Chapter 1459: The Pitiful Bones by the Wuding River

In mid-air, the crescent moon handguard sabers in Mu Guyue’s hands had vanished. She hadn’t killed her opponent. Instead, she had flown up and slammed a knee into his chest, knocking the beast-hide youth unconscious.

BOOM!

The beast-hide youth crashed to the ground. Amidst a cloud of dust, he smashed a deep crater into the hard ground.

A full ten breaths passed before a voice slowly echoed across the silent square.

“In this battle, Moon Demon is victorious!”

As soon as the voice fell, the surrounding stands immediately erupted with all sorts of clamorous sounds—some were curses, some were joyful shouts, a mixed bag of reactions.

“Damn it!”

In the crowd on the stands, the dashing Tang Feng cursed fiercely, his usual calm and elegance gone, replaced by a look of pained regret.

Although his heart had sunk when he saw the beast-hide youth fall into the dust, he had still hoped that in the next moment, the youth would charge back up like a fierce tiger.

But in the end, there was no more movement from him. He did not fly out from the ground again.

This made Tang Feng’s heart twitch violently the moment that voice rang out. He had actually lost the bet.

The thought of that thunder-attribute magical artifact made him curse out loud. All his previous winnings weren’t enough to cover this one loss.

Li Yan, on the other hand, had been quietly staring at the slender figure in the arena.

Even as her face showed a hint of weariness after hearing the announcement of the match’s end, and she began to fly back towards Great Master Lan, Li Yan remained silent.

After flying back, Mu Guyue landed directly behind Great Master Lan. Great Master Lan nodded at her and then tossed her a jade bottle.

“Go back and use this to heal your injuries!”

After this simple sentence, she stood up. At this moment, Elder Ning on the other side also stood up.

He knew that after this match, this Great Master Lan would not watch the remaining Soul Dueling matches and was about to leave. He gave a bitter smile.

“Great Master Lan, I had originally hoped to get that formation from you. Now, it seems I’ve tried to steal a chicken only to lose the rice used to lure it. This item is yours!”

As he spoke, Elder Ning made a sweeping gesture with his hand, and a Void Shadow Ring appeared, flying towards Great Master Lan.

Void Shadow Rings were very expensive in the “Earth-True Domain.” Cultivators of Li Yan’s level mostly used Void Shadow bracelets.

“Then many thanks, Elder Ning!”

Although Great Master Lan spoke politely, she had already reached out and drawn the Void Shadow Ring into her hand.

Immediately, without any ceremony, right in front of everyone, soul power surged from her hand. The Void Shadow Ring flickered faintly, and a white, crystalline stone the size of an elm leaf appeared before her.

The moment this stone appeared, the space around it actually began to hum. Great Master Lan did not hesitate. With a surge of magical power, she formed a hand seal.

Instantly, a sapphire-blue water droplet appeared at her fingertip. A red line continuously swam within the center of the water droplet, like a red carp endlessly swimming in water.

Then, with a light flick of her finger, the sapphire-blue water droplet shot towards the white crystalline stone, disappearing in a flash.

Seeing this, the corner of Elder Ning’s mouth couldn’t help but twitch.

This Great Master Lan really didn’t trust him. Was he really the type of person to go back on his word?

Such a treasure, and she took it out to inspect it right in front of so many people. If others had obtained such a treasure, they would usually not want too many people to know about it. It was best to use it secretly.

But then Elder Ning thought about it and felt relieved. This treasure had fallen into Great Master Lan’s hands. Would anyone dare to covet it and try to snatch it? That would be truly tired of living.

Moreover, once this item was in Great Master Lan’s hands, given her personality, it would probably be used up very quickly.

This person was a fanatic when it came to alchemy and artifact refining. The raw materials she wanted rarely stayed in her hands for more than a few days before they were quickly turned into either finished products or scrap.

If you wanted to trade for good finished magical treasures or medicinal pills from Great Master Lan, as long as the conditions satisfied her, you could basically always make a trade.

But if you wanted to trade for raw materials from her, you should count yourself lucky if she didn’t come to you for a trade.

“This… this is Canghao Stone!”

Many of the cultivators in this area had no idea what this was, but one of the Void Refining elders, after seeing it clearly, suddenly exclaimed.

“Such a large piece of Canghao Stone, where did you get it, Elder Ning?”

“No wonder Great Master Lan participated in the Soul Dueling this time. So this treasure was the stake…”

Several Void Refining cultivators spoke up one after another.

Canghao Stone possessed spatial power and had a wide range of uses. It could be used to refine top-tier Void Shadow storage spaces, super-large teleportation formations, and so on. It was one of the best raw materials for many top-tier magical treasures and formations.

On the other side, as soon as the sapphire-blue water droplet entered the Canghao Stone, the stone immediately trembled, then faded and became ethereal at an extremely fast speed.

