Chapter 948

The old man with the black crown lost his smile the moment the other vanished from the room, his face darkening.

By nightfall, the old man met two other Foundation Establishment cultivators in the same room; both handed over some materials, received their rewards, and left in high spirits.

In the following days, Han Li attended the grand auction at Jiuxiao Hall punctually every morning.

Since he had made a purchase on the first day, Han Li naturally held high hopes for the subsequent auctions.

Unfortunately, he gained nothing in the following days.

As the wealthy old man who exchanged for Chi Jing Zhi had said, aside from the dozen or so items listed daily as reserve lots, the rare materials Han Li sought rarely appeared at the auction. The final auction items were mostly finished magic treasures.

It seemed he had merely been lucky to acquire Mo Jin on the first day.

Yet during this time, Han Li was not idle outside the auction. Through various means, he gathered some information about the underground trading event.

According to the intelligence he gathered, the first several days of the underground trading event were much like the grand auction—except that most items offered were those favored by demonic cultivators, and exceptionally rare materials were still uncommon.

But on the final day, a special barter exchange was held exclusively for Nascent Soul cultivators; in past sessions, many rare materials had surfaced, and the few he still lacked could very likely be obtained there.

However, this exchange was not open to just anyone—it seemed only demonic cultivators or those recommended by affiliated individuals could join.

With this, Han Li relaxed slightly and set the matter aside for now, continuing to attend the Jiuxiao Hall auctions daily as usual.

Several days later, on the final day of the auction, Han Li unexpectedly spotted another material he needed; his spirits lifted, he spent over 100,000 spirit stones to acquire it.

Soon after, the official grand auction finally ended.

The cultivators surged out of the auction hall; Han Li blended into the crowd, landing on the ground, but did not leave the marketplace immediately—instead, he headed straight for Tianji Pavilion.

Han Li did not know that his action had coincidentally spared him from a near disaster.

For the several elders of the Yin Luo Sect who had vanished from the marketplace entrance days earlier suddenly reappeared there, and among them was a new figure: the Tianlan Holy Maiden, still veiled in gauze.

The woman now idly toyed with a small mirror shimmering with silver light, glancing occasionally at the cultivators entering and exiting the marketplace, her bright eyes shifting as her dark brows furrowed.

As time passed, the mirror’s silver glow intensified, yet the woman remained silent.

The faces of Ge Tianhao and the others nearby gradually darkened, their expressions grim.

“No trace of him. Several cultivators entering and leaving the marketplace used illusion techniques to conceal their true faces, but none were him. Could he truly have skipped the grand auction? If so, all our efforts these past days have been wasted.” After a long pause, Lin Yinping sighed and spoke hesitantly.

“Impossible. Among the high-level cultivators who came to Jinjing recently, who would miss this grand auction? Besides, you yourself saw him that day—he lingered before Baoguang Hall before leaving, clearly treating this auction with great importance.” Ge Tianhao spoke slowly.

Lin Yinping nodded slightly at this, yet the thoughtful expression on her jade-like face did not fade.

“Could it be that the Miaoyin Mirror isn’t as miraculous as rumored, or that the cultivation time has been too short, and you, Lady Lin, haven’t yet fully unlocked its power? Hence, you cannot detect his whereabouts.” The Yin Luo Sect elder with the triangular eyes suddenly spoke.

“That’s unlikely. The Miaoyin Mirror is one of the Seven Marvels of the Seven Marvelous True Person—a treasure long renowned in the cultivation world. As for cultivation, ancient treasures rarely require much refinement; this mirror is merely unusual, and without slight refinement, its ability to dispel illusions cannot be fully activated. The refinement these past days has been sufficient. Otherwise, those other cultivators who used secret techniques wouldn’t have had their true faces revealed by this treasure.” Lin Yinping shook her head, her cherry lips parting to explain.

“Then either his illusion technique surpasses the Miaoyin Mirror’s power and cannot be pierced, or he is still hiding somewhere within the marketplace, or he used another method to leave through a different route.” Ge Tianhao’s gaze flickered as he pondered aloud.

“The Miaoyin Mirror is famed throughout the land; while there are illusions it cannot break, they are exceedingly rare. What are the odds he possesses such a supreme technique? As for the second possibility, the Eight Extreme Light-Dividing Array surrounds the marketplace—a formation famed among Daoist sects. He couldn’t have slipped out silently. He’s almost certainly still inside the marketplace.” Lin Yinping concluded firmly.

