288: Four forces

[Suddenly, your eyes lit up—]

[That Mysterious Immortal Palace contains countless rare treasures, Spirit Treasures, and even that Immortal Artifact fragment...]

[You have always felt that anything incomplete often hides a profound mystery.]

[The more you thought about it, the more moved you became, and you couldn't help but look forward to the Mysterious Immortal Palace's appearance next year.]

[Thinking of this, you immediately stood up and headed straight for Langgan Pavilion.]

[You already had a plan in mind—]

[Only by preparing enough methods and hiding deep enough trump cards can you remain unpredictable.]

[For example, refining the "human emperors seal," purchasing a batch of Talisman, and preparing all the auxiliary Materials for refining the immortal slaying sword (Thunder).]

[After all, the main material, "Thunder Pool Source Liquid," is already in your hands.]

[And the refining of this "human emperors seal" involves the "Faith Artifact Forging" method, requiring a strand of the Power of All Living Beings to succeed—]

[The Power of All Living Beings is extremely difficult to obtain, usually requiring one to become the ruler of a nation and gain the faith of ten thousand people, or perhaps condensing a strand under a special Opportunity.]

[Coincidentally, you have a strand of the Power of All Living Beings, so you only need to purchase the remaining auxiliary Materials.]

[A moment later, you stepped into Langgan Pavilion.]

[A young female Foundation Establishment Cultivator greeted you with a smile—]

[She wore a dark purple robe, her figure was plump, and her legs were especially long.]

["Young Master, I am Yuzhu. How may I help you?"]

[Your gaze wandered between her long legs and her chest, and you couldn't help but sigh inwardly that Langgan Pavilion's sense of aesthetics was truly pleasing to the eye.]

[You smiled slightly, and with a wave of your hand, a Jade Slip floated to her chest: "Do you have these?"]

[Her Divine Sense scanned the Jade Slip, and she suddenly gasped, her chest heaving violently, her eyes full of disbelief as she whispered:]

["Explosive Flame Talisman, thunder curse talisman, substitute talisman, light evasion talisman, fire phoenix talisman, golden essence talisman..."]

["And Star-Patterned Steel, Lightning-Struck Wood, Heavenly Thunder Crystal, soul slaughtering sand, Cold Jade Marrow..."]

["Universe Jade, destiny stone, Incense Crystal, Breath-Soil, Fine Gold Stone, Dragon Vein Essence..."]

[After reading through the list of more than two hundred Materials, her eyes were filled with a mixture of doubt, joy, and nervousness:]

["Young Master... you want so many Materials?"]

[She naturally couldn't see the use of these Materials—]

[Not to mention her, even those with deeper cultivation would find it hard to see through. After all, the Dao of Artifact Refining is ever-changing, and the auxiliary Materials required by each person are different.]

[From the aura you displayed at this moment, you were only at the Foundation Establishment Late Stage, which made her feel even more suspicious—]

[With your cultivation, how could you afford such a huge amount of rare Materials?]

[Moreover, you are only at the Foundation Establishment cultivation, so there is no need to refine a Magic Treasure at all.]

[She saw that your clothes were simple—]

[Any Cultivator with a bit of status would wear a spirit robe or dharma clothing, while you only wore an ordinary long robe.]

[She immediately guessed that you were most likely a "runner" sent by some force.]

[But it was truly baffling that such a large transaction would be handled by a mere Foundation Establishment Cultivator—]

[She had been in Langgan Pavilion for many years, and this was the first time she had encountered such a situation.]

[Seeing her hesitation, you chuckled: "What? Is it possible that your Langgan Pavilion doesn't have all these Materials?"]

["The Young Master must be joking," she hurriedly explained softly, "it's just that two of the Materials happened to sell out yesterday."]

["Which two?"]

["destiny stone and soul slaughtering sand. If you need them urgently, you may have to wait for a while until we restock."]

