Chapter 692: The Treasure Appraisal Gathering

“Someone is blocking the way!”
Hearing Yuan Ping’s warning, Su Che’s mind first thought of the possibility of robbery. But then he realized that it was unlikely to encounter such absurd acts as road robbery in the Immortal Realm, especially while flying at high altitudes.
Firstly, those who achieved immortality must possess excellent qualities in every aspect. Even if they chose the path of darkness, they wouldn’t resort to shameful acts like robbery. After all, before ascending, everyone was once a supreme being at the Mahayana stage in the mortal cultivation world, admired and revered by all. Even if they faced difficulties in the early days of their time in the Immortal Realm, their pride and dignity wouldn’t allow them to sink to such a low level.
Moreover, those who could fly high in the Immortal Realm must at least have the cultivation level of a Heavenly Immortal; they certainly wouldn’t rely on robbery to make a living.
Besides, if they tried to intercept someone’s flying talisman and encountered a strong opponent—say, several Golden Immortals or even Great Luo Golden Immortals emerging from it—wouldn’t that be seeking their own death?
Thus, random road robberies hardly existed in the Immortal Realm, unless it was premeditated, with the target already under observation.
He had only been in the Immortal Realm for a few days and had only picked a few wild herbs. Who would rob a “poor wretch” like him who even picked herbs?
“So, who is blocking the way, and why?”
Su Che remained silent. Such matters were left to his servants to handle.
“Master, rest assured. There should be no danger.”
First, he heard Yan Qiu’s message, followed by Yuan Ping shouting outside, “Who is blocking the way? Such rudeness!”
“Please forgive us for interrupting you!”
An extremely gentle voice came from outside immediately. Soon after, Su Che saw a middle-aged man in a green Taoist robe appearing in mid-air ahead of the dragon boat. Upon closer inspection, he realized he was a Xuan Immortal, whose energy level was not much lower than that of Lin Jiu and Guang Qi.
Before Yuan Ping could ask, the Xuan Immortal took the initiative to explain, “Within the past year, a grand gathering has been held within a radius of 50,000 miles ahead. Many Great Luo Golden Immortals, and even two Immortal Emperors, are present… To avoid unnecessary misunderstandings, the area above the gathering site is off-limits to flight. Please bear with us and take a slight detour.”

As a Xuanxian, he could naturally detect clearly that there were only three Tianxians and one Renxian in the dragon boat ahead, all far weaker than himself. Yet even so, he still spoke in such a polite manner, which alone demonstrated his excellent cultivation.

His explanation was very concise, but Su Che still understood: a large event was being held within a 50,000-li radius, with even two Immortal Emperors present. Under such circumstances, it would indeed be quite rude for anyone to fly right over their heads.

As an Immortal Emperor, those with a good temper might simply leave in displeasure; those with a bad temper would pull down the rude intruders and deal with them harshly—nothing strange about that.

In any case, it would be extremely disappointing.

Therefore, the organizers of this event must have arranged capable subordinates to patrol the outer areas and establish a temporary no-fly zone.

Moreover, the fact that they could assign Xuanxians to patrol showed just how powerful the organizers were and how intolerant they were to disrespect.

A no-fly zone within just 50,000 li was nothing difficult to avoid, so Su Che certainly wouldn’t get angry over it. Still, out of curiosity, he asked Yuan Ping to inquire cautiously, “May I ask, senior, what kind of event is this gathering ahead? Could you reveal that?”

“Of course,” replied the Xuanxian kindly. “It’s a public treasure appraisal event, and free trading is allowed inside as long as the conditions are met. This trading gathering has been prepared for nearly a hundred years and is well-known throughout a hundred million li… It seems you fellow cultivators must have come from afar and are passing by here?”

“That’s right!” replied Yuan Ping, then asked, “May I ask what the requirements for participation are?”

The middle-aged Xuanxian smiled gently and replied, “One needs two million immortal crystals to participate, but extra companions cannot appear casually.”

In other words, two million immortal crystals only granted one person the right to enter. Companions had to hide in their magical treasure spaces and not appear freely in the venue.

Such rules were, of course, to maintain order in the venue and were quite reasonable.

Su Che had over five million immortal crystals on hand. If he wanted to attend this treasure appraisal event, he could go in with one of his three subordinates.

At Su Che’s instruction, Yuan Ping immediately expressed his willingness to participate. The middle-aged Xuanxian maintained a gentle demeanor, showing great mastery over his skills. He did not underestimate Su Che and his companions but patiently explained a series of precautions before swiftly allowing them to pass.

Su Che and the others first controlled the dragon boat to land on the ground, then enclosed Jun Sheng, Yan Qiu, and the dragon boat inside the Immortal Prison. After that, Yuan Ping piloted a mid-grade immortal sword, carrying Su Che, and flew at a constant low altitude, no more than fifty zhang above the ground, heading toward the location of the treasure appraisal event.

