Chapter 697: Slay the Moon Demon Lair?

Instantly, an intensely rich medicinal fragrance permeated the air. Though merely the scent of spiritual medicine, it was so potent and overbearing it was as if a profound practitioner had unleashed their full profound energy. The vast seventh floor of the Black Moon Merchant Guild seemed to be completely enveloped by this aura in mere moments.

This aroma alone was enough for Zi Ji to identify the pills, yet after a prolonged moment of astonishment, he still picked one up in disbelief, his hand trembling. He picked up another, his hand trembling again, then a third, a fourth...

There were a total of thirty-three dark-red pills, all identical to the first one Yun Che had produced! What's more, every single pill possessed the absolute highest purity, a perfect ten-tenths!

With such efficacy, a pill of this caliber, and at ten-tenths purity! His earlier casual remark, "a single pill of this caliber would be enough to shock the world," was absolutely no exaggeration. Yet, Yun Che had simply tossed out more than thirty, his actions and expression so nonchalant it was as if he were scattering a handful of jelly beans!

Zi Ji was utterly dumbfounded, his heart surging with an unprecedented storm of emotions.

Regarding the knowledge and authentication of pills, it could be said that no one on the entire Profound Sky Continent could rival Zi Ji. Yet, staring at the thirty-three dark-red pills before him, he felt as though he were in a dream. After a long while, he suddenly thought of someone and exclaimed in surprise, "Could it be that these precious pills were all refined by your esteemed master?"

Yun Che glanced at him and nodded without hesitation, "Of course."

"So... that's it..." Zi Ji finally felt a slight sense of relief, his face filled with deep reverence and awe. "This old man was truly astonished just now... No wonder, it turns out they were refined by your esteemed master. Only a supreme expert as transcendent as your master could possess such world-shaking ability."

Rumors were merely rumors, but by personally witnessing and touching these thirty-plus precious pills, he had directly experienced the terrifying extent of Yun Che's "master's" power.

"Oh, right," Yun Che said casually, "the materials I entrusted your Black Moon Merchant Guild to collect earlier are all for my master to use for refining medicine. Yes, this kind... I plan to have my master refine three thousand of them for me."

"Th-th-three thousand!?" The old man, who had maintained his elegant composure for centuries, actually bit his tongue hard.

"Mm," Yun Che nodded calmly, speaking unhurriedly, "This junior is now the Palace Master of the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace, and naturally, I must be responsible for all its members. Although the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace is untouchable in the Azure Wind Empire, it is still too weak within the broader Profound Sky Continent. Not only have we been bullied right to our doorstep, but the Grand Palace Mistress and the former Palace Mistress also successively suffered ill fates. Therefore, this junior must employ some extraordinary means to enhance the strength of all Ice Cloud disciples, to prevent them from being bullied by certain despicable individuals.

"However, because their profound energy levels are still too low to withstand higher-tier medicinal power, my master said that for now, he can only refine these 'low-grade' pills for them to increase their strength. He also mentioned I could eat them for fun when I'm bored, or use them to exchange for profound coins or purple profound crystals... Oh, I didn't expect them to fetch as much as two catties of Purple Vein Divine Crystals, tsk tsk!"

Zi Ji was left speechless.

"Three thousand"... "low-grade pills"... "eating them for fun"... Zi Ji's understanding, accumulated over a millennium, was utterly shattered in an instant. Every nerve in his body began to twitch uncontrollably.

He had just meticulously examined the medicinal power of the Tyrant Emperor Pills and knew with absolute certainty that if three thousand — no, even three hundred — of these pills were to enter the Four Great Sacred Grounds, their entire landscape would undergo massive changes by the next generation! And if only one of the Sacred Grounds acquired them, the balance of power would be completely shattered; that Sacred Ground would utterly dominate the other three, becoming an untouchable, supreme existence!

And three thousand...

This terrifying number delivered an unparalleled shock to Zi Ji.

And according to Yun Che's description, as long as the materials were sufficient, his terrifying master could refine as many as desired! What's more, these "world-shaking" precious pills, as Yun Che called them, were merely "low-grade pills" in his master's hands!

