Chapter 97: The Fragmented Scroll of the Great Yin Escape Technique!

On the eastern direction of Aoshead in Aoshan Immortal City, mountains stood densely, each shrouded in radiant spiritual light.

Beneath one of the smaller mountains on the edge, inside a cave dwelling, Shen Lian sat cross-legged.

This was the prime cave dwelling of Aoshan Immortal City, known as the Aoshen Blessed Land, even more prestigious than the Black Whale Blessed Land. The monthly rent was two thousand lower-grade spirit stones, with additional costs for the array formations inside.

Why was it so expensive? Mainly because these dwellings were isolated, with no one else within a ten-li radius.

Here, there was even an anti-air array that prevented false pill cultivators from flying.

Its main feature was to protect the cultivator’s privacy.

Furthermore, within this area stood a small teleportation array located in the central part of Aoshen Blessed Land. It could randomly transport cultivators three thousand li outside Aoshan Immortal City.

Even those controlling the array did not know where one would land.

For families fleeing together and seeking privacy protection, every cultivator who came praised it.

Truly, it was a place that made the immortality lifestyle personalized.

However, activating the teleportation array once required thirty thousand spirit stones.

Of course, if one found it too expensive, they could simply walk — no discounts.

Shen Lian was very satisfied with this new residence; such a place was naturally perfect for him.

Inside the cave dwelling was a dedicated pill-fire chamber, with a direct terrestrial fire drawn from deep within the earth, above which stood a second-rank mid-grade dragon scale pill furnace.

A special restriction covered the terrestrial fire outlet under the furnace; to ignite the fire, one had to purchase a terrestrial fire jade talisman in advance.

The talisman could unlock the fire’s seal.

The first use of the terrestrial fire came at half price, with monthly packages offering discounts and optional upgrades to raise temperature, change fire color, or alter the fire spirit’s appearance—truly very considerate.

Moreover, the fire chamber contained corresponding spiritual herb manuals; if a pill master discovered a missing herb mid-refinement, a message could be sent, and the Aoshen Blessed Land would deliver the herb as quickly as possible.

As for decorations and personal services inside the cave dwelling, everything was provided round-the-clock for twelve hours.

Shen Lian checked the fire chamber but soon lost interest; the cost of using the fire to refine pills was enough to buy a full set of pill ingredients.

The mysterious spiritual jade marrow he had purchased before had already been crafted into jade talismans, and now needed nurturing.

Not refining pills in the fire chamber, Shen Lian returned outside to the cultivation room, arranged his two second-rank arrays inside and out, and then took out the Red Fish Pill Furnace.

In fact, the dwelling was already equipped with concealment and isolation arrays, which he activated upon moving in.

Wherever possible, Shen Lian saved money, but where necessary, he did not hesitate to spend.

He embedded spirit stones into the Red Fish Pill Furnace and cleaned it with the furnace washing method.

First, he refined two batches of Joy Pills to warm up the furnace.

A golden spiritual flame enveloped the furnace, the red fish on it shimmering within the light.

As the lid flew open, herb after herb flew inside the furnace.

For the benefit of his fellow cultivators, Shen Lian’s pill-refining skills were already superb; he could produce pills with his eyes closed.

Between refining pills, he drew talismans to nurture the Heavenly Overflow jade talisman.

As for the blood bean worms clinging to his body for tracking, Shen Lian simply ignored them; if anyone wanted to farm resources from him, it had to depend on his willingness.

In any case, he was in no rush.

Why bother with them? He preferred to spend his time cultivating and preparing more trump cards.

...

A month flew by.

Qi Chengzan stepped out from the Hailan Inn. Today was the day of a major city auction, and he intended to try his luck for suitable magical instruments or talismans.

The Old Demon’s order was like a sword, making him restless for over a month.

Walking along the wide street, watching the mist swirling with flashes of rainbow light, Qi Chengzan shuddered inwardly.

A third-rank grand array relying on the earth veins — even ordinary Golden Core cultivators couldn’t pierce it. Black Cliff was indeed troublesome.

Thinking of Black Cliff made Qi Chengzan both fearful and anxious. Though called his master, their relationship was far from a normal teacher-disciple bond.

This was why he wanted to curse the Old Demon yet hesitated.

Who had ever seen a normal sect without a base, where even the master hid and dodged?

...

In a normal sect, the hierarchy among brothers was clear and familiar, but in Black Cliff Sect, terms like eldest brother, second brother, eighth junior brother, ninth junior brother were just labels.

There was only one master, but multiple eldest brothers who were unaware of each other's existence.

Yes, the territory was divided — one area might have an eldest brother, another perhaps only a second brother.

This was less a brotherhood, more like rival gang leaders in the mortal world.

"Master Hei... are you also coming to Aoshan Immortal City?"

Qi Chengzan thought it unlikely; Black Cliff’s Old Demon was probably focused on the Sea King Sect.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have sent him to retrieve the Blood Soul Pearl.

Rumor had it that the Sea King Sect’s downfall was related to the Sea Tribe, which once controlled over 70% of the South Sea area at their height.

Back then, the Sea Tribe oppressed humans indiscriminately, whether mortals or cultivators, treating them merely as food.

The Blood Soul Pearl likely had something to do with restrictions involving the Sea Tribe within the secret realm.

Now, the Sea King Sect attracted the attention of all Golden Core forces in the Ten-Thousand Star Sea. The Old Demon seized this chance to stir trouble in Aoshan Immortal City, thus grasping an opportunity.

But it was also a heavy burden for him.

