Trafford's Trading Club

Chapter 1032: How could there be a path to immortality in this world? (40)

(Note: I'm removing tone marks on everything like Yōu Yè.)

Inside the dimensional rift.

Facing the countless Void Abyss Demons that had been slain and fallen across the mountains, with some even being the towering corpses of Void Ancestral Entities, Miss Maid did not immediately leave.

"Aren’t we supposed to be heading out?" Da Zhe asked, a little puzzled.

The Miss Maid he knew was always efficient and decisive, never one to dawdle.

He only heard Miss Maid respond calmly, "There’s still plenty of time. If we leave now, the Master should still be following his normal schedule. Since we’re already here, we might as well collect some useful materials before leaving… With so many Void Abyss Demons, we can salvage a lot of valuable resources."

"Resources?"

Da Zhe was taken aback.

You Ye had already walked over to one of the massive corpses of a Void Ancestral Entity at the base of the pile. With a wave of her hand, a flickering black flame shot out.

As soon as the black flames landed on the Ancestral Entity’s corpse, they blazed intensely. Before long, the massive body was reduced to ashes… Among the scattered dust, an irregular, crystalline mineral resembling raw crystal ore remained."What is this?" Da Zhe picked it up curiously, examining it closely.

The moment he held it, Da Zhe felt an oddly familiar sensation—almost as if it were part of his own body… He even had a strange reluctance to let go.

You Ye said indifferently, "This is one of the materials used to create a Black Soul Envoy. The crystal still needs to undergo a secondary refinement. The refined element extracted from this piece is one of the core components that make up your current body—Source of Anomaly. This chunk should yield about 0.03 grams after purification."

"My body… is made from this stuff?" Da Zhe gaped.

He had always felt that his current Black Soul Envoy body was incredibly mystical. He could freely switch between tangible and intangible states—when he had a solid form, he could eat like a normal person, but in an intangible state, he existed more like a gaseous entity.

"In the past, we consumed quite a few Black Soul Envoys, and the materials in storage were already running low."

You Ye took back the crystal from Da Zhe and added indifferently, "The remaining materials were mostly used by the Master to transform you and Tai Yinzi, so I need to replenish the stock. Otherwise, the Master will have to buy more."

Even the Boss has to purchase these things…

Although he had his doubts, Da Zhe wisely chose not to ask further.

"My apologies, then," Da Zhe said, feeling guilty that his transformation had nearly depleted the Boss’s stock.

"It’s fine," You Ye smiled slightly. "The amount of Source of Anomaly used directly determines a Black Soul Envoy’s potential and power. The materials spent on you weren’t wasted—you are, after all, the wielder of the Zhanlu Sword, so you were worth the investment."

As she spoke, Miss Maid cast a brief glance at Da Zhe. "So, make sure you don’t waste the Master’s investment."

"I’ll do my best…"

Da Zhe swallowed reflexively… even though it was just an involuntary reaction.

But at that moment, he couldn’t help but feel that the elegant beauty standing before him was far more terrifying than the mountains of corpses behind her.

"Let me help you?" In an attempt to lighten the mood, Da Zhe quickly offered assistance.

You Ye smiled and said, "Can you help me pick out the Ancestral Entity corpses? I plan to refine the regular Void Abyss Demon bodies separately."

"Leave it to me!" Da Zhe clapped his hands. "I’m used to hard labor!"

Meanwhile…

"If everything goes as planned, we hope to act at 7 PM tonight…"

A man named Mu Xianghua, a Japanese-born Chinese, was speaking at length.

Zhang Qianrui maintained a polite expression, appearing attentive. However, her focus was primarily on observing the Suzuki father and son. According to the documents, Mu Xianghua was the initiator of this tomb excavation project, with the Suzuki family hired under him.

However, from Zhang Qianrui’s perspective, their relationship seemed to be the other way around. This Mu Xianghua fellow didn’t seem like someone who could afford to hire the Suzuki family.

"Miss Zhang, what do you think?" Mu Xianghua turned to Zhang Qianrui, studying her with a smile.

"Mr. Mu, you are the investor in this expedition. Since it’s your call, we will follow your lead."

Zhang Qianrui smiled slightly. "Our personnel are already prepared, so the scheduled time will not be an issue. Additionally, if there’s anything else you need, we can provide it as well."

"You’re too kind, Miss Zhang. Our team is already well-equipped, so there’s no need for further preparations or wasted effort," said Suzuki Chun Xin.

The young master of the Suzuki family didn’t exhibit the usual aggressiveness associated with Japanese underground figures. Instead, he carried the aura of a refined corporate elite.

This reminded Zhang Qianrui of Zhong Luochen from the Zhong family, another man who could easily captivate women.

Yet, for some reason, the way Suzuki Chun Xin looked at her made Zhang Qianrui feel uneasy.

It wasn’t the lecherous gaze of Mu Xianghua but rather something that made her feel like prey being watched by a venomous snake.

"Since the time is set for tonight, I won’t keep you any longer," Zhang Qianrui suddenly stood up gracefully. "I hope when we meet again, Mr. Mu and the two Mr. Suzukis will be well-rested."

"I look forward to our meeting, Miss Zhang." Suzuki Chun Xin also stood up and extended his hand.

A handshake.

Zhang Qianrui had no choice but to reach out and shake his hand… but the moment their hands touched, that eerie feeling of being watched by a serpent intensified dramatically.

She suddenly felt the urge to leave and quickly found an excuse to exit the hotel.

"You seem quite interested in that woman?" Suzuki Yuichi, looking out the window at the departing car, suddenly asked.

During their interaction, Suzuki Yuichi had keenly sensed that Ba Qi had discreetly planted something within Zhang Qianrui.

