A One-Person Shopping Spree

The heavy stone door slowly opened, and several Muckworm Children stood respectfully outside, waiting for Yang An to emerge.

At first, Yang An could still keep track of time, but after he began cultivating, he gradually forgot.

"How long have I been inside? What time is it now?"

Yang An asked the Muckworm Child in front of him. Mother Diviner True Person had said he could order these creatures around as he pleased, so he naturally wouldn't be polite.

He didn't know where the Muckworm Child's vocal organs were. Yang An saw no change in it, but then he heard a voice.

"You have been in the quiet room for five hours. It is now noon."

"Noon?"

Noon is the period between eleven and thirteen o'clock, the very middle of the day.

Yang An remembered that when he arrived here with Senior Brother Pan Shi and his junior sister, it was still dark outside. He hadn't expected it to be noon the next day now.

He had actually stayed in the stone room for so long. As expected, once one started cultivating, the sense of time would become superficial.

He wondered if Pan Shi and the others would be looking for him everywhere if he suddenly disappeared.

After giving instructions to the Muckworm Child, Yang An was quickly led towards the upper levels of the island.

After another series of twists and turns, he emerged from underground and then from an exit heavily guarded by numerous children. Outside, the sky was still bright.

This place seemed to be perpetually bathed in daylight, unchanging.

At this time, the cultivators on the island who had come to participate in the Communal Feast Convention were still bustling, a surging crowd, enjoying themselves immensely.

Yang An's appearance did attract some attention from the cultivators. Seeing him emerge from a heavily guarded restricted area, they were clearly curious about his identity.

He glanced at the few Muckworm Children guarding beside him, sticking close to him without leaving his side.

Yang An thought for a moment and immediately instructed these creatures to move further away from him, leaving only one Muckworm Child nearby for convenience. He didn't want to be constantly pointed at.

The Muckworm Child obediently moved back a distance, but still maintained a protective posture. Yang An then confidently merged into the crowd.

He figured nothing would happen on Mother Diviner True Person's territory. Pan Shi and the others probably wouldn't worry even if they couldn't find him, so Yang An decided to explore on his own first.

After all, Mother Diviner True Person had said he could take anything he liked. Although Yang An's pockets were empty at the moment, he felt completely confident.

Soon, Yang An arrived at a stall where many cultivators were gathered, as if something good had caught their attention.

Without Yang An needing to say anything, the Muckworm Child immediately cleared a path for him, allowing Yang An to easily reach the innermost area.

"I want this magic artifact! I'll give ten Spirit Phoenix Elixirs!"

"Ten Spirit Phoenix Elixirs? Heh, I'll give three high-grade spirit items!"

"Why don't you sell this item to me, fellow Daoist? I'll offer a mid-grade magic artifact of the same level in exchange. I definitely won't let you suffer a loss!"

Yang An squeezed into the crowd and discovered that many cultivators were eagerly bidding, seemingly vying for a magic artifact.

Yang An became interested. Although magic artifacts were not among the things he needed, there was no harm in taking a look.

The cultivator behind the stall was holding something that looked like a stone. Its surface was uneven, and it looked ordinary, not at all like what a magic artifact should look like.

"May I have a look, fellow Daoist?"

Yang An asked. The cultivator hesitated for a moment before nodding. After all, one more bidder was more advantageous to him. Thus, he handed the item to Yang An.

"[Stone Egg Armor]: Originating from Jade Lang Artifact Forging Workshop, crafted using Earthworm eggs. Due to the extreme hardness of Earthworm eggs, the magic artifact forged can perfectly inherit this attribute. Infusing it with spiritual power allows it to bind with the user's physical body to form armor.

Usage Cost: As this armor is crafted from live eggs, there is a fifty percent chance that the Earthworm within will be activated upon the first binding to the user's body, and the user's physical body will be devoured and occupied.

Status: Purifiable!"

The moment he received the item, Yang An received the prompt before his eyes. He immediately noticed the name "Jade Lang Artifact Forging Workshop."

Recalling the Forbidden Child Talisman, a magic artifact that Pan Yu had traded for earlier, it also came from Jade Lang Artifact Forging Workshop.

This Jade Lang Artifact Forging Workshop was probably a very famous place for artifact forging.

However, after reading the information about this magic artifact, Yang An was somewhat puzzled.

