“It’s somewhat miraculous,” the shopkeeper remarked, his sharp eyes instantly recognizing the extraordinary nature of the black hand bone. It was far more than just “somewhat miraculous,” but in his line of business, even the heavenly peaches had to be downgraded to rotten fruit. He had to bluff and intimidate, buy low and sell high, to make a profit.
If the other party hadn’t claimed it was a treasured family heirloom and shown some confidence, and if there weren’t other merchants besides the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion capable of appraising such items, he wouldn’t even have said “somewhat miraculous.”
The frail scholar’s eyes widened, and his voice rose, “Not just somewhat miraculous! This hand bone was obtained by my ancestor from the tomb of an immortal. Without refinement, it already possesses the power of a treasure weapon. Once activated, it kills anyone it touches, and it can also expel evil spirits and ward off curses!”
The shopkeeper thought to himself, noting the scholar’s understanding of the bone’s value, and sized him up with a contemplative gaze. “How much treasure do you want to pawn for it?”
The frail scholar clenched his teeth. “At least worth five low-grade treasure weapons!”
“Five low-grade treasure weapons?” The shopkeeper feigned shock and disbelief. “Have you lost your mind, wanting to pawn five low-grade treasure weapons?”
Intimidated by his reaction, the frail scholar slightly backed off, revealing a hint of weakness. “Shopkeeper, how much do you think it’s worth?”
The shopkeeper took the black hand bone, which shimmered faintly with white light, and examined it carefully. Finally, he said earnestly, “It’s just a primary material for refining a treasure weapon. Only someone like you, a naive scholar who’s never seen the world, would treat it as a treasure. I hate to disappoint you, but I can’t let my employer suffer a loss. At most, at most, five top-grade weapons. In terms of silver or property, it’s enough to make you a wealthy man!”
The frail scholar’s face turned red with anger. He raised his right hand, trembling, and pointed at the shopkeeper. “You, you’re being too harsh!”
He snatched back the black hand bone and stormed out. The shopkeeper shouted after him a few times, but seeing no effect, he hesitated for a moment, then leaned over to call a clerk, whispering, “Go fetch two guests. Tell them to do it this way…”
The Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion was a reputable treasure and weapon shop in the martial arts world, with branches in many cities and towns. Its sources of goods were complex and diverse, and it was rumored to have intricate connections with the Iron Garment Tower. Each branch had guest experts to guard it.
On the bustling street, the frail scholar tucked the black hand bone securely, his expression furious, walking among the crowd, trying to find another shop.
Suddenly, he was bumped into, nearly falling over. As he was about to shout in anger, the person had already slipped into the crowd like an eel and quickly disappeared.
“Are you in such a hurry to be reborn?” the frail scholar shouted in frustration, rubbing his sore arm as he continued forward.
After a while, when he arrived at the Anjin Building and reached for his waist, he suddenly froze, his face turning pale. Then he let out a sharp, furious cry:
“Thief!”
His voice was filled with tears, and he hurriedly looked back, but where could the thief be found?
Not far away, another guest expert watched coldly, giving a barely perceptible nod. There was nothing suspicious about the man.
Inside the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, the shopkeeper played with the black hand bone, feeling its icy coldness, devoid of any warmth from the mortal world, as if plunging into a lifeless frozen abyss.
“A fine treasure indeed,” he said, carrying the black hand bone upstairs to the third floor and knocking on a door.
This was a master appraiser sent from the headquarters, whose discerning eye far surpassed his own, and who could accurately judge the value of the black hand bone.
“Come in,” a hoarse voice called from within.
The shopkeeper pushed open the wooden door carefully, stepping in respectfully. “Master Dong, I’ve acquired a treasure, but I’m not quite sure about its value. Please take a look.”
Master Dong was an old man with a face like orange peel, his sparse white hair almost gone. He glanced at the black hand bone in the shopkeeper’s hand, let out a soft exclamation of surprise, and walked over to take it for a closer inspection.
After a long while, a flush appeared on his face. “This must be the bone of a cultivator who practiced the Yellow Springs and Ghost Cultivation techniques. It contains the terror of life and death, and is sufficient to be used as a secondary material for forging a divine weapon or the primary material for a top-grade treasure weapon. Its effects must be extraordinary, something ordinary people cannot resist!”
