Chapter 631: I've Beaten Them Up Before |
On the cloud ship, the lantern cast an eerie light on its surroundings. It also illuminated the old woman's wrinkled face. She did not look like a living person.
Meanwhile, dark clouds floated all around the cloud ship, making the whole atmosphere rather mysterious.
Eventually, the old woman changed her mind. She smiled at Ye Guan. "Please come in."
He slightly nodded. He did not bother asking any more questions since the old woman refused to answer anyway.
Dao Market.
As Ye Guan rose and walked toward the sea of black clouds, the old woman opened her hand, making a black wooden token appear in front of Ye Guan.
"Take it," she said.
He took the token and continued heading toward the sea of black clouds.
The old woman watched as he disappeared into the clouds. After a few moments of hesitation, she extended one finger to probe outward. Her expression filled with tension and unease.
Soon, a golden halo enveloped the sea of black clouds.
Her expression darkened.
He's gone!
However, the power of the cultivation seal was still present and strong.
After a few moments of silence, the old woman turned the ship around and sailed back.
…
Right after Ye Guan had entered the sea of dark clouds, the Ancestral Gods of the Mo, Qin, and Zhao Clans suddenly appeared where he had been. Leading them was the middle-aged man, Mo'e, who was from the Mo Clan.
This time, they had all appeared in their true forms.
Mo'e furrowed his brows as he gazed into the distance. "How did Ye Guan manage to enter the Dao Market?"
"It's not that odd at all. After all, he possesses the First God's inheritance," the Zhao Clan's Ancestral God replied.
"We can't make a move inside…"
The Zhao Clan's Ancestral God contemplated for a moment. "That man has Teacher's inheritance. If word about it gets out, he will attract the attention of powerful people in the outside world... Let's go."
Albeit slowly, the Dao Market was already dissipating. Since it appeared randomly, if they chose not to enter now, they would have a very hard time finding it again. Hence, the trio walked in.
However, the Dao Market, which had almost completely dissipated, strangely started to solidify again.
A little girl hugging a white creature slowly walked toward it from the distance.
A big player had come. The Dao Market had to wait.
Very quickly, the little girl and her white creature entered the Dao Market.
Meanwhile, the man in a white robe and Plain Skirt Destiny observed the situation from afar.
Seeing the little girl, the man in a white robe asked, "It's them… Qing'er, do you recognize them?"
Plain Skirt Destiny nodded. "I've beaten them up before!"
The man in a white robe didn't know what to say.
…
Upon walking into the sea of black clouds, the scenery before Ye Guan gradually became clearer, revealing an ancient town that was made of blue stones. It was quite desolate, and it was drizzling as well, creating a rather chilly atmosphere.
He walked on the quiet streets, letting the cold rain fall on him. "Senior, based on what that old woman said earlier, it seems that she has made some sort of agreement with the First God in the past…"
"I suppose so, but I do not know anything about it," Mu Yuan replied.
"I guess the First God still has many secrets that we don't know about."
At that moment, Ye Guan wondered if someone in this place could read the First God's black ancient book, which he had yet to decipher.
Looking up, he noticed that a mist had risen over the town, shrouding it in a hazy veil and making it look surreal.
Ye Guan attempted to use his divine sense. However, much to his shock, it did not respond.
"This place is special. Be careful," Mu Yuan warned.
Ye Guan nodded. He then walked further into the town.
After some time, he heard footsteps behind him.
Turning toward it, he saw a burly man with a stubble approaching him. He was carrying a bamboo box on his back.
Although the burly man looked surprised to see Ye Guan, he still grinned. "Interested in buying something?"
Instead of waiting for Ye Guan's response, he put down his bamboo box. He then took out items from it and displayed them before Ye Guan.
To Ye Guan's surprise, every product that the man had for sale was a divine treasure. Among them, the black longsword with a deep red line running down the middle of its blade especially caught his attention. It was about three feet long and two fingers wide.
Noticing Ye Guan taking an interest in it, the burly man asked, "Are you interested in this sword?"
Ye Guan nodded slightly. "May I take a closer look at it?"
The burly man replied, "Of course you can."
He picked up the sword and offered it to Ye Guan. However, before the latter could take it, the burly man suddenly withdrew it.
Ye Guan looked at him in confusion.
"This sword is called 'Evil Karma,' As its name implies, it possesses the power of evil karma," the burly man warned, "Without enough cultivation, just wielding this sword will affect your mind or even devour your soul. You—"
Ye Guan smiled. "Thank you for letting me know."
"You're welcome," the burly man said.
Finally, he passed the sword to Ye Guan.
The moment Ye Guan accepted it, he immediately sensed an extremely terrifying force of evil coming from it. The evil force surged into his consciousness and, just like the burly man had said, attempted to devour his soul.
Remaining calm, he gave the sword a gentle shake.
With a resounding hum, his Sword Intent expelled the evil force from his body and sealed it within the blade.
The burly man's eyes flashed with a hint of surprise. Right after, he chuckled and gave Ye Guan a thumbs up. "Very impressive."
Ye Guan smiled and then returned the sword to the burly man. "This sword is pretty good, but it does not suit me."
