Chapter 947: A Hot Commodity, Xu Xiaoshou

On the boundary-level teleportation array in East Heaven King City, a brilliant light suddenly flared.

Figures began to appear on the intricate, previously empty grand array. They displayed various expressions, most of them radiating excitement.

Among these individuals were cargo carriages from major trade guilds, traveling between realms in the Eastern Domain; wealthy individuals from various regions on sightseeing trips to East Heaven King City; and even extravagant Spirit Refiners who had heard rumors and sought to witness the grandeur of the Sky City.

The boundary-level teleportation array was surrounded by the City Lord's Mansion Guard. Those inside were registered one by one before being allowed to pass.

Leaning against the railing outside were playful and curious children from the King City, idle young wastrels, and Spirit Refiners who, though usually in a hurry, had stopped, captivated by the teleportation array that only glowed once every few days.

“They’re really rich, to be able to afford a boundary-level teleportation array… Our King City’s array is one of the most luxurious teleportation arrays below the domain level. I heard one use can completely deplete a common person’s life savings.”

Someone leaned on the railing, their face filled with envy.

“Pfft, your savings probably wouldn’t even cover a single use of the boundary-level teleportation array! I heard it costs millions of spirit coins for a single use, and if you’re transporting goods, you also have to pay a high percentage based on the goods’ value, to calculate and pay.”

“Only merchant caravans from continent-level trade guilds can afford that, otherwise, you’d have to be an incredibly wealthy individual, rich enough to rule a region, like those few exquisitely dressed people inside... Tsk tsk, those outfits are clearly not simple.”

Another person shook their head, gazing at the wealthy individuals emerging from the array, deeply lamenting the immense disparity between people.

“No, look, there are a few ordinary-looking people inside, dressed much like us…”

A sharp-eyed observer noticed several “ordinary people” lagging behind the merchant caravan and the wealthy individuals’ carriages. Immediately, they felt a pang of envy, wondering how people dressed like that could afford such a large-scale teleportation array.

“Shhh!” Another person nearby quickly gestured for silence: “From my experience, those are powerful Spirit Refiners, at least at the Throne Realm or above. They could be Dao Slayers or even Grand Void experts!”

At this, many people outside the railing had their attention drawn and looked in that direction.

In comparison, while merchant caravans and wealthy entourages might draw crowds in the mortal world, in East Heaven King City, one of the central cities of the Spirit Refining world, they were hardly worth a second glance.

Spirit Refiners held a noble status, and currently, East Heaven King City was the focal point of a storm within the Spirit Refining world.

Therefore, those emerging from the boundary-level teleportation array this time were likely Spirit Refining magnates, Throne Realm or above, drawn by the Sky City. How could such figures be simple?

Trailing behind the merchant caravan, and dressed less ostentatiously, was a team of five.

Leading them was a middle-aged man with a calm, unremarkable face.

Beside him walked a woman with a remarkably alluring figure, bare feet, and scant clothing that revealed a generous glimpse of her form. With each step, she swayed her hips, as if she could captivate one’s very soul. Unfortunately, she wore a conical hat with a dark veil hanging around it, obscuring her face and hiding much of her allure.

Even so, many people outside the railing unashamedly began to swallow their saliva.

Behind this man and woman were a limping old man with a face full of vicissitudes, a hunched old woman, and a cute little boy with a round head and big eyes.

“A family of five? They look, yet they don’t quite look like one…”

Someone voiced their curiosity.

Because this group of five shared no physical resemblance whatsoever. If one were to draw any connection, all five had a slightly cold demeanor and were enveloped by a rather somber aura, forming a stark contrast to the lively and energetic members of the nearby merchant caravan.

“We’ve reached East Heaven King City!”

The leading middle-aged man in the group of five looked up at the sky, his gaze slightly lowered by the imposing ancient city floating above. Then, he spoke indifferently: “If none of you object, I will direct this operation.”

“Naturally. Since God Daai has so valiantly volunteered, if you’re leading the way, we can all properly relax.” The woman with the conical hat and black veil chuckled charmingly, lifting her veil as she stepped forward and complained: “But why can all of you show yourselves openly, while I have to wear this thing? It’s so hot…”

She tugged at her already loose neckline, fanned herself with her hand, and pouted, her face full of dissatisfaction.

