Chapter 695: Slay Moon Demon Cave?
Instantly, an extremely rich fragrance of medicinal herbs spread everywhere. Although it was only the aura of spiritual herbs, it was as fierce and overbearing as the profound aura released by a powerful profound practitioner at full force. The entire seventh floor of the Black Moon Merchant Guild seemed to be completely filled by this aura in a single instant.
Such an aura was enough to let Zi Ji know exactly what these pills were. But after a long moment of shock, he still couldn’t believe it. He picked up one, his hand trembling slightly, then another, his hand trembling again, then a third, a fourth…
There were a total of thirty-three dark red pills... every single one identical to the first one Yun Che had taken out!
And the quality of these pills had all reached the ultimate ten-percent purity!
With this kind of effect, this level of pills, and ten-percent purity! His earlier lighthearted remark, "A single pill of this caliber is enough to shake the world," was absolutely not an exaggeration in the slightest.
Zi Ji was completely stunned, his heart surging like a stormy sea.
In terms of the authority to recognize and judge pills, no one in the entire Tian Xuan Continent could compare to Zi Ji. Yet facing the thirty-three dark red pills laid out before him, he felt as if he were in a dream. After a long while, he suddenly thought of someone, and exclaimed in shock, "Could it be... that these precious pills were all refined by your esteemed master?"
Yun Che glanced sideways and nodded without any hesitation: "Of course."
"I see..." Zi Ji finally felt somewhat relieved, his face filled with deep admiration and awe: "I was truly shocked just now... No wonder it's your esteemed master who refined them. In this world, only an extraordinary supreme master like your esteemed master, who transcends the mortal world, could possess such earth-shattering abilities."
Rumors were just rumors, but witnessing and touching these thirty-plus precious pills in person made him experience firsthand just how powerful Yun Che's "master" truly was.
"Oh, by the way," Yun Che said casually, "the materials I asked your Black Moon Merchant Guild to collect earlier are all for my master to refine pills. Yes, this kind... I plan to have my master help me refine three thousand of them."
"Three... three thousand!?" This old man, who had been elegant and composed for hundreds of years, actually bit his tongue hard.
"Mm," Yun Che nodded calmly and composed himself, then said, "As the current Palace Master of the Bing Yun Fairy Palace, I naturally have to take responsibility for everyone in the palace. Although no one dares to provoke the Bing Yun Fairy Palace in the Cang Feng Kingdom, it is still too weak on the scale of the Tian Xuan Continent. Not only was it bullied to the doorstep, but the Supreme Palace Master and the previous Palace Master both suffered fatal harm. Therefore, I have to use some extraordinary means to enhance the strength of all Bing Yun disciples, so as to avoid being bullied by certain despicable characters again."
"However, because their profound strength levels are still too low to withstand higher-level medicinal power, my master said that for now, she can only refine this kind of low-grade pill to boost their strength. She told me to feel free to eat them for fun when I have nothing else to do, and I can also use them to exchange for Mysterious Coins or Purple Crystals... Oh, I never expected they could actually fetch as much as two jin of Purple Vein Divine Crystal. Tsk tsk!"
Zi Ji: "~!@#$%^&*"
"Three thousand"... "low-grade pills"... "eat them for fun"... Zi Ji's thousand-year-old understanding was shattered to pieces in an instant, every nerve in his body beginning to twitch uncontrollably.
He had thoroughly examined the medicinal power of the Overlord Pill just now. He knew very clearly that if three thousand—no, not even three thousand, just three hundred of these pills flowed into the Four Sacred Grounds, the landscape of the Four Sacred Grounds would undergo massive changes in the next generation! And if only one of the Sacred Grounds obtained them, the balance among the Four Sacred Grounds would be completely broken. The Sacred Ground that possessed these precious pills would utterly crush the other three and become the undisputed ruler of the world.
"Also, these three hundred or so pills are just used by me to try to exchange for some Purple Crystals, as my master said my current profound strength is too low, and I can't withstand the power of high-grade pills yet, so it's a waste to use them on me." Yun Che sighed regretfully, "Who knows when I will be able to eat high-grade pills like candy like my master does."
Zi Ji: "..."
"Ahaha, just joking." Yun Che laughed lightly, "This batch of pills is only these thirty-three. There won't be any more for a while. Besides, young Senior Zi, do you really think I would tell you if there were more? I just casually put on a tough front, and you already look so frightened. If I really did take out three hundred pills, wouldn't you be scared to death on the spot?"
Zi Ji: "...Junior Yun Che, do you know that my Black Moon Merchant Guild has remained neutral and uninvolved in worldly affairs for thousands of years? If a large number of these precious pills flooded the Tian Xuan Continent, it would inevitably upset the balance between the various Major Realms. The Black Moon Merchant Guild has always followed the natural course of things and never interfered in worldly disputes." Zi Ji slowly shook his head, a faint wry smile on his face: "If news of these pills spreads and many major powers come to inquire about them, it will bring no small trouble to my merchant guild."
