Ouyang Jinfei had also been observing Li Yan all along. He hoped to see an unusual fluctuation on Li Yan's face, which would mean that among the things he mentioned, there was something very important to Li Yan. By offering this favor today, when he bought pills in the future, the other party would surely have to give him some discount. He had spent a lot of Spirit Stones to get this information in advance.
But to his disappointment, Li Yan's face maintained a smiling expression as he listened, showing no unusual reaction. This disappointed him, but he also felt that he hadn't lost much. As long as Li Yan went to the auction house, he would have to accept this favor.
Seeing that he had said all he needed to, Ouyang Jinfei didn't delay any longer. This time, he turned and strode away with his two disciples, disappearing into the crowd.
Li Yan's expression, however, gradually grew solemn.
"Crystal Bone Water. 'Crystal Bone Water' has appeared here," Li Yan murmured, his voice barely audible.
To refine the "Gui-Yi Water-Parting Spike," besides the main ingredient, the "Infinite Wanderer" tree, five main materials were needed: Bitterness-Free Powder, Crimson Mother Essence, Crystal Bone Water, Jade-Horned Serpent, and Ice-Cloud Plumage. Li Yan had previously obtained some Crimson Mother Essence and had also heard of the appearance of Bitterness-Free Powder, but it had been bought by a woman. He never thought that today he would hear of "Crystal Bone Water" appearing here. How could this not excite him? So, he glanced at the street-side shops for a few moments before walking forward, his mind constantly churning.
'Crystal Bone Water appearing at an auction... I wonder how many people will need this item. I only have about one hundred and twenty thousand Spirit Stones and two Mid-grade Spirit Stones left. The constant medium and long-distance teleportations recently have been extremely costly. I wonder if it will be enough.' Li Yan's Spirit Stone consumption during this period had been like flowing water, and he had no idea of the market price for the item he needed. So for a moment, he felt unsure. But Ping Tu had told him before about the origins and characteristics of these materials. Although Crystal Bone Water was rare, it was not a commonly used item in artifact refining. Thinking of this, Li Yan felt a slight sense of relief.
After pondering for a while, Li Yan chuckled and shook his head. No matter what, he just had to go and find out.
As Li Yan strode forward along the street, lost in thought, he failed to notice that in a four-story restaurant by the street, two people were sitting at a table by the window, drinking. At that moment, one of them withdrew his gaze from Li Yan's back, a look of doubt on his face. This man was about forty-five or forty-six years old, slightly plump, with a scholarly face, dressed in a moon-white long robe.
"Fellow Daoist Wang, could it be that you know that person?" Just as the slightly plump middle-aged man was still lost in thought, the person opposite him picked up a mouthful of food, put it in his mouth, and nonchalantly poured himself another bowl of wine before asking slowly.
The man addressed as "Fellow Daoist Wang" relaxed his expression, coming back from his thoughts. He then smiled at the person opposite him. "Hehe, I seem to have neglected you, Senior Brother Yize. I just saw a person whose back resembled that of an old acquaintance. Thinking about it now, there's only a slight resemblance. A closer look reveals I was mistaken." The person drinking was a Chan Monk from the Jingtu Sect, wearing a yellow kasaya. He was built like a tiger and bear, but his age was much younger than the slightly plump middle-aged man opposite him, appearing to be only around thirty. His cultivation, however, had already reached the Pseudo-Core Realm.
The ranking system of the Jingtu Sect differed from the titles of other cultivators. Qi Condensation stage monks could be called little monks or Novice Monks; Foundation Establishment stage monks were called Chan Monks, though outsiders usually addressed them as Chan Masters out of respect; Golden Core stage monks were called Buddhas; and Nascent Soul stage monks were Arhats, commonly addressed by the world as Great Masters.
This Monk Yize was only a Chan Monk, of which there were quite a few in the Jingtu Sect. Monks of the "Yi" generation had generally cultivated for over a hundred years. Many had succeeded in forming their cores, but many more had failed. Just like this Chan Monk Yize before him, he had already attempted to form his Golden Core twice, both times ending in failure. If nothing unexpected happened, in a few more decades, his lifespan would come to an end, and he would pass away to the west.
