Seemingly Picking a Fight
A murmur rippled through the canyon. Someone had actually brought nine heads here; it seemed they were trying to cause trouble for the World Commerce Association!
Many people looked at the dozen or so guards around the canyon. A figure flashed down from the top of the canyon and landed opposite Yue Qianchou. He said in a deep voice, "The World Commerce Association welcomes friends from all directions to do business. I wonder what you mean by bringing your heads here?"
"Are you from the World Commerce Association?" Yue Qianchou glanced at him and found that he was at the same level as him, with the cultivation level of the early Tribulation stage Realm.
"Exactly!" The man also sized up Yue Qianchou, and finding that he couldn't see through the other's cultivation level, he became a little more polite.
Yue Qianchou held up the heads in his hands and said, "Before I came here, Nie Sheng told me that I could exchange these nine heads for a reward of one hundred million high-grade Spirit Stones from Sikong Jue. I don't know if it's true or not. By the way, is Nie Sheng a member of your World Commerce Association?"
"Second Uncle?" The man's face had just shown a solemn expression, but when he heard this guy address his grandmaster Sikong Jue his name again, his expression changed, and his tone became a little hard as he said, "That's right, Second Uncle is the head of this branch."
As they spoke, he kept glancing at the nine heads the other person was carrying. Unfortunately, their faces were obscured by messy hair, and two of them had black cloths covering their faces, making it impossible to see their true features. He couldn't help but ask, "Whose nine heads are these?"
"I don't know either, but they were a few damned bastards." Yue Qianchou glanced at what he was holding and said calmly, "These guys ambushed Niu Youde and Nie Sheng outside the Ghost Manor. Don't you think they deserved to die?"
The man's expression turned serious. He had personally witnessed Nie Sheng leading a group of men towards the Ghost Manor early that morning, and he hadn't expected to be ambushed. He immediately cupped his hands and said, "May I ask your name, sir, so that I may inform you?" Since the visitor was acquainted with his second martial uncle, he naturally had to treat him with utmost respect.
Everyone looked at Yue Qianchou and found that he was indeed a complete stranger.
"I won't mention my name; it's not for a junior like you to ask." Yue Qianchou's words were full of arrogance. He glanced at him expressionlessly and said, "Go tell Sikong Jue that I brought several heads to collect the reward. He will naturally know who I am." After saying that, he carried nine heads and strode towards the outside of the canyon.
The man couldn't see through his cultivation level, and since Yue Qianchou called him a junior and knew Nie Sheng, he didn't dare to pursue the matter further. He immediately took to the air and went to report ahead.
The crowd in the valley erupted in commotion, their uproar stemming from their perception of this person's extreme arrogance. Who was Sikong Jue? He was the chief disciple of Yin Baikang, a late Spirit Transformation stage cultivator, and himself a master of the early Spirit Transformation stage. Furthermore, he was the second-in-command of the World Commerce Association. Such a figure was incredibly difficult for ordinary cultivators in the Cultivation World to even meet. For Sikong Jue to recognize him without him revealing his identity suggested that his background was far from simple.
The group of people in the valley followed Yue Qianchou, even those who had finished their business and were about to leave turned back to catch up, wanting to see what would happen next.
On the bluestone path between the canyon and the Zhujin City branch, Yue Qianchou walked ahead expressionlessly, carrying nine heads, followed a few meters behind by a group of people. It all looked rather strange.
Inside the deep courtyard of the Zhujin City branch, a portrait of Yin Baikang hangs on the wall in the center of the hall. The portrait depicts him as far more ethereal than Yin Baikang himself, possessing a certain otherworldly air.
Below, Sikong Jue, his hair somewhat gray, stood with his hands behind his back in the hall. His four disciples, Hu Tianbao, Zhang Zunsheng, Yang Rong, and Weng Luhui, lay half-reclined on chairs, their faces pale, as they recounted the ambush on Niu Youde. Especially when they spoke of the scene where Niu Youde unleashed his power, the four of them couldn't help but shudder with lingering fear.
Sikong Jue easily saw the deep fear in the eyes of the disciples and pondered, "So, Niu Youde's cultivation has indeed reached the Spirit Transformation stage?"
"Master, please forgive my bluntness..." Hu Tianbao, who was sitting at the head of the table, tried to stand up to speak.
Sikong Jue his hand, releasing a gentle force that pressed him back to his original position, saying, "Your body hasn't recovered yet, so sit down and talk!"
"Thank you, Master." Hu Tianbao cupped his hands gratefully and said somewhat uneasily, "Master, please forgive my bluntness, Niu Youde's cultivation is probably even higher than yours."
"You needn't be uneasy," Sikong Jue sighed. "Hearing what you've said, Niu Youde's cultivation is far more than just a notch above mine. Aura is the residual power of cultivation; to exude such a terrifying aura, his cultivation is probably no weaker than your grandmaster's. It seems your eldest brother's words that day weren't just a fabrication to deflect blame. It's all my fault for misjudging things, causing harm to Eighth and Ninth Brothers. I'm worried..."
The four brothers exchanged glances, and Hu Tianbao asked, "Master, what are you worried about?"
"I'm worried that Niu Youde has already figured it out. Then your second senior brother and the others are probably already in trouble..." Sikong Jue shook his head slightly, but ultimately did not say the word "unforeseen."
