Mortal: I am the young sect master of the Thousand Illusions Sect

Chapter 84 Abyss Island

Time flies, and half a year has passed in the blink of an eye.

The Fengle Business Alliance's once-in-thirty-years grand auction, organized by the Fengle Auction House in Tianxing City, opened as scheduled.

Su Mixin sent all six magical flying swords that she had crafted and kept but never used to Fengle Auction House for registration and auction.

The six magical flying swords sold for far more than expected. After deducting the auction house's commission, Su Mixin received a huge amount of mid-grade spirit stones, making her spirit stone reserves extremely abundant.

Since settling in the Holy Mountain Cave in Tianxing City eight and a half years ago, Su Mixin has relied on the Hearthstone to freely travel between the Chaotic Star Sea and Tiannan, buying and selling goods and accumulating a considerable fortune.

To this day, his world ring contains over 300,000 low-grade spirit stones and over 2,900 mid-grade spirit stones.

This does not include the magical artifacts, formations, and various spiritual materials stockpiled in the Yuhua Tower's warehouse, with a value equivalent to over 100,000 low-grade spirit stones.

Aside from her natal magic treasures and hidden trump cards, Su Mixin's wealth in terms of spirit stones alone is quite remarkable among Nascent Soul cultivators.

After the auction ended, Su Mixin did not immediately return to her cave on the forty-eighth floor of the Holy Mountain. Instead, she used her sword energy to activate a golden escape light and flew straight to Yuhua Tower, intending to check on the current situation of her shop.

The golden light faded and landed steadily in front of the main entrance of Yuhua Tower.

Just as the Qi Refining cultivator on duty in front of the building was about to bow in respect, a figure in a green robe quickly stepped forward from the other side.

Shu Ren was a middle-aged scholar, dressed in a plain blue robe, with a square face, brows and eyes that were not sharp, and an aura of restraint.

He walked quickly to Su Mixin, stood upright, cupped his hands in greeting, and said in a respectful tone: "Greetings, Fellow Daoist Su. My name is Hong Guliang. I have been waiting here for a long time. I have an important transaction to discuss with you."

Su Mixin raised an eyebrow slightly, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes. A wisp of divine sense, comparable to the late stage of Core Formation, silently spread out, sweeping over the other person's body. In an instant, she discovered that this person's cultivation was not bad; he was a mid-stage Core Formation cultivator.

Suppressing her doubts, Su Mixin remained calm and raised her hand in return, saying, "Greetings, Fellow Daoist Hong. There are too many people around here; let's go inside and discuss this further."

After saying that, he stepped aside and led the way, passing through the crowds of people coming and going on the first floor to select magical artifacts and spiritual materials, and went straight up the wooden stairs to a private tea room on the third floor.

The private room is equipped with a double magic array that isolates sound and prevents divine sense from probing. The furnishings are elegant and simple, which can completely block out external divine sense and sound, making it extremely private.

Upon hearing the sound, the receptionist at Yuhua Tower pushed open the door and entered. She carried a white jade tea tray in her jade hands, brewed a pot of clear and refreshing tea, bowed, and then quietly retreated, closing the wooden door of the private room behind her.

Su Mixin raised her hand and made a hand seal, completely activating the restrictions on the private room and sealing off the flow of sound from inside and outside.

The two sat facing each other across a cloud-patterned wooden table, the aroma of tea wafting through the air.

Su Mixin lightly touched the rim of the porcelain cup with her fingertips and spoke first: "Fellow Daoist Hong has come all this way to wait here. May I ask what kind of transaction you wish to make?"

Hong Guliang raised his hand to pick up the teacup, but did not drink the tea. A meaningful smile appeared on his lips, and his gaze was fixed on Su Mixin. He slowly said, "I have come to visit you only to ask you for a fragment of the One Void Heaven Map."

As soon as these words were spoken, the breaths of both parties in the private room suddenly froze, and the atmosphere became tense for a moment.

The alarm bells in Su Mixin's heart rang loudly, but her face remained completely calm.

