Eternal Swordmaster
Chapter 420 - 414 Interlude Part 1

Chapter 420: Chapter 414 Interlude Part 1

Originally, this might have only been a minor disturbance caused by a major client, but now it had become the combined weight of both a Master Level Formation Talisman Master and a major client.

The Pavilion Master herself flew over personally, using her full escape skill to check on the various materials required, showing her utmost regard for Lin Xin.

After all, a Master of Formation Talisman, no matter where, is absolutely a talent worth recruiting, and with his astonishing strength, he was even more sought after. If such a client could be tied down for the long term, it would represent a substantial achievement for the Desolate Jade Pavilion.

Lin Xin, however, did not care about these things and, after clarifying everything, left the Desolate Jade Pavilion with the Desolate Stream Stones.

Just as he stepped out, he saw the Wan An manager and two other female appraisers standing by the door.

His expression was indifferent as he prepared to walk past them, but the Wan An manager blocked his way.

"Er... dear client," the manager forced an ugly smile, speaking in a somewhat ingratiating tone to Lin Xin.

"I wonder if you would consider having your items appraised at Wan An. I can assure you that all items will be appraised within one day. Moreover, the appraisal will be free of charge, and if you also consign with us, we can help reduce a certain percentage of the black market transaction fees."

The manager blurted out all the conditions he could offer.

"As an apology for the previous misconduct, I hereby, on behalf of all Wan An appraisers, offer an apology to you."

As he spoke, he pulled Xiuxiu and Nana over.

"These two are our appraisers. If you are not satisfied, both of them are at your disposal to deal with as you please—life or death!"

No sooner had he spoken than his technique flashed like lightning, hitting the pressure points of Nana and Xiuxiu, locking them in place with a thread of spiritual energy.

This guy was ruthless, knowing that Lin Xin was a Demon Cultivator and yet offering up two such delicate beauties for him to dispose of.

The two girls had not anticipated this move at all; they had reacted too slowly, had been restrained, and their faces had turned deathly pale.

They were unable to speak at this point and could only stand there stiffly, immobile.

The scene attracted the attention of the people from the Desolate Jade Pavilion and the outsiders in black robes watching.

Shen Ning from the Desolate Jade Pavilion also began to worry, staring intently at Lin Xin to see what he would choose.

Some in black robes even showed a look of disgust, while others murmured words of praise.

Lin Xin’s gaze swept over the two girls.

Nana, voluptuous with a slender waist, had many small braids in her red long hair, giving her a somewhat wild look.

Xiuxiu, on the other hand, had long hair over her shoulders and looked cherry-lipped, giving off a lovable aura.

Clearly, both were meticulously selected beautiful appraisers.

Leaving the two girls at his disposal carried a very clear implication. It meant offering these two women to him, a Demon Cultivator, to use as a Cauldron or a plaything, or even to play them to death, without any objection from Wan An, who would even help him manage the aftermath.

As long as he agreed to transfer his items for appraisal to Wan An.

But since he had already promised Shen Ning, Lin Xin merely smiled.

"Unfortunately, I have already promised the Desolate Jade Pavilion. Cooperation may have to wait until another time."

Having said that, he did not bother with the ashen-faced Wan An manager and simply walked past, heading far away.

Behind him, the soft sobs of Xiuxiu and Nana could be faintly heard, along with Shen Ning’s mocking remarks to the Wan An manager.

After wandering in the market for a while, although Lin Xin did not find anything he liked, at least he got a glimpse of the supposed largest and most bustling black market trading scene.

The area was densely packed with cultivators, constantly coming and going, clearly drawing countless people from far and wide for trade.

Here, everyone concealed their identities, not only using their own methods of concealment but also with the help of a large formation to hide their presence.

In the different stone houses graded by three levels, the concealment assistance was even enhanced to ensure safety for all traders.

After visiting the area selling medicinal materials and then browsing through the magic artifacts, Lin Xin found hardly anything worth picking up. Eventually, he lingered in the miscellaneous market for a long while, sorting through a huge selection of ’good items’ unearthed from various relics and ancient tombs, but to no avail.

They were all Third Grade or even below, meaningless to him.

As evening gradually approached,

he simply returned to the meeting point in the center of the market as he had arranged with Old Du, to receive the stone slab.

A number of people were already waiting there, including many strangers standing in different areas than his.

In the queue, a few from his team had already arrived, including a family of three with the father and his two children sitting beside a statue of a white-jade woman.

But the mysterious man in white stood alone on one side, cold and aloof, exuding an aura that kept strangers at bay.

As Lin Xin approached, he couldn’t help but glance at the man, whose aura seemed somewhat special, even though formations concealed his cultivation level, which Lin Xin could sense up close.

This man who called himself ’White’ seemed to have a peculiar aura.

Lin Xin casually found a spot to stand and began to wait.

The main goals for his visit to the black market were two: first, to find a substitute for the giant whale Wan Sha’s Blood Qi Rune,

and second, to repair the Red Flower Sword.

