Inside Zhang Wanbao Tower, news of Binglian

Inside the Myriad Treasures Tower, there was a world of its own. The space was much vaster than what was visible from the outside, thanks to the use of a sophisticated spatial expansion Formation. The interior decoration was luxurious but not vulgar, with Spiritual Qi and precious light suffusing the air. Various Cultivators moved through it, yet all maintained relative quiet, indicating the strict rules of the place.

As Nightmare stepped in, a beautiful female Cultivator at the Golden Core Stage greeted him. She wore a professional smile, but when she sensed the faint yet heart-pounding aura emanating from Nightmare, her smile instantly became more respectful and cautious.

“Welcome, Senior, to Myriad Treasures Tower. May I ask what you need? Junior can guide you,” the female Cultivator said with a soft voice and impeccable demeanor.

Nightmare’s gaze swept across the first-floor hall, where most of the treasures displayed were suitable for Golden Core and Nascent Soul Cultivators, not his target.

“Is there a quiet room? This Sovereign needs to conduct a transaction that is not convenient to display here,” Nightmare said calmly.

The female Cultivator immediately understood; anyone capable of making major transactions was no ordinary person. She quickly bowed and said, “Yes, Senior, please follow me.”

She led Nightmare through the hall to a staircase on one side, directly up to the third floor, and into an elegantly furnished quiet room equipped with soundproofing and protective Restrictions.

“Senior, please have a seat. Junior will go invite the Elder in charge,” the female Cultivator poured a cup of fragrant Spirit Tea for Nightmare, then respectfully withdrew.

A moment later, an old man wearing the unique steward’s robe of the Myriad Treasures Tower, with a lean face, shrewd eyes, and cultivation at Nascent Soul Perfection, walked in. He clasped his hands with a smile and said, “This old man is Money Maple, the Elder of Myriad Treasures Tower. May I ask Your Excellency’s name? What treasures do you need our Myriad Treasures Tower to handle for you?”

Money Maple’s attitude was warm, but a hint of scrutiny lay deep in his eyes. He already knew what had happened downstairs and dared not show the slightest disrespect to this black-robed Cultivator who had alarmed two Mid-stage Dao Replenishing Elders and dared to speak harshly, yet he also carried the unique confidence of the Myriad Treasures Tower.

“My surname is Ye,” Nightmare did not conceal it, directly stating his surname. Then, with a flick of his finger, a Jade Slip flew towards Money Maple, “Look at these Materials, how much can your tower provide?”

Money Maple took the Jade Slip and immersed his Divine Sense into it. The smile on his face froze slightly, then turned to surprise.

The Materials listed in the Jade Slip were all rare, many of them Heaven And Earth Treasures needed for Deity Transformation Cultivators to Cultivate, and there were even a few main Materials used to repair and enhance Spirit Treasures! Their value was astonishing!

“Fellow Daoist Ye has such a grand collection!” Money Maple suppressed his shock and pondered, “Most of these Materials are exceptionally rare. Although our Myriad Treasures Tower has some inventory, it’s impossible to gather all of them, especially the ‘Ten-Thousand-Year Blood Marrow Crystal’ and ‘Void Soul Wood,’ which are treasures with price but no market… As for the price…”

Nightmare simply waved his hand, and several items instantly appeared on the table.

A small pile of Top-Grade Spirit Stones shimmering with starlight!

Several Deity Transformation Stage Yao Beast Materials (obtained from the Evil Qi spirits in the Ancient Battlefield and previously defeated opponents) emitting pure Demonic Essence and Evil Qi!

The dark blue curved blade obtained from Liu Jin, whose spirituality was slightly damaged!

And a fragment of an ancient treasure he didn’t recognize, obtained from a certain Deity Transformation Cultivator’s Storage Pouch.

As soon as these items appeared, the Spiritual Qi in the quiet room instantly became dense, and precious light overflowed.

Money Maple’s eyes immediately widened, especially when he saw the Top-Grade Spirit Stones and the fragment of the ancient treasure, his breathing quickened slightly! The value of these items was enough to rival several ordinary Spirit Treasures!

“Are these… enough?” Nightmare said calmly.

“Enough! More than enough!” Money Maple quickly said, his attitude becoming even more enthusiastic, “Fellow Daoist’s required Materials, this old man will immediately gather from our inventory and try my best to collect them all for Fellow Daoist! Please wait a moment, Fellow Daoist!”

He carefully put away the treasures on the table and quickly left the quiet room.

About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Money Maple returned, holding a Storage Pouch and a Jade Slip.

“Fellow Daoist Ye, our tower can currently provide 70% of the Materials you need, all contained in this pouch. The remaining 30% are indeed in short supply, especially the ‘Ten-Thousand-Year Blood Marrow Crystal,’ which is said to only be produced deep within the Barbarian Tribe Holy Land of the Southern Wilderness and rarely flows out. The ‘Void Soul Wood’ requires even more Opportunity and often appears at large auctions.” Money Maple handed the Storage Pouch to Nightmare, then offered the Jade Slip, “This is the detailed list of this transaction and the remaining balance. After deducting the Material costs, there are still 130,000 High-Grade Spirit Stones. Fellow Daoist, please check them.”

