Chapter 632: The Way Of The Robber |
The burly man was visibly taken aback. Ye Guan’s suggestion was undeniably risky.
Noticing the man's shocked expression, Ye Guan grinned. "We can't afford to stir up trouble here, can we?"
"There are definitely rules to abide by. No one here can act rashly or interfere recklessly."
"No interference!" Ye Guan exclaimed. "Is it due to some kind of seal?"
"Exactly."
Upon releasing some energy to test it out, Ye Guan felt a mysterious force sealing his cultivation. Within the mysterious force, he sensed power akin to the one within the First God’s seal in the First God Paradise. Moreover, he noticed that the seal seemed to amalgamate various forces.
"Let's inquire elsewhere," proposed the burly man.
Wary about the Lady Boss' dubious dealings, Ye Guan agreed. Despite his wealth, he wasn't keen on being duped.
Stepping into the shop, he found the Lady Boss engrossed in conversation with Ao Qianqian.
Ye Guan shook his head. "We are not interested anymore."
With a firm grip on Ao Qianqian, he started to depart.
The Lady Boss’ expression stiffened. After shooting a venomous glare at the burly man, she retorted, "I'm the only one who has the manual. Nobody else can possibly possess it. If you're planning to look for it elsewhere, I advise you abandon the thought."
Ye Guan gave her a wry smile. "We're just making inquiries without any intention to purchase."
He led Ao Qianqian out of the shop. The Lady Boss' brows furrowed, and her eyes gleamed with suspicion. Exiting the shop, the trio headed toward another street.
With his curiosity piqued, Ye Guan asked, "What's the story behind that shop owner?"
The burly man shrugged. "I can't say, but anyone able to run a business here must have considerable backing."
Surveying their surroundings, Ye Guan noticed a few shops already open, yet the street remained relatively deserted. His interest in the place deepened, prompting him to fire off several consecutive questions.
Following their exchange, Ye Guan learned that the burly man's name was Wang Shu. He came from a universe that Ye Guan had never heard of.
According to Wang Shu, the Dao Market was under the reign of a powerful individual who had struck agreements with numerous universes to periodically open its gates for trading. Of course, within the Dao Market, no one could intrude upon another's universe.
Due to the varying levels of martial arts across the different universes, the arrival of overly powerful individuals in the universes with lower martial civilizations could potentially spell disaster. Hence, elites from each universe seeking entry into the Dao Market had to obtain qualifications issued by their respective universe's lords.
Besides that method, one could also simply enter the Dao Market through fate. If someone were to chance upon it, they could gain entry to it. However, the Dao Market normally tended to only let powerful people encounter it.
Ye Guan couldn't help but chuckle. It was evident that he, too, was powerful now. Put simply, this Dao Market was a high-end trading market tailored for elite clientele.
"Why are there so few customers here?"Ao Qianqian asked.
Ye Guan had also been wondering about the same thing. Upon entering, he noticed that the place was unusually deserted.
"That's because the Dao Market has just opened," Wang Shu explained. "Many people are still on their way here. It'll get busier in a while."
"I see."
Seemingly recalling something, he took out three strands of Ancestral Origins and handed them to Wang Shu. "Thank you, Brother Wang, for enlightening me and my wife..."
Ao Qianqian glanced at Ye Guan, suppressing a smile.
Wang Shu waved his hand repeatedly, "Brother Ye, it's just some trivial information. There's no need to pay for it."
Ye Guan chuckled. "Please accept it."
Wang Shu shook his head. "Though I may be uncouth, I still understand the principle of a gentleman valuing his wealth. Please put away the Ancestral Origin strands, Brother Ye, or I might get angry."
Upon looking at Wang Shu's sincere expression, Ye Guan hesitated for a moment, then finally stowed away the Ancestral Origin strands. "Then I'll buy something from you again."
Wang Shu chuckled. "You don't have to, Brother Ye. I understand that you don't want to owe anyone, but these are just trivial matters. They hardly count as favors."
After a brief pause, he added, "Forgive me for speaking out of turn. Since you are a swordsman, you shouldn't be too attached to these ephemeral things. Otherwise, it might affect your Sword Dao in the long run."
Ye Guan pondered it for a moment. WIth a slight nod, he answered, "I have been overthinking it.”
