I'm in Yellow Maple Valley, and I have one equipment slot!

Chapter 337 Obtaining the Cold Marrow Again! The Yinluo Sect Can't Hold Back Anymore!

In the days that followed, Zhou Yuan's life became extremely regular.

Every day he would leave Xiankeju on time and stroll leisurely to Jinxi Market, like a wealthy old man who had nothing to do and enjoyed shopping, lingering among the various shops.

Sometimes he would spend a lot of money to buy some seemingly obscure but actually mysterious items, and other times he would shake his head and sigh at some expensive treasures and leave empty-handed.

His movements were so open and aboveboard that even the people sent by the Yinluo Sect to monitor him felt it was somewhat superfluous.

This man had absolutely no intention of hiding his whereabouts; it was as if he wanted everyone to know that he was there.

"Damn it! This person is simply toying with us!"

A Nascent Soul elder from the Yinluo Sect, hiding in a teahouse on the outskirts of the market, watched Zhou Yuan leisurely walk out of a materials store once again, his teeth itching with anger, yet he was helpless.

They tried to provoke him several times, even setting up ambushes, but the thought of Zhou Yuan's strength was like a bucket of cold water being poured on them, and they could only suppress their killing intent.

"It's alright, let him enjoy his freedom for a few more days!"

The Yinluo Sect Master, Li Gu, had a gloomy face, and his eyes flashed with a venomous light.

"Once our reinforcements arrive, this man's death will be imminent! At that time, I will extract his soul and refine his spirit to comfort the spirits of my former sect leader and all the elders in heaven!"

He, Lin Yinping, and several elders of the Yinluo Sect were currently guarding a quiet courtyard they had temporarily rented not far from Jinxi Market, monitoring Zhou Yuan's movements while anxiously awaiting the arrival of reinforcements.

Lin Yinping stood by the window, her gaze passing through the windowpane as she watched Zhou Yuan's figure disappear into the crowd in the distance. Her clear, beautiful eyes were filled with complex emotions.

She had received news that Xu Changqing, the Immortal Master, and Sun Erniang, the Immortal Master, had left the grasslands and were traveling day and night to the capital of the Great Jin Dynasty.

According to the schedule, they should be able to arrive before the auction officially begins.

"Zhou Yuan—you stole my Heavenly Azure Sacred Beast, this is an irreconcilable enmity. When Immortal Master Xu and the others arrive, it will be your end!"

Lin Yinping made a silent vow in her heart, her delicate hands clenched into fists.

Zhou Yuan was fully aware of the Yinluo Sect's surveillance and killing intent, but he didn't take it to heart at all.

He wandered around the market in Jinxi every day, seemingly aimlessly, but in reality, he was patiently searching for a target.

He deduced from his memories of the "original work" that a Nascent Soul cultivator in the early stages of cultivation should appear in Jinxi Market during this time period.

According to the description in the memory fragments, this person was a gaunt old man with a cunning face and a few sparse whiskers on his chin. His cultivation level was about the early stage of the Nascent Soul stage. He was cautious and greedy.

Most importantly, he carries an extremely precious "Cold Marrow" within him!

This item is a priceless treasure lost from the Beiye Xiaoji Palace. For some unknown reason, it fell into this person's hands.

He came to Jinjing hoping to take advantage of the crowds during the auction and anonymously sell the item for a good price at that clandestine trading event.

Zhou Yuan needs this bone marrow.

Whether for the future rejuvenating water or for cultivating more transformed spirit beasts, this item is of utmost importance.

Hard work pays off.

After waiting patiently for nearly a month, Zhou Yuan finally saw the figure that matched the description in front of an inconspicuous grocery store in Jinxi Market.

A gaunt old man dressed in a gray robe, with shifty eyes and a few sparse whiskers on his chin, was holding a ritual implement and haggling with the shop owner, his spittle flying everywhere.

Zhou Yuan's heart skipped a beat, but his face remained expressionless.

He quietly activated a divine sense technique, silently attaching an extremely subtle, almost imperceptible divine imprint to the hem of the gray-robed old man's robe.

With his current spiritual strength, comparable to the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm, he could easily tamper with the work of a cultivator in the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm without the latter noticing.

After marking the location, Zhou Yuan stopped following and turned to leave the market, as if it were just an ordinary stroll.

After nightfall, Zhou Yuan sat cross-legged in the quiet room of the Immortal Guest Residence, sensing the location of the divine imprint.

After confirming that the gray-robed old man had left the market and returned to a relatively secluded inn in the west of the city with a Foundation Establishment stage youth who looked like his disciple, they found out.

Zhou Yuan opened his eyes, a slight smile appearing on his lips.

He stood up, and with a flicker, he transformed into a faint, almost imperceptible stream of light, silently merging into the night and flying towards the inn.

A moment later, Zhou Yuan appeared in front of the room where the gray-robed old man was staying. He did not conceal himself, but walked directly forward and gently knocked on the door.

"Knock knock knock".

The knocking sounded particularly clear in the quiet corridor of the inn.

Inside the room, the gray-robed old man, who had been sitting cross-legged and resting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened his eyes, a look of surprise and doubt flashing in them.

