The Scramble

Inside Lingtian Pavilion. Dressed in a Daoist robe, Bu Chisu held a censer in hand, from which fragrant smoke curled gently into the air. "There are three purities in pursuing the Dao: plain robes, plain food, plain..." Creak. The door was pushed open. "Deacon, business has arrived." The errand boy seemed quite familiar with Bu Chisu. Without even knocking, he pushed straight in. Bu Chisu was not angered. Mild-tempered by nature, he simply turned his gaze toward Qi Yuan at the door. "Honored guest, how may I assist you?" "I wish to make a piece of information public through your Lingtian Pavilion!" "Here is our price list. Please look it over and choose which tier you prefer." Bu Chisu handed the price list to Qi Yuan. Qi Yuan looked at the prices listed on it and smacked his lips. These rates were truly steep. The baseline tier started at several dozen spirit stones. Had he not made a fortune at the Black Mountain Sect, he wouldn't even have been able to afford an advertisement. "I'll take the three-thousand spirit stone tier." After a brief hesitation, Qi Yuan selected that tier of advertisement. This tier was more than enough to meet his requirements. Once word got out that the Black Mountain Sect harbored a Purple Bamboo Physique, people would inevitably swarm there in a frenzy to snatch the corpses. Of course, most people wouldn't be able to recognize a Purple Bamboo Physique anyway. "What message does Your Excellency wish to publish?" Hearing three thousand spirit stones, Bu Chisu merely took another glance at Qi Yuan, seemingly trying to guess his identity. "The message I want published is... that the Black Mountain Sect has a Purple Bamboo Physique!" Qi Yuan said in a lowered voice. "What?" Bu Chisu's brow twitched as countless thoughts flashed through his mind. Looking at Qi Yuan, he gave a faint smile. "Does Your Excellency bear a grudge against the Black Mountain Sect? It sounds like you want to leave their disciples without a moment of peace!" Hearing this, Qi Yuan nodded. The man was half right—he wanted to make sure the Black Mountain Sect's disciples found no peace even in death. For one thing, even if a Purple Bamboo Physique truly existed, it wouldn't fall into the hands of Old Demon Black Chicken. For another, when Old Demon Black Chicken exited seclusion, he would be met with an emptied Black Mountain Sect stripped of everything. How could he possibly trace the culprit behind it all? Qi Yuan was dragging everyone into the muddy water! "Were it any other pavilion, they probably wouldn't dare take this business for fear of offending the Black Mountain Sect. But our Lingtian Pavilion has no such fear—I'll take the job!" Bu Chisu said, his eyes brimming with confidence. Qi Yuan handed over the spirit stones to Bu Chisu, feeling a twinge of heartache. He hadn't even warmed these spirit stones in his pocket before they were gone. Fortunately, he had plundered quite a haul this time. Qi Yuan left Lingtian Pavilion, secretly boarded a spirit boat, and traveled through the night back to the Divine Light Sect. The moment he returned to Seven Colors Peak, he collapsed onto his bed and fell fast asleep. After all, during the battle at the Black Mountain Sect, his nerves had been stretched taut, and he had expended a tremendous amount of energy. While Qi Yuan slept, two pieces of news swept through the cultivation world of Great Shang like a whirlwind, sending shockwaves through the entire realm. The first piece of news: the Black Mountain Sect possessed a Purple Bamboo Physique. The second piece of news: the Black Mountain Sect had been annihilated. Cultivators who were ignorant of the truth and learned of the news in that chronological order immediately sensed an aura of terror. Had some mighty figure discovered that the Black Mountain Sect held a Purple Bamboo Physique and wiped out the entire sect to claim it? Regarding the annihilation of the Black Mountain Sect, some refused to believe it, dismissing it as a baseless rumor; some felt thoroughly gratified; and others speculated about which mysterious expert possessed the sheer audacity to slaughter the entire Black Mountain Sect. Meanwhile, certain quick-witted individuals had already donned disguises and snuck up Black Mountain under the cover of night. Atop the Black Mountain Sect, corpses littered the ground, blood continuously flowing. A barefoot figure clad in black crept sneakily up Black Mountain. Surveying the corpses, his eyes shifted with astonishment. "Looks like I'm the cleverest and boldest after all, the first to arrive at the Black Mountain Sect!" Suddenly, a cold bark rang out: "You thick-browed, big-eyed Monk Wudian, even you have designs on the Purple Bamboo Physique? What, do you plan to find that corpse and refine it into your attendant boy?" The man in