Chapter 2124: The Beauty Pill Debuts (Part 1)

It wasn't that he was showing off; Zhang Xuan was genuinely sighing with emotion.

To the Phosphorus Armor Beast, he had only cultivated for about ten breaths, but in reality, within the Spring and Autumn Canon, he had been cultivating for nearly twenty-eight hours, more than a full day and night.

The time flow in the Spring and Autumn Canon was ten thousand times that of the God Realm, and cultivation inside did not conflict with the outside world. As long as one's mind entered, the true qi in the body would circulate according to this time flow. This was precisely why this treasure was so heaven-defying.

For this reason, in the brief ten breaths of battle with the clone of Master Kong, he had already broken through to the divine level and thoroughly consolidated his cultivation.

He had thought that cultivating the physical body would be similar to using the Heavenly Path Technique before, allowing him to advance a major level in one or two hours. Who would have thought that after a full twenty-eight hours, fourteen hours, he had only advanced from a lower-grade deity to an upper-grade deity...

It was indeed too slow.

When using the Heavenly Path Technique before, it had never been like this!

This was practically a record for the slowest cultivation, and he felt deeply ashamed.

Self-created techniques, after all, still had some gap in speed compared to the Heavenly Path Technique.

“Forget it, my strength has indeed improved quite a bit!”

No longer brooding over the slow cultivation, Zhang Xuan looked at his fist, felt the power within his body, and his eyes lit up.

Although this round of cultivation hadn't allowed his physical body to break through to the Heavenly God realm, in close combat, he might not be weaker than a lower-grade Heavenly God!

Especially in defense, after being tempered by the blood of the Phosphorus Armor Beast and the True Essence Fruit, it was now comparable to a lower-grade Heavenly God artifact. The full-force attack of an upper-grade deity couldn't harm him in the slightest.

It was precisely because of this reliance that he could punch back the Scale Armor Beast, which had exerted fifty percent of its power.

Carrying the burden of his family and students, he had been anxious before when he was weak. Now, with his defense strong, he truly had the ability to protect himself.

Even in the God Realm, teeming with experts, he was no longer too weak.

According to the books he had read, a Heavenly God was already considered a big shot in an ordinary city, enough to establish a foothold in the God Realm.

“Let's go back!”

With a wave of his hand, Zhang Xuan collected all the True Essence Fruits into his storage ring and said.

“Leaving here, my defense...”

The Phosphorus Armor Beast was somewhat worried.

If it left here, it would no longer be able to consume True Essence Fruits. Would its defense decrease as a result?

“Don't worry, when I helped you break through just now, I already resolved that problem for you...” Zhang Xuan said.

It was true that if the other party left the valley and the True Essence Fruits, its defense would indeed decrease. But during the breakthrough just now, Zhang Xuan had used Heavenly Path true qi to sort out the meridians in its body, resolving this issue. From now on, as it cultivated, its defense would only grow stronger and never weaken again.

“Thank you, Master...” The Scale Armor Beast finally breathed a sigh of relief, filled with excitement.

Trapped in this narrow valley since birth, it could now finally go out and explore the outside world.

Before long, they left the valley and found the flying divine beast again. The Phosphorus Armor Beast transformed into a young man and sat on the beast's back with Zhang Xuan, flying straight toward Night Underworld City.

...

Night Qiuyan was the special envoy of the Nether Soul Heaven, stationed in Night Underworld City.

Although her strength was only at the upper-grade deity level, due to her esteemed status, even the city lord, Wu Fangqing, dared not contradict her in many matters.

Of course, she only handled the policies and orders transmitted from Nether Soul Heaven and did not interfere at all with the city's internal rules and management.

Stretching lazily, revealing her graceful curves, Night Qiuyan sat by the mirror and looked at her right cheek.

A bright red scar lay exposed, like a centipede crawling on it.

“Sigh!”

A soft sigh, full of helplessness.

This scar of hers was left from a battle, containing the special power of her opponent. She had tried every method to remove it but failed. Originally a stunning beauty, she had been overshadowed by this thing.

Therefore, after her cultivation dropped from the Heavenly God realm to the upper-grade deity level, she volunteered to leave the Nether Soul Heaven imperial city and come here to be a special envoy in a remote small city.

After dressing up, she once again covered her face with a veil.

With a twist of her delicate body, she walked out of the room, looked up at an old man before her, and asked, “How is the investigation going?”

“Reporting to the special envoy, I have investigated thoroughly. There is indeed a black market in Night Underworld City, run by Qi Ling'er, who comes from... the Qi family in the imperial city!”

The old man cupped his fists.

“The Qi family is a major clan in the imperial city, wielding power over one side. Their ancestor, Qi Meng, is a powerhouse at the Sealed King God level. Why would a descendant come here to open a black market?” Night Qiuyan frowned. “Don't they know that underground trading violates the laws of Nether Soul Heaven?”

“Specifically... I wouldn't know. Perhaps it's related to the lower realm...” The old man paused and said.

“The lower realm...” Night Qiuyan's brows knitted tightly. “The emperor gathered a pure soul, broke the rules unprecedentedly, and allowed it to recuperate in the Nether Soul Pool within the palace... It is said to be from the lower realm! But that happened over twenty days ago... This Qi Ling'er has been here for several years now!”

