When Yun Yi saw Old Man Gao leave the building, his smile disappeared.
Yin Yi also had met with two vagrant Core Formation cultivators after nightfall. They both traded a few materials for rewards and departed happily.
In the following days, Han Li arrived at the Nine Firmaments Hall in the morning to participate in the grand auction. Since he was able to find something he wanted on the first day, Han Li was quite hopeful of finding more.
It was as Old Man Fu [1] had said: there were no other items of the rarity Han Li desired, apart from the tensome items that were auctioned at the end of the day. And of these, a majority of them were completed magic treasures.
It seems that the appearance of the Ebony Gold had only been a lucky occurrence.
However, Han Li was not currently attending the grand auction, but was instead looking for information about the underground auction.
According to the information he acquired, the first few days in both the underground and the grand auction were more and less the same, apart from a particular emphasis on Devil Dao Materials. But when the last day came, there would be a trade fair that was targeted for Nascent Soul-grade cultivators. In the past, rare items would often make an appearance there. It was quite possible that would be where he would find the materials he was looking for.
Not anyone could join though; only cultivators related to the Devil Dao or those that were recommended could participate. With that figured out, Han Li turned his attention back to the grand auction.
Several days had passed and the final day of the grand auction had arrived. Another item that he required was presented, much to his excitement, and he managed to win the item for over a hundred thousand spirit stones.
Not long after, the grand auction came to a close.
Han Li departed with the rest of the cultivators, but he didn’t leave the market. Rather, he made his way to the Hidden Fortune Pavilion.
Unbeknownst to him, this had coincidentally allowed him to escape from calamity for the time being. The Yin Sifting Sect Elders that were waiting at the market’s entrance several days ago had made a sudden reappearance. This time, with the Soaring Skies Saintess in tow.
Currently, the Saintess was fiddling with a small mirror sparkling with silver light as she looked at the cultivators leaving the market entrance. She would occasionally glance at the mirror and frown as her eyes wandered.
With time, the silver light flickering from the small mirror grew ever brighter, but the Saintess had remained silent.
Ge Tianhao and the others gradually grew more sullen when they saw this, and their expressions eventually became unsightly.
Soon, she sighed and hesitantly said, “Although I discovered many cultivators that have masked their appearance using various illusion techniques, I haven’t caught sight of him. Could it be he didn’t take part in the grand auction? If that’s the case, the last few days were spent in vain…”
“Impossible,” Ge Tianhao stated, “All the high-grade cultivators that arrived in the Jin Capital recently should’ve taken part in the grand auction. I personally saw him looking at the Treasureshine Hall when we first saw him in the city. His intentions were obvious.”
The Saintess unconsciously nodded, but the heavy expression on her face had yet to disappear.
The sharp-eyed Yin Sifting Sect Elder asked, “Could it be that the Clearsound Mirror isn’t as miraculous as rumors stated? Or was it because Fellow Daoist Lin was unable to fully display its strength due to the short amount of time she’s refined it?”
“That’s impossible,” The Saintess shook her head and explained, “The Clearsound Mirror is one of Daoist Sevenwonder’s seven profound treasures, whose fame had spread throughout the cultivation world. As for the matter of refinement, it is a peculiar ancient treasure that only needs some refinement to fully use. A few days should’ve already been enough, given that I have been able to see through the true appearances of these other eccentrics. There should only be a sparse few unbreakable illusion techniques that can escape it.”
Ge Tianhao’s gaze flickered and he pondered, “So it was like that… Since we weren’t able to find him with the Clearsound Mirror, he either had some business to remain in the market or he left through some other method.
“Given the great fame of the Clearsound Mirror, there should only be a sparse few unbreakable illusion techniques that can escape it. It is impossible that he cultivated one of them. As for the other possibility, the market is surrounded by the illustrious Eight Light Peaks Formation. It is impossible for him to silently break through it. It is most likely he has remained in the market for other business.”
The sharp-eyed old man hesitantly asked, “What is Fellow Daoist Lin planning?”
The Saintess proposed, “We will stay on guard. If he is still in the market, he will have to leave through here. We should also send a few clever disciples to stroll around inside and see if they can find traces of him.”
