40: Blood Hand Organization

With the plan set, Shen Yuanmo did not delay in the slightest.

Early the next morning, he left the Four Seas Inn alone and headed to the Tianbao Market, the largest Cultivator gathering place in Baiyue Prefecture City.

The Tianbao Market occupied three entire streets in the eastern district of the Prefecture City, its scale far surpassing the small market in Linjiang City.

Tall pavilions lined both sides of the street, densely packed. Shops selling Medicinal Pills, Magical Artifacts, Talismans, Spirit Beasts, Materials... all kinds of goods were dazzlingly displayed.

The streets were bustling with people; the Cultivators passing by had cultivations of at least Middle Stage Qi Refining, and Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators were visible everywhere.

Occasionally, one could even sense the aura of one or two Golden Core True Persons flashing past from the depths of some luxurious shops.

Shen Yuanmo changed into an ordinary blue Daoist robe, concealed his aura, and blended into the crowd, appearing inconspicuous.

He did not go to the large, magnificent shops but instead headed straight into stores specializing in various raw Materials.

"Boss, do you have Tier 3 Starlight Sand here?"

"Fellow Daoist, how much is this century-old Lightning-Struck Wood?"

"I'll take this piece of Deep Sea Cold Iron."

Shen Yuanmo's goal was clear: the items he bought were all core Materials for refining Tier 3 Magical Artifacts and Puppets.

These items were all priceless treasures; an ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivator who could afford even one or two pieces would be considered wealthy.

Yet, he acted as if he were shopping at a vegetable market, immediately purchasing anything he liked after confirming the price.

The Spirit Stones he seized from Zhao Wuji and the Lin Family Treasury totaled several hundred thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones, enough for him to splurge for a while.

In one morning, he visited seven or eight material shops, spending the Spirit Stones in his Storage Pouch like flowing water, acquiring a large pile of rare Artifact Refining Materials.

However, when he emerged from a material shop named Bailian Pavilion, his brow furrowed slightly.

His keen Divine Sense captured a faint, almost imperceptible sense of being spied upon.

Since he entered the third shop, this spying Divine Sense had been following him, neither too close nor too far.

The other party was very cautious; the Divine Sense fluctuation was extremely weak and hidden within the noisy flow of people in the market, making it impossible for an ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivator to notice.

But Shen Yuanmo’s Divine Sense was incredibly powerful, enhanced by the talent of [Insight into Origin]; not a single abnormal fluctuation could escape his perception.

"I've been targeted?" Shen Yuanmo sneered inwardly.

Was it because he was spending too lavishly and was mistaken for a fat sheep? Or was there... another reason?

He remained calm and continued to stroll through the market, winding through several turns before entering a secluded alley.

The spying Divine Sense followed without hesitation.

The moment the person entered the alley, Shen Yuanmo's figure vanished from the spot, like a ghost.

"Hmm? Where is he?"

A skinny Cultivator with shifty eyes, whose cultivation was at the Early Stage Foundation Establishment, appeared at the alley entrance, looking at the empty alley with a look of suspicion and uncertainty.

He had clearly watched the person walk in, so why had they disappeared in the blink of an eye?

Just as he was about to retreat, a cold voice softly sounded behind him.

"Are you looking for me?"

The skinny Cultivator's hair stood on end; a chill shot straight from the soles of his feet to the top of his head!

He spun around violently, meeting a pair of eyes as deep as ancient wells.

"You!" Just as he tried to cry for help, a strong, powerful hand swiftly clamped around his throat, stifling all his words.

"Speak. Who sent you?" Shen Yuanmo's voice was devoid of emotion.

"I... I don't know what you're talking about..." Panic flashed in the skinny Cultivator's eyes, but he insisted.

"Is that so?" Shen Yuanmo smiled and applied slight pressure to the hand gripping his throat.

"Crack!"

The skinny Cultivator felt an incredibly pure and dominant spiritual power instantly rush into his Meridians, locking down all his spiritual energy and preventing him from even generating a thought of resistance.

His eyes were filled with terror. He finally realized that this time, he had kicked an iron plate!

This seemingly ordinary young man before him was far superior in strength!

"I will only ask once," Shen Yuanmo's gaze turned icy.

"Say no more, and you won't get another chance."

The fear of death instantly shattered the skinny Cultivator's psychological defenses.

"It's... it's the Blood Hand from the Black Market! Boss Blood Hand ordered me to follow you!" he said, his voice trembling.

"Blood Hand?" Shen Yuanmo raised an eyebrow. He had never heard that name before.

"Why did he send you to track me?"

"Because... because the Materials you bought are all Tier 3 rare Materials! Boss Blood Hand said that anyone who can afford so many good things must be a wealthy Artifact Refiner, or... a fat sheep who obtained some great Opportunity!"

The skinny Cultivator spilled everything like beans pouring from a bamboo tube.

It turned out that beneath the Tianbao Market, there was also a Black Market organization composed of Loose Cultivators, specializing in robbery, murder, and seizing treasures.

The leader was the Late Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator nicknamed Blood Hand.

They specifically targeted those 'fat sheep' who spent lavishly in the market, and once they confirmed the target had no powerful background, they would secretly attack and plunder everything.

Shen Yuanmo's extravagant spending today had long attracted their attention.

"So they are Bandit Cultivators," a flash of understanding crossed Shen Yuanmo's eyes, followed immediately by a surge of killing intent.

What he hated most were these kinds of flies hiding in dark corners.

"Where is your lair? How many people are there?" Shen Yuanmo continued to ask.

"In... in the abandoned mine tunnels beneath the market. The entrance is in the backyard of that scrap shop, Feipin Ju, on the south side. We... we have over a dozen people in total. Besides Boss Blood Hand, who is Late Foundation Establishment Stage, there are two Mid-stage Foundation Establishment deputies..."

Having obtained the information he wanted, Shen Yuanmo nodded.

"Very good."

Seeing this, the skinny Cultivator thought he might live and showed a hint of pleading on his face.

"Senior, I... I told you everything. Please spare my life..."

"I promised that if you said no more, you wouldn't get another chance," Shen Yuanmo looked at him and said lightly.

"But I never promised that speaking would let you live."

As his voice fell.

"Pfft!"

A golden Glazed Flame shot out from Shen Yuanmo's fingertip, instantly piercing the skinny Cultivator's glabella.

The skinny Cultivator's eyes widened abruptly. After two twitches, his body slumped softly to the ground, his life force extinguished.

Shen Yuanmo never showed any mercy toward those who sought to take his life.

He retracted his hand, looking at the corpse on the ground with icy eyes.

"Black Market, Blood Hand?"

A cruel arc curved at the corner of his mouth.

He had been wondering how to quickly accumulate wealth, but now it seemed someone had voluntarily delivered the pillow to his door.

He did not immediately head toward the so-called Feipin Ju. Instead, he turned and left the alley, returning to the market's main street.

He needed to finish purchasing everything he required first.

As for those flies, he would sweep them all away later tonight!

However, just as he was about to continue shopping, his steps suddenly halted.

Because he saw a large crowd gathered not far ahead, outside a shop named Wanbao Pavilion, seemingly arguing about something.

That Wanbao Pavilion was precisely where he had previously met with the manager of the Heavenly Fate Chamber of Commerce in Baiyue Prefecture City, who used the codename “Shopkeeper.”

Shen Yuanmo's heart stirred, and he quietly walked over.

He squeezed into the crowd and heard a brazen, arrogant voice coming from inside.

"Old man, I'm giving you one last chance! Hand over that improved foundation establishment pill Pill Formula!"

"Otherwise, today, I'll tear down this dilapidated shop of yours!"