The Demon Lord's Invasion

Chapter 19: The Immortal Pavilion

Jiang Tang settled into a cross-legged position and looked at Qiong Sang, saying, “Guard my physical body.” “I don’t need you to tell me that,” Qiong Sang retorted irritably. He’d actually wanted Little Jiang Zi to make him a puppet so he could go have some fun in the Immortal Pavilion, but Little Jiang Zi’s spiritual sea cultivation was only at the Spirit Martial Realm—the minimum requirement for entering the Immortal Pavilion. To do so, he’d have to entrust ninety percent of his spirit to the puppet, which meant his physical body would need someone to guard it. Otherwise, if some petty thief got the better of him,and Jiang Tang wouldn’t even have a chance to cry—his soul would simply be scattered to the winds. As for Dongfang, that was no concern at all; his soul was fully entrusted to the puppet, leaving no physical body for others to harm. Jiang Tang hesitated no longer. He cast the Spirit-Imbuing Technique to transfer his spirit into the doll. Instantly, his physical body became as still as an old monk in deep meditation, not moving a muscle. At the same time, the puppet facing Jiang Tang floated directly to the Immortal Pavilion Disk. It took five crystal stones from its storage pouch and embedded them one by one into the array points at the base of the disk. Instantly, all the mystical runes on the Immortal Pavilion Disk lit up. “Don’t forget the incantation,” Jiang Tang said to Dongfang. With a surge of demonic energy within him, his puppet form vanished instantly, and one of the crystals at the Immortal Pavilion’s focal point immediately lost its radiance, turning into an ordinary stone. “Amazing,” Dongfang said as he floated onto the Immortal Pavilion Disk and warned Qiong Sang, “Don’t get any funny ideas.” “Ugh, you son of a—” Qiong Sang hadn’t even finished his curse before Dongfang had already vanished. At the same time, in the mysterious and ethereal teleportation hall of the Immortal Pavilion—located in an unknown place—a flash of light shone upon a massive, altar-like magical array, and Dongfang’s little novice monk puppet form immediately materialized. “Hurry over here.” Before Dongfang could even take in his surroundings, he heard Jiang Tang’s voice. Just as he was about to move, several flashes of light suddenly appeared beside him, and a few humanoid figurines, each about a chi tall, materialized. Without a word, they immediately floated away, heading toward the exit of the hall. But soon, another group of figurines appeared, and just as before, they swiftly flew away from the altar without a word. Dongfang paused in surprise for a moment, then hurriedly floated out of the altar’s magical formation and approached Jiang Tang’s figure. “I must get out of here within three days at the latest. Otherwise, I’ll suffer mental exhaustion—at best, memory loss and regression of my spiritual awareness; at worst, I could very well end up in a vegetative state. Let’s go.” With that, Jiang Tang led the way, floating toward the hall’s exit. Dongfang followed closely behind, his gaze scanning the surroundings. The architectural style of this grand hall resembled that of the Daming Palace, exuding a strong Tang Dynasty atmosphere. It had large doors on all four sides and was extremely spacious. Although there were no people or puppets guarding the entrance, it was not empty. Rows of massive stone steles stood around the perimeter of the hall, their surfaces shimmering with golden light,with countless densely packed characters etched upon them, and many puppets stood before the steles, gazing at them intently. When Dongfang stepped out of the hall, the world outside sent a shiver down his spine. The Teleportation Hall was situated at the center of the Immortal Pavilion. Above it stretched a crossbeam of massive timber that stretched as far as the eye could see; each plank appeared to be a hundred zhang wide, with no end in sight, and it emitted a faint, soft glow. All around were pavilions, towers, and terraces, along with small bridges and flowing streams, shaded by lush green trees, and accompanied by the faint, ethereal sounds of celestial music—truly a breathtakingly beautiful scene. “Fighting is strictly prohibited here. On this first level alone, there are eight thousand seventh-tier puppets stationed in all eight directions. The moment you make a move, they’ll instantly annihilate you and imprint a mental mark on you. Should you return in the future, they’ll strike again without hesitation—effectively placing you on a blacklist and barring you from the Immortal Pavilion for life.” ” After Jiang Tang finished speaking, he pointed toward the blue-stone-paved avenue ahead and floated away at a low altitude. Dongfang immediately followed, his eyes darting curiously in all directions once more. He looked just like Grandma Liu visiting the Grand View Garden—curious about everything