Outside the railing, immediate sounds of gulping saliva echoed, and some people stretched their bodies forward, clinging to the rails.

At this moment, the guards should have stopped their improper actions, but not a single one moved, for even their eyes had been drawn away.

“Cough, cough…” The limping old man coughed heavily a few times, speaking as if on his last legs: “Miss Goldenfoot’s charm, even I, an old man, can barely suppress my urges. If you don’t behave more properly, this place might turn into chaos.”

He pointedly looked at the lust-ridden people around them.

Among the surrounding crowd, there were clearly Spirit Refiners, but at that moment, they seemed to lose control, frantic to charge into the grand array.

Goldenfoot turned, lifted her conical hat’s black veil to reveal half of her enchanting face, and chuckled, covering her mouth: “Elder Xie, are you talking about illicit desires?”

The limping old man coughed heavily again, his weak body bending low. He said no more, his attention seemingly elsewhere.

The hunched old woman withdrew her gaze from Elder Xie, who was bent like a cooked shrimp, and struck her staff heavily on the ground.

With a resonant hum, the strange abnormality affecting everyone around them was dispelled.

The little boy with the round head and big eyes had not joined the conversation from beginning to end, only staring intently at the majestic ancient city in the sky, muttering to himself: “It’s so big, the Void Island… I really want to go up and play…”

Behind the five, a few scattered Spirit Refiners quietly observed the movements of those ahead.

At the very end of this scattered group of Spirit Refiners was a one-armed old man carrying a large peach wood box, cautiously twitching his ears.

“God Daai, Goldenfoot, Elder Xie?”

Listening, Xiu Yuanke’s brow furrowed. He quickly recalled that these were the three codenames for the 'Three Incense Sticks' Gold-Tier Hunting Order. This meant the three individuals in front were all Grand Void experts – or at least assassins capable of hunting Grand Void targets!

“Then, the easily recognizable figures following them must be ‘Ghost Crone’ and ‘Little Endurance,’ right?… Hiss, what kind of combination is this? All five Gold-Tier Hunting Orders of the Three Incense Sticks gathering in East Heaven King City, so blatantly and without disguise? Is it because of the Sky City? Hmm, possibly. East Heaven King City is in chaos due to the Sky City now, with Dao Slayers appearing frequently and Grand Void experts passing by occasionally. As long as people don’t scrutinize them carefully, they’re indeed hard to recognize. And once they leave, they’ll be like fish in the ocean, even harder to find. After all, who can be sure that the true faces of the Three Incense Sticks’ Gold-Tier assassins are indeed their real faces? This is a big deal; I need to inform Senior Brother…”

A myriad of thoughts flashed through Xiu Yuanke’s mind. Unfortunately, he saw God Daai, at the very front, turn his head and sweep his gaze in Xiu Yuanke’s direction, as if sensing something.

He quickly shrank his head fearfully, like an ordinary person casually observing the assassin group, then forced a friendly smile and nodded in greeting.

God Daai’s gaze merely swept past before retracting; he didn't perceive any abnormality.

His assassin’s instinct had made him alert to what seemed like an unusual crisis, but when he turned his head to look, he didn’t find any major issues… This could only mean the problem was even bigger!

“I can’t even tell who’s peeking at me…” God Daai’s eyes narrowed. He lowered his voice and spoke to the others beside him: “Something’s up. Less talk, let’s get out of here first!”

The others beside him froze simultaneously. Their expressions remained unchanged, but they each became alert.

Elder Xie didn’t turn his head, but a sweep of his spiritual sense took in the situation of everyone around him. He deliberately didn’t use telepathy, only lowering his voice to say: “The others are fine, but that old man lingering at the very back… one-armed, carrying a large wooden box, and a small axe at his waist. If there’s really an issue, it can only be this person.”

Xiu Yuanke’s liver trembled. What kind of ridiculously keen intuition was that?

“Why?” Goldenfoot cast a bewildered glance, finding it hard to understand.

