Zhou Shu walked out of the cave, but he didn't expect the exit to be right at the edge of a cliff. Without paying attention, he slipped and fell.
Luckily, among the several talismans he had obtained earlier was a lightening talisman. Zhou Shu didn't panic, but quickly slapped the talisman on himself. His body instantly felt lighter, and his descent slowed considerably.
He lowered his palms, unleashing the Cloud-Removing Technique with all his might. With the wind's force, his body drifted away, clinging tightly to the vines at the edge of the cliff.
With a sigh of relief, Zhou Shu turned to look.
He was in the clouds, with no end in sight.
No wonder the market couldn't find these masked cultivators. Who would have guessed they'd hide their lair in a place like this?
Zhou Shu made a mark on the spot and climbed up the vines.
The mountain was steep, and Zhou Shu's spiritual power was limited. It took him nearly half an hour to reach the summit, climbing up and down.
Looking around, he suddenly felt a sense of familiarity. On his trip to the Rift Valley with Yan Yue, Zhou Shu happened to pass by this place. Calculating the distance to the market, it was about three hundred li, not too far.
Feeling relieved, Zhou Shu rested briefly, then took out his Lightness Talisman and Speed Talisman, and sped back. He
took shortcuts and rode relentlessly.
Perhaps it was his black robes and mask that caused the cultivators he met to shy away, refusing to approach.
As he neared the market, he quickly removed his black robes and mask and headed straight for Sanyuanzhai.
Upon his return, Zhou Shu would of course inform the market management of his discovery of the missing person. This would both save the person and earn him a substantial reward. However, as an unknown cultivator, even with evidence, he wouldn't necessarily attract the attention of the market administrators. He might even be eliminated before he could even present the evidence.
Those masked cultivators had captured so many cultivators without being exposed, suggesting they might be secretly colluding with people in the market.
Therefore, he had to go to Sanyuanzhai first and ask Shopkeeper Hua Ruoan for help.
Through observation over this period of time, Hua Ruoan is quite trustworthy and should not be colluding with those masked cultivators.
"Mr. Zhou, you are here again. What can I do for you this time?"
The clerk came over with a smile on his face. Zhou Shu's several transactions made him a lot of money, and he was very grateful to Zhou Shu.
"Is Shopkeeper Hua here?"
"Yes, yes, please come in."
Zhou Shu walked quickly into Sanyuanzhai and bowed to Hua Ruoan. "Shopkeeper Hua, I have something important to discuss with you."
Hua Ruoan was entertaining guests and was slightly startled to see Zhou Shu interrupt him rashly. But seeing that Zhou Shu's expression was more serious than usual, he nodded and said, "Brother Zhou, please go into the inner hall first."
"Thank you."
The two entered the inner hall, and before they sat down, Zhou Shu said in a serious tone, "Shopkeeper Hua, I found those missing wandering cultivators."
"Ah? What happened?"
Zhou Shu slowly recounted his experience, but he only mentioned the escape process in a few words without going into detail.
Hua Ruoan's expression suddenly changed. "Brother Zhou, are you telling the truth? Don't joke around. This is a huge deal, and everyone in the market is taking it extremely seriously."
He was skeptical. With Zhou Shu's abilities, how could he have escaped after being captured? Moreover, there was something he hadn't even heard of, the Erosion God Pill.
Zhou Shu nodded seriously, "Indeed."
Hua Ruoan still shook his head. "Brother Zhou, you have to tell me how you escaped. If you can't explain this, I find it hard to believe what you say next."
Zhou Shu pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "Shopkeeper Hua, I have some secrets of my own that are not worth sharing. You don't need to ask any more questions. If you don't believe me, I have evidence here."
"That's fine. Show me the evidence. It's not that I don't believe you, Brother Zhou, but this is a matter of great importance."
Hua Ruoan's eyes shone brightly, his demeanor dignified, a stark contrast to his usual affable businessman.
Zhou Shu pondered for a moment, then nodded gently, holding out a few items.
"Please look, shopkeeper."
Hua Ruoan glanced over, "Are these clothes and masks those of those masked cultivators? Is this elixir the God-Erosion Pill?"
"Yes, and this candlestick, I think it has something to do with the Fire Refining Array they mentioned." Zhou Shu pointed at the strange candlestick.