At this moment, he was eating large chunks of meat and drinking bowls of wine as if no one else was around. However, the cultivators in the restaurant didn't seem to mind. Although the vast majority of Jingtu Sect monks did not consume meat or wine, it was not forbidden. Some monks even enjoyed it, especially those with little lifespan left who knew their cultivation could no longer break through.
After his explanation, the slightly plump middle-aged man raised his wine cup towards Yize, took a small sip.
"Fellow Daoist Wang, you rushed over today. Why did the Ten-Pace Courtyard only send you this time? The matter you asked about is truly tricky. So far, there aren't many clues, but one clue points here, which is why we came here with Martial Uncle Liaosong," Yize said, suddenly using the Secret Voice Transmission technique after downing the wine in his bowl.
The middle-aged man was preoccupied, unable to shake off the gloom in his heart. Hearing this, his face twitched imperceptibly, and a wave of annoyance rose in his heart. Coming here alone was not his intention.
If Li Yan were here, he might have a vague sense of déjà vu. This person was none other than Wang Lang from the Ten-Pace Courtyard. But the Wang Lang of today was vastly different from before. The spirited, handsome, and youthful appearance was long gone. His appearance had entered middle age, and his cultivation was still at the Pseudo-Core Realm.
All of this was thanks to Li Yan. In the battle in the Secret Realm, Li Yan had used the favorable time and place to succeed in a sneak attack, almost costing Wang Lang his life. It was truly a close call. Even the Golden Core cultivators of the Ten-Pace Courtyard couldn't save him. In the end, it was the Level 4 high-grade demonic cultivator in the Secret Realm, the Iron-Backed Copper Ghost Beast, who had taken him hostage and briefly suppressed Li Yan's Fragmented Twelve poison, temporarily saving his life.
When Wang Lang was finally returned to the Ten-Pace Courtyard, although his life was no longer in danger, his appearance had changed drastically, and his cultivation had dropped to the late-stage Foundation Establishment. With his master sparing no effort and cultivation, Wang Lang's cultivation was finally stabilized. Later, with the help of a large number of precious pills, Wang Lang spent nearly two years in secluded cultivation and finally returned to the Pseudo-Core Realm. But by this time, he had already fallen behind his peers, the chosen ones of his generation. His handsome face was gone, and not only had he put on weight, but he also looked like a middle-aged man. This made Wang Lang hate Li Yan, who had sneak-attacked him, to the bone. But no matter how he inquired, he could not find out Li Yan's name. This was because Li Yan was too low-key in the Malevolent Spirit Sect, and only Gong Chenying knew about his sneak attack. There was no third ear. At that time, Wang Lang had only seen Li Yan's naked back.
Although Wang Lang was furious, he couldn't find his attacker. Over time, it became a sickness in his heart. He often saw someone's back and thought it was his attacker. Today, when he inadvertently saw Li Yan's back, he felt it was very similar again, but his reason told him that this was his sickness acting up again.
Every time he thought of this, his heart would twist in pain, which only strengthened his resolve to find his attacker and make them wish they were dead. And the only one who could give him the answer was Gong Chenying. But he had heard that Gong Chenying was currently in seclusion, attempting to break through to the Golden Core, and would not be coming out at all. The thought of breaking through to the Golden Core was like being struck by a thousand lightning bolts for Wang Lang. Although his master had spared no pills and cultivation to help him recover this time, his master had clearly told him that before the Secret Realm, he had at least a fifty percent chance of breaking through to the Golden Core. Now, it was less than ten percent. He might need more than ten years of arduous cultivation to return to the peak of the Pseudo-Core Realm.
He had come out this time because his mind had been restless lately. Every time he meditated, he would think of the events in the Secret Realm, and several times he almost had a cultivation deviation. After his master learned of this, he could only sigh deeply. This was a sign of inner demons arising. At this time, Wang Lang was not suitable for secluded cultivation and needed to relax for a while.
