Chapter 776: The Free Trade Point and the Mysterious Bone Fragment
The Divine Beast Plains, night gradually descended, shrouding the land in darkness.
Atop a once towering but now crumbled solitary peak, a cave had been carved out.
Inside the cave, Mo Yu and his companions sat cross-legged around a campfire.
"At our current pace, it should take about three to four more days before we reach the Tomb of Ten Thousand Beasts..."
Before the campfire, Han Yue flicked his finger, causing the flames to leap upward and form a map above. He pointed to a specific location and said,
"Two days from now, we'll pass through this area — it's a free trading point, where experts from various races will gather. We'll need to prepare a few things there."
"There are plenty of good items available too. If luck is on our side, we might even find some hidden treasures.
I once heard some fool, unable to recognize a treasure, sold a fragment of a divine technique he'd randomly discovered — and someone bought it dirt cheap."
"Items here are traded using Supreme Spirit Liquid. Of course, bartering works too."
Hearing this, Mo Yu's brows lifted slightly before he nodded. He had been given five million Supreme Spirit Liquid by his true self; if he came across anything rare or worth picking up, he could afford to make a move.
"Alright, we'll stop here for today. Get some rest — tomorrow we move out early," Han Yue instructed before explaining a few rules regarding the free trade point. Then, closing his eyes, he slipped into cultivation.
Nearby, Cai Lin, Mang Lie, and the others each found their places and began training as well.
Mo Yu, however, carved out an independent meditation chamber within the cave. Sitting cross-legged inside, he didn't immediately cultivate. Instead, his face grew solemn; he took a deep breath and slowly closed his eyes.
As his eyes shut, visions surfaced in his mind — an endless ancient battlefield, swirling with raging storms of sand and bloodlust.
At the very center of the battlefield stood a dark red figure, unmoving as a mountain, his presence unshakable even by armies charging straight at him.
Mo Yu stared intently at the shadowy figure as endless killing intent gathered around him, turning him into a god of slaughter.
The dark red figure slowly raised his head, and those crimson eyes seemed to meet Mo Yu's for an instant. Then the killing aura above him condensed into blood-red characters in the air —
The first form of the Self-Sacrifice Demon Fist: Sacrifice Oneself to Become the Demon!
This was Mo Yu's reward for clearing the fifth level of the Body Refinement Tower!
That overwhelming aura of slaughter filled his mind, endlessly battering his spirit. His eyes faintly reddened, as if bloodlust was rising within.
Yet Mo Yu quickly steadied himself, calming his mind and suppressing the violent aura with sheer willpower.
This Self-Sacrifice Demon Fist was indeed terrifying — mere cultivation of it brought forth such bloodlust. But Mo Yu, lightning emperor of the Dou Qi Continent, had walked through countless seas of corpses. Scenes of carnage were nothing new to him.
Even if this was merely his avatar, their minds were linked. Thus, that bloodlust's influence was negligible on him.
Soon, his heart regained its calm. His mind slipped back into the vision of that murderous battlefield as he began studying the technique again.
He couldn't help but anticipate what kind of shocking power would emerge when he combined the Self-Sacrifice Demon Fist with the Heaven-Shaking Divine Arm.
At dawn the next day, as the night faded, Mo Yu and his companions woke from meditation. After a brief rest, they set off once more.
On their journey, they encountered several groups of powerful beings from other races, but after sizing up Mo Yu's group, most wisely chose to steer clear.
Thus, over two full days of rushing by day and cultivating by night, time passed swiftly.
By the third day, Mo Yu noticed an increasing number of energy fluctuations in the air — all heading in the same direction.
He immediately realized that the free trading point Han Yue mentioned must be close.
Soon his vision opened up, revealing a massive hill in the distance.
Atop it stood structures made of ancient stones, radiating immense spiritual energy. Countless streaks of light from all directions descended into this stone complex.
Clearly, this was the free trade point Han Yue had spoken of.
"We've arrived," Han Yue said with a smile, glancing at Mo Yu and the others.
"Once we enter, we'll split up and look for items that can resist death energy. They'll help us enter the Tomb of Ten Thousand Beasts safely.
You each have a list of materials — pick up whatever you find. The more we gather, the safer we'll be."
"Alright," Mo Yu nodded.
With a swoosh, several streaks of light cut through the sky and landed near the outskirts of the trade point.
As they landed, Mo Yu couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. The scale and liveliness of the area exceeded his expectations — there were at least a thousand cultivators here.
Following the crowd, they entered the bustling trade zone. Han Yue then took the three Ximo Clan experts elsewhere, leaving Mo Yu's group of four to wander freely.
The trading point was vast, lined with massive ancient stones of all shapes.
