Chapter 223: Won’t Stay Dead
As the Captain explained these things, Xu Qing’s eyes narrowed. After all this time, he finally had a bit of an explanation about the temple complex and the statue. Thinking back to when he originally saw the saber move, he felt like he understood it even better now.
Meanwhile, the Captain was sighing in his heart. He knew that a matter of good fortune like this didn’t come down to simply taking a bite out of the statue. It required perception and fate. Of even greater significance was the fact that there was no dao resonance in the statue, plus there was no way he would even consider killing Xu Qing to get a chance at enlightenment.... And even if he would consider something like that, given how deeply deceptive Xu Qing was, there was no guarantee the Captain could defeat him in combat. In the end, the Captain was still interested in the Supreme Vastness Solitary Saber, but had no way to pursue it.
As the light of dawn grew brighter, Xu Qing chose not to go deeper into the forbidden region. Based on the level of his current cultivation base, he was able to sense that further in, there was a concentration of malicious divine will.
After staring for a time in that direction, he decided that the best thing was just to leave.
The Captain could also sense that divine will, and after looking in that direction for a while, he began to exude a frigid aura as he said, “Normally speaking, wherever you find a Supreme Vastness daoist temple, there will also be some vicious grues sealed nearby. Xu Qing, your home is next to a very complicated forbidden region!”
Without saying a word, Xu Qing stepped up into the air. He didn’t plan to leave via walking, and instead, flew away at top speed. The Captain laughed heartily and flew up to follow him. When he was some distance away, he looked over his shoulder at the temple complex and the deep parts of the forbidden region.
There, the clouds stirring in the sky almost resembled the long, black hair of a woman. There was a strong rancorous aura in that part of the forbidden region, rising up and making that long hair even thicker. From a distance, the entire forbidden region actually resembled a woman’s skull.
I wonder what grue is sealed here. I really feel like going to take a look....
After a moment of hesitation, he flew after Xu Qing. After catching up he stretched lazily, then got out an apple and took a bite. “Say, Xu Qing, where are you going? Back to the sect?”
“I’m going to a black market to sell some things.”
The Captain’s eyes lit up. “A black market? Sell some things? Like what? Stolen goods?”
Xu Qing looked at him and nodded.
“Oooh, let me see! Maybe you can just sell them to me. I love stolen goods!”
Xu Qing hesitated. It didn’t seem like a good idea to sell defective magical devices to someone he knew personally. If they used such an item, only to have it break down in a dangerous situation, that person would obviously come to him looking for answers and a reckoning.
“I’d rather dispose of them through a black market,” he said tactfully.
Glaring, the Captain said, “Little Ah Qing, I need to give you some constructive criticism. It’s never good to be stingy! If you have good stuff to sell, it doesn’t matter who buys it. You think I’m not worthy or something? I have money!”
An odd expression appeared on Xu Qing’s face. He really didn’t want to scam the Captain, so instead, he simply cleared his throat, ignored the ‘advice,’ and headed in the direction of Antlerville.
His ultimate destination was a black market that Patriarch Golden Vajra Warrior had told him about earlier. It was in a city called Rimeshade near Church of Departure territory. It was surrounded by a wilderness even worse than the Crimson Wilds, and thus, none of the powerful groups in South Phoenix cared much about it. In turn, that meant that a lot of ruthless characters ended up there, and thus, a black market came to be.
The things he wanted to sell were the magical devices that Patriarch Golden Vajra Warrior had absorbed seventy to eighty percent of, then smoothed over so they looked normal. Originally, Xu Qing hadn’t planned on selling them at all. But given how many resources he had gone through while working on the black beetles, he was running very low on spirit stones.
I’ll sell these things and then head back to the sect.
Having made his decision, he prepared to head to Antlerville as quickly as possible. Moving at that speed, it would only take half an incense stick’s worth of time to arrive. However, about halfway there, he stopped in midair and looked down.
Down below was a caravan heading in the direction of Antlerville. There were over thirty carts, all of them pitch black in color. And surrounding them were numerous guards, all clad in black robes. They seemed very somber and desolate, and also, out of place. Given the size of this caravan, there wasn’t any group in the area who would dare to cause trouble for it.
That was especially true considering that there were high-level Qi Condensation auras in the caravan, which would weigh down stiflingly on ordinary Qi Condensation cultivators.
Xu Qing also noticed an old man on one of the carts who had a Foundation Establishment cultivation base. However, he had not yet ignited his first life flame, and thus could not enter the profound radiance state. Given his cultivation base fluctuations, he probably had about 15 or 16 dharma apertures opened.
