Three Peaks Mountain.
This mountain range lay within the former dominion of the Mystical Sound Palace. Compared to other areas, the Spiritual Qi here was sparse. At the foot of the mountain, there were only some mortal hunters who made their living by hunting wild beasts.
It was precisely because of this that it was chosen as the meeting place by the Hidden Mountain Gathering.
When Chu Xuan arrived, he found that not everyone had gathered yet. Two were missing.
Jian Yitong still maintained his handsome, youthful appearance, flirtatiously exchanging glances with the voluptuous female cultivator known as "Snow Grease" from last time.
Black Chess patiently waited for an hour before saying, "Flying Fish and Rainstorm, these two fellow daoists have not arrived. Let's not wait any longer; we'll start the gathering now."
Their absence could mean many things. Perhaps they were at a critical point in their cultivation and couldn't make it, or maybe they were seriously injured or even dead. Chu Xuan didn't care.
This transaction was as uninteresting as the last. The truly useful treasures were beyond his means; his spirit stones were insufficient to purchase them. Most of the items were useful to others but useless to Chu Xuan.
When it was Chu Xuan's turn, he presented three types of poison: Qi-Binding Dust, Qi-Wounding Smoke, and Soul Numbing Incense.
This substance was formless, with only a faint scent. Once inhaled, it increased the Spiritual Qi consumption with each circulation. The more one circulated their Qi, the more it consumed, silently depleting an opponent's Spiritual Qi without them noticing.
Soul Numbing Incense was another type of poison. Also invisible, it had a rich and potent fragrance. After inhalation, it could numb the soul, significantly reducing the sensitivity with which one could control their magic treasures, thereby providing an advantage in combat.
The moment these three poisons were introduced, they caught the attention of the other Golden Core cultivators.
"Heartless, I want a bottle of the Soul Numbing Incense!" Jian Yitong immediately declared.
Black Chess, Sky Stone, and others also arranged private transactions with Chu Xuan.
Chu Xuan nodded slightly. This would certainly boost his coffers. Watching the treasures being traded, which he could neither afford nor seize, felt rather frustrating.
"Information about Shang Tianjue's whereabouts," stated the middle-aged cultivator known by the code name "Deep Sea" calmly.
All eyes turned sharply towards him. Both the Heaven Burning Sect and the Hundred Refinements Sect, under the orders of their respective Nascent Soul ancestors, were searching for Shang Tianjue and Shang Xingchen.
Of course, the majority of cultivators were unaware of their true objectives. Likely, only the dozen participants at the Hidden Mountain Gathering knew about the bounty and rewards offered by the Feather Transformation Heaven Palace.
"This piece of information is valuable. I want five thousand small spiritual stones," Deep Sea raised a finger.
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"I'm listening," Black Chess immediately threw a low-grade storage bag towards him.
"I want to hear it too."
"I'm listening as well."
In the blink of an eye, everyone had thrown five thousand small spiritual stones towards him.
Deep Sea then continued, "Between Yue Country and Yu Country, in the Boundless Desert, there's an ancient battlefield of Loulan.
Just a few days ago, the malevolent energy of resentment at the site dissipated, and the lingering spirit of the King of Loulan vanished without a trace.
The Heaven Burning Sect has already sent people to investigate and found traces of the cultivation of the 'Nether Reverse Immortal Art'."
Chu Xuan listened thoughtfully. The 'Nether Reverse Immortal Art' was clearly a technique from the Nether Dao Sect. This meant that a cultivator from the Nether Dao Sect had recently been practicing there!
This was significant news. It could be either Shang Tianjue or Shang Xingchen, though it was also possible that it was a diversion meant to mislead the Heaven Burning Sect.
Such tactics had been used before and were not unheard of, even within the territory of the Hundred Refinements Sect. Chu Xuan had heard such stories more than once from Song Junjie and Qian Tang.
After Deep Sea finished sharing his information, the trade continued. When it was White Water's turn, he smiled lightly, "Information—I know where a remnant of the Nether Dao Sect is. By tracking the techniques they cultivate, we can find Shang Tianjue hidden in the Southern Wilderness."
This statement piqued the interest of all the cultivators present. Compared to Deep Sea's information, White Water's was evidently more useful. Deep Sea merely indicated that someone had practiced in the ancient battlefield of Loulan, likely from the Nether Dao Sect.
However, White Water's information could potentially lead directly to Shang Tianjue!
"Starting bid is thirty thousand small spiritual stones," White Water said with a smile.
This news was clearly unique, not to be shared like other pieces of information. The attending cultivators immediately began to bid.
"I bid thirty-two thousand small spiritual stones," declared Flying Fish sternly.
"Thirty-three thousand," Jian Yitong, who went by the alias "Righteous," also joined in.
"I bid thirty-five thousand," Snow Grease raised the bid.
"Forty thousand small spiritual stones. Let's not fight over this, everyone," Black Chess chuckled.
Chu Xuan also made a symbolic bid, but he had no intention of securing the information; it was merely a casual addition on his part.
He still believed that a genius who had escaped a deadly catastrophe five hundred years ago would not be easy to find. Trying to locate Shang Tianjue through such means would likely provoke his retaliation, which could be fatal.
Eventually, the information was acquired by Deep Sea for fifty-one thousand small spiritual stones.
"Black Chess, I'm leaving first," Deep Sea said in a deep voice.
"Of course, fellow daoist, please go ahead," Black Chess replied with a smile.
Having spent such a considerable sum on the information, Deep Sea was naturally eager to leave rather than waste more time here.
Chu Xuan watched his departing figure, contemplative. He had some guesses about Deep Sea's identity; it was very likely that he was a cultivator from the Heaven Burning Sect. The information Deep Sea had previously shared seemed to support this conjecture.
After Deep Sea's departure, the trading session became much duller. The cultivators seemed distracted. Not long afterward, the Golden Core Gathering officially ended, and all the Golden Core cultivators dispersed.
Chu Xuan didn't delay. After making several detours to shake off any potential followers and disposing of his disguise, he returned to Black Dragon Mountain.
In Wu Province, Yun Family Village.
This small mountain village comprised only twenty to thirty households. The villagers lived a simple life: they worked from sunrise to sunset, day after day, year after year.
There was a famous doctor in the village, whom everyone called Doctor Jiang.
Doctor Jiang and his family had moved to Yun Family Village at some unspecified time. It seemed that since their arrival, the number of snakes, insects, rats, and ants in the vicinity had markedly decreased.
Sixty years had passed since Doctor Jiang, who had moved here, had died of illness. His son, however, had inherited his medical skills and had earned himself the reputation of being the young Doctor Jiang.
On this day, life in Yun Family Village continued as peacefully as ever. A villager who had been bitten by a poisonous insect came to the young Doctor Jiang's house seeking treatment.
A beautiful woman with a slightly protruding belly came out and smiled, "Ah, it's Uncle from next door. Please wait a moment, my husband is preparing some medicine."
As soon as she finished speaking, a middle-aged man came out. He frowned and said, "An insect bite is a serious matter; it must be treated immediately. How can we delay? Please follow me."