12: A spy from the Demonic Sect? The wondrous use of magical artifacts!

Half an hour later.

At the entrance of the Yellow Maple Valley Market, people flowed like woven thread.

Lu Qiu's figure was concealed in the corner of a Teahouse, his aura suppressed to the extreme, his eyes calmly watching every Sect Disciple entering the market.

He was not in a hurry.

The intelligence stated that Duan Yun would come to the market today, so he definitely would.

For this Magic Treasure fragment, he had inquired about this Junior Brother Duan Yun long ago and knew his appearance.

He even used a Flying Magical Artifact, arriving one step ahead of time, just to prevent any possible accidents.

Patience was the most excellent quality of a hunter.

Another stick of incense's time passed.

A youth wearing the Yellow Maple Valley's Cyan Disciple Uniform, his face still carrying a hint of childishness, walked cautiously into the market, harboring some apprehension and curiosity.

His cultivation was not high, Qi Refining Stage Layer Four, precisely the target mentioned in the intelligence, Duan Yun.

Lu Qiu put down his teacup, a few Copper coins landing on the table, and followed unhurriedly, blending into the crowd.

Duan Yun was seen looking around the market, wandering for a long time, seemingly searching for something.

Finally, he stopped at a street corner where the flow of people was not too dense, and somewhat clumsily pulled out a piece of Gray cloth from his Storage Pouch and spread it on the ground.

The stall was set up just like that.

All his belongings were displayed on it.

A few low-grade Medicinal herbs of shallow age, several Elementary Talismans with crude and unsightly drawings, and some fragmented Materials stripped from low-grade Yao Beasts, emitting a faint bloody smell.

Right in the center of these miscellaneous items, a crimson, longan-sized bead was conspicuously placed.

The surface of the bead was smooth and warm, and inside, it seemed as if flowing light rotated; clearly, it was no ordinary object.

That's it!

Lu Qiu's heart settled, but he remained outwardly calm, pretending to browse as he slowly walked forward.

"Senior Brother, take a look! These are all good things just obtained from Yao Beasts!"

Seeing Lu Qiu, who was also wearing Sect attire, Duan Yun's eyes lit up, and he quickly greeted him enthusiastically, afraid of missing his first customer.

Lu Qiu squatted down, casually picked up a few Medicinal herbs to smell, then put them down in distaste, and finally picked up the crimson bead between his fingers, pretending to examine it.

As the bead touched his hand, a warm and scorching aura transferred from his fingertip, making the dormant Fire-attributed Spiritual power within him become slightly more active.

No mistake, this was the yang pearl of the "yin yang pearl"!

"Junior Brother, what is the origin of this bead?" Lu Qiu asked knowingly, his tone flat.

"Senior Brother has sharp eyes!" Duan Yun immediately became spirited, leaning forward and lowering his voice, saying, "This is a treasure I accidentally picked up in a Mountain stream a few days ago! I've studied it; as long as you carry it, the speed of Cultivating Fire-attributed Cultivation Techniques can be a bit faster! It's definitely a wondrous object that aids Cultivation!"

He exaggerated the effectiveness of the bead wildly, afraid Lu Qiu wouldn't be interested.

Lu Qiu listened, nearly laughing out loud in his heart.

Aiding Cultivation? Using a Magic Treasure fragment to aid Cultivation is truly wasting a heavenly resource.

"Oh? It sounds quite good," he pretended to ponder. "What do you want to trade for it?"

"I... I want to trade it for a handy Magical Artifact! An Intermediate one will do!" Duan Yun scratched his head a little sheepishly, knowing his request might be a bit high.

Hearing this, Lu Qiu showed a hint of "difficulty" on his face.

With a flip of his wrist, the "Jinghong" Flying Sword, which he had just acquired and hadn't even warmed up yet, appeared in his hand. The Sword body was cyan-gray, ancient, and unadorned.

"An Intermediate Flying Sword Magical Artifact for your bead, how does that sound?"

"In... Intermediate Flying Sword?!"

Duan Yun's eyes instantly widened, his breathing stopped, staring fixedly at the cyan-gray Longsword in Lu Qiu's hand.

For a new Disciple like him, who didn't even have a decent Magical Artifact, an Intermediate Flying Sword was simply a highly coveted treasure!

