“Thank you, Old Ancestor!” Wang Hao did not stand on ceremony and accepted the Storage Bag.

Wang Yanzhao also took out fifty thousand Spirit Stones and a jade bottle, saying, “The teleportation array is not cheap. Take these Spirit Stones. Additionally, here are two more Foundation Establishment Pills. I leave it to your discretion to distribute them for their use.”

This had been decided long ago: to have clan members establish their foundations overseas as much as possible, thereby avoiding drawing the suspicion of the Qingyuan Sect.

After the meeting concluded, Wang Hao set out with the other nine people. They boarded a flying boat headed for the Li Family. Once they picked up the Li Family cultivators, they would proceed at full speed to Qingyuan Market.

Only Qingyuan Market in the vicinity had a teleportation array. Wang Hao certainly couldn’t rely on the Flying Cloud Boat to cross the vast sea; that would be suicidal. Not even many Golden Core cultivators dared to attempt such a thing.

Furthermore, everyone needed to do some shopping at Qingyuan Market.

Wang Hao wanted a good flying sword. After instructing everyone to wait for him for a few days, he went directly to the Qingyuan Sect. Although the Qingyuan Sect had suffered greatly from the beast tide, they had also obtained many materials for artifact forging. He believed they could meet his needs.

Arriving at the familiar Guest Reception Hall, he did not see the two reception disciples from last time. Fortunately, with Du Xiandie’s token in hand, no one dared to cause trouble for Wang Hao.

After conveying his request to purchase a spiritual artifact, Wang Hao settled down to wait quietly.

Three days later, someone from the Guest Reception Hall came to inform Wang Hao that Du Xiandie had arrived and requested him to go to the hall for a meeting.

“Fairy Du, long time no see!” Wang Hao greeted politely upon entering. “I’m troubling you again this time!”

Du Xiandie smiled and shook her head. “Fellow Daoist Wang, I also profit from transactions, and it increases my artifact forging experience. It can hardly be called trouble!”

“Haha, Fairy Du is straightforward as always. Very well, please show me the artifacts you have,” Wang Hao said. He didn’t have time to wait for her to forge one; he could only see if she had anything suitable readily available.

“Fellow Daoist Wang wants a top-grade spiritual sword. I happened to forge one recently,” she said, stroking the Storage Bag at her waist.

A flash of spiritual light later, a spiritual sword appeared in her hand. The sword was long and slender, about three feet in length, with a faint bluish-green hue. Spiritual light flowed across its surface, making it dazzlingly bright!

“This sword is called the Child-Mother Green Light Sword. It was forged using a section of Green Light Bamboo combined with teeth from a second-grade top-tier demon beast! Fellow Daoist Wang, please try it and see if it suits you!” With that, she handed the Child-Mother Green Light Sword to Wang Hao.

Wang Hao took it and swung it a couple of times. It was neither too heavy nor too light, just right. Gently infusing it with True Essence, the Green Light Sword hummed with a resonant sound, as if a lion was roaring faintly within.

Wang Hao asked, “Could it be that a demon lion’s essence soul is sealed within this?”

Du Xiandie nodded. “Correct. Our sect gained many demon beasts during this beast tide and collected numerous beast souls as well. Sealed within this is the essence soul of a second-grade top-tier demon lion, a direct descendant of the Golden Lion Demon King’s bloodline. Its power is extraordinary!”

The reason second-grade artifacts are called spiritual artifacts isn’t just to distinguish them from first-grade artifacts; it’s also because they often have demon beast essence souls sealed within them as artifact spirits, hence the name.

“Fellow Daoist Wang, please try twisting the hilt firmly.”

Wang Hao did as instructed and found he could indeed twist it. It turned out there was a smaller sword hidden inside! The small sword was only one foot long and entirely white, seemingly forged simply from some kind of tooth. “The Child-Mother Green Light Sword… so that’s how it is!”

“It appears to be one sword but is actually two. This allows for an element of surprise at critical moments. If the mother sword is restrained, the child sword can be instantly released. Even if it doesn’t take the enemy’s life, it will surely inflict serious injury. Furthermore, an array is inscribed within this hilt. When activated, it can create illusions in the surrounding area—a mix of real and fake—making it hard to distinguish truth from falsehood and more conducive for the child sword to achieve its purpose!” Du Xiandie explained slowly.

Wang Hao examined it for a while longer and said, “It truly is marvelously ingenious. Fairy Du, I’ll take this sword. Name your price.”