Yun Che had been staring directly at Zi Ji, evidently quite pleased with his reaction. He smiled faintly and said, "However, Senior Zi, please rest assured. While these pills are incredibly ordinary to me, I'm not so naive as to misunderstand what they mean for other profound practitioners—especially powerful sects like the Four Great Sacred Grounds. Therefore, the vast majority of them will only be used by the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace. As for those to be exchanged for Purple Vein Divine Crystals..."

Yun Che slowly extended three fingers. "Only thirty pills! Not a single one more! Because even the most precious things become less interesting if there are too many of them."

Zi Ji silently observed Yun Che's extended fingers. After a long silence, he slowly exhaled and nodded, "Regarding the rumors about your esteemed master, though they originated from the Sun-Moon Divine Hall, this old man only believed them seven-tenths, reserving three-tenths of doubt... But now, I cannot doubt them at all. Your master's realm, I fear, has seized the fortune of heaven and earth and encroached upon the profound mysteries of the sun and moon; it is no longer something us mere mortals can comprehend. The Ice Cloud Immortal Palace in the Azure Wind Empire was originally just a small female sect, but with such incredible fortune and your master's assistance, I fear it won't be long before it becomes the fifth Sacred Ground."

"Senior Zi, you exaggerate," Yun Che said. "What my Ice Cloud Immortal Palace desires is merely enough power to protect ourselves, to not be coveted or bullied by others. We never thought of becoming a Sacred Ground. And the words 'Sacred Ground,' heh..." Yun Che scoffed with a sarcastic smile, "They aren't necessarily that sacred; they might even be quite dirty. It's best if my Ice Cloud Immortal Palace never gets involved with such a title."

"Alas..." Zi Ji sighed briefly for some unknown reason, then calmly stated, "This old man was just concerned that if a large number of these precious pills flowed into the Profound Sky Continent, it might cause earth-shattering upheaval and changes in the profound world. If there are *only*... thirty, then it's fine."

There was a clear pause in Zi Ji's voice because, for such precious pills, even one was enough to cause a tremor in a Sacred Ground; using the word "only" for thirty was entirely inappropriate.

"Alright." Yun Che immediately nodded, then with a wave of his arm, collected all thirty-three Tyrant Emperor Pills from the stone table back into the Sky Poison Pearl. "At an opportune time, I will return to Senior Zi to discuss the auction. As for those beyond these thirty... I ask Senior Zi to keep it confidential."

"Heh heh," Zi Ji smiled, "You are certainly not an indiscreet person, yet you spoke so frankly before this old man just now... This old man has lived for over a thousand years; naturally, I am not one to be unappreciative."

"The Black Moon Merchant Guild has stood for thousands of years on 'trust,' and Senior Zi is a core pillar of the Guild, so this junior can speak freely and without reservation before Senior Zi, with no worry of it being leaked to others. Oh, right, I haven't asked what the commission for the Black Moon's entrusted auction is yet?"

Just as Zi Ji was about to speak, he paused slightly, pondered for a moment, then smiled faintly and said, "The Black Moon Merchant Guild's auction commission is much higher than that of ordinary merchant guilds. However, if you can grant this old man one request, then I can decide to take no commission at all for the auction of these thirty precious pills."

"Oh? And what is this 'request' you speak of, Senior Zi?"

"It's very simple." Zi Ji's gaze was calm, yet held a subtle intensity. "Sell ten of these precious pills to my Black Moon Merchant Guild. The price will be as I previously assessed. For ten precious pills, this old man will immediately give you twenty catties of Purple Vein Divine Crystals!"

Twenty catties of Purple Vein Divine Crystals!

This was an astronomical sum that could make even a powerful profound practitioner gasp in disbelief. Even for the Four Great Sacred Grounds — the Absolute Monarch Sanctuary, the Supreme Ocean Palace, the Sun-Moon Divine Hall, and the Heaven's Might Sword Domain — accumulating twenty catties of Purple Vein Divine Crystals would take at least one to two centuries, or even two to three centuries.

One Tyrant Emperor Pill could be exchanged for two catties of Purple Vein Divine Crystals—this was Zi Ji's assessment, but at a formal auction, the price might be lower or higher than two catties. Given the extreme rarity of Purple Vein Divine Crystals, Yun Che felt the possibility of it being less than two catties was higher. For the Black Moon Merchant Guild to directly exchange twenty catties of Purple Vein Divine Crystals for ten pills would not only waive a considerable commission but also ensure the price was certainly not a loss. Furthermore, judging by Zi Ji's words, it seemed the twenty catties of Purple Vein Divine Crystals would be provided immediately.

