Translator: Transn Editor: Transn
The girl’s father was equally stupefied because he had never heard of the new Exterior master before. Was he someone who had just come to Bomi to hide or was he a cautious old devil hiding in the depths of this place, so careful as to even not to show up in frontier trade often?
He suppressed the turbulent emotions inside him and coughed twice. “Seniors, this time we have brought 23 items equivalent to exotic minerals and produce with us…”
Exotic minerals and produce were precious because they were rarely seen. They were necessary materials required in an expert of the Exterior master’s cultivation and forging of Precious Weapons. Their high price and limited demand for them resulted in them being commodities that were not widely traded. Even Ze Luoju, an Exterior master who had plundered for half his life and occupied half of the Immensity Sea for a long time, would have no more than 10 of such items. Furthermore, many of those were items that he could not use and kept only for trading purposes.
There was no way that the caravan could come up with more than 20 such items without the backing of strong influences and large powers.
The red mist stayed put in the windless Bomi. The young girl could only feel the old devils, one after another, disappearing. No one responded when she called.
Her father continued, “The first item is neither an exotic mineral or produce. It’s a divinatory plate unique to the Wang family of River East…”
“A divinatory plate unique to the Wang family of River East?” Meng Qi was slightly surprised. “What use would a divinatory plate be in a dangerous place like Bomi? With red mist obscuring the fates, divination wouldn’t be accurate!”
“This is a custom order. Y’all wouldn’t snatch it, would you?” The red mist swirled in the air, carrying with it a coarse voice that sounded like a man completely devoid of hydration, like that of a devil’s voice.
A sinister voice sneered. “Merciless, you old devil, what use do I have for a divinatory plate? Don’t delude yourself into thinking that no one knows what you’re scheming.”
The other Exterior masters remained reserved and said not one word, not wanting to provoke any unnecessary trouble. If they kept arguing all the time, their enemies would have found them long ago.
“The ‘Merciless’ old devil is likely the famed Merciless Tyrant of the yesteryears…”Meng Qi gave a small nod, feeling no desire for the divinatory plate.
“Humph! What can I scheme about besides investigating the origin of the strange phenomena in Bomi? Who here can say that they’ve not attempted this?” Merciless Old Devil retorted with a sneer.
These evil crooks hiding in Bomi were often idle beside gathering the exotic minerals and produces unique to this place and diligently cultivating. On the other hand, the origin of the strange phenomena in Bomi seemed to harbor a great chance and adventure. Who among them would not be tempted?
Without anyone fighting over the item, Merciless Tyrant traded a piece of soul-gathering wood and a piece of underworld lingzhi for the divinatory plate.
Each of the precious minerals and produce came up for sale one after another. They included the more commonly seen Divine Sun Stone as well as the incredibly rare Thousands of Voids. Though Meng Qi coveted them, he remained quiet as he already had items that could substitute for cultivation.
“Seniors, this precious item is the Stone of the Vengeful Souls.” The girl’s father took out a piece of stone that had a translucent green shade. Unending sounds of mournful wailing came out of the stone as if it was keeping evil ghosts in captive. The stone kept changing its shape.
Red mist stirred in several spots. Unexpectedly, there were quite a few old devils interested in the item.
Even though Bomi was a nefarious underworld with Nether Spirits patrolling, with objects originating from this place having a fiendish nature; it was a deserted place as the previous occupants were all turned into Nether Spirits that appeared and disappeared unpredictably. With each of the Exterior masters who tried to take advantage of them eventually ended up ‘joining’ their ranks. Thus, there were not many vengeful spirits or monsters present for those who practiced similar kungfu techniques.
“I’ll trade it for one Nether Pearly Grass!”
“I’ll tack on a 300-year-old Red Soul Ginseng on top of one Nether Pearly Grass!”
“Old Seven Luminaries Devil, you want to fight me for it? I’ll add a Ghost-faced Jade to the deal!”
…
Meng Qi’s heart stirred when he heard the words ‘Ghost-faced Jade’ came up in the bidding war. It was a treasure that he could use, one that could help him perfect one of his five changes: the Change of Nether Spirit!
The girl stared at the rolling red mist and listened to voices drifting amid the oppressive breaths. They brought to life all sorts of visions – the breaking out of specters, the shrill wailing of ghosts, the illumination of bloody-red starlight. She could not help lamenting deep inside how fearsome these old devils were.
Just then, she heard a calm, ordinary voice saying, “I have a Netherworld Iron to exchange for the Ghost-faced Jade.”
