Capítulo 1081: Chapter 402: Trading Souls
At the bottom of the well was a narrow stone staircase. The two of them followed it down to an underground cave.
The underground cave wasn’t large, with many stalactites hanging from the ceiling. Some had bioluminescent moss dangling from them, making the atmosphere even eerier.
A few shadowy figures were scattered around, either standing in the shadows or sitting on randomly placed stone stools, far apart from each other, whispering softly. Their voices were particularly indistinct in the underground space.
The cave was dim, shadows flickering, casting silhouettes on the jagged stone walls, like phantoms in a shadow play.
Yu Heye led Sun Lingtong straight to one corner of the cave.
There was a figure dressed in a loose gray robe, hood almost covering his entire face, sitting cross-legged on a flat boulder. In front of him was no booth; he sat motionless, like a statue.
Yu Heye and Sun Lingtong stood still before him.
Yu Heye whispered, “Do you have the goods?”
The gray-robed cultivator didn’t nod; the space around them gently warped, revealing several floating gray-white clay jars.
“All the goods are here,” he said.
Yu Heye turned his head slightly to glance at Sun Lingtong beside him.
Sun Lingtong, naturally, was already in disguise, appearing the same height and build as an adult.
He immediately activated his divine sense and probed into the gray jars.
Each gray jar contained at least one soul.
In the smallest gray jar were hundreds of Qi Refining Level souls, mostly vague humanoid light blobs, dim in color, like gray mist, writhing and crashing within the container, emitting silent screams, their faces twisted, filled with instinctual fear and pain.
Most gray jars contained souls from the Foundation Establishment Stage.
Their forms were much more solid than those of the Qi Refinement Realm, with clearly identifiable facial features, and even characteristics of their attire from life.
Their colors were mostly pale or light blue, expressions either angry, desperate, or numb.
They struck the container walls more frequently, their soul bodies fluctuating violently, leaving afterimages inside. Some seemed to retain faint consciousness, staring blankly outside the container.
There was only one soul from the Golden Core Stage.
It was sealed in the largest gray jar, its soul body almost solid, emitting a weak yet clear spiritual pressure. It was fiery red, clearly having cultivated some fire-attributed cultivation technique in life.
The malice in the gaze of this Golden Core Level soul was extremely intense, even making Sun Lingtong secretly startled.
It was almost motionless, quietly amassing strength, clearly also attempting to break through its confines and reclaim its freedom. Compared to souls from the Foundation Establishment and Qi Refinement Realms, it was more strategic and able to endure.
Sun Lingtong observed for a moment and nodded in satisfaction, “Alright, I’ll take them all.”
The gray-robed cultivator was slightly taken aback.
Yu Heye beside him also felt surprised, not expecting the transaction to be much larger than he had imagined.
The gray-robed cultivator: “Are you sure?”
Sun Lingtong directly produced a Ghost Dao Golden Core, handing it over: “Check it over and adjust as necessary.”
Sun Lingtong struck a wealthy demeanor.
The gray-robed cultivator inhaled sharply in his mind, confused and uncertain: “Who is this person? I’m merely selling the souls of Golden Core cultivators. Yet this person directly brings out a Golden Core!”
He slowly reached out, accepted the Ghost Dao Golden Core, examined it, confirmed its authenticity, and raised his eyes to look at Sun Lingtong again, his attitude greatly changed from before.
He cupped his hands in salute, “May I know your esteemed name?”
Sun Lingtong smiled faintly, “You may call me Elder Sun.”
The disguise Sun Lingtong adopted was that of a middle-aged man, so even if someone saw through his Stealing Technique disguise and perceived his true form as a child, they would be puzzled. After all, this image differed vastly from being called “Elder Sun.”
This was precisely Sun Lingtong’s cunning style — mixing truth with falsehood, making it difficult for others to discern his path.
The gray-robed cultivator respectfully addressed him, “Elder Sun.”
Sun Lingtong nodded slightly, frowning, then asked directly, “Are these souls truly those deserving of execution due to their heinous crimes?”
The gray-robed cultivator laughed heartily, “Elder Sun need not worry. We dare not collect or sell any but those beyond redemption, whose very existence is an affront.”
“The Myriad Images Sect is a reputable righteous sect; selling innocent souls here would be akin to seeking our own demise!”
“To conduct such trades with only these profits and risks, only a fool would proceed!”
Sun Lingtong paused in silence, accepting this explanation, his gaze roaming over the struggling souls in the containers. He suddenly spoke, “Do you have… souls of Confucian Cultivators?”
“Confucian Cultivators?” The gray-robed cultivator’s eyebrows seemed to twitch beneath the hood, and his gaze lingered on Sun Lingtong for a moment, pondering his inventory.
He faltered, hesitating before he finally uttered a word, “Yes.”
Then added, “And… of excellent quality.”
“Oh?” Sun Lingtong’s eyes lit up.
Confucian Cultivators who turned to the Demon Path are relatively rare, as the Confucian sect inherently shapes thoughts and values.
Confucian Cultivators emphasize benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trust, and those who shift to the Demon Path are far fewer compared to Taoists or Buddhists.
Sun Lingtong was there on behalf of Ning Zhuo, carrying Ning Zhuo’s intention.
Ning Zhuo, now diligently honing Confucian spells, had witnessed a sharp increase in scholarly prowess. Knowing how crucial erudition is to mastering Mechanical Techniques, he naturally developed a stronger demand for Confucian Cultivator souls.
However, both Sun Ning knew that Demon Path Confucian Cultivators are indeed quite rare. Therefore, their expectations were low.
So when Sun Lingtong received the gray-robed cultivator’s affirmative response, he couldn’t help but feel a hint of joy.