A slight ripple stirred in Yun Che's heart, but his expression remained calm, and he did not immediately answer. After pondering for a moment, he nodded slightly, "Agreed. However, Senior Zi must also grant this junior one request."

"Oh?" Zi Ji looked up at him.

"It's very simple..." Yun Che mimicked Zi Ji's previous tone, "Just tell this junior... where the Underworld Purgatory Lotus appeared thirteen hundred years ago?"

"This..." Zi Ji was taken aback, then immediately shook his head. "It's not that this old man is unwilling; that place is no trivial matter. I truly cannot tell you."

"Oh, if that's the case, then this junior naturally won't make things difficult for Senior Zi." Yun Che showed no disappointment. "Then Senior Zi doesn't need to mention the commission waiver. Even if your esteemed guild requires a commission as high as twenty percent, this junior can afford it."

Zi Ji fell silent. He opened his mouth as if to persuade Yun Che, but seeing Yun Che's placid expression and eyes as deep as black holes, all the persuasive words he had quickly formulated were swallowed back, eventually turning into a long sigh. "The Underworld Purgatory Lotus is the embodiment of ultimate yin, evil, and malevolence; it is recorded as the most terrifying flower. Simply approaching it will cause yin energy to invade the body and damage the soul, leading to prolonged unconsciousness in mild cases, or turning one into a living corpse in severe cases. If one's profound energy is slightly lower, it can even result in immediate death. Furthermore, even with this old man's extensive knowledge, I have never heard of any practical use for this item. Why are you so insistent on finding this flower?"

"This junior has my own uses for it." After a brief pause, Yun Che added, "And it's an extremely important use... I must find one! Even if I have to pay a huge price!"

Zi Ji closed his eyes and remained silent for a long time.

The seventh floor of the Black Moon Merchant Guild immediately fell silent.

"He's using profound energy for a sound transmission," Jasmine suddenly remarked.

"Hm..." Yun Che responded softly, "Is he transmitting to that mysterious Black Moon Merchant Guild Master...? Oh! Profound energy sound transmission, not a sound transmission charm. So that means the Black Moon Guild Master... is nearby?"

The silence lasted for nearly a hundred breaths before Zi Ji slowly opened his eyes. Yun Che did not break the silence, simply watching him steadily.

"That is... a place far more terrifying than you can imagine," Zi Ji said slowly. "One can only enter once every five hundred years. Furthermore, even a powerful Emperor cannot stay inside for more than a quarter of an hour; otherwise, they will either die or be crippled!"

Zi Ji's words made Yun Che's face register surprise. "There's a place like that on the Profound Sky Continent?"

"...To be precise," Zi Ji said, "that place is not on the Profound Sky Continent."

Yun Che looked even more bewildered.

"Furthermore, since you are so intent on finding the Underworld Purgatory Lotus, you should know that it only blooms once every twenty-four years and then withers after three days. Even if you truly enter that place, the time you can stay will be incredibly brief... The possibility of there truly being an Underworld Purgatory Lotus there, and it happening to be in bloom, is so infinitesimally small it's virtually non-existent! After that, another five hundred years must pass before one can enter again. What's more, there's an incredibly terrifying existence lurking within... With your current strength, entering there would be no different from seeking death."

Zi Ji's words grew more alarming with each sentence, yet Yun Che could tell that not a single word was false or alarmist. Zi Ji looked at him with a dissuading gaze. "In that case, do you still insist on knowing about that place?"

Yun Che, however, replied without hesitation, "Please tell me, Senior Zi."

Although he had anticipated this outcome, Zi Ji still let out a helpless, bitter laugh. He tilted his head slightly and, with a distant tone, said, "That place is called the 'Moon Slaughter Devil's Nest'."

"Moon... Slaughter... Devil's... Nest..." Yun Che murmured softly. Searching through his own memories, and even those of Ye Ziyi and Feng Huwei, he had never heard or seen this name anywhere.