Elder Xie sighed: “Where are we? This is the Eastern Domain, Sword God Heaven! And where are we right now? A boundary-level teleportation array! Can there be ordinary people in a place like this? In the Central Domain, he might just be a common wealthy person, but in the Eastern Domain, he’s most likely an ancient sword cultivator!”

Xiu Yuanke’s face paled slightly. He raised his sleeve to wipe sweat from his forehead, simultaneously concealing his facial expression.

Hearing this, the boy, Little Endurance, couldn’t help but look back: “Elder Xie, aren’t you being overly cautious? The Eastern Domain is called Sword God Heaven, but not everyone is a Sword God.”

Elder Xie shook his head: “You young people, always thinking of the best-case scenario. One day, that will bring disaster. This old man believes he’s an ancient sword cultivator, and as for the sword, it’s in that wooden box.”

“How can you tell? He has no sword intent!” Little Endurance noticed the one-armed old man’s unusual behavior behind them and looked amused.

“Hidden Sword Arts, what’s so strange about that… It’s perfectly normal for a few powerful ancient sword cultivators to be drawn to the Sky City by Ba Zun’an and even use the same teleportation as us, isn’t it?” Elder Xie shrugged, further confirming his suspicions.

Xiu Yuanke felt a chill run down his spine, a coldness surging from his feet straight to the top of his head.

This was sinister! Too bizarre!

Senior Brother, I need to find Senior Brother!

Could these assassins have set their sights on me?

Goldenfoot glanced back at the terrified, poorly-composed one-armed old man, and giggled: “I think you’ve scared him. Our target is Xu Xiaoshou, not him.”

Xu Xiaoshou?

Xiu Yuanke suddenly wanted to look back intensely, but thankfully he suppressed the urge.

These assassins are looking for the Holy Slave Xu Xiaoshou? What for? To take his head? Yes, that’s probably the only goal assassins would have. But why are they saying it out loud? No, wait, I don't even know Xu Xiaoshou. Why am I so nervous… Xiu Yuanke felt his feet turn to lead, unable to lift them.

God Daai, leading the five-person team, now understood Elder Xie’s strategy. He slowed his steps and, with a tone of reproach, echoed: “Elder Xie, why reveal our target? Now everyone knows, don’t they?”

Elder Xie let out a snicker, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth: “That sword cultivator doesn’t know if he knows Xu Xiaoshou, but among the Holy Slaves, there’s Xu Xiaoshou and also Ba Zun’an. If he was drawn here by Ba Zun’an, he might actually know Xu Xiaoshou. If he reports it to someone, we can follow the lead, take that Xu fellow’s head, and claim the bounty.”

Xiu Yuanke suddenly felt his breathing grow heavy, immediately feeling the urge to open his large wooden box, take out his peach wood sword, and slaughter these five assassins.

At this point, God Daai again spoke with a look of reproach: “Elder Xie, if you had such a deep intention, you should have told us privately. Why announce it to others? Now he might be preparing to kill us to silence us.”

Xiu Yuanke’s movements instantly froze.

Elder Xie gave a strange laugh and glanced backward.

“Does he dare? Since this old man dared to speak so openly, I’m provoking him to act. If he makes a move, I’ll feign death. How could the Holy Divine Palace let go of someone who dares to kill at the entrance of a boundary-level teleportation array? He’ll become a wanted criminal… then his head will be worth something, and we can act accordingly.”

Xiu Yuanke’s scalp tingled upon hearing this.

These are lunatics! So, after all that, it was just about money?

He silently suppressed his urge to act. Once he calmed down, he felt as if he had been toyed with.

No, something’s wrong. How could these people so easily read my thoughts? Do they have mind-reading abilities?… Xiu Yuanke felt like an open book in front of these assassins. At that moment, he yearned intensely to return to Senior Brother’s side.

The places outside Crescent Moon Immortal City were simply too dangerous after all, utterly unsuitable for an innocent and kind ancient sword cultivator like himself!

Pulling out the paper crane hidden in his pocket, Xiu Yuanke was about to start searching for his Senior Brother’s location when the assassins’ conversation replayed in his mind.

“If I try to find Senior Brother, they might follow the trail and target both of us, leading to Senior Brother’s identity being exposed. What then?”

Amidst this hesitation, beads of sweat streamed down Xiu Yuanke’s forehead, unconsciously soaking his sleeve cuffs.

