Eternal Emerald Dragon

Chapter 1305 - 1304 - Aggressive Shopping

The Knife Edge Bazaar was gone but the vibrant energy had resumed in recovery after the soulless and Fiends were defeated.

Everyone knew the reprieve from the Fiends was temporary. They were still making massive threats in the lower layers, so it was only a matter of time before they returned to the 3rd layer.

The guilds had swiftly taken over but the place had become like a massive market street!

Shoti casually strolled down the stone lined road and saw many haggling over pills, beast cores, and other things. The enticing smell of food filled the air too but she simply scanned the crowds.

It all seemed so peaceful but her sharp eyes noticed some things that made her deeply unhappy. Lower realm cultivators were being cheated regularly and further, she saw many impure products being sold as well.

They were touted as fine but many cultivators would lose their path forward due to Qi deviation or having to struggle to advance with them. The reason they had to close their shop was due to items getting snuck in with the same issues.

It seemed other businesses were getting the same problem but she never imagined it was the work of a group of guilds trying to keep business to themselves!

The weavers were bad enough in trying to keep up their shady practices but now others were revealing their hand. Her expert eye never saw these products delivered to sects or certain powers that outsourced their supplies.

"Sneaky bastards." They kept up their promises to the powers they traded with but screwed over the lower echelons without anyone knowing.

"I take it you have noticed as well. The demonic products are just as bad, if not worse." Cyntilla was covered in a hood and cloak as her appearance was legendary. Shoti was an expert in hiding in plain sight but still, she took measures to change her hair color temporarily.

She now had vibrant black hair than her regular green. Her skin was also several shades lighter as if she never went outside. Her beauty still drew eyes but just that. It made Cyntilla fade into shadow while her looks were the only impression people had.

Honestly, people were simple creatures.

"Profit has made them mad. If a single expert came to this market, they would see these products–" Shoti was ranting but Cyntilla shook her head.

"You forget that we are more versed in how the elements should be. To the people here, nothing seems wrong because of their imperfect grasp of the elements. Only people that were raised by Lind's theories would be able to detect the same as us." Her words made Shoti realize how much they took for granted.

Lind's elemental theories alone had not only revolutionized cultivation but had revealed massive flaws in production. Various pills, elixirs, and so forth had been found to be flawed and the cause of many struggles to advance!

"Well, in that case, perhaps we should indulge ourselves a bit if we find something good?" Shoti smirked as they turned down a street that was far calmer. It was lined with true shops, not stalls.

Cyntilla's hooded head nodded as the subtle sound of swords leaving their sheathes was heard by Shoti.

The pair came to a halt right in front of a shop window that sparkled regardless of the angle of the sun above. Inside the windows were several ephemeral figures floating in midair showing various natural events to barriers.

It was a shop for formation plates. It was made of very high grade materials showing they had a lot of money.

"Mystic Array Emporium. I must say, they hid deep before this most recent incident. I wonder what we can purchase today?" Shoti's smile was cold as ice as she swayed into the doorway.

Cyntilla did not follow her as there was no need. They had a lot of shopping to do today after all. It was better to split up the work.

She entered the lobby and saw several rather rich looking people browsing while there were stairs leading up ward to likely make personalized orders. It was a standard feature in such places but her eyes took in some familiar qualities of the work displayed.

Protection, Qi gathering, and various formation plates at several grades were displayed in glass cases. She noticed they were good products but were still flawed compared to what they should be.

She shook her head as she moved across the lobby. The employees noticed her but waited for her to signal them. Bit odd considering how pushy sales usually were but she did not mind.

She was waiting.

Between the 2 targets they came for, the Emporium was the more troublesome. Formations were always a headache to deal with. Weaving was the only one that topped that.

Thankfully, her wait was not long when the entire room shook as explosions appeared outside. Shoti sighed but was amused.

"'Going to make it quick,' you said. 'Won't be an issue at all,' you said. Honestly, you are the worst of us with your temper, Sister." Abby had bonded with them all over the centuries she had been alive.