Most people who looked at the caravan wouldn’t be able to see what Xu Qing saw; there were cages in the carts, within which were locked numerous scavengers. Most of them were unconscious young boys and girls, though there were some older ones who were awake. However, the conscious ones all looked dispirited and despairing as they leaned up against the bars of the cages.
“Night Dove is really annoying,” the Captain said, looking down with revulsion at the caravan. “It just won’t stay dead. No matter how many of them you kill, there are always more.”
“I guess it’s because there’s always a demand for living treasures,” Xu Qing said coldly.
“Exactly. Here in South Phoenix, the demand is primarily from the Church of Departure and the Violet Lands. Overseas... well, in Revered Ancient, there’s an even greater demand.
“After all... living treasures aren’t just used to absorb mutagen from magical treasures. Some magical treasure fragments, and even high-level magical devices, need pure life force to cleanse them. Because of that, even some of the so-called chosen from the Seven Sect Coalition secretly dabble in the trade of living treasures.
“And living treasures are even more effective when used in groups. As a result, virtually all species use them. What’s more, humans native to South Phoenix usually have a bit of the blood of the Sovereign Kingdom of Violet and Cyan in them. As a result, they make unusually good living treasures. That’s why Night Dove is so active here.”
Without a word, Xu Qing looked at the caravan as his black iron skewer suddenly shot down toward it.
The crackle of thunder filled the air as the Night Dove operatives below looked up in shock. The skewer was like a black lightning bolt that rapidly pierced through the necks of one Night Dove operative after another.
The Qi Condensation cultivators couldn’t even see it moving, much less dodge out of its way. In the blink of an eye, they were killed. From a distance, it looked like a black streak zipping about, leaving behind a spray of blood. Not even the Foundation Establishment cultivator could defend himself, and was pierced through.
However, Patriarch Golden Vajra Warrior didn’t kill the man. Instead, he dragged him up in the air to Xu Qing.
The old man trembled, his eyes shining with terror. He was clearly scared out of his mind. Though Xu Qing and the Captain were in disguise, they currently radiated terrifying fluctuations that caused the old man’s vision to swim. He could sense that either of these two people could wipe him out of existence with the flick of a finger. Not all Foundation Establishment cultivators were the same.
“Seniors, I—”
“Where were you heading with this caravan?” Xu Qing asked coldly.
When Xu Qing saw the old man hesitating, an expression of impatience overtook his face, and he was about to resort to torture when the Captain grinned.
“Allow me,” he said. He waved his hand, and countless streams of frigid energy swept forth to form a needle. Then, the needle stabbed into the body of the shocked old man. As it moved about in him, the pain was so intense that the old man nearly passed out. Moments later, he was explaining everything he knew.
They weren’t the only Night Dove operatives on the move. Members throughout South Phoenix had received orders to secretly take all of their current stock to Seven Blood Eyes. Apparently, it wouldn’t be long before customers from afar showed up there, with very deep pockets. In other words, there were caravans just like this one all over South Phoenix, all of them figuring out ways to get into Seven Blood Eyes territory.
When Xu Qing heard all of that, his eyes flickered with cold light. He absolutely hated Night Dove.
Meanwhile, the Captain’s eyes were narrowed as he waved his hand, causing the old man to explode into a mass of frozen chunks.
“It looks like the Violent Crimes Division has its work cut out for it,” the Captain said. “I’m especially curious about who these customers are. And what does ‘afar’ mean? They’re outsiders?”
Xu Qing didn’t say anything in response, but the vicious look in his eye grew deeper. With that, he waved his hand, causing all of the cages to open up. The prisoners inside them were now free.
Xu Qing didn’t pay them much attention. They were strangers met by chance, like patches of drifting duckweed, and would have to care for their own lives. He had attacked the caravan because of his loathing of Night Dove, nothing else. With that, Xu Qing and the Captain continued on to Antlerville, where they took the teleportation portal to Rimeshade.
Rimeshade, located in the wilderness just on the border of Church of Departure territory, was small but bustling. There was no sense of order in the city, and the place was full of criminals and outlaws. There were quite a few Foundation Establishment cultivators present, and even a few Gold Core experts. Most of them were here to trade in items that they normally wouldn’t want to be seen buying.
Normally speaking, only very confident people would come here to do business. That said, despite the general chaos in the city, it wasn’t a place where wanton slaughter was common. It was a place where profit ruled, and deals were made. Because of the prosperity to be had in Rimeshade, it was quite well-known throughout South Phoenix, and cultivators from just about every group could be found there.
The main rule that governed it was: the weak are the prey of the strong.
Therefore, when Xu Qing and the Captain stepped off the teleportation portal, they were met by suspicious eyes that kept an eye on everyone who came and went. Some were children native to Rimeshade, who were always on the lookout for newcomers who needed the service of a guide.