257: Chapter 255 Mysterious Netherworld Treasure

The Longevity Festival was approaching, and the entire Tianyuan City was buzzing with excitement.

Crowds surged on the Heavenly Street, Cultivators walked shoulder to shoulder, flying boats formed long dragons in the sky, and the cries of Spirit Beasts rose and fell.

Just by casually scanning while walking down the street, Yun Ming could capture over a dozen auras of the Nascent Soul Stage.

Occasionally, an unfathomable aura that made his spine chill would sweep past—that was a Spirit Severing Cultivator.

The foundation of the Zifu Immortal Dynasty was fully revealed at this moment.

This was not a festival for Mortals; it didn't need mundane things like red lanterns, firecrackers, or paper-cuttings.

The Immortal Dynasty's celebration was the pilgrimage of ten thousand immortals, the congratulations of a hundred beasts, a grand event for the entire cultivation world.

But Yun Ming was not interested in the bustle.

He lived a stable life. Every morning, he would wake up and Cultivate for an hour, the five Golden Cores slowly rotating in his Dantian, drawing closer and closer to Golden Core Perfection. After cultivating, he would water the flowers in the courtyard. The Spirit Medicine in the medicinal field was growing well, and the Qinghe Sword was stuck in the ridge of the field, its spiritual light a bit brighter than when he first got it. Then he would brew a pot of tea, lie under the old Huai tree, watch the sky and clouds, and watch the fox chase its own tail in the yard.

Ah Yuan's cultivation progress was rapid. In less than a month, she jumped from the Early Qi Refining Stage to Qi Refining Perfection. With a single-attribute water Spiritual Root, a Heaven-Defying Comprehension Ability, and the mystery of the "Dao Scripture," the three combined to create a monster. Yun Ming only went to the Sundries shop every few days to check on Ah Yuan and the business. The shop's business was neither hot nor cold, but enough to maintain itself. Ah Yuan was already capable of handling things on her own.

That afternoon, Yun Ming left Huai Tree Alley to see Ah Yuan on the Heavenly Street. When he reached the door of the Sundries shop, the door was slightly ajar. Yun Ming frowned and walked in. The shop was empty; nothing was missing from the shelves, but Ah Yuan was not there.

Yun Ming's gaze turned cold. He walked to the counter and saw a Jade Slip on the table. He picked it up and probed it with his Divine Sense. A sentence was carved inside: "The person is at Chengen Street, Xuanming Treasures. Bring the Nine-Tailed Fox to exchange." It was the people from Xuanming Hall. They had kidnapped Ah Yuan and wanted Xue Ji.

Yun Ming crushed the Jade Slip. The fragments fell silently from his fingertips. He was not angry or panicked; his eyes were just colder than usual.

Yun Ming turned and left the shop, locked the door, and walked toward the Teleportation Array.

Chengen Street was as busy as ever. The crowds surged, and the sounds of shouting, bargaining, and arguing mixed into a constant hum. Yun Ming walked through the crowd with a calm expression, like a drop of water merging into the sea. He didn't intentionally hide his aura, nor did he intentionally release killing intent. He just walked, neither fast nor slow.

Xuanming Treasures was in the middle section of Chengen Street. The storefront wasn't large, and the sign above the lintel had gold characters on a black background that read "Xuanming Treasures." Two burly men in black stood at the door, with cultivation at the Foundation Establishment Early Stage. They saw Yun Ming walking over, glanced at each other, then pushed open the door and went inside.

Yun Ming didn't stand on ceremony and pushed the door open to enter.

The shop had been cleared. The shelves were empty, and all the valuable Magical Artifacts had been taken away. The original shopkeeper and workers were nowhere to be found. They were replaced by a group of burly men in black, filling every corner of the shop, at least twenty or thirty of them at first glance. Their cultivation ranged from the Qi Refining Stage to the Golden Core Stage.

Standing at the very front were four Cultivators at Golden Core Perfection, with steady auras, thick spiritual power, and cold, sharp eyes. In the deepest part of the shop was a grandmaster's chair. Zhao Shisan sat on it with his legs crossed, holding a cup of tea. A smug smile hung on the corner of his mouth. Densely packed formation patterns appeared on the walls of the shop, spiritual light flowing, sealing the entire room tight.

A space reinforcement Formation; no one outside would notice a fight between those at the Golden Core Stage.

