The Night Market remained as lively as ever.
Lanterns bathed the streets in a warm, golden glow.
Merchants called out to passing customers.
Cultivators of every race moved through the bustling crowd without sparing the shadow-cloaked figure so much as a second glance.
Hidden within the darkness—
Lizarius silently observed everything.
His golden eyes glowed faintly beneath the veil of concealment.
He wasn't watching the people—
He was watching the countless spiritual fluctuations drifting throughout the market.
One stall.
Another.
Then another.
He walked without hesitation.
Until—
his footsteps came to a halt.
Before him floated a ghostly merchant.
Its translucent body hovered several inches above the ground.
A weathered wooden stall stood before it, displaying numerous spirit herbs sealed within pristine jade containers.
Most were ordinary.
Only three drew Lizarius' attention.
Each contained a distinct yin attribute.
One possessed a gentle moon essence.
Another carried a dense, deathly yin aura.
The last radiated an exceptionally pure icy attribute.
Lizarius calmly raised a claw and pointed toward them.
"I want those."
The ghostly merchant glanced at the three herbs.
Then looked back toward the shadow-covered customer.
Its hollow eyes flickered faintly.
"...Good taste."
"Those three are among my finest herbs."
It gestured toward the two larger containers.
"These two are **mid-tier Earth Grade**."
Its bony finger shifted toward the final container.
"And this one..."
"...A **low-tier Earth Grade**."
The ghost's voice remained calm.
"I have no interest in spirit stones."
"I seek an Earth Grade spirit tool in exchange."
"If you possess—"
Its words abruptly stopped.
Without a single word—
something appeared between them.
A spear.
Its shaft had been forged from dark silver metal.
Ancient runes shimmered faintly along its length.
The razor-sharp spearhead radiated unmistakable Earth Grade fluctuations.
Lizarius spoke calmly.
"...Will this suffice?"
Silence.
The ghostly merchant accepted the spear.
It examined every inch with meticulous care.
Its spiritual sense swept across the weapon again and again.
Several moments passed.
Only then did it slowly nod.
"...A genuine low-tier Earth Grade spirit spear."
"It is sufficient."
Without attempting to haggle—
the ghost carefully stored the spear away.
The three jade containers floated up from the stall.
They drifted through the air before disappearing into the shadows surrounding Lizarius.
The merchant offered a slight bow.
"...A pleasure doing business."
Lizarius neither nodded nor replied.
He simply turned away.
The shadow-cloaked figure disappeared back into the bustling current of the Night Market.
His golden eyes continued scanning every stall he passed.
Searching.
Not for treasures.
Not for weapons.
Only for one thing.
Anything...
That contained yin.
One stall after another.
Whenever Lizarius sensed yin-attributed materials—
he stopped.
Sometimes he traded spirit tools.
Sometimes spirit stones.
Sometimes medicinal pills.
Every transaction was swift.
Every exchange direct.
He never lingered.
Gradually—
more and more yin-attributed treasures disappeared into his storage ring.
Only after visiting dozens of stalls did he finally leave the Night Market.
The concealed entrance rippled once more.
The shadow-cloaked figure stepped through without resistance.
The bustling Night Market vanished behind him.
He emerged once again within the quiet streets of Windborne Town.
No one paid the silent figure any attention.
He turned into a narrow alley.
Then—
his body dispersed into drifting smoke.
The shadow flowed soundlessly across walls.
Slithered over rooftops.
Slipped through narrow gaps between buildings.
Crossed the town wall unnoticed.
Only after reaching the wilderness several miles beyond Windborne Town did it finally stop.
The shadow stood motionless beneath the night sky.
Nothing moved.
Only the wind stirred the surrounding grass.
Hidden within the darkness—
Lizarius slowly opened his glowing golden eyes.
His spiritual perception expanded outward.
One presence.
Then another.
Another.
Scattered throughout the darkness.
Some concealed themselves among the trees.
Some hid beneath the earth.
He counted calmly.
*...Twenty-two.*
A brief silence followed.
*Good.*
*His actions inside the Night Market had been sufficient to draw them out.*
He remained exactly where he was.
Making no attempt to flee.
Making no attempt to hide.
The night itself seemed to grow still.
Then—
a colossal spirit sword descended from the heavens.
**BOOOOOOM!!**
The earth exploded.
A deafening roar echoed across the wilderness.
Stone and soil erupted hundreds of feet into the air.
A violent shockwave tore through the surrounding forest, flattening trees in every direction.
