Chapter 268: The Battle for Puppets

Although this Sacred Demon combat puppet was at its strongest state and could rival those in the later stages of the Golden Core phase, the Yuan Ying ancestors present weren’t very interested. For battles at their level, puppets in the later stages of the Golden Core phase were of little use—just as Su Che, who was now in the early stages of the Golden Core phase, couldn’t possibly be interested in puppets in the later stages of the Foundation Building phase. Of course, it wasn’t ruled out that some ancestors might want to buy it to give to their most beloved descendants, but the exorbitant price of 220 top-quality spirit stones made it off-putting. Seeing that no one showed interest, the Yuan Ying ancestor from the Sacred Demon Sect smiled and offered, “220 spirit stones is just a starting price. If any fellow Daoist is interested, we can negotiate further.” This was a trade fair, not an auction, so any treasure could be discounted. “Then, please tell me the lowest possible price, Fellow Daoist Shengying. If I find it acceptable, I might buy it to give to a junior in our sect.” Zi Xiao finally showed interest in purchasing it, and everyone knew that if he did, he would surely give it to Tian Yu, the top disciple of the Tianxuan Sect. After thinking for a moment, Shengying asked tentatively, “Since it’s for a junior, I should offer something in return. How about we round it up to 200?” Yuan Ying ancestors valued face, and generally wouldn’t haggle over just twenty or thirty top-quality spirit stones. Since the other party had already lowered the price, it was a sign of respect. Logically, Zi Xiao should agree to complete the deal. But before Zi Xiao could nod in agreement, that cold voice interfered again. “Why haggle over such a fine puppet? Some people are just stingy and lack dignity.” Ji E, with a look of disdain, glanced at Zi Xiao before turning to Shengying, “I also plan to buy a combat puppet for a member of my family. I’ll pay the original price you mentioned, Fellow Daoist Shengying. It’s just a toy—why haggle? It’s truly ridiculous!” At these words, all the ancestors present, including Shengying, smiled inwardly, knowing full well that Ji E was deliberately causing trouble. In fact, haggling in a trade fair was normal—there was nothing wrong with it. Only if people argued endlessly over a few spirit stones would it be excessive.

“Ji E, if you want to compete with me in wealth, how could my Tianxuan Sect fear you?” Zi Xiao glanced at him sideways and said coldly, “This puppet was originally optional, but with your actions, I really have to take it now! If you have the guts, don’t back down halfway.”

Without waiting for Ji E to respond, she turned to Patriarch Shengying and said, “I’ll offer three hundred spirit stones! Fellow Daoist Shengying, there’s no need to hesitate—sell it to whoever offers the highest price.”

“Thank you, Fellow Daoist Zi Xiao,” Patriarch Shengying chuckled.

Although the Sacred Demon Sect was one of the major sects in the demonic path, it did not collude with sects like the Taiyi Sect or the Ten Thousand Ghosts Sect. It shared the same stance as the Tianxuan Sect, hoping to maintain the current stability in the cultivation world.

Thus, at this stage, the Tianxuan Sect and the Sacred Demon Sect had temporarily set aside their differences between immortals and demons and joined forces. Along with other sects such as the Wuji Sect, the Hunyuan Sword Sect, and the Tongtian Sword Sect, they would soon form a large alliance focused on defense.

The reason for choosing defense rather than attack was that everyone knew that sects like the Taiyi Sect and the Ten Thousand Ghosts Sect had received some orders from the Spirit Realm, which led to chaos in the cultivation world of Qiyuan Star. If they attacked first, it would exactly satisfy their intentions—playing right into their hands.

So, by choosing to hold their ground and buy time, they might even wait for other opportunities to resolve this chaotic situation in a more peaceful way…

Therefore, Zi Xiao’s intention was to let Patriarch Shengying, their ally, earn a bit more spirit stones—willingly, with no issue.

At that moment, Zi Xiao immediately raised the price to three hundred spirit stones. All the patriarchs present focused their attention on Patriarch Ji E, waiting for his response.

“Three hundred and one top-grade spirit stones.”

Patriarch Ji E added just one spirit stone slowly, making it clear: by adding only one each time, he was deliberately trying to annoy them—so what could they do?

“Three hundred and five,” Zi Xiao added without hesitation, showing determination to win.

“Three hundred and fifty-one,” Ji E grinned, revealing his sinister nature unhidden.

“Damn it…” In the Immortal Prison, Lao He had already started cursing furiously. After all, Su Che’s original intention in buying this puppet was for his own use.

Su Che also felt heavy-hearted, blaming himself for causing the sect to waste unnecessary money for his own selfish desires.

“Four hundred!” Zi Xiao raised the price again almost instantly.

