Previously, while shuttling through the sewers, An Jing did not waste any time. Instead, he searched for relevant information as much as possible from Ms. Nian Qin’s watch—the watch had a name engraved—and pieced together a complete picture of the "True Talisman Contest."
At first, An Jing did not think he would obtain any valuable information from it.
Even business owners, constantly on the move, carry around several different cell phones to communicate with various channels and clients. Important information would be recorded on more secure devices and definitely not left on a "personal terminal" that one carries around.
As a smuggler frequently involved in clandestine deals, possibly even related to the "Guiyi Army", such as Nian Qin, even if negligent, should not leave anything suspicious on her personal terminal, right?
But surprisingly, there was something!
However, the message was not in the watch.
At that time, upon Sword Spirit’s reminder, An Jing’s muscles contracted, and with a slight effort, he crumbled the metallic strap on both sides of the watch, and out fell an exceedingly thin "Silk Talisman".
The talisman had nothing else on it and just directly had eight characters written on it.
——Visitors from the Wilderness, Brown Earth Golden Flame!
If An Jing had not encountered Bo Yan, of course, he would not understand the meaning of these eight characters; but having met Bo Yan, how could he not know?
She was, after all, the "contact person" in the black market, meeting up with Bo Yan, a practitioner from the Guiyi Army!
Moreover, Mount Xiao Zhe is owned by the Shouyang Mountain Group, which aligns with the recent news of friction between Luofu and Shouyang Mountain outside.
It is still unknown, however, whether Nian Qin was a Guiyi Army insider lurking at Mount Xiao Zhe, framing the Shouyang Mountain Group for the incident, or a loyal servant of Shouyang Mountain who received signals from above to meet secretly with the Guiyi Army.
Her identity is truly complex.
In any case, this explains why Nian Qin did not hurry to evacuate after the Fengdu Guards ambushed her, but instead stayed in the shop and would not leave.
Later on, it seemed as if the Silk Talisman sensed the remaining aura of Bo Yan on An Jing and self-ignited, vanishing—if it had still been inside the metal strap of the watch when Nian Qin encountered Bo Yan, the burning temperature would naturally have alerted her that she had met her target.
However, for some reason, Bo Yan hadn’t sought out Nian Qin for such a long time... Perhaps there was a mix-up in the intelligence between them, or even a double agent within their organizations.
The death of Nian Qin was likely caused by a betrayal; despite her considerable strength and having talismans, guns, and other tricks up her sleeve, she didn’t use any.
Nian Qin paid so much attention to An Jing most likely because, in her eyes, An Jing was also a "Visitor from the Wilderness" and could be related to her mission target.
Clearly, the struggle surrounding the True Talisman runs deep, with even the Purple Mansion cultivators of the Guiyi Army using themselves as bait, yet the ostensibly very secure Bo Yan was still exposed, dragging An Jing into the matter as well.
This signifies there must also be spies within the Guiyi Army.
"Spy within a spy? You have moles in my ranks, and I have moles in yours. Everyone is infiltrating, diluting and nesting within intelligence?"
An Jing felt a headache coming on, "Such tangled mess, thankfully, I’m a cultivator from another world. If I so wish, I can leave this muddled situation behind."
But the world of Embracing the Void also contains much murkiness. Thinking about the relationship between Da Chen and the Demon Sect, one could feel dizzy—how nice it would be if the world were a simple place of black and white, but simplicity is not to be had.
An Jing obtained the True Talisman, naturally wanting to understand the ins and outs behind it. Yet, the deeper he delved, the more complex he found matters—he didn’t follow the map left by Nian Qin because, with the existence of a mole, people from the Sky Surveillance Bureau were probably lying in wait at the exit, ready to arrest anyone emerging!
He kept all of these in mind, "Regardless of everything, Fengdu Guards, Guiyi Division...and all the moles and Dark Hands behind them, I’ve taken note of you all!"
But as the saying goes, there are always risks where there is the promise of reward.
Although being caught up in the "Heavenly Profound True Talisman affair" had led An Jing into danger on multiple occasions, his gains had also been exceptionally substantial.
Excluding the "two six-qi lotus platform sub-machines," "one Swift Movement Talisman," "one Qi Boosting Pill," and "one self-destructing drone" that had been destroyed or used,
Now, An Jing still possessed "the Six Qi Lotus Platform and ten sub-drones," "three self-destructing drones," "an outdoor survival kit," "two Qi Boosting Pills," "one Swift Movement Talisman," "one Protective Body Armor Jade Pendant," and about six taels of jade steel.
