Ambush on the Road

"Apologies, Senior. Today truly is an unfortunate coincidence. There are only three top-grade Blood Origin Pills left; I still have some medium and low-grade ones. If Senior is interested, we could trade."

Outside the Three Purities Dao Palace, Yan Kuan took a deep look at the jade bottle in the old woman's hand, then slowly withdrew his gaze. Pointing at the remaining porcelain bottles on his stall, he spoke flatly.

Yan Kuan was naturally extremely tempted by the Vermillion Phoenix Blood in that old woman's hand—top-tier fire-attribute demon blood. If he refined and used it with the secret methods from his inheritance, his cultivation would surely skyrocket, and he could lay an unshakably solid foundation. But he dared not trade openly, because this was Vermillion Phoenix Blood.

On the Ancestral Star, there were openly the Four Great Demon God Lineages: the main branch of the Great Xia Dragon Finch, the Sky Kirin Clan, the Vermillion Phoenix Lineage, and the Ten Thousand Demons Valley.

Each of these four powers had Transforming Dragon or even Immortal Platform Realm experts stationed within them, with influence spread across all of China. They were not something Yan Kuan could provoke.

This old woman, as an elder of the Jiujiang Dragon Finch Clan, had the background and ability to trade Vermillion Phoenix Blood, but Yan Kuan lacked the means to accept it.

Of course, an even more critical reason was that he had already stated clearly he only had three top-grade Blood Origin Pills. Since he had already traded them away, he needed to know when to stop. Producing another one would invite complications and potentially unnecessary trouble.

"No matter. Since there are none left, it means this old woman has no fate with them. Little Finch, go and trade a few bottles of pills with this young friend."

The old woman glanced at Yan Kuan, then nodded and gripped her walking stick tighter. The old man beside her stepped forward to Yan Kuan, took out several Daoist scriptures and a few items, and exchanged them for all the remaining medium-grade Blood Origin Pills on Yan Kuan's stall.

"Young friend, if you have time in the future, feel free to visit our Jiujiang Dragon Finch Clan."

After the old man returned to her side, the old woman spoke politely, casually tossing a token carved with a Dragon Finch pattern in front of Yan Kuan.

Yan Kuan quickly caught it and nodded. "Thank you, Senior."

"Daoist friend, this is a token from my Tianshi Manor. If you ever have time to visit Dragon Tiger Mountain, be sure to come sit with me and my disciple!"

Old Daoist Zhang Lingyun also smiled and handed over a jade pendant. Yan Kuan stood up to accept it, and the atmosphere around them eased considerably.

The two elders from the Shangqing Sect and the Lingbao Sect also came forward one after another to curry favor. For someone capable of refining pills like this, any sect would treat them with courtesy.

Yan Kuan's remaining pills were soon traded away, but he didn't leave in a hurry. Instead, he wandered around the stalls, buying and selling a few more items. Only when the sky was about to turn dusky did he vanish in an inconspicuous corner.

"The target just left. He's using an artifact to fly through the void, very fast. Cautious type."

"Looks like he's an old hand. We'll need to be more careful. But if he thinks he can escape with just these tricks, isn't that a bit naive?"

"No need to act rashly. It seems we're not the only ones eyeing him."

At the entrance to the Three Purities Blessed Land, several groups with the same goal departed one after another. After they left, a few more figures trailed them from afar.

In a steep canyon over ten li from Mount Sanqing, a short figure in a black robe suddenly stopped. He spun around sharply, his gaze landing on several spots in sequence, then called out clearly: "No need to hide, fellow cultivators. You've followed me this long—what exactly are you after?"

From all corners of the canyon, where insects chirped and birds sang, there was no other sound. Only Yan Kuan's voice echoed slowly.

"What, do I need to invite each of you out one by one?"

Yan Kuan's voice suddenly turned cold. He pointed at a treetop. "The three of you in that tree have suppressed your aura, but your heartbeats can't be faked. And behind you, two more are following. And over here..."

Yan Kuan pointed them out one by one. Figures flashed into view, and when counted, there were twenty-six in total—all cultivators at least at the Life Spring Realm. In this age of the End of Dharma, that was an extremely formidable force.

"You've followed me this far. What do you want?"

Yan Kuan scanned these fellows, his tone hostile. "Don't tell me you've set your sights on my possessions. I thought this was something only mortals did. I didn't expect that even in Shrouding the Heavens, there would be so many clueless fools. This is a society of law, after all."

A voice came from among the cultivators. "A society of law? Daoist friend, do you think those restraints meant for mortals can bind us who are beyond the mundane?"

Then another low voice rang out. "Daoist friend, we don't wish to make things difficult for you. We only seek to obtain the divine pills from your hands."

Yan Kuan replied bluntly: "I've already traded away all my Blood Origin Pills."

At that moment, a sinister, low tone spoke up: "Daoist friend, why deceive us? With such astonishingly effective divine pills, any cultivator would keep the best for themselves first and only trade what's left over. Unless you have something even better."

"Even if I do have something better, what business is it of yours? Whether I trade or not is my choice. Are you planning to rob me?"

Yan Kuan's gaze flicked to a certain spot, then he said coldly: "Don't say I didn't warn you. Leave within three breaths. If anyone follows me again, don't blame me for being merciless."

"Capture him, and we'll have everything."

A sharp voice was decisive. Amidst the clang of a sword, a blade of light blazed brilliantly in the dusky night sky, illuminating a vast stretch of void. It shot toward Yan Kuan like a rainbow—someone had made a move to kill him.

No matter where, it was the same. Where there were people, there was conflict. Since these people had followed Yan Kuan, they all harbored ill intentions. Some hesitated and watched, while others were ruthlessly decisive, striking to kill.

A sword as clear as autumn water streaked past Yan Kuan, exploding the spot where he had stood into countless flying gravel. That strike triggered a chain reaction, and all the figures charged at Yan Kuan.

"ROAR~~~"

Yan Kuan suddenly lifted his head and opened his mouth. A powerful sonic wave reverberated through the steep canyon. All the attacking cultivators felt their minds go blank; the weaker ones even fainted outright. Then, countless sharp rays of light streaked across the sky.

Figures flew sideways, bones shattered, flesh and blood mangled. Yan Kuan had always been a cautious man. Before coming to Mount Sanqing, he had deliberately scouted the surrounding terrain and prepared a plan. Since these people dared to make a move on him, they had earned their death.

"The two seniors from the Dragon Finch Clan—were you worried about this junior's safety and came to see me off?"

Yan Kuan had taken out all his opponents in one go, but he didn't rush to clean up the battlefield. Instead, he looked toward another spot.

In just a few moments, the old woman leaning on her Dragon Finch staff appeared, supported by the old man. Her hair was snow-white, each strand shimmering, her complexion rosy and radiant. Her spirit seemed far better than before.