Chapter 307 - 296: Tracking a Secret Connection

Chapter 307: Chapter 296: Tracking a Secret Connection

Early the next morning, Li Yuan went to the stone house that served as the management office to look through the records.

The patrol schedules, the Demon-Exploring Array feedback, and the transaction ledgers—three sets of records were spread across the desk, and he cross-referenced them several times.

With the mole increasing the frequency of their recent transactions, the number of people they contacted had also grown.

Most were shopkeepers in the marketplace and itinerant Loose Cultivators. Li Yuan had already marked these individuals; they were most likely just normal trading partners with no direct connection to the Dark Abyss Association.

But one person among them was different.

This person didn’t appear often, having only met with the mole twice in the last five days. Both times, they met in a general store on the west side of the marketplace. The transactions were recorded as miscellaneous items, with very small amounts exchanged.

If Li Yuan hadn’t been looking at all three sets of records together, he would never have noticed this person.

But once he overlaid the three records, a pattern emerged.

The two times this person appeared at the general store were both within half an hour of the mole’s night patrol shift change. And on the nights before he appeared, the auxiliary node on the west side of the Demon-Exploring Array had registered a very faint fluctuation.

The fluctuations had long since stopped, but the old data remained in the logbook.

The first time this person appeared was right after the auxiliary node fluctuations ceased and the mole switched to using routine transactions for communication.

’He took over some of the tasks that were previously handled through the Demon-Exploring Array.’

Li Yuan pulled out this person’s entry and exit records.

The identity registration column read: Outer disciple of the Primordial Yang Sect, Late-stage Qi Refining, in charge of procuring array materials for the ruins.

Not a Loose Cultivator.

The moment Li Yuan saw this line, his hand, which was flipping through the records, paused.

’It wasn’t unusual for a Loose Cultivator to be a mole. They were driven by profit, came and went as they pleased, and wouldn’t implicate too many people if caught.’

’But a Sect disciple is a different story. For a Sect disciple to be involved with the Dark Abyss Association, the problem behind it is far greater than a single patrol cultivator passing messages.’

Li Yuan closed the record book and did not investigate further.

There were other Cultivators handling business in the management office; it wasn’t a suitable place to make any obvious moves.

「That afternoon」

After leaving the management office, Li Yuan didn’t return to his stone house but instead took a stroll through the marketplace.

He visited a few shops and bought some daily supplies, all while covering the general area of the marketplace with his Spirit Vein Monitoring Line and his regular senses.

Half an hour later, Li Yuan spotted the Primordial Yang Sect disciple at the mouth of a small alley on the east side of the marketplace.

He was of average build with a plain face, wearing the standard gray robes of a Primordial Yang Sect outer disciple and a Sect identity token hanging from his waist. He walked at a moderate pace, looking no different from any other outer disciple.

At the same time, Li Yuan noticed something else.

Two contradictory phenomena were occurring in the marketplace.

Someone was collecting materials needed to rebuild the Core Formation Platform array.

The transaction volume for items like Stabilizing Spirit Sand, Drainage Stones, Spirit-Guiding Powder, and Array-Securing Copper Plates had clearly risen in the past few days. There wasn’t just one buyer; they were spread across several shops, and while the quantity of each purchase was small, the frequency was high.

Simultaneously, someone else was selling the same types of materials at a low price.

The sales weren’t happening in the shops but in the Loose Cultivator trading area on the outskirts of the marketplace. A few visiting Loose Cultivators had set up temporary stalls, and among their wares were Stabilizing Spirit Sand and Array-Securing Copper Plates, priced twenty percent lower than in the shops.

One side was buying, the other was selling.

That in itself was abnormal.

Normal market fluctuations meant prices would either rise or fall. You wouldn’t see a situation where the same item was being bought at a high price in shops while being dumped at a low price at Loose Cultivator stalls.

Unless the people on both sides weren’t part of the same group.

Or rather, it was the same group of people doing two different things.

「He observed for another two days」

The Primordial Yang Sect disciple would make a trip through the Loose Cultivator trading area each day. He would purchase materials and then head toward the outskirts of the ruins.

Li Yuan connected this thread with his previous information, and the outline of the situation gradually became clear.

Someone was smuggling array materials into the marketplace through the Dark Abyss Association’s channels, which were then sold off at low prices by an inside man. The purpose of the sale wasn’t to earn Spirit Stones, but to deliver specific materials into the hands of a specific person. That person was the Primordial Yang Sect disciple.