he saw, finding everything new and exciting. They floated along for a full half-hour, yet the straight street still showed no sign of ending. The shops lining both sides were dazzling to the eye, and every single item on display sent a thrill through Dongfang’s very soul! In addition, there were many puppets all around—not only in human form but also in all manner of animal forms. But regardless of the type, the craftsmanship was somewhat shoddy and rough; few were exquisite, let alone comparable to Jiang Tang’s puppets. If that kid’s puppets were placed here, they’d be like a beacon in the darkness—so beautiful they’d make one’s head spin! “Business opportunity! I can’t speak for men, but women definitely…” Dongfang stroked his chin, looking deep in thought. He needed to do some research—could he pull this off without funding? Just as Dongfang was pondering, he suddenly heard Jiang Tang say, “We’re here.” Dongfang looked up and saw that they had arrived at the entrance of a small building called “Lu Xiang.” Without a moment’s hesitation, Jiang Tang practically floated inside. As soon as Dongfang followed him in, he heard numerous puppets in the main hall staring at Jiang Tang in surprise. One of them—a roughly carved wooden figure—immediately floated over, chuckling, “Oh my, isn’t this White-Haired Scholar? It’s been nearly four years since we last met. I, Gu, actually thought you were dead.” “You’re the one who’s been dead! I’ve been in seclusion lately and haven’t had time to stop by. Let me introduce you all to this young novice monk, Jiang Liu’er. He’s quite knowledgeable about the art of formations and would love to discuss them with you all when he has the time.” “Heh, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” Quite a few puppets floated over as well, engaging in polite small talk with Jiang Tang and Dongfang. It seemed Jiang Tang was something of a local celebrity here! No wonder he’d spent so much time crafting such exquisite puppets—presumably, the person who once took this form must have visited here often. After exchanging pleasantries, the puppet guests returned to their respective beds to continue sharing insights with one another. Dongfang faintly overheard that their conversations covered a wide range of topics—some discussed alchemy, others artifact forging, and still others explored martial arts techniques, secret arts, and formations. It was practically like a technical forum. While Dongfang listened quietly, Jiang Tang had already made his way to a wooden couch with the wooden figure and knelt down, just like the ancients of the Han Dynasty. “Light the Soul-Nourishing Incense.” Jiang Tang tossed a crystal stone to a female attendant puppet, who quickly inserted a burning stick of incense into the brazier at the center of the table on the couch. Only then did Jiang Tang beckon Dongfang over. After having him sit beside him, he pointed at the incense and whispered, “It can nourish your spirit and soul. Inhale deeply.” Having said that, Jiang Tang turned to the wooden figure across from him and said, “I’ve come to see you, Brother Gu, to ask if you know the whereabouts of the Yang-attribute spiritual marrow.” Upon hearing this, the wooden figure chuckled, “Hehehe, the Hundred Treasures Pavilion two alleys down sells it—why bother asking me, Brother Gu?” Jiang Tang shook his head, however, and said, “I’m not looking for just any kind. I want to know if there’s any on the second floor of the Immortal Pavilion—preferably Pure Yang.” “Oh!” The wooden figure nodded, pondered for a moment, then looked at Jiang Tang and shook his head. “Pure Yang Spiritual Marrow is extremely rare. As for Yang-attributed varieties, the best on the second floor is the Blazing Essence. This essence is derived from the bones of the fifth-tier demon beast, the Blazing Mad Fire Ox—it is supremely vigorous and fierce, brimming with Yang energy. However, since you, Brother Bai, practice a non-fire-attribute cultivation technique, using it would be a waste of half its potency. Therefore, I recommend the Heavenly Yang Jade Marrow on the third floor. It is a bit pricey, but after all, it is a pure Yang treasure formed over a thousand years by raw jade absorbing the essence of the Heavenly Yang until it attained spiritual status.” “Heavenly Yang Jade Marrow!” Jiang Tang fell deep in thought. He had come across this item while perusing ancient texts on Nikuang Mountain; it was indeed, as the Wooden Man had said, a rare and precious treasure—and one of the spiritual essences he had been considering recently. However… After giving it some thought, Jiang Tang finally tossed a crystal stone to the Wooden Man and asked, “Which shop? And how much does it cost?” “You’re too kind.” Though the wooden figure said this, he still tucked the crystal into his storage pouch and smiled faintly. “Third floor, Lane 1,326 on South Avenue—Jade Treasure Pavilion. Last year, the