The young girl’s father was equally astonished, as he had never heard of this newly arrived outsider. Was this person a new refuge hiding secretly in Bomi, or an old monster who had been concealed deep within, rarely participating even in the trading gatherings?
He suppressed his turbulent emotions and coughed twice: “Esteemed seniors, this time we have brought a total of twenty-three heavenly treasures or equivalent items…”
Heavenly treasures were rare and precious, essential for both cultivation and forging divine weapons by outsiders. Thus, they often had value but no market. Even someone like Zeluo, who had spent half his life plundering and dominated half of the vast sea, possessed no more than ten such items—most of which he kept precisely because they were of no use to him.
For this caravan to present over twenty heavenly treasures at once, it was absolutely unimaginable without the support of a major or even top-tier faction.
The windless Bomi stood still, the red mist unmoving. The girl felt as though each of these old monsters had vanished, offering no response.
Her father continued: “The first item is not a heavenly treasure; it is the divination board specially crafted by the Wang Clan of Jiangdong…”
The specially made divination board by the Wang Clan of Jiangdong? Meng Qi was slightly taken aback. What use could a divination board have in the treacherous Bomi? With the eerie red mist shrouding the area, any divination would be unreliable!
“This one is reserved by this old man; I hope none of you will snatch it,” a voice as dry as if devoid of any moisture emerged from the rolling red mist, like a demonic sound.
A sinister voice sneered: “Poisonous Hand Old Ghost, what use do any of you have for the divination board? Don’t think your schemes are hidden from everyone.”
The other outsiders remained silent, saying nothing. To them, fewer entanglements were better. Frequent disputes might lead to discovery by their enemies.
Poisonous Hand Old Ghost—this person was likely the famous Poisonous Hand Devil Monarch from ancient times… Meng Qi nodded slightly, harboring no desire for the divination board.
“Hmph, what schemes could this old man possibly have? It’s merely excavating the source of Bomi’s anomaly. Who among you dares claim they haven’t tried the same?” the Poisonous Hand Devil Monarch scoffed coldly.
Besides collecting the unique heavenly treasures of Bomi and diligently cultivating, these vicious individuals often had nothing else to do. The source of Bomi’s anomaly seemed to contain great opportunities and rare encounters. How could they possibly resist such temptation?
Without any dispute, the Poisonous Hand Demon Monarch traded a segment of Soul-Embedded Wood and a piece of Malevolent Nether Spirit Fungus for the divination board crafted by the Jiangdong Wang Clan.
After that, one heavenly treasure after another was presented. Some were slightly common treasures like the Solar Deity Stone, while others were extremely rare, such as the Thousand-Year Hollow Jade. Although Meng Qi was envious, he already had substitutes for cultivation, so he remained silent.
“Esteemed seniors, this next heavenly treasure is the Vengeful Spirit Stone.” The girl’s father took out a stone, half-transparent and dark green. Inside seemed to be locked a vengeful ghost spirit, continuously emitting piercing wails and changing its shape.
Several areas of the red mist rolled, and quite a few old monsters showed interest.
Although Bomi was filled with dark and ghostly elements, with patrols of yin spirits, its products leaned toward the yin and ghostly. However, due to the lack of population and the previous inhabitants having transformed into yin spirits, these spirits were elusive and mysterious. Every outsider who had attempted to capture them had ultimately “joined” their ranks.
“This old man will trade the Yinming Grass for it!”
“The old man will add a 300-year-old Blood Soul Ginseng to the Yinming Pearl Grass!”
“Seven Luminaries brat, do you want to compete with this old man? This old man will add a Ghost-Face Jade!”
…
As the bidding continued, Meng Qi’s heart stirred upon hearing the words “Ghost-Face Jade.” This was a heavenly treasure he could use, capable of perfecting one of his five transformations—the “Yin Ghost Transformation”!
The girl gazed at the rolling red mist, listening to the powerful voices echoing from afar, sparking various phenomena: demonic shadows multiplying, ghostly sounds piercing the ears, and blood-red starlight. She couldn’t help but feel in her heart that these old monsters were truly terrifying.
At that moment, she heard an ordinary voice: “This old man has Soul-Yin Iron, willing to exchange for Ghost-Face Jade.”