In just the blink of an eye, it had almost completely disappeared into the air. At the same time, a phantom image flashed into the sky, but in the next moment, it was swept up by Great Master Lan’s sleeve and put away.

Only after seeing this scene did Great Master Lan’s cold face finally show a smile towards Elder Ning.

“No problem, many thanks!”

Then, Great Master Lan also gave a slight bow to the other Void Refining cultivators.

Elder Ning, on the other hand, waved his hand with a gloomy expression. He had lost the bet, what else was there to say.

So Great Master Lan did not linger any longer and was about to leave immediately. Mu Guyue, holding the medicinal pills, followed closely behind. She also needed to go back and heal her injuries immediately.

But just then, a deep voice suddenly rang out.

“Great Master Lan, please wait!”

The suddenness of the voice made everyone here slightly stunned.

Everyone looked towards the source of the voice and saw Xiong Tianba, who had been silent all this time, now standing up, his gaze burning as he looked at Great Master Lan.

Great Master Lan turned her head at the sound. Seeing that it was this person who had called out to her, her elegant brows couldn’t help but furrow. She really had no good feelings towards Xiong Tianba, so her voice was somewhat icy as she said, “Elder Xiong, is there something you need?”

Hearing her cold tone, Xiong Tianba’s face still bore a smile.

“Great Master Lan, I also have a trade I’d like to make with you. What do you say?”

“You want to trade with me?”

Upon hearing this, Great Master Lan was first stunned, then seemed to think of something, and a cold light flashed in her eyes.

This Xiong Tianba had sought her out several times. She had stopped dealing with him afterwards. It seemed he still hadn’t given up.

However, with so many Void Refining cultivators present today, although she had already guessed his purpose, she still suppressed the discomfort in her heart and just stared at him quietly.

“Hehehe… So Great Master Lan wants Canghao Stone. If I were to trade this item with you as well, what would Great Master Lan think?”

Despite Great Master Lan’s cold attitude, Xiong Tianba just chuckled.

“You… you also have Canghao Stone?”

Great Master Lan, who had been looking cold and indifferent, suddenly showed a look of astonishment upon hearing this, her voice tinged with surprise.

“Oh, I don’t have it on me at the moment, but if Great Master Lan gives me a month, I should be able to trade with you. The size of that Canghao Stone is about the same as the one in your hand.”

This time, Xiong Tianba hesitated for a moment, and after some consideration, he gave a timeframe.

Hearing this, Great Master Lan understood the situation. This Xiong Tianba must have seen a Canghao Stone somewhere, but needed some time to get his hands on it.

“Oh, then what item does Elder Xiong require from me in order to make this trade?”

Great Master Lan’s mood immediately returned to normal. As long as he didn’t have it on him, things were uncertain.

A treasure on someone else was someone else’s. It could be gone in the next moment. If she were to go looking for it now, it might already be too late.

However, since there was hope, she still asked.

“I will trade with this woman. I will give you a piece of Canghao Stone about the same size as the one you have now, and you will trade this woman to me as a Soul Slave!”

Xiong Tianba raised his arm without hesitation and pointed at Mu Guyue behind Great Master Lan.

As soon as he said this, Great Master Lan’s expression did not change at all. There was no surprise. This was something she had long expected.

Even the other cultivators were only slightly stunned before their expressions returned to normal.

They knew Xiong Tianba’s character too well. But the trade of a Soul Slave was a small matter to them, something all too normal among cultivators.

It was only a lecher like Xiong Tianba who would be willing to take out a treasure of such a level to trade for a Soul Slave.

Regardless of what others thought, Mu Guyue, who had been standing silently behind Great Master Lan, even after being seriously injured, had remained calm, like a puppet without feelings.

But the moment Xiong Tianba pointed at her, her body trembled violently. Immediately, her face turned somewhat pale.

But she didn’t dare to speak, and had already lowered her head. In the instant she lowered her beautiful head, a deep killing intent flashed in her eyes. That man was still coveting her.

But what followed was a wave of sorrow rising in Mu Guyue’s heart.

She was just a Soul Slave, a puppet who had lost her freedom. She was no longer the aloof, noble, and inviolable member of the Demon Clan.

This was not the outside world. Outside, if she was unwilling, she could still find a chance to escape. But here? She had hidden for decades, but in the end, had she not failed to escape…

“No, I have other important uses for this Soul Slave. How about this, if Elder Xiong is willing, why don’t we also have a Soul Dueling match?

I will send this Soul Slave to fight. As long as any of your Nascent Soul level Soul Slaves can defeat her, then she is yours. Otherwise, you will lose a piece of Canghao Stone!”

Great Master Lan said softly.

“Hehehe… Great Master Lan, you’ve misunderstood my meaning. I’m requesting a trade, not a duel.