The sword's style leaned toward evil, which was very different from the nature of his Sword Dao. While he could use it, he didn't really need it. The Xuanyuan Sword was better suited for him.
When the burly man took the sword back, the sword started to tremble violently.
"The sword wishes to follow you," he said.
Just like people, swords could also choose their wielders.
However, Ye Guan shook his head. He had no fondness for the sword.
The burly man laughed bitterly. "Alright then!"
He put the sword away and then pointed to the pile of divine treasures in front of him. "Anything else you're interested in?"
Ye Guan looked at the divine treasures until he saw a black scale with mysterious runes engraved on it.
"That is a scale from the War Qilin, the burly man quickly explained. "If you have the Ancient Guiding Technique, you'll be able to use this scale to find the legendary War Qilin and obtain its inheritance."
"War Qilin? What grade is it?"
The burly man now looked bewildered.
Ye Guan added, "It's my first time here in the Dao Market."
"I can tell," the burly man said with a nod. "Just figured that out. Well, the War Qilin is a war beast from the Mountain Sea World… Do you know that place?"
Ye Guan shook his head.
The burly man chuckled. "Alright then."
At that moment, Ao Qianqian suddenly appeared beside Ye Guan. Since she had just spent quite some time in closed-door cultivation to break through to the Ancient Sovereign Realm, Ye Guan couldn't help but be surprised to see her.
Why did she suddenly come out?
Her gaze fell on the War Qilin's scale.
"What is it?" Ye Guan asked.
She gently stroked the scale. "It contains a peculiar power."
"The power of a war beast can enhance the combat capabilities of other demonic beasts. It should be able to help you a lot, Lady," The burly man explained.
When Ye Guan looked at her, she nodded.
"How much is it?" he asked the burly man.
"Where are you from?"
"The First God Universe."
The burly man's eyes lit up. "We'll trade in Ancestral Origin strands, then! This scale only costs fifty strands."
Most people would have not been able to afford it. However, to Ye Guan, it was extremely cheap. He paid the burly man fifty Ancestral Origin strands. Then, the burly man passed the scale to Ye Guan, who then gave it to Ao Qianqian.
"Do you have any more of these?" She asked.
The burly man shook his head slightly. "This item is too precious. To even have one is already a great stroke of luck."
Ao Qianqian simply nodded in response.
After hesitating for a moment, the burly man added, "However, if you possess the Ancient Guiding Technique, you might be able to use this item to find the War Qilin and even enter the legendary Mountain Sea World."
"What is the Ancient Guiding Technique?" Ye Guan asked.
"It's a divine spell that can trace something back to its origin."
"Do you know this spell, sir?"
"No. If I had it, I would have used it already."
Ye Guan felt a little helpless. He could tell that Ao Qianqian cared greatly about the black scale.
The burly man added, "I know someone who might know who has the Ancient Guiding Manual."
Ye Guan hurriedly asked, "Who?"
"Follow me," the burly man said. Then, he picked up his bamboo box and led Ye Guan and Ao Qianqian to a small tavern.
The small tavern looked ancient and a bit dilapidated. It only had a few wooden tables.
A lady in a simple floral dress was sleeping behind the counter. She seemed to be in her twenties and had average looks, neither stunningly beautiful nor hideous.
The burly man walked up to the counter and gently tapped on it. "Lady Boss?"
The lady suddenly opened her eyes. When she saw the burly man, her eyes lit up. "What do you need? A thousand-Year Longevity Fruit? A Ten-Thousand-Year Immortal Brew? If that's not enough, I have more. I just received a new batch of items that can increase your lifespan by thousands of years…"
The burly man laughed awkwardly. "Lady Boss, I'm not here to buy anything. This young man here wants to ask you about something…"
The lady slapped her hand on the counter and glared at him. "Oh, damn it! If you're not here to buy anything, why did you wake me up?! You disturbed my sleep. Get out of my sight. Now!"
The burly man turned to Ye Guan, looking somewhat embarrassed. Just as Ye Guan was about to speak, the lady waved her hand dismissively.
"Get lost, you bunch of poor bastards…" she said.
Instead of replying, Ye Guan quietly took out five Ancestral Origin strands and placed them on the counter. The lady blinked, then quickly took them. Her attitude toward him underwent a one-eighty-degree change, now showing enthusiasm.
"Young man, what would you like to ask me about?" she asked.
Ye Guan replied, "Ancient Guiding Technique."
She blinked again.
"Do you know what it is?"
"I do, but you probably can't afford its manual."
"Is it very expensive?"
"Extremely."
"How much?"
"A hundred Ancestral Origin strands."
Ye Guan frowned.
The burly man quickly pulled Ye Guan out of the shop. "This is the shadiest shop in the town. I even call it the 'Black Shop.' Even though the Ancient Guiding Manual is valuable, it's definitely not worth a hundred Ancestral Origins. She's trying to scam you by exploiting your youth and generosity."
After thinking for a moment, Ye Guan asked, "Is robbery illegal here?"
The burly man looked at him in disbelief. "Huh?"
What? You're thinking of robbing her just because she's trying to scam you…?