Du Xiandie said, “The artifact spirit for this sword cost me fifteen hundred Spirit Stones to purchase. The Green Light Bamboo material is worth two thousand Spirit Stones; the demon lion’s teeth are worth fifteen hundred Spirit Stones; plus other materials and my forging fee… I’ll charge you seven thousand Spirit Stones.”

Seven thousand Spirit Stones for a fine top-grade spiritual artifact really wasn’t much; it could potentially sell for as high as ten thousand Spirit Stones on the market. Wang Hao took out several bottles of pills and asked, “I wonder if Fairy Du accepts payment in pills?”

Du Xiandie briefly inspected them and found they were all pills usable during Foundation Establishment stage cultivation; among them were two bottles of Vein Protection Pills. She immediately nodded. “Naturally, I can.”

Wang Hao also settled the pill payment with Du Xiandie at lower prices—a gesture of returning kindness for kindness. After concluding their transaction, Wang Hao quickly left the Qingyuan Sect without even meeting Chu He or Chen Qing. Better to avoid unnecessary trouble when possible—as this journey overseas required utmost caution.

Returning to Qingyuan Market, in one of the rooms at the backyard of the The Wang Family shop, several Foundation Establishment cultivators from both families were holding a meeting.

Li Dedao cupped his hands and asked, “Fellow Daoist Wang, has the destination been decided?”

Both families shared the same goal, bound together by the Essence Condensing Fruit tree. Before departure, Li Family head Li Yaozu also instructed Li Dedao to discuss everything with the The Wang Family, suggesting their opinion should carry weight.

Wang Hao said, “We only have twenty people this time. Although there are five Foundation Establishment cultivators, such a scale isn’t particularly strong compared to hunting teams exploring outside. So I’ve decided to go to the Myriad Manifestations Islands first!”

The Myriad Manifestations Islands lay several million miles away from Qingyuan Market, considered one of the nearest island groups. The archipelago had only been developed for a few thousand years. Rich in demon beast resources, many islands remained unclaimed, making it a perfect place for both families to find and occupy, thus developing and operating simultaneously to enable sustainable development.

Li Dedao was slightly surprised. “Going to the Myriad Manifestations Islands? But that area borders demon territory. Frequent large-scale battles occur, and even Foundation Establishment cultivators often perish. Isn’t it too dangerous?”

Wang Hao shook his head. “I’ve already checked. There hasn’t been a major battle there in decades; demons also need to recuperate. Other places may be less dangerous, but suitable islands are already occupied, and demon beast resources aren’t abundant either. Our families are going to develop, not enjoy luxury!”

Wang Hao smiled lightly, looking at them. “Your Li Family selected elite cultivators this time. I heard overseas even Foundation Establishment Pills can be bought. Without abundant demon beast resources, where will we get Spirit Stones to buy pills and let them establish their foundations?”

Li Derong said, “Fellow Daoist Wang is right. The Myriad Manifestations Islands are just suitable. Even if war breaks out between humans and demons, it’s a matter for large forces. They don’t need us Foundation Establishment cultivators on the frontline!”

“Since that is so, then it is entirely up to Fellow Daoist Wang to decide!” Since Li Derong agreed, opposing further would make him appear cowardly.

Everyone made separate preparations. After spending thirty thousand Spirit Stones at an auction purchasing a set of second-grade top-tier formation arrays, departure day arrived.

Wang Hao led everyone to the teleportation array at Qingyuan Market. Going to the Myriad Manifestations Islands required four thousand low-grade Spirit Stones per person, causing Wang Hao and the others to wince in pain. They hadn’t even started yet, and various preparations had already cost over a hundred thousand Spirit Stones.

Because resources were abundant overseas, the value of demon beasts was lower. An average second-grade low-tier demon beast was around fifteen hundred Spirit Stones, mid-tier about three thousand, and high-tier five thousand. Of course, if it had a demon core, the price was higher. Rare varieties could fetch a high price of ten thousand Spirit Stones.

Calculating based on mid-tier demon beasts, both families needed to hunt over thirty to recoup costs. Adding the consumption of spirit talismans, pills, and artifacts used in hunting, they might need fifty to achieve a break-even point.

Within the Teleportation Hall, a circular formation array a hundred zhang in diameter lay before them. Hundreds of uniformly sized grooves were carved into it, filled with profound array patterns.