Bluffing Him to Death

Qin Yang sat there casually, sipping his tea, his questions just as casual...

Yet Zhang Zhengyi found Qin Yang increasingly unfathomable. He even knew about this matter, further confirming Zhang Zhengyi's suspicions: Qin Yang had been watching him for a long time, while he himself had not noticed a thing...

The last shred of luck in his heart was snuffed out...

He sat obediently and told him everything he knew...

"Senior Brother, I only learned of Purple Firmament Dao Lord's Seated Transcendence Land by chance. Who could have imagined that the Three Mountains Gang would destroy the map? I'm afraid quite a few people know about it now. Boundless Dao Academy will certainly send experts..."

"I know all that. The Three Mountains Gang tore the map apart and tattooed it onto their bodies. The Human Skin Map still exists, so set the map aside for now. Is that all you know?" Qin Yang's tone carried a trace of disdain as he set down his tea.

Seeing this, Zhang Zhengyi immediately grew anxious. Was Qin Yang looking down on his abilities? Had this news already become known to everyone?

"How could that be all? I also know that aside from Purple Firmament Dao Lord's famed Treasure Artifact, the Multitreasures Heavenly Wheel, there's very likely part of the Purple Firmament Dao Scripture's inheritance there! This is the highest-grade divine art. Others may not know it, but I do. Purple Firmament Dao Lord called himself Purple Firmament precisely because of this half-volume of the Purple Firmament Dao Scripture!"

Qin Yang remained outwardly calm, but raging waves churned within his heart. Leaving that note earlier had been a completely casual act; he had never expected so much to follow. He had merely suspected that this Little Fatty might be connected to last night's scrawny thief...

Who would have thought that Little Fatty was that scrawny thief from last night!

Who knew what this fellow had imagined, but he had actually scared himself into this state. Was the force behind that Divine Thief he had planted so powerful? Did he really have a sect...

Qin Yang had never heard of Purple Firmament Dao Lord, but he had heard the words "Dao Lord" before. They were not a realm of cultivation, but an honorific for certain great powers. Purple Firmament was his title, while Dao Lord was the honorific.

Just how powerful this Purple Firmament Dao Lord had been, he did not know...

Back when he listened to people boast and shoot the breeze in the city, he had heard a story. Supposedly, ten thousand miles north of Green Forest City lay a bottomless rift, stretching for a thousand miles and spanning over ten miles in width. Chilling winds wailed there day and night, countless poisonous creatures filled its depths, and some had even seen the Yin River drifting through it, with endless ghosts wailing and tumbling within. It was said that beneath that bottomless rift lay a connection to the legendary Netherworld.

This rift was called One Slash Gorge. It was said that several thousand years ago, two Dao Lords had fought there, and one of them had cleaved out One Slash Gorge with a single stroke.

In the past, someone who thought himself quite capable had tried to fly across the rift. Halfway through, an evil wind blew against him, and he plunged headfirst into the gorge, never to reappear. From then on, travel between north and south had been forced to detour an additional thousand miles...

Even so, legend said that One Slash Gorge had merely been created by the aftershock of their battle...

This Purple Firmament Dao Lord possessed the highest-grade Dao Scripture. Compared with those two battling Dao Lords, his strength could only have been greater, never lesser.

Even Boundless Dao Academy, the colossal force near Green Forest City, had never been said to possess a top-tier Titled Dao Lord. Their strongest experts were an unknown distance away from becoming Titled Dao Lords...

Qin Yang's heart burned as he listened. A Seated Transcendence Land meant that Purple Firmament Dao Lord was already dead! His hands were beginning to itch, eager to touch Purple Firmament Dao Lord's corpse...

His Corpse Touching skill was somewhat unreliable. The chances of touching out a Skill Book were not high, but so long as the deceased had talent, there was an eighty to ninety percent chance of finding a Skill Book...

He had already summed it up while helping others resolve their worries. Most people without any outstanding talent yielded no Skill Book, but if they had excelled at something in life, there was still a considerable chance of finding one, like that cookbook secret recipe he had touched out before.

The odds of touching out the part of a person's life they had been proudest of were quite high...

