After receiving the mission, Jiang Yi did not hurriedly head towards that Black Market Castle. According to the intel, the target would be staying in the Black Market Castle for at least half a day; Jiang Yi still had time.
He entered the Demon-Killing Pavilion’s Divine Armory Hall to take a look. However, he did not see any treasure that was suitable for him. This was mainly because he disdained the inferior-grade divine weapons while he could not afford the medial-grade and superior-grade ones. Even a medial-grade battle armor cost ten thousand battle merits or tens of thousands of divine roots.
Jiang Yi entered the Mystical Ability Hall again, trying to find anything cheap and useful. He was shocked once he entered the hall. The lowest-grade mystical abilities already cost five to six hundred battle merits; many were not even that useful. For example, there was something that raised one’s aura immensely. However, this could only be used to frighten the enemy; one’s battle strength was not increased at all. This mystical ability already cost eight hundred battle merits.
Jiang Yi searched all the mystical abilities and secret arts on sale and actually found one pretty decent mystical ability. It could make him invisible; if one’s soul spirit was not of a certain level, he would not be detectable. However, Jiang Yi could not afford it. It required three thousand battle merits; he could only leave the Battle Merits Pavilion as he headed towards the south city.
There were many drinking establishments and merchant shops in the south city. According to He Wei, many rare and strange objects were sold there. Jiang Yi decided to try his luck. His current strength was sorely lacking. He could only rely on the two types of burning flames he had. However, if he could not burn the enemy to death or if the target had strong guards around him, Jiang Yi would definitely perish.
Also, regarding the target of this mission, Jiang Yi felt as if he was someone important. If not, there would not be such a huge reward. Hence, Jiang Yi had to find a way to conceal his identity and hide his tracks. The former was easy as he had the Mirage Divine Ability. However, if one were to really investigate, it would not be hard to trace him. Thus, Jiang Yi needed a good plan and an identity that could hide him so that he could hide his tracks.
After around an hour, Jiang Yi finally reached the most bustling street in the south city. There were too many people here. Some were wearing golden battle armor with dragon carvings that represented the Battle God Pavilion while there were Earth Emanations Pavilion martial artists with thorn apple flower insignia on their breastplates. There were also many people from the local divine races. Some from one particular race wore strange armor with snake-shaped earrings and snake-headed hair accessories. This was one of the largest indigenous divine races in the Blue Eagle Prefecture, the Blue Snake Clan.
There were actually many indigenous divine races in the Higher Domain. They were the life forms born from the numerous domains inside the Higher Domain. Once they were of age, they would be as strong as Heaven Gods. Many of these divine races also had strange mighty abilities; their powers were significant.
However, the indigenous divine race in the Earth Emanations Domain was not that strong. Even the Earth Emanations Sovereign was an ascendant; the Blue Eagle Prefecture Lord was as well. The Blue Snake Clan only controlled tens of prefectures and regions; the remaining were controlled by ascendants. It was apparent that the indigenous divine race here in Earth Emanations Domain had been suppressed heavily.
Of course, in every city and in all three factions, many powerful and authoritative members were from the indigenous divine races. The indigenous divine races’ blood flowed with the blood from the gods. They were born beautiful and were extremely gifted. Their cultivation speeds were faster than normal ascendants’; they also looked down on ascendants.
It was a pity that there were too many domains in the Lower Domain. At every moment, there were ascendants entering the Earth Emanations Domain. The indigenous divine races had one unique characteristic: it was hard for them to give birth. Hence, their population was extremely small. As time passed, each of the large prefectures and regions in the Earth Emanations Domain had slowly been taken over by ascendants.
“Get lost!”
From ahead walked three members of the Blue Snake Clan, their heads lifted high up. Seeing someone blocking their way, they scolded very impolitely. Jiang Yi did not dare to cause trouble and hurriedly moved to a side. His eyes shifted as he thought: what if he disguised himself as a member of the indigenous divine race? After he killed his target, at least in the short-run, no one would be able to find out it was him.
Jiang Yi slowly continued to stroll leisurely. Once he saw members of the Blue Snake Clan, he immediately stopped and entered the State of the Union of Heaven and Man. He began to observe and feel the movements, mannerisms, and soul spirit auras of the Blue Snake Clan members. He wanted to find out their unique features and the sorts so that he could easily turn into one of them.
