206: Chapter 206 Substitute Talisman

Jiang Changge and the Grey-robed Elder smiled at each other, neither of them exposing the other's identity.

Sun Mingcheng stood in place, looking at the Grey-robed Elder, then at Jiang Changge, finally realizing how reckless his previous impulsiveness had been.

He hurriedly took a few steps back, bowed deeply, and said with an apologetic tone, "This Junior was highly offensive just now. I hope Senior can forgive me."

He did not know Jiang Changge's background, but someone whom the Grey-robed Elder addressed as "Fellow Daoist" was definitely not someone he could afford to provoke.

Jiang Changge waved his hand, not minding it.

His gaze remained fixed on the Grey-robed Elder, the smile at the corner of his mouth deepening slightly. "So, how about it? Want to make a bet?"

The Grey-robed Elder looked at him for a moment and suddenly smiled as well.

A trace of interest flashed in those eyes, which bore the deep marks of time, as if an old man who had sat dryly before a chessboard for a long time had finally waited for an opponent.

He raised his withered hand and pointed at the row of shelves behind Jiang Changge. "How shall we bet?"

Jiang Changge stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping across the rows of shelves displaying raw stones on the third floor. His tone was as casual as if he were merely commenting on the nice weather today. "You and I will each choose a raw stone and cut them open on the spot. Whoever cuts out an item of higher value wins."

He paused, the smile on his lips deepening further. "As for the stakes, how about this? If you win, I will gift you a life-substitution talisman that can block a Heavenly Tribulation. If I win, you answer one question of mine. What do you think?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the Cultivators on the third floor who were still spectating and had not yet dispersed gasped in unison.

A life-substitution talisman was a legendary Heaven Rank Talisman, said to be capable of blocking the most fatal heavenly thunderbolt for its wearer during Ascension while Undergoing Tribulation.

The entire Xuanhuang World had not seen a trace of a life-substitution talisman for ten thousand years. The last recorded appearance of a life-substitution talisman was at the ancient auction jointly held by the Five Great Sacred Lands of the Central Plains, where that life-substitution talisman was auctioned off for an astronomical price sufficient to buy an entire city.

Yet this young man in white before them actually used it as a wager so casually?

The Grey-robed Elder looked at Jiang Changge, a barely perceptible gleam flashing in his cloudy eyes.

He naturally knew the weight of a life-substitution talisman. Even to an existence like him, a life-substitution talisman was by no means an ordinary object.

Under the Heavenly Tribulation, even a Red Dust Immortal had to be cautious. Having one more life-substitution talisman meant having one more way out.

He fell silent for a moment, then nodded slowly. "Very well."

He did not ask what question Jiang Changge wanted to ask. At their level, some things did not need to be asked; the bet itself was a silent probing and clash.

Furthermore, he also wanted to see just how capable this Lord of Kunlun truly was.

And Jiang Changge similarly wanted to use this opportunity to test the depth and origin of this Red Dust Immortal.

The two clapped hands to seal the agreement, and the bet was officially set.

Sun Mingcheng stood to the side, not even daring to breathe loudly.

Having been obsessed with stone gambling since childhood, he had seen countless bets, but he had never seen a bet like this—a life-substitution talisman as the stake, and the answer to a question as the prize.

These two things, each more elusive than the other, were yet so incredibly precious that they made one's heart tremble.

Knowing that his eyes had been opened today, he hurriedly retreated to a corner further away, leaving the entire counter area to these two experts.

Jiang Changge was in no hurry to choose a raw stone. He turned to look at the manager of the third floor, his tone still casual:

"Please bring out the best raw stones your Bafang Pavilion has. The goods on these shelves probably won't catch this old gentleman's eye."

Having just witnessed with his own eyes the entire process of Sun Mingcheng cutting out a Heaven Rank spiritual marrow, and then hearing the words "life-substitution talisman," how could the manager dare to be negligent?

