Chapter 1803: White Fruit

Although the official opening was still several months away, Mount Jiuxian had already gathered countless cultivators and demon cultivators from the Three Realms and the Seven Demon Lands.

While they could not yet enter Mount Jiuxian itself, more than a dozen spontaneous markets of various sizes had already formed near the mountain range.

Numerous mid- and high-level cultivators frequented these markets, and rare materials and spiritual medicines frequently appeared, leading to exceptionally lively initial transactions.

The usual clear division between humans and demons, common elsewhere, was absent in these markets.

Even though the number of demons entering these markets was still much smaller than that of humans, nearly every demon brave enough to appear was a high-level beast capable of transforming most of its body into human form.

Therefore, in terms of true strength, the demons in these markets were no less formidable than the humans, and both races were able to coexist peacefully, with no single race easily bullying the other.

Of course, this was generally the case.

These markets were not the official venue for the Myriad Treasures Convention, and being only temporary locations, they naturally lacked strict order.

Even though Mount Jiuxian would dispatch some guards to patrol these markets, they could only maintain a superficial sense of stability.

Exploitation of the weak, forced sales, and similar incidents naturally occurred frequently in hidden corners.

One day, such a situation was unfolding in a desolate mountain located quite a distance from Mount Jiuxian.

A thin, middle-aged cultivator and a girl no older than eleven or twelve were being surrounded from three sides by three menacing figures in black.

The middle-aged cultivator was only at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, and the girl appeared to be at the third or fourth level of the Qi Condensation stage. The three individuals surrounding them, however, all possessed late-Foundation Establishment cultivation and displayed ferocious expressions.

"Bai Huaji, hand over the Millennium Blood Ginseng you're carrying. If you're sensible, we three brothers will not only let you and your daughter go but also give you some spirit stones. Otherwise, don't blame me, Shi, for being merciless," the seemingly eldest of the three black-clad men said grimly.

"Shi Kun, I misjudged you and was tricked into coming here, so I'll consider myself unlucky. But if you want the Blood Ginseng, you must first let my daughter leave. Otherwise, I would rather destroy it than hand it over to you," the gaunt middle-aged man said, his face haggard but not overly panicked. With one hand, he suddenly produced an ornate box from his sleeve, while his other hand glowed faintly as it pressed down on the box, a hint of anger in his voice.

Seeing this, the three black-clad men's expressions subtly changed.

"No, no one leaves until you hand over the Blood Ginseng," another brawny man in black refused without hesitation.

"Hmph, how do I know you three won't turn on my daughter and me after getting the Blood Ginseng? Don't talk to me about oaths or curses. I won't believe a word of your promises," the middle-aged cultivator said coldly, his expression unyielding.

"Then you can forget about it..."

"Alright, I agree!"

The black-clad cultivator who had refused was about to utter more threats, but he was interrupted by the grim-faced Shi Kun, who abruptly agreed.

"Brother Shi, you..."

"What, are you refusing to listen to me?" Shi Kun swept his gaze over the other two, his eyes exceptionally cold.

"No, how could we dare? We'll follow Brother Shi's words and let the little girl leave!" The other two black-clad cultivators exchanged glances, apparently quite wary of Shi Kun, and reluctantly agreed.

The middle-aged cultivator's face lit up with joy at this development.

"You've heard what we three said; the little girl can leave. But if you go back on your word or try any tricks afterward, you should know what your fate will be!" Shi Kun threatened the middle-aged cultivator with a sinister tone.

"Rest assured. I am only concerned about my daughter's safety. As long as she is safe, a single Blood Ginseng is nothing," the middle-aged cultivator said, his expression relaxing slightly.

"No, Father, Guoer doesn't want to leave alone!" The girl, fair and delicate like a fairy child in a painting, cried out, shaking her head repeatedly while clutching the middle-aged cultivator's robe.

"Silly girl. Only if you leave can you go to the market and find your grandmother. That's how you can come back and save your father..." The middle-aged cultivator's expression changed, and his lips moved slightly as he quickly transmitted a few words to the girl.

The girl paused, then nodded vigorously.

"Alright, hurry up and go! If you don't leave now, I might change my mind," Shi Kun said menacingly, seemingly growing impatient.

The girl froze at his words. Though young, she immediately understood the gravity of the situation.

After casting one last reluctant glance at the middle-aged cultivator, she made a small gesture, and a white talisman suddenly appeared in her hand. She pressed it against herself, and a layer of white light immediately enveloped her body as she drifted to the side, intending to flee into the distance.

The middle-aged cultivator, meanwhile, clutched the ornate box tightly in both hands, watching his beloved daughter's movements without blinking.

Seeing that the three black-clad cultivators remained motionless, and the girl, Guoer, truly swept past Shi Kun, he couldn't help but breathe a long sigh of relief.

But just then, a sudden change occurred!

As soon as the girl had flown two or three zhang away from Shi Kun, a fierce glint flashed in his eyes, and he abruptly swung his arm, which transformed into a black shadow reaching back to snatch her.

"Ah!"

The girl gasped, offering no resistance as the black shadow seized her.

