270: Chapter 268 Tianbaofang

Yun Ming emerged from the Sundries shop, but he did not return to Huai Tree Alley.

He continued walking along the Heavenly Street, browsing one shop after another.

By the time he stepped out of the last shop on Heavenly Street, Yun Ming's face was etched with disappointment.

The shopkeeper was an old man at the Foundation Establishment Late Stage. Seeing how carefully Yun Ming inquired, he had been patient, but in the end, he sighed and shook his head. "Fellow Daoist, it's not that this old man is unwilling to do business with you, but the item you're looking for simply cannot be found here on Heavenly Street. In the entire Tianyuan City, only a few long-standing establishments in Tianbao Market are capable of setting up such a Formation. If you are truly serious, you might as well go to Tianbao Market to try your luck."

Yun Ming pondered for a moment and nodded.

The Teleportation Array flashed with silver light, and when he emerged, Yun Ming was already standing in Tianbao Market.

Tianbao Market was the largest marketplace in Tianyuan City. Unlike the prosperity of Heavenly Street, the prosperity here had a different flavor. If Heavenly Street was the bustle of ten thousand immortals coming to pay homage, then Tianbao Market was the clamor of ten thousand treasures gathering together.

The entire Tianbao Market was suspended in mid-air, enveloped by a layer of pale gold Formation light curtain. Upon the light curtain, countless profound runes flowed slowly like swimming fish. With every rotation, specks of spiritual light fell like celestial maidens scattering flowers. The ground of the marketplace was paved with a type of jade Yun Ming had never seen before; the jade was completely transparent, with flowing spiritual liquid sealed inside. Stepping on it felt slightly soft, as if walking on clouds.

Within the marketplace, pavilions and towers stood in great numbers.

Those buildings were no ordinary structures of wood and stone, but Magic Treasures that had been refined. Some pavilions were shaped like inverted mountain peaks, with the summit pointing down and the base facing up. Copper bells hung from the layered eaves, letting out pleasant tinkling sounds when the wind blew; every chime contained a wonderful rhythm that calmed the souls of those who heard it. Other pavilions were constructed entirely from spiritual wood, with tree trunks as pillars and leaves as tiles; the entire building was constantly growing, occasionally sprouting new buds and shedding strands of spiritual light. There were even pavilions carried on the backs of giant spirit turtles; the spirit turtles napped with closed eyes, their four limbs treading firmly upon the Void Realm, while three-story buildings were erected on their shells, with beautiful female Cultivators greeting guests with smiles at the doors.

From time to time, streaks of light flashed through the air as Cultivators steering flying Magic Treasures shuttled through the marketplace. Some trod upon Flying Swords, some sat upon lotus pedestals, some rode snow-white spirit cranes, and some were simply supported by a mass of clouds and mist, drifting past above Yun Ming's head.

Yun Ming even saw a flying boat about ten zhang long. Its hull was embedded with countless spiritual jades, and its sails were woven from gold thread, embroidered with a massive character for "Treasure." The flying boat slowly sailed over the marketplace. Several Cultivators in brocade robes stood at the bow, looking down from their high vantage point with arrogant expressions, as if this entire marketplace were nothing more than scenery in their back garden.

On both sides of the street, shops stood in rows.

The storefront of every shop was extremely luxurious. Some used spiritual jade for door pillars, some used spiritual crystals for steps, and some storefronts were entirely a Magical Artifact themselves, capable of automatically changing colors and patterns based on the time. Attendants stood before the shop doors to welcome guests; every single one was a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, and occasionally, one could even see Golden Core Cultivators personally standing at the door to greet distinguished guests.

People came and went on the street, rubbing shoulders. Among the Cultivators passing by were scions of great families in magnificent ritual robes, Sect elites surrounded by spiritual light, high-level Loose Cultivators covered in the dust of travel but with sharp eyes, and even a few elders with unfathomable auras. Their Spiritual Pressure was as heavy as mountains, causing the surrounding Cultivators to unconsciously make way for them.

Yun Ming noticed that at an inconspicuous stall by the roadside, the few items the stall owner had casually laid out would be enough to cause a sensation over at Heavenly Street. A Spiritual Plant emitting nine-colored light, a fist-sized Ore containing starlight, and even a high-quality rank-six Medicinal Pill were just placed haphazardly on wooden shelves. The prices were staggeringly high, yet among the passing Cultivators, people actually stopped to bargain seriously.

"Good heavens," Yun Ming whispered in admiration.

He walked through this marketplace brimming with Spiritual Qi for a while before finding a high platform. Looking out, he could faintly see several even more grand buildings deep within the marketplace. Spiritual light soared into the sky there, dyeing half the heavens in seven colors. He knew that was the true core of Tianbao Market—top-tier shops personally overseen by Nascent Soul old monsters.

His goal for this trip was clear: he only wanted to find a shop specializing in Formations to inquire about the situation before making further plans.

After walking along the main street for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Yun Ming saw a sign that wasn't particularly eye-catching—"Wanxiang Array Pavilion." The sign was a zhang-long jade board with four large characters carved in spiritual ink. Within the ink, fine formation patterns shifted constantly, as if the four characters themselves were a living Formation.

The storefront wasn't large, but an extremely complex Formation diagram was carved above the lintel. Yun Ming only looked at it twice before feeling dizzy, and he hurriedly looked away. He was secretly amazed, knowing he had likely encountered a true expert.

He pushed the door open and entered.

