"Hold on, if I'm not mistaken, didn't Fellow Daoist Tang just trade the Genesis Wood Crystal with Fellow Daoist Di? How can the same item be traded to two people?" The thin cultivator, Gou Zibi, suddenly opened his narrowed eyes, his voice tinged with coldness.
Tammy Tang's face turned pale as soon as she heard this.
Joe Di didn't know the transaction rules, but he guessed that Tammy Tang must have broken them. With that thought, he unhesitatingly sent a telepathic message to Tammy Tang, "Senior Sister Tang, just go ahead with the trade. When I ask you about the transaction later, just take out any item you want. No matter what it is, just say it's the Genesis Wood Crystal. Leave the rest to me."
At this moment, everyone's gaze was fixed on Tammy Tang. Sitting at the head, Jason Silentwood even let a cruel, cold smile slip from the corner of his mouth. No one needed to guess what Jason Silentwood was planning; they all sighed inwardly, thinking Tammy Tang was doomed.
Guang Mingzi didn't hesitate to take Tammy Tang's Genesis Wood Crystal, but he didn't give her his Rainbow Phoenix Blood.
Thanks to Joe Di's telepathic message, Tammy Tang calmed down, secretly grateful that Joe Di was on her side.
Now composed, Tammy Tang stared at Guang Mingzi and said coolly, "Fellow Daoist Guang Mingzi, are you trying to swallow my Genesis Wood Crystal? I've given you my item for half a day, so why haven't you handed over the Rainbow Phoenix Blood?"
Guang Mingzi frowned, then said, "You're trading the same item with two people. The matter isn't settled yet, so I can't continue the transaction with you."
Though he said he couldn't continue the transaction with Tammy Tang, he showed no intention of returning the Genesis Wood Crystal to her.
Tammy Tang laughed heartily, "Even if I did trade the same item with two people, no one else has found me yet, so my issue hasn't come to light. Before my issue is exposed, are you planning to break the transaction rules first? I have plenty of Genesis Wood Crystals, or is it that you just want to take my stuff?"
Guang Mingzi instinctively cast his gaze toward Jason Silentwood, hoping he would speak up. Since Jason Silentwood was the one who set the rules, he obviously wasn't foolish enough to step in and help Guang Mingzi now. He planned to deal with Tammy Tang and Joe Di later, expecting Joe Di to eventually give up so he could punish them both and confiscate their belongings.
Seeing Jason Silentwood remain silent, Guang Mingzi cursed inwardly and could only take out a Jade Vial and toss it to Tammy Tang.
If he continued to pretend not to hand over the item at this point, his outcome would surely be disastrous.
Tammy Tang accepted the Jade Vial and opened it in front of everyone. When she sensed a drop of Dao resonance brimming with powerful Phoenix Clan aura, she was overjoyed and quickly put the vial away.
Now, everyone turned their attention to Joe Di. Most cultivators who knew about the relationship between Tammy Tang and Joe Di thought he would say, 'Since that's the case, let's forget it.' If Joe Di really said that, it would be disastrous today.
No one warned Joe Di; all the cultivators present were waiting to see how he would meet his end.
Instead, Joe Di tapped the table and looked at Tammy Tang. "Senior Sister Tang, I don't care if you've traded with someone else, even if you take out another Genesis Wood Crystal and trade it again. But now, you need to produce the Genesis Wood Crystal you traded with me. Otherwise, I won't be polite."
Many Genesis Realm Saint Emperors nodded secretly. Joe Di was truly ruthless—even his companion was thrown under the bus. With these words, Joe Di ensured his own safety, but doomed Tammy Tang.
Though ruthless, such tactics were considered normal among cultivators. In the world of cultivation, it's always 'better my companion dies than me.'
Even though Joe Di had sent her a telepathic message earlier, Tammy Tang couldn't help but shiver at his words. Worried, she took out a wooden box, opened it, and said, "Fellow Daoist Di, fortunately I have two Genesis Wood Crystals. Here's another one for our trade."
Two Genesis Wood Crystals? Everyone was shocked—obtaining one Genesis Wood Crystal was already a heaven-defying stroke of luck, but getting two at once? What kind of fortune was that?
All eyes in the hall fell on the wooden box in Tammy Tang's hands, but soon everyone was speechless. Inside was just a dull gray material. Its grade seemed high, but compared to a Genesis Wood Crystal, it was far inferior.
