Translator: AnubisTL
The trees in the mountain ravine grew sparsely, their branches tangled and chaotic.
Guided by Uncle Fu, Li Qing and Shen Ningbing ventured deep into the ravine.
A waterfall cascaded down from a fissure in the mountain rock, its turbulent waters crashing against a massive blue boulder, creating a misty spray.
There, amidst the mist, sat a young man with his long hair tied up, his features so delicate they seemed almost unreal.
Upon seeing his face, Li Qing and Shen Ningbing narrowed their eyes, a sense of familiarity tugging at their memories.
"Heh, it seems you recognize me?" Wang Chan, disguised in male attire, chuckled softly.
Indeed, Li Qing had seen this face before, and so had Shen Ningbing.
Before opening the black market, Shen Ningbing had mentioned wanting to take on bounty missions from the Ghost Sword Sect to earn spirit stones. She had even brought a stack of Wanted Bounty Notices.
Most of the notices targeted cultivators in the foundation establishment realm, with only a few qi refining realm individuals listed.
Among the wanted posters, one featured a qi refining realm cultivator whose face was identical to the person sitting cross-legged before them.
"Crown Prince Yan, Wang Chan," Li Qing murmured, his gaze fixed on the figure.
Prince Yan!
Another royal marquis of the Ancient Hua Immortal Dynasty, whose reputation rivaled even Wang Chengdao's. The first Prince Yan had once vied with Wang Chengdao for the imperial throne.
To be precise, Wang Chan's grandfather had been a prince of the same generation as Wang Chengdao. Alas, the throne ultimately fell to Wang Chengdao, and the other princes were relegated to fiefdoms, granted titles as regional kings.
Despite this, Wang Chan remained a true member of the imperial clan—a remnant of the Ancient Hua Immortal Dynasty.
"Fellow Daoist, you recognized me after all," Wang Chan said with a carefree smile. "Now that I've shown you my true face, won't you reciprocate?"
Li Qing hesitated, then finally lowered his hood, revealing his unremarkable features. His face wasn't handsome, but years of cultivation had imbued him with a certain refined air.
Shen Ningbing, however, remained unmoved, refusing to reveal her true appearance.
This was Li Qing's deliberate strategy to maintain an air of mystery and intimidate others.
"Fellow Daoist Wang, when we last met, you were merely at the qi refining realm. Now you've already reached the mid-foundation establishment stage. I'm truly ashamed of my own progress."
"With such talent, it's no wonder you're on the Ghost Sword Sect's Wanted Bounty Notice."
Li Qing offered a hearty compliment.
Now that he had confirmed Wang Chan's identity, he saw no need for further pretense. In other words, while the black market operated in the shadows, it paled in comparison to the gravity of being a remnant of the Ancient Hua Immortal Dynasty.
Wang Chan retorted without backing down, "Is that so? I see you're no less impressive, Fellow Daoist. Daring to run a black market right under the Ghost Sword Sect's nose... I'm curious about the true backing behind your operation."
Naturally, Li Qing wouldn't reveal his true motives. He merely smiled enigmatically in response.
"Let's get back to the matter at hand," Wang Chan's tone grew serious. "You expect to obtain the Purple Mansion Spirit Liquid from me with nothing more than a great heart demon oath? Why should I grant you such a free ride?"
Indeed, to claim the Purple Mansion Spirit Liquid with nothing but empty words was an unprecedented act.
Yet Li Qing brazenly declared:
"If I have the Purple Mansion Spirit Liquid, I can bring you the third-tier crimson crystal much faster. I guarantee it won't take more than three years!"
"Without it, the timeline might stretch beyond three years—perhaps five, ten, or even longer."
This wasn't a lie. Without the Purple Mansion Spirit Liquid, Li Qing wouldn't have considered attempting core formation so readily.
And without core formation, he would never risk his life hunting third-tier exotic beasts in the World of Eternal Night to obtain the superior third-tier crimson crystals.
Though he didn't understand why they were so desperate for the crimson crystals, especially after setting a ten-year deadline, Li Qing only needed to grasp one thing: they were the ones in a hurry, and he held all the leverage.
In other words, Li Qing had these two cornered.
Wang Chan fell silent. Finally, a hint of resignation flickered in her clear eyes.
"Considering our shared circumstances, very well, I'll give you the Purple Mansion Spirit Liquid."
"I hope you won't disappoint me, Fellow Daoist."
With that, Wang Chan produced a jade bottle from her robes. A faint purple glow emanated from within, leaving no doubt as to its contents:
The Purple Mansion Spirit Liquid!
Obtaining it so easily felt almost surreal to Li Qing, as if he were dreaming.
He had anticipated a long and arduous quest to acquire this spirit liquid, yet here he was, having gathered a full portion in a single day.
Thinking this, Li Qing stepped forward and accepted the nearly full bottle of precious spirit liquid from Wang Chan's hand.