Zhao Shisan put down his teacup, leaned against the back of the chair, and looked at Yun Ming with a condescending gaze.

"You came? I thought you wouldn't dare to."

Yun Ming looked at him. "Release her."

Zhao Shisan laughed. The smile was very cold, like ice shards in winter. "Release her? Sure. Hand over the Nine-Tailed Fox. One hand for the fox, one hand for the person. A fair trade."

"Xue Ji is not a spirit pet. She is my friend. I will not hand her over to anyone."

Zhao Shisan's smile froze for a moment, then he laughed even more wantonly. "Friend? A fox? Is there something wrong with your head?"

"I don't care what your relationship is with her. The Hall Master wants that fox. Her Highness the Princess Royal likes rare and exotic beasts, and that Nine-Tailed Fox is perfect for a gift. You'll give it whether you want to or not. As for your little disciple—" He gestured with his chin toward Ah Yuan's direction, "my brothers here haven't had a taste in a long time."

Yun Ming's eyes were as cold as the deep sea in winter. He didn't speak again. He raised his right hand and performed a hand seal. Three bolts of purple thunder exploded out of thin air, heading straight for Zhao Shisan on the grandmaster's chair. The thunder light was blinding, and electric arcs crackled—the Purple Cloud Divine Thunder Curse—an opening killing move.

Zhao Shisan's expression changed, and he sprang from the grandmaster's chair, rolling backward. The chair was blasted into fragments by the thunder light, wood chips flying everywhere.

Several of his Foundation Establishment subordinates behind him couldn't dodge in time and were struck by the electric arcs. They fell to the ground screaming, their bodies twitching and hair standing on end. The four Golden Core Perfection Cultivators moved simultaneously.

One used a black iron crutch, which transformed into a black flood dragon, pouncing toward Yun Ming with claws and fangs bared;

One used a blood-colored long saber, the saber light like a blood moon in the sky, slashing out a several-zhang-long Saber Qi;

One used a copper bell, which hung above his head, the sound of the bell turning into visible sound waves, surging like a tide;

One used a Flying Sword, the sword light like a rainbow, piercing straight for Yun Ming's throat from the side.

Four attacks struck simultaneously, fast as lightning and vicious as scorpions.

Yun Ming did not retreat.

With a wave of his left hand, the xuanming heaven-covering umbrella flew out from the map of mountains and rivers and hung above his head. Black ghostly light fell like a waterfall, blocking all four attacks.

The ghostly light on the umbrella's surface flickered violently, but it remained motionless.

His right hand simultaneously sacrificed a fourth-grade sword Formation. Nine transparent small swords flew out from his sleeve, growing with the wind into nine silver sword lights that crisscrossed in the shop, weaving an airtight sword net.

Wherever the sword light passed, tables and chairs shattered, shelves collapsed, and the formation patterns on the walls flickered violently. The Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment subordinates scattered in terror, some crouching on the ground, some hiding in corners, and some running straight for the door—but the door was sealed by the Formation, and they couldn't escape.

One Golden Core Perfection Cultivator was forced back by the sword light into a corner, only to have his arm sliced open by another sword light from the side, blood gushing out. That person's black iron crutch was knocked flying, hitting the ceiling and blasting a large hole. The Cultivator using the Flying Sword had sharp sword techniques, but there were too many and too fast sword lights from the sword Formation; he could only barely parry and could not get close to Yun Ming at all.

The sound wave attack from the copper bell was pervasive, but the xuanming heaven-covering umbrella specifically countered sound waves. The bell's toll hit the ghostly light like a stone thrown into a deep pool, only raising a ripple before dissipating.

The Saber Qi from the blood saber was the most ferocious; with one strike, half the shop trembled. But Yun Ming didn't give him a chance for a second strike—the cauldron of all things mother qi flew out from the map of mountains and rivers, its mouth facing downward as Golden Crow Flame poured out, swallowing the blood-saber Cultivator along with his saber.

The man screamed, his whole body on fire as he rolled on the ground. The subordinates nearby rushed up to put out the fire, but how could mundane water extinguish the Golden Crow Flame? The man soon stopped moving.

Zhao Shisan hid behind the crowd, his face pale as ash.