This Soul Slave is already a rare opponent in the Nascent Soul realm. Even the second-ranked ‘Storm Tiger’ was no match for her, and even Elder Ning lost.

This isn’t the true Immortal Spirit Realm, where you can find more Soul Slaves. In the current ‘Earth-True Domain,’ the number of Nascent Soul level Soul Slaves who can defeat her probably doesn’t exceed five, and even then, it would be a narrow victory.

In such a duel, if she were to seek death, even if my Soul Slave wins, wouldn’t I end up with nothing? I won’t make that kind of bet.”

Upon hearing this, Xiong Tianba immediately shook his head and refused.

His words also made sense. Soul Slaves could not commit suicide, but they all had normal intelligence. If they were determined to die, they could just let their opponent kill them.

Then what was the point of him betting? In the end, he wouldn’t even get the prize. It would all be for nothing.

After hearing his words, Great Master Lan fell silent for a moment. Xiong Tianba was not just making excuses.

This time, she had let Mu Guyue participate in the Soul Dueling for another treasure. She was willing to fight desperately for herself because she didn’t want to die yet.

And this demoness had a proud nature. If her own self were used as a stake in a duel, it was highly likely that the outcome Xiong Tianba described would occur.

Seeing Great Master Lan fall into thought, Xiong Tianba did not press her, but just stood there quietly.

Now that he knew what Great Master Lan wanted, everything became much simpler.

He had indeed seen a Canghao Stone before. It was when he had been at a subordinate sect. The sect master had mentioned to him that he had a piece of Canghao Stone and wanted to refine a large-capacity Void Shadow storage magical treasure.

But he was still missing a few auxiliary materials. The sect master had asked Xiong Tianba if he could help purchase some auxiliary materials from the Soul-Suppression Palace.

After Xiong Tianba returned, he had actually looked into it for him. Although he found several types of auxiliary materials, the other party’s requirements were quite high, and the quality did not meet them. Later, the matter was dropped.

Canghao Stone was indeed a treasure, but that sect master was usually very obsequious towards him. But since Xiong Tianba was not a great artifact refiner, he hadn’t forcefully demanded it even knowing the other party had it.

But now, as long as the other party hadn’t used it yet, he could just go over and give him some compensation.

Would the other party really offend him for that piece of Canghao Stone? Then all his past fawning and flattery would have been for nothing.

So, in Xiong Tianba’s heart, his only prayer now was that the other party had not used the Canghao Stone.

If the Canghao Stone was really still in that sect master’s hands, then he had really struck it lucky today. Just by coming here to watch a Soul Dueling match, he had obtained the Soul Slave he had always wanted.

After thinking for a moment, Great Master Lan also felt that the dueling method she had proposed was probably not feasible, and for a moment, she couldn’t think of a better way to trade.

So, she looked up again at Xiong Tianba, not even glancing at Mu Guyue behind her.

“Then let’s wait until Fellow Daoist Xiong has obtained the Canghao Stone before we discuss this matter in detail…”

This time, before her voice had faded, Mu Guyue, behind her, suddenly turned pale as paper. In her anxiety, she had thrown all caution to the wind.

She certainly knew what would become of her once she fell into Xiong Tianba’s hands. It would be all sorts of inhuman humiliation, which was extremely degrading for her.

“Senior Lan, I beg you…”

But before Mu Guyue could finish her words, Great Master Lan suddenly turned her head, her eyes staring at her face with extreme sharpness.

At the same time, with just a thought from Great Master Lan, Mu Guyue, who was about to plead, was instantly struck as if by lightning.

A heart-wrenching, tearing pain suddenly erupted in her divine soul. This pain was countless times more excruciating than any physical torture like being flayed or having one’s tendons pulled.

Her soul felt like it had been struck by a bolt of lightning. The slave imprint in her soul instantly activated. Even someone as resilient as Mu Guyue let out a muffled groan in that instant.

Immediately, her entire body was thrown backwards as if struck by a heavy object, and she spat out a mouthful of blood.

Thump!

With a loud thud, her body, clad in heavy armor plates, fell backward onto the ground. The blood she spat out had not yet fallen, but was still tracing a beautiful arc of light in the air.

“The next time you dare to speak out of turn, I will directly extinguish your consciousness!”

Great Master Lan’s voice was filled with endless coldness and killing intent.

Then, she slowly turned her head back to look at Xiong Tianba.

“After you get the Canghao Stone, you can come and find me!”

Xiong Tianba glanced at Mu Guyue, who was trembling uncontrollably all over.

She was gritting her teeth and slowly climbing up from the ground. Due to the unbearable, tearing pain, her whole body was trembling, and large beads of sweat rolled down her forehead like rain.

To this, Xiong Tianba just shrugged.

“No problem, I will handle this matter as soon as possible!”