His emergence on the platform naturally instantly drew everyone's attention, and he looked around briefly at all of the surrounding hovering pavilions before speaking. "Hehe, I'm sure all of you have just experienced the miraculous power of this Heavenmatch Bell. That bell chime was a small gift from our Black Realm to all of you. This Heavenmatch Bell is one of the most precious treasures we have to offer during this convention, and we're bringing it out as the first item for exchange to liven up the atmosphere. I'm sure this treasure won't disappoint the lucky fellow Daoist who manages to secure it."
"What? This treasure really is being offered for exchange?" Even though most people had already guessed this to be the case, it still came as a shock to some after receiving verbal confirmation from the golden-masked figure.
"As long as you can offer a treasure that I'm satisfied with, why wouldn't I exchange this Heavenmatch Bell?" the golden-masked figure chuckled.
"That's rather strange. I've attended this Black Realm Exchange Convention on many past occasions, and the treasures that have been offered for exchange are certainly nowhere near mundane, but very few treasures of this caliber have appeared, and never has one been brought out as the first exchange item. Could it be that your Black Realm is also preparing for the upcoming tribulation?" An elderly voice rang out, reverberating throughout the entire hall, thereby making it impossible to deduce exactly which stone pavilion it had originated from.
Han Li's heart stirred slightly upon hearing this. The tribulation that was being referred to here had to be the upcoming devilish tribulation. It was quite clear that all of the convention-goers present were aware of the devilish tribulation.
Thus, no one was surprised by the question that was being asked, and everyone turned to appraise the golden-masked figure, awaiting his answer.
"Indeed, Fellow Daoist. The devilish tribulation will befall both the human and demon races, and as a part of the two races, our Black Realm certainly isn't exempt from this, so it would only be normal for us to make some preparations in advance. However, I have to correct you on one thing; this Heavenmatch Bell is indeed quite an extraordinary treasure, but not as extraordinary as you think, and it possesses some flaws. Compared to the treasures brought out in the past Black Realm Exchange Conventions, it actually is inferior to a few of them," the golden-masked figure said with a smile.
"Flaws? Can you elaborate on that, Fellow Daoist? Is this not a Profound Heavenly Treasure?" A cold voice rang out from another stone pavilion, and it was clearly tinged with a hint of disappointment.
"Profound Heavenly Treasure? Hehe, you think far too highly of our Black Realm, Fellow Daoist; we may be quite powerful, but there's no way we could get our hands on such a treasure. There's no way that even the three sovereigns and seven monarchs, or even the two Grand Ascension cultivators in our two races would possess Profound Heavenly Treasures. Even if such a treasure were to fall into the hands of our two races, it would bring genocidal disaster upon us. Otherwise, why would that united foreign race army have attacked Deep Heaven City several centuries ago?" the golden-masked figure said in a meaningful voice. He was intentionally being slightly ambiguous with his words, but many of the Body Integration cultivators present were clearly aware of what he was referring to.
The golden-masked figure paused momentarily before continuing, "However, seeing as our Black Realm is willing to offer this Heavenmatch Bell for exchange, we naturally have an obligation to disclose this treasure's origins to everyone. In a sense, this treasure has also been imbued with a hint of the laws of heaven and earth, so it does indeed possess some incredible abilities akin to those of Profound Heavenly Treasures. The treasure was discovered within a secret region on the territory of an extinct foreign race, and it was quite damaged when we found it, so it's nowhere near as powerful as it otherwise could be. According to the textual annotations found in that secret region, this treasure should be part of a pair of treasures, which comprised of the most powerful treasures of that extinct race.
"Aside from this Heavenmatch Bell, there's also a Heavenquake Mallet, and the two of them should be used together. Unfortunately, we searched through that entire secret region, but were unable to find that Heavenquake Mallet. As such, we could only commission a tool refinement master to refine a replica Heavenquake Mallet using precious materials such as Deepsea Purple Copper, and the process took a vast amount of time and resources. This replica wasn't exactly a resounding success, and it can only achieve 10% of the effect that the original treasure would be capable of at most. As for repairing the Heavenmatch Bell, that would require extremely special materials that can't be found in this realm, so we could only leave it in its current form.
"Otherwise, if we could have the complete Heavenmatch Bell and the original Heavenquake Mallet to accompany it, the powers of the two treasures wouldn't be inferior by much, even compared to a Profound Heavenly Treasure. Of course, if we had been able to accomplish this, then there's no way that we would be bringing out this treasure as the first item for exchange during this convention."
Right at this moment, an indifferent female voice suddenly rang out. "I don't really care if this is a Profound Heavenly Treasure or not; I just want to know its exact abilities and flaws."
"Of course, I was just getting to that. I'm sure all of you have already experienced this bell's ability to enhance one's magic power. However, this ability is only effective for cultivators at or above the Deity Transformation Stage. A chime of this bell can enhance a Deity Transformation cultivator's magic power by a degree equivalent to 30 years of arduous cultivation, which is reduced to around 10 years for Spatial Tempering cultivators, and for Body Integration Stage fellow Daoists, the effect is quite minimal. However, the bell only works three times for each person. After that, no matter how many chimes of this bell one listens to, it won't do anything for them. On top of that, if the number of people listening to the chime of the bell on a single occasion exceeds a certain threshold, the magic power enhancement effect would be significantly hampered..." As the golden-masked figure continued in his introduction, the scorching looks in everyone's eyes faded significantly.