black wore a look of shock as he turned to see three other figures in black behind him. "Who are you? How did you spot me?" "Monk Wudian, who else around here walks around barefoot every day besides you?" a crisp female voice remarked, laced with mockery. The woman was linking arms with one of the figures in black; the two appeared to be Dao companions. Just then, a furious voice boomed, "I am Monk Wudian! Who are you, impersonating me?!" Yet another barefoot figure clad in black appeared. The five figures in black stared at one another in silence, choosing not to press the argument. "First the Black Mountain Sect is exterminated, and right on its heels comes word of the Purple Bamboo Physique. The mastermind behind this... plots something grand," the woman said crisply, her expression solemn. "To annihilate the Black Mountain Sect would require at least a Divine Infant old monster. Yet here, there isn't the slightest aura of a Nascent Soul intervention. Could it be... an Origin Core?" "Afraid it's no ordinary Origin Core!" "The wounds appear to be from a saber, but are in truth from a sword. Could it be someone from Floating Mountain?" said the man linked with the woman. Immediately, the first barefoot burly man chimed in, "Floating Mountain isn't the only one who uses swords!" The other barefoot man fumed with rage, "You old bastard from Floating Mountain, you disguised yourself as me!" The group calculated inwardly, wondering who had truly destroyed the Black Mountain Sect. At that moment, the woman said, "Who destroyed the Black Mountain Sect shouldn't be our primary concern. Everyone, do not forget the purpose of our coming here." "Could someone be making fools of us? Perhaps there's no Purple Bamboo Physique here at all!" The expressions of all five hardened as they spread their divine senses, scanning the surroundings. "A Purple Bamboo Bug?" The woman caught an insect. The faces of the others subtly shifted. "Wherever a Purple Bamboo Bug appears, someone with a Purple Bamboo Physique must have been active over a prolonged period. It seems there truly is a Purple Bamboo Physique here!" Everyone's breathing quickened. The importance of a Purple Bamboo Physique was self-evident. It was a special physique capable of granting a late-stage Divine Infant cultivator an opportunity to step into the Purple Mansion realm. The group immediately swept their gazes across all the corpses, eager to find that Purple Bamboo Physique. Suddenly, a barefoot burly man looked at a patch of mud. "The Black Mountain Sect's Origin Core True Person, Yu Linglong, is gone." He stared at the soil, then instantly shifted his gaze away. "Could it be that the person who destroyed the sect already took the Purple Bamboo Physique? Why would he broadcast this news? To make fools of us?" an old man who had remained silent finally spoke in a raspy voice. Just then, the second barefoot burly man seemed to notice something; with a swift reach, he scooped up the corpse of the Black Mountain Sect master. "Monk Wudian, how dare you!" Seeing this, the others struck simultaneously, grabbing hold of the Black Mountain Sect master's corpse. In an instant, grabbed by several Divine Infant old monsters, the sect master's corpse was torn into pieces. The poor Black Mountain Sect master could not even rest in peace after death. The barefoot burly man roared in fury, "This isn't even the Purple Bamboo Physique! Why are you fighting me for it?!" "It truly isn't a Purple Bamboo Physique, but it is a Blue Bamboo Physique, one grade below it. Grinding his remains into ash to nurture a special spiritual herb can produce a Blue Infant Fruit, which enhances cultivation in the Divine Infant realm," the woman, being broadly knowledgeable, said. "Who would have thought that the Black Mountain Sect master was actually Yu Linglong's father, or perhaps... grandfather?" "Fortunately, someone discovered this early on. Otherwise, within two hundred years, Old Demon Black Chicken would have surely entered the Purple Mansion realm!" At the mention of this, a tremor of apprehension ran through them. If that had happened, the balance of power across Great Shang would have undergone a monumental shift. However, their shock was only momentary. Having just finished tearing apart Daoist Heifeng's corpse, these Divine Infant experts sprang into action once more. After all, with the Purple Bamboo Physique and Blue Bamboo Physique appearing in succession, who was to say what other physiques might turn up? These corpses... could not be overlooked. And so, a chaotic battle to snatch corpses broke out across the Black Mountain Sect. Of all this, Qi Yuan was naturally unaware. He stretched lazily, feeling completely refreshed. "Finally, I can play games in peace." "Little clothing monsters, your internet mouthpiece is here!"