83: Chapter 83 The Rules of the Blood River Secret Meeting

In the Great Yu Cultivation World, on the edge of the Misty Swamp, north of Qingmu Cliff.

Thick miasma never dissipated year-round, but it was forcibly pushed aside by an extremely massive, blood-colored Formation light that emitted a pungent, fishy odor.

At the center of the Formation, Inner Sect Elder Yan Ku of the Blood Fiend Sect stood with his hands behind his back, his expression as gloomy as water. His terrifying pressure, at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, forced the dozen or so Qi Refining Stage Disciples around him to not even dare to breathe loudly.

"Still no sign of that little beast?" Yan Ku spoke coldly, his voice sounding like two rusty iron plates rubbing against each other.

A Qi Refining 9th Layer Inner Sect Disciple stepped forward, sweating profusely, and knelt on one knee: "Reporting to Elder, the terrain of the Misty Swamp is too complex, and that True Disciple from Qingmu Cliff does not know what method he used to perfectly conceal his own aura. The three search teams we sent in have already suffered half-casualties..."

"Useless."

A flash of violence crossed Yan Ku's eyes, but he did not erupt. Because the Blood Sacrifice Array in the White Bone Forest was missing that piece of residual whisker, the quality of the ripened blood marrow lotus had plummeted, and the Sect's upper echelon was already furious.

Just then, a blood-colored paper crane pierced through the miasma and landed with extreme precision in Yan Ku's hand.

Yan Ku scanned it with his Divine Sense, his brow furrowing tightly.

"The sentry post on the outskirts of the dried riverbed has been wiped out. Captain Shen Kuo's entire team is dead."

As soon as these words were spoken, the Disciples around him all changed color slightly. Captain Shen Kuo was an expert at the Qi Refining Level 8, and they were over a hundred miles away from the Misty Swamp. Who could have done it there?

"Elder, could it be that the True Disciple used a diversionary tactic and has already broken out from the dried riverbed?" The kneeling Disciple asked in shock and uncertainty.

"Fool. I personally struck that little beast into the depths of the swamp; it is absolutely impossible for him to have cloned himself to kill people a hundred miles away."

Yan Ku's eyes were deep, and he made a deduction with extreme experience: "With Qingmu Cliff destroyed, the tree falls and the monkeys scatter. There are always some rats hiding in the gutters who took advantage of the chaos to snatch some scraps, wanting to slip away while we have the area blockaded. Captain Shen Kuo most likely encountered a tough nut to crack while checking the post."

Yan Ku sneered, applying slight force to his hand, crushing the blood-colored paper crane into powder.

"Pass the order to Leng Wuhen. Tell him to immediately take a few people and make a trip to the nearest Yunze Immortal City."

"These Loose Cultivators who kill for goods and grab wealth will surely go to the black market in Yunze Immortal City to fence their stolen goods. Have Leng Wuhen keep watch there; it is better to kill the wrong person than to let one go."

"Yes!"

Undercurrents, at this moment, secretly surged toward that massive cultivation city.

...

Two days later.

Thirty miles outside Yunze Immortal City, inside an extremely concealed stone cave in the desolate mountains.

Gu Shen sat cross-legged by the campfire, the flickering firelight reflecting off his sallow, gaunt face with age spots at the corners of his eyes (disguised by Thousand Faces).

In the shadows not far away, the mysterious Sword Cultivator Wei Lingfeng was closing his eyes to rest, that hiltless Flying Sword appearing and disappearing in his sleeve. The two had walked this path, maintaining a safe distance of three zhang with extreme tacit understanding, neither asking the other about their background.

Gu Shen's Divine Sense stirred, and he took out the Storage Pouch embroidered with blood-colored patterns that he had seized after killing Captain Shen Kuo two days ago.

"An elite of the Sect at Qi Refining Level 8, there should be some good things in his possession, right?"

The Divine Sense imprint on a high-level Cultivator's Storage Pouch is extremely difficult to erase. If one forces it open, it is very easy to detonate the internal space and destroy all the items.

But Gu Shen was different. He not only had the Divine Sense of a Qi Refining Level 7 Peak, but he also had the [Heaven and Earth Furnace].

Gu Shen held the Storage Pouch in one hand, his eyes slightly closed.