Most people were shaking their heads and giving up what they perceived as a lost cause.
"Not only that, but not just any cultivator can make this bell chime. A body refinement warrior must be selected, and they must reach a certain level of mastery in a foreign cultivation art that we secured from the same secret region. Due to the fact that this Heavenmatch Bell is damaged, the one who strikes the bell will suffer backlash from the power of laws within this treasure, depleting them of their true essence, and leading to their death not long after the event. Hence, if you want to use this bell, then you have to nurture a group of specialized body refinement warriors who are willing to die for this cause, which may be quite troublesome. However, if it were to be used appropriately, this Heavenmatch Bell can still be quite useful, especially to those who are part of large families or sects." The golden-masked figure finally completed his introduction.
After hearing all of this, Han Li's brows furrowed slightly, and he returned to his seat. It was quite clear that this Heavenmatch Bell wasn't going to be of much use to him.
In contrast, he was rather interested in that foreign body refinement art that the golden-masked man had mentioned.
Like Han Li, many of the other people present had also lost interest in this treasure after hearing this lengthy introduction.
The entire hall was silent for a while before someone finally asked, "What would you like for this treasure? I'm sure normal items wouldn't be able to catch the attention of your Black Realm."
"Hehe, not necessarily. I'll state a few items that I'm willing to exchange this treasure for, and if any of you possess one of those items and are willing to offer it for exchange, this treasure is yours. If none of you possess any of those items, then we're willing to exchange this treasure for top-grade spirit stones or spirit medicines over 1,000 years old, as well, but that
will naturally require an unimaginable sum," the golden-masked figure said, and everyone was quite surprised to hear this.
"Are you serious?" The same unknown female cultivator seemed to be very interested in this Heavenmatch Bell, and she was very excited to hear this.
"Of course, I wouldn't make jokes on such an occasion. On top of that, our Black Realm naturally has more items we'd like to offer for exchange than just this Heavenmatch Bell. Here is a list of items that we're searching for in exchange for our treasures." The golden-masked man flipped a hand over as he spoke to reveal a white jade slip.
Immediately thereafter, spiritual light flashed, and a pillar of white light erupted from the jade slip before dispersing into a series of ancient silver characters in mid-air.
These characters depicted the names of over 100 types of items.
"Over three kilograms of Earthyin Crystals; a 30-feet-long section of Snowspirit Wood; Greenblood Fruits that are over 100,000 years old..." Han Li looked at the list of items and was quite stunned by what he saw.
Chapter 1822: Yin Phoenix Herb
Not only was Han Li stunned by the items on the list, many of the other people present were also quite astonished by what was being shown.
All of these items were extremely difficult to find in the Spirit Realm, and even those of the Black Realm couldn't be sure that the convention-goers would have these items, so they had listed alternative options, such as using large amounts of spirit stones and spirit medicines to substitute for those items.
Of course, it was quite possible that there were people who possessed items on this list but simply wouldn't want to exchange them for such a circumstantial treasure.
After all, this Heavenmatch Bell would only be useful for those who were part of large powers.
Han Li sat in his chair and appraised the list of items with a contemplative look in his eyes.
"I don't have a 30-feet-long section of Snowspirit Wood, but I do have a section that's 10 feet in length; would I be able to make up the rest with spirit stones?" the same woman from before asked. It was quite clear that she really did want this treasure.
"I'm afraid not. The size of the Snowspirit Wood is very important to us, and we won't be able to use it even if it's just a single inch too short," the golden-masked man replied without any hesitation.
"That's rather disappointing. I really want this Heavenmatch Bell, but I'll have to give up on it," the woman sighed before falling silent.
"If I don't have any of the things on this list, can I offer other items for exchange?" A completely emotionless voice rang out from a stone pavilion in a secluded corner of the hall.
"Theoretically, yes, but we will only take materials that we require, and they have to be of the same caliber as the ones we've listed," the golden-masked man replied with a smile.
The man who had spoken seemingly hesitated momentarily before speaking again. "In that case, take a look at this and tell me what you think."
As soon as his voice trailed off, the pleasant cry of a crane rang out from that stone pavilion, and a snowy white crane with a black wooden box held between its beak flew out of the pavilion. With a single flap of its wings, it reached the white light barrier in a graceful manner, then passed through it without any impediment, presumably as the golden-masked figure had done something to grant it passage.
The golden-masked figure raised his hand, and the crane immediately opened its mouth, releasing the wooden box and allowing it to fly into the man's grasp.
After that, the crane continued to circle around in the air above the stone platform, refraining from landing, but also displaying no intention to return right away.
Meanwhile, the golden-masked man had already opened the black wooden box, and a burst of green light flashed from within it. His pupils contracted slightly at the sight of the item in the box, and a serious look appeared on his face.
He didn't reach into the box to touch the item, but light flashed through his eyes as he examined the item intently for a long while.
