Chapter 72: Soul-Trapping Stone

“Does Miss Shu You like handsome men?” Chen Beiwu tested the waters.

“This one has never heard such a thing,” the grey-robed cultivator replied, glancing at Chen Beiwu with a hint of surprise.

The man looked entirely average—he wouldn't stand out in a crowd.

Why would someone like that worry about such matters?

Could it be he had access to certain resources and planned to bribe Miss Shu You with his looks to gain entrance into Mirror Moon Palace?

After asking a few questions about Mirror Moon Palace, Chen Beiwu left with satisfaction and headed toward the spirit herb shop in the marketplace.

“Phoenix Yellow Dendrobium? Sorry, our shop only sells entry-level medicinal ingredients.”

Chen Beiwu was not surprised by the clerk’s response.

He glanced at the wall cabinets on three sides of the shop, where the names of herbs were neatly labeled.

Unfortunately, the shop did not sell Moon Dew or Withered Thunder Branch—both were Second-Tier Spiritual Herbs.

Moonlight Dewdrops and Green Vine Branches were the terms used in the Immortal Alliance; different regions used different names for herbs.

Chen Beiwu had only found out through reading that these were called Moon Dew and Withered Thunder Branch in the Southern Wastes.

‘The cultivation resources sold at Hidden Mist Market are mostly for Qi Refining. It’s rare to see anything above Second-Tier,’ Chen Beiwu thought with a sigh.

The Immortal Alliance and the world of the Southern Wastes were different, yet in essence, they were the same!

Although the Southern Wastes were rich in spiritual energy, high-grade cultivation resources were monopolized by powerful clans and major sects.

Rogue cultivators had to rely on sheer luck, venturing into desolate wilds in hopes of finding treasure.

If he wanted to obtain a steady supply of high-grade cultivation resources in the Southern Wastes, he would have to join a major sect.

Among the Five Great Sects of Earth Proliferation Territory, only Mirror Moon Palace specialized in the water attribute—it was the sect most suited for Chen Beiwu.

‘Looks like I need to study some native formations of the Southern Wastes.’

With that thought, Chen Beiwu left the herb shop and made his way to the trading area in the northern part of Hidden Mist Market.

Many rogue cultivators set up stalls there to trade resources.

Perhaps he could find something useful.

As the lively cries of vendors echoed around him, Chen Beiwu scanned the stalls filled with artifacts, pills, herbs, and miscellaneous items.

‘Just a bunch of trash used to swindle rogue cultivators!’ Chen Beiwu quickened his pace.

It wasn’t until a basketball-sized, jade-green stone caught his eye that he suddenly stopped in disbelief.

After a moment’s hesitation, Chen Beiwu stepped forward and casually picked up a nearby jade bottle.

He asked, “How much for this pill?”

“Qi-Boosting Pill, a mid-grade First-Tier pill. It can help a cultivator speed up their Qi Refining. Fifteen spirit stones a bottle.”

“That’s a bit expensive.” Chen Beiwu shook his head and put the bottle down, then picked up a nearby booklet.

“How much for this Rejuvenation Art?”

The stall owner glanced at it and casually replied, “One spirit stone.”

Rejuvenation Art was a low-grade First-Tier wood-element technique.

Once mastered, it allowed a cultivator to stimulate the muscles of the wounded using spiritual power, speeding up regeneration and quickly healing wounds.

However, it couldn’t heal injuries contaminated with spiritual or demonic power.

Because of this limitation, its price was very low and it was found everywhere.

Hearing this, Chen Beiwu picked up the jade-green stone that had been holding down the beast hide.

“How much for both of these together?”

“Two spirit stones.” The stall owner yawned.

It had taken a while to get a customer, and it turned out to be a broke rogue cultivator who couldn’t even afford a bottle of pills, only interested in two useless pieces of junk.

Chen Beiwu handed over the spirit stones, suppressed the excitement in his heart, and walked away.

He wasn’t sure whether to call himself lucky or unlucky—for during a casual stroll through the market, he had stumbled upon a top-secret banned item from the Immortal Alliance: the Soul-Trapping Stone.

The Soul-Trapping Stone was a mysterious rock.