“Then what do you suggest, Lady Lin?” The triangular-eyed elder hesitated.

“Continue guarding here. If he’s still in the marketplace, he must pass through this point. Also, send a few more alert disciples to search the marketplace thoroughly—see if you can find any trace of him.” Lin Yinping proposed.

“Hmm. Your suggestion makes sense. We’ll stay until nightfall. If he’s truly still in the marketplace, he should appear within this time.” Ge Tianhao considered briefly, found no flaw, and agreed immediately.

He then released several transmission talismans; soon, several low-level Yin Luo Sect cultivators arrived. After giving them instructions, they bowed respectfully and departed, heading deeper into the marketplace.

While these cultivators, having failed to find Han Li, grew increasingly doubtful and unsettled, Han Li had already met the Elder Wang again inside Tianji Pavilion—his true face restored.

Elder Wang was aware of Han Li’s meeting with the wealthy old man at Tianji Pavilion. He was unsurprised, and instead warmly escorted Han Li into the VIP chamber, personally accompanying him.

After chatting briefly, Han Li and Elder Wang naturally exchanged cultivation insights and experiences, both gaining something from the exchange.

Just as they were deeply engrossed in their discussion, the wealthy old man arrived as agreed. Seeing the scene, he joined the conversation without ceremony.

Their exchange lasted nearly half a day, until dusk approached, when the three exchanged knowing smiles and ended the mutually beneficial conversation.

The wealthy old man and Han Li did not linger at Tianji Pavilion; they immediately took their leave and departed.

As soon as they stepped out of the pavilion, Han Li’s face blurred, instantly transforming into the unfamiliar visage of a yellow-faced cultivator. The wealthy old man paused in surprise, then understood and paid no further heed.

Yet Han Li himself was now puzzled. The wealthy old man did not head toward the marketplace exit—he led him straight toward another small building nearby, bearing the sign “Shu Ling Zhai.”

“Brother Fu, what is this?” As they neared the building, Han Li could not help but ask.

“This Zhai is a private shop. Its owner is a longtime friend of mine. He recently installed a temporary teleportation array here, whose destination is near the underground trading venue. I’ve already arranged it—we can teleport directly there.” The wealthy old man spoke with confidence.

“Teleportation array? If I recall correctly, the marketplace strictly forbids installing such arrays.” Han Li, far from being reassured, looked even more astonished.

“Heh! Don’t worry, my friend here has considerable influence. Due to special circumstances, he applied in advance to the marketplace’s behind-the-scenes power and received temporary permission. This array will only last a few months, and very few know of it.” The wealthy old man dismissed the concern.

“I see!” Han Li finally understood.

The owner of Shu Ling Zhai was a plain-looking, clean-shaven old man whose speech and demeanor were refined, evoking a sense of gentle spring breeze. To Han Li’s astonishment, he was also a well-known array master—prompting Han Li to immediately desire to befriend him.

Unfortunately, eager to attend the underground trading event, Han Li had no time for further conversation. He teleported out of the marketplace via a small array installed in the pavilion’s secret chamber.

The next moment, the two appeared in a small, hidden cave. After stepping out and flying into the air, Han Li realized they had arrived directly on an unnamed hill near the southern edge of Jinjing City—the massive city walls were faintly visible in the distance.

As Han Li had already left the marketplace, Ge Tianhao, still guarding the entrance, glanced at the sky, paused in thought, then suddenly said to Lin Yinping beside him:

“Lady Lin, the underground trading event is about to begin. Several items appearing today are crucial to my future cultivation. I cannot miss them. The hour is late, and he still hasn’t appeared. None of our disciples have found any trace of him in the marketplace. It seems our earlier assumptions were mistaken. He’s as cunning as a fox—he’s probably already left. Why not accompany me to the trading event? He might appear there too. Even if he doesn’t, we’ll surely gain something from it.”

“It seems continuing to wait here is pointless. Very well, I’ll go with you. Perhaps we’ll find something useful there after all.” Lin Yinping bit her crimson lips, glanced toward the depths of the marketplace, and reluctantly agreed.

After further discussion with the others, the one man and one woman who had been following Ge Tianhao remained behind to guard the marketplace. One elder joined Ge Tianhao and Lin Yinping to attend the underground event; the triangular-eyed elder and another claimed they had urgent matters and departed immediately.

In an instant, the gathered group of Yin Luo Sect Nascent Soul elders, without ever confronting Han Li, disbanded and went their separate ways.

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