After walking up and down the street thrice, Jiang Yi managed to observe more than ten members of the Blue Snake Clan; and he—more or less—had an idea already. He stopped outside a castle that did not have a signboard. Although this castle did not have a signboard, it was very crowded as people kept entering and exiting. Jiang Yi had long ago noticed this place.
He walked inside and realized that it wasn’t a shop at all; there was only a huge central hall inside. Many people were laying out their treasures there to be sold. There were also many martial artists shopping around, trying to find the best treasures for themselves.
“A thousand divine roots? Six hundred divine roots? Three hundred and eight divine roots…”
Jiang Yi checked out a few shops as he kept on rolling his eyes. He only had fifteen divine roots, and this was already the profits from selling all the divine cores he had gotten. He could not afford anything here with just that amount of divine roots.
“Eh?”
Just as Jiang Yi was about to leave, he saw an elder laying out a book already turning yellow. The book was entitled ‘The Fire-Cultivating Dao’. Jiang Yi was very fond of burning flames; he had the Fire Spirit Pearl that could cultivate flames, and Jiang Yi also paid more attention to anything relevant to cultivating fire. However, he saw the price on it and was disappointed once again: this mystical ability or secret art needed a hundred divine roots; he only had fifteen.
“Little brother, are you interested in this fire-cultivating mystical ability?”
The elder saw that Jiang Yi stood in front of him and had not left. He raised his head, smiled faintly, and said, “I had obtained this special book years ago from some ruins. It can combine different types of burning flames and form strong and powerful burning flames. It is a pity that I had tried to cultivate the fire-elemental nomology inside this book for more than ten years without much success. That is why I am now selling it. Little brother, if you are a cultivator of fire-elemental nomological mystical abilities, this mystical ability would definitely multiply your powers!”
“Combining different types of burning flames? To form powerful burning flames?”
Jiang Yi’s heart palpitated. If this elder was not lying, this mystical ability or secret art book would be very valuable to him. Normal people did not have the ability to absorb the various types of special fires in this world; Jiang Yi had the Fire Spirit Pearl and could do so. At least up until this moment, there hadn’t been any flames that could not be absorbed by the Fire Spirit Pearl. If Jiang Yi can successfully cultivate this mystical ability or secret art and gather all types of special flames to combine them, his battle strength would definitely be multiplied.
“This is not bad! Can I take a look? I will only take a casual look at it.”
Although Jiang Yi was very agitated, he did not reveal much of what he was feeling. He only asked in a low voice. The elder’s hand lit up as he laid a restriction on the book. He then handed it to Jiang Yi, saying, “You can only read the first three pages.”
Jiang Yi received the book and hurriedly started to speed read it. However, he had only finished the first three pages, and his heart started to feel agitated again. The elder was not lying to him; this book was indeed a special book. It taught one how to combine different types of flames. Jiang Yi would even be willing to spend ten thousand divine roots on it, what more a hundred divine roots.
However, this mystical ability or secret art was not very useful to ordinary people. It was not very useful even to martial artists who cultivated fire-elemental nomological mystical abilities. Normal people could not store high-level flames. This mystical ability secret art was only useful to someone like Jiang Yi.
“Too expensive; I do not have so many divine roots.”
Jiang Yi tossed the book back to the elder as he said indifferently and looked as if he was about to leave. The elder blinked and said, “How many do you have?”
“Fifteen divine roots! And a divine artifact battle-ax.”
Jiang Yi’s hand lit up as fifteen golden stones and a giant ax appeared in his hand. The elder, however, shook his head and said, “Too little. I will not sell this to you!”
“Indeed…”
Jiang Yi’s heart sank. He gritted his teeth as he severed his mental connection with the interspatial ring he had gotten in the dark lake and handed it to the elder. He said, “Can you see if there’s anything valuable inside this? I will give you everything in it, including the divine roots and the battle-ax.”
The elder took the ring as he used his heavenly powers to refine it. He scanned it a few times, and his eyes lit up and said, “Deal!”
“Uh?”
Some random things were inside the interspatial ring; Jiang Yi actually did not know whether there was anything valuable in it or not. The elder had so readily agreed to this transaction? There must be something good inside it. However, Jiang Yi did not regret it; he handed over the divine roots, the ring, and the battle-ax to the elder.
The elder also quickly removed the restrictions on the mystical ability secret art book. Jiang Yi examined it for a while, and after confirming that there was nothing wrong, he took the book and ran back to his wooden pavilion. His steps were pretty light on the way back. If he could really combine his flames, his battle strength could be multiplied; he could probably even kill a Demon-Killing Battle General formidable martial artist.
