Chapter 1442: The Assembly Begins
Chapter 1442: The Assembly Begins
Activating the Pill Cauldron Token on Pearl Island, Qin Sang was soon granted an audience with Sage Yinquan.
Sage Yinquan looked him over. Something about Qin Sang was different from four months ago, though he could not put his finger on why he felt that way. It would never have occurred to him that Qin Sang had achieved spiritual consciousness manifestation from a single Hidden Fragrance Pill.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, they turned to business.
"There are indeed rumors that the Chaotic Devil Elder is trying to buy something. They say it's all connected to the devilish path, but we haven't gotten anything definite." Sage Yinquan held nothing back, and his tone was heavy.
The more urgently the old devil pressed, the greater the payoff if he succeeded. He might end up as the number one figure in the North Sea.
Hearing this, Qin Sang felt more certain than ever that his thinking about the mysterious ice box was sound. He had already offended the Chaotic Devil Elder, and it would not be wise to make an enemy of Mystic Heaven Palace as well. For the Chaotic Devil Elder and the palace master alike, the storm belt was no insurmountable barrier.
And he was not a man without ties.
A thought flashed through his mind, and he chose his words with care. "I intend to attend the Myriad Devil Assembly, if only to broaden my horizons. I still have three ancient formulas on hand..."
Sage Yinquan's eyes lit up at the hint that Qin Sang was willing to sell his pill formulas, and he said with delight, "A wise decision, Daoist. Only our Pill Cauldron Mountain has any interest in ancient formulas of that kind, and only we can afford, and are willing, to name a price that will satisfy you!"
These alchemy sects really were wealthy!
Qin Sang sighed inwardly, then asked, "I take it that you'll be attending as well, Sage? It is a gathering of devilish monsters, after all, and I feel a little uneasy. What contingencies has Pill Cauldron Mountain arranged for you, should anything go wrong?"
"That..." Sage Yinquan frowned.
Before he could speak, Qin Sang continued, "I'll be frank with you, Sage. I have a few enemies, and I'm concerned about running into them at the assembly. I'd like to borrow Pill Cauldron Mountain's strength, purely as a precaution. Afterward, even if nothing happens, I'll hand over the ancient formulas. If trouble does find me, we can discuss further compensation. I trust Pill Cauldron Mountain wouldn't throw in its lot with those devilish monsters."
Qin Sang had strength and backing enough of his own, and he would be laying his own contingencies. Pill Cauldron Mountain was a last resort, insurance against a rainy day he would most likely never see.
Sage Yinquan understood what he was after. After a long pause, he smiled. "Only to help you get away? Then I hardly know whether to hope you run into danger or hope you don't."
For his part, befriending a middle-stage Spiritual Infant cultivator who seemed to be carrying any number of ancient formulas was worth it even without payment.
Qin Sang nodded and laughed. "So long as you aren't afraid of provoking devilish monsters on my account."
"Would they really dare come knocking at Pill Cauldron Mountain?" Sage Yinquan chuckled, then added thoughtfully, "Though what you say is a useful reminder. I'll make the arrangements!"
After that, Qin Sang exchanged everything in the Thousand-Jin Ring he had no use for into spirit stones, meaning to hand them to Tan Hao so he could take part in the auctions held in the days beforehand.
A month later, Qin Sang left Pearl Island, and the Thousand-Jin Ring held a new Pill Cauldron Token, its engravings considerably more intricate than the last.
***
Chaotic Devil Island.
Thanks to the Chaotic Devil Elder's reputation, it was arguably the most renowned island in the Boundless Sea, and it was vast.
Other Spiritual Infant cultivators sealed off the islands housing their cave dwellings with grand arrays and barred outsiders as a matter of course.
The Chaotic Devil Elder had claimed only a stretch of celestial peaks in the north, shrouding them in a sea of clouds as his dojo, and left the rest open to immortal cultivators and mortals alike. The island held many cities, all of them thriving.
No one knew where the Chaotic Devil Elder's lineage came from. He had never founded a sect either, and his disciples were few, which made him something close to a rogue cultivator.
The Myriad Devil Assembly was held in the island's largest city, which had been renamed Myriad Devil City back when the assembly was first convened there.
The city was an uproar of voices, its streets thronged with figures pressing shoulder to shoulder. Immortal cultivators were no rarity here. One ran into Golden Core cultivators now and then, and even the occasional Spiritual Infant grandmaster.
Plenty of low-level cultivators had come to join the excitement, or to broaden their horizons in the company of their elders. Fortunately the city was large enough to hold them all.
Armored guards steeped in malevolent qi patrolled every street, murderous intent thick in their eyes, chilling as killing machines. Not even the most unruly cultivator dared cause trouble here.
When friction arose, it went no further than a few sharp words, and the moment the guards' gaze turned their way, both parties broke it off by tacit agreement.
The assembly had not yet begun, but private trade fairs were already convening in corners all over the city.
Just then a burly figure walked in through the gates. It was Tan Hao.
He had not fully concealed his aura, and those ahead of him, sensing a Golden Core Realm presence, changed color and instinctively opened a path. Tan Hao felt the fearful stares around him and remained placid, taking no satisfaction in them.
When he thought of the junior brother who had joined Kuiyin Sect alongside him, now a middle-stage Spiritual Infant expert bold enough to snatch food from a great cultivator's jaws, no one could have felt smug.
Tan Hao pressed a hand to the Mustard Seed Pouch at his waist. It was packed with spirit stones.
Calling up a map of Myriad Devil City in his mind, he set off, turned down several streets, and came to an imposing wooden tower, striding briskly inside.
The Myriad Devil Assembly would begin in three days. The most important auctions would be held here, sorted by the value and category of the treasures on offer.
Soon Tan Hao emerged and threaded his way through the city again, drawing on past experience to make contact with trade fairs large and small and to seek out what he and Qin Sang needed.
The three days passed quickly.
The mood in Myriad Devil City grew livelier by the hour as countless cultivators gathered. Powerful figures one rarely glimpsed in ordinary times appeared again and again, and even the ferocious guards felt the pressure and did not dare relax for a moment.
The first auction was about to begin.
Tan Hao returned to the wooden tower in a hooded cloak and tilted his head back for a look. The assembly had not even started and he had already acquired several of the spiritual objects Qin Sang had named. With a little luck, gathering the rest should not be difficult.
He stepped inside without concealing his cultivation. A pretty young girl came forward at once, respectful in manner, asked a few quiet questions, and led him up the stairs.
Strangely, the light dimmed sharply the moment he set foot on them. The staircase seemed to have no end. Tan Hao followed the attendant patiently for who knew how far before the light returned and he stepped into a great hall.
At its center stood a raised platform. A good many people were already there. Tan Hao found a seat and waited quietly for the auction to begin.
***
Meanwhile, elsewhere in Myriad Devil City, in a room known to no one, several figures in white sat with their auras concealed. Two occupied the seats of honor.
One of them spoke in a hoarse voice, "The grand elder still isn't back?"
The man beside him nodded. "The report was too equivocal to be believed. But the grand elder insisted on going. By the time he verifies it and makes his way back from Demon Realm, he'll likely miss even the final trade fair."