Chapter 670: Investigation and Attitude

Zhang Wang asked puzzledly, "What does your sect want to do with the cross‑realm vessel?"

"This…" Xu Pingji glanced at Zhang Wang hesitantly.

Zhang Wang realized some matters were indeed hard to ask directly, and smiled, "Just curious, and besides, Brother Xu has already signed the contract, so the cross‑realm vessel that was forged is first for us, right?"

"I didn't think much about it." Xu Pingji's expression shifted, aware that their transaction must not be leaked, and his words were nothing more than telling himself they were grasshoppers on the same rope.

Immediately, Xu Pingji answered truthfully, "The sect members came only saying they needed a cross‑realm vessel, but they didn't tell me what exactly."

"Oh? Brother Xu didn't ask in detail?"

"He left before I finished." Xu Pingji came to his senses, frowned, and was also displeased with Yan Buji's departure.

Even if I don't give, with that attitude of yours, you don't want to negotiate?

You still won't tell me what the cross‑realm vessel is for, how can I weigh the pros and cons?

Thinking of this, Xu Pingji still couldn't figure out what Yan Buji actually wanted to do.

Zhang Wang, seeing that Xu Pingji himself was unclear, gave up on probing further; the two drank and made merry, and only left after several hours.

And at this moment.

Yan Buji and Huang Ji did not leave the Heavenly Spirit Realm, but stayed on the spot in a tavern.

"Hall Master Yan."

"Are we sure no one is following us?"

Huang Ji hesitated a bit, saying, "We are sure no one followed from Baoguang Pavilion, but some people in this tavern seem to have set their eyes on us."

"Hmm?" Yan Buji was surprised, "Who?"

"I don't know." Huang Ji shook his head, "Even if they know our sect's identity, they don't look like they're going to attack us; perhaps they're just gathering information."

Yan Buji pressed his chin, "Since it's not harmful to us, it must be related to Xu Pingji."

"Huh?" Huang Ji was stunned, "But if Elder Xu sent people to follow us, why take a detour?"

"Someone connected to Xu Pingji." Yan Buji smiled, "Who else have we dealt with here besides Xu Pingji? Apart from him mentioning the Grand Commerce Association, who would care about our arrival?"

Huang Ji exclaimed, "People from the Grand Commerce Association really dare to trail us?"

"Why wouldn't they? It's just tailing, they haven't done anything; could the sect use this to provoke the Grand Commerce Association?" Yan Buji said.

Huang Ji still didn't understand, "If so, are they investigating why we need a cross‑realm vessel?"

"It shouldn't be hard to investigate; if they send people near Paolong Sacred Land, they'll know what we intend." Yan Buji stood, went to the window and happened to see a few suspicious figures.

The few people, upon seeing Yan Buji, instinctively averted their gaze and walked toward the distance.

"So next we wait for the Grand Commerce Association's move?"

"Exactly."

Yan Buji nodded.

Once the Grand Commerce Association learns they are using the cross‑realm vessel for business in Youming Jie, there are only two options.

Either agree, or give them a binding trap.

The method for a binding trap is simple: let the people originally conducting business between the two parties learn of it, and they naturally won't sit idle, certainly coming after Yan Buji.

That saves him a lot of time.

"Come quickly, if you don't make a move I really don't know how to deal with you," Yan Buji thought silently.

A few days later.

In the central district of Zhong Tian City there is a large manor, where members of the Grand Commerce Association handle various business activities of the Heavenly Spirit Realm, including signing contracts with various forces, issuing orders, gathering supplies, and a series of other commercial tasks, all to ensure the Grand Commerce Association of Zhong Tian Zhi Yu can sit securely on the high platform.

The Heavenly Spirit Realm now enjoys such a stable, prosperous commercial atmosphere, largely thanks to its extensive ties with organizations like the Grand Commerce Association, and naturally their network resources are quite deep.

Zhang Wang sat in his study, looking at the intelligence his subordinates brought, and was startled: "What? The Great Sinful Sect plans to do business in Youming Jie? It can't be those old monsters themselves, can it?"

According to Zhang Wang's understanding, there are only a few ways to enter Youming Jie. Although cultivators above the Nascent Soul stage can send their spirit souls into Youming Jie, they might be caught by Youming Jie cultivators and eaten as a tonic, so ordinary people aren't that foolish.

At the Harmonizing Dao stage, a cultivator's spirit soul and physical strength are balanced, allowing them to use the spirit soul's ability to enter Youming Jie while taking the body along.

As for why the body must go, it's because only the body can carry Accumulation Devices; even if the device is controlled by a spirit mind, it still requires magical power, and a spirit soul detached from the body is already dangerous. Even powerful cultivators carrying special Accumulation Devices into Youming Jie cannot reap great benefits.

Moreover, the top‑grade Storage Accumulation Device can hold only a few tens of thousands of jin of goods, and only generic cargo. Yet items from Youming Jie generally require special handling to be loaded, and only then can be placed into a Storage Accumulation Device; thus a solo effort can't achieve much.

But with a powerful sect backing, it's entirely different.

"They request a cross‑realm vessel; could they also have mastered some method to traverse Youming Jie?" Zhang Wang wondered.

Because the methods he knows, the Dragon Void Cave and the Zhong Tian Zhi Yu Joint Commerce Guild both use a top‑grade cosmic Dao treasure called the "Floating Gate", which creates spatial tunnels by expending massive Spiritual Stones, and cannot be moved casually.

This way, they can stably obtain resources from Youming Jie.

Zhang Wang didn't quite understand; if the Great Sinful Sect also had such means, wouldn't they already be invincible?

Given how powerful their founder is, almost no one below saints can match him; if he opened the Youming Jie tunnel, disciples would grow stronger and they wouldn't need to rebuild the sect now.

Zhang Wang stood, and soon went to a garden within the manor, where he met an elder.

"I, Zhang Wang, have met Steward Long."

"Ah, Xiao Zhang, come, come, sit with this old man for a game of chess," the elder said with a smile.

Zhang Wang nodded, walked over and sat opposite.

While playing chess, Zhang Wang asked, "Steward Long, do you know whether the Great Sinful Sect has mastered spatial traversal?"

"Spatial traversal? At the level of the Blood Daoist, ordinary spatial seals can't stop him. From your tone, you probably aren't asking about that," Steward Long said lightly.

"Yes, we previously...."

Zhang Wang recounted the investigation, and the elder was also puzzled: "It seems this wouldn't be overseen by the Great Sinful Sect's top combat force; that old Blood Daoist probably wouldn't let his close ones do this."

"Then why...."

"They probably discovered a way to bring people into Youming Jie; aside from the distant ones, doesn't the Grand Commerce Association have someone who knows the Heaven Gate Law? That person could traverse Youming Jie."

"Huh? The Heaven Gate Law...?" Zhang Wang hesitated.