Seeing the candlestick, Hua Ruoan's face twitched suddenly, and he said with a pale face, "It's the Soul-Sucking Lamp?"
Zhou Shu was a little confused, "What is the Soul-Sucking Lamp?"
"A kind of evil magic weapon."
"Some evil skills practiced by evil practitioners can extract the consciousness and soul of the practitioners, and they will store the soul in the Soul-Sucking Lamp. Once the consciousness and soul of the cultivator are extracted, they will be like idiots, and their life will be worse than death. But what is even more terrifying is that the soul will suffer all kinds of torture in the Soul-Sucking Lamp, and may even be refined into all kinds of weird evil weapons, and will never be reborn. This kind of thing and the evil practitioners who practice skills are the great enemies and mortal enemies of many sects in our world of immortal cultivation!"
Hua Ruoan's tone became heavier, and his face was so gloomy that water could drip out of it, "Brother Zhou, it seems that what you said is true. It is impossible for you to have an evil weapon like the Soul-Sucking Lamp."
Zhou Shu nodded.
"There's no time to waste! Take your things and we'll go see Manager Yuan from the market. Remember, you can only speak to the manager. Don't open your mouth to anyone else's questions."
"I understand."
The two men hurried away, leaving the waiters and guests behind them with a look of surprise.
They crossed several streets and arrived in front of a three-story domed building.
The building was completely empty, devoid of any buildings. Only hundreds of jade pillars, less than half a meter tall, were dotted around the perimeter, seemingly forming some kind of strange formation.
Several blue-shirted guards approached quickly. "Manager Hua, what's going on?"
Hua Ruoan nodded solemnly. "It's something urgent. Please inform Manager Yuan immediately."
The blue-shirted cultivator nodded and soon led the two men through the formation and into the main hall of the building.
Three people stood in the hall. The two cultivators on the left and right were both in their fifties or sixties, one with a red face, the other with long eyebrows. They seemed to be arguing about something, and they didn't stop until the two men entered.
The middle-aged cultivator in the center, clad in a long blue crane cloak with gold trimmings on the sleeves, stood as majestic as a pine tree.
Hua Ruoan stepped forward and bowed, "Hua Ruoan greets Manager Yuan Li."
Yuan Li nodded calmly, "Manager Hua, what's the urgent matter?"
"This young man, Zhou Shu, has found the whereabouts of the missing cultivator,"
Hua Ruoan stated directly, then turned to Zhou Shu, "Brother Zhou, repeat what you told me earlier."
Upon hearing Hua Ruoan's words, the two cultivators beside him immediately stopped arguing and looked toward the hall in surprise. Yuan Li, calm and composed, fixed his gaze on Zhou Shu.
"Zhou Shu, speak."
His gaze shone upon Zhou Shu, and he suddenly felt an invisible pressure, his heart trembling, like the time he faced Liu Yuzhe when he first entered the Wuwang Sect, only even more so.
In comparison, Liu Yuzhe was like a sharp, cold sword, while the cultivator before him was like a great seal that suppressed all directions.
It was obvious that Yuan Li was a cultivator at the Condensing Veins Realm, even several points higher than Liu Yuze.
A mere steward, yet possessing such strength, Qingxia Market should not be underestimated.
Zhou Shu nodded and said aloud, "Steward, I'm Zhou Shu..."
Before Zhou Shu could finish his sentence, the long-browed cultivator barked, "Stop your nonsense! How could you, a Qi Refining Realm Level 2 cultivator, escape from a Qi Refining Realm Level 6 cultivator and even kill him? This is simply absurd. I simply cannot bear to hear it!"
His voice was heavy, even carrying a hint of spiritual pressure.
The overwhelming pressure shook Zhou Shu's entire body, leaving him speechless. He forced himself to stay put, slightly raised his head, and glanced at the man calmly.
There was probably something wrong with this person.
The long-browed cultivator's voice grew louder. "Manager Yuan, don't listen to the nonsense of this villain. He clearly has ulterior motives and is trying to spread rumors and stir up trouble."
"Get out of here!"
the long-browed cultivator shouted, waving his sleeves and unleashing a powerful, latent force.
The long-browed cultivator was already in the late Foundation Establishment Realm, and this force was incredibly formidable. If Zhou Shu were to encounter it, he would likely collapse instantly, let alone get out.
"Stop!"
Two soft cries rang out simultaneously.