Chapter 115: Procurement

One day later, the Awakened from Chongming and the Guards converged.

Gu Changqing glanced at them from afar, his gaze turning unkind as he pondered how to eliminate those Level 6 individuals once they reached Danyang Mountain.

As for the "big picture"... of course, there was a big picture! He was the big picture! When the Guards had tried to capture him, had they ever considered the big picture?

Yan Hao made a few inquiries and learned that the other side had not encountered any attacks. It seemed that the situation at Jieshan City might have been related to Gu Changqing having wiped out all the monsters there beforehand. Although the two sides had converged, they moved toward their target separately, keeping a gap of about a mile between them.

There was a large city beneath Danyang Mountain. The scouts sent previously had only taken photos and videos from a distance; judging by its scale, it housed about two or three hundred thousand people, representing the greatest obstacle before ascending the mountain.

However, Yan Hao already had a plan. Without Gu Changqing, it might have been troublesome, but Gu Changqing’s abilities were perfectly suited for dealing with such massive numbers of monsters.

Yet, after traveling for another day following the convergence, Gu Changqing suddenly left the group.

"Where are you going?" Yan Hao asked with a frown.

"I feel like I've made some progress recently, so I'm looking for a place to consolidate it," Gu Changqing offered a perfunctory excuse, one so transparent that anyone could tell it was a lie.

Li Gongfu walked over upon hearing this, his face cold. "This expedition cannot afford any leaks; everyone must act together. If you insist on leaving, then I can only suspect that you have ties to the Qi Dynasty!"

After all, Gu Changqing’s departure at this moment was highly suspicious.

Gu Changqing’s expression immediately turned fierce. Everyone knew that Li Gongfu’s accusation held no water; the talismans he had given Yan Hao were far too valuable. If Gu Changqing were associated with other factions, he would never have provided such items.

Without a word, Gu Changqing’s Yin-Yang Mother-Son Swords flew from his sleeves, and he took a step forward. As he did, his body swelled, his blood energy surged, and a mournful, wailing sound like ghosts and spirits erupted. He then threw a punch, and to the onlookers, it seemed as if a massive bronze tripod were smashing toward them.

The tripod symbolized royal authority and bore the weight of mountains and rivers, heavy beyond measure. The "Tripod" of the Imperial Fist was meant to contain the mountains and rivers. One could only imagine the terrifying power of a tripod filled with mountains and rivers being hurled. Combined with the essence of the Eight Desolations Fist, the force of this punch was truly horrific.

Facing this blow, Li Gongfu was gripped by shock. Although he had seen it from afar before, experiencing the sheer momentum and terror of the punch in person made it clear that it was impossible to block. Even as a Level 6 Awakened with physical enhancement, he dared not meet it head-on.

He retreated repeatedly, his face shifting as he shouted, "Gu Changqing, what are you trying to do?" At the same time, he drew his sword, the blade’s light flashing like thunder to parry the flying Yin-Yang Mother-Son Swords.

"I want to kill you!" Gu Changqing’s eyes burned with murderous intent as he prepared to pursue Li Gongfu.

"Stop!" Yan Hao and Gu Wu hurriedly separated the two.

Yan Hao felt a splitting headache; this Gu Changqing was like a powder keg, ready to explode at the slightest spark. Of course, Li Gongfu’s words were also entirely baseless.

"Do you remember why we are here? Do you not understand how important this mission is? Are we going to fight among ourselves before even reaching Danyang Mountain? Do you want to be a laughingstock?" Yan Hao demanded angrily.

"I was just joking with him! I didn't expect him to be such a coward!" The murderous light in Gu Changqing’s eyes vanished, and he laughed it off as if nothing had happened. "I'm off, I'll catch up with you all later!" With a wave of his hand, he darted into the distance like an arrow.

Watching Gu Changqing disappear from view, Li Gongfu’s expression darkened further. "He’s become reckless just because he has a little strength! We never should have recruited someone like this."

"Enough already! I warned you about his temper before," Yan Hao said, feeling annoyed with Li Gongfu as well.

"Hmph!" Li Gongfu snorted, his disdain for Gu Changqing deepening.

...

Gu Changqing found a secluded spot and, with a thought, returned to his cave dwelling on Spirit Vulture Peak. The city beneath Danyang Mountain and the mountain itself would take at least two or three days to explore. He had to find time to return first.