Coincidentally, a short while ago, in the jurisdiction of the Ten-Pace Courtyard, several cultivators had been killed or gone missing one after another. These cultivators often held important positions as deacons in their sects, managing some of the more important areas. The Ten-Pace Courtyard was conducting a major investigation. Wang Lang happily accepted the mission and set out, taking the opportunity to relax his cultivation mentality.
At first, Wang Lang was traveling with several of his fellow martial brothers, but after investigating for a while, they eventually separated on bad terms. The reason was none other than Wang Lang's current strange personality. Especially when he saw some of his junior brothers, whose cultivation was originally inferior to his, beginning to catch up, and his senior brothers, who were previously not as good as him, preparing for Core Formation with all their heart, it made him find fault with everyone. He became even more eccentric and unpredictable.
After a while, the few martial brothers who had come out with him all left under various pretexts. How could Wang Lang not know this? But knowing was one thing; he just couldn't control his sarcastic attitude towards them when they were together. He could only be a loner.
And it just so happened that at this time, Wang Lang also got a clue. A few months ago, a Buddha in Da Ning City, under the jurisdiction of the Jingtu Sect, had met with trouble. And according to an informant from the Ten-Pace Courtyard, an item on his body was very similar to an item lost by someone he was investigating. So he rushed all the way to Da Ning City. When he arrived and found the Jingtu Sect, he heard that the Jingtu Sect took this matter very seriously and had already sent a Buddha to lead several Chan Monks to investigate. And it seemed they had new clues and had gone to Yuguan City a day ago.
Wang Lang rushed to Yuguan City without stopping. The leader of the Jingtu Sect team, Buddha Liaosong, was in a secret meeting with Buddha Yifa, who was stationed here, so he sent Yize to receive him. After some conversation, the two of them felt a sense of kinship, both being people who were hindered in their Core Formation.
"Oh, Senior Brother Yize, on my side, two Golden Core cultivators have gone missing, and several Foundation Establishment cultivators have perished. The culprit seems to be looking for a certain item. I wonder..." Wang Lang forcibly removed Li Yan's figure from his mind and asked via voice transmission.
"Oh, on our side, Martial Uncle Yiguang was killed in a sneak attack. Only the Storage Pouch on his body was taken. From this, it is highly likely that the other party came for something in Martial Uncle Yiguang's Storage Pouch. But as for what exactly they were after, we don't know. You must be clear on this; a Buddha's Storage Pouch contains too many things." Yize did not elaborate on the cause of death of the Buddha in Da Ning City, only mentioning it briefly. After all, it was a very shameful matter. A Buddha had his yang energy drained to death. It was difficult to speak of no matter how you put it.
"Can you be more specific about the clues you have? Let's see if they are related to our investigation. That would be a major breakthrough for both of us," Wang Lang asked suspiciously. A Buddha dying in a city under his own jurisdiction was in itself extremely shocking, but the Jingtu Sect seemed to be very secretive about it. Whenever the matter was brought up, they were reticent, even refusing to talk about it.
'Previously, those who went missing or were killed were only from some subordinate sects or families, but now they have started to make a move on the cultivators of the four major sects. This means that the thing they are looking for is extremely important, and they are not hesitating to go to war with the four major sects,' Wang Lang thought. He also understood that the higher-ups of the sects had already had Nascent Soul cultivators intervene in this matter. People like them were just on the periphery, gathering some information. When the time came, they would report their findings, and the higher-ups would judge and analyze.
"The news we got is that someone has recently contacted Martial Uncle Yiguang several times, and this person may have come to Yuguan City recently, so Martial Uncle Liaosong brought us here to investigate."
Yize's large, round eyes darted around a few times, but he still didn't say much.
"Hehe, Senior Brother Yize, let me tell you this. Among the missing cultivators on my side, one of them once obtained a stone pearl of unknown material. But I heard that your sect's Martial Uncle Yiguang has a Magical Treasure called the 'Immortal-Descending Pearl,' which is incredibly powerful. And this Magical Treasure was obtained by Martial Uncle Yiguang by chance. Its appearance is also similar to a stone pearl." Wang Lang was annoyed and didn't want to drag this on, so he just said it directly.