Nightmare’s Divine Sense swept through the Storage Pouch; the Materials were correct, and their quality was all High Grade. He put away the Storage Pouch and the Spirit Stones, nodding, “Acceptable.”

With the transaction complete, Money Maple’s smile grew even wider, and he tentatively asked, “Fellow Daoist Ye seems to be in urgent need of items for healing and Body Refining? This old man observes Fellow Daoist’s complexion, and it seems there is a yin-cold force Entangled?”

Nightmare glanced at him but did not answer.

Money Maple was not embarrassed and lowered his voice, “Fellow Daoist, please don’t mind, this old man has no other intentions. It just so happens that I recently heard some news that might be helpful to Fellow Daoist.”

“Oh? What news?” Nightmare’s expression shifted slightly.

“Does Fellow Daoist know of the ‘seven-colored ice soul lotus’?” Money Maple asked mysteriously.

Nightmare’s heart suddenly leaped, but his face remained impassive: “I’ve heard a little.”

Money Maple said, “According to reliable sources, half a year from now, at the ‘Tiandu Grand Gathering’ held in the Central Province Imperial Dynasty, a mature ‘seven-colored ice soul lotus’ will appear as the final auction item!”

Tiandu Grand Gathering? seven-colored ice soul lotus?

Nightmare’s gaze sharpened slightly. The ice soul lotus would be remarkably effective for dispelling the cold poison in his left shoulder and refining the Nirvana Star Evil, precisely what he urgently needed! He hadn’t expected it to appear in the Central Province!

“Is the news reliable?” Nightmare asked.

“Nine times out of ten!” Money Maple affirmed, “The news comes from within the Imperial Dynasty. By then, I fear all the major forces in the Central Province will be alerted, and the competition will undoubtedly be extremely fierce. However…” he changed his tone, looking meaningfully at Nightmare, “with Fellow Daoist’s wealth and strength, you might not be unable to contend for it.”

Nightmare gave Money Maple a deep look. This person telling him this news probably didn't have good intentions; he merely wanted to incite him to participate in the auction, so that whether he succeeded or not, Myriad Treasures Tower could profit. He might even harbor thoughts of seeing him clash with the major forces of the Central Province.

However, he accepted this open scheme. He was determined to obtain the seven-colored ice soul lotus.

“Tiandu Grand Gathering… This Sovereign has noted it,” Nightmare said calmly, then stood up to leave.

“Fellow Daoist, please wait!” Money Maple quickly called out to him again, handing him a VIP token from the Myriad Treasures Tower. “Please accept this token, Fellow Daoist. With it, you can enjoy discounts at all our Myriad Treasures Tower branches and participate in some internal auctions. Consider it our Myriad Treasures Tower forging a good relationship with Fellow Daoist.”

Nightmare took the token; it was warm to the touch and made of extraordinary material. He nodded, said nothing more, and turned to leave the quiet room.

Walking out of the Myriad Treasures Tower, Nightmare could feel many eyes watching him in the dark, including the Divine Senses of those two Deity Transformation Elders, following him like maggots attached to bone.

He sneered, ignored them, and went straight to a Immortal Cave in Heavenly Origin City that specialized in renting to high-level Cultivators. He rented a High Grade Immortal Cave rich in Spiritual Qi, set up multiple Restrictions, and began secluded cultivation.

Inside the Immortal Cave, Nightmare first took out the purchased Medicinal Materials, refined several batches of Medicinal Pills specifically for dispelling cold poison and repairing his Dao foundation, and consumed them. He then combined their effects with the power of the Lunar Cold Pond to fully heal his injuries.

Afterward, he began to process the black Star Palace Fragment he had obtained from Yang Yan.

The power of the Star Palace Fragment slowly enveloped the fragment, carefully sensing the extremely faint spatial fluctuations within it, attempting to use it as a beacon to sense other possible Star Palace Ruins.

The process was very slow; after all, this fragment was merely a remnant, and its signal was extremely weak.

Several days later, just as Nightmare was about to give up, the Star Palace Fragment suddenly transmitted an extremely faint, intermittent resonance feedback!

This feedback did not come from one direction, but… two!

One feedback was extremely weak, pointing vaguely to the distant north, seemingly… towards the Northern Region? The other feedback was relatively clearer, pointing towards… the southwest of the Central Province?!

There are also Star Palace Ruins within the Central Province?

Nightmare’s spirit suddenly lifted!

This was definitely a major discovery! Most of the Star Palace Ruins in the Northern Region were dilapidated and dangerous, while the Central Province had a long-standing civilization. If Star Palace Ruins had been preserved there, their completeness and value might far exceed those in the Northern Region!

He carefully sensed the coordinates in the southwest direction. Although still blurry, the general location could be determined.

“Once my injuries are healed, I must investigate,” Nightmare decided in his heart.

Just as he was about to continue healing, the Restriction outside his Immortal Cave was suddenly triggered.

A sound transmission talisman flew in.

Nightmare’s Divine Sense swept over it; it was sent by an unfamiliar aura. The content of the talisman was very simple, only one sentence:

“To know the whereabouts of the Supreme Art of Forgetting Emotion and the Profound Yin Maiden, meet tonight at midnight at the Star Gazing Pavilion in the west of the city.”

Nightmare’s gaze instantly became sharp as a knife!

News of Su Wanqing?!