“Bone of a cultivator?” The shopkeeper’s eyes narrowed, surprised and delighted. The hand bone was far more valuable than he had imagined!
He thought for a moment and then proactively reported that he had not acquired it through purchase but had sent someone to steal it, to avoid any future trouble without support.
Master Dong let out a low laugh, showing no displeasure. “A man without fault can still be guilty for possessing a valuable treasure. You did well, and the employer will surely reward you!”
“We happen to have an auction coming up in a few days at the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, and this hand bone can be one of the featured items.”
Before long, the hand bone was secretly sent to the main branch in a nearby state city, where it was finally confirmed by a top-level treasure appraiser to be indeed the bone of a cultivator!
Then, the appearance and general situation of each auction item were sent to the influential figures from various sects and walks of life they intended to invite.
…
In a dark hall shrouded in swirling black mist, the walls were carved with bizarre images of demons and deities. There were figures with black armor and six arms, one-eyed and mouthless beings, fleshy creatures with tentacles, and beings covered in scales. A single glance evoked a sense of deep, chilling malice.
At the head of the hall, the black mist condensed into a lotus platform.
It resembled a moonless, starless night, exuding a serene and tranquil darkness. The lotus petals were lifelike, seemingly carved from black gemstones, concealing boundless vitality. Sitting cross-legged on it was a figure with his back to the hall’s entrance, wearing a dark, wide robe and a wooden hairpin, appearing ethereal and distant.
“Master, I have news,” a tall man entered through the hall’s door, his outline blurred and constantly shifting.
“What news?” The lotus platform rotated, revealing the figure’s front. His demeanor was refined and elegant, his eyes slightly weathered, his features handsome and striking, exuding a demonic charm that unmistakably marked him as the “Demon Sage” Han Guang!
Yet compared to before, he seemed more composed, like an aged monk, serene and clear within and without, with a faint golden swastika symbol visible on his forehead.
The figure, shrouded in a hazy aura of the Heaven Devil Sect, said, “Master, the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion has invited our subordinates to participate in their auction and provided detailed information. Among the items, there is one that resembles the bone you obtained from the Impermanence Sect.”
As he spoke, he took out a semi-transparent stone, projecting an image. The black hand bone shimmered faintly with white light, blending harmoniously, evoking the cycle of life and death.
Han Guang smiled faintly. “Another piece of the Yellow Springs bone.”
“Yellow Springs bone?” The Heaven Devil figure was slightly taken aback. Could it actually be the legendary bone of the Yellow Springs deity? Its value couldn’t be measured merely as a material for divine weapons or primary materials for treasures!
Could the Master recognize its true origin?
Han Guang’s hands formed a mudra on his knees, appearing both Buddhist and demonic, as he said indifferently, “The remains of Yellow Springs should have fallen into the hands of the Impermanence Sect. Even if there were any leftovers, they would be few. This hand bone is likely deliberately released by the Impermanence Sect to lure those who recognize its value.”
He paused, almost speaking to himself, “Has the King of the Netherworld perhaps transcended life and death, attained the Dharma Body, and, relying on the sect’s foundation, gained the confidence to confront me?”
A few Yellow Springs bones were already in his possession.
The Heaven Devil figure reporting remained silent, knowing the Master was contemplating.
After a short while, Han Guang’s expression was calm and serene, like still water. “Investigate the origin of this hand bone first. We’ll wait and see what unfolds.”
…
In a hidden location, mountains of white bones lay scattered, ancient tombs stood in rows, birds were absent from the sky, and the heavens seemed low enough to touch, regardless of one’s height.
The tombs, some ancient and others sinister, appeared haphazard at first glance, but from above, one could discern their hidden intricacies. The deeper one ventured, the stronger the aura of death and the denser the yin energy became. Vegetation gradually ceased to grow, yet at the core, yin reached its peak and transformed into yang. Around the tombs, weeds flourished, almost reaching half a person’s height!
