Everything has a price.
How much something can be sold for depends on the needs of both parties in the transaction—it reflects their ability to bargain, their confidence, and other factors that can cause the price to fluctuate. The same item may be valued differently in different regions.
To those in need, Soldier's Blood Crystals are priceless. But to ordinary cultivators, they are useless. They can't absorb or refine them to enhance their cultivation or combat strength. These crystals are only beneficial to military personnel.
That niche nature also means they have limitations.
Yet their unique abilities make them highly valuable and rare.
Balancing both sides, a price of 1,500 Eternal Coins per Soldier's Blood Crystal was already fair.
Of course, this wasn't Yi Tianxing's upper limit. If necessary, he could even pay 10,000 Eternal Coins per crystal and not consider it expensive—because his position was different. Still, if the price could be lowered, why not take advantage?
And this price clearly met the psychological expectations of Feng Xianlin and the others.
They exchanged glances and nodded. "Alright, 1,500 Eternal Coins per Soldier's Blood Crystal. We have quite a few of them—let's see how many you can take."
In General Valley, the air naturally generates Iron-Blooded Sha Qi, condensing Soldier's Fiendish Qi. Cultivating within the valley is just as effective as using the crystals. So these crystals, while valuable elsewhere, were almost like a chicken rib to them—something with limited value. They were mostly stored in warehouses or carried by soldiers when leaving the valley as auxiliary training items.
Indeed, the stockpile of Soldier's Blood Crystals in General Valley was massive.
Each of the four general residences had large quantities stored in their treasure vaults.
"I can take however many you've got," Yi Tianxing said with a confident glint in his eye.
He had brought an astronomical sum of Eternal Coins—measured in the billions. With material bartering factored in, the actual coin expenditure would never exceed his reserves.
"Very well. I can offer 100,000 crystals for trade," Feng Xianlin said after a brief pause.
"I'll also contribute 100,000," Xue Kunlun added.
"In that case, I'll add 100,000 too," Yue Qiang said with a smile.
"Count me in. I'll put in 100,000 as well."
A crisp voice rang out from the door.
A figure stepped in, clad in military attire—Hua Mulan. Her presence was commanding, her body still carried a faint aura of blood and fiendish Qi. The fierceness around her was even more intense than before.
"Daoist Yi, we meet again. It's been a month—I didn't expect to run into you here," Hua Mulan said with a bright smile, her eyes filled with delight.
Ever since hearing that Yi Tianxing intended to enter the Devil Oasis, she had felt worried. But as they'd only just met, she had no grounds to stop him. His determination at the time had made it clear that persuasion was futile. Meanwhile, she had her own matters to attend to.
She thought that after entering the oasis, the chance of meeting again would be slim.
But upon returning, she heard of a merchant named Yi in the Thousand-Army Oasis, bearing rare treasures and goods. Upon seeing Wu Shuanggui, she immediately knew this Yi must be none other than Yi Tianxing—so she came at once.
"One month?"
Yi Tianxing was taken aback. In his memory, they had only parted a few days ago. How could it have been over a month?
His first instinct was disbelief.
But he quickly dismissed it—Hua Mulan wouldn't lie about such a thing. There was no reason, no benefit. Which meant she was telling the truth. But so was his experience.
"If Hua Mulan isn't lying, and I'm not mistaken either, then there's only one explanation—the world we entered through the Devil Oasis wasn't part of the living realm, but the underworld. If so, then space and time must flow differently there. A month in the outside world might have been only a day in the underworld."
Yi Tianxing's mind worked rapidly.
This was the only plausible explanation—and it was likely the truth.
The two worlds had a temporal differential.
Just like the ancient legend: One day in heaven equals a year on earth. Perhaps that wasn't a myth, but a real temporal shift.
Without direct experience, it would be impossible to understand.
Short stays wouldn't reveal it. And to someone unfamiliar with the Golden Sand Desert, there were few markers to tell how much time had passed. The environment and surrounding changes were subtle, making it hard to notice the time difference.
These thoughts flashed through Yi Tianxing's mind without showing on his face.
He had no intention of discussing this—after all, it involved the Devil oasis, and likely the underworld and Yellow Springs. If he was correct, the Devil oasis might be a gateway to the underworld. Whether it was an official one or not, no one could say.
"It is my honor to meet you again, General Hua. How went the matter with the Desert Bandits?" Yi Tianxing asked calmly.
"The Desert Marauders are elusive. We tracked a clue to one of their strongholds and destroyed it. But the main force, especially King Hua, escaped. However, we rescued over half the abducted women—they're being sheltered in General City now."
As she mentioned the Marauders, cold killing intent seeped from Hua Mulan's brow.
King Hua had strange, twisted abilities and was no weakling. His body-switching technique was repugnant and hard to counter. Without special methods to block his technique, he was nearly impossible to kill—unless caught off guard and taken out in a single blow.
"In that case, it's best to gather treasures that can seal space, like talismans. Set a trap and seal the void before the strike—then even the trickiest of substitution techniques can't save him," Yi Tianxing advised.
"Oh? Daoist Yi, do you have such space-sealing treasures?"
Hua Mulan's eyes lit up with anticipation.
"Indeed I do. I have a one-time-use treasure known as the Void Talisman—a naturally formed artifact. When activated, it can seal a space hundreds of miles wide, disabling flight, teleportation, and any spatial abilities. If you're interested, General Hua, I could part with it—but it won't be cheap."
As he spoke, Yi Tianxing produced a silver-white jade talisman.
He had obtained it during the great cataclysm—a one-time-use treasure of great power. With the right application, it could change the course of a battle.
Under its effect, even spatial gates would be suppressed.
Of course, if the gate's grade were high enough, it could resist the seal and forcibly break through the void.
"Void Talisman? A one-use treasure that seals spatial powers within a wide radius… Incredible! With that, even King Hua's substitution trick won't save him!"
Hua Mulan's face lit up with joy.
Her hatred of King Hua ran deep. The women they rescued had already suffered unspeakable horrors at the hands of the Marauders. The hellish scenes she had witnessed still haunted her. Inwardly, she had sworn—she wouldn't stop until King Hua was dead, and the Marauders wiped out.
This Void Talisman gave her hope.
"Such an artifact isn't sold with Eternal Coins. I usually only barter it for other unique treasures. Its price would be no less than a million Eternal Coins, and even then, it's priceless in rarity," Yi Tianxing said evenly.
"A million…"
The price was steep for a one-time item. But not beyond Hua Mulan's reach. What truly made her pause was Yi Tianxing's refusal to sell for coins—he wanted a trade of treasures.