Chapter 3994: Meng Bin Emerges

A colossal fist struck the black shield with a muffled thud. The shield was driven back into the black-robed old man, sending him flying backward. He crashed to the ground, vomited a large mouthful of blood, and his face turned ashen.

The colossal fist knocked away two purple flying daggers before smashing into the purple light barrier. The barrier shattered like a bubble, and the giant fist then struck the purple-dressed young woman. Her pupils constricted, and her entire body exploded into a bloody mist; even her Nascent Soul failed to escape.

Witnessing this scene, the black-robed old man was aghast.

He opened his mouth and spat out a black-glowing banner, its surface covered with numerous grotesque ghost faces.

He chanted a spell, and a ferocious ghostly shadow flew from the banner and merged into his body. His physique withered, his hands transformed into spectral claws, blood-red thorns sprouted from his back, and his eyes became crimson.

A celestial melody rang out, and a blue sound wave swept forth, instantly reaching the black-robed old man.

He let out a sharp, piercing wail, spat out a gray sound wave, and transformed his ghostly claws into fists to meet the incoming attack.

The gray sound wave collided with the blue sound wave, shattering instantly.

The blue sound wave swept through the black-robed old man's body. He let out an agonizing shriek, blood gushed from his seven orifices, and he collapsed.

Countless slender golden rays flew out from the void, piercing the black-robed old man's corpse and dragging out a miniature Nascent Soul.

Wang Changsheng emerged from the void and seized the miniature Nascent Soul. A black glow emanated from his palm, a soul secret technique.

Had he not intended to search its soul, he would have directly employed his soul laws. Without mid-grade Chaos Armor or a soul-defense artifact, the black-robed old man could not have withstood even a single strike.

The miniature Nascent Soul shrieked in extreme agony before disintegrating into specks of spiritual light.

He had indeed tampered with the Golden Soul Stone. The black-robed old man had accumulated a significant number of blood debts. Wang Changsheng explained that the black-robed old man frequently murdered others for their treasures. He would tamper with materials to track his targets, then seize an opportune moment to strike.

Wang Ruyan and Wang Chan emerged from the void and retrieved the storage bracelets from the corpse.

Wang Changsheng incinerated the corpse, then departed the area with Wang Ruyan.

Upon returning to Haoyang City, Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan went back to Haoyang Hall.

Before the underground auction commenced, they had left Yunlang City. They deliberately encountered Cao Xingdian and exchanged greetings, then met Cao Yuzhen in Nine Immortal City before changing their appearances and teleporting back to Yunlang City.

This elaborate maneuver provided them with an alibi. Presenting the pure crystal core of a Golden Immortal-stage Chaos Beast this time had indeed carried considerable risk.

Two Golden Immortal cultivators had actually tracked them. If Wang Changsheng hadn't been cautious, their true identities might have been revealed.

Wang Changsheng flipped his right hand, and a black jade box appeared. He opened it to reveal several black insect eggs, emitting faint soul power fluctuations.

These were Jade Soul Worm eggs, ranked 499th on the Immortal Insect List. Known for their stealth, they are nearly undetectable even when attached to another being's Sea of Soul.

The black-robed old man possessed a mid-grade immortal artifact, the Jade Soul Plate, into which the essence of a Golden Immortal-stage Jade Soul Mother Worm had been refined. Within a certain range, it could detect the presence of other Jade Soul Worms.

The two Golden Immortal cultivators carried substantial wealth, including five mid-grade immortal artifacts (one defensive and four offensive), over 100,000 immortal essence stones, and hundreds of Chaos Beast crystal cores. Among these, three were Golden Immortal-stage five-colored Chaos Beast crystal cores, while the remainder were True Immortal-stage ones.

Additionally, there were numerous refining materials and two Nine Marvelous Profound Origin Pills, which the black-robed old man had acquired through murder and plunder.

Wang Changsheng took out a blue communication disk, cast a spell into it, and Wang Mengbin's voice resonated: "Ancestor, I heard you've returned."

"Mengbin has come out of seclusion. Come to Haoyang Hall; I have something to tell you," Wang Changsheng said.

