The middle-aged host waited for quite some time, but no one placed a bid.
Mid-Stage Qi Condensation cultivators had no divine sense and could not wield this magical artifact, so naturally they would not buy it.
Late-Stage cultivators might possess divine sense, but if they had that kind of money, would it not be better to buy a high-grade magical artifact?
Thus, this magical artifact fell into an exceedingly awkward situation.
This auction was merely a case of treating a dead horse as though it were alive.
Just as the middle-aged man thought the item would go unsold, Zhou Xun made his move:
"Forty spirit stones!"
Only divine sense could bring out its full power. It was practically tailor-made for him.
Other than Zhou Xun, no one else bid.
Very quickly, he obtained the magical artifact at its lowest price.
After purchasing this mid-grade magical artifact, Zhou Xun spent another thirty spirit stones to win a first-rank high-grade Flight Talisman.
Afterward, he left the auction venue.
After changing his attire once more, he attached a first-rank mid-grade Light Body Talisman and sped off in the direction opposite Red Leaf Square.
He traveled a full hundred li before finding an uninhabited hill and slipping into it.
He then chose a massive tree that took several people to encircle, carved out a man-high hollow in a concealed spot with his magical artifact, and hid inside.
He remained hidden for three days.
During those three days, Zhou Xun took out the newly acquired Radiant Light Twin Blades and successfully planted his divine-sense imprint, completely refining them.
On the third day, Zhou Xun crawled out from the tree hollow.
The Black Market has been over for three days. Even if there are still bandit cultivators around, they should be finished by now, right? Zhou Xun mused inwardly.
After coming out, Zhou Xun wanted to test the power of the Radiant Light Twin Blades.
With a sweep of his right hand across his waist, two single-edged short blades, each about an inch long, appeared in Zhou Xun's palm.
As he slowly infused them with spiritual power, black light flashed across the broken blades. They floated before Zhou Xun, faintly radiating a ghostly glow.
Looking at the large tree dozens of meters ahead, Zhou Xun stirred his divine sense and controlled the flying blades to shoot forward.
The two flying blades streaked like twin bolts of black lightning, crossing dozens of meters in an instant before circling around the huge tree that took several people to embrace.
Without warning, the tree was sliced into several pieces. Like joined building blocks, it crashed down with a thunderous boom and scattered across the ground.
This power is truly astonishing! Zhou Xun marveled inwardly.
Back when he and Dan Xiong Hai had hunted Goldspirit Rats, if he had possessed this treasure, he alone could have killed them all. Why would he have needed to go through so much trouble?
Zhou Xun put away the magical artifact, thoroughly satisfied.
Fixing the direction of Red Leaf Square, he sped away.
The next chapter will be a little later.
The ones who bought the Spirit Condensing Herb were a pair of brothers. The short, plump one was the younger brother and had Qi Condensation Fifth Level cultivation, while the tall, thin one was the elder brother and had Qi Condensation Sixth Level cultivation.
The two were not cultivators from around Red Leaf Square.
Red Leaf Square was near Hundred Savages Mountain, located at the southern edge of Xu Nation.
The two men, however, came from Juntian City in the northeast of Xu Nation, more than a hundred thousand li away. They had fled to Red Leaf Square after killing a disciple of a certain Lineage and becoming wanted men.
They had bought the Spirit Condensing Herb so that the elder brother could break through to Late-Stage Qi Condensation.
"Big Brother, buying the Spirit Condensing Herb used up most of our spirit stones. Why don't we return to our old trade and make up for it?" suggested the short, plump one.
"Fine!"
Although they had obtained the Spirit Condensing Herb, the most crucial item for breaking through to the Late Stage, they still needed quite a few auxiliary materials.
Thus, several battles took place along the road back to Red Leaf Square.
"Fellow Daoist, why must you slaughter everyone? I am willing to hand over all my possessions. I only beg you to spare my life!"
The speaker was a middle-aged man dressed like a martial artist, his face full of pleading. Yet the scars on his face all revealed the ferocity he had once possessed.
If Hong San had been there, he would have recognized him as his colleague, the hall master of the Iron Mountain Gang's Brave Hands Hall.
