The Flame Blade Princess suddenly realized that the golden-armored figure was holding someone by the neck with one hand.
It was the Illusion.
The very same Illusion, who had just been so high-handed, manipulating her with Mirage, was now gripped mercilessly by the long white neck by the golden-armored figure, cowering like a quail, meekly following along.
"This is the real deal... Iâve truly been rescued."
The Flame Blade Princess let out a long sigh, but then emotions of discontent and loss flooded over her.
She was utterly perplexed.
"In terms of combat power, Illusion was originally on par with me. Yet, today, why is she so much stronger than me?"
"Is it because she joined under Lord Gangxinâs banner, and her power advanced by leaps and bounds?"
Confused, the Flame Blade Princessâs eyes turned towards the back of the figure in golden armor.
The other person was carrying Illusion to find her father.
Huh, her father was here too?
The Flame Blade Princess blushed deeply.
...
"Lord Zhu Que, I apologize. My subordinate doesnât know human affairs well and has been insensitive, exposing peopleâs scars on purpose."
Bai Puâs large hand held Illusion by the back of the neck, "Hurry up and apologize to Lord Zhu Que."
Illusion weakly apologized, projecting a pitiable image.
"Haha, itâs fine, itâs fine."
Zhu Que was rather straightforward, waving his hand and saying, "Fighting against demons proficient in illusion techniques is an essential part of practical training. Revealing this scar sooner is a good thing, otherwise encountering similar demons in the future would surely be a disaster."
Zhu Que was indifferent to this.
In fact, Bai Pu also didnât mind, given his and Zhu Queâs level of power and status, they naturally wouldnât be upset over a "juniorâs" fight.
The reason he made Illusion apologize was partly to save face, and partly for practical interests.
"Sect Leader Zhu Que, during the eradication of the Red Emperorâs lair, Illusion found some human relics... Illusion, show them."
Illusion raised her hand, and with a swoosh, a pile of weaponry, equipment, and valuable antiques scattered on the ground.
Immediately, the Heart-Burning Style disciples around them all widened their eyes.
"So many famous swords!"
"Perfect vessels for Demon Ghost Weapons!"
"The Zha Armor of the Mountain-Slaying Sword Hero..."
Exclamations rose and fell.
Zhu Queâs forehead veins bulged, and he glared at the disciples, "What are you all gathered here for? Quickly go and invite Elder Qiong!"
When Bai Pu received his merit, he was prompted about "Elder Qiong," instructing him to go to Zhu Qiong for merit exchange.
So Zhu Qiong should be the "Quartermaster" of the Nan Zhu Burning Heart Style in Demon-Subduing City.
Before long, Elder Qiong arrived.
Seeing the pile of famous swords and antiques on the ground, even with Elder Qiongâs discerning eye, he couldnât help but gasp.
However, Elder Qiong was worthy of being the Zhu Clan member most adept at business, though struck by a thunderous emotion, his face remained as calm as a lake.
After inviting Bai Pu and the others to a dedicated reception room, Elder Qiong didnât even look up, picking up a scroll and slowly unfurling it, saying, "Hmm, this painting seems somewhat recent, likely a later imitation of Mr. Shouyeâs work, but itâs quite realistic, so itâs tentatively set at one hundred coins..."
Zhu Que coughed, "Elder Qiong, these items all belong to the esteemed Lord Gangxin. Lord Gangxin slew the Red Emperor, performing an unparalleled deed for the Guardian Camp. You should look carefully and clearly."
"Ah!" exclaimed Elder Qiong, hurriedly taking out his glasses from his sleeve, wiping them on his sleeve, and wearing them to look more closely.
"Hmm, it appears to be a modern work, but judging by the age of the scrollâs wood, this is indeed Mr. Shouyeâs original work, âHundred Demons Night Paradeâ! Itâs worth a fortune!"
Bai Pu was silent.
No matter where you are, power is always the best form of identification.
If it were an unknown Awakened, even if they plundered the Red Emperorâs trove for human relics, theyâd be heavily swindled by these cunning native elders.
Of course, Awakened can haggle, engaging in a battle of wits with the natives, just like Bai Pu did when he dealt with the Beiming Clanâs quartermaster, Elder Beiming Gangma, which eventually reduced some losses, essentially trading at fair prices.
Now, with the feat of slaying the Red Emperor, surpassing Zhu Queâs power, Bai Pu doesnât need to haggle; the Zhu Clan wouldnât dare to undercut the price and would instead pay a premium for these items.
Of course, the premium amount is limited; an additional two or three tenths is the extreme.
At Bai Puâs level, this two or three tenths premium is just a little extraâa small perk, not really a significant benefit.
With Zhu Qiongâs appraisal, the final value of these items was determined.
Elder Qiong exchanged 10 large gold bars and 20 small gold bars for this batch of human heroesâ relics and valuable antiques from Bai Puâs hand.
Large gold bars, a valuable commodity widely used across many Spirit Realm Planes, can be exchanged for 10,000 Spiritual Points per bar.
Bai Pu had previously exchanged small gold bars, which are worth 3,000 Spiritual Points each.
This means that from the Red Emperorâs treasury, the relics of human martial artists and merchants netted Bai Pu Spirit Realm gold worth 160,000 Spiritual Points.
Bai Pu felt it was a fair trade.
Elder Qiong felt it was a fair trade too, saying with a broad smile, "Lord Gangxin, if there are any more spoils from demon slaying, youâre always welcome to come to me!"
Bai Pu nodded, then silently initiated the merit exchange.
In an instant, everything around him froze, and Bai Pu himself was stuck unable to move.
It was like the game had paused.
With limited time, Bai Pu opened the merit exchange list and began a quick browse.
[Due to your slaying of the Red Emperor, your reputation in the Ashes Sea has solidified to Adoration.]
This was the message from the Spirit Realm Will when Bai Pu slew the Red Emperor.
Bai Pu felt it was quite reasonable. In certain old single-player games from the Common Era, even after the protagonist completed the main storyline to save the world, theyâd still be chased by villagers for killing a chicken, which felt too out of place.
At this moment, Bai Pu had 24,000 Merit Points.
Truth be told, compared to such a significant achievement as slaying the Red Emperor, this amount of merit points isnât considered high â especially since these 24,000 points include the merit reward for completing an S-level main quest.
However, the amount of merit depends on "item prices" â that is, the merit cost for exchanging items.
Fortunately, the item prices in the Heart Demon World arenât high.
In the list available for exchange with an Adoration reputation, there was a full set of golden quality Hero Level equipment from the [Nan Zhu Swordsman Series], priced at 1,000 Merit Points each.
Of course, Bai Pu wasnât interested in these pieces of equipment. He redeemed some curios specific to the Heart Demon World.
[Penglai Jade Branch (Rare): An S+ item that, upon use, increases life value limit by 360 points. Requires 1,500 merit points. This item can only be used once and does not stack with effects from similar items.]
[Vermilion Bird Flame Jade (Rare): An S+ item that, upon use, increases flame resistance by 40 points. Requires 1,500 merit points. This item can only be used once and does not stack with effects from similar items.]