"Trade! Senior Brother, I'll trade!" He blurted out, afraid Lu Qiu would go back on his word.

A transaction that seemed outrageous to outsiders was quickly concluded just like that.

Duan Yun held the "Jinghong" Sword as if he had obtained a great treasure, his fingers trembling as he stroked the Sword body, unable to put it down. He didn't even bother packing up his stall and ran to the side to gesticulate wildly while studying it.

Lu Qiu, with a calm expression, put the crimson bead into his Storage Pouch, as if he had just completed a very ordinary transaction, and turned to leave.

The Flying Sword, acquired for a hundred Spirit Stones, was immediately exchanged for a priceless Magic Treasure fragment.

This deal was a massive profit!

He did not immediately leave the market but turned and walked into the Ten Thousand Medicines Shop nearby.

Half an hour later.

Lu Qiu walked out of the Ten Thousand Medicines Shop. His Storage Pouch had fewer Spirit Stones but contained a large pile of auxiliary Spirit Medicine required to refine the "Human-Grade spirit ascension pill."

As for the most crucial main ingredient, "Third-Tier Yao Beast Essence Blood," the Ten Thousand Medicines Shop happened to have one portion.

Lu Qiu bought it at a high price.

Having completed all this, he unhurriedly left the market, transforming into a streak of light and returning to the Xuan Kun Mountain... Immortal Cave.

The Stone door closed heavily, and the Formation Light screen lit up layer by layer, completely isolating the inside from the outside.

Lu Qiu impatiently took out the crimson yang pearl.

He sat cross-legged, holding the bead in his palm, as his Divine Sense and Magical power simultaneously surged into it.

Since it was a Magic Treasure fragment, its profound mysteries could definitely not be as simple as aiding Cultivation, as Duan Yun claimed.

A Magic Treasure was something only a Core Formation Stage Immortal Master could fully activate.

For him, with his Qi Refining Stage cultivation, trying to activate it was tantamount to a fool's dream.

But he still wanted to try.

As the Fire-attributed Magical power within his body continuously poured in, the red light on the surface of the yang pearl intensified, and the temperature sharply rose, like a red-hot branding iron.

The bead was like a bottomless pit, frantically devouring his Magical power.

In just a moment, nearly thirty percent of the Magical power inside Lu Qiu was drained, and his face began to turn pale.

Just when he felt he couldn't hold on any longer and was about to stop, the yang pearl suddenly trembled and slipped from his slightly shaking palm—a result of his depleted Magical power—and struck the hard Stone bed.

"Hiss!"

There was no earth-shattering loud noise, only a slight, strange sound, like a hot knife slicing into butter.

A strand of Dark-golden flame, as thin as hair and condensed to the extreme, flashed away from the contact point between the bead and the Stone bed.

The next moment.

On the Stone bed, which was tougher than Fine iron, a finger-sized, bottomless, pitch-black Hole silently appeared.

The edge of the Hole was smooth as a mirror, and it even retained a trace of terrifying, heart-stopping high temperature that caused the surrounding air to distort.

Lu Qiu's movements completely froze.

"What kind of flame is this?"

"Dark-golden flame..."

Various pieces of information Lu Qiu had read in the Sect ancient records flashed through his mind.

Could this be the Profound Yang True Fire?

The Profound Yang True Fire is a Heaven and Earth Spirit Fire that only Golden Core Stage Cultivators can condense, and it is overwhelmingly powerful.

This yang pearl could actually release the Profound Yang True Fire!

Lu Qiu's heart trembled, his gaze fixed on the Dark-golden flame that had flashed away moments before.

As expected of the Profound Yang True Fire!

Just a trace of leaked power was so overbearing!

If he could fully detonate it, even top-tier defensive Magical Artifacts might not be able to withstand it!

How could this be merely a wondrous object that aids Cultivation!

This was clearly a terrifying Killing weapon of infinite power, capable of deciding the outcome of a battle in a single strike!

Lu Qiu slowly reached out, picked up the yang pearl—which had returned to normal—and felt a wave of warmth in his palm.

He looked at the bottomless small Hole in the Stone bed, and after a long time, he slowly let out a breath of Stale air.

Another Trump card was acquired.

If he were to participate in the Blood-Colored Forbidden Land now, it didn't seem so terrifying anymore.