price was 1,500 crystals per drop. Since there haven’t been any major changes in the outside world this year, the price shouldn’t fluctuate much.” Fifteen hundred crystals per drop! Jiang Tang’s spirits sank, and he thought to himself, “That’s damn expensive!” On the first floor of the Immortal Pavilion, items generally cost less than a hundred crystals; on the second floor, less than a thousand; and on the third floor, naturally, less than ten thousand. Therefore, Jiang Tang had already braced himself for the price. However, this price was still beyond his wildest dreams. “Do I really have to settle for second best? Use Blazing Essence?” Jiang Tang wasn’t at all pleased with this prospect, but Pure Yang Spirit Essence was already scarce to begin with, and he’d never heard of any low-grade varieties. If it had been Pure Spirit Essence of the Five Elements, Jiang Tang wouldn’t have even bothered asking—he would’ve gone straight to the Hundred Treasures Pavilion. He chatted with the wooden figure a bit more about recent events in the outside world—and of course, this was free! Only when the Soul-Nourishing Incense was nearly burned out did Jiang Tang rise to take his leave. Upon leaving the Luxiang Tower, Jiang Tang said to Dongfang, “In the future, if there’s anything you don’t understand, you can come here to exchange insights. Don’t let the small number of people here fool you—they’re all elite practitioners within the Spirit-Martial Realm. Of course, if you’re just asking questions, you’ll need to offer them some compensation. Now that we have a day to explore, why don’t we take a look around?” Dongfang shook his head and said, “No rush. I’ve already got a general idea of the situation. The issue we need to resolve now is the crystal stones. With your excellent craftsmanship, why don’t you open a shop here to sell low-tier puppets?” “You’ve got to be kidding,” Jiang Tang said with a wry smile. “It’s true—the craftsmanship of the puppets here is really poor. As for it being a business, you’ve probably guessed that this is only my second puppet of this design. When the first one appeared, it really drew a crowd, and quite a few women asked where they could buy one. But back then, I didn’t have the time—I was constantly training like crazy…” At this point, Jiang Tang paused, feeling a mix of nostalgia and bitterness, before continuing, “Now I don’t even know if I have enough time. Even if I had plenty, I’ve got no money!” Jiang Tang suddenly pointed into the distance and added, “Let’s not talk about this place. Even the tiniest shop in the farthest corner of the first floor of the Immortal Pavilion costs a hundred crystals a year. Don’t let the number of puppets nearby fool you into thinking the whole Immortal Pavilion is like this—those out-of-the-way spots are lucky to get ten customers a year.” The Immortal Pavilion is vast and teeming with cultivators; it brings together nearly every cultivator on The Continent at the Spirit-Weapon Realm and above—and not just the Human Race! The Immortal Pavilion isn’t the exclusive property of Xian Zong; Xian Zong was merely its founder. Initially, it was intended for the sect’s own disciples, with a pitifully small area—just a thousand zhang in diameter—and only a single floor. Later, when major powers realized how convenient it was, they joined forces—much like investors or franchisees—to build the colossal structure it is today. Aside from Xian Zong, Nikuang Mountain and the Shenwu Empire are both among the Ten Great Powers; of the remaining seven, five are non-human races. Therefore, no matter how many enemies one has made or how many battles one has fought outside, once inside, everyone must abide by the rules. There is no hierarchy, no racial discrimination, and strength does not determine one’s standing—only exchange and trade matter. Consequently, in such a secure environment, the value of a shop here is self-evident, and prime locations are especially coveted. Although the Lu Xiang Lou’s location is only average, it still brings in at least five hundred crystals a year! After Dongfang learned all this, he remained unfazed and asked, “Can I set up a street stall?” Jiang Tang immediately shook his head. “No, you’d be kicked out. A second offense would get you blacklisted. You can advertise, though—the advertising space is on the massive stone stele in the Teleportation Hall. But it’s even more expensive, and there’s a limit to the number of items you can list. That’s why you see ‘wooden men’—people who specialize in scouting out what’s available at various shops. If you want to buy something, it’s easiest to just ask them.” “Sigh, the regulations are really strict. Still, there are loopholes…” Dongfang said. Suddenly, he floated behind Jiang Tang, pulled out the Bone-Blood Brush, and with a few swift strokes, wrote four large characters—“Puppet Customization”—on the back of Jiang Tang’s white robe.