This was in addition to An Jing’s original weapons such as the Sword Box, as well as the "Heavenly Profound True Talisman" he acquired later, and the "Evergreen Wood Core" and "Charged Tier-two Spirit Stone" he peeled off the Fengdu Armor.
Each of these items was probably more valuable than all of the aforementioned combined! They just couldn’t be converted into combat power immediately.
The "Bulletproof Poncho" and "Poison Gas Mask" An Jing wore, although not particularly useful just now, were still magic artifacts after all. In the realm of Embracing the Void, they were useful against Heavenly Demons and Demon Sect disciples.
Oh, right, there were also the "stack of Gentle Breeze Talismans" given to him by Boss Lucky Road!
At this thought, An Jing cursed himself inwardly for not being attentive enough to remember these talismans that could eliminate odors and conceal one’s aura—it was no wonder the Silk Talisman caught fire upon contact with him since Bo Yan’s aura was still lingering on his body!
But it was not too late; he immediately took out a Gentle Breeze Talisman and gently activated it with his essence qi.
Instantly, the talisman paper turned into ashes, and a breeze swept over An Jing, erasing all traces of dust, smell, and the stench of blood from his body!
"Now I can walk safely."
After ensuring there was no longer any scent on his body, An Jing moved on with satisfaction, thinking: "I wonder how the boss is doing now. He has more protective measures than me, so he probably escaped before the fight in Purple Mansion began."
"Till we meet again, if fate allows."
It was a pity that there wasn’t enough time now, An Jing didn’t have the opportunity to test the effects of the Heavenly Profound True Talisman. Moreover, it seemed that he needed to implant the talisman into his flesh and blood and infuse it with Essential Origin Qi to activate it.
Use of Essential Origin Qi, even slightly, would affect one’s lifespan. An Jing wouldn’t use it until he fully understood its effects and potential side effects.
Bo Yan, too, wouldn’t have used Essential Origin Qi to activate the talisman if his arm hadn’t been severed and his body inflicted with Underworld Poison.
On this matter, the Sword Spirit was quite proactive.
"This True Talisman is related to the Path of Life. If it is not placed within the corresponding Great Formation or Ritual Tracks, it indeed requires the nourishment of life essence qi," the Sword Spirit said.
After all, it was an Ancient Immortal Sword, and even if it was not proficient in formations, it had a deeper understanding of the Heavenly Profound True Talisman than many others: "An Jing, you currently lack enough essence qi and don’t have sufficient time to nurture it. But once you’ve dealt with the Demon Sect of Embracing the Void, I can use the ’Evergreen Wood Core’ to help you nurture essence qi, and quickly elevate it to a surging level."
"Then, you can use your own essence qi to attempt a connection with ’Taibai’s Evil Qi’... Once you’ve branded it, I can bring it into the Divine Sea to help you refine it."
"By that time, you will know exactly what the talisman does and how to use it."
An Jing exhaled deeply and said seriously, "Thank you, Subdue Evil."
"We are bound by a common destiny, simply helping each other," the Sword Spirit replied with a smile: "Not to mention, it is an ancient relic like me. If you refine it, perhaps I could recall something."
At this moment, An Jing, who was steadily advancing, had reached a sewer that was very close to the surface and could faintly sense the massive fluctuations of spirit qi in the distance.
This indicated that the fight between the two individuals from Purple Mansion had not yet concluded.
Or rather, they might have reached a ’consensus,’ using the battle as an excuse to seal off all the passages surrounding the Black Market.
An Jing activated the Tranquil Sword Manual to enhance his perception, avoiding several streets with people and arriving at a sewer under a narrow alley.
Assured that this alleyway was rarely traversed, he immediately lifted the manhole cover and left the sewer without hesitation.
After emerging, An Jing used a Gentle Breeze Talisman to erase his scent once again.
Then, he opened Nian Qin’s watch to check the map and confirm his direction before striding towards the edge of Xuanye City.
Soon, An Jing blended into the crowd on the street, hurrying along until he reached an abandoned building on the outskirts of Xuanye City.
Only at this moment did he truly escape the Black Market completely.