He could catch up to them in a day, and this way, if something went wrong during the mission, he could log out and return here at any moment. Additionally, he needed to make some preparations and offload his current batch of magical artifacts. The Tortoise-Snake Bagua Lamp was indeed convenient, but it consumed spirit stones too quickly; having more on hand was better for peace of mind. He also needed to prepare more talismans.

Pushing open the stone door, he was greeted by the scent of medicine, the sound of a rushing river, and the faint rumble of thunder. Gu Changqing knew Li Youling was undergoing marrow cleansing and blood replacement. She was practicing her forms in the main hall, and the sounds of the river and thunder originated from within her body.

Practicing forms and soaking in medicinal baths to cleanse the marrow through the vibration of bones and the absorption of medicinal power would take over twenty days, followed by another month for the blood replacement.

Gu Changqing watched for a moment before leaving the cave. He donned his Silver-Thread Cloud-Stepping Boots and first went to the Artifact Refining Hall to collect a gourd of Ice-Heart Fire. Then, using a Wind-Travel Talisman, he descended the mountain and headed straight for Youxian City.

It had taken him a day and a half to arrive, during which he had wasted much time helping Li Youling hunt beasts to absorb their blood energy. Now, with his Level 7 Qi Refining strength and traveling alone, his speed was much faster. A figure darted through the mountains, visible only as a faint shadow under the sunlight. He reached Youxian City in just over half a day.

Gu Changqing found a different shop selling magical artifacts.

"Fellow Daoist, are you looking to buy, or...?"

Gu Changqing took out an empty pouch and emptied it, revealing a pile of glowing magical artifacts—fifteen in total. Among them, a spear and a piece of inner armor were destroyed, devoid of spiritual energy. The remaining thirteen were intact, showing only slight signs of corrosion.

The shopkeeper and other cultivators glanced at Gu Changqing, but such occurrences were not rare. Even ordinary people fought, and since cultivators were powerful, their conflicts were even more frequent. Some cultivators would even bring in twenty or thirty artifacts at once.

Gu Changqing inspected the shop’s stock for a moment; they had a wider variety than the Treasure Pavilion, though the prices were slightly higher.

"Young master, these two have almost no value, they are just scrap. As for the rest, I’ll price them at 5,870 spirit stones." The shopkeeper explained that three of the items were of higher quality, worth about eight or nine hundred stones each. The cheapest ones were only worth a little over a hundred, and the more expensive ones five or six hundred. Thirteen artifacts averaged out to four hundred stones each.

Gu Changqing didn't mind. "Do as you said."

"You have talismans here, right?" Gu Changqing asked. The prices were similar to the Treasure Pavilion. He bought five Green Wood Profound Light Talismans, five Golden Light Protection Talismans, five Demon-Slaying Thunder Light Talismans, five Fire Dragon Talismans, and three Wind-Travel Talismans. All were high-level talismans, costing him over 1,500 spirit stones.

Including what he already had, he now possessed fourteen high-level protection talismans and over a dozen high-level attack talismans—enough for his needs. He still had over 5,000 spirit stones remaining. If he encountered real trouble, he could simply log out on the spot and come back to buy more supplies. If it reached that point, the others would likely be dead anyway.

After finishing his purchases, Gu Changqing returned to Spirit Vulture Peak.

Meanwhile, at White Jade Tower, several young men and women were drinking and laughing in a courtyard. One of them received a flying message and said, "There is news!"

"He did indeed enter Lotus Ridge, specifically Spirit Vulture Peak. It is said he caused quite a bit of trouble just after joining. He’s not weak—at least Level 7 Qi Refining!"

"See if we can track his movements, or have someone lure him out!"

The others nodded, unimpressed by Gu Changqing’s strength. Only one person frowned, filled with doubt. She alone knew that two months ago, Gu Changqing had been nothing but a villager, yet he was now at Level 7 Qi Refining. If he had obtained the Blood Venerable's inheritance, he would have had to slaughter countless people to practice such demonic arts—at least two entire counties would have had to be wiped out.

Yet, there had been no news of any such massacres in the Southern Province over the last two months. How had he done it? Or had she found the wrong person?