A bountiful harvest~

The iron sand slowly dispersed, like the receding black waves, returning to swirl Qi Yun.

A completely unformed mass of minced meat fell to the ground with a thud.

Qi Yun's eyes flickered slightly, his gaze falling on a barely perceptible glimmer of light amidst the sand and gravel.

With a flick of his wrist, an unassuming, dark gold ring flew from the pulp into his palm.

The fact that this ring could remain intact even under the terrifying pressure of the Sunken Abyss Iron Sand, without even a scratch, shows that it is no ordinary object.

Qi Yun scanned it with his Divine Sense and felt that it contained a tough and solid protective Dao aura. Its specific function was not yet clear, but the material itself was very valuable.

Without making a sound, he put the ring into his storage bracelet, intending to explore it later.

This is not the time for detailed analysis.

Having slain the Seven Kills Sect assassin, Qi Yun's eyes flashed with a faint red light as he looked at the group of Yellow Springs Netherworld cultivators not far away.

The eerie and elusive technique of concealing one's form, combined with the terrifying destructive power of the [Wood Phase Command Method] and [Iron Sand Method], plus the supernatural power of [Essence Devouring] and the double sustain of [Stealing and Devouring Gu].

Qi Yun forcefully broke through the counter-encirclement of the Yellow Springs Netherworld cultivators.

Finally, under the shocked and furious gazes of numerous cultivators from the Yellow Springs Netherworld, they were defeated.

Qi Yun's figure flickered, suddenly transforming into a wisp of ethereal energy, easily piercing through the encirclement that was not yet fully closed.

It blended into the denser fog and forests in the distance, disappearing completely without a trace.

Two days later.

In a mortal county town hundreds of miles away from Ghost-Crying Market.

Qi Yun had completely changed his appearance, donning an ordinary blue cloth robe and concealing all his cultivation aura, looking like an unremarkable scholar traveling for study.

Two days ago, shortly after he successfully shook off his pursuers.

The Great Void Jade Tally in his bosom then transmitted Yuan Zong's message.

The message was simple: the Yellow Springs Netherworld reacted swiftly, and reinforcements were coming in strong, so they should temporarily avoid a direct confrontation.

He instructed everyone to conceal their whereabouts and act according to the circumstances.

If they are confident, they will head to the vicinity of the next planned stronghold of the Yellow Springs Netherworld City and wait for an opportunity to rendezvous.

"The Yellow Springs Netherworld's reaction this time was much faster than expected." Qi Yun sat in a relatively clean and elegant guest room in the county town, his fingertips lightly tapping the table, lost in thought.

"Once bitten, twice shy. It seems they were really tricked by the Holy Sect in the last [Peach Garden] Secret Realm."

Now we're all very wary, seeing the grass as if it were a snake, and we're much more vigilant.

He found a restaurant in the county town and settled in comfortably, without rushing on his journey.

The continuous battles and breakouts, while improving his cultivation, also took a toll on his mental and physical well-being, requiring a short rest.

He also needed to organize the spoils of this trip to Ghost-Crying Market. To ensure safety, he waved his hand and took out an item from his storage bracelet.

It was a small array plate, no bigger than a palm, made of neither gold nor jade, with countless tiny points of light on its surface that slowly shifted like a galaxy.

[Essence-Averting Formation Plate]

Once activated, this array can quickly form a small isolation barrier covering an area of about ten feet in diameter.

It can effectively block all aura fluctuations and even Divine Sense probing within the barrier, with excellent results. It is an essential item for concealment, seclusion, and handling sensitive matters.

Of course, the results are remarkable, but the cost is also considerable.

This [Essence-Averting Formation] is a one-time consumable item, and each piece costs as much as three thousand Sacred Yuan.

Even a small-time tycoon like Qi Yun, who owns a "talisman" production line and has a net worth far exceeding that of cultivators of the same level, felt a pang of pain when using it.