Joe Di, however, was overjoyed. To him, this item was almost as valuable as a Genesis Wood Crystal. It was a Voidfeather Crystal, definitely a top-tier divine material. Formed from condensed void wind Dao resonance, Voidfeather Crystal is the best material for refining flying artifacts. Thankfully, he had the World Book, otherwise he wouldn't have recognized it.
With Silverfrost Sulfur and now this Voidfeather Crystal, once his artifact refinement skills improved, Joe Di would be able to craft a top-tier flying artifact.
"Senior Sister Tang, why does this look nothing like a Genesis Wood Crystal?" Joe Di asked suspiciously.
Tammy Tang's heart skipped a beat and she quickly replied, "This is a Genesis Wood Crystal. It's just of a higher grade than the one I traded away earlier, so it's black in color."
"I see. Thank you, Senior Sister Tang, for saving the good stuff for me. Here is your item." As he spoke, Joe Di handed the Elemental Veil to Tammy Tang.
Without hesitation, Tammy Tang tossed the Voidfeather Crystal to Joe Di, feeling relieved.
"Heh, using a common artifact material and passing it off as a Genesis Wood Crystal—do you think we're blind?" Gou Zibi wasn't about to let Joe Di off so easily.
Joe Di just chuckled. "Are you blind or just stupid? Tammy Tang and I are trading, and neither of us objects to the item. Even if your grandpa here got fooled, I'd accept it willingly. Are you my son or my grandson, that you need to stand up for your grandpa?"
Gou Zibi's face grew dark as he looked toward Jason Silentwood.
Jason Silentwood replied coldly, "Next, the following Daoist may proceed with their trade."
Jason Silentwood said nothing about Tammy Tang and Joe Di's transaction because it was his rule: as long as both parties agreed and the trade was completed, it was nobody else's business. Even if Tammy Tang tricked Joe Di, as long as Joe Di accepted it, no one could object.
Joe Di didn't mind. He had set up plenty of array flags here, so even if Jason Silentwood tried to make trouble, he wasn't afraid. If he couldn't win, he'd just leave—there was no one here strong enough to overpower him, and if he couldn't win, he could still escape.
Tammy Tang breathed a sigh of relief, grateful for Joe Di's support.
It seemed all the good items had been traded, or perhaps everyone was reluctant to bring out more treasures. The following trades were all mediocre, with nothing as extraordinary as Primordial Chaos Essence, Rainbow Phoenix Blood, or Genesis Wood Crystal appearing again.
After a long while, the trades concluded. Jason Silentwood's smile returned. "Everyone has come from afar, and at least no one leaves empty-handed. Each of you has gained something. Now, I'll explain why I invited you all here. Before I reveal the purpose, I must say: if you wish to join us, please stay. If you don't, feel free to leave now."
Tammy Tang was about to stand up when Joe Di's telepathic message reached her ear again: "Senior Sister Tang, absolutely do not leave now. I just sensed that this place is already sealed off by a top-tier trapping and killing array. I'm sure Jason Silentwood is planning to kill everyone to silence them. If we leave first, we'll be the first targets."
Tammy Tang shuddered again. She had come here for the Rainbow Phoenix Blood, but hadn't expected Jason Silentwood to be so treacherous.
After waiting a moment with no one leaving, Jason Silentwood beamed, "Since no one is leaving, I'll speak frankly. The treasure we're searching for this time is extraordinary. I'm sure you've all heard of the Ten Primordial Roots?"
"Could it be one of the Ten Primordial Roots?" The Genesis Realm Saint Emperor of the Demon Clan, Fan Yuan, blurted out, his eyes filled with excitement.
Jason Silentwood chuckled, "If you insist, you could say it's one of the Ten Primordial Roots. But this treasure far surpasses any other root—it's a Chaos Lotus..."
"Chaos Lotus? The one and only Chaos Root!" Fan Yuan gasped.
Back then, the Demon Clan's Genesis Realm Saint Emperor Zhuge Zhichen was killed because of this Chaos Lotus. Later, many Demon Clan experts believed the Chaos Lotus was fabricated by the Wing Clan's Cang Luo to cause internal strife. But now, Fan Yuan heard of the Chaos Lotus again.