Some people sat cross-legged atop the stones lining both sides of the road. In front of them grew thick stone trees, from whose branches hung crystalline orbs that shimmered with light.
Inside these orbs were various treasures — scrolls, ancient blades, eerie white bones, and materials of heavenly origin — all glimmering brilliantly, each seemingly extraordinary.
Mo Yu and Cai Lin strolled casually, purchasing several items that could resist the death energy.
Such materials were rare but affordable — mostly costing within tens of thousands of Supreme Spirit Liquid, which was trivial for Mo Yu.
However, as he browsed, nothing particularly caught his eye. Backed by the Thunder Prison organization, few things here truly impressed him.
Eventually, they came upon a particularly thick stone tree. It was larger and sturdier than the others, with many goods suspended from its branches, glowing brightly and drawing crowds of buyers.
As Mo Yu scanned the items, his gaze suddenly shifted toward a dimly colored crystal orb tucked in the corner. Inside it rested a palm-sized, grayish-white, broken bone fragment.
The moment he saw it, the phantom of the Heaven-Shaking Divine Ape within his Supreme Sea seemed to stir faintly.
The fluctuation was subtle, but Mo Yu sensed it immediately. His eyes narrowed ever so slightly.
After a short pause, Mo Yu stepped forward, casually picked up the dim crystal orb containing the bone fragment, and smiled at the gray-robed vendor.
"How much for this?"
The vendor blinked in surprise before glancing at the bone fragment in Mo Yu's hand. With a faint smile, he asked, "Oh? What makes you interested in that piece?"
"Just seems intriguing," Mo Yu replied evenly. He knew traders here were sharp — most didn't even understand what their goods really were, yet were wary of being tricked.
After all, it wasn't unheard of for something dismissed as junk to later turn out to be a priceless treasure.
The gray-robed man squinted slightly, studying the bone shard again before shaking his head.
"I've examined this piece countless times. It holds no special energy. I only know it likely came from an ancient divine beast. Even with my full strength, I couldn't leave a mark on it."
Hearing that, Mo Yu raised a brow. This man was a seventh-rank Supreme — if even he could not scratch it, then its owner must have been at least at the Earth Supreme level, perhaps even higher...
"How much?" Mo Yu asked quietly.
The man hesitated, eyes flickering. "Five hundred thousand Supreme Spirit Liquid."
At that, Mang Lie and his sister widened their eyes in shock. The man didn't even know what it was, yet dared to ask such a high price.
"Don't you think that's rather greedy?" Mo Yu frowned slightly.
Though he suspected the item was extraordinary, that price was steep. He feigned irritation deliberately — acting too eager would arouse suspicion.
"We always price unknown items high," the man explained with a shrug. "We have to bear the risk in case something worthless turns out priceless later."
"There aren't that many hidden treasures in the world," Mo Yu said calmly. "Three hundred thousand Supreme Spirit Liquid. Take it or leave it."
The gray-robed man studied him closely, trying to read the truth behind Mo Yu's composure.
He had originally quoted high not just for profit, but to test Mo Yu's reaction. If Mo Yu had paid the full amount without hesitation, he might have reconsidered selling it at all.
No one wanted to be the fool who sold a divine treasure cheap, becoming the butt of every trader's tale.
Yet Mo Yu's relaxed demeanor made him uncertain — was this man truly interested, or simply amused?
Gazing into Mo Yu's deep, unfathomable black eyes, even the seasoned trader failed to discern anything.
After a moment's thought, he clenched his teeth and said, "Fine. Three hundred thousand. Let's call it a friendly deal."
Mo Yu smiled faintly. The man had character — bold yet reasonable.
They completed the exchange swiftly. Mo Yu flicked his sleeve, sending a jade bottle filled with Spirit Liquid toward the trader. After confirming payment, the man snapped a thread of energy connected to the orb.
The orb fell into Mo Yu's palm. With a gentle squeeze, it shattered, leaving the cool, bone fragment warm like fine jade in his hand.
"Brother Mo Yu, isn't that just a broken bone? Why spend three hundred thousand Spirit Liquid on it?" Mang Yu asked curiously.
Mo Yu chuckled. "My hands got itchy. I'll consider it a souvenir. Whether it's useful or not, I'll figure out later."
He wasn't lying — though the fragment had resonated with the Heaven-Shaking Divine Ape, he hadn't yet discovered its true power. Careful study would be needed.
Mang Yu nodded innocently, while Cai Lin's beautiful eyes narrowed slightly, a faint smile curving her lips — she clearly understood Mo Yu's real intent.
Just as they were about to move on, several figures suddenly streaked through the air toward them. One powerful aura rushed straight at Mo Yu as a commanding voice rang out —
"Five hundred thousand Supreme Spirit Liquid — I want that bone fragment!"
(END CHAPTER)
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