"The Holy Sect is fucking ruthless, charging three thousand Sacred Yuan per battle!"

With a soft sigh, Qi Yun immediately stopped hesitating and forced a wisp of True Qi from his fingertip into the core of the array plate.

Buzz!

The starlight flowing on the array plate suddenly accelerated, and an invisible, water-like transparent ripple quickly spread out from the array plate, gently enveloping the entire room.

It takes time; the room and the outside seem to be separated into two different worlds.

All the noise and clamor of the outside world were completely blocked out. Qi Yun felt the absolute tranquility and safety within the barrier and nodded in satisfaction.

Only then did he feel relieved enough to sit cross-legged, preparing to take stock of his spoils and examine the indestructible gold ring closely.

The room was almost half full of a dazzling array of items.

The most numerous of these were various kinds of symbols.

From low-level fire talismans, evil-dispelling talisman, evil-destroying talisman, sword energy talisman, to mid-level diamond talisman and earth-escape talisman, there are various types and grades.

While there are no particularly rare or exceptional specimens, the sheer quantity makes up for it.

It's enough to support regular consumption for a period of time.

Secondly, there were some elixirs and rare medicinal herbs packaged in jade bottles and boxes.

Most of them are common items used to restore True Qi and heal injuries; they are full of Spiritual Qi and of decent quality.

Qi Yun a cursory inspection and found no signs of poison pills or tampering, so he gathered them aside, as these were all practical consumables.

The other pile contained various materials that shimmered with a metallic or jade-like luster.

There is "Cold Iron Essence" that can be used to temper flying swords, "Soft Jade Marrow" that can enhance the toughness of Law Artifact, and some mineral crystals that I don't know the names of but faintly exude different auras.

These things, though not as precious as rare treasures of heaven and earth.

However, these are all commonly used materials for refining weapons and making talismans, and they are quite valuable.

Looking back, these are all things that will come in handy.

Just as he finished roughly counting the items and was about to put them away again, his gaze was drawn to an inconspicuous object mixed in with the pile of materials.

It was a scale about the size of a baby's palm, with a warm, lustrous blue color.

The surface of the scales is not smooth, but has incredibly fine, water-like natural patterns that subtly reflect shimmering light under indoor lighting.

Even more strangely, when Qi Yun picked it up, he seemed to hear a faint, soothing sound of ocean waves surging in his ears.

A cool yet not pungent, gentle, spring-like fragrance naturally emanated from the scales, lingering around his clenched fingers.

"This is---[Azure River Scale]?"

Qi Yun picked up the scale and examined it closely, a look of surprise appearing in his eyes.

He had seen a related description in an ancient book that recorded strange and unusual things.

This item is not the scale of Demon Beast, but a rare treasure naturally formed from the essence of the deep sea in the far north.

Its greatest wonder lies in its extremely powerful ability to ward off the cold.

It's not just about keeping you warm; it forms an invisible barrier that protects you from the harshness of extreme cold.

It even has considerable resistance to certain cold-attribute Law Technique.

"Um?"

Qi Yun let out a soft sound, recalling the information that the mysterious man Situ Huaji, who was imprisoned at the Ten Thousand Beauties Pavilion, had given him about the wild Foundation Establishment artifact in order to escape.

The location of that Foundation Establishment artifact was an extremely cold and desolate place called "Yin Nether Abyss".

According to Situ Huaji's description, the cold there was so intense that it could freeze metal and stone, and seal away the Divine Soul.

Ordinary Qi Refining cultivators would find it extremely difficult to delve into this area without special methods.

Let alone finding treasure.

"I see." Qi Yun stroked the cool and smooth Azure River Scale, a look of understanding flashing in his eyes.

"The reason why Yellow Springs Netherworld was imprisoned in the Situ Huaji was probably not just to torture him."

They must have managed to extract the whereabouts of that Foundation Establishment artifact from him!