“Four hundred and one.” Ji Ewo still wore that lifeless, despicable expression, aiming to provoke Zi Xiao into making impulsive mistakes.
Elder Ji Ewo figured that, given Zi Xiao’s personality, driving the price up to six hundred spirit stones shouldn’t be a problem. If it exceeded six hundred, he could withdraw from the bidding, forcing them to waste four hundred high-quality spirit stones—quite satisfying indeed.
“Four hundred and fifty!” Zi Xiao bid again.
“Four hundred and fifty-one,” Ji Ewo replied calmly.
Zi Xiao wanted to raise the price further, but received a message from Su Che: “Elder Zi Xiao, I don’t want it anymore. It’s not worth it!”
Four hundred and fifty high-quality spirit stones, converted into lower-quality ones, amounted to over twenty million—a huge sum. No matter how wealthy the Tianxuan Sect was, it was still a significant expense. For just a puppet for a transitional period, Su Che thought there was no need to fight over it; it truly wasn’t worth it.
“Five hundred!” Unexpectedly, instead of responding to Su Che, Zi Xiao immediately raised the price again without pause.
“Five hundred already…”
The Yuan Ying elders in the arena discussed among themselves: “Anyway, it’s clear that the Tianxuan Sect truly cherishes Tian Yu, their top heir, deeply!”
“Of course. The true significance of the top heir isn’t just that of the sect’s eldest disciple. Our sect knows the history of the Tianxuan Sect best.” The speaker was a Yuan Ying elder from the Xuansha Sect.
The founder of the Xuansha Sect had once been an inner disciple of the Tianxuan Sect. Later, due to unfair treatment over a certain incident, he defected and, after centuries of effort, founded the demonic sect Xuansha Sect, becoming its eternal rival. Thus, the Xuansha Sect was also one of the top ten demonic sects, though its history was over three thousand years shorter than that of the Tianxuan Sect.
“Five hundred and one,” Elder Ji Ewo said again. He felt confident—given Zi Xiao’s personality, the price could at least reach six hundred spirit stones…
But something completely unexpected happened. Zi Xiao, against all expectations, grinned and said, “Very good, five hundred and one—perfect! I give up. It’s yours!”
“Oh?”
Not only was Elder Ji Ewo stunned, but the other elders were also surprised. Zi Xiao gave up so quickly; it wasn’t like his usual behavior…
“Haha…” Elder Shengying nodded with a smile. “For me, this is already a big surprise. Good, good, Ji Ewo. Then please pay.”

At this stage, everyone is on the same side. Saint Win’s ancestor surely favors Zi Xiao; he would rather let the Wan Gui Sect’s Ji E spend extra money than see Zi Xiao act impulsively. So, he already sent a secret message to Zi Xiao earlier—he still has another identical Saint-Demon Puppet in his possession. If the first puppet makes Ji E pay a high price, then the second puppet can be given to Zi Xiao at a rock-bottom price of 150 spirit stones, practically a gift. In this way, Zi Xiao saves money, and Saint Win earns more—why not do it? This is how Saint Win and Zi Xiao cooperate, setting a trap in advance, waiting for Ji E to fall into it. Although Ji E hasn’t realized he’s fallen for the trap set by Saint Win and Zi Xiao, he already feels he’s suffered a huge loss and is extremely displeased. His already gloomy face turned even darker, looking utterly ugly. Ji E remained silent for a long time… As the host and mediator, Peacock Lord gave him enough time to think, but eventually urged, “Congratulations, Daoist Ji E, for winning this treasure. Now, please make the payment.” As an Origin Soul ancestor, even a demonic villain wouldn’t default in such a situation, because the consequences of defaulting would not only ruin his reputation and dignity but also bar him from participating in high-level transactions in the future, labeling him as a top-tier unwelcome person. Reluctantly, Ji E’s ancestor took out 500 top-quality spirit stones and handed them to Peacock Lord. Similarly, Saint Win’s ancestor also slowly delivered the Saint-Demon Puppet to Peacock Lord’s lotus platform. After carefully verifying the spirit stones and the puppet, Peacock Lord transferred them to their respective new owners, and the transaction was complete. In the Immortal Prison, Lao He was still furious, cursing Ji E, because he and Su Che were also kept in the dark, unaware of the secret cooperation between Zi Xiao and Saint Win. Su Che was also quite frustrated, harboring resentment toward Ji E. Although he didn’t waste money, missing such a perfect puppet left him somewhat regretful. This is Zi Xiao’s cleverness—first deceiving his own people, and then using Su Che’s genuine expressions to deceive the shrewd Ji E’s ancestor.

Once the deal was finalized, Zi Xiao sent a secret message to Su Che, saying, “There’s no need to regret it. Saint Ying Laozu still has an identical puppet. After the deal, he’ll sell it to us at an extremely low price.”
“Huh?”
Su Che and Lao He were overjoyed. The thrill of regaining what was lost was even more impactful than simply getting what one wanted smoothly.
“That’s great!”
Lao He laughed heartily in the Immortal Prison, performing several difficult moves out of excitement—not only because they were about to get such a combat puppet but also because they had managed to trick Ji E badly, which filled them with satisfaction.
Although Su Che was mature for his age and hid his excitement well, Ji E Laozu, who was not far away, keenly noticed the subtle change in Su Che’s eyes and cursed inwardly: Damn it… I really got fooled!