Rebuilding the Core Formation Platform array was a major undertaking for the Primordial Yang Sect. The Array Masters and personnel involved were all arranged from within the Sect. If an outer disciple could get his hands on these materials and transport them toward the ruins, it meant someone of a higher rank was facilitating it for him.

’A Foundation Establishment elder, or perhaps someone even higher.’

Thinking this, Li Yuan did not pursue the matter further.

’I’m not a formal disciple of the Primordial Yang Sect.’

If he reported this directly, the best-case scenario would be a reward of Sect contribution points. But if the people involved included a Foundation Establishment elder or someone of an even higher level, his own situation would become precarious.

’The potential reward is too low, and the risk is too high.’

But not reporting it at all was also not an option.

If the Sect uncovered this affair on its own later, and it was found that Li Yuan, as the marketplace manager, should have noticed the transactional anomalies but said nothing, he would also be in trouble.

Li Yuan thought it over and went to find Chen Yi that evening.

"Someone in the marketplace has been buying up array materials recently. The quantities aren’t large, but the types overlap with what’s needed for the Core Formation Platform’s reconstruction." Li Yuan gave a rough summary of a few transaction records. "I’ve flagged them on my end. See if you think this needs to be reported."

Chen Yi glanced over the summary of records Li Yuan handed him, his brow furrowing slightly.

"Have you found the person buying these things?"

"The purchases are spread across several shops. It’s hard to tell if it’s one person or several," Li Yuan said. "The marketplace is crowded lately, with a lot of people coming and going. It’s difficult to pinpoint anyone from the transaction records alone."

He only reported the matter of the material collection, making no mention of the cheap sales, the Primordial Yang Sect disciple, or the mole.

Chen Yi nodded and said he would forward the report to the outpost.

Li Yuan left the management office. Instead of returning to his stone house, he went to several material shops in the marketplace.

A few key materials required for rebuilding the Core Formation Platform array were still in stock, and Li Yuan began to buy them up in advance.

He bought three portions of Stabilizing Spirit Sand, ten Drainage Stones, and a batch each of Spirit-Guiding Powder and Array-Securing Copper Plates.

These items weren’t in short supply yet, and their prices were still within the normal range. But once the Primordial Yang Sect officially began the work of rebuilding the Core Formation Platform array, demand would skyrocket, and prices would inevitably follow.

After finishing his procurement, Li Yuan went to check the marketplace’s announcement board.

A new notice had been posted on the board.

The paper quality wasn’t the best, but it bore the official great seal of a Sect—not the Primordial Yang Sect, but the Qi Shui Sect.

The content of the notice was very direct.

The Qi Shui Sect was openly recruiting all Foundation Establishment Cultivators in Liangzhou to provide support on the front lines in Yunzhou. The recruitment was not limited to any Sect or Loose Cultivator; anyone at Foundation Establishment or above could sign up.

A long list of rewards was provided.

Spirit Stones, elixirs, Magical Artifacts, High Tier pill ingredients—all in significant quantities.

The last line read: Those who go to provide support and perform meritorious deeds may receive a copy of a Core Formation manual.

A Core Formation manual.

A crowd had gathered in front of the notice, and several Foundation Establishment Cultivators were discussing it in low voices.

"They’re even offering a Core Formation manual. They must be truly desperate."

"But if you go, will you come back alive? How many Foundation Establishment Cultivators have died on the front lines?"

"You don’t have to go. You can wait here and just run when the Evil Slaying Sect comes knocking."

After reading the notice, Li Yuan didn’t linger. He turned and walked back to his stone house.

The allure of a Core Formation manual was considerable, but going to the front lines in Yunzhou was not part of his plan.

’My current priority is clear.’

Before sitting down to meditate, Li Yuan first immersed his mind into the large-scale Spirit Vein.

The full view of the Spirit Vein unfolded in his perception—the main vein, the branch veins, the seepage toward the ore veins. Everything was normal.

But one change caught Li Yuan’s attention.

On a branch vein in the northern-middle section of the main Spirit Vein, the presence of Tier One Demon Beasts had increased.

Not one or two, but seven or eight of them.

Demon Beasts had occasionally passed near this branch vein before, but never in such a dense concentration. Seven or eight Tier One Demon Beasts were crowded around the same section of the branch vein. Some were wandering, while others seemed to be absorbing the Spiritual Qi seeping from it.

After being driven out of the mountains, the Low Tier Demon Beasts scattered. Some ran toward the Ghost Mist Forest, while others followed the Spiritual Qi toward the Spirit Vein. The high concentration of Spiritual Qi from a large-scale Spirit Vein was a natural attractant for Demon Beasts; it was only a matter of time before their numbers increased.