The owner of the white crane knew that the item was being carefully appraised, and he waited patiently for the verdict.
All of the other people present were naturally curious about what was inside the wooden box, and they were also waiting for the response.
If that item failed to satisfy the golden-masked man, then they would still have chances to secure this Heavenmatch Bell.
After a while, the light in the golden-masked man's eyes finally faded, and he heaved a long wistful sigh.
"Are you not satisfied with this item, Fellow Daoist?" The owner of the crane seemed to be quite taken aback.
"Normally, the value of this item would indeed match that of many of the materials on my list, but if I want to truly make use of it, I'll have to nurture it for at least 10,000 years. The tribulation is about to befall us within 1,000 years, so I would rather take more pragmatic things such as spirit stones and materials that can be used right away," the golden-masked man replied in a euphemistic manner.
He then placed the lid over the wooden box again before tossing it into the air. The white crane let loose a sharp cry before swooping down to catch the box between its beak again, and it then flew out of the light barrier and headed back to its master.
After a brief silence, the owner of the white crane heaved a slightly forlorn sigh. "That's quite a pity."
The golden-masked man's brows furrowed slightly in response to the lukewarm reception that the Heavenmatch Bell was receiving, and after a while, he heaved a resigned sigh. "Are there other fellow Daoists wishing to offer items for exchange? If not, then I'll have to auction off the item for top-grade spirit stones or spirit medicines."
Everyone remained silent, and no further offers were made.
"In that case, let's commence the auc..." A wry smile appeared on the golden-masked man's face, yet just as he was about to commence the auction, a coarse male voice suddenly rang out.
"Please wait, I have something that your Black Realm wants. No, to put it more accurately, it's something even more precious. Would you like to see it, Fellow Daoist?"
A hint of surprise flashed through Number 11's eyes, and her massaging hands faltered slightly. The man who had just spoken was naturally none other than Han Li.
At this point, he had already flipped a hand over to produce a yellow jade box.
"Of course, I would be more than happy to see it. If you really do have something of exceptional value, then I'll definitely offer an exchange that's worth your while." The golden-masked man was elated to hear this.
Han Li merely remained silent as he swept a sleeve through the air, and a white snake flew forth before swallowing the jade box, then shot forth as a streak of white light.
"Hmm?"
The golden-masked figure glanced at the snake right as it flew into the white light barrier and slowly descended beside him, and a hint of surprise appeared on his face. He had clearly identified that this was no ordinary puppet.
After landing beside the golden-masked man, the white snake opened its mouth to expel that yellow jade box. Compared to the special properties of this puppet, the golden-masked man was naturally more interested in what lay in this jade box, and he carefully caught the box before removing the lid.
A ball of black light was hovering within it, and within that ball of light was a shimmering silver spirit herb that was several inches tall.
"This is a Yin Phoenix Herb!" the golden-masked man exclaimed in an ecstatic manner.
Right at this moment, Han Li's voice transmission sounded beside his ears. "That is indeed a Yin Phoenix Herb, and it's been growing for hundreds of thousands of years, so it's far more precious than the 70,000-year-old Yin Phoenix Herb that your Black Realm is searching for."
"It's been growing for hundreds of thousands of years?" The golden-masked figure drew a sharp breath upon hearing this before hurriedly releasing his spiritual sense to encompass the entire herb and commencing a thorough appraisal.
&
nbsp; A faint smile appeared on Han Li's face upon seeing this.
He had obtained this spirit herb from that medicine garden in the Vast Glacial Realm, and he had given most of them to the Body Integration cultivators of the Heavenly Cloud Races, leaving only one for himself so he could secure the spirit herb's seeds.
After returning to Deep Heaven City, he had already used a special secret technique to secure those seeds, so he had a superfluous Yin Phoenix Herb that wasn't really useful to him. Of course, he also had a few other spirit herbs that were no less rare and precious than this Yin Phoenix Herb, and he had secured seeds from all of them as well.
Han Li hadn't originally intended to exchange for that Heavenmatch Bell, so if Yin Phoenix Herb hadn't been on the list that the golden-masked figure had presented, then he would've merely passed up this treasure.
However, seeing as they were actively searching for this spirit herb and he didn't have much use for it, he was naturally going to maximize its value by exchanging it here.
On top of that, he really was quite interested in the foreign body refinement art enclosed with this Heavenmatch Bell, so he finally decided to speak up after some careful contemplation.
This appraisal was clearly more thorough than the last one, and it also took a lot longer.
Finally, the golden-masked figure exhaled as he concluded his appraisal, and his lips tremored as he transmitted his voice to Han Li. "Where did you obtain this Yin Phoenix Herb from, Fellow Daoist? I was unable to determine its exact age, but it's at least been growing for 200,000 years. Can you verify its exact age?"
The golden-masked man's voice was filled with unbridled excitement.
"I'm afraid I'm unable to verify its age, either. The only way to ascertain its age would be to refine it into pills, then examine the effects of those pills. However, I can indeed confirm that this spirit herb has been growing for far longer than 200,000 years. Are you interested?" Han Li replied with a voice transmission of his own.
A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality c1-2248 Page 1051