Cold moonlight shone, and the night breeze gently brushed past. The entire Sky Flame Mountain Range was deathly silent. Even the demon beasts that usually liked to make noise at night were quiet, not uttering a single sound.
"Lin Dong, kid, check that Universe Bag, see what good stuff's inside. If it's not up to snuff, you've still got time to bargain with Wang Yan," Little Marten's voice broke the quiet, dragging Lin Dong out of his thoughts like a stone skimming across a dream.
Lin Dong glanced at Lin Ke'er and the others beside him. A flicker of embarrassment passed over his face, but under Little Marten's goading, he extended his mental energy and probed the Universe Bag Wang Yan had tossed him.
He didn't know until he looked, and when he did, it wasn't just a scare, but direct envy.
Lin Dong risked his life, busied himself, and ran to so many Stone Halls, even borrowing the prestige of the Lin Clan, only to scrape together a little over thirty thousand Pure Essence Pills in the Ancient Tomb Mansion. But in Wang Yan's Universe Bag, there were a full twenty thousand Pure Essence Pills lying quietly.
Moreover, Lin Dong was very clear that the twenty thousand Pure Essence Pills in Wang Yan's Universe Bag were just because Wang Yan didn't want to carry more. It was different from him, whose entire fortune was only thirty thousand Pure Essence Pills.
In addition to the twenty thousand Pure Essence Pills, there were also many precious materials for refining Spiritual Treasures. At least, it was enough for Lin Dong to upgrade the Heavenly Scale Ancient Halberd to a high-grade Spiritual Treasure.
Besides, there was also a Rank Seven martial art, directly surpassing all the martial arts Lin Dong had practiced before.
Most importantly, the most precious thing in Wang Yan's hands was still in his own possession!
That high-grade Spiritual Treasure, the Great Luo Golden Spear!
Lin Dong's gaze towards the spear in Wang Yan's hand was somewhat envious. These people from large families were really rich!
"Tch tch, how stingy. Big families, my tail. I was expecting something earth-shattering," Little Marten muttered with a disappointed click of his tongue. "I wonder what kind of treasures that monster's Universe Bag holds."
Lin Dong exhaled and glanced skyward. The figure that had felt like a cold moon had already vanished into the ether. He released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. Little Marten caught the look and gave him a sneer.
"What's with you, kid? So timid. That monster's long gone."
Lin Dong rolled his eyes. If that guy hadn't left, would you, little rat, even dare to squeak?
Suddenly, he blinked. "Wait, that woman's gone too?"
Only then did he realize Ling Qingzhu had vanished without a trace. Little Marten snickered.
"You sly dog. Don't tell me you've fallen for her? She's not someone you want to mess with. That woman's colder than winter steel. Only a monster like that other guy might stand a chance of holding her interest."
"That woman is too cold, quite similar to the Young Clan Leader's temperament."
Lin Dong said subconsciously, then reacted and quickly said.
"Can you be serious? I'm curious about her background. Even the Young Clan Leader seems to be somewhat secretive about her identity."
"If I had to guess, she's probably from one of the eight super sects in your Eastern Xuan Region...." Little Marten suddenly froze mid-sentence, his words turning into a sharp gasp. "Damn it!"
Lin Dong snapped his gaze up, sensing something before his eyes even confirmed it.
He saw a beautiful woman in palace attire slowly stepping out from the void. Behind her, the pitch-black space gently closed. That kind of ability to tear space was simply unheard of for Lin Dong.
Most importantly, after the beautiful woman appeared, her gaze fell directly on Lin Dong, making Lin Dong feel as if he was seen through from head to toe.
This feeling was exactly the same as when he saw Lin Xuan back then. The only difference might be that, in front of Lin Xuan, Lin Dong felt that he had nowhere to hide, while in front of this beautiful woman, he felt slightly better.
"Oh my, an interesting little fellow," the woman said, voice as light as a breeze. "It's a pity. This Palace Master doesn't take male disciples."
After retracting her gaze, the woman in palace attire also glanced around, then raised her hand and grabbed a wisp of extremely faint sword energy in her hand.
"Chi!"
Watching the wisp of sword energy dissipate in her hand, the palace-dressed beauty's pupils also slightly shrank. That wisp of sword energy could actually grind away a trace of her Origin Power!
"Such powerful sword energy, no wonder Ling Qingzhu failed. To think that a small, low-level dynasty could produce such a stunning genius!"
As she spoke, the space around the palace-dressed beauty fluctuated again. In the next moment, the palace-dressed beauty disappeared.
Little Marten heaved a sigh. "Hoo… scared the tail off me. Luckily that was the Palace Master of the Nine Heavens Great Purity Palace. If it had been an old dog from Yuan Gate, you'd be buried with me by now, Lin Dong."
Lin Dong couldn't help but be taken aback when he heard Little Marten's words. Immediately, he curiously questioned Little Marten.
"Nine Heavens Great Purity Palace? What kind of power is that? And this name is so long. And Yuan Gate, what kind of power is that? Little Marten, do you have a grudge against Yuan Gate?"
"They're both among the eight super sects in the Eastern Xuan Region," Little Marten muttered, ears twitching. "That woman just now? She's the Palace Master of Nine Heavens Great Purity Palace. Stronger than me at my peak. One of the top dog of this region. As for Yuan Gate… avoid them if you value your life."
Even a proud Sky Demon Marten like him knew to keep his head low before a Revolving Wheel Realm expert.
"But fortunately, she didn't have any ideas about the mysterious Stone Talisman. That's right, a treasure without even a spirit, although it's quite mysterious, is not enough to make such a figure lower herself to deal with a Core Formation Realm little guy like you."
"Compared to you, she's obviously more interested in that monster. Maybe she'll directly take that monster into her sect."
Little Marten said with a strange smile, and the honest Lin Dong was stunned when he heard this, asking in confusion.
"But didn't that Palace Master say that she doesn't accept male disciples?"
Little Marten snorted. "Pfft, you naive pup. Rules like that? They're for people like you. A genius like him? If word gets out, not just the Eastern Xuan Region, but the top experts of the entire Tianxuan Continent will come crawling to him."
After hitting Lin Dong, Little Marten couldn't help but sigh in amazement. He had to say, he was truly convinced by that monster.
"Even old monsters in the Reincarnation Realm will come out of seclusion to snatch such a monster!"