Only after fulfilling these two objectives would he consider other matters.

As for the materials needed to repair the Red Flower Sword, the Desolate Jade Pavilion had promised to gather most of them, but they were powerless to gather the most precious parts.

As for substitutes for Blood Qi, the Demon Path offered many options; however, such items could only be purchased from the hands of the extremely vicious and malevolent.

Shortly afterwards, Elder Du brought several people over. It seemed he was receiving the second group of guests, and they all gathered under the statue.

"Alright, now that everyone has arrived, let’s head out. Please, follow me closely."

A group of more than ten people suddenly lit their Red Smoke Stones, and a burst of black smoke surged from under everyone’s feet.

The black smoke quickly enveloped everyone’s bodies, lasted for several seconds, and then dispersed. Everyone, including Lin Xin, disappeared from their original spots.

************************

In a vast black void.

A large number of monks in black robes were sitting below, with a stage above them that resembled a theater, glowing with a bright white halo.

Every seated monk had a small Crystal Stone panel in front of them, and barriers separated each seat completely.

When Lin Xin came to his senses, this was the scene he saw.

He and his group were at the very back of all the seats.

Elder Du was leading at the front.

"Everyone follow me. Your Red Smoke Stones will automatically take you to your seats, but before that, I will take you to a designated area.

You must not wander around here, otherwise, if you get lost in the surrounding darkness, you’ll truly never be able to return."

"Oh? Is it that formidable?" asked Bai Zi coldly.

Elder Du turned back and glanced at him.

"This area is the true Abyss of the Outer Regions, where even the fiercest tribes of the Outer Regions dare not tread. Aside from Master Yuan Jing, I fear no one else could escape from within it."

Bai Zi snorted coldly and said no more.

Lin Xin listened for a moment, then suddenly something in his chest began to feel hot.

He took it out and saw it was the Wild Stream Stone given to him earlier by the Desolate Jade Pavilion, which clearly displayed a small pattern that continued to reach out like tendrils trying to burrow out.

The entire stone seemed to emit a force related to spatial teleportation.

"This is the power of space... It seems this jade market must be protected by Yuan Jing; otherwise, it couldn’t possibly be qualified to operate at this level. Possessing control over spatial rules has always been the privilege of Yuan Jing alone," Lin Xin realized, and his vigilance slightly increased.

Although he could rely on the Blood Qi Rune to defeat the worn-down Demon Emperor Kun Ji, that thing ultimately had a limited amount.

If he couldn’t find a substitute for consumption, once the support of the blood qi was gone, he would ultimately still plummet, unable to confront Yuan Jing face-to-face.

"Alright, once you are here, feel free to move around. The black market auction will start soon, and you can choose whatever you want from your seats," Elder Du breathed a sigh of relief and spoke softly. "But remember, do not get into conflicts with anyone, especially not here. The managers of the jade market are not easy to provoke."

"Understandable, managing such a large black market wouldn’t be possible without strength; it would have closed down long ago otherwise,"

a woman murmured softly.

"Glad you understand." Elder Du gave a few more instructions then left on his own.

Lin Xin stood among the crowd, feeling people dispersing around him, presumably looking for their own seats.

He too followed the pull of the Wild Stream Stone and slowly moved toward the right side.

However, what he hadn’t anticipated was someone moving before him.

It was Bai Zi, who had previously appeared icy. The two of them walked around aimlessly in the dark venue for about a dozen breaths.

This guy was walking in front of Lin Xin, but he also seemed to sense someone behind him and turned his head to glance at Lin Xin.

"Don’t follow me if you don’t want to die!"

a cold voice filled with murderous intent entered Lin Xin’s ears.

"Oh?" Lin Xin had been heading in this direction anyway, but now it seemed, did this guy also have something like the Wild Stream Stone pulling him?

But from his behavior, looking around continuously, he seemed to be checking his own position, clearly not like something was pulling him.

With a casual laugh, Lin Xin ignored him and stepped past the man.

He then picked up his pace towards the direction the Wild Stream Stone was pulling him.

It wasn’t long before he disappeared from Bai Zi’s sight.

Bai Zi’s eyes flickered, and only then did he realize that the other party wasn’t following him. He was just heading to the same place.

Standing there for a moment in thought, he decisively sped up and quickly disappeared into the darkness on the side of the venue.

******************

In a small, circular black hall on the side of the venue, sparsely arranged around a central transparent crystal column, sat more than a dozen monks of various forms.

Some of these monks were clothed in black robes, covering their heads and faces; others were openly showing their faces, and some even had beauties wrapped around them, behaving inappropriately.

In the middle, the crystal column displayed the scene on the auction stage in the main hall.

There were two beautiful women, wearing semi-transparent armor covering only essential parts of their bodies, standing on either side of the crystal column. They continually infused tiny streams of Spiritual Energy and Demonic Qi into the crystal, seemingly to adjust the entire display crystal.