"Hehe, young Senior Zi can rest assured," Yun Che said with a half-smile, "I, Yun Che, may not be a good person, but I have always acted with integrity and never done anything to harm my friends. I said I would trust the Black Moon Merchant Guild completely, so I will naturally not let you suffer because of it. As for how to handle so many precious pills—when the time comes, I will just say they were obtained by chance from a certain relic. That way, it won't involve the Black Moon Merchant Guild at all."
Zi Ji pondered for a moment, then nodded slowly: "That is indeed a good plan."
Yun Che continued, "Actually, if a large number of precious pills were to surge out, there would inevitably be a huge disaster. They are precious and rare, with extremely few in number, so everyone will try their best to snatch them up, and the risk of someone harboring ill intentions is naturally very high. But if there are too many, and there is clearly a 'source' that can produce a continuous supply, then those who covet them will set their sights on that 'source.' By then, they might even come to harm your humble self... Furthermore, although my Bing Yun Fairy Palace is currently the overlord of the Cang Feng Empire, it is still weak enough to be crushed easily. If we really encounter some old monster who won't listen to reason, we might not even have a place to cry."
"Mm..."
"However..." Yun Che's tone suddenly changed sharply, "If anyone tries to force me, I, Yun Che, am not someone to be trifled with. Even if I risk my life—no, even if I lose my life—I will make sure they, and everyone related to them, perish along with me!"
His voice was not loud, but it was chillingly cold. Under the same divine seal, Zi Ji felt a cold shiver run down his back without any reason.
*Scary kid...*
*He cultivates the way of the sword and is decisive in killing... He has this kind of supply of precious pills... and that mysterious and unfathomable master of his...*
*...Maybe, I should get to know him a little better?*
After a long silence, Zi Ji finally said: "Your Bing Yun Fairy Palace occupies the Cang Feng Empire, standing aloof from the world. The world of profound practitioners is too chaotic, and sinister people abound. Those experienced old geezers from the Four Sacred Grounds are even more difficult to deal with. If these pills leak out in large quantities, the Cang Feng Empire might not be peaceful for long."
"Hehe." Yun Che grinned: "Actually, I'm just boasting. My master said that refining top-grade pills requires too many rare materials and consumes a lot of mental energy, so it's impossible to refine them in large quantities in a short time. These three hundred or so are the limit for this batch. As for what happens next... I also heard my master mutter something about thinking of a way to collect some materials and refining some even higher-grade pills... Tsk, tsk, just thinking about it makes me drool."
"..."
"Also, young Senior Zi, regarding those pills..." Yun Che turned to the topic at hand, "I'm thinking of having a few auctioned off by the Black Moon Merchant Guild."
"Oh?" Zi Ji was startled: "Are you really going to auction them?"
"Mm." Yun Che nodded, his expression serious: "It's just... like I said, I have a lot of places that need Purple Crystals, but I don't want to expose the Bing Yun Fairy Palace. Although this Black Moon Merchant Guild will take a commission, it's credible and safe. Of course, it's not too late. Besides, the Bing Yun Fairy Palace has been having a lot of trouble lately. If news of this kind of precious pill spreads, those four Sacred Grounds will all stare at it like wolves. My Bing Yun Fairy Palace is better off never getting involved in that filth."
"Ah..." Zi Ji sighed briefly for some reason, then said calmly, "I was also worried just now that a large influx of such precious pills into the Tian Xuan Continent would cause earth-shattering upheaval. If it's only... thirty pills, it should be fine."
There was an obvious pause in Zi Ji's voice, because this kind of precious pill—one was enough to shake the Sacred Grounds—and thirty could hardly be described with the word "only."
"Alright." Yun Che immediately nodded, then waved his arm and put all thirty-three Overlord Pills back into the Heavenly Poison Pearl: "When the time is right, I will come again to discuss the auction with Senior Zi. As for the ones beyond these thirty... please keep it a secret for me, Senior."
"Hehe," Zi Ji smiled: "You are definitely not someone who talks carelessly, yet you spoke freely in front of me just now... I have lived for over a thousand years, so I naturally know what's good for me."
"The Black Moon Merchant Guild has stood for thousands of years on 'trust,' and Senior Zi is the core pillar of the guild. So I can safely speak 'carelessly' in front of Senior Zi without worrying about it being leaked to others. By the way, I haven't asked about the commission for the Black Moon entrusted auction yet."
Zi Ji was about to speak when he paused slightly, thought for a moment, then gave a faint smile and said, "The Black Moon Merchant Guild's auction commission is much higher than that of ordinary guilds. But if you can agree to one request of mine, I can waive the commission on the thirty precious pills."
"Oh? What is this 'request' you speak of, Senior Zi?"