Dust billowed skyward, obscuring everything.
For several heartbeats—
nothing could be seen.
Then—
figures emerged from the darkness.
One after another.
Some were human cultivators.
Others possessed beastly features.
A horned man.
A wolf in human form.
A woman whose lower body faded into ghostly mist.
Several concealed their appearances behind masks.
None of them spoke.
Every pair of eyes remained fixed upon the crater where the spirit sword had fallen.
Yet...
They weren't only watching the crater.
Their gazes drifted toward one another.
Recognition.
Wariness.
Calculation.
None of the twenty-two had expected so many others to appear.
One masked cultivator let out a quiet laugh.
"...Looks like I wasn't the only one interested."
A hawk-headed cultivator snorted.
"...Greedy vultures."
The ghostly woman smiled faintly.
"...Whoever gets him first..."
"...Keeps everything."
Silence returned.
No one stepped forward.
No one lowered their guard.
Because every one of them understood the same thing.
At this moment—
the greatest threat...
Might no longer be the mysterious shadow figure.
It might be the twenty-one competitors surrounding them.
The wilderness erupted into chaos.
Spirit tools flashed into existence.
Flying swords.
Battle axes.
Formation flags.
Ghostly chains.
Every one of the twenty-two had reached the same conclusion.
If they wanted the mysterious figure—
they first had to eliminate everyone else.
Killing intent surged.
Techniques rapidly gathered.
Then—
It descended.
An indescribable pressure.
**BOOM!**
The night itself seemed to freeze.
The air became impossibly heavy.
The ground beneath every cultivator's feet fractured instantly.
**CRACK!!**
Stone collapsed.
Trees bent low.
The earth itself caved inward beneath the overwhelming force.
Every one of the twenty-two figures froze.
Their eyes widened in disbelief.
"...What...?"
Before anyone could react—
their bodies were violently forced downward.
**BOOM!!**
Their knees slammed into the shattered earth.
Some struggled desperately to rise.
Their muscles trembled violently.
Bones cracked beneath the unbearable pressure.
Several activated defensive treasures instinctively.
"...Impossible..."
"...Move!"
"I can't—"
Panic spread throughout the group.
Then—
the pressure increased once more.
**BOOOOOM!!**
The wilderness shook.
Bodies were crushed beneath the overwhelming force.
Blood splattered across the ruined ground.
Several beast cultivators instinctively reverted to their original forms as death overtook them.
A massive green wolf.
A horned beast.
A black-scaled serpent.
Each collapsed lifelessly.
Those whose vitality still lingered survived for only a heartbeat longer.
Around the silent figure—
dozens of translucent qi swords quietly materialized.
No grand display.
No dazzling spectacle.
Only absolute stillness.
Then—
**SHING!**
**SHING!**
**SHING!**
Each sword shot forward with terrifying precision.
Every remaining survivor was pierced through the head before they could utter another word.
Silence returned.
The battlefield fell still.
Only drifting dust remained.
Far above—
the tiny white-scaled lizard hovered calmly.
His golden eyes slowly swept across the corpses below.
Then—
one fluctuation caught his attention.
"...Hm."
Nearly two hundred meters away—
a ghostly woman was fleeing through the darkness.
Unlike the others—
her body possessed no true flesh.
She drifted through the night like flowing mist.
*Yin.*
Without the slightest hesitation—
Lizarius acted.
His gaze locked onto her fleeing soul.
A mental shock erupted.
A formless wave crossed the distance in an instant.
The ghost never saw it coming.
**BOOM!**
The attack struck directly against her consciousness.
It was as though an invisible blade had cleaved away a portion of her very existence.
Her ghostly body convulsed violently.
A section of her mist-like form dispersed into countless drifting fragments.
She stumbled.
Her escape came to an abrupt halt.
Her thoughts dissolved into chaos.
*What...*
*What was...*
She couldn't think.
She couldn't understand.
Even maintaining her ghostly form became increasingly difficult.
Before she could recover—
a faint ripple appeared before her.
The tiny white-scaled lizard drifted silently into view.
Hovering directly before her.
His golden eyes met hers.
The ghost stared blankly.
Fear.
Confusion.
Disbelief.
Every emotion tangled together.
*What...*
*...is this creature?*
The question had barely formed before her fragmented mind lost all coherence once again.
She remained frozen in place.
Unable to flee.
Unable to resist.
While the ancient white-scaled lizard simply watched her in complete silence.