Ahead, the five Gold-Tier Hunting Order assassins, playing off each other, passed the identity registration phase with unexpected ease, merging into the flow of people in East Heaven King City.

Their spiritual senses were fixed on Xiu Yuanke, who also remained frozen amidst the bustling crowd behind them. They all knew he wasn't simple, but none of them understood his true identity.

But that guy was truly naive! He was genuinely terrified, holding the paper crane that should allow communication, yet simply didn’t dare to contact anyone…

“I’m dying of laughter.”

Little Endurance couldn't help but clutch his stomach, shaking his head as he said, “Are all Eastern Domain sword cultivators this clueless?”

Elder Xie’s expression shifted from mockery to seriousness, and he calmly stated, “It’s fine to laugh, but if it comes down to a fight, these seemingly most clueless individuals are actually the most terrifying. Back when I assassinated Ba Zun’an…”

“Pfft!” Goldenfoot, who was elegantly sipping water from a waterskin, suddenly couldn’t hold back her laughter and spat out a mouthful of water. “Oh, Elder Xie, please don’t bring up those embarrassing stories, alright?”

“Heh heh.” Elder Xie shrugged, completely unconcerned, and said proudly, “Don’t listen if you don’t want to, but this old man did survive the Eighth Sword Immortal’s blade, after all.”

God Daai shook his head slightly, looking north.

“Time to move. Don’t forget our target this time is Xu Xiaoshou. Other minor issues can be handled if convenient, but remember, don’t create unnecessary trouble.”

The four behind him nodded in agreement.

Goldenfoot wiped the water from her lips with a handkerchief and asked indifferently, “So, where would Xu Xiaoshou be?”

“Let’s go to the Yunlun Mountains first!” God Daai said.

The eye of the storm was in the Yunlun Mountains. Regardless, since they had already come to East Heaven King City, a trip to the Yunlun Mountains was inevitable. The Holy Slave Xu Xiaoshou was very likely there too. They could find his exact location once they arrived.

The five assassins were about to fly towards the eye of the storm.

Just then, the Gold-Tier Hunting Orders they each carried chimed simultaneously.

The five exchanged glances, then took out their Gold-Tier Hunting Orders. A message appeared on them:

“'Call-to-Action Order' concluded. New bounty order issued: Black Gold Bounty, open to all.”

Black Gold Bounty?

God Daai looked at the other four in turn, their faces showing some surprise.

The Black Gold Bounty was the highest-level bounty, corresponding to the black-gold Call-to-Action Order. How many years had it been since they last saw one?

They quickly scrolled down, and soon, the specific bounty information appeared.

“Black Gold Bounty Order:Target One: Ancestor Wuji, true name Xuan Wuji, Heavenly Divination术士, Ghost Beast. Current Ghost Beast host identity unknown. Limited by host's cultivation, estimated Grand Void combat power. Clues provided may be rewarded.Target Two: Holy Slave Storyteller, Dao Slayer Realm, survived all nine lightning tribulations. Estimated Grand Void combat power. Clues provided may be rewarded.Target Three: Holy Slave Xu Xiaoshou, Grandmaster Realm, Dao Slayer combat power. Current location: ‘Yunlun Mountains, Lone Sound Cliff.’ Further clues or head may be rewarded.”

The glaring words “Xu Xiaoshou” entered their sight, and all five assassins were dumbfounded simultaneously.

“A Black Gold Bounty, also for Xu Xiaoshou? What on earth did he do?” Goldenfoot’s face was blank, but she quickly reacted, speaking urgently: “Yunlun Mountains, Lone Sound Cliff! The top two targets have no clues yet, but with Xu Xiaoshou, our chances are great!”

“Indeed very great…” God Daai was equally excited, gazing into the distance. He thought more deeply. “But if even a Black Gold Bounty has been placed on Xu Xiaoshou, then our opponents won’t just be the assassins of the Eastern Domain anymore!”

“Anyone can bring this Grandmaster’s head to ‘Three Incense Sticks’ for the reward, regardless of whether they killed him themselves!”

As God Daai spoke, he looked at the four in front of him, his eyes now showing vigilance.

“This venture, we are in danger…”