Blood Crystal Hides Secrets, Yan Explores Black Market and Encounters Sharpness

Where the blood dripped, the crack in the stone slab expanded slightly, as if pried open by an invisible hand. I stared at it, the heat in my palm still lingering, while the Heaven-Slaying Origin within me slowly absorbed the violent aura seeping from the Blood Crystal. Seven strands and nine-tenths—just a sliver away from condensing the Heaven-Slaying Dao foundation.

But I couldn't break through now.

The red light at the alley entrance was still flickering, its rhythm erratic, like some kind of emergency signal. I knew I couldn't linger, but as soon as I moved, a faint ripple of spiritual pressure came from the street corner behind me. It was as light as falling dust, yet it made my spine stiffen.

Someone was following me.

Not from the Blood Demon Sect. This aura was too deliberately concealed, carrying the unique suppressive rhythm of the authorities. Each step was timed with the gaps in the noisy crowd, unnoticed, yet never falling behind.

Yan Jiuxiao.

I didn't look back, just tucked my left hand into my sleeve, my fingertips lightly brushing the copper coin I had just acquired. It still held the warmth of the stall owner from the apothecary, and a shallow rune was carved on its surface—a transaction voucher for a partial scroll of the Nine Revolutions Profound Art. I deliberately slowed my pace, skirted around two stalls selling talismans, and stopped in a dim corner, pretending to browse the old books on the ground.

The person behind me also stopped.

A slight smile touched my lips. I grabbed a worn-out booklet and asked for the price, handing over the copper coin. The stall owner took it, his expression changing slightly. He quickly lowered his head and rummaged through the bottom of his chest, pulling out a roll of yellowed bamboo slips.

"The item you want... is here."

I took the bamboo slips. They felt heavy in my hand. The cover bore the blurred characters "Nine Revolutions Profound Art · Third Revolution." I opened a page. Most of the text was missing, but a section detailing the circulation route perfectly matched the path the Blood Crystal had traced through my meridians as it melted.

It was indeed the key.

I tucked the bamboo slips into my chest, turned, and walked into a narrow alley. The footsteps behind me hesitated for a moment, then followed. I let him close in until I turned into the back door of an abandoned apothecary and stopped abruptly.

"City Lord Yan, you've been following me all this way. Aren't you tired?"

As the words fell, the alley fell silent as death.

Three steps away, a man in a black robe emerged slowly. His face was stern, his short beard neatly trimmed, and a dark jade seal hung from his waist—the Northern Wasteland City Lord Token. His gaze was steady; he didn't deny it, merely saying lightly, "When did Young Master Ji realize I was here?"

"From the moment you first adjusted your breathing rhythm," I said, leaning against the wall with my arms crossed. "An ordinary cultivator would suppress their aura when tracking. But you, you deliberately maintained a steady rhythm, as if afraid of being discovered 'hiding'."

His eyes flickered, but he remained silent.

I continued, "You came to the black market not just to investigate the chaotic anomalies. What truly made you restless was that your City Lord Token has appeared in a place it shouldn't be."

His pupils contracted sharply.

I took out a token from my chest and gently placed it on a stone stool beside me. The lacquer was mottled, and the edges were scratched—it was the one Yan Jiuxiao had dropped when he left the Ji Family that day. I had quietly taken it during the chaos in the Hall of Punishment and had not returned it.

"It appeared at a secret trading point of the Blood Demon Sect last night," I said. "Just as they were preparing to use Ye Qingwan as a sacrifice."

Yan Jiuxiao looked up sharply. "What did you say?"

"I said your token became a means for evil cultivators to transmit orders," I said, looking at him. "Either there's a traitor among your subordinates, or... you yourself are involved in something you shouldn't be touching."

His face turned ashen. He took a step forward and grabbed the token, clutching it tightly. "How do you have this?"

"I can make it disappear," I said calmly. "As long as you stop following me."

He sneered. "Do you think a single token can threaten me?"

"I'm not threatening you," I said, turning to leave. "I'm just reminding you that you're not investigating the source of the anomaly anymore, but whether you can get out of this unscathed."

He stood there, his knuckles turning white.

I didn't look back, walking deeper into the alley. Not far ahead was the dilapidated temple where I was temporarily staying—a half-collapsed Mountain God Shrine, its roof caved in, the offering table askew, the incense burner overturned. It had been abandoned for a long time. I pushed open the door, drew a hidden rune on the threshold with my hand, and took out three pale gold crystals from my sleeve, embedding them into the cracks of the pillars.

This was the most basic sensing array, not a killing formation, only for early warning.

After finishing, I leaped onto a crossbeam and sat down cross-legged. The Pseudo-Primordial Body quietly circulated, pressing the residual blood energy in my body completely into the Heaven-Slaying Origin circulation. The System responded silently—

[Non-life-or-death crisis, Origin +0.01 strand]

Only a sliver left until eight strands.

The night wind blew through the temple, rustling the tattered banners. About the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn, footsteps could be heard outside the door.

Very light, but each step was precise, avoiding all loose floor tiles and broken pottery.

Yan Jiuxiao had arrived.

He pushed the door open, his gaze sweeping across the empty main hall, finally landing on the offering table—there, his City Lord Token lay quietly.

His expression instantly darkened.

"Ji Wuchen!" he shouted. "What exactly do you want?"

I leaped down from the beam, my toes tapping the edge of the token, producing a crisp sound.

"I want to ask you the same question," I said. "Are you following me to confirm if I'm truly related to the anomaly, or are you afraid I'll expose your dealings with the Blood Demon Sect?"

"Insolence!" he glared at me. "I am the City Lord of the Northern Wasteland, how could I collude with the Demonic Dao!"

"Then explain why your token appeared at the trading site," I said, staring at him. "And the holder was not a subordinate, but a Blood Demon Sect fanatic."

He was silent for a moment, his voice lowering. "...I don't know."

"You don't know?" I sneered. "Then have you investigated who you've been in contact with recently? For example, a certain aide who enters the City Guard Department late every night? Or a certain personal guard who was suddenly transferred to command three months ago?"

His brow furrowed, clearly deep in thought.

I took a step closer. "You suspect me because I carry residual aura of the anomaly. But have you ever considered that what truly attracted the anomaly wasn't me, but the underground altar you are excavating?"

He looked up abruptly. "How do you know about the altar?"

I smiled.

As expected, my guess was right.

"Not only do I know about the altar, I also know which ancient vein it connects to," I said. "And what you dug up wasn't just stones, but also sealed remnant souls of living people."

His breathing hitched.

"If you still want to keep your position as City Lord, you'd best recall all your investigation teams right now," I told him. "Otherwise, when the Blood Demon Sect starts their ritual, the first one to be sacrificed will be you, the City Lord who 'knew and didn't report'."

He stared at me intently, his eyes still filled with anger, but a hint of wavering had appeared.

"Who exactly are you?" he finally asked.

"Someone who knows where the danger lies better than you do," I said. "And the only one who can help you retreat safely before things get out of control."

He gripped his token tightly, remaining silent for a long time.

Just then, a flurry of hurried footsteps could be heard from a distance outside the temple, mixed with shouts and the clash of weapons.

Someone was fighting.

Yan Jiuxiao immediately became alert and turned to leave.

I, however, remained standing still.

Because I knew that the fight wasn't a coincidence.

It was coming for this dilapidated temple.