The sweet spirit was growing into a fine person but still very much a childlike wonder filled her.

Demons, even the corrupted ones, were prickly when it came to young ones they raised. It was not a matter of blood. If a demon took in an aether child and that aether child was enslaved, attacked, or hurt by some force, the demon would lead the charge to wipe that force from the face of all existence.

The old Blood Empire had actually once stopped a battle with Drakmor Kingdom when a noble's son had been hurt by the slavers from the Conclave. It was the closest the Conclave came to being destroyed before the fall of the Blood Empire.

Shoti saw the panicked faces of the customers and the various employees acted to calm them but she noticed they also went on alert.

Competent enemies were annoying but predictable. They turned outward while protecting their patrons. Thus, she casually slipped past the counter in the chaos and ascended the stairs.

She certainly wanted to vent but unlike the Weaver Alliance that was being decimated by Cyntilla, the other 2 guilds were more far reaching. They employed millions of cultivators that had nothing to do with the current situation.

So, while Cyntilla leveled the resource storage of the Weaving Alliance and its elders, Shoti was after a very particular target in the Mystic Array Emporium.

She shed her disguise as she walked past more panicked people. They were securing precious resources or setting up defensive arrays. It was all well coordinated and as it should be in her eyes.

No one paid attention to her as she walked as if she belonged. The secret to entering places you don't belong was to act as if you did. It was stunning how often that worked but even more so when people were not paying attention more than normal.

She finally came to the top floor and found guards.

"HALT! WHO ARE–" The cracks of her whips were all that could be heard as she interrupted the robust figure holding his spear at her. He had not underestimated her but Lind had given them all Celestial Qi artifacts that could disrupt formations.

It was disturbing how he had come upon the idea after studying the historical records of the soulless simply overrunning many facilities once considered very secure.

In their case, they had simply consumed the Qi as food like everything else. While their bodies could still be injured with attacks. They had no fear of death so it made it nearly impossible to stop them until Lind ascended.

His harmonic Qi was the antithesis of the soulless ability.

However, he had learned that almost no current formations were thought to defend against elemental conversion! He quickly found ways to incorporate such a defense into his weavings and other formations masters did the same.

It was clear they had existed at one time as some ancient formations now made far more sense. It was a mystery that no one had understood. Fiends went after living beings and could disrupt formations, but they could not convert it.

Thus no one protected against that. It was a weakness Lind had chosen to withhold as they had too many enemies far more powerful than them.

She patted the heads of the two men currently knocked out without understanding why their defenses failed.

"You boys take a nice nap for your hard work." She then examined the solid gold door in front of her. Honestly, who made their door of gold?

She took her whip and simply pressed it against it. The formations flared briefly before they fell apart.

She stepped inside to find a man talking to a jade stone.

"--is only 1 demon, surely you can handle–" He looked up. His balding head and wrinkles showed he was very old but his aura was as strong as a mountain. A peak Radiant Tier.

His eyes were stone grey and as cold as ice as they looked at Shoti. She was actually surprised as he did not once glance her up and down.

"You are as described, Ash Holland. I think you know why I am here?" He continued to sit in his opulent chair but his silver robes were glowing even to the naked eye with formations. Still, he glanced at his door and sighed.

"For the record, I was against angering that monster. I have enough confirmed intel to know crossing him leads to nothing good. Still, you are a threat. Threats to my–" Whips ensnared his limbs as he was forcibly pulled to the floor over his desk.

Her boot was instantly at his throat as her eyes were now daggers.

"Word of advice, do not ever insult my beloved husband in front of his wives. We do not take it well. Further, even if you truly are against crossing us, you still are complicit in the spreading of defective products to lower realm cultivators out there." His eyes widened in shock but that was all.

"What do you want?" She liked smart people.

"I have a shopping list. A very long one." He actually paled but said nothing as he took the jade slip shoved into his hands. He only paled more as he saw what was on the list! "This will–!"

She smiled at him but there was no warmth in it.

"Do you object to my shopping?" He quickly shook his head as much as could and swallowed his pride as he was allowed back up. "Let's get started then!"