Tier One Demon Beasts posed no threat for now, but if their numbers continued to grow, or if they attracted a Tier Two Demon Beast, it would need to be dealt with.

Li Yuan noted this change and shifted his focus toward the ore vein.

The direction of the branch vein, diverted by the Meridian Guiding Skill, remained stable. The flow of Spiritual Power seeping into the Evil Ore was unchanged. The Cultivating Evil Array in the natural cavity was operating normally, and a new batch of Purple Evil Stones was slowly condensing.

Li Yuan took the opportunity to adjust the diversion strength of the Meridian Guiding Skill.

The deviation of the branch vein in the target section had reached a relatively stable point. If he increased the diversion further, the deviation would increase, and the amount of seeping Spiritual Power would rise with it.

Li Yuan tried increasing the strength by five percent.

The branch vein’s path shifted slightly more, and the seepage flow did indeed increase.

But the increase wasn’t significant, as the branch vein’s own thickness limited the maximum flow. To boost the output of Purple Evil Stones more substantially, simply increasing the diversion wasn’t enough; he needed to find another way.

Li Yuan withdrew his control over the Spirit Vein and turned his attention back to his own body.

The Evil Essence Unification had been automatically gathering Evil Qi.

From his cultivation in the mining tunnels to his activities in the marketplace, the Evil Essence Unification had never stopped gathering the surrounding Evil Qi. The amount of Evil Qi stored in Li Yuan’s body had now accumulated to a considerable level.

At the same time, he was not short on Spiritual Power.

With the capacity of a Late-stage Foundation Establishment Dantian, stacked with traits like Flawless Spiritual Power and Spiritual Power Condensation, the quality and quantity of Spiritual Power in his body far surpassed others of the same tier.

Evil Qi and Spiritual Power. He possessed large amounts of both within his body.

And the conditions for forming Purple Evil Stone were, in essence, the stable coexistence and slow fusion of Evil Qi and Spiritual Power in a specific environment.

Sitting on his meditation mat, Li Yuan was suddenly struck by an idea.

’Could I also create the conditions for forming Purple Evil Stones outside my body?’

The effect of Evil Spirit Resonance allowed for a minor conversion between Evil Qi and Spiritual Power. The effect of Evil Spirit Transformation took it a step further, allowing them to convert into each other and even undergo a preliminary fusion.

Without overthinking it, Li Yuan got up and went straight to the mining tunnel.

In a corner of the natural cavity, he found an ordinary Mid-grade Evil Stone, placed it on the ground, and then crouched down.

He drew a wisp of Evil Qi from his left hand and a wisp of Spiritual Power from his right.

After the two strands of power merged in his palm, Li Yuan slowly pressed them toward the surface of the Evil Stone.

Evil Spirit Resonance and Evil Spirit Transformation activated simultaneously. After leaving his body, the Evil Qi and Spiritual Power did not immediately repel and separate. Instead, they maintained their semi-fused state as Li Yuan, using his Micro-Control Spiritual Skill, precisely injected them into the Evil Stone’s interior.

The surface of the Evil Stone trembled faintly.

When its internal Evil Qi structure was compressed by the external mixed energy, it began to undergo a change similar to the formation of a Purple Evil Stone.

Li Yuan maintained the output for about seven or eight minutes.

When he stopped, he picked up the Evil Stone to examine it.

Its surface color had changed from pure black to a dark purple. The color was slightly lighter than that of a naturally formed Purple Evil Stone, but the Evil Qi and Spiritual Power within it had indeed formed a stable state of coexistence.

Probing it with his Divine Sense, he found the ratio of Evil Qi to Spiritual Power was about three to two. It wasn’t as uniform as the one-to-one ratio of a natural Purple Evil Stone, but it could already be considered a qualified Purple Evil Stone.

It worked.

Li Yuan set the artificial Purple Evil Stone aside and stood up.

’It works, but it’s not efficient.’

Seven or eight minutes of continuous output consumed a fair amount of both Evil Qi and Spiritual Power, yet the result was just a single, low-quality Purple Evil Stone. Compared to the efficiency of the ore vein naturally condensing a batch every three to four days after being diverted by the Meridian Guiding Skill, manual creation had very poor value.

Using his Evil Qi and Spiritual Power to cultivate and improve himself would yield far greater benefits than manufacturing Purple Evil Stones.

’I’ll keep this method as a backup plan.’

His daily production would still rely on the ore vein and the Meridian Guiding Skill.