Translator: CinderTL
[I agree to your terms. However, before we depart, I must see Li Yue with my own eyes to ensure her safety.] Jin Xiuqi replied.
[It seems Li Yue truly has a discerning eye, entrusting her heart to the right person. Fellow Daoist Jin is also deeply devoted, willing to risk his life for his beloved. Your mutual affection is genuine and profound, a match made in heaven.]
Song Wen showered Jin Xiuqi with praise before abruptly changing his tone.
[Fellow Daoist, please forgive me, but I cannot allow you to see her at this time.]
Jin Xiuqi retorted, [How can I trust you without seeing her myself? What if she's already fallen victim to your schemes? At the very least, let her send me a message personally so I can set out with peace of mind.]
Song Wen explained, [Three thousand li due south of Phoenix Feather City lies a deep pool, roughly a li in width. Buried in the silt at the bottom of this pool is an image stone I left behind. It contains a recent recording of Fellow Daoist Li Yue, proving she's still alive. Beside the image stone, you'll find a jade slip containing the Longevity Formation.]
[I will not depart until I confirm Li Yue's safety.] Jin Xiuqi declared.
[Fellow Daoist, it seems you haven't fully grasped your current situation. If you want Li Yue to remain safe, you'd best follow my instructions. Otherwise, this old man, who has cultivated the Ghost Dao for two millennia, may be withered and decrepit, having long abstained from women. But even so, I might make an exception for a beauty of Li Yue's unparalleled grace and indulge in some forced amusement.]
[You...] Jin Xiuqi's fury was palpable, yet he forcibly suppressed it, continuing the transmission. [Very well, I'll comply. After obtaining the Purple Spirit Ginseng and Celestial Star Grass, where should I find you?]
[There's something I may not have made clear. The jade slip I left at the bottom of the Cold Pool contains an incomplete formation. Take this slip to Yun Xinghai. If he agrees to the trade, bring him to the Clear Spirit Market, located 100,000 li west of Xin Tang Mountain. I'll be waiting there. At that time, the complete formation and the unharmed Li Yue will be revealed.]
This was a precaution. Song Wen suspected Jin Xiuqi's feelings for Ye Bing weren't genuine. He feared that once Jin Xiuqi obtained the complete [Devouring Soul Array], he would claim it for himself.
[You'd better not break your word! And don't make any lewd advances toward Li Yue,] Jin Xiuqi warned.
[Rest assured. Li Yue may be beautiful, but her allure pales in comparison to the Purple Spirit Ginseng and Celestial Star Grass. Also, fellow daoist, I must remind you that this matter must remain absolutely secret, especially from the Jin Family. If I detect anyone accompanying you to Xin Tang Mountain, or if I sense anyone following you in secret, you will never see Li Yue again. She will become my sole Human Furnace for the next few centuries.]
After sending this message, Song Wen stood up, left the inn, and stepped onto the bustling street. He gazed up at the cultivators soaring through the sky.
Soon, he spotted Jin Xiuqi among the airborne figures.
"Jin Xiuqi's devotion to Ye Bing is truly profound," Song Wen thought darkly. "I wonder if he'll be so enraged by the image stone that smoke will pour from his orifices."
Song Wen merely glanced at Jin Xiuqi to confirm he was indeed alone before shifting his attention to the shops lining the street, feigning the demeanor of an ordinary rogue cultivator.
Meanwhile, Jin Xiuqi deliberately slowed his escape speed as he flew over the city, his gaze sweeping across the bustling crowds below.
Jin Xiuqi knew in his heart that the despicable robber cultivator was likely among them.
From the man's words, it was clear he was a ghost cultivator, likely at the peak of the Divine Transformation stage, and of advanced age.
With these clues, finding him shouldn't be difficult.
Yet Jin Xiuqi dared not take the risk.
What if the man wasn't in the city? Alerting him would be disastrous.
Without further hesitation, Jin Xiuqi flew directly south.
Soon, he arrived at the deep pool. Using his divine sense, he carefully searched the silt at the bottom and discovered a cloth pouch the size of a fist.
With a wave of spiritual power, he retrieved the pouch from the depths of the pool, which was tens of miles deep.
The pouch floated before him, then opened automatically, revealing a gray, egg-sized round stone and a jade slip.
Ignoring the jade slip, Jin Xiuqi channeled a strand of spiritual power into the round stone.
Instantly, the gray stone emitted wisps of light that coalesced into an image in the air.
In the image, Ye Bing lay collapsed on the ground, her white robes stained with dust and torn in several places, revealing her snow-white skin and horrifying wounds.
Ye Bing lifted her exquisitely beautiful face, her eyes burning with hatred as she glared in the direction of Jin Xiuqi.
Of course, she wasn't actually looking at Jin Xiuqi, but at the person recording this scene.
Jin Xiuqi stared at Ye Bing's furious gaze and the long stretch of snow-white thigh exposed by her torn clothing. His hands clenched involuntarily, his fingernails digging into his palms until blood stained his fingertips crimson, yet he remained oblivious to the pain.
His heart felt like it was being pierced by needles.
The image before him reminded him of the robber cultivator's words.
A scene began to play out uncontrollably in his mind:
A gaunt old man with a face etched with deep wrinkles pressed down on the helpless Ye Bing. His withered hands tore at her clothes as she struggled desperately, only earning him a lewd grin...
Jin Xiuqi shook his head violently, cutting off the vision.
"Whoever you are, I will take your dog life!"
He seized the gray pebble and crushed it in his grip.
The stone instantly crumbled into dust, slipping through his fingers.
Jin Xiuqi stored the jade slip, rose into the air, and sped toward Xin Tang Mountain.
Several days later, nestled among a range of mountains lay a remarkably peculiar market.
The market stretched along the base of the mountains, narrow and winding, extending for dozens of miles.
Such a layout was exceedingly rare in the mystic realm.
After all, even low-tier cultivators could easily flatten entire mountains.
Therefore, regardless of the terrain, markets were typically flat and expansive, facilitating the deployment of formations.
At the summit of the tallest peak overlooking the market, Jin Xiuqi stood upright. A foot away stood a plump old man with a ruddy complexion, yet a faint air of decay lingered between his brows.
He appeared vigorous on the surface, as if nearing the end of his lifespan but having consumed copious amounts of nourishing elixirs. In reality, his inner vitality had already withered.
This man was none other than Yun Xinghai.
(End of the Chapter)
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