He had no acquaintances in Jinjing, so who would come looking for him at this time?

Moreover, the fact that this person could pass through the simple barrier he had set up outside the door without making a sound and knock directly on the door shows that the other party's cultivation level was far above his!

"Who is it?"

The gray-robed elder asked in a deep voice, while waving his hand to remove the restriction on the door. He quickly added a protective spiritual light to himself and summoned a palm-sized cyan shield, which floated in front of him. The two layers of spiritual light protected him completely.

He was always cautious, especially in the chaotic city of Jinjing, where caution was paramount.

The door creaked open. Zhou Yuan appeared in the doorway, the moonlight casting a long shadow behind him.

"Zhou—Zhou Yuan?!"

Upon seeing the newcomer, the gray-robed old man's pupils constricted, and he cried out in alarm!

Although he hadn't been in Jinjing for long, Zhou Yuan had recently become famous there. And being someone who liked to gather information from all sides, he naturally recognized this rising star, the "overseas rogue cultivator," at a glance!

It's obvious to anyone that a powerful cultivator in the late Nascent Soul stage would suddenly approach a nobody in the early Nascent Soul stage in the dead of night—it's definitely not a good thing!

Alarm bells rang in the gray-robed old man's mind, and the knuckles of his fingers gripping the small blue shield turned white.

Seeing the other party's tense and wary expression, Zhou Yuan couldn't help but chuckle, his tone slightly playful: "Heh, you're quite cautious."

He stepped into the room and casually waved his hand, and an even stronger soundproof barrier enveloped the entire room, completely isolating it from all sounds and auras from both inside and outside.

"However, if I wanted to kill you, you wouldn't even have a chance to unleash your protective aura."

Zhou Yuan looked at the gray-robed old man, his tone calm, yet carrying an undeniable confidence and imposing presence.

Upon hearing this, the old man in the gray robe turned pale and then red, but he knew that the other party was telling the truth.

For a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator to kill an early-stage cultivator is indeed no more difficult than crushing an ant.

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the fear in his heart, cupped his hands in greeting to Zhou Yuan, and asked in a slightly dry voice, "I wonder what business you have with this old man so late at night, Fellow Daoist Zhou?"

"I've come to you because I want to make a deal with you."

Zhou Yuan cut to the chase, looking directly at the gray-robed elder, "Your storage bag should contain treasures with ice-cold attributes, right? Like—Ice Marrow?"

Upon hearing this, the gray-robed elder was filled with utter shock! A chilling aura!

He obtained this item in a very secretive way and never told anyone about it!

Even his closest disciples were unaware that he possessed such a treasure!

How did Zhou Yuan find out this week?!

Could he really sense the treasures stored inside the storage bag through it?! Just how terrifying must his divine sense be to do that?!

His mind raced, but he forced a blank expression and chuckled dryly, "Fellow Daoist, you jest—that kind of thing, Cold Marrow, is one of the most treasured artifacts of the Northern Night Little Extreme Palace. How could this old man have such good fortune to obtain it? Fellow Daoist, you must have sensed something wrong—"

"Nothing?" Zhou Yuan's smile gradually faded, and a cold, tangible killing intent spread out like a tide, instantly filling the entire room!

At the same time, he flicked his finger, and an even stronger restriction was unleashed, completely isolating the room from the outside world, preventing even a trace of his presence from escaping.

"Are you doubting my judgment?"

The chilling killing intent pressed against the gray-robed old man's throat like a sharp knife, making him feel as if he had fallen into an ice cave, and his blood seemed to freeze!

He had no doubt that if he said "no" again, he would be beheaded the next moment!

"Fellow Daoist, please calm down. I did indeed obtain a bottle of Cold Marrow by chance!"

Under the threat of death, the gray-robed elder could no longer care about secrecy or the high price. He hurriedly took out a white jade bottle, carved entirely from ten-thousand-year-old cold jade and affixed with several spirit-sealing talismans, from his storage bag. With trembling hands, he handed it to Zhou Yuan, his voice trembling with sobs, "Fellow Daoist Zhou, if you want it, just take it! I only beg you to spare this old man's life! Anything—any ancient treasure will do in exchange!"

Although he was greedy, he also valued his own life even more. Faced with absolute overwhelming power, any scheming was tantamount to courting death.

Zhou Yuan took the jade bottle; it was icy cold to the touch, and an extremely pure chill emanated from it.

He nodded in satisfaction, then casually took out a well-preserved ancient treasure flying fork from his storage bag, which he had seized years ago after killing a Nascent Soul cultivator, and tossed it to the gray-robed old man: "Consider this the exchange."

The gray-robed elder accepted the flying fork and sensed the Nascent Soul level power contained within it. He finally felt a little relieved and hurriedly nodded and bowed to express his gratitude.

Zhou Yuan ignored him, opened the jade bottle cap, and verified its authenticity.

"Buzz—!"

As soon as the bottle cap was opened, a chilling light shot out from the bottle, illuminating the entire room in a pure white light!

