Misery: There is a pawn shop here

Chapter 125 Temple of Doom
Inside the cave, the transaction was completed. Qiu Daitian left to clear the name of Wangsha City. Meanwhile, inside the cave, Li Xuanxiao shattered the stone seal with a single palm strike and retrieved one of the three treasures of the Grim Reaper, the Horn of Hope, which had been hidden by Qiu Daitian.

Li Xuanxiao knew very well that although the Horn of Hope was named after hope, it mostly brought despair to the world.

This is the best example of Death's twisted sense of humor.

"Come on, Death, let's see which of us businessmen can go further in the long run."

Having said that, Li Xuanxiao brought the Horn of Hope to his lips, took a deep breath, and then blew it forcefully. Instantly, the horn's sound exploded like thunder, piercing the earth and soaring into the sky. In the sky, dark clouds rapidly gathered, staining the entire horizon as black as ink. Lightning flashed and thunder roared, illuminating the earth, plunging the world into darkness, as if the end of the world had arrived.

Within that strange space, so different from the realm of suffering, countless pairs of eyes hidden in the darkness turned toward the direction from which the sound came, a strange light flashing in their eyes.

"That voice is..." A whisper came from a mysterious corner, the voice full of shock and doubt, but it was quickly swallowed up by the endless darkness.

Before Li Xuanxiao's eyes, as the horn sounded, the surrounding scenery began to change eerily. The original cave vanished instantly, replaced by a space filled with deathly aura. The ground was littered with white bones, and the River of the Underworld meandered along its banks, its water a dark red color, as if formed from pooled blood. Mist shrouded the river, obscuring the view of the opposite bank; only the sound of the flowing water was exceptionally clear in the silent space.

"This method is exactly the same as that of Youjian Pawnshop."

Li Xuanxiao put down his horn and continued to comment on the Sanzu River before him. At that moment, the sound of rowing slowly drifted from the thick red fog. Looking up, he saw the boat of no crossing, covered with skeletons, drifting closer. Li Xuanxiao leaped onto it and landed. He saw no one else on the boat, only skeletons scattered everywhere. As Li Xuanxiao boarded, the skeleton boat gradually disappeared into the thin fog on the Sanzu River.

As the skeleton ship sailed across the River of Three Crossings, Li Xuanxiao clearly sensed continuous spatial fluctuations. Apart from the thick fog, all around was pitch black. He did not know how long they had been sailing when some light finally appeared in the distance. As the skeleton ship gradually approached, they reached the end of the River of Oblivion, where a magnificent, splendid, and awe-inspiring doomsday temple stood.

"I just dealt with the number one martial god of the Six Heavens Realm, and now it's your turn, Death God."

Before Li Xuanxiao finished speaking, he immediately stood on the temple. Others might find this method amazing and mysterious, but in Li Xuanxiao's eyes, it was nothing special.

Even within the pawnshop's space, he could sit down, even more effortlessly than the Grim Reaper.

The temple was magnificent and opulent on the outside, but inside it was so empty that it was almost silent. In the huge hall, there was no one else except a black-robed and hooded figure playing chess. When Li Xuanxiao arrived, the person playing chess stopped what he was doing.

“It has been a very, very long time since anyone has set foot in the Temple of Doomsday.”

"Death, you should know why I have come."

With a single step, Li Xuanxiao emitted bursts of eerie light, and his original white robe was quickly covered with black patterns. The entire Doomsday Temple seemed somewhat illusory for a moment. In just a split second, Li Xuanxiao was already sitting opposite Death, and the chessboard in front of Death returned to its original state at the beginning of the game.

"A familiar aura, similar abilities, a visitor from another land. The abilities you possess are of the same origin as the abilities I bestowed upon the Horn of Hope." Death raised his head to look at Li Xuanxiao. Although they were face to face, Li Xuanxiao could only see half of Death's face, while the other half remained hidden in darkness.

"There is always a trade-off between gain and loss; this is a truth and a universal rule. Do you want this power, and can you afford the price to pay for this desire?"

“You’re wrong.” Li Xuanxiao shook his head and said, “It’s true that I want this power, but I never thought of making a deal with a shrewd businessman like you.” “Shrewd businessman, ha.” Death chuckled, “Visitor from another land, have you ever considered that you, who possess this power and confirm the retention of people’s hearts, are the real anomalies?”

"Whether you're an outsider or one of us, Death, grant me a wish, and I'll make a deal with you in return."

As soon as the words were spoken, the entire Temple of Doomsday shook violently. A huge rift was suddenly torn open in the dark ceiling above the temple, and a path illuminated by ancient bronze lamps stretched down. At the end of the path, within the rift, stood a majestic, dark pavilion, casting a projection onto the Temple of Death.

"A trade? Ha." Death looked at the scene before him without revealing any unusual emotion, and said in a calm tone, "Interesting visitor from another land. What do you think Death, with his abilities, would want to trade with you?"

"A name."

"Ok?"

"A single night of crabapple blossoms".

As soon as he finished speaking, the Temple of Doomsday fell into a deathly silence. Then, in an instant, an unprecedentedly strong pressure descended from all directions, seemingly intent on annihilating Li Xuanxiao in one fell swoop. However, the next moment, a faint light shone out from the pawnshop, and the surrounding pressure vanished without a trace.

"If this place were truly your true form, the Grim Reaper, perhaps I would still be somewhat wary. But now, most of the power here originates from the same source as mine. Why should the Grim Reaper still act this way?"

Upon hearing this, the surrounding area froze for a moment, and then all the pressure vanished as if it had never existed.

At this moment, Death spoke again: "If you want this power, Death can give it to you, but you must fulfill your promise."

"As long as Yixi Haitang wants to live, no one in the world can harm her in the slightest. But if she is determined to die, then this is not within the scope of Youjian Pawnshop's business."

"can."

Death nodded slightly, and then a burst of power rose from the Horn of Hope. Li Xuanxiao noticed the situation and reached out to absorb it. The moment this power was absorbed by Li Xuanxiao, the entire Temple of Doomsday, along with the phantom of Death himself, began to disintegrate.

"This speed, Death, you are truly astonishingly fast."

"The same game segment only needs one. Using trading as the game, Death expects you to perform even more brilliantly. Also, don't forget your promise to Death."

"Ah."

Li Xuanxiao responded with a light laugh, but instead of leaving the River of Oblivion on the skeleton boat, he followed the path guided by the ancient bronze lamp and stepped onto the Nine Heavens Rift, returning to Youjian Pawnshop.

(End of this chapter)