His eyelids drooped slightly, his expression relaxed and indifferent, even deliberately feigning a hint of bewilderment, as he calmly deflected the question: "I only heard of the Void Heaven Remnant Map not long ago at the trade fair hosted by Song Yuezi of the Xuanji Sect. I am merely a rogue cultivator in the early stages of Core Formation with limited opportunities and no sect affiliation. How can Fellow Daoist Hong be so certain that I possess such an item?"

Faced with the question, Hong Guliang showed no intention of answering. He put down his teacup, leaned forward slightly, and stared intently into Su Mixin's eyes, as if trying to see through her heart.

After a long silence, he said in a deep voice, "Fellow Daoist Su, you can rest assured that the price I offer will definitely satisfy you. Moreover, this item is not what I seek; I am merely negotiating on behalf of the person behind the scenes. I hope you will consider this carefully. I will personally visit your cave on Holy Mountain three days from now."

As soon as he finished speaking, Hong Guliang stood up abruptly. Before Su Mixin could refuse to ask questions or inquire about the details behind the scenes, he lightly flicked his sleeves to release the restrictions on the private room, turned around and left with brisk steps. His figure in blue robes disappeared at the end of the corridor in an instant.

The wooden door closed, and the private room returned to silence.

Su Mixin looked up at the closed door, her relaxed and indifferent expression completely gone, replaced by a cold and deep look in her eyes. She tapped her fingertips lightly on the table, calmly reviewing the situation.

Hong Guliang was extremely focused, going straight to the point of wanting to buy the fragmented map of the Void Heaven, with unwavering determination.

In the Chaotic Star Sea region, there was only one thing related to the Void Heaven Remnant Map: half a year ago, he broke into the Holy Mountain Cave, killed the Foundation Establishment demonic cultivator surnamed Ye, and seized the Void Heaven Remnant Map.

On what basis did the other party conclude that they were the ones who stole the treasure?

Upon further reflection, Hong Guliang realized that he had no way of being certain.

After killing that Foundation Establishment demonic cultivator surnamed Ye that day, he had already erased all traces and teleported directly to Tiannan, disposing of the spoils hundreds of millions of miles away without revealing his whereabouts or leaving any clues.

It seems that Hong Guliang and the cultivators and forces behind him have no concrete evidence. They are simply casting a wide net to investigate and compile a list of all cultivators who could potentially kill the Ye surname demonic cultivator, and then testing them one by one.

Because of the Qin siblings, he had the motive to kill the demonic cultivator surnamed Ye, and his cultivation strength was enough to overwhelm a Foundation Establishment cultivator, thus placing him on the suspect list.

Hong Guliang's visit was originally intended as a probe to alert the enemy.

He has always presented himself to the outside world as an ordinary early-stage Core Formation cultivator who spends his days in Tianxing City, diligently cultivating his skills. To outsiders, he might not dare to venture into the perilous Void Heaven Palace, which will open a hundred years later.

Hong Guliang and his group were probably certain that if he really had the incomplete map, he would most likely choose to sell it off when faced with an exorbitant reward. This test was just a preliminary attempt. After they declined, he didn't continue to pester them. Instead, he made an appointment to visit again in three days and left directly, leaving them room to think and maneuver.

Even if he refused again three days later, he could not clear his name. Hong Guliang and the forces behind him would not give up so easily.

To be able to command a mid-stage Core Formation cultivator to personally intervene, the person behind them must be at least a late-stage Core Formation cultivator, or even possibly a Nascent Soul elder.

This trouble is far greater than expected.

Su Mixin's expression darkened slightly, her mind becoming heavy.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye, and Hong Guliang arrived at the forty-eighth level of the sacred mountain cave as promised.

Su Mixin was too lazy to deal with the situation directly, so she simply stayed indoors and instructed Qin Lian to greet the guests and convey the message: The owner of the cave has no fragment of the Void Heaven Map, so please return.

To avoid further harassment, Su Mixin lived a completely secluded life thereafter, rarely venturing out of her cave.

The hidden dangers posed by the Void Heaven Remnant Map are secondary at the moment; his most important task remains finding the last two main materials for the Void Formless Sword.

In the southern region, the Thousand Illusions Sect searched with all its might, and even Su Yunluo personally went to search, but they could not find a single clue about the main material.