They even managed to pry open Situ Huaji's mouth, and even if they didn't get all the information, they knew some of it.

This Azure River Scale is probably one of the fruits of their collection, but before they could use it, it fell into my lap.

Having figured this out, some of the ambiguities in Situ Huaji's previous words seemed to have been resolved.

"Hmph, old fox." Qi Yun snorted coldly and carefully put away the crucial [Azure River Scale].

With this item, his confidence in exploring the Yin Nether Abyss and finding the Foundation Establishment artifact increased significantly.

This was undoubtedly the biggest unexpected surprise of the entire trip to Ghost-Crying Market, aside from the mysterious iron plaque and the upgrade of the Iron Sand Method.

After recounting, categorizing, and storing all the spoils, Qi Yun breathed a long sigh of relief.

Although the operation was fraught with danger and encountered counter-encirclement, the results were far greater than expected.

Not only did his cultivation level improve through repeated battles and devouring, but it also increased.

They also obtained key items and information concerning their future Dao Path.

With a wave of his hand, he dispelled the [Essence-Averting Formation], and feeling the faint clamor of the mortal county town returning to the outside world, Qi Yun silently examined his Dantian and Purple Mansion.

What was originally just wisps of True Essence, like mist, has now coalesced into a considerable nitrogen-argon cyclone, occupying nearly 80% of the space in the Purple Mansion.

The cyclone slowly rotated, pure and condensed, exuding an even stronger and more stable aura.

"Eighty percent of his True Essence has been used."

A glint of shrewdness flashed in Qi Yun's eyes; he was quite satisfied.

This great battle at Ghost-Crying Market was amplified by the White Bone Skull [Essence Devouring]'s miraculous ability to continuously plunder the enemy's blood essence and vital energy, and by the [Stealing and Devouring Gu] in the shadows continuously absorbing and transforming the scattered energy from the battlefield.

His progress in "Condensing Qi into Essence" can be described as rapid and leapfrog.

He is only 20% away from achieving complete perfection and reaching the Qi Refining Seventh Layer.

"At this rate, perhaps after one or two more battles of similar scale, I'll be able to attempt to break through this bottleneck and achieve a breakthrough!"

His significantly improved strength gave him more confidence for his next move.

After a brief moment of joy, Qi Yun's mind raced as he analyzed the current situation.

"The attack on Ghost-Crying Market will surely shake the Yellow Springs Netherworld, prompting the strengthening of defenses in all important markets and large strongholds."

A tough nut to crack like Ghost-Crying Market- shu is probably not something we can tackle again anytime soon.

Otherwise, it's very easy to run into a brick wall and get surrounded.

They were not blinded by their previous victories.

The art of strategizing and combat is all about assessing the situation and striking where the enemy is weak.

"Large markets are obvious targets and attract too much attention. The Yellow Springs Netherworld will be on guard and will be like a hedgehog, making it difficult to strike." His eyes flickered, and the corners of his mouth gradually curled up.

"As a result, those small, inconspicuous outposts that were originally less noticeable may be temporarily overlooked because attention has been diverted."

"This is indeed a large, fatty piece of meat—perhaps worth secretly taking a bite out of."

Although the profits from a single outpost may not be as high as those from Ghost-Crying Market, the risks are lower and the efficiency is higher.

If you can take down several in a row, the accumulated gains will be considerable.

More importantly, in battles of this intensity, one can continue to hone one's Law Technique and consolidate one's cultivation, while also accumulating power through [Essence Devouring] and [Stealing and Devouring Gu].

It propels the condensation of the last 20% of True Essence.

"It seems we need to find a way to get some specific information about the small outposts on the outskirts of the Yellow Springs Netherworld from Senior Brother Yuan, or through other channels."

A thought flickered in his mind, and Qi Yun was just about to ponder how to obtain more information.

The familiar fluctuations emanated from the Great Void Jade Tally in his arms once again.

This is a message from team leader Yuan Zong.