Destiny in Cinders

"Please come again!"

Before he left, the store owner handed An Jing a small stack of refreshing talismans. They could dispel scents and steady the mind, making them useful for stealth stalking prey in the wilderness. Though inexpensive, they were quickly consumed, given how often they were used. These refreshing talismans effectively offset the five merits An Jing had given him.

A chip effectively serves as a legal identity within a city's safe zone. Setting aside any potential backdoors, it's an absolute necessity if I intend to venture deeper into Skysource. Five thousand merits isn't difficult. I have enough to cover that now. On the other hand, I have to hunt down fiends and the like for a service duty. What a headache.

The requirements to get a chip were indeed demanding. Beyond simply facilitating transactions, many spirit gear such as artifact guns and drones relied on chips to function better.

In Skysource, the chip was a ubiquitous piece of high technology, much like the smartphones in his past life. It barely made a ripple in this world since everyone had one. But in Void Embrace...

Shaking his head, An Jing lamented his failure to acquire a chip during this trip. Then, without warning, a blast as loud as a thunderclap erupted above him! Instantly, the faces of everyone in the free-trade zone twisted in astonishment. In the wake of the deafening explosion, jagged cracks spiderwebbed across the ceiling, sending a rain of debris and dust that forced the crowd to scramble for cover.

Then came a violent, earthquake-like tremor. Amidst a chorus of screams and the flickering glow of spirit shields, the black market plunged into total darkness. A few seconds later, the backup power kicked in, bathing the area in a dim, yellow glow, but by then, the radiance from their spirit shields had already filled the entire floor.

"Warning! Warning!" Crimson spirit patterns pulsed frantically as the black market's emergency broadcast system roared to life. "Skywatch Bureau! Skywatch Bureau!" There was no need for further explanation. The mere mention of the "Skywatch Bureau" said it all.

It took but an instant for the seasoned merchants and customers to fully gear up and frantically pack their belongings. They surged toward the emergency exits located on all sides of the trade zone.

Hmm... An Jing blinked, his eyes darting across the area, his mind working furiously. The Skywatch Bureau? Patrol guards? Are Deepnight City authorities launching a raid on the black market? But this shouldn't be happening. The operation is so professional that it hardly feels like a black market. There must be a major player behind the scenes... Wait a minute.

In his confusion, An Jing suddenly realized something. His thoughts flashed back to the city-wide riot he had witnessed upon his arrival in Skysource, and the sight of that massive immortal warship descending from the sky.

A powerful backer is exactly why this black market is being targeted! Damn it, I've been caught in the crossfire of Deepnight City's power struggle!

"Oh no, oh no!" Behind An Jing, the boss's relaxed posture vanished as his face drained of color. The half-lit cigarette slipped from his mouth and hit the floor. "Why would the Skywatch Bureau do this?"

He had already removed his goggles, revealing a pair of heterochromatic gold and green eyes as he hastily packed up his valuables. "We've always paid our taxes in full and on time!" 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Even with the situation so tense, An Jing felt a brief flicker of confusion. If they're paying taxes, what's the point of this being a black market in the first place?

But it confirmed his suspicions. This wasn't some routine law-enforcement raid on a criminal gang, but rather a strike from a corporate-controlled paramilitary force against the black market run by another corporation.

At this point, An Jing had finished gathering his things and stuck close to the store owner's heels as they bolted toward the emergency exit. Although the boss's physical foundation was lacking, plainly visible from his unsteady footsteps, he moved with surprising agility and speed. The belt cinched around his waist emitted a gentle stream of air that not only swept aside the falling debris, but also allowed him to practically glide across the floor.

Meanwhile, An Jing relied on his strong footwork to weave through the falling rubble. He casually batted away the rocks that tumbled toward him. Those he couldn't deflect he simply smashed with a flash of white light, leaving him completely unscathed.

"My friend, you've got some skill." Glancing sideways, the boss was stunned by An Jing's movements. Beyond the boy's strong cultivation, his rock-solid footwork and unarmed techniques were remarkably efficient and precise.

Given his exceptional skills, expedition teams would be eager to recruit him. Even among the badlanders, he was perhaps one of the best. Why, then, did he settle for the most basic tool-meal set?