The temperature inside the room plummeted, and a thick layer of frost visibly formed on the walls, furniture, and even the ceiling! If Zhou Yuan hadn't set up a powerful barrier beforehand, this chill would probably have rushed out of the inn and alarmed the surrounding area for miles around!

"Not bad, it really is Cold Marrow."

A hint of joy flashed in Zhou Yuan's eyes. He quickly tightened the bottle cap and put it into his storage bag.

With this item, he will have more options and more confidence in the future, whether it is refining pills or raising spirit beasts.

Having done all this, he no longer looked at the gray-robed old man who had survived the ordeal and was now slumped on the ground. He removed the restrictions, turned around, and left the inn, disappearing into the vast night.

Time flies, and more than a month has passed quietly like flowing water.

As the opening date of the "Tianzhen Grand Gathering" approaches, the entire capital city of Jinjing has become more lively than ever before.

Cultivators from various states of the Great Jin Dynasty and even the surrounding areas flocked here in an endless stream, like rivers flowing into the sea.

The inns and restaurants in the city were already fully booked, and many cultivators even built temporary cave dwellings in open areas outside the city to stay.

-

On the streets, one can see cultivators of different sects and cultivation levels everywhere, including many powerful Nascent Soul cultivators.

According to statistics, in the days leading up to the auction, the number of Nascent Soul cultivators gathered in Jinjing City had reached an astonishing three hundred or more!

It should be noted that in the decisive battle between Tiannan and Mulan back then, even with both sides mobilizing all their forces, the number of Nascent Soul cultivators they gathered probably didn't reach this level! This demonstrates the immense strength of the cultivation world in the Great Jin Dynasty.

Outside the Jinxi market, in a separate pavilion rented by the Yinluo Sect for a large sum of money and filled with layers of restrictions.

At this moment, the atmosphere in the spacious hall was heavy and oppressive.

Twenty-three powerful Nascent Soul cultivators sat in various parts of the hall.

Among these people, nine wore the distinctive black robes of the Yinluo Sect, exuding a chilling aura; they were none other than the Yinluo Sect members led by Li Gu. The other fourteen people came from far more diverse backgrounds.

Three of them stood out with their presence.

One of them was a handsome young scholar dressed in a blue robe, with a gentle and refined demeanor. He was none other than Master Xu Changqing, who had come from the Tianlan Grassland.

One of them was Sun Erniang, the Immortal Master, dressed in a pale yellow palace gown, with purple hair flowing down her shoulders, alluring and charming, with a hideous ghost head biting in each of her arms.

The other was Lin Yinping, who was still veiled in white and sat quietly to the side, exuding a cool and aloof aura.

The remaining eleven were mostly external aids that the Yinluo Sect had brought in at great expense.

Five or six of them were well-known independent cultivators from various parts of the Great Jin Dynasty, possessing powerful auras and arrogant personalities.

There were also three or four people dressed in the attire of different demonic sects, clearly there because of the Yinluo Sect, or because of the treasures on Zhou Yuan's body.

Most notably, two of them were dressed in large black robes and hooded heads, completely obscuring their faces and making it impossible to see their features or even their figures.

Judging from the occasional aura they exuded, these two were extremely powerful and possessed pure and peaceful magical power, unlike those of demonic cultivators.

More like a righteous scholar!

Clearly, they concealed their identities, not wanting anyone to know that they were colluding with the demonic path to deal with Zhou Yuan.

"Everyone, almost everyone has arrived."

Li Gu stood up, his gaze sweeping over everyone present, and said in a deep voice, "However, our sect's Grand Elder has been delayed by an important matter and is temporarily unable to come to Jinjing to join us."

Upon hearing this, many people present frowned slightly.

Qian Laomo is the only late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator in the Yinluo Sect, and one of their greatest sources of confidence in dealing with Zhou Yuan.

If he hadn't come, could they have taken down the legendary "Number One Person in the South" with just these people?

Xu Changqing waved his hand and said calmly, "It's alright. Zhou Yuan possesses the Evil-Repelling Divine Thunder, which can suppress demonic arts. Whether Fellow Daoist Qian comes or not will not have a significant impact."

He turned his gaze to Li Gu and Lin Yinping, his tone filled with confidence: "That evil god thunder is indeed extremely effective against demonic techniques. My fellow Daoist Sun and I do not cultivate purely demonic techniques, so we are not affected by it."

"Moreover, we are not here to fight Zhou Yuan one-on-one, but to gather the strength of all the orchids and lay a trap! As long as he dares to step into our pre-arranged trap, even if he has three or six arms, he will not escape justice!"

Sun Erniang chuckled and chimed in, "Fellow Daoist Xu is right. No matter how much Zhou Yuan tries to seduce, he's still just a Lan."

"We have over twenty Nascent Soul cultivators here, including three late-stage cultivators, plus various formations and restrictions..."

"A partnership forged in this way—humph, even if he's a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, I'll still skin him alive!"

Upon hearing this, Li Gu felt greatly relieved, a sinister smile appearing on his face: "Good! With Fellow Daoist Xu and Fellow Daoist Sun's words, I can rest assured!"