If there is still room for exploration in the Chaotic Star Sea, then the biggest breakthrough can only be found in the Star Palace.

From then on, Su Mixin went into seclusion to cultivate and study formations and swordsmanship, while patiently waiting for news from Tang Geng. This wait lasted for two whole years.

That afternoon, a condensed crimson light steadily landed outside the gate of the forty-eighth level cave on the sacred mountain, and Tang Geng finally visited again.

In front of the bluestone table in the courtyard pavilion, Qin Lian served tea as usual, then bowed and stepped aside. Two years later, the two sat down and chatted again.

Before Su Mixin could ask, Tang Geng picked up his teacup, a confident smile in his eyes, and spoke first: "Fellow Daoist Su, I've come today to bring you good news about the spiritual object you've been searching for."

Upon hearing this, Su Mixin's relaxed expression suddenly hardened, her body leaned forward slightly, and a rare eagerness appeared in her eyes as she waited for what was to come.

Tang Geng slowed down his speech and slowly recounted the whole story: "Not long ago, my Tang family's Nascent Soul ancestor, who had been sent out, returned to the Star Palace, and I immediately borrowed the high-level library access token."

"It took me half a month to enter the cabinet, scouring through ancient books and records documenting extinct spiritual materials, until I finally found a copy of 'The Records of Starry Sea Customs'."

"In the process, we found a matching clue."

"The book records an item called Earth Abyss Spirit Water. Its appearance, quality, and formation environment are completely consistent with the Bitter Yin Spirit Water you described two years ago. It's just that the name is different in ancient and modern times. It should actually be the same kind of spirit water."

"Really?" Su Mixin's eyes suddenly lit up, and she asked in a deep voice, "Where can we obtain the Abyss Spirit Water here?"

Tang Geng had made preparations in advance. He took out a jade slip with a map engraved on it and handed it to the other person. "This jade slip contains a map of the locations where the Earth Abyss Spirit Water is produced."

He continued his explanation clearly: "The place of origin is extremely far away and is not within the territory controlled by the Inner Star Sea Human Race."

"You need to start from the southwestern border of the Inner Star Sea, sail out of the Star Palace's jurisdiction, and then travel three million miles southwest across the ocean to reach a large island in the outer sea, which is called Earth Abyss Island."

"This island is enormous, with hundreds of natural underground fissures and caves that connect to the island's interior."

"Beneath the island lies a vast underground realm, which ancient texts refer to as the Abyss. The spiritual waters of the Abyss are extremely rare, only found in the deepest, darkest parts of the Abyss."

Su Mixin lightly tapped the table with her fingertips, silently memorizing all the locations and terrain features. She frowned slightly and reviewed the information in a low voice: "Southwest of the Inner Star Sea, three million miles from the Outer Sea, Earth Abyss Island, the deepest and darkest place in the underground abyss—"

Tang Geng spoke up at the opportune moment, reminding us: "The ancient books only indicate the place of origin, but do not record the dangers inside the abyss. The outer sea is not under the control of the human race, and there are many ferocious demons in the sea. The underground secret realm is even more dangerous and unknown. Fellow Daoist, you must make thorough preparations before you set off."

"As for the Void Crystal, there is still no record of it in the library's records, so it is currently impossible to find."

Su Mixin suppressed her anxiety, her expression returning to calm. She nodded and said slowly, "I understand. Thank you for reminding me, Fellow Daoist Tang."

After speaking, he raised his hand and touched the storage bag at his waist. A large wooden box carved with cloud patterns appeared and gently landed on the bluestone table. The box was exquisitely crafted.

"This is the reward I promised to Fellow Daoist Tang."

After saying that, Su Mixin reached out and opened the wooden box, which was filled with low-grade spirit stones.

Tang Geng subconsciously spread out a wisp of his divine sense to scan the spirit stones. The spirit stones shone with rich and dazzling spiritual light. After counting, there were at least 20,000 low-grade spirit stones.

A glint flashed in his eyes, and he immediately withdrew his divine sense. His previous refined and indifferent demeanor vanished, replaced by a beaming smile and a more enthusiastic tone: "Since it is Fellow Daoist Su's kind intention, then I shall accept it without hesitation."

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