"What's going on, Boss?" An Jing seized the moment, leaning in to whisper. "The black market is actually run by a powerful faction, isn't it? Why did the Skywatch Bureau show up all of a sudden?" His words were just a casual lead-in, while his next question cut to his true purpose. "Things were chaotic in the city a few days ago. Do you think it's linked to that?"

By now, the emergency exits were choked with people. The staff had already deployed shields to deflect the falling rubble, working hard to maintain order and prevent a stampede. Though the line at the emergency exits stretched long, it progressed in a hushed, orderly manner.

After all, the black market was largely populated by cultivators who understood that stability was vital during a crisis. Recklessness would invite a swift death, not just from the black-market guards but from the surrounding cultivators as well. Thus, the crowd remained cautious, limiting their interactions to hushed speculation.

"The chaos a few days ago?" Waiting in the same line as An Jing, the boss contemplated. "It's quite possible. I heard from my family that the Luofu Group recently lost an ancient treasure that was forged by the Dao Sect before the world calamity. The Shouyang Group was there when it happened. The two sides fought right then and there, leaving the whole city in a state of upheaval."

Immediately after speaking, he grew visibly agitated. "The Skywatch Bureau belongs to Luofu... but what does that have to do with us?! The black market is backed by the Xuan—"

At that moment, the boss realized his blunder and fell silent at once. But An Jing had already grasped the significance of the name "Xuan."

I see. The Xuandu Group is the power behind this black-market operation. That explains why they're discounting valuable items like the mysticsky lightning talisman. They must be clearing stock. But it's still expensive for clearance prices! I fell for the sales trap!

This was exactly what An Jing had been probing for. For someone as young as Fortune Road's owner to be managing a store of that size meant that he was either a talented genius or a man with deep family connections. Either way, it meant he had access to insider information that others didn't have.

The owner appeared well connected, though the man himself was far from sharp. He had failed to grasp why the Skywatch Bureau was there until An Jing prompted him, proving he was anything but astute in matters of information.

First, conflict erupts between Luofu and Shouyang over a missing ancient treasure. Then, they sent the Skywatch Bureau to hit Xuandu's black market a week later. There's definitely a connection.

Shuffling forward in the queue, An Jing grew pensive as the scattered pieces of the puzzle began to click into place.

A week ago... isn't that precisely when the immortal warship made its descent? Shortly after, chaos broke out in Mortality Plans and Deepnight City... all because Luofu lost something... As for the black market's upheaval... Maybe the treasure is already there. Could Luofu have tracked it down? Is that why they're acting so recklessly? And an ancient treasure?

A possibility occurred to him. An Jing immediately asked the sword soul, "Yvelbane, is it possible this ancient treasure is actually one of your shards?"

"No," Yvelbane said confidently. "I can sense the distance to my shards. The ones in Skysource are very far away. There are none near us."

An Jing wasn't discouraged. He knew retrieving Yvelbane's shards wouldn't be so straightforward.

"However," Yvelbane added, "if this is indeed a treasure from the era of the Dao Sect, it would have been forged through ancient techniques. Because its aura is suppressed and concealed, ordinary methods of detection would be useless. In fact, it could be easily mistaken for an old, broken vessel."

An Jing recalled that even Yvelbane's original form had looked fairly battered.

"That's how a divine artifact conceals itself!" But when Yvelbane sensed the rising though in An Jing's mind, it gave a sharp reply tinged with a clear note of indignation. "Hey! I was very beautiful back then!"

"Yes, yes, very beautiful indeed!" An Jing quickly apologized.

"Anyway," said Yvelbane, "being an artifact myself, I can detect it if it's nearby."

"Roughly how close—"

An Jing's words were cut short when an even more powerful explosion came from above, followed by violent tremors that knocked everyone off balance. In an instant, the black market's dome ceiling collapsed and shattered. Earth and rock tore through the cracks in a heavy torrent, slamming into the defensive shield maintained by the black market's staff.

Several dark figures plummeted through the rubble, crashing like meteorites and sending shockwaves rippling through the ground. Heavy breathing carrying a profound, ocean-like presence filled the underground chamber.