The oppressive weight of Li Chen’s dark Qi settled over the obsidian counter, cracking the polished stone face near the hunchbacked clerk’s gnarled hands. The green spirit-flames illuminating the pavilion flickered wildly, turning a pale, panicked shade of white under the aura of the Dark Dan.
The old clerk’s yellowed eyes widened in genuine terror. He swallowed hard, pushing his frail body back into his chair as he felt his own Qi stagnate beneath the crushing pressure.
— Mercy, Master! — the clerk choked out, raising both palms in defeat. — The Pavilion of Shade serves anyone who brings value. We ask no questions about bloodlines or sects... we only deal in trade!
Li Chen maintained his cold, unblinking glare for a moment longer before retracting his spiritual aura. Instantly, the air in the room thinned, allowing the old man to gasp for breath, wiping cold sweat from his withered forehead.
— Wise choice, — Li Chen said, his tone as sharp as ice. — Show me what you have.
The clerk hastily reached beneath the counter, pulling out a heavy velvet pouch and two intricate wooden boxes carved from spirit-soothing jade. He arranged them carefully before Li Chen, keeping his hands visibly trembling. Read the latest chapters at g.com.
— Three spatial talismans capable of leaping ten miles in a single breath, — the clerk explained, pointing to the velvet pouch. — Inside the left jade box is a seven-hundred-year-old Nether-Grass, far exceeding the five-hundred-year quality you requested.
He then slid the second jade box forward, opening the lid to reveal a fist-sized, dark crimson furnace miniature hovering over a bed of grey ash. The miniature hummed with ancient, volatile fire energy.
— And this... the Abyssal Heart Cauldron. It was forged in the deep underworld by a blood-alchemist of the ancient era. Common spiritual flames cannot even scratch it; it requires true dark Qi or soul-flame to ignite.
Li Chen reached out, hovering his hand over the floating crimson furnace. The moment his fingers brushed its surface, the Dark Dan in his Dantian thrummed violently. The cauldron did not resist his corrupted energy; instead, it greedily drank in a single thread of his violet-black mist, expanding slightly in size and letting out a low, satisfied hum. Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
— A fine vessel, — Li Chen murmured, closing the jade box. — The rings of the Sun-Veil Sect are yours.
As Li Chen gathered the talismans, the Nether-Grass, and the furnace box, the clerk’s eyes flickered with a sudden, cautious hesitation. He leaned forward, keeping his voice down to a low whisper.
— Master... a word of warning before you step back into the Ghost Market, — the old man said, sweeping the Sun-Veil storage rings off the counter. — News of Elder Zhao's death has already reached the city of Black-River. The Blood-Skull Syndicate, who controls the outer rings of this forest, has put a price on anyone carrying Sun-Veil relics. Their leader, Master Blood-Fang, is a mid-stage Core Formation cultivator... and he is currently in the market.
Li Chen stored the items into his own spatial ring, a cold, ruthless smile forming on his lips.
— Core Formation? — Li Chen’s crimson-violet eyes burned in the dim light of the shop. — Then his soul will make an excellent catalyst for my next batch of pills.