“It has been a few years... But when the Heavenly Sovereign Emperor first appeared, it was in this Night Underworld City. Perhaps... the Qi family came for this reason.” After a moment's hesitation, the old man said.

The Nether Soul Heaven's sovereign, the Kunlun Demon Emperor, usually didn't bother much with affairs, leaving matters to some Sealed King Gods. Thus, the imperial city appeared calm on the surface but was actually turbulent.

The Heavenly Sovereign Emperor rose abruptly, and everyone wanted to know what he had experienced and where he came from.

Therefore, various investigations had never ceased.

Intervening in the black market could yield more unknown information and provide greater room for maneuvering.

After a moment of thought, Night Qiuyan said, “Tell her that investigating for information is fine, but she must not act recklessly in other matters... Once she crosses the line, regardless of whether she is from the Qi family, she will be subject to the laws of Nether Soul Heaven! Also, go check what she is doing now... If anything unexpected happens, report to me immediately!”

The Qi family was indeed powerful in the imperial city, but in Night Underworld City, she was the special envoy, representing the Kunlun Emperor. No matter how strong the other party was, they had to obey.

The emperor's dignity was not to be profaned.

This was an unchangeable iron law in the God Realm.

“Yes!” The old man nodded in acknowledgment, walked out, and returned shortly, his eyes filled with doubt, as if he had received news that even he found hard to believe. “Special envoy... Qi Ling'er is not in the underground black market at the moment, but... at the Night Underworld Trading Company!”

“Trading company?” Night Qiuyan was startled.

You, who run an underground black market, go to a legitimate trading company? What for?

Could it be that you want to go legitimate?

“It seems she has gathered some famous female cultivators from all over Night Underworld City, planning to sell something called... Beauty Pill!” The old man paused and said.

“Beauty Pill?” Night Qiuyan sneered. “A publicity stunt! The most famous alchemy master in the God Realm, Fu Jiangchen, once visited the Nether Soul imperial city, and I specifically asked him. He said that appearance is determined by heaven and cannot be changed... There is no such thing as a Beauty Pill. If it really existed, this scar on my face wouldn't have remained until now. No matter the cost, I would have found a way to cure it!”

The old man couldn't help but nod.

The special envoy was right. If the Beauty Pill really existed, it would have taken the entire God Realm by storm long ago.

Cultivators in the God Realm, as their cultivation increased, lived longer. Who wouldn't want a beautiful appearance and eternal youth?

If such a thing really existed, people would have been scrambling for it long ago.

“Then... should we intervene?”

“No need, the city lord will handle it naturally...” Night Qiuyan shook her head. Just as she was about to return to her room to rest, she suddenly waved her hand. “Forget it, let's go take a look!”

With that, she walked out first.

The Night Underworld Trading Company was the largest trading company in Night Underworld City, with all kinds of treasures available. It had a huge flow of people, arguably the busiest place in the city.

Wearing a veil, Night Qiuyan quickly arrived at the venue where the other party had gathered female cultivators, obtained a pass, and entered.

At this moment, the spacious room was packed with people, densely packed, no less than a thousand.

Almost all were female cultivators, with the weakest at the peak of the lower-grade deity level.

“It seems this Qi Ling'er has quite the pulling power...”

Night Qiuyan snorted coldly.

A person who ran an underground black market, something that couldn't see the light of day, had managed to gather so many people in just a few hours. One had to admit that this Qi Ling'er had some skill.

“Have you heard? Today, they're going to sell Beauty Pills?”

“There's no such pill in the God Realm!”

“I hadn't heard of it before either. It seems a powerful alchemist just succeeded in refining it...”

“I don't know if it's true or not, but it's fine to come and take a look. It's not costing us anything anyway...”

...

Murmurs of discussion arose all around.

It seemed many people, like her, had come with the attitude of just taking a look.

“Quiet!”

Just as she was sighing, a voice rang out from the front of the crowd, and then a tall, beautiful woman strode forward.

It was the helm of the black market, Qi Ling'er.

“Everyone must be wondering why I've gathered you here so late...”

Sitting down on the platform at the front, Qi Ling'er didn't waste words and spoke directly.

Everyone looked at her in unison.

“Everyone's time is precious, so I won't waste it with idle chatter and excessive pleasantries... The reason I've called you here is that I have developed a new type of pill that has excellent effects on women's beauty. I've specially invited you to see it. If you're interested, you can place an order in advance!”

With that, Qi Ling'er waved her hand, and a woman brought a box before the crowd.

The box was carved entirely from precious ink jade, which had the effect of containing spiritual energy and preventing leakage. Not to mention anything else, just this box alone would cost at least a dozen divine coins, and it wasn't easy to buy.

Standing up, Qi Ling'er opened the box, revealing a pill inside, with spiritual energy flowing and emitting a rich aura.

“This is just an ordinary Divine Origin Pill, and only of lower grade... Beauty Pill? That's a bit of an exaggeration!”

A middle-aged woman in the crowd stood up, her voice filled with doubt.