Instinctively, she looked toward the source of the voice. Only the red mist vaguely rolled, making it difficult to see anyone.
It was the last-arriving old monster outsider…
The scene instantly froze. All the outsiders fell silent. Although the girl’s father resented Meng Qi’s interference, which prevented him from raising the price of the Vengeful Spirit Stone to its maximum, he dared not express his anger openly.
“Soul-Yin Iron is somewhat inferior to the Vengeful Spirit Stone, but it will suffice. This old man agrees to the exchange!” the old monster possessing the Ghost-Face Jade hesitated slightly before decisively agreeing.
He threw out a dark green jade stone, clearly displaying a human face on its surface, sinister and twisted. The girl instinctively felt like having nightmares just by looking at it.
Meng Qi also took out the Soul-Yin Iron. It was a piece of pitch-black metal the size of a palm, its surface covered with small pores, each exuding ghostly wails and condensing yin and cold vapor into droplets.
Suddenly, a semi-transparent greenish little ghost appeared in the middle of the scene. It picked up the Soul-Yin Iron and ran toward the elder who had offered the Ghost-Face Jade.
Without approaching through the damp red mist, he used this method to obtain the needed item without revealing himself, seemingly surpassing the previous outsiders who had to rely on the caravan to deliver their exchanged items.
“Gh… gh…” The girl, seeing a real ghost for the first time, felt both fear and excitement.
At this moment, Meng Qi sensed countless gazes piercing through the red mist, scrutinizing, observing, waiting, and speculating about the method he would use to retrieve the Ghost-Face Jade. They aimed to judge his strength and decide their actions after the trading gathering.
Earlier, Meng Qi had activated the Primordial Unity within his acupoint and subtly drawn near an upper-grade Flowing Fire aura, disguising it as the Solar Manifestation. His overwhelming and scorching aura immediately stunned many old monsters. However, these seasoned experts, though initially shocked, often became suspicious afterward and would not make judgments based solely on one incident.
Meng Qi opened his Laogong acupoint, letting the sun set and the Primordial Unity rise. His palm became dark and mysterious, as if leading to a deep abyss of another realm!
The girl, anticipating what method the old monster would use, suddenly saw the red mist contract. The Ghost-Face Jade on the ground seemed to be pulled by an invisible rope and was instantly drawn into the mist. Throughout the process, she felt an astonishing suction force but could not detect the opponent’s method at all.
Effortlessly lifting something heavy, without the slightest trace of effort—this was undoubtedly one of the most terrifying old monsters present… Her father, experienced and knowledgeable, inhaled slightly.
The faint gazes hidden behind the red mist disappeared, as if realizing they could not see through Meng Qi.
Gradually, the trading gathering neared its end. The girl exhaled in relief. Although this journey had allowed her to witness many childhood nightmares and face dozens of old monsters, fulfilling her wish, it had indeed been nerve-wracking and terrifying. She hoped for an early conclusion and a quick departure from Bomi.
Suddenly, she shivered, feeling a gust of cold wind blowing past her, bone-chillingly cold, exactly like when she had previously encountered the Yin soldiers patrolling.
Another Yin soldier patrol? As she speculated, she saw the red mist ripple like waves, parting to both sides, no longer the stillness it had been before. The auras of the surrounding old monsters seemed to vanish. Everything became eerie and terrifying.
A tall figure stepped out from the red mist, clad in black armor, wearing a helmet, revealing only his eyes, crimson and lifeless.
Red mist surrounded him, his feet seemingly bound by chains, emitting grating sounds with each step. He walked forward without looking sideways. Wherever he passed, rocks decayed and collapsed into nothingness.
And the direction he was heading was precisely where Meng Qi stood!
“Is this the leader of the Yin soldiers?”
“But the direction seems incorrect…”
Several younger disciples in the caravan, lacking sufficient composure, began murmuring among themselves.
Meng Qi instinctively wanted to avoid it, but as he moved slightly, he realized he had been locked onto by its gaze. If he revealed any weakness, he would certainly face a thunderous strike!
This was no ordinary Yin soldier… Meng Qi frowned slightly, narrowing his eyes.
The more than ten surrounding old monsters remained silent, offering no assistance.