He watched Yun Ming handle the siege of four Golden Core Perfection Masters with ease, even having enough energy left to drive the sword Formation and fire cauldron to suppress the entire scene. Only one thought was in his mind—is this person really at the Late Golden Core Stage? How could he have so many high-grade Magic Treasures? How could his spiritual power be so abundant?

"Attack together! Everyone attack!" Zhao Shisan shouted hoarsely. The subordinates hiding in the corners looked at each other, but no one dared to move.

In a panic, Zhao Shisan pulled a spiritual talisman from his robe and threw it at Yun Ming. The talisman transformed into a fire dragon, pouncing toward Yun Ming with its claws and fangs. A fourth-grade spiritual talisman, its power was not small. Yun Ming didn't even look; the cauldron of all things mother qi shifted direction, its mouth facing forward, and the Golden Crow Flame transformed into a golden fire phoenix, colliding with the fire dragon. Boom! The two forces exploded, the shockwave knocking the surrounding people over, and even the formation patterns on the walls dimmed a bit.

Zhao Shisan's heart went completely cold. He watched Yun Ming step-by-step toward him as his subordinates fell one by one, and those four Golden Core Perfection Cultivators were also beaten into a steady retreat.

He gritted his teeth, pulled out a dagger from his robe, and turned to pounce toward Ah Yuan. As long as he caught her, as long as he used her as a hostage, he still had a chance.

Yun Ming had already anticipated this step. The array-breaking sword flew out from the map of mountains and rivers, turning into a white light that went straight for Zhao Shisan's back. Zhao Shisan felt the chill behind him and instinctively dodged, but the array-breaking sword grazed his arm, taking a piece of flesh with it. He screamed, the dagger fell from his hand, and he collapsed to the ground.

Yun Ming didn't give him a chance to crawl back up. The zhoutian yuan-magnetic realm-suppressing tower flew out from his sleeve, the seven-inch small tower hanging over Zhao Shisan's head. Magnetic Force, like an invisible giant hand, pinned him firmly to the ground. Zhao Shisan's face was pressed against the floor, unable to move.

Yun Ming walked to Ah Yuan's side, used spiritual power to snap the ropes on her, and removed the cloth from her mouth. Ah Yuan threw herself into his arms and started crying. "Master... I thought... I thought I'd never see you again..."

Yun Ming patted her back. "It's okay now."

Ah Yuan cried for a while, then looked up at the mess all over the floor and the burly men in black groaning on the ground, then looked at Yun Ming's calm face, and her tears flowed again.

Yun Ming turned and walked to Zhao Shisan. Zhao Shisan lay on the ground, covered in blood, the bandage on his left arm undone, and the bone he had just had set was broken again. He looked up at Yun Ming, his eyes full of terror. "You... you can't kill me... I'm from the Zhao family... Xuanming Hall won't let you go..."

Yun Ming looked down at him without saying a word. He raised his right hand, and a purple thunderbolt was condensing in his palm. Zhao Shisan's eyes bulged, his mouth opened to scream, but no sound came out. The thunder light grew brighter, illuminating the entire shop in a ghastly white.

"Stop!"

The door was pushed open. A fair-faced, beardless middle-aged man stood at the door, wearing a brocade robe with a gold seal hanging from his waist, followed by a squad of armored soldiers. His cultivation was unfathomable—at least at the Mid-Nascent Soul Stage. Yun Ming's thunder light did not dissipate, but it did not fall either. He looked at the man, and the man looked at him.

"Xuanming Hall has operated in Tianyuan City for many years; it's not something a Loose Cultivator like you can touch." The middle-aged man's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an unquestionable authority. "Zhao Shisan, you kidnapped and extorted, breaking the rules. Come with me." The squad of armored soldiers behind him swarmed into the shop and hauled Zhao Shisan up from the ground. Zhao Shisan's legs were weak as he was dragged out. As he left the door, he looked back at Yun Ming, his eyes full of malice, but he didn't speak.

The middle-aged man turned and looked at Yun Ming. "Young man, the waters of Tianyuan City are deep; it's not a place you should have come to. Know when to stop, and don't bring trouble upon yourself." Yun Ming didn't speak. He put away his Magic Treasures, took Ah Yuan's hand, and walked out of Xuanming Treasures. The sun was shining outside, people were coming and going on the street, and the sounds of shouting, bargaining, and arguing were mixed together, just as they were when he arrived. No one knew what had just happened inside that shop.