Inside an ancient tomb, the atmosphere was cold and silent. A massive coffin lay still, black and heavy, over two zhang long, engraved with intricate patterns of the underworld. At each end, an old green lamp flickered with a ghostly flame, seemingly suppressing or alleviating something. The light cast a pale glow on the stone wall behind the coffin.
At this moment, a man enveloped in crimson mist entered hurriedly and directly stated, “Master, a Yellow Springs bone has appeared in the world!”
“Yellow Springs bone? Is Han Guang, insatiable as ever, trying to lure me into a trap to seize the entire remains?” A deep, authoritative voice emanated from within the coffin, as if water were flowing through the air.
The sole surviving Grandmaster of the Impermanence Sect projected the image he had acquired through various means, speaking softly, “Master, I always felt this hand bone was different from the others.”
Cold, watery mist seeped out, covering the image of the black hand bone. After a long while, the King of the Netherworld’s voice emerged, grave and heavy, “Indeed, there is some difference.”
Although the other hand bone had already been taken by Han Guang, it had been in the hands of the Impermanence Sect for many years, allowing them to grasp its subtle characteristics. Especially since Yellow Springs was a demonic deity, the authority of the left and right hands differed slightly, making it not difficult to distinguish.
“Could this be the one we’ve never found?” the Grandmaster speculated.
According to ancestral records, when the remains of Yellow Springs were discovered, one hand bone had no power, appearing false. Repeated attempts to uncover its mysteries had failed, leading to suspicions that someone had previously found the remains and, for unknown reasons, taken only one hand bone, replacing it with a similar but powerless one.
The King of the Netherworld spoke slowly, “Its sudden emergence might be a trap.”
“Shall we ignore it?” the Grandmaster’s expression was stiff, like a mummy, unable to even frown.
The King of the Netherworld’s voice was hoarse. “No, if it’s genuine, we must spare no effort to seize it.”
If this truly was the missing hand bone, someone must have deliberately taken it for a reason different from the other bones. It might hold the greatest secret of Yellow Springs, the key to a significant leap forward in power.
“Spare no effort…” the Grandmaster repeated the words.
The King of the Netherworld’s voice carried a hint of coldness. “Our Impermanence Sect has been passed down for tens of thousands of years. Although we’ve faced several near-extinction crises, we’ve always managed to revive. Do you think we lack foundation? One could even say our foundation surpasses that of the Shaolin!”
“If the hand bone is genuine, what’s the loss of a bit of our foundation!”
As soon as the words were spoken, a chilling wind arose, and the stone wall behind the massive coffin emitted a creaking sound. The seals were undone, retreating to both sides.
A surge of corpse energy surged forth, making the Grandmaster tremble involuntarily, as if celestial night demons and Jiangshi zombies were standing before him.
With great difficulty, he looked on, seeing behind the stone wall a secret hall containing five coffins, all ancient bronze with strange inscriptions carved upon them. They did not seem to be protective but rather like they were suppressing something. Each coffin was topped with three green lamps, their ghostly flames flickering, firmly holding the lids in place.
Despite this, the terrifying corpse energy and aura of death were almost tangible!
The three central bronze coffins bore no tablets, their depths unfathomable. On either side, the coffins had tombstones, one inscribed with the words “Corpse King” and the other “Yin Prefecture Lord.”
The Grandmaster immediately understood. These were the remains of the last two Dharma Body ancestors of the Impermanence Sect!
The remains of the previous Dharma Body ancestors had long been destroyed due to several near-extinction crises.
“When it comes to controlling corpses, who in the world can rival our sect?” the King of the Netherworld said. “Even the remains of Earth Immortals in the Cao family’s hands are like pearls cast into darkness! They can possess the remains of Earth Immortals, let alone us, who have long sought corpses?”
“Find a subordinate and send him with the ‘Corpse King’ ancestor to seize the Yellow Springs hand bone!”
This was a test, one that could be sacrificed if necessary!
“Yes, Master,” the man bowed.
Before his words had fully faded, a creaking sound was heard. The three green lamps suddenly extinguished, and the bronze coffin slowly opened, its movement heavy and oppressive.
Suddenly, a hand extended from within, its flesh full and lifelike, but quickly sprouted a layer of red hair, an inch long!
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