Skyroc City isn’t just any city—it’s one of the ten great cities of the Mystic Sun Domain, so every day countless people stream in and out.
After paying the three taels of silver entry fee, Ian Song and his two companions followed the crowd into this legendary city.
The hundred-zhang-high city walls blocked their view, so only after entering did they discover the many tall and magnificent buildings inside.
“Let’s find an inn and settle in first!”
Ian said.
The veiled girl and Chloe had no objections.
The eight Scarlet Flame Sect true disciples he’d enslaved were still at the sect, likely already captured. They’d been implicated for helping him steal the techniques, so he couldn’t just abandon them.
So, after settling Chloe and the veiled girl, he planned to return to the Scarlet Flame Sect to rescue them.
After checking in, Ian returned to his room, used spirit crystals to restore his inner qi, then vanished with a Great Teleportation.
Out in the wilderness, he summoned the female Scarlet Flame Sect disciple from the Divine Temple.
"Greetings, Master!"
"Mm." Ian nodded. "How do you think the Scarlet Flame Sect will deal with the others?"
The girl showed a hint of sorrow. "Stealing techniques is a major crime—at best, they'll have their cultivation abolished and be imprisoned; at worst, executed!"
Ian said seriously, "Don't worry. You were all only implicated because you helped me—I won't abandon you. Draw me a map of the Scarlet Flame Sect and tell me where they're likely being held!"
"Thank you, Master!" the girl said gratefully, taking the pen and paper Ian handed her and quickly sketching.
After half a quarter-hour, she handed Ian the finished map. "If they've been caught, they're probably locked in the Enforcement Hall dungeon. Once sentenced, they'll be transferred to the main sect prison."
"Good, I understand." Ian nodded and tossed her a bottle of pills. "Take the green Marrow-Cleansing Pill first, then the Frost-Soul Pill."
"Thank you, Master."
With a wave of his hand, Ian sent her back into the Divine Temple, then used Great Teleportation to rush toward the Scarlet Flame Sect.
Soon, Ian arrived once again at the foot of the Scarlet Flame Sect’s mountain.
After restoring his inner qi, Ian stood up and arranged the surroundings. He didn’t know if the Sun-Soul experts of the Scarlet Flame Sect were still inside the sect, so he had to act cautiously.
After setting up the formation, Ian flickered and disappeared. When he reappeared, he was already inside the Scarlet Flame Sect.
Recalling the map the girl disciple had given him, Ian activated his Clairvoyant Vision and discovered he was in the Outer Sect area.
Because the techniques had been stolen, the sect was under lockdown. Both Outer Sect and true disciples stayed obediently in their quarters, so apart from the patrolling Enforcement Hall disciples, few others could be seen.
With a flicker, Ian teleported near the Enforcement Hall.
Using Clairvoyant Vision to scan, he found that the eight enslaved true disciples were all imprisoned in the Enforcement Hall dungeon, their cultivation completely sealed.
At the same time, the dungeon was heavily guarded, with two Core Formation experts stationed there.
For ordinary people, rescuing anyone from the dungeon would be impossible.
But for Ian, it was nothing.
His figure flickered rapidly, then he placed four formation plates near the Enforcement Hall dungeon and performed several hand seals. A complex grand array silently enveloped the entire dungeon.
Done!
With a flicker, Ian appeared inside the Enforcement Hall dungeon.
He instantly collected the eight enslaved true disciples into the Divine Temple.
Thanks to the formation’s interference, even though Enforcement Hall disciples stood right outside the dungeon, they didn’t notice the prisoners had disappeared.
Not until Ian withdrew the formation and teleported to the foot of the Scarlet Flame Sect’s mountain did they realize the prisoners were gone.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two figures shot over. Seeing the empty dungeon, the two Core Formation experts’ faces turned ugly—someone had rescued the prisoners right under their noses.
Quickly dismantling the formation at the mountain’s foot, Ian used Great Teleportation again and soon appeared back in the Skyroc City inn. With a thought, he entered the Divine Temple.
After restoring his depleted inner qi, he summoned those nine people.
Greetings, Master!
All nine knelt together. Of the nine, four were late Divine Sea stage, and the other five were mid Divine Sea stage.
With a thought, a Nascent Soul–level demon cultivator appeared.
He easily broke the seals in the eight disciples’ bodies, then gave each one a Marrow-Cleansing Pill and a Frost-Soul Pill, and also taught them the complete Flame God Canon and Supreme Sunflame Canon.
After all this, he sent the nine off to cultivate on a planet, then picked up the Flame God Canon to study.
Right now, his true strength was unmatched within the Divine Sea stage, but he couldn’t contend with Core Formation experts.
If he cultivated the Flame God Canon, he should be able to hold his ground against early Core Formation martial artists.
But recalling that the system would reward him with an Emperor-Grade technique for completing this side mission, he gave up on cultivating the Flame God Canon.
Several days passed in a flash.
Although the Scarlet Flame Sect tried their best to cover it up, news of the stolen techniques still spread.
For a time, it caused quite a stir—even in Skyroc City, many martial artists discussed the Scarlet Flame Sect’s stolen techniques. Meanwhile, Ian and the veiled girl became wanted by the sect.
Skyroc Sect, Imperial Crown Auction House.
Disguised as a middle-aged man by the Transformation Divine Art, Ian led the veiled girl—now disguised as a handsome young man—and Chloe, disguised as a neat little servant, into the auction house.
Over the past few days, he’d visited every technique-selling shop in Skyroc City. Aside from a few incomplete King-Grade manuals, there were no complete ones for sale.
Just then, he learned that the Imperial Crown Auction House would hold an auction today, with three King-Grade techniques up for bidding.
So, he came!
After sitting down in the common area, the veiled girl couldn’t help but lean over and whisper in Ian’s ear, "You’re not actually planning to bid on King-Grade techniques, are you?"
"Mm!"
Ian nodded.
"Do you really have that much gold?" the veiled girl teased.
"If you see anything you like, just bid for it—I’ll pay!" Ian said boldly.
Pfft!
Suddenly, a soft laugh came from behind—a richly dressed young man seated a few rows back.
"Is something funny?" Ian glanced back at him, speaking mildly.
"It’s very funny indeed. Don’t you know that the minimum starting bid for any item in the Imperial Crown Auction House is ten thousand taels of gold?" the young man said arrogantly.
In this world, the exchange rate between silver and gold is one hundred to one.
In other words, one hundred taels of silver equals one tael of gold, so ten thousand taels of gold is equivalent to a million taels of silver.
So unless you’re from a major martial arts family, most Divine Sea cultivators could never produce a million taels of silver.
Seeing Ian’s plain clothes, the young man instinctively assumed he was from some country bumpkin martial clan, which was why he couldn’t help laughing.