She subconsciously turned towards the direction of voice but saw only the stirring of red mist in the air, where the shadow of a person was barely discernible.
The voice belonged to the last of the Exterior old devils…
The scene instantly froze as all the Exterior masters fell into silence. Even though the girl’s father was upset that Meng Qi interrupted and stopped his price for the Stone of the Vengeful Souls to be raised even higher, he fumed in silence without daring to speak out.
The old devil with the Ghost-faced Jade muttered to himself before resolutely saying, “The Netherworld Iron is pretty inferior compared to the Stone of the Vengeful Souls. But it’s good enough to be used. I’ll trade for it!”
He tossed out a piece of dark green precious stone, with a clear human face’s twisted expression imprinted on it. The girl felt goosebumps all over after catching a glimpse of it.
Meng Qi took out the Netherworld Iron, a palm-sized piece of dark metal. Dewdrops filled the tiny holes covering the surface of the metal. This was enveloped by a layer of sinister air. Each hole was dark and deep, with the wailing of ghosts coming from within.
Suddenly, a translucent little green demon appeared in the middle of the field. He carried the Netherworld Iron and dashed toward the old man who had taken out the Ghost-faced Jade.
The old man did not approach Meng Qi and remained separated from him by a layer of damp red mist. He retrieved what he needed without revealing himself, which made him seem superior to the Exterior master who needed the help of the caravan for the exchange.
“G… Ghost…” The girl appeared terrified yet excited at seeing a ghost for the first time.
Right at this moment, Meng Qi felt many eyes boring holes into him from behind the red mist. They were watching, observing, waiting, and guessing what method would he use to take the Ghost-faced Jade. This would allow them to assess his strength so they could take the appropriate action after the exchange.
Meng Qi triggered the Grand Sun in his Aperture acupoints and secretly drew nearer to the breath of the Flowing Fire in the item. He took on the disguise of the Dharma Form of the Grand Sun and saw his momentum rising. The sun burned so wildly that it shocked the many old devils at once. However, they were all experienced folks and many doubts were raised followed by their initial shock. They would never judge him fully based on this experience alone.
He opened his hand and the Grand Sun fell into his palm. The Chaotic Hole rose and the Grand Sun in his palm became dim and gloomy as if it was heading into a deep, dark hole leading to a different world!
The girl, excited to see what tricks the old devil would pull, saw the red mist shrink. The Ghost-faced Jade on the ground was moving as if being pulled away by an invisible rope into the mist. The entire process could only be described as astonishing. It was impossible to tell his method.
“To lift that thing as if it weighs nothing and to do it without any fire or steam, he’s definitely one of the most terrifying old devils here…” The girl’s father, who had witnessed and experienced much, took a sharp intake of breath.
The eyes that had been staring at Meng Qi from behind the red mist disappeared as if they thought that they could not see through him.
The frontier trade gradually drew to a close. The girl heaved a sigh of relief. Though her trip this time brought her face-to-face many of her childhood nightmares. She managed to fulfill her wish by meeting nearly two dozens old devils. She had been frightened the entire time, however, and would rather the experience come to an end and leave Bomi as soon as possible.
She shuddered suddenly as she felt a biting cold wind sweep through her. It was exactly the same sensation as when she ran into the Nether Soldier before!
Were the Nether Soldiers patrolling again? While she was still guessing, she noticed the turbulence in the red mist. The mist divided in half and lost their static-like tranquility. The breaths of the old devils around her disappeared. Everything had unfolded in a strange and terrifying manner.
A tall figure, wearing a helmet that exposed only his scarlet and dead eyes, stepped out from the red mist.
The figure’s body was enveloped in red mist and his feet seemed to be bound with chains that jangled with a crisp sound when he moved. He walked straight ahead without squinting. Everywhere that he passed, the rocks decayed and collapsed.
He was heading straight for Meng Qi’s direction!
“Is this the chief of the Nether Soldiers?”
“But he’s walking in the wrong direction, isn’t he…”
Several junior Exterior masters in the caravan were unable to help themselves from engaging in wild discussions.
Meng Qi subconsciously avoided Nether Soldiers all these while but he noticed the soldier’s eyes staring into his as he was just about to move away. If he exposed any weakness right now, he would definitely be struck by Thunderclap!
“This isn’t your regular Nether Soldier…” He furrowed his brows and narrowed his eyes.
Not one came out of the more than the dozen old devils around him. None of them lent him a helping hand.
Just then, everyone saw a burning red light illuminating the place. It was like brilliant rays of the Grand Sun surging to every corner in waves.