The ten disciples he had painstakingly trained, all at the late Tribulation Transcendence stage, had always been his capable assistants in handling the affairs of the World Commerce Association. This time, to complete the task entrusted to him by his master, Yin Baikang, and given the crucial importance of the Restriction Breaking Pill, he had brought almost all ten of his most powerful disciples. He never expected that two of them would be gone in the blink of an eye; how could he not be heartbroken? The other one also caused him great worry.
"Master, it shouldn't be as bad as you think." Hu Tianbao analyzed, "With Niu Youde's cultivation level, he could have easily taken the lives of the four of us, but he didn't. Since he spared us, even if he saw through the trick, he probably won't make things difficult for Second Senior Brother."
"I hope so!" Sikong Jue sighed when he heard hurried footsteps outside. A middle-aged man entered, and Hu Tianbao and the other three called out, "Third Senior Brother!"
This person was Mu Lianqiu, the third disciple of Sikong Jue. He gestured to his four junior brothers, indicating that there was no need for formalities, and walked up to his master with a furrowed brow, cupping his hands and saying, "Master, I received a report from the disciples in the valley that someone brought nine heads to you. He said that Senior Brother Nie asked him to bring the heads to you in exchange for a reward. He also said that you would know who he is after hearing his words."
Sikong Jue's heart skipped a beat. Just as he feared, his worst fears had come true. Hu Tianbao and the others exchanged pale-faced glances.
"It should be Niu Youde." Sikong Jue turned to Mu Lianqiu with a sinister expression and asked, "Where is he?"
"According to reports, they are coming from the other side of the canyon," Mu Lianqiu replied.
"Let's go take a look first." Just as the master and apprentice reached the door, Sikong Jue suddenly stopped and turned back, saying, "The four of you should go to the secret room to hide for now." He then quickly walked away.
"Yes!" Hu Tianbao and the other three accepted the order, forced themselves to stand up and walk toward the back hall.
The Zhujin City branch of the World Commerce Association has a row of shops under its continuous eaves, all belonging to the World Commerce Association; no other businesses have opened here. Despite this, the shops, categorized by type, offer everything imaginable.
As long as you can afford it, you can buy almost anything here, except for extremely rare items. Even if something isn't available immediately, you can get it quickly as long as you pay a deposit.
This is thanks to the powerful trading network that the World Commerce Association established in the Cultivation World, living up to its reputation. There are also shops here that specialize in buying and selling; anything worth buying or selling will be purchased. The World Commerce Association has many, many branches like this throughout the Cultivation World.
There weren't many people at the moment, but there were still about a hundred cultivators wandering around, and every shop in the row had customers. In the center of the shop was a large, open door. There were guards, and unauthorized people were not allowed to enter or leave at will.
Several cultivators were chatting idly in the open space when one of them glanced outside and paused, asking, "What are those people doing?"
The group looked over and saw a man carrying a pile of things leading the way on the bluestone path outside, followed by a large group of people, swaggering towards them. It looked like they were trying to cause trouble.
Just then, the group heard a chorus of flattery coming from behind them, with people repeatedly calling him "Senior Sikong." Turning around, they saw two people standing outside the large, open doorway in the center of the shop. The one in front had gray hair and a sinister expression, staring at them intently. People from both sides kept coming forward to pay their respects, but he remained unmoved, staring straight at the group.
Even if they didn't recognize him, they could guess who he was from the way he was addressed – it was Sikong Jue, the renowned Spirit Transformation stage expert from the World Commerce Association. What made them uneasy was, why was he staring at them?
Those who reacted quickly tugged at the others and whispered, "Let's move aside and not block the way. It's none of our business." The group glanced at Sikong Jue, then looked back at the approaching group, and immediately realized what was happening.
I knew it! With our abilities, we're not worth a Spirit Transformation stage expert's time and effort! The group quickly moved aside.
Yue Qianchou stepped through the gate, Sikong Jue strode over to greet him. Facing such a master, he dared not be careless. His gaze swept over the pile of severed heads the other was carrying, and he suddenly felt a tightness in his chest.
When the two walked to the center of the field and were a few meters apart, they stopped at the same time and looked each other over.
The onlookers were stunned when they saw Yue Qianchou. Everyone has killed people, but no one has ever run around carrying heads around, let alone brought a whole bunch of heads to the World Commerce Association.
Damn it! Is this guy here to cause trouble at the World Commerce Association?
What surprised everyone even more was that the scene before them revealed that... Sikong Jue, a powerful expert at the Nascent Spirit Transformation stage and the number two figure in the World Commerce Association, had come out specifically to meet this person.
Someone worthy of Sikong Jue's personal attention could not be an ordinary person. The crowd immediately began to whisper among themselves, speculating about the man's background.
Yue Qianchou glanced around, his gaze settling on Sikong Jue. He sneered, "I don't see any other Spirit Transformation stage cultivators here. You're barely passable. No need to say more, you're Yin Baikang's eldest disciple. What's your name again?" Actually, it would be a miracle if he could discern Sikong Jue's cultivation level. But even a fool could guess, especially since he'd overheard someone calling him "Senior Sikong" outside...
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