Suzuki Chun Xin nonchalantly replied, "Not really. It’s just rare to see someone with such strong spiritual sensitivity. I merely found it interesting. What a shame… in the past, talents like her would have been sought after by all the major sects."

"Indeed." Suzuki Yuichi nodded but didn’t dwell on it.

Now, all that was left was to wait for tonight’s operation.

Meanwhile…

Mr. Blind was awakened by the sound of his phone ringing.

When he woke up, he felt as if his entire meridian system had been filled with cement, his internal energy completely paralyzed. Right now, even an average trained fighter could easily take him down, let alone Song Da and Song San.

He knew this was the backlash from forcibly using divination magic… though the effects wouldn’t last long. After some rest, he should recover about 70-80%.

It was Song Tianyou’s voice on the phone.

"Sir, happy New Year."

"Old Master Song, how thoughtful of you," Mr. Blind tried to sound as composed as possible… meaning he hadn’t been unconscious for long—probably just overnight.

"And I have good news: Luo Qiu has accepted your request and the gift," Song Tianyou said cheerfully. "Sir, when would you like to arrange a meeting?"

Regarding the descendant of the Song Family, who had been lost to the outside world but bore the noble appearance of a supreme figure, Mr. Blind initially sought him out to harness his extraordinary luck to locate the Dragon Vein. This was part of his preparations before returning to his homeland... His mind turned sharply, and he then said, "I still have some matters to handle. As for the exact time, I will make the arrangements. Old Master Song just needs to wait."

"Then Song Tianyou will await your instructions, sir."

After a few more words, Old Master Song quickly ended the call without further chatter.

Mr. Blind took a deep breath at that moment, yet he felt a tightness in his chest. With some difficulty, he got up, intending to discuss a few matters with Daoist Baijie.

Yesterday, during the transition between the years, he had exploited a fleeting flaw in the balance of heaven and earth, allowing him to glimpse certain things… And ever since he woke up, those very things weighed on him like a mountain, leaving him with an unrelenting sense of urgency and anxiety.

But what Mr. Blind never expected was that Croaching Dragon Estate was completely deserted at that moment… There was no one from the Daoist World, no one from the Management Bureau—only the estate’s ordinary employees remained.

Although they appeared to be ordinary employees, each one actually held an official identity, having been transferred from elite departments as specialized professionals.

As a guest staying at Croaching Dragon Estate, the employees naturally dared not neglect Mr. Blind, so they quickly informed him of a few things.

For example, the sudden pillar of light that appeared in the middle of the night; and the fact that, for some unknown reason, no one had been reachable since last night—including those from the Management Bureau.

The abrupt news made Mr. Blind’s expression turn serious.

Just as he was about to gather more intelligence, the employee he had been questioning suddenly fell silent… then collapsed straight to the ground.

A chill ran through Mr. Blind as he sensed an immense danger approaching.

Inside the estate, a shadowy figure was charging toward him at an astonishing speed. The attacker wore a black veil, had a slender frame, and appeared to be a woman.

With his meridians blocked, Mr. Blind was unable to mobilize his powers for the time being. He could only instinctively swing his palm to counter the attack. However, he was no match for the surprise assault—his chest took a direct hit!

Blood spurted from his mouth as his body was sent flying, crashing hard against the wall.

"Who are you?" Mr. Blind clutched his chest and struggled to stand.

But the assailant did not respond, launching another attack instead!

At that very moment, an enraged voice suddenly rang out!

A second figure swiftly appeared, positioning himself in front of Mr. Blind and throwing a punch that collided fiercely with the veiled woman’s palm!

The black-veiled woman retreated slightly, a faint frown appearing on the part of her face not covered by the veil… as if surprised that someone had intervened.

"Are you alright?"

Mr. Blind felt someone helping him up, but the voice was different from that of the one who had just fought off the veiled woman.

"My name is Yun Hui. I’m with the Management Bureau! Who is this person attacking you?"

The one supporting Mr. Blind was none other than Yun Hui, the Kunlun disciple and Management Bureau agent whom ‘Mo Xiaofei’ and Windchaser had unknowingly left trapped somewhere. And the person who had just repelled the veiled woman was, naturally, Yun Hui’s partner—Lao Lang!

Their powers had been sealed by a strange force, but fortunately, it seemed that the force couldn’t last long. By dawn, its effect had begun to weaken.

As soon as their power was restored, Yun Hui and Lao Lang broke free from their restraints, effortlessly snapping the ropes that had bound them.

However, when they rushed back to Croaching Dragon Estate, they found it eerily empty—only cleaners remained, with no sign of the Management Bureau personnel. Instead, they arrived just in time to witness the mysterious woman’s ambush on Mr. Blind.

"I don’t know for now. But…" Mr. Blind quickly analyzed the situation before him. "This person is likely connected to this entire chain of strange events. You two should capture her first!"

"I’ve been itching for a fight all night—perfect timing!" Lao Lang grinned menacingly, cracking his knuckles with a loud pop.

The veiled woman frowned slightly before suddenly raising her hand—an intense flash of light burst from her palm!

Lao Lang snorted coldly and threw a punch, but it hit nothing but air. When the flash subsided, the black-veiled woman had vanished without a trace—she had retreated.

Lao Lang bared his teeth and leaped onto the estate’s wall.

"Lao Lang, don’t chase after her! It could be a trap!" Yun Hui called out loudly.

Lao Lang had no choice but to return, irritated. He then glanced at the blind man whom Yun Hui was still supporting… and suddenly, a flicker of recognition crossed his face.

"This man… I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere before."

"Where?" Yun Hui asked.

Lao Lang took a deep breath and said seriously, "Last time, when I was punished and had to sort through the archives, I saw this guy’s file…"

"Qingxiaozi, the great criminal of Divine Land's Daoist World!"

(End of Chapter)