[Her eyes flickered as she continued: "Why don't you leave a contact method, Young Master? Once the Materials arrive, I will personally come to inform you. What do you think?"]

["About how long will it take?" you asked.]

["We still need to check with other branches to see if there is stock that can be transferred," she explained patiently. "However, these two Materials are very special. They are usually bought as soon as they are in stock, so it could take a few months at the earliest, or a few years at the shortest."]

[Hearing this, you were a bit worried—waiting a few months was fine, but waiting a few years was definitely out of the question.]

[So you asked directly: "Then who bought the destiny stone and soul slaughtering sand?"]

[She covered her mouth and chuckled, her eyes seeming to hold deep meaning: "Young Master... you're not thinking of robbing them, are you?"]

["That's not the case," you said normally, "I just want to ask if I can purchase them at a higher price."]

[She showed hesitation—]

[According to the rules, customer information should not be leaked, but this business of yours is truly not small.]

[While she was hesitating, a clear transmission suddenly came into her Sea of Consciousness:]

["Tell him."]

[Yuzhu's expression shifted slightly, and then she gave you a bright smile:]

["The destiny stone was purchased by the Cao Family, and the soul slaughtering sand was bought by the Qi Family."]

[Although she didn't specify who exactly it was, you already had an idea in your heart.]

["Thank you. Please prepare the rest of the Materials for me." You nodded.]

[With a smile, Yuzhu led you to a private room to rest, then turned to prepare the items you needed.]

[The subtle change in her expression just now did not escape your perception.]

[You knew that she must have received a transmission instruction before revealing the information to you.]

[As for why Langgan Pavilion was willing to make an exception, although you felt it was suspicious, you didn't care much.]

[If the other party really had other intentions, they would eventually surface over time.]

[As for the Cao Family and the Qi Family—you naturally knew their origins.]

[In Tianyang City, the forces are mainly divided into four groups:]

[The City Lord's Cao Family, backed by the True Spirit Immortal Dynasty.]

[The number one Family, the Qi Family, backed by the Piaomiao Sect.]

[The largest Gang, the Flood Dragon Gang, backed by the Divine Dragon Cult.]

[As for the fourth—Langgan Pavilion, which is spread throughout the Immortal Realm. It seems to be just a merchant house, but in reality, its secret actions are unpredictable—]

[You had already experienced this when you were on the Shattered Star Continent.]

[Unfortunately, Tianyang City is different from Tianyu City—]

[The various forces in Tianyang City are all equipped with powerful Formations, isolating even the Divine Sense of a Spirit Transformation Cultivator.]

[Therefore, you have not yet been able to fully see through the specific depths of these four forces.]

[A moment later, Yuzhu returned to the private room.]

[For this transaction, you spent a total of over 2.7 million Spirit Stones.]

[Adding your recent various expenses, you only have 550,000 Spirit Stones left.]

[This little bit of savings is quite strained for a Spirit Transformation Cultivator.]

[This is the hardship of being a Loose Cultivator!]

[Unlike those forces with deep Foundations in Tianyang City, which have a steady income every month, resources are like flowing water, never-ending.]

[After leaving, you walked on the long street, looking at the passing crowd, and couldn't help but sigh softly:]

["So poor."]

["Wealth, companions, methods, land... the ancients truly did not deceive me!"]

[You smiled and shook your head.]

[What makes you most helpless is—]

[The destiny stone is a material for refining the human emperors seal, and the soul slaughtering sand is for casting the immortal slaying sword.]

[Without these two, you cannot advance any of the things you are currently planning.]

[You walked slowly, constantly calculating how to obtain these two Materials—]

[Robbery?]

[It would inevitably expose your strength, attract countless Karma entanglements, and bring one trouble after another.]

[Especially when the Mysterious Immortal Palace appears, you would be as conspicuous as a spotlight, closely watched by countless eyes hidden in the dark, which is definitely not a wise move.]

[After thinking it over, the corners of your mouth curled up slightly; you already had a plan.]