Destiny in Cinders

"It's an extraordinary skill." Yvelbane's voice rang out, thick with admiration. "Mastery over this artifact is tantamount to possessing your own heavenly abode or a portable spirit domain. It drastically diminishes a cultivator's dependency on spirit veins.

"Back then, even the great sects of Void Embrace might not have possessed the technique of forging artifacts to nourish life and nurture qi. And even if they did, the cost would be extremely high as it requires a naturally occurring spirit domain.

"Yet a pre-Foundation cultivator is able to accomplish this with just a spirit-artifact armor. The fact that the cost has been so drastically minimized is a testament to Skysource's artifact and formation expertise."

Yvelbane added ruefully, "I should know a thing or two about artifact refining, but that part of my memory is lost to me. Regardless, I can tell this is no ordinary work."

"I see." An Jing nodded reflectively, weighing the sword soul's candid admiration. "Does this mean that Skysource has better techniques than Void Embrace?"

"Skysource completely outclasses Void Embrace when it comes to artifact refinement. Their mastery of talismans and pillmaking are likely on par with our own as well." Yvelbane offered an unbiased assessment. "Beyond that, I don't know."

"I understand." An Jing gave a small nod, his lips curling into a smile. "Trading across both worlds... It seems there's great potential."

Once his wounds were healed, pulled out a piece of jadeslice steel from his bag and began absorbing mystic-metal lethal qi to restore his spirit qi. Whether it was a waste or not didn't concern him. With only one day left before his return to Void Embrace, his sole priority was reaching peak condition as fast as possible. He also had unfinished business in Deepnight City. With the clock ticking, he had to move fast.

Meanwhile, deep in the third floor of the black market, the site of the deadly exchange sat in pitch-black silence, save for the hollow gurgling of a burst pipe. Several soldiers in full-body combat suits arrived at the exact spot where the ghost cultivator and Bo Yan had clashed with one of their own. That was also where the soldier had finally fallen.

Cloaked in shadow, their forms were nothing more than a hazy blur from afar. The sleek powered exoskeleton was built to block spirit qi detection. Even a Foundation Building cultivator would dismiss them as nothing more than stray rodents.

A man who seemed to be in charge held a mirror-shaped artifact to search the scene for any remaining traces. He spent several minutes meticulously scanning the spot where the Fengdu soldier had fallen. Finally, he looked up and gave a firm nod to his team who mirrored the gesture from their respective areas.

"They've been dead for over two hours. The fight itself lasted less than fifteen minutes."

"Multiple combatants have been identified. Residual spirit qi types confirmed: magma, chthonic bone, and Evenstar metal."

"They were all ninefold Qi Refinement cultivators. The Evenstar metal qi user is marginally weaker, but the spirit-qi purity indicates a late-stage Qi Refinement cultivator."

These sevenfold Qi Refinement cultivators were all communicating via psychic sense.

Their captain finalized the assessment. "The True Talisman has been taken. The target 'Magma Spear Bo Yan' and an unidentified Evenstar metal qi cultivator have fled the scene. Both have likely utilized the black market's secret path. All stakeout units: report status immediately."

A voice sounded through the comms. "Captain, we've caught the runners, but the target remains unaccounted for. He could be hiding in the waterways or have found another way to the surface."

"Acknowledged." Their captain gave a faint nod, reaching for the artifact to track the target's aura. He was just about to activate the mirror in his hand when he felt a pat on his shoulder.

"Forget it, it won't work." 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

The voice caught the man off guard, but he composed himself instantly. He straightened his posture and snapped into a sharp salute. "My humble respects to you, sage."

The entire unit sank to one knee to show their respect. "Welcome, Sage Floating Sun!"

A white-haired man with eyes of crimson and gold suddenly appeared in their midst. The slender, youthful man clad in a silver robe was Chen Jingguang, known as Sage Floating Sun, one of the four Purple Mansion cultivators of the Zhengyi Action Development Company.

He was a native of Grotto Cloud City within the Luofu Mountains, and while his bloodline hadn't produced any Goldcore experts with a dao embryo, he was a Luofu scion through and through. In the hundred years he had lived, his accomplishments had earned him a stellar reputation in Deepnight City, a place teeming with talent. He was known for his deep reverence for the learned and was held in high regard by many.

This was the very same sage who had clashed with the Purple Mansion cultivator of Deepdark Palace. His presence here was a silent confirmation of his triumph over his opponent.

"You may rise. Let's dispense with the etiquette."

Even with the right to search the black market, Sage Floating Sun showed no sign of gratification. Looking strangely youthful despite his completely white hair and beard, he sighed heavily.

"Unfortunately, I was delayed too long. The thief used a talisman to scrub the area. His aura has completely dissipated, so I won't be able to track him. Fang Xizhen is no less formidable than me. If it came down to a life-and-death struggle, I doubt I would have won. He was elusive and erratic, simply stalling for time until his people had scattered before he finally retreated."

None of the others dared to look up as Sage Floating Sun muttered to himself. The Purple Mansion cultivator from Deepdark Palace who had clashed with Sage Floating Sun was none other than Fang Xizhen, also known as Sage Clearwater, a man who had risen to fame in his youth. At fifty, he transcended the Profound Insight Seeding hurdle, returned to his primordial state, unlocked the Mysticsky Shadowneon ability, and reached the Purple Mansion realm.

Since he was based in Celestaclear City, he had only come to Deepnight to ensure his fellow disciples' escape, with no intention of being drawn into a serious battle with Sage Floating Sun.

After venting his frustrations for a bit, Sage Floating Sun glanced at the lifeless Fengdu soldier and shook his head. "He was too careless. He overreached for a live capture, only to be desperately cut down. But that Evenstar metal cultivator with Bo Yan is far too greedy. He actually dared to take the Skywatch Bureau's spirit-stone crucible. Isn't he aware that the spirit stones in the crucible emit a signal? Once it's activated, his coordinates will be revealed."

Waving his hand, Sage Floating Sun turned and vanished in a beam of light, his voice ringing with certainty. "First, clear out the dregs in the black market. Then, set up a detection formation and conduct a full sweep of the spirit-qi fluctuations across the southwest region of Deepnight City. In three days, the ritual will be finalized and the arcanum of soul-summoning will be invoked. Even if those two shameless vermin run to the edges of the earth, we shall surely seize them by their tails."

The others voiced their agreement and the few who were sharp enough to wonder why the Goldcore expert at Luofu's headquarters hadn't intervened dared not speak or even let the thought linger. They knew that delving deeper would only unearth a mountain of trouble. For instance, the exact circumstances of how the True Talisman was lost was a sensitive matter that couldn't be disclosed to outsiders. In that case, it was better to switch off their brains and simply act as mere instruments to carry out orders. That was how most employees in megacorporations operated.

Before long, the once-thriving black market was plunged into silence in the wake of the sweep and the last of the gunfire. Three days was neither long nor short. As night fell, it was now the latter half of An Jing's third day—his final hours within Skysource.

In the heart of the night, the deserted streets of the Majesty Ocean Sector were cloaked in a darkness so desolate they resembled the stygian reaches of the nether realm. A figure streaked through the long shadows cast by the towering skyscrapers.

There was nothing of value to be found in Nian Qin's wrist-worn personal terminal, and the silk talisman once tucked into the strap had dissipated. With his spirit qi reserves fully replenished, An Jing crushed the device into dust to eliminate any chance of being followed. But before destroying her personal terminal, he verified a few key pieces of information, including the location of Nian Qin's home.