It was useless for cultivation and couldn’t be refined into magical treasures, but it was crucial for inscribing the Immortal Alliance’s First-Tier Forbidden Formation: the Soul-Refining Formation.

Also known as the Ten Thousand Souls Profound Nether Formation.

As its name suggested, it was a demonic formation with no upper limit to its power.

It could forcibly absorb lingering souls within a ten-li radius—those yet to reincarnate—into the formation.

The stronger the absorbed souls, the more powerful the formation became.

Absorbing one hundred First-Tier spirit souls would automatically upgrade the Soul-Refining Formation into a Second-Tier formation: the Hundred-Soul Resentment Formation, which allowed a Qi Refining cultivator to trap and kill Foundation Establishment rogues.

With ten thousand First-Tier spirit souls, ten Second-Tier spirit souls, and one strand of Third-Tier undying spirituality, the formation would evolve into a Third-Tier treasure formation: the Ten Thousand Souls Nether Draw Formation.

A Foundation Establishment cultivator who mastered this formation could challenge a Golden Core True Person.

If it absorbed one hundred thousand First-Tier spirit souls, one thousand Second-Tier, a hundred strands of Third-Tier undying spirituality, and one strand of Fourth-Tier mysterious spirit, the Ten Thousand Souls Nether Draw Formation would upgrade into a Fourth-Tier profound formation: the Ten Thousand Souls Profound Nether.

A Golden Core True Person with this formation could create a ghost domain, suppressing or even capturing a Nascent Soul True Lord.

Its power was terrifying.

In the Immortal Alliance’s history, there had once been a demonic expert from beyond the stars.

This formation master had refined entire planets into formation arrays, elevating the Soul-Refining Formation to a level unimaginable even to demonic overlords.

With a single strike, he killed the then-head of the Temple of Accord, drawing the attention of the Pure Yang Grotto-Heaven’s master, who emerged from seclusion.

After a great battle, the Pure Yang master was gravely wounded, and the formation demon was ultimately destroyed.

Afterward, the Immortal Alliance sealed all knowledge of the Soul-Refining Formation and designated the Soul-Trapping Stone as a top-tier banned item.

Two absolute decrees were laid down:

The Soul-Trapping Stone is not tolerated in the world.

Whoever dares to trade it, dies!

The Soul-Refining Formation defies the natural order.

Whoever dares to learn or spread it, dies!

Chen Beiwu only learned about the terrifying Soul-Trapping Stone after meeting Ming Xue and researching the materials.

‘Too bad the Soul-Trapping Stone is useless to me,’ Chen Beiwu lamented inwardly.

Stumbling upon a rare item was normally cause for joy, but if the item was completely unusable, it just felt bitter.

The Soul-Trapping Stone only had value when used with the Soul-Refining Formation.

Otherwise, it was just a worthless rock.

Though the Soul-Refining Formation was low-grade, it was a top-secret formation of the Immortal Alliance—far beyond Chen Beiwu’s clearance level.

‘If I had found this within the Immortal Alliance territory, I’d be rich!’ Chen Beiwu sighed and carefully stored the Soul-Trapping Stone away.

The reason he knew so much about the stone was due to the Immortal Alliance’s long-standing, massive bounty:

Anyone who reported a Soul-Trapping Stone immediately would receive one hundred thousand fate credits and a priceless Tribulation-Breaking Golden Core.

It was well known that the Tribulation-Breaking Golden Core was a Third-Tier treasure pill that helped cultivators break through Foundation Establishment and reach the Golden Core stage.

Countless Foundation Establishment cultivators coveted it, but few ever obtained one.

But the origin of his Soul-Trapping Stone was unknown.

Reporting it would definitely alert the top officials of the Immortal Alliance and possibly expose the existence of Nine-Breath Chaos.

Otherwise, Chen Beiwu would truly have liked to hand over the Soul-Trapping Stone and claim the massive bounty.

“Whew!”

Chen Beiwu shook his head, suppressing the urge within.

Since that Qi Refining stall owner could produce one Soul-Trapping Stone, who’s to say he didn’t have a second, a third—or even dozens more?

To play it safe, Chen Beiwu decided to set up a stall next to the vendor for a few days and figure out what he was dealing with.

With that, Chen Beiwu headed to the administration office in the northern part of Hidden Mist Market to apply for a stall license.

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