The sword light refracted and reflected inside the red mist, ultimately penetrating through the mist like that of genuine sunshine. The light harbored endless changes that others could not even begin to grasp. They had no idea how to block it and where to block!
The pupils of the old devils contracted in shock. The old devils realized that they could not grasp the mystery of the sword and must resort to blocking it with pure force. The light was like the midday sunshine; without any cover to be had, there was no hiding from it!
The Grand Sun rose high overhead, forcing the evil spirits to retreat!
The scorching heat melted the decayed rocks; the red sun swallowed the strange Nether Soldiers.
The Nether Soldiers wailed, unable to escape the boundless sunlight. The sword light, one after another, pierced through them and they gradually melted underneath the burning red light.
“So this is the strength of the Exterior realm…” The girl was in shock and disbelief. It was as if there truly was a colossal sun before her eyes. The sword light was really sunshine!
Her uncle and family elders had all been Exterior masters but no one would be so free to display their full strength for her to observe!
No one tried to probe Meng Qi again after that short interlude and the frontier trade ended soon after.
Just as the old devils were preparing to leave, the sound of the mysterious Exterior newcomer suddenly blasted, drifting to everyone’s ears.
“Gatekeeper!”
The old devils paused in their tracks momentarily before leaving on their own. When the caravans were far away from the boulders, a man enveloped in bloody-red starlight stepped out of the red mist.
“Is the Gatekeeper looking for me? What for?” The man’s voice was dull but did not appear to be old.
“Seven Luminaries Devil, my friend, the Gatekeeper sent me to ask you something. Have you met Devil-slaying Sword recently?” Meng Qi stepped up, carrying his sword.
Seven Luminaries Devil stared at the stranger, the newcomer Exterior master, and laughed heartily. “I was wondering who it was to be so ignorant of the rules. So it’s the Exterior master that Huamei Heights sent here to sort out its internal affairs. You’re truly young!”
Master Lu had concentrated his thoughts and efforts on one skill, but that did not mean that he had not obtained the other Divine Skill scripts. Rather, it only indicated that he did not practice them himself, but accumulated them for Huamei Heights. Seven Luminaries Devil thus did not find Meng Qi’s Dharma Form and sword art to be strange.
“I naturally wouldn’t conceal anything that I know since I’ve received benefits from the Gatekeeper. The last time I came across Yang Zhenchan was the seven days ago in the fifth gorge to the east, the capital of Bomi in the past…” Seven Luminaries Devil muttered quietly at this point. “I saw Yang Zhenchan meeting Merciless Tyrant. I was afraid that he wanted to join their organization.”
“Organization?” Meng Qi asked in confusion.
Seven Luminaries Devil chuckled darkly. “They can conceal it from others but they can’t hide it from me.”
“There are so many great assassins among the countless Exterior masters hiding in Bomi. All the powerful ones among them would desire to gather them, into a secret force. Even if they’re no match for the strength of mainstream martial arts or top aristocratic families, they wouldn’t be much weaker than Hahler.”
If not for Exterior masters the likes of Crying Elder holding down the fort, it was impossible for Hahler to reign superior to Bomi.
The news, contrary to expectations, brought Meng Qi relief. What he feared was Yang Zhenchan running solo, making him rely only on his patience and luck!
Once he confirmed the news again, he pretended to ask inadvertently, “What’s the identity of the Gatekeeper? What is he gatekeeping?”
“That I’ve no idea of. When I first started hiding in Bomi, the Gatekeeper had already been staying in the cave for god knows how many years. There were once Peerless Master Pros who probed the cave to search for the gate that the Gatekeeper was gatekeeping, but they never came out of the cave again.” Seven Luminaries Devil tried to joke around, saying, “Perhaps there were too many passages that spread across the entire Bomi and they got lost.”
“What a difficult joke to understand…” Meng Qi secretly mocked. He then turned around to ask, “Who amongst you all was responsible for the strange Nether Spirit earlier? It came straight for me without turning east or west, yet none of you were surprised.”
“Naturally, you’ll be probed considering your ignorance of the rules of Bomi. It would be either Merciless Tyrant or Slayer Yaksh sending the Nether Spirit out earlier. They seemed to have garnered an even deeper understanding of the patrolling Nether Spirits after joining that organization.” Seven Luminaries Devil’s voice regained its dull tone. “That’s the extent of my knowledge.”
Seven Luminaries Devil did not want to stay in front of outsiders for too long as he, after all, had many enemies hunting him. He turned around and disappeared all too soon amid the red mist.
Meng Qi first identified the item he had traded for before leaping into the canyon and heading east.