As he did so, a floral fragrance drifted into his nostrils, causing him to pause momentarily.
Noticing his reaction, an unnatural expression flickered across Wang Chan's delicate features.
"Fellow Daoist, have you forgotten your great heart demon oath?"
Hearing this, Li Qing smiled faintly, raised two fingers, and solemnly declared:
"I, Li Qing, swear upon my dao and my life to the heart demon that I will obtain a third-tier crimson crystal for Fellow Daoist Wang within three years!"
Of course, all of this depended on Li Qing successfully achieving core formation.
If he failed, everything would be moot. The great heart demon oath would become meaningless, and he would likely perish, his cultivation path extinguished.
Hearing this, Wang Chan slowly nodded.
"Then I shall await fellow daoist's good news."
Li Qing carefully stored the remaining Purple Mansion Spirit Liquid into his storage pouch, then solemnly clasped his hands in a bow toward Wang Chan. He led Shen Ningbing out of the mountain ravine.
Watching Li Qing and Shen Ningbing disappear beyond the formation, Wang Chan couldn't help but sigh softly.
"I hope I haven't placed my trust in the wrong person."
Beside him, Uncle Fu stepped forward, his brow furrowed. "Young Master, is this truly wise?"
At these words, a bitter smile curved Wang Chan's lips. "Given the circumstances, do we have any other choice?" he asked slowly.
"Finding a third-tier demonic beast with true spirit bloodline in this world is no easy task. And even if we did, how could we convince it to willingly submit to bloodletting?"
Uncle Fu frowned deeply. "I heard that the late emperor sent the demon consort to the east before his death. Many cultivators in the Great Wilderness Domain are spreading this rumor."
Wang Chan's expression suddenly turned icy, her voice dripping with frost. "That Foolish Ruler's vixen! If not for her, how could Father King have..."
Her voice trailed off, her gaze falling.
"After all, I'm merely a member of the Royal Family by bloodline, not a true prince. Father King desperately concealed my physique because he didn't trust my uncle."
No matter where you are, the relationships within the Royal Family are never simple.
If Wang Chengdao had known that his brother's granddaughter possessed the Dragon's Roar Physique, her fate would likely have been no better than falling into the hands of the righteous and demonic paths.
After all, the grand ancestor emperor who founded the glorious Ancient Hua Immortal Dynasty also possessed this heaven-defying physique!
Even if the Dragon's Roar Physique manifested in a woman, it would still arouse the envy and suspicion of countless people.
Perhaps this was why Wang Chan preferred to dress as a man. If she had been born a son, would things have turned out differently?
At this thought, Wang Chan's eyes involuntarily welled up with tears.
Meanwhile, Li Qing, having left the mountain stream, felt an unprecedented sense of lightness.
He had already gathered three types of core formation spiritual materials, and two of them were the highest-grade varieties:
Yin-Yang Spirit Liquid and Purple Mansion Spirit Liquid!
For an ordinary foundation establishment realm cultivator, obtaining even one of these would be considered extraordinary luck. Yet Li Qing possessed both, and in ample quantities.
"Only the Heavenly Fire Treasure Nectar remains," he mused. "But the black market's intelligence network is expanding rapidly. Securing the final ingredient shouldn't take long."
Even with his typically composed demeanor, Li Qing couldn't help but feel like shouting, "What a perfect start!"
With all four core formation spiritual materials in hand, he could finally cultivate the soul core method, aided by the Pure Moon Pill and the core formation insights Shen Ningbing had shared with him.
With such thorough preparations, his confidence in achieving core formation had never been stronger.
"Junior Sister," Li Qing suddenly turned to Shen Ningbing. "Did you sense anything unusual just now?"
Shen Ningbing pursed her lips and shook her head.
"This person's spiritual perception is exceptionally sharp, and their divine sense far surpasses that of cultivators at the same level. I couldn't discern Wang Chan's true nature."
Li Qing narrowed his eyes, refraining from voicing his suspicions for the moment.
Just now, he had caught a faint trace of a woman's body fragrance. Moreover, in the mountain stream, he had spotted several inconspicuous purple scales on the ground.
Though the clues were sparse, they were enough to spark his imagination.
The scales clearly belonged to some kind of demonic beast, and Wang Chan's desperate need for third-tier crimson crystals likely stemmed from a desire to feed them to this purple-scaled creature.
A descendant of Prince Yan, disguised as a man...
Heh, this "Wang Chan" is far more complex than he appears.
Someone willing to casually gift away half a bottle of Purple Mansion Spirit Liquid must be extraordinary.
Li Qing grew increasingly curious about why Wang Chan was so eager to feed the crimson crystals to this mysterious demonic beast.
Forget it. I can't worry about everything. I should return to seclusion as soon as possible and begin my final preparations for core formation. Li Qing shook his head, banishing these thoughts from his mind.
(End of the Chapter)
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