Over the next three days, the disciples of the Piaomiao Sect rarely saw the figure of the Eldest Senior Sister.
She seemed to have vanished, with only the Sword Washing Pool in the back mountains becoming her residence.
The entrance to the Sword Washing Pool was permeated with a layer of gray mist, which was the Baleful Chi formed by the entanglement of Sword Chi and Sword Intent.
The pool water presented an eerie gray-iron color, with temperatures cold enough to pierce the bone. Countless broken swords were thrust diagonally into the bottom of the pool, emitting whimpers of varying pitches at every moment—the mourning cries of swords.
Wu Yan (Yan) sat cross-legged in the center of the Sword Washing Pool, the water already rising past her shoulders.
“Ugh…”
Her eyes were tightly shut, her face as pale as paper, and her lips had long since lost all color.
The pain coming from the wound on her back was more unforgettable than any battle she had ever experienced.
The sharp Sword Chi, the Baleful Chi of the remnant swords, and the Demonic Chi at the wound site eroded her body like maggots on a bone.
The piercing Sword Chi was like blades of ice, drilling into her meridians through her pores, attempting to comb through and cleanse everything.
However, the wound on her back contained the residual Demonic Chi of the Blood Scorpion Old Monster. Under the stimulation of the Sword Chi, this Demonic Chi acted like an infuriated venomous snake, counterattacking frantically.
Two opposing forces of righteous and evil repeatedly tugged back and forth within her meridians, tearing at her body.
Every second felt as if her body were being scraped against her bones by countless sharp blades, then washed alternately with ice water and hot oil.
“Aaaaaah! I can’t take it anymore! You pervert!”
Wu Yan (Inner) rolled around frantically beside her, her screams nearly piercing her eardrums.
“Get out! Get out now! I’m going to be stabbed to death by this damned Sword Chi!! I’m going to kill that old woman Xia Lingshuang! I will definitely kill her!”
“Endure it.”
Wu Yan (Yan) gritted her teeth, remaining motionless in her original posture.
“If you can’t even endure this little bit of pain, how did you cultivate to the Tribulation Transcendence Stage in your previous life?”
She forcibly operated the basic mental cultivation method of Zhuqu Peak, combing through the violent Sword Chi while not forgetting to clear the Demonic Chi from the wound on her back.
During this time in the Sword Washing Pool, Wu Yan (Inner)’s mouth never stopped.
She cursed by Wu Yan (Yan)’s side for three days, from Xia Lingshuang’s ancestors of eighteen generations all the way to the feng shui of the Piaomiao Sect.
***
On the evening of the third day.
Wu Yan (Yan) finally suppressed the last surge of riotous Baleful Chi. She dragged her nearly numb body and crawled onto the shore.
The Crescent Moon Daoist Robe had been soaked through, clinging tightly to her body and outlining her well-proportioned figure.
“Yo, as expected of me, my figure is really great.”
Wu Yan (Inner) circled around Wu Yan (Yan), even whistling with her mouth.
“……”
Wu Yan (Yan) said nothing, only taking out a large coat from her Storage Ring to drape over herself.
She dragged her nearly numb legs out of the Sword Washing Pool and found a random corner to sit and rest.
Not far away, two passing female disciples were chatting, not noticing Wu Yan (Yan) in the corner.
“Hey, did you hear? Tomorrow there’s a grand auction at the Tianbao Pavilion in Qingshan City!”
“I heard, I heard! It’s said there are quite a few good items as the finale this time, apparently even a Soul-Nourishing Jade!”
“Soul-Nourishing Jade? That’s a treasure that nourishes the divine soul! It’s said to have miraculous effects on an Inner Demon as well. But the price must be very expensive…”
“That’s for sure; the starting price is at least several hundred High-grade Spiritual Stones! People like us, who can’t even scrape together ten High-grade Spiritual Stones in our pockets, are just there to listen to the noise.”
The two walked further and further away.
Wu Yan (Yan)’s originally somewhat unfocused pupils suddenly sharpened.
Soul-Nourishing Jade.
It nourished the divine soul, calmed the mind, and could even play a role in suppressing an Inner Demon.
Although Wu Yan (Inner) did not count as an Inner Demon, this Soul-Nourishing Jade was undoubtedly a treasure for her as well.
“But… what about the money?”
Wu Yan (Yan) hugged her knees with her arms, subconsciously touching her Storage Ring.
She didn’t have a cent; all the spoils of war she had previously captured had been handed in.