Qi Condensation Fifth Level!
"Fine. As long as you hand over your Storage Pouch, I will spare your life!" the tall, thin middle-aged man at Qi Condensation Sixth Level agreed in a hoarse voice.
The middle-aged man had resisted several times, but he was no match for the man before him. Whether in speed, Dao techniques, or magical artifacts, he had been utterly crushed.
With no hope of resistance, he had finally thought to beg for mercy.
He removed the Storage Pouch from his waist and hurled it far off in another direction.
Then he infused his feet with spiritual power, kicked off hard, and fled in the opposite direction.
He had barely taken two steps when his chest turned cold. A foot-long blade pierced through his heart.
"You—"
Before he could utter a second word, the middle-aged man died instantly.
After collecting the spoils, the two brothers moved to another place to lie in ambush.
Very soon, the same scene played out once more.
Over three consecutive days, the two killed four passing cultivators and reaped a rich harvest.
"Big Brother, it has been three days. Are we still going to continue?" The two lay behind the entrance to a mountain valley, staring intently ahead.
This was a gourd-shaped valley, one of the routes from the Black Market back to Red Leaf Square, making it exceptionally suitable for an ambush.
"We're already here. Let's wait one more day!"
Although the Black Market had ended three days ago, he believed there were surely quite a few people deliberately lingering behind.
He had extensive experience in robbery and had encountered many cultivators like that.
On the other side, after testing the power of the Radiant Light Twin Blades, Zhou Xun felt even more assured.
He activated the Light Body Technique and hurried toward Red Leaf Square.
"Something isn't right!"
When he arrived before a gourd-shaped valley, Zhou Xun's brows knit slightly.
The terrain here was peculiar. If used to ambush early- and mid-stage cultivators without divine sense, it would be an ideal location.
Zhou Xun had not taken this route on his way here, so he was unfamiliar with the terrain.
After pondering for a moment, Zhou Xun turned back without hesitation.
He intended to take another route back.
It would only cost him a little more time. Safety came first.
"Big Brother, why has that brat stopped?" Upon seeing Zhou Xun, the short, plump cultivator had been overjoyed. He clenched the magical artifact in his hand, ready to strike.
Yet Zhou Xun had actually stopped, pacing about without advancing.
"Don't rush. Wait a little longer!" The tall, thin cultivator spoke in a steady, calm tone.
The moment his words fell, they saw Zhou Xun turn back.
"Not good, we've been exposed! That brat is running!" the short, plump cultivator cried out. He immediately flipped out of his hiding place and charged toward Zhou Xun.
"Quick, chase him! Don't let him get away!" The tall, thin cultivator cursed under his breath, circulating spiritual power into his legs as he pursued Zhou Xun.
The moment the two leaped out, Zhou Xun noticed the commotion behind him.
He hurriedly turned his head and saw two cultivators in dark brown robes chasing after him.
Not good, bandit cultivators! Zhou Xun was startled.
Without the slightest hesitation, he took out the Flight Talisman he had just bought, activated it, and slapped it onto himself.
In an instant, Zhou Xun shot into the sky and flew away in the direction he had come from.
"A Flight Talisman! Not good, he's getting away! Quickly, use the Azure Light Shuttle!" Seeing this, the short, plump cultivator's heart ached.
A Flight Talisman was worth more than thirty spirit stones, and it was something money could not easily buy.
For Zhou Xun to use it like this was a monstrous waste of a heavenly treasure.
In his eyes, everything on Zhou Xun's person had long since become his property.
The tall, thin cultivator nodded, patted the Storage Pouch at his waist, and a shuttle-shaped little boat appeared in his hand.
The tall, thin cultivator tossed it into the air, then struck the Flying Shuttle with a set of Mystic Gestures.
The Flying Shuttle swelled in the wind, growing to the size of a zhang.
"Get up here!" the tall, thin cultivator called. He immediately leaped onto the Azure Light Shuttle, with the short, plump cultivator following close behind.
Very quickly, a streak of azure spiritual light soared into the sky and chased after Zhou Xun.
Before you continue