The usage cost of this magic artifact was as high as fifty percent. With such a high chance of the Earthworm devouring and occupying the user's body, why were so many people fighting over it?

Could this magic artifact be very powerful?

He voiced his confusion, but was immediately met with contempt from other cultivators.

"Where did this little cultivator come from? Since you know about the Stone Egg Armor, don't you know that even if the Earthworm inside the egg awakens, as long as one's cultivation is strong enough, they can suppress the Earthworm?"

"If you don't understand anything, I advise you to leave honestly and not delay our transaction."

Laughter erupted from the people nearby, making Yang An, who had asked the question, appear very ignorant.

Hearing the explanation from others, Yang An finally understood.

So, it wasn't that this magic artifact was very powerful, but rather that it was extremely rare – a magic artifact that could be forcibly suppressed by cultivation!

No wonder so many people were fighting over it.

Even ordinary items, as long as their usage cost was low enough, would still be favored by many cultivators.

He originally had no interest in magic artifacts, and was purely joining in the fun. However, after a moment's thought, having a magic artifact for self-defense wouldn't be bad.

Laughter?

He glanced at the people around him who were still laughing at him. Their eyes showed undisguised contempt, as if they still thought the Illusionary Insect Corpse's influence was at play and others couldn't see.

You like laughing, huh?

Mine now!

Yang An grinned, and immediately stowed the magic artifact into the Muckworm Child's stomach pouch.

Watching the Stone Egg Armor vanish instantly in Yang An's hand, he turned and left.

This time, it wasn't just the cultivators selling their wares who were anxious, but the people nearby were even more so, erupting in fury.

"Who do you think you are, you rogue cultivator? You dare to rob us openly? You're asking for death!"

"Hand over the magic artifact quickly, or we'll arrest you and take you to Mother Diviner True Person. You'll be severely punished without mercy!"

"Fellow Daoist! Fellow Daoist, please wait! How can you steal things! Do you want to break the rules of the Communal Feast Convention?!"

Hearing the string of scolding and curses from behind him, Yang An smiled faintly, too lazy to pay them any mind. Without looking back, he quickly squeezed through the crowd and left in a hurry.

After all, it was Mother Diviner True Person who told him to take whatever caught his eye. If anyone had a problem, they could go find Mother Diviner True Person to battle it out themselves!

The Muckworm Children had been following him all along. With Mother Diviner True Person's orders, these Muckworm Children would definitely come forward to handle this matter for him, and he could leave the rest to them.

Anyway, he didn't have to pay for it himself; Mother Diviner True Person would.

As expected, just as a group of cultivators were preparing to stop Yang An and teach him a good lesson.

In the next moment, several children appeared in unison, blocking all of them.

After some communication with the Muckworm Children, the few people looked at Yang An's receding figure, their faces filled with surprise.

This person is actually a distinguished guest of Mother Diviner True Person? Good heavens!

"Please proceed to the Yishui Pavilion later. Tianjiang Dragon Manor will cover the items taken by the guest!"

"...Alright."

On the other side, Yang An quickly merged into the flow of people and soon arrived in front of another stall.

"Eh? What's this? Great Light Seal Fist Technique? It's a fist manual!

Good stuff! I'll take it!"

Yang An's eyes lit up, and he pocketed it, turning to leave without a word.

"Bold little thief! How dare you rob in broad daylight!"

The cultivator behind the stall was furious and immediately lunged forward, but at that moment, several children quickly appeared and blocked him...

A few breaths later, Yang An arrived at a new stall.

The cultivator behind the stall was introducing it to others:

"There are a total of ten Dao Sheng Elixirs here. Just one elixir in the stomach can substitute for ten days of cultivation in the mid-False Eater Realm..."

Yang An's eyes lit up again.

Two breaths later, after tossing a whole bottle of elixirs into the Muckworm Child's stomach pouch, Yang An turned and left.

The cultivator behind the stall was now looking at the few children who had suddenly appeared, completely bewildered.

After a while, Yang An's figure appeared at yet another stall...

The Communal Feast Convention also became livelier.

And at this very moment, in a corner not far away, in a more secluded spot.

A cultivator suddenly looked up, immediately drawing the attention of the two people beside him.

"Senior Brother Guangdu! That person's aura has appeared!"