Chapter 2663: The Deceptive Chen Chu

"Fellow Daoist Sun, Fellow Daoist Li, this person is an accomplice of the evil cultivators. Although he changed his appearance, he still exposed himself. It seems he's become aware. Please help me keep an eye on him. If he leaves the market, notify me immediately. You are skilled in tracking arts, so this shouldn't be a problem for you, right?"

Wang Chuanming's expression was grim.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, your family has many God Transformation cultivators in Qinggang Market. Why do you need our help?" the burly man in red asked, puzzled.

"If I eliminate this person myself, the credit will be entirely mine. If I notify other family members, the credit will be significantly divided. Once this is done, each of you will receive a low-grade Heaven-reaching Spirit Treasure and two bottles of pills to enhance your spiritual power." Wang Chuanming's tone was full of temptation.

The burly man in red and the old man in blue robes exchanged a look, their faces showing hesitation.

"If you're unwilling to help, then so be it. But if the Mu family comes looking for you, I won't be able to protect you." Wang Chuanming's expression turned cold.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, you misunderstand. We agree to this. If not for you, we would have been killed by the Mu family. For that reason alone, we are willing to help." The old man in blue robes quickly explained.

They had offended the Mu family, which had three Void Refinement cultivators. The Mu family sent several God Transformation cultivators to apprehend them, and they would have died if Wang Chuanming hadn't intervened.

Wang Chuanming's expression softened. He said, "Rest assured, I always keep my word. This person lives in a small courtyard next to the Azure Moon Pavilion." He described Chen Chu's appearance, gave a few more instructions, and then turned and left.

"Is Fellow Daoist Wang reliable? I can't shake the feeling that something's off," the burly man in red said with a frown.

"We have no other choice now. If we refuse him, it'll be difficult even to leave the market. Let's just take it one step at a time. After all, we have our own feet, so what is there to fear?" The old man in blue robes sneered. If they could leave the market, they wouldn't fear Wang Chuanming.

In a secluded small courtyard with blue tiles, Chen Chu sat in a stone pavilion, holding the paste-like object in his hand.

"This shouldn't be Five-Colored Divine Clay; otherwise, he wouldn't have offered such a high price. Unfortunately, it's a semi-finished product, so its true origin is unclear. My hope for Void Refinement lies with you." Chen Chu frowned. If it were raw material, he could have consulted more ancient texts and eventually identified it, but a semi-finished product was difficult to discern, as he had no idea how many ingredients had been added. Before this, he had shown it to several appraisers, all of whom gave different opinions. The high price offered by Wang Chuanming suggested either he had made a mistake, or the item was extremely rare. Chen Chu leaned towards the latter, trusting the judgment of the Wang family's disciples.

His current priority was to leave safely, then find a reliable major power to exchange this item for cultivation resources. He was currently in the mid-God Transformation stage, still far from the Void Refinement stage, so there was no immediate rush to make the exchange.

"Ke'er, I will surely avenge you," Chen Chu muttered to himself. This item had been obtained at the cost of his Dao Companion's life, and he hoped to use it to acquire elixirs that would aid his breakthrough to the Void Refinement stage.

He took out a pale golden jade pendant from his chest. The pendant was carved with a miniature dolphin pattern and exuded astonishing spiritual energy. It was the Golden Dolphin Pendant, a low-grade Heaven-reaching Spirit Treasure capable of altering one's appearance and aura. With this treasure, Chen Chu had repeatedly evaded ill-intentioned merchants, but this time, the difficulty was significantly greater.

He injected spiritual power into the Golden Dolphin Pendant, and a dazzling golden light flared, engulfing Chen Chu's figure. When the golden light dissipated, a corpulent young man with a round face and large eyes appeared, only at the Nascent Soul stage.

Chen Chu changed into a different set of clothes, stood up, and walked out. The street was brightly lit, and people flowed like a tide. He circled the market a few times but found no trackers. For the next half-month, Chen Chu continuously changed his residence, appearance, and aura, yet still found no trackers.

Early one morning, just as dawn broke, people flowed like water through the streets. It was the day of the auction, and many high-level cultivators were queuing up to enter the venue and bid on items. Chen Chu was among them.

After more than half an hour, the auction began. Chen Chu stood in a corner, his gaze directed at the two stone rooms on either side. These rooms contained random teleportation arrays, which could transport someone to any random location within the market. His eyes swept to the front row, where he saw Wang Chuanming.

Wang Chuanyun leaped onto the high platform and announced loudly, "I am Wang Chuanyun, in charge of this auction. The highest bidder wins. Let the bidding begin!" He took out ten golden porcelain bottles and declared loudly, "Ten bottles of Water Moon Pills, capable of enhancing spiritual power. The starting bid is one million spirit stones, with each subsequent bid not less than one hundred thousand."

"One million!""One point one million!""One point two million!"

Chen Chu bid on and acquired one bottle of Water Moon Pills, which would save him a considerable period of arduous cultivation.

Over an hour later, Chen Chu paid a high price for a gleaming golden shield. After settling the spirit stones, he quickly entered a stone room and teleported away from the venue in front of all the cultivators. According to the rules, one could only teleport again after a quarter of an hour, and during that interval, no other cultivators were allowed to leave the auction venue. This protected the bidders' safety and was also a method for Chen Chu to shake off his pursuers.

Qinggang Hall had multiple teleportation arrays inside, allowing travel to other markets. A short, stout old man in a golden robe arrived at the entrance of Qinggang Hall. He looked around cautiously, found nothing unusual, and then entered. Inside the hall were seven teleportation arrays. Perhaps because of the auction happening today, the hall was somewhat deserted.

After paying the spirit stones, the old man in the golden robe stepped onto a teleportation array. A guard cast a spell, and a dazzling spiritual light flared, engulfing the old man's figure. He felt his vision blur and found himself in a spacious, brightly lit hall containing five teleportation arrays. The old man in the golden robe moved to one side and waited quietly, as if expecting someone. A quarter of an hour passed, and no cultivators teleported over.

The old man in the golden robe breathed a sigh of relief, stepped onto a teleportation array, and departed. Not long after he left, a tall, thin old man in a green robe teleported over. The old man in the green robe stepped onto the same teleportation array that the previous old man had used and also departed.

Xuezhugu was a small market where God Transformation cultivators rarely appeared; most active cultivators there were at the Nascent Soul stage. A short, stout old man in a red robe strolled down the street. It was Chen Chu. He continuously switched between teleportation arrays, constantly changing his appearance, clothes, and aura, refusing to believe he couldn't shake off his pursuers. He circled the market, rented a small courtyard, and settled in. He planned to seclude himself for a period of cultivation and reassess the situation after emerging.

Half a quarter of an hour later, a tall young man in a golden robe passed by the courtyard entrance. It was Wang Chuanming. Chen Chu was indeed cautious. If Wang Chuanming hadn't enlisted the help of two God Transformation rogue cultivators skilled in tracking, he truly would have lost him. He rented a small courtyard nearby and settled in as well. When it came to patience, he had never feared anyone. There was no turning back once the bow was drawn. Since he had decided to do it, he would see it through to the end.