A single misstep could turn Aoshan Immortal City into his grave.

The auction was held in the Xuan Sea Hall. Qi Chengzan arrived early, submitting his landscape crystal wood and Purple Sunflower to the organizers, along with his purchasing demands.

He sought second-rank high-grade offensive talismans or pills; if neither was available, he would buy the highest-priced item.

Landscape crystal wood was a primary material indispensable for building large spirit ships, usable as a keel.

His piece was small but still worth tens of thousands of spirit stones.

The Purple Sunflower was one of the main herbs for foundational pills.

If not forced to self-destruct by the Old Demon, he wouldn’t have willingly brought these two precious items out.

...

Shen Lian naturally didn’t miss the auction at Aoshan Immortal City. After changing his appearance, he entered the auction hall.

Inside the vast stone hall, faint yet shimmering arrays glowed with colors, glaringly telling cultivators that any profitless deals should be done outside the city.

The hall was filled with stone rooms and suspended boxes, each shrouded in restrictions.

Some cultivators had arrived early, peering out through the stone room windows.

Their eyes, scanning the boxed rooms above, held envy and reverence.

As a foundational-stage cultivator, Shen Lian naturally sat in a box room, looking down upon the auction scene.

Within the stone rooms gathered five to six hundred cultivators, mostly above Qi Refining seventh layer.

More than twenty foundational-stage cultivators had already arrived in the boxes.

“Hmm.”

Shen Lian sensed the blood bean worm clinging to him twitch.

At the same time, in another box room, Qi Chengzan suddenly opened his eyes from meditation.

The fat sheep was finally moving.

Over eight months of contact, a foundational second-layer pill master, single, without helpers — such a well-known fat sheep was hard to find.

It was much safer than randomly choosing a lucky cultivator outside the city.

...

“Persistent as ever.”

Shen Lian sat calmly in his box room.

Though he had changed his appearance, with the blood bean worm on him, no matter how he changed, he could not evade Qi Chengzan’s tracking.

After waiting for over a month, Qi Chengzan was probably growing impatient.

After half an hour, the number of cultivators in the hall reached nearly a thousand.

A clear chime sounded, and the wide stone doors slowly closed under the guidance of spiritual light.

At the same time, dazzling beams shone down from above the center of the hall, initially obscuring the items on the auction stage, but then softening.

Within the white mist blended with spiritual light, a poised foundational-stage female cultivator appeared.

She glanced around and spoke coolly, “I am Lu Ying, today’s auctioneer. Many of you cultivators have dealt with me before. No more chit-chat, let’s get straight to the point.”

Then another beam of spiritual light descended, illuminating a jade box before Lu Ying.

“The first item: a mid-grade Huangji Bu’e Pill.”

As the jade box slowly opened, a pill surrounded by faint spiritual light appeared before all eyes.

“Starting bid: four thousand lower-grade spirit stones; each raise no less than one hundred spirit stones.”

“Four thousand two hundred.”

“Four thousand five hundred.”

“Five thousand.”

“Five thousand five hundred!”

Within a few breaths, several foundational-stage cultivators in the upper box rooms began competing, including Qi Chengzan.

The Huangji Bu’e Pill was a second-rank high-grade pill, effective for instantly healing severe injuries when consumed.

Moreover, this was a mid-grade quality pill, enhancing efficacy.

Of course, it had side effects: once the pill’s power faded, the injuries would worsen twofold.

“Six thousand!”

Within a box room, Qi Chengzan continued bidding.

“Six thousand three hundred.”

“Six thousand five hundred.”

“Seven thousand!”

Eventually, only Qi Chengzan and another foundational-stage cultivator remained competing.

The price rose to eight thousand five hundred lower-grade spirit stones.

Shen Lian was stunned; it seemed the cultivators didn’t need him to drive the price down.

Low-grade Huangji Bu’e Pills usually sold between four to five thousand; a quality increase might raise the price by 30 to 50%.

This pill’s price should top out around seven thousand five hundred spirit stones.

“Why is this guy desperate to buy Bu’e Pills? Has he foreseen some calamity?”

Shen Lian’s gaze drifted toward Qi Chengzan’s box room, though he hadn’t yet decided whether to eliminate him.

“Nine thousand lower-grade spirit stones!”

Upon hearing the bid from a neighboring box room, Qi Chengzan’s face darkened.

Just as he prepared to raise again, his expression suddenly changed, eyes fixed intently on the bidding rival’s box.

He clenched his back teeth but finally did not raise the bid further.

“Damn Old Demon, he’s got many backup plans.”

...

Qi Chengzan practiced the Pill Refining Bean Technique and Hidden Demon Dwelling Technique taught by the Old Demon.

The former was skilled in tracking and locating, the latter specialized in concealing aura.

Thus, over the years, he had followed the Old Demon’s orders to perform surveillance and transport tasks.

Of the seven fellow disciples he had tracked, six had died.

...

After the opening spiritual item, the auction continued with several first-rank high-grade spiritual items, as most cultivators present were in the Qi Refining stage.

Shen Lian squinted quietly, curious why Qi Chengzan gave up at the last moment.

Was it a lack of spirit stones?

Quite possible, or else he wouldn’t have targeted Shen Lian.

...

Time passed bit by bit, and Lu Ying held up a jade box on the auction stage.

Slowly opening it revealed a jade slip, emitting a rich earthen light.

“The remaining scroll of the Great Overflow Escape Technique. Starting bid: fifty thousand lower-grade spirit stones; each raise no less than one thousand spirit stones.”