Since Purple Firmament Dao Lord had taken Purple Firmament as his title, he must have been extremely proud to have obtained that Purple Firmament Dao Scripture.

The Purple Firmament Dao Scripture... among scriptures, classics, methods, and arts, it was the highest-grade existence!

At that thought, Qin Yang's heart roiled without rest, impossible to calm. He was nearly unable to restrain his hands. When the map surfaced in his mind again, Qin Yang felt he could barely restrain his legs as well...

Qin Yang sat there, his gaze flickering uncertainly...

"Senior Brother?" Little Fatty looked worried...

"Hmm?" Qin Yang came back to himself. He glanced at Zhang Zhengyi and revealed a kindly smile. "Zhang Zhengyi, are you interested in joining me for a job?"

"Senior Brother, don't joke around. First, we have no map. Second, we don't even know where Purple Firmament Dao Lord's Seated Transcendence Land is. Besides, Ten Thousand Eternity Commerce and Boundless Dao Academy are both making their move now. With our strength, we couldn't even fish in troubled waters..."

"To tell you the truth." After giving it some thought, Qin Yang made up his mind. Fishing in troubled waters alone would definitely not work. Although Little Fatty was not very strong and had yet to reach Foundation Establishment, Qin Yang had seen last night that this fellow was slippery as an eel. Coupled with his rather excellent cultivation method for changing his body and appearance, he could be of great use...

"I have the map. I just don't know how prepared Ten Thousand Eternity Commerce and Boundless Dao Academy are. I'll notify the elders of my sect, though they may not make it in time. If there's truly no other way, then I can only find someone to join me."

"Senior Brother, I am willing to spill my guts and brains for the sect, and die only after I have done all I can." Zhang Zhengyi's eyes shifted, and he immediately began declaring his loyalty...

"Stop kidding around. You know perfectly well what the sect is like. Why would it bring along an outsider like you? What contributions have you made to the sect?" Qin Yang snorted with laughter.

Zhang Zhengyi was somewhat embarrassed and gave a dry laugh.

"I understand. The sect's rules are rather unusual; there can't be any such thing as gaining benefits for nothing. But if I offer contributions now, it should still be in time, right?"

As he spoke, Little Fatty took several thin books and three Jade Slips from his Storage Bag. Finally, after gritting his teeth, he even removed the black silk ribbon wrapped around his arm.

"Senior Brother, take these first. Don't stand on ceremony..."

Qin Yang stared somewhat greedily at Little Fatty's black silk ribbon. Its grade was not high, merely a Magical Artifact, but it was extremely useful and remarkably flexible.

Unfortunately, if he took that item, it would be harder to bluff Little Fatty later. This fellow was hotheaded right now; if Qin Yang pressed too hard, something might go wrong.

He picked up the books and skimmed through them. They were all cultivation methods and secret arts of low grade. One of them was the familiar Bone Shrinking Art. He flipped through it and found it roughly similar to the one he cultivated.

Of the three Jade Slips, one contained the Thousand Thread Poison Hand secret art, another a secret art for concealing spiritual energy fluctuations called the Conceal Void Art, and the last was Little Fatty's flawless disguise method, called the Shape Shifting Art.

Only the Shape Shifting Art among them was of fairly high grade. It was not a disguise technique, but a cultivation method derived from the Demon Race, a method for altering one's physique. It could even adjust the face to a certain degree, making it far more advanced than mere disguise.

"Fine. I'll accept these two secret arts. Go gather information first." Qin Yang accepted the Conceal Void Art and the Shape Shifting Art.

Seeing Little Fatty grinning foolishly, Qin Yang's heart stirred.

"The sect's rules say we can't take things for nothing. This is part of the map. I'll let you look at it first."

As he spoke, Qin Yang took out a sheet of paper and, right before Little Fatty, drew the image of a mountain encircled by two rivers.

The moment Little Fatty saw it, his heart settled completely.

It really was part of the Human Skin Map he had seen before. Even if he could not remember the details, he could still recognize it now that he saw it again.

"Rest assured, Senior Brother. I'll go gather information right away..."