In his Sea of Consciousness, the Great Furnace shook gently. Pale white virtual flames spread out along his Divine Sense, wrapping around the Restriction at the mouth of the Storage Pouch with extreme precision. That residual Divine Sense belonging to Captain Shen Kuo did not even last a single breath under the burning of the rules fire before turning into fly ash.

Click.

The Storage Pouch opened silently.

A pile of items fell onto the hay on the ground.

Gu Shen's gaze swept over them, but there were no ripples in his eyes; in fact, a trace of disappointment flashed through them.

There were no ancient Secret Manuals as imagined, nor were there any extremely rare Magic Treasures to break the situation.

There were only eighty Low-Grade Spirit Stones, two bottles of Low Grade Blood Qi Pills emitting a faint scent of blood, a damaged spare Low Grade Magical Artifact Flying Sword, as well as a few sets of clean Blood Fiend Sect Inner Sect robes and an Identity Jade Token.

"How can there be so many common Opportunities in the Cultivation World? Most of the resources of Sect Cultivators are handed over to exchange for Cultivation Techniques or used immediately to improve their cultivation base; who would carry their entire life savings while on patrol?"

Gu Shen was extremely clear-headed. The plot points in novels where killing a small soldier could yield a peerless divine technique simply did not exist in this cruel reality of the Great Yu Cultivation World.

He expressionlessly put the eighty Spirit Stones and two bottles of Blood Qi Pills into his own Storage Ring.

As for that damaged Flying Sword and the Blood Fiend Sect robes and jade token.

Gu Shen wiped with one hand, and the [Heaven and Earth Furnace] virtual fire in his Sea of Consciousness rolled over them. These stolen goods with obvious Sect imprints were instantly burned into nothingness; not even a bit of material could be refined, completely destroying the evidence.

After finishing all this, Gu Shen turned his head to look at Wei Lingfeng opposite him.

"Fellow Daoist Wei, after passing this desolate mountain, ahead is Yunze Immortal City." Gu Shen said in a hoarse voice.

Wei Lingfeng slowly opened his eyes, his deep gaze looking toward the slightly bright horizon outside the cave.

"Fellow Daoist Chen. Yunze Immortal City is a major town controlled by the Danding Sect; the Outer City is a mix of dragons and snakes, and private fights are strictly prohibited in the Inner City. Our identities are sensitive; after entering the city, we must keep a low profile."

Wei Lingfeng paused, his gaze sweeping extremely obscurely over Gu Shen's waist: "Fellow Daoist, it seems you obtained a Blood River Invitation at the Jiaolin Ghost Market before?"

Gu Shen's eyes sharpened, his hand naturally resting on the hilt of his blade.

"Fellow Daoist Wei has sharp eyes." Gu Shen did not deny it; seeing through but not speaking, openly admitting it could reduce probing.

"Fellow Daoist, you misunderstand; I have no covetous intentions."

Wei Lingfeng smiled, "It's just that I know a thing or two about the rules of the Blood River Dark Assembly. That invitation is only a credential that allows you to enter the outermost Loose Cultivator area of the Dark Assembly. To enter the inner arena where ancient relics and core Legacies are auctioned, a single iron plate is not enough."

Gu Shen frowned slightly: "What is needed?"

"Capital verification, or a referral."

Wei Lingfeng's tone was flat, "Either you take out enough Spirit Stone wealth to shock the whole place at the Dark Assembly's verification desk; or you need a local snake with a face and reputation in Yunze Immortal City to act as a guarantor."

Gu Shen understood immediately.

He currently had only three hundred and some Low-Grade Spirit Stones. This amount of money was fine for buying some Talismans and Medicinal Pills in the Outer City, but wanting to throw money at that level of underground auction was simply asking for humiliation.

"It seems that before the Dark Assembly begins, I must find a reliable buyer in this Yunze Immortal City to liquidate the Materials I brought out from the ruins." Gu Shen calculated secretly.

"Many thanks for the reminder, Fellow Daoist Wei." Gu Shen cupped his hands.

"Each taking what they need, that is all."

The two stood up and stamped out the campfire.

Under the rising morning sun, that extremely magnificent cultivation giant city in the distance, shrouded in the spiritual light of a massive Formation, was like a giant beast dormant on the plain, slowly revealing itself to the two's field of vision.

A brand new chess game belonging to the Great Yu Cultivation World was officially kicking off.