He bowed deeply to Jiang Changge and the Grey-robed Elder. "Please wait a moment, Seniors. This matter is no longer something this Junior can decide. I will go invite the Pavilion Master to come in person right away."

With that, he turned and jogged down the stairs, his footsteps hurried and chaotic.

Before long, a steadier set of footsteps echoed from the stairwell.

Walking in front was indeed the manager from earlier, followed by a middle-aged man in a dark blue robe. He had a lean face, three strands of long beard hanging down to his chest, and his body was enveloped in the aura of the Peak of Body Integration.

This person was the Pavilion Master of Bafang Pavilion's branch in Huaiyang City, Pavilion Master Guo Peng.

Pavilion Master Guo Peng stepped forward quickly, his gaze pausing for a brief moment on both Jiang Changge and the Grey-robed Elder.

He could not see through the depths of these two, but he knew that anyone who could make his manager so flustered was definitely no ordinary person.

Furthermore, for Bafang Pavilion to operate in the Xuanhuang World for thousands of years, it had never relied on cultivation level or eyesight, but on an acute sense for information.

He adjusted his robes, cupped his hands to salute Jiang Changge and the Grey-robed Elder respectively, his posture respectful but not subservient. "This Junior, Pavilion Master Guo Peng, is the Pavilion Master of Bafang Pavilion's Huaiyang Branch. Hearing that the two Seniors wish to bet in our pavilion, our pavilion is deeply honored. Please rest assured, Seniors, our pavilion will certainly present the finest raw stones without holding anything back."

As he spoke, the shopkeeper had already led several workers to carry out a few jade boxes from the depths of the storehouse.

Pavilion Master Guo Peng personally peeled off the sealing Talisman of the first jade box. The moment the lid was lifted, a wave of scorching heat rushed over them, causing the temperature of the entire third floor to suddenly rise by several degrees.

Lying in the box was a raw stone about the size of a human head. It was dark red all over, and the surface of its stone skin was covered in winding patterns resembling blood vessels, with a faint reddish-gold light flowing within.

"crimson flame blood marrow stone, originating from the ten-thousand-year-old mineral vein deep within the Flaming Mountains of the Western Regions," Pavilion Master Guo Peng introduced, his tone carrying a hint of pride.

"This stone was purchased by our pavilion three months ago at a high price from a great expert of the Western Regions, and it has never been shown to anyone before."

Next, he uncovered the second jade box, from which emanated a refreshing coolness that brought peace to one's mind.

The raw stone was about the size of two fists, moon-white all over, with a surface as smooth as a mirror, and a faint silver halo flowing beneath the stone skin.

"moonlight spirit jade, originating from the ancient mine pit deep beneath the sea of Mooncrest Island in the Eastern Sea. This stone has slept under the sea for an unknown number of tens of thousands of years, absorbing countless lunar essence forces. Its rank is definitely not lower than Heaven Rank."

The last jade box was the smallest, only the size of a palm. When Pavilion Master Guo Peng peeled off its sealing Talisman, his movements were even more solemn than the previous two times.

The raw stone in the box was dark gray, its surface covered with extremely fine patterns crisscrossing each other, faintly forming a fragmented picture. No spiritual energy fluctuations leaked out, making it look just like a piece of gravel casually picked up from the roadside.

"As for this piece, please forgive this Junior's bluntness, but even our pavilion's appraisers cannot explain its origin," Pavilion Master Guo Peng lowered his voice slightly.

"This stone was acquired by our pavilion several hundred years ago in an ancient ruin. Several appraisers examined it repeatedly but could not determine its material or age, only concluding that it is indeed no ordinary object."

The three raw stones were lined up in order, each displaying its own unique phenomenon.

The Cultivators on the third floor who had not yet dispersed stared with wide eyes. And just as they held their breath, waiting for the bet to begin, the news of this place was spreading in all directions at an astonishing speed.