The next moment, Yun Ming froze in place.

This was not a shop.

Or rather, the interior of this shop had been transformed by a Formation into an independent Small World.

Inside the door was a vast prairie that stretched as far as the eye could see. The green grass was like a carpet, extending to the horizon to merge with the azure sky. There was no sun in the sky, yet a layer of soft light fell evenly, illuminating the entire space. A gentle breeze blew, causing waves of grass to rise and fall with a rustling sound. The air was filled with the fresh scent of grass and earth, and even carried a hint of the sweet taste of Spiritual Qi.

And upon this boundless prairie stood countless Formations.

Large and small, in various shapes, they were too many to count.

Some Formations were only the size of a palm, floating in mid-air as if held up by an invisible hand, emitting a faint glow. Some Formations covered several mu, with formation patterns deeply embedded into the earth; every line was as thick as an arm, and spiritual light surged through the patterns with a low humming sound. There were also Formations suspended high in the sky, as if nailed to the vault of heaven, with layered Formation diagrams and extremely complex structures; just a single glance was enough to make one's soul waver.

Some of these Formations were rotating slowly, some were constantly changing color, and others were emitting rhythmic light, like the breathing of a living thing. Between the Formations, spiritual light as thin as hair connected them, weaving a massive network that enveloped the entire prairie.

Yun Ming stood at the door, not moving his feet for a long time.

He had studied the Dao of Formations; although he wasn't a master, he was by no means a layman. Because of this, he could feel the shock of the scene before him more than an ordinary person. Each of these Formations would be a priceless treasure if placed outside, yet here, there were thousands of them, just placed casually on a prairie, left to the wind and sun—no, there was no wind or sun here; this was a Small World opened by a Formation Grandmaster, and these Formations themselves were the skeleton of this world.

"Is this Fellow Daoist here to look at Formations?"

A voice came from the side, interrupting Yun Ming's shock.

He turned to look and saw a young Cultivator in green robes had approached at some point. This person had an ordinary face, average height, and a cultivation at the Foundation Establishment Early Stage, with a professional, warm smile on his face. However, his eyes were quite lively; with a quick roll, they scanned Yun Ming from head to toe.

Yun Ming knew this must be the welcoming attendant of "Wanxiang Array Pavilion." He just hadn't expected that in Tianbao Market, even a lowly welcoming attendant would be a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

"Indeed," Yun Ming said, suppressing the shock in his heart and cupping his hands. "I wish to purchase a teleportation Formation. I wonder if your pavilion has any recommendations?"

Hearing this, the green-robed attendant's eyes lit up, and his smile became a bit more sincere. He stepped aside and made a gesture of invitation, laughing. "Fellow Daoist has come at a good time. Teleportation Arrays are one of the specialties of our Wanxiang Array Pavilion. Please follow me."

After saying that, he took the lead, walking along a bluestone path toward the depths of the prairie. Yun Ming hurriedly followed.

The two traveled a distance across the prairie, passing countless Formations along the way, which left Yun Ming dazzled. He could barely discern the principles of some Formations, while others were completely beyond his scope of knowledge. He even saw a giant Formation over a hundred zhang in diameter. A massive spirit core floated at the Formation Eye; the spirit core was crimson throughout, emitting startling heat, and the air around the entire Formation was distorted by the heat.

"That is a large-scale fire-attribute Spirit Gathering Array, specifically supplied for use by Alchemy Sects," the green-robed attendant explained casually, his tone flat as if this priceless giant Formation was just an ordinary item in his eyes.

After walking for another moment, the attendant stopped and pointed ahead.

"Fellow Daoist, please look. These are the three types of teleportation Formations our pavilion is currently promoting."

Yun Ming looked in the direction of his finger and saw a flat open space ahead, where three Teleportation Arrays of different sizes stood.

The one on the left was the smallest, covering barely a zhang. Its formation patterns were simple and clear, with restrained spiritual light, giving off a sense of exquisite craftsmanship. The core of the Formation was a fist-sized Spirit Stone embedded in the Formation Eye, which was slowly rotating.

"This is a small-scale Teleportation Array with an effective distance of one hundred thousand li," the attendant introduced. "This Formation is excellently crafted, stable, and reliable, and its energy consumption isn't too large. The vast majority of the teleportation networks currently used in Tianyuan City are of this grade. It is suitable for use within Sects or families, or for placement between fixed strongholds."

Yun Ming nodded slightly and shifted his gaze to the one in the middle.

The middle Teleportation Array covered about ten zhang. Its formation patterns were much more complex than the small one, with layers of nesting; the auxiliary formation patterns of the outer layer alone numbered nearly a hundred. At the Formation Eye was a fist-sized, silver-white spirit core. Lightning flashed on the surface of the spirit core, emitting fine crackling sounds.

"A medium-scale Teleportation Array, effective distance of one million li." The attendant's tone rose slightly. "Teleportation Arrays of this grade are usually used for long-distance travel between Sects. For example, several major Sects in Tianyuan City use this type for the teleportation channels between their mountain gates and Tianyuan City. The advantages are the long distance, good stability, and the ability to carry multiple people at once, but the disadvantages are also obvious—it is difficult to set up, has extremely high requirements for the quality of the spirit core, and the energy consumption for each activation is not small."

Yun Ming couldn't help but look at that medium-scale Teleportation Array a few more times. One million li—this meant that if he could have such a Teleportation Array, going from his current location to the Qingxuan Sect would take only the blink of an eye.