Chapter 100: The Ruins of the Azure Lotus Sword Sect!

He asked this because he wanted to know whether the Jade Immortal Sect and the Talisman Water Gate had placed a bounty on him. After all, he had once slain the true disciples of both sides, along with a great many Qi Refinement disciples. Even two true disciples of the Azure Wave Sect had died by his hand.

By ordinary reckoning, both sects should have long since put him on their wanted lists. Yet the dwarf’s information contained nothing of the sort. Could it be that the Jade Immortal Sect and the Talisman Water Gate had quietly concealed his situation and were preparing to capture him in secret?

That was not impossible to understand. After all, he had advanced to the Foundation Establishment stage in just three years, and there must certainly be some secret behind it. If the upper echelons of the two sects wished to obtain the opportunity hidden within him and therefore chose not to announce it publicly, that would also be entirely reasonable.

“I’m sorry. The information I just mentioned is already the most complete intelligence our Thousand Mechanisms Tower can obtain. If Senior has other needs, our Thousand Mechanisms Tower can continue to investigate, but the related fee...”

“No need.”

Shen Yan waved a hand and put the matter aside. Taking a deep