"Very simple." Zi Ji's gaze was calm with a hint of heat: "Sell ten of these precious pills to my Black Moon Merchant Guild. The price will be as I determined earlier. For ten pills, I will immediately give you twenty jin of Purple Vein Divine Crystal!"
Purple Vein Divine Crystal... twenty jin!!
This was definitely an astronomical figure that could make even a powerful profound practitioner faint from shock.
Even the Four Sacred Grounds—Huangji Sacred Domain, Supreme Sea Palace, Sun Moon Divine Palace, and Tian Wei Sword Domain—would need at least one or two hundred years, or even two to three hundred years, to accumulate twenty jin of Purple Vein Divine Crystal.
One Overlord Pill could be exchanged for two jin of Purple Vein Divine Crystal... This was Zi Ji's estimate, but in a formal auction, it could be lower or higher than two jin. Considering the preciousness of Purple Vein Divine Crystal, at least Yun Che felt it was more likely to be lower. The Black Moon Merchant Guild directly exchanging twenty jin for ten pills not only waived the hefty commission but was also definitely not a loss—and from Zi Ji's words, it seemed the twenty jin would be given on the spot.
Yun Che's heart stirred slightly, but his expression remained calm. He didn't answer immediately. After thinking for a moment, he nodded slightly: "Deal. But Senior Zi must also agree to one condition of mine."
"Oh?" Zi Ji looked up at him.
"Very simple..." Yun Che used the same tone as Zi Ji: "Tell me... where was the Netherworld Brahma Flower that appeared thirteen hundred years ago?"
"This..." Zi Ji was startled, then shook his head directly: "It's not that I'm unwilling, but that place is extraordinary. I really can't tell you."
"Oh, in that case, I naturally won't force you, Senior Zi." Yun Che didn't look disappointed either: "Then forget about waiving the commission. Even if your guild charges as high as twenty percent commission, I can still afford it."
"..." Zi Ji fell silent. He opened his mouth as if to persuade Yun Che, but seeing his calm expression and deep, fathomless eyes, all the prepared words of persuasion were swallowed back, turning into a long sigh: "The Netherworld Brahma Flower is extremely yin, extremely evil, and extremely vicious. It is the most terrifying flower ever recorded. Just approaching it will cause the yin energy to invade the body, damage the soul, cause prolonged unconsciousness at best, or turn one into a living corpse at worst. If one's profound strength is low, it can even directly cause death. Besides that, in all my knowledge, I have never heard of any use for this thing. Why are you so stubbornly set on finding it?"
"I have my uses for it." After a short pause, Yun Che added another sentence: "And it's extremely important... I must find one, even at a great cost!"
"..." Zi Ji closed his eyes and did not speak for a long time.
The seventh floor of the Black Moon Merchant Guild fell into silence.
"He is using condensed voice transmission," Mo Li suddenly spoke up.
"Mm..." Yun Che responded softly, "Could it be to that mysterious guild master of the Black Moon Merchant Guild... Oh! Condensed voice transmission, not using a sound transmission talisman—that means the Black Moon Guild Master is... nearby?"
The silence lasted nearly a hundred breaths before Zi Ji slowly opened his eyes. Yun Che did not break the silence, just stared at him steadily.
"That is a place far more terrifying than you can imagine," Zi Ji said slowly. "You can only enter once every five hundred years. And even a powerful Emperor Lord cannot stay inside for more than a quarter of an hour; otherwise, they will either die or be crippled!"
Zi Ji's words made Yun Che show surprise: "There is such a place in the Tian Xuan Continent?"
"...To be precise, that place is not located in the Tian Xuan Continent," Zi Ji said.
"...?" Yun Che was even more shocked.
"Moreover, since you are desperately searching for the Netherworld Brahma Flower, you should know that it only blooms once every twenty-four years and withers after three days. Even if you really enter that place, the time you can stay is extremely short... And the possibility that there is a Netherworld Brahma Flower there and it happens to be in full bloom is so slim it's practically nonexistent!"
"After that, you have to wait a full five hundred years to enter again."
"Besides, there is an extremely terrifying existence hidden inside that place... With your current strength, entering it is completely equivalent to seeking death."
Each of Zi Ji's words sounded more horrifying than the last, but Yun Che could tell that none of them were false or exaggerated. Zi Ji looked at Yun Che with a warning gaze: "Even so, do you still insist on knowing that place?"
Yun Che did not hesitate: "Please tell me, Senior Zi."
Although he had guessed this would be the result, Zi Ji still let out a helpless bitter smile. He lifted his head slightly and said in a drifting tone: "That place is called... 'Slay Moon Demon Cave.'"
"Slay... Moon... Demon... Cave..." Yun Che murmured softly, searching through all his memories, even through the memories of Ye Ziyi and Feng Huwei, but he had never heard or seen this name anywhere.