhat."

King's Court.

Jiang Ding searched through the many memories he had collected.

This place was the center of the entire Northern Plains, as well as the heart of the Orthodoxy and Diabolism Alliance—an area with many fourth-order Spiritual Veins, including medium and high-quality ones, and where powerhouses were born.

In comparison, the Beast Spirit Immortal City of the Hei Clan was somewhat more remote.

"Friend, how much do you wish to purchase?"

Shang Sanwu's gaze was intense, "If it's a large amount, the price is negotiable."

"Ten million jin," replied Jiang Ding.

The annual exchange priority for No. 21 Synthetic Gengjin required several hundred thousand kilograms, but it was not sensible to purchase yearly. If he did so routinely, it would possibly lead to unsavory intentions from the Lingbao Commerce Association.

While it was not necessarily a concern, it would be troublesome.

Ten million jin would last for more than a decade, and any issues could be addressed later on.

"Ten million?!"

Shang Sanwu was invigorated and quickly deliberated for a moment before declaring loudly, "Friend, what about one hundred and fifty thousand Spirit Stones for one hundred thousand jin, with a total price of fifteen million low-grade Spirit Stones?

I assure you, this is the lowest price in the whole Beast Spirit Immortal City. If anyone offers lower, I am willing to contribute one million Spirit Stones to the friend in order to facilitate a better deal."

The distance from King's Court to here was vast and filled with unknown dangers, including those that could swallow a Golden Pill Monk whole.

Merely transporting these ores might lead to a tremendous loss.

But if there was an established trade route and teleportation Formation, costs would significantly decrease. By carrying some along with a Large Space Magical Treasure, the cost would be trivial, easily making a profit tenfold or more.

"In urgent need."

Jiang Ding was aware of these factors and did not haggle but made another request.

"That's easy to resolve."

"I can first adjust our current stock from nearby and should be able to provide a million jin of Gold Copper Stone promptly for the friend's immediate needs. In no more than a year or two, the rest can be delivered," said Shang Sanwu.

"Due to the great distance, I must ask for at least a thirty percent deposit… What do you think?"

He probed.

"Signing a Spiritual Contract will suffice," Jiang Ding said, flipping his sleeve again to place a storage bag on the table. "Additionally, intelligence on the Great Sun Sect and the recent major events in the Northern Plains Immortal Cultivation World—how much will those cost?"

"Broad intelligence isn't expensive, just one million Spirit Stones. Please wait a moment," Shang Sanwu said, his face blooming with a smile before he hastily left.

Moments later, he returned with two additional storage bags in hand.

"Friend, how about delivering the remaining nine hundred thousand jin of Gold Copper Stone in three days? You may collect it yourself, or if you leave an address, the association can deliver it to your doorstep for free."

"I shall collect it myself," Jiang Ding decided after scanning with his Divine Sense to confirm the presence of one hundred thousand jin of Gold Copper Stone, some intelligence, and a Spiritual Contract bearing the stamp of the Lingbao Commerce Association, which permitted collection of the goods.

He collected his items and turned to leave.