Along the way, they were not allowed to make loud noises, stay in one place for an extended period without reason, or cause unnecessary trouble or disputes with others…

This showed that the immortal realm placed great emphasis on order and public morality. The more public the setting, the more one had to demonstrate the transcendent demeanor and qualities of an immortal.

An immortal is truly an immortal—transcendent and having achieved enlightenment.

The difference between immortals and mortals lies not only in superior strength but also in their spiritual realm, which must reach a certain height and level. Otherwise, they would have been eliminated by the numerous heavenly calamities during the tribulation phase long ago, unable to achieve great cultivation or gain the recognition of the Heavenly Dao and ascend.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that immortals must be equivalent to good people. Immortals also have inner demons and evil thoughts, but their realm, taste, and style are undoubtedly far beyond those of mortals.

…

After about half an hour, Su Che and Yuan Ping found the entrance to the treasure appraisal event.

A magnificent gate tower, towering ten thousand zhang high, stood on the plain, resembling the Southern Heavenly Gate in folk myths. On the giant plaque above the gate were six dark gold characters reading “Grand Immortal Treasure Appraisal Festival.”

These six golden characters were grand and awe-inspiring, filled with profound Daoist principles. Below the gate tower, hundreds of celestial immortals and Xuanxians stood silently, staring intently at the characters as if deeply immersed in contemplation, seemingly trying to comprehend something.

Perhaps because Su Che’s cultivation level was still shallow, he could only faintly sense that the characters were quite remarkable. But the more he tried to understand them, the less he could grasp.

Clearly, those with human or immortal cultivation levels were not qualified to comprehend their deeper meanings.

“Yuan Ping, what do you think?” Su Che asked immediately.

“There is something,” Yuan Ping replied, nodding. But he added, “However, I dare not waste my master’s time over this.”

Su Che chuckled and nodded. “We don’t care about it! Let’s go in.”

It’s not out of bitterness that I speak this way or to deliberately belittle it, but rather because those who possess the Gate of the Way at the Immortal-Demon Battlefield have ample opportunities to attain enlightenment. The Way of Qianyuan preserved within that battlefield was left behind by several great immortals, and its value is undoubtedly far greater than what can be seen now—there’s no doubt about that. As soon as one steps through this gate, the scenery around instantly changes. Clearly, the treasure appraisal venue is located within the spatial barrier of some massive formation, and from the outside, it’s impossible to fathom its mysteries. Upon entering, two receptionists of the Heavenly Immortal realm immediately approached. Without needing further words, Su Che and Yuan Ping conscientiously handed over two immortal artifacts. Each artifact contained two million immortal crystals. After a quick inspection, they were returned along with a smile and the words, “Welcome, fellow cultivators, to this treasure appraisal event.” Then, two jade amulet talismans were handed over. These talismans had to be worn around the waist and served as the pass for attendees. Without such talismans, anyone who dared wander around the venue would be politely asked to leave. This treasure appraisal event had no restrictions on the cultivators’ strength, but one must prove they had sufficient financial resources—a fundamental requirement. Similar trade gatherings are frequently held in various regions of the immortal realm, almost all the time, with events taking place somewhere. It’s not really a coincidence that Su Che encountered one. Perhaps, during the 3 trillion-li journey to Haoyuan Market, he might encounter several large-scale gatherings of different types. The first condition to unlock the seventh layer of the Immortal Prison is to obtain a natural divine artifact capable of containing various forces and attributes in the world. It is for this reason that Su Che is so interested in such gatherings. Natural divine artifacts are extremely rare; they can only be encountered by chance, not sought after. Even if one travels extensively and searches everywhere, it’s uncertain when they might be fortunate enough to find one. Moreover, it must meet the attribute requirements specified by the first condition, making the difficulty immeasurable. This depends entirely on fate and cannot be forced—Su Che was well prepared for this. By focusing his mind on the jade amulet talisman worn around his waist, he could learn about the several sub-venues set up for this event. Su Che first chose the “Rare Treasures Venue” to take a look there. The Gathering of Ten Thousand Immortals is truly grand and extraordinary! Such a temporary venue covers an area of over 20,000 li in radius, with each sub-venue separated by thousands of li.

The problem is that Su Che is only at the Human Immortal level; in the immortal realm, he can only travel at a speed of just over a thousand miles per hour. Moreover, once inside the venue, even flying at low altitude is not allowed. Does it really mean one has to walk for hours to reach the venue of rare treasures? Fortunately, the organizers took this into account and set up small short-distance teleportation arrays in many locations, providing free teleportation without any cost. In the blink of an eye, after stepping out of the teleportation array, the venue of rare treasures is right before one’s eyes!