Ge Tianhao pondered for a moment and found nothing wrong with her suggestion. “Fellow Daoist Lin’s words are reasonable. Let’s wait until night. He should make an appearance by then if he is there.”
Afterwards, he raised his hand and released several sound transmission talismans. Soon, a group of low-grade Yin Sifting Sect disciples arrived and disappeared into the market after they were given their orders.
While these cultivators were bewildered from finding no trace of Han Li, the person in question was currently meeting with Elder Wang at the Hidden Fortune Pavilion with his true appearance.
Elder Wang knew about Han Li’s appointment with Old Man Fu, but he paid it little mind. Rather, he was personally attending to Han Li in the esteemed guest lounge with great enthusiasm.
Han Li and Elder Wang chatted for a while, exchanging their cultivation experiences. As they gained something from the conversation, it became more enthusiastic when Old Man Fu had finally arrived at the Hidden Fortune Pavilion. When he saw them, he joined in without the slightest courtesy.
Their exchang lasted until sunset. They then looked at each other with a smile as they had all gained much from the talk.
Old Man Fu and Han Li bid farewell to Elder Wang and promptly departed. Then after leaving, Han Li’s face became vague and instantly transformed into the unfamiliar face of a sallow cultivator. Old Man Fu was somewhat surprised initially but he didn’t seem to mind.
Rather, it was Han Li’s turn to be surprised. Instead of heading out of the market entrance, Old Man Fu brought Han Li to a nearby building by the name of ‘Spirit Rinse Study’.
When Han Li saw that they were going to enter, he couldn’t help but ask, “Brother Fu, is this it?”
“The Spirit Rinse Study is a private business. The owner has been good friends with me for many years and had recently put down a teleportation formation inside. It will take us to where the underground auction is being held. I’d already informed them we were coming.”
“If I remember correctly, should there be restrictions preventing teleportation in the market?” When Han Li heard this, he was quite surprised.
Old Man Fu chuckled and casually explained, “Don’t worry, Fellow Daoist. My old friend has quite a reputation. He applied for a permit in advance for a temporary exception. This teleportation formation will only exist for a few months and sparse few people know of it.”
“So it was like that!”
The Spirit Rinse Study’s master was an old man with fair skin. His demeanor and attitude was unordinary and gave a refreshing impression to those who spoke to him. And to Han Li’s greater surprise, this person was actually a renown spell formation grandmaster.
It was a pity that he didn’t have any time to continue talking as he was in a hurry to take part in the underground trade fair. They headed into a hidden room and took a small teleportation formation.
A moment later, the two arrived at a unremarkable hidden cave. When the two left and flew off, Han Li discovered that they were near some mountain at the south of the Jin Capital. The huge walls could be faintly seen from a distance.
A bit after Han Li took the teleportation formation, Ge Tianhao took a look at the sky and pondered shorty before he said, “Fellow Daoist Lin, the underground trade fair is about to start. There are many items that will appear and prove to be very useful to my cultivation. It is now dark and the disciples have also found no trace of him in the market. Perhaps we made an error in judging his location. Since this person is quite cunning, it is possible he didn't come. It would be better for Fellow Daoist to join in this trade fair since you had missed the auction. While it is possible that person will be there, you’ll be certain to gain something.”
The Saintess bit on her lip and glanced in the direction of the market. Then with a reluctant tone, she said, “It seems that it will be better to take action than to remain idle. Alright, I’ll accompany you. Perhaps I will truly have something to gain.”
Soon after, Ge Tianhao and the others had a short chat before leaving behind the other two Nascent Soul Elders to guard the market entrance. Then, the remaining elders and the Saintess joined the trade meet. As for the sharp-eyed old man and one other, they had their own plans and bit their leave.
At that moment, the Yin Sifting Sect Elders that had gathered together had split apart before they could encountered Han Li.
[1] The large old mid-Nascent Soul cultivator Han Li met earlier at the Hidden Fortune Pavilion. Han Li traded a Scarlet Essence Mushroom for his Thunderspirit Crystal.