With a pull, the girl's figure shot back and landed in Shi Kun's hand.

A dark, shiny hand clamped tightly around the girl's delicate neck.

"Shi Kun, what are you doing?! Aren't you afraid I'll destroy the Blood Ginseng right now?!" The middle-aged cultivator was naturally shocked and enraged by this sight. His hands glowed as he forcefully pressed down on the box, simultaneously roaring in a stern voice.

"Destroy it? Aren't you afraid I'll snap this little girl's neck?! Enough nonsense, throw the box over now! I'll count to three, and if you don't act, I will! One, two..." Shi Kun completely disregarded the middle-aged cultivator's threats. Instead, he tightened his grip, turning the girl's face crimson, and began to coldly count down, giving the cultivator no chance to react.

The other two black-clad cultivators, seeing this, grinned with delight. They realized their companion had no intention of letting the girl go from the start; he merely intended to use a trick to seize a hostage and turn the tables.

Even though the middle-aged cultivator possessed some quick wit, he trembled with rage at this sight, his mind a chaotic mess.

As soon as Shi Kun uttered the count of three, the cultivator almost instinctively hurled the ornate box away in a panic.

One of the black-clad cultivators stepped forward with a sneer and grabbed it with one hand.

With a whoosh, the ornate box was instantly drawn into his hand.

"Check it, see if it's really the Blood Ginseng!" Shi Kun commanded without hesitation.

"Yes, Brother Shi!" The cultivator holding the ornate box replied, then with a flick of his wrist, the box immediately opened.

Inside, a wave of crimson light emanated from a foot-long ginseng, shimmering with a blood-red glow, lying still in the box.

"Brother Shi, it's true, it really is the Blood Ginseng!" the black-clad cultivator replied to Shi Kun, his eyes wide with delight.

Upon hearing this, Shi Kun and the other black-clad cultivator also revealed expressions of wild joy.

"Alright, you have the Blood Ginseng now. You should let my daughter go," the middle-aged cultivator asked coldly, his face exceptionally pale as he gritted his teeth.

"Hmph, let you go? So you can go find your 'Fairy Yuehua' to trouble us?!" Shi Kun scoffed upon hearing this, a malicious sneer spreading across his face.

"You know about my mother-in-law, and you still dare to act so maliciously?" The middle-aged cultivator's heart sank even further upon hearing this.

"Haha, did you think we'd act without first finding out your background? While we three aren't eager to provoke a Core Formation cultivator, you're the one carrying the Blood Ginseng. With this Blood Ginseng, our own Core Formation will be just around the corner, so why should we fear some Fairy Yuehua? Besides, with you and your daughter dead here without a trace, who would know this was done by us three brothers? Enough, I'm tired of your nonsense, attack!" After a few maniacal laughs, Shi Kun roared, and with a flash of dark light from the hand gripping the girl, he made the first move.

The middle-aged cultivator's eyes widened in horror. With a low roar, he abruptly shook his sleeve, and a small yellow sword appeared in his hand, which he was about to flick and send flying directly at Shi Kun.

But clearly, this action would be too late to save the girl.

Shi Kun's lips twisted into a sneer, and with a forceful squeeze of his fingers, he was about to snap the girl's neck.

But at this critical moment, an incredible scene unfolded.

Shi Kun suddenly felt an unusual fluctuation nearby, followed by the delicate neck he was supposed to be gripping turning abnormally cold. At the same time, an unbearable sharp pain shot through his fingertips.

He couldn't help but let out a scream, then, startled, he quickly twisted his head to look at his hand.

What he saw in his hand was no longer the girl named Bai Guoer, but a dark iron puppet. This puppet was not crude; its entire body was covered in inch-long blue spines.

His hand, which had been gripping the puppet's neck, was now pierced by the sharp spines, bleeding profusely.

The cultivator named Shi Kun was quite formidable; with a flick of his wrist, he violently flung the iron puppet to the nearby ground, roaring furiously:

"Who ambushed me? Get out here now!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he abruptly flipped his hand, and a stack of black magical flags appeared in his grasp.

The middle-aged cultivator, meanwhile, looked utterly bewildered.

At this moment, the other two black-clad cultivators also came to a sudden realization. One revealed a pair of silver short halberds, while the other summoned a strange black shield covered in barbs. Simultaneously, they released their spiritual sense, sweeping it across their surroundings.

"Young Master, I can't stand to watch this anymore. It seems a fight is inevitable," a cold voice suddenly emerged from behind a large tree nearby.

Shi Kun and the other two changed expressions upon hearing this, looking towards the tree with extreme vigilance.

"Hmph, you don't need to tell me. I, Young Master Hai, can't stand to see such things either. Robbery is one thing, but to even lay hands on women and children – I'll beat those three until their faces are blooming! Still, it doesn't seem like the two of us can necessarily defeat those three guys," another exasperated male voice also sounded from behind the tree.

"Haha, what's there to be afraid of? Isn't Brother Han with us too? Three against three – even if we can't defeat them, there's absolutely no danger!" The first voice suddenly shifted from cold to playful laughter.