At that moment, they saw a crimson light emerge, like the radiant glow of the sun, spreading like waves to every corner.
The sword light refracted, reflected, and pierced through the red mist, resembling true sunlight, concealing infinite variations, making it unfathomable and unpredictable—where to defend, how to defend!
The sun hung high in the sky, dispelling yin and evil!
The scorching heat melted decaying rocks, and the crimson sunlight devoured the eerie Yin soldier.
The Yin soldier wailed but could not escape the boundless sunlight, being struck by countless sword beams and gradually dissolving within the red glow!
“This is the power of an outsider…” The girl was awestruck, finding it hard to believe, as if she truly saw a blazing sun in the sky, with sword beams as radiant as sunlight!
Her uncle and other elders from different families were all outsiders, but who would casually display their full strength for her to see!
After this brief incident, no one dared to test Meng Qi again, and the trading gathering quickly concluded.
As the old monsters prepared to leave, they suddenly heard the mysterious outsider’s voice reverberating, spreading in all directions:
“Gatekeeper!”
They paused briefly before departing. After the caravan members had moved far from the rocks, a man enveloped in crimson starlight emerged from the red mist.
“Gatekeeper, what business do you have with this old man?” The man’s voice was dull but not aged.
“Senior Seven Luminaries, the Gatekeeper instructed this old man to inquire about something. Have you encountered the Eight Wildernesses Subduing Demon Sword recently?” Meng Qi, holding his long sword, stepped forward.
Gazing at the unfamiliar outsider before him, the Seven Luminaries Evil Deity burst into hearty laughter: “This old man was wondering who could be so insolent—turns out you’re an outsider from Huamei Villa here to lecture your own sect. How presumptuous for one so young!”
Master Lu Daxian was wholeheartedly devoted, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t collected other martial arts manuals. He simply chose not to practice them, preserving them as the legacy of Huamei Villa. Therefore, the Seven Luminaries邪神 was not surprised by Meng Qi’s manifestation and sword techniques.
This old man accepted the Gatekeeper’s favor and naturally wouldn’t conceal anything. The last time I encountered Yang Zhenchan was seven days ago, in the fifth canyon to the east, which was once the capital of the Bomi Kingdom…” At this point, Seven Luminaries hesitated slightly, “This old man witnessed Yang Zhenchan meeting with the Poisonous Hand Devil Monarch and others, likely intending to join their organization.”
“Organization?” Meng Qi asked in confusion.
The Seven Luminaries Evil God chuckled sinisterly: “Of course. They may deceive others, but not this old man.”
“With so many outsiders hiding in Bomi, skilled in assassination and ambush, any capable individual would want to gather them into a secret faction. Even if it cannot rival major martial arts sects and top clans, it wouldn’t be inferior to Halle.”
Without the presence of the weeping elder, a peak outsider, Halle couldn’t rival Bomi.
Meng Qi, on the other hand, felt relieved. He feared Yang Zhen Chan acting alone, relying solely on patience and luck!
After confirming the information, he casually asked: “What is the Gatekeeper’s background? What gate is he guarding?”
“That is unknown. When this old man first hid in Bomi, the Gatekeeper had already been waiting in that cave for who knows how many years. Once, a supreme expert entered the cave to investigate the gate he was guarding, but never returned.” The Seven Luminaries Evil God joked, “Perhaps the cave had too many branches, spreading beneath the entire Bomi, so he got lost.”
That joke wasn’t amusing at all… Meng Qi inwardly criticized, then suddenly asked while turning away: “Earlier, who among you created those strange yin spirits? They moved westward, targeting this old man, yet none of you seemed surprised.”
“Friend, you don’t understand the rules of Bomi, so naturally you were tested. Those yin spirits just now were either released by the Poisonous Hand Devil Monarch or the Soul-Reaping Harpy. After joining that organization, they seem to have gained deeper knowledge about the yin spirits patrolling Bomi.” The Seven Luminaries Evil God resumed his monotonous tone, “This old man doesn’t know much more. Our conversation ends here.”
Unwilling to stay in front of outsiders for too long, as he had many enemies, he turned and walked into the red mist, soon disappearing.
Meng Qi identified the east direction, leaped over the canyon, and headed eastward.
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