"Let's leave it at that. Let's go ask the next establishment."
"Okay."
Led by Wang Shu, the trio soon arrived at another shop. Displayed on the counter were numerous treasures that were at least Divine-Grade, which shocked Ye Guan.
After some time, a thin elderly man descended the stairs. He was dressed in a coarse linen robe, making him give off a competent air.
Upon seeing the three, the old man smiled. "Welcome."
When Ye Guan told him about his request, the old man furrowed his brows.
"What's wrong?"
"To be frank, I do have the Ancient Guiding Technique you seek, but I can't sell it to you," the old man replied gravely.
"Why not?"
"If you had come to me first, we could have had a discussion. Unfortunately, you went to the Black Shop first. Since you couldn't reach an agreement with her, if I were to sell it to you, that Lady Boss would surely retaliate..."
He shook his head slightly. "I don't want to provoke her."
Ye Guan exchanged a glance with Wang Shu. He then asked, "Is her influence really that great?"
The old man sighed. "Not only is she immensely influential, but she's also quite unreasonable. If I were to sell to you, she would undoubtedly pressure me in the future..."
After a moment of silence, Ye Guan nodded slightly. "Understood."
He then turned and left with Wang Shu and Ao Qianqian.
As the three were about to leave, the old man added, "I suggest you don't waste your time asking other shops about this. No one would willingly offend that lady."
"Thank you for letting us know."
The three exited the building."I knew that lady was powerful, but I didn't expect her to be this powerful," Wang Shu commented.
Ye Guan was also surprised. He did not expect everyone here to be afraid of provoking her.
"Let's forget about it," Ao Qianqian said.
When Ye Guan glanced at her, she smiled. "Even without those scales, I can still reach the Ancient Sovereign Realm. It might just take a bit longer."
Ye Guan murmured, "One hundred strands of Ancestral Origins..."
Ao Qianqian shook her head. "She's too greedy. Even though we're not short on money, spending it this way doesn't sit well with me."
"Alright."
At that moment, as if sensing something, the three turned around, finding three figures standing near the entrance of the Black Shop.
Ye Guan's expression darkened. It was the three Gods.
He only encountered their avatars last time. Now, they were in their true forms.
Ye Guan knew that they had come for him, but he hadn't expected them to track him down all the way to the Dao Market.
Mo'e, who was leading them, stared at Ye Guan coldly. "Do you think you're safe here?"
"You managed to chase me all the way to this place. That's quite the feat."
Mo'e shook his head as he approached Ye Guan. "I don't understand why the Supreme God chose a mortal to inherit his legacy. Forgive me for being blunt, but you can never compare to Teacher; you can never change the heavens and the earth."
"No need to beat around the bush. If you want to seize the inheritance, just say that."
"If you think you can't be harmed here, then you're mistaken."
Mo'e then turned and walked into the Black Shop. The other two Gods followed him.
Ye Guan's brows furrowed.
"I need to become an Ancient Sovereign," Ao Qianqian, who was beside him, said.
Currently, Ye Guan's biggest weakness was his poor cultivation realm. If Ao Qianqian could reach the Ancient Sovereign Realm, then Ye Guan could simply merge with her.
The best she could do right now was seize the beast scales. The war beast's power within them could greatly enhance her strength.
"Brother Ye, although we normally can't act here, there's one exception," Wang Shu suddenly said.
Ye Guan looked at Wang Shu. Before he could continue, the lady of the Black Shop suddenly exited her shop. Behind her were the three Gods.
The lady slowly walked up to Ye Guan and smirked. "Young man."
Ye Guan simply stared at her in silence.
"Just now, I discovered that one of my Ancestral Veins has disappeared from my shop," she remarked. "Since you're the only one who has entered my shop today, I suspect you stole it. To prove your innocence, I need to search you."
Wang Shu's expression darkened. He glanced at the three Gods behind the lady but said nothing.
"This is a grudge between me and them," Ye Guan warned.
The lady chuckled. "I don't care about your grudges. All I know is that you stole my Ancestral Vein. According to the rules here, I can search—"
Before she could finish, Ye Guan lunged forward, grabbed her throat, and twisted it violently.
Snap!
Holding the lady’s head with his left hand and casually taking her storage ring with his right, Ye Guan calmly said, "Let me correct you. I don't steal; I rob."