Chapter 473: Wuxing Mountain

Qin Ming returned to the Spirit Ruins Marketplace.

His mind processed the information he had just obtained from Hua Tianxiong.

"So the Gan elder from Li Huo Palace had no good intentions either—he merely used Hua Tianxiong as a front, making him a puppet while the real biggest beneficiary was Gan Elder himself."

"All the valuable items and most of the profits ended up in Gan Elder's pockets."

Qin Ming felt a slight regret—he had just been thinking of making Hua Tianxiong hand over the most valuable items in Qianji Trading House.

But even the better ones had already been seized by Gan Elder; Hua Tianxiong was merely getting scraps.

Still, now that he controlled Hua Tianxiong—a figure of major influence in the Wanda Trading Alliance—he would find future affairs much easier to manage.

"The methods of control in the Yuan Sha Zhong Mo Zhen Jing are truly ruthless."

Qin Ming merely sank his mind slightly, and he sensed the black talisman.

Through this black talisman, every action Hua Tianxiong took at that very moment appeared clearly in Qin Ming's vision.

He could even sense the other's thoughts.

This feeling of complete control was truly unimaginable.

Hua Tianxiong had also returned to Qianji Trading House and was now sitting alone in his room, drinking gloomy wine.

At that moment.

A sudden voice echoed in his mind.

"Maintain your usual demeanor—if you slip up, don't blame me."

Hua Tianxiong immediately panicked, set down his cup, and hurriedly replied: "I humbly obey my master's command!"

He sighed inwardly in despair.

To the world's eyes, Hua Tianxiong appeared to live a life of boundless glory, blessed by the great patronage of Li Huo Palace's Gan Elder, envied for his good fortune.

But who could know the bitterness within? Now he had gone from being Gan Elder's puppet to becoming Lu Shopkeeper's puppet—his life no longer his own to command.

Hua Tianxiong's heart was filled with profound misery.

"Sigh! After all this, how did I end up as a double agent?"

…

Three months passed in the blink of an eye.

Qin Ming stepped out of the courtyard and entered the Jing Xue Pavilion shop, where he spoke with Jia Heyi.

"Old Jia, I'm going out to handle some matters. While I'm away, I rely on you to manage the shop."

Jia Heyi paused in surprise, then quickly replied:

"Master Lu, rest assured—I'll take good care of the business."

Qin Ming left the Spirit Ruins Marketplace and flew toward Wuxing Mountain.

At the same time, Qianji Trading House, under Hua Tianxiong's leadership, also set out for the Wufu Trading Fair on Wuxing Mountain.

Wuxing Mountain lay in the Southern Region, not far from the Spirit Ruins Marketplace.

Less than half a day later.

A vast, winding mountain range came into Qin Ming's view—five peaks, each radiating a different type of spiritual energy, pierced the clouds, standing tall within the boundless expanse.

At the central main peak, palaces and pavilions clustered thickly, wreathed in mist, with celestial cranes and flying birds soaring overhead, and colorful transportation auras darting through the sky like a fairyland.

"This is the Wuxing Mountain Marketplace."

"Behind Wuxing Mountain lies the legendary fourth-rank spiritual vein."

Qin Ming gazed in awe, lost in thought.

Then he descended toward the Wanda Trading Alliance's trading grounds.

Since this fair was hosted by the Wanda Trading Alliance, influential factions across the Great Jin Immortal Realm—both orthodox and demonic—had all been invited.

Even the two bitter rivals, Shen Dao Mountain from the Southern Frontier and Li Huo Palace, had sent representatives.

Before arriving, Qin Ming had already had Hua Tianxiong procure him an invitation.

After verifying his identity, he entered the marketplace directly.

Standing within the majestic Wuxing Mountain Marketplace, Qin Ming marveled.

"The Wanda Trading Alliance truly has grandeur." "The scale of the Wuxing Mountain Marketplace surpasses any major immortal city in the Four Southern Kingdoms."

Qin Ming moved through the marketplace's streets until he reached his destination—the Wufu Auction House.

The Wufu Auction House occupied a vast area, capable of accommodating tens of thousands of cultivators, with facilities fully equipped.

At this moment, many distant cultivators were in the main hall, discussing consignment auctions with Wufu's attendants.

…

"Du Xue, how come you still haven't secured a single consignment slip?"

"The auction begins in three days—these next two days are a rare opportunity; you must seize it!"

In a corner of the venue, a gray-robed elder of the Wufu Auction House admonished a dignified and beautiful female cultivator.

"I understand, Elder Zhuang," Du Xue replied quickly.

But inwardly, she felt bitter—those cultivators with valuable items had already been assigned to others; as a newcomer with no connections or resources, she had spent half a day greeting clients, yet all their items were ordinary.

They were utterly unworthy of such a large-scale fair.

At that moment.

Her wandering gaze fell upon a new arrival at the hall's entrance—a Foundation Establishment cultivator standing there, gazing curiously inside.

Perhaps because his attire was too plain, none of the attendants approached him.

She gathered herself, forced a professional smile, and walked over.

"Greetings, fellow cultivator! Do you have items to consign for auction?"

Qin Ming, while observing the hall, saw the dignified and beautiful female cultivator approach and inquire.

He smiled faintly and nodded: "Indeed."

"But the items I wish to auction are numerous and should not be displayed publicly—might we speak somewhere more private?"

Du Xue froze—what kind of items couldn't be shown?

Still, she replied: "Fellow cultivator, rest assured—our auction house guarantees absolute confidentiality for our clients."

"Please follow me."

Soon after,

Qin Ming followed Du Xue into a private room.

"What items do you wish to consign for auction?"

Then, before her stunned gaze, Qin Ming took out a pile of demonic cultivator items and placed them on the table.

Since his current identity was Lu Shopkeeper, it no longer mattered.

"Third-rank low-grade Yin Sha Elixir."

"Third-rank high-grade demonic artifact: Black Flame Sha Feather Fan."

"Top-grade demonic cultivation technique and spirit materials."

"."

One by one, items radiating demonic energy appeared before Du Xue; she stood frozen in shock, her mouth agape wide enough to swallow an entire egg.

So many high-grade demonic items.

She began to doubt reality—had this unassuming cultivator just wiped out an entire demonic sect?

No!

This cultivator was only at the late Foundation Establishment stage—he clearly couldn't have done this.

Could it be… that this man was a Golden Core True Person hiding his true realm? Qin Ming, seeing the attendant's dazed expression, guessed her thoughts.

He cleared his throat and explained: "I am Lu Shopkeeper of the Jing Xue Pavilion in the Spirit Ruins Marketplace. These items were acquired from elsewhere."

"I wish to sell them during this opportunity."

Du Xue finally understood, snapping out of her reverie.

That made sense—besides, the Wufu Auction House accepted all high-grade items without discrimination.

Even demonic items could be auctioned.

(End of Chapter)