Furthermore, when Wu Yan (Inner) dominated the body, she spent money lavishly. In Wu Yan (Yan)’s observations anyway, Wu Yan (Inner) never had the habit of saving money.
Was she really going to just give up the Soul-Nourishing Jade to someone else?
“Money? I have some.”
Wu Yan (Inner) beside her suddenly gave a wicked smile.
“Did you forget? When I used to go out on missions with that old woman Xia Lingshuang, I would often search the corpses.”
“As long as you give the body back to me, I’ll find those things for you right now, okay, my little Wu Yan (Yan)?”
Wu Yan (Yan) completely ignored Wu Yan (Inner)’s temptation, her Divine Sense entering directly into the Storage Ring.
After a detailed search, as expected, she found a hidden compartment inside protected by an extremely well-concealed restriction.
After breaking the restriction, the contents inside made her eyelids twitch.
The hidden compartment contained several demonic cultivation manuals that Wu Yan (Inner) had scavenged after she and Xia Lingshuang killed Demonic Cultivators, as well as some crooked and evil medicines like Bone-Melting Powder and Meixiang Pills.
There were also several weapons emitting Demonic Chi, likely hidden away privately by Wu Yan (Inner) at the time.
“How is it? Valuable, right?”
Seeing Wu Yan (Yan) withdraw from the Storage Ring, Wu Yan (Inner) immediately leaned in front of her and asked triumphantly.
“Selling any random item in there is enough for you to squander. Although they are things of the demonic path, someone in the black market of Qingshan City will definitely take them, and the price might even be a bit higher.”
They could be sold, but before selling them, Wu Yan (Yan) needed to perform some special processing.
That night, the night was as dark as ink.
Wu Yan (Yan) changed into an inconspicuous loose black robe, put on a bamboo hat that isolated Divine Sense, and quietly slipped out of the Piaomiao Sect.
***
Qingshan City, underground black market.
Following Wu Yan (Inner)’s directions, Wu Yan (Yan) found a shop named Ghost Market Pavilion and dumped those demonic manuals, poisons, and several demonic tools onto the counter all at once.
The shop owner was a shrewd one-eyed old man who picked up one of the manuals to look at it, his pupils shrinking slightly.
He then smiled meaningfully: “These are good things.”
Having said that, he paused, then took a sip of tea and continued: “But the bloody scent on them is a bit heavy. Customer, these things… are a bit hot to handle.”
“Just say if you’ll take them or not.”
Wu Yan (Yan) lowered her voice, making it hoarse and cold, carrying a sense of impatience.
“I’ll take them, of course I’ll take them. But as for this price…”
The price given by the one-eyed old man was unexpectedly low, but fortunately, although Wu Yan (Yan) was a novice, Wu Yan (Inner) was not.
“Grind him down! This old man is extremely cunning! That Corpse Manipulation Art is worth at least three hundred High-grade Spiritual Stones! Don’t listen to his nonsense!”
Under the guidance of Wu Yan (Inner), this batch of illicit goods was all traded away for a price of two thousand three hundred and sixty-two High-grade Spiritual Stones.
“Whew…”
Walking out of the black market, Wu Yan (Yan) looked at the heavy bag of Spirit Stones in her hand, her mind feeling greatly settled.
“Hee hee hee. I must say, little Wu Yan (Yan), you really are quite wicked.”
Wu Yan (Inner) held one of Wu Yan (Yan)’s hands, speaking gleefully.
“I never thought about adding means of attack and self-destruction into those things. But you, appearing kind-hearted, I didn’t expect you to be this kind of person behind everyone’s back.”
Wu Yan (Yan) put the Spirit Stone bag into her Storage Ring and said calmly: “The people who buy those demonic manuals and weapons are undoubtedly Demonic Cultivators. There is no such thing as being ‘wicked’ when using these methods against them.”
Wu Yan (Yan) naturally couldn’t simply sell those demonic manuals, poisons, and weapons.
Before selling them, she had specifically gone to the Sword-Forging Peak to ask for some methods from the old seniors in the peak.
Those demonic manuals and weapons had already been placed under restrictions by her; as long as someone attempted to cultivate those techniques or subdue the weapons.
the Sword Intent she buried within those manuals would immediately explode. Not only could it eliminate those demonic items, but it could also cause a certain degree of damage to the owners of those things.
Of course, Wu Yan (Inner) had also helped with this matter.
According to her words, it was: “How can you be so bad? But I’m also very interested in what you’re doing, so just let me help you a bit~”
Regardless, the qualification to compete for the Soul-Nourishing Jade tomorrow was now in hand.