"Yes, Ancestor," Wang Mengbin replied.

Soon after, Wang Mengbin arrived at Haoyang Hall, having already reached the perfected True Immortal stage.

"Wife, you and Mengbin should return to the Tianchen Sea Region. Take the mid-grade Chaos Armor, Green Profound Pearl, Ink Cloud Shield, and Nine Yang Lightning Transformation Talisman back with you. With these items, Qing Shan should have no problem breaking through to the Golden Immortal stage and enduring the lightning tribulation," Wang Changsheng said, then took out a golden storage bracelet and handed it to Wang Ruyan.

The two defensive mid-grade immortal artifacts, the Nine Yang Lightning Transformation Talisman, and the mid-grade Chaos Armor were simply too valuable. Wang Changsheng was uneasy about letting Wang Mengbin escort them alone, especially since they had just been attacked by Golden Immortal-stage evil cultivators.

Wang Ruyan nodded in agreement.

Having acquired two Nine Marvelous Profound Origin Pills this time, Wang Mengbin could also use them to attempt breaking through to the Golden Immortal stage.

Wang Ruyan and Wang Mengbin departed Haoyang City. Wang Changsheng then entered a secret chamber, retrieved his refining materials, and began forging artifacts.

He had acquired numerous Primordial Stones, which would allow him to continue forging mid-grade Chaos Armor, as well as a mid-grade Immortal Extinguishing Cannon.

Wang Changsheng tossed the Chaos Beast hide into the Green Lotus Creation Cauldron, sealed the lid, and then spewed a snow-blue flame from his mouth onto the cauldron's base.

In Yunlang City, many cultivators were seen entering and exiting a colossal, golden-glowing tower.

A large silver signboard at the entrance read "Sky Dome Tower," indicating it was a shop operated by the Sky Dome Merchant Alliance.

On the ninth floor, two young women in golden dresses, with identical features, sat on jade chairs while a tall young man in a green shirt reported to them.

"We haven't been able to trace the whereabouts of those two individuals. All we know is that they are Golden Immortal cultivators. Shortly after the auction concluded, several Golden Immortal cultivators left Yunlang City and have not returned," the green-shirted young man stated.

"That person actually produced so many pure crystal cores. Even Cao Yuanxing isn't that generous!" a slightly plump young woman in a golden dress remarked with a frown. This was Jin Yujiao, a Mid-Golden Immortal stage elder of the Sky Dome Merchant Alliance.

"They purchased defensive mid-grade immortal artifacts and the Nine Yang Lightning Transformation Talisman, which suggests they aren't from a major power. Core Golden Immortals from significant factions wouldn't be short of such items. They were seeking to trade for seven-colored crystal cores, presumably to open their seventh aperture. They are certainly not early-Golden Immortal stage; they are very likely late-Golden Immortal stage," the other young woman in a golden dress analyzed. This was Jin Yusi, also a Mid-Golden Immortal stage elder of the Sky Dome Merchant Alliance.

They themselves needed pure crystal cores from six-colored Chaos Beasts to open their sixth aperture. The Sky Dome Merchant Alliance possessed several aperture-opening secret techniques, two of which specifically required pure crystal cores from six-colored Chaos Beasts to open the sixth aperture.

"That's not necessarily true," Jin Yujiao countered. "More advanced aperture-opening secret techniques unlock more apertures, demand more sophisticated auxiliary materials, and boast a higher success rate. Lower-level techniques open fewer apertures and require less advanced materials, but their success rate is also lower." Jin Yujiao, thinking of something, instructed, "Pay close attention. The next time you encounter a cultivator who produces pure crystal cores, contact them. You can offer cultivation resources in exchange."

"Yes, Elder Jin," the green-shirted young man replied, then withdrew.

"Could they have been obtained from the Qiankun Ruins? Even high-grade immortal artifacts can be found there," Jin Yujiao speculated.

"I don't know. Where the pure crystal cores came from isn't important; what matters is who receives them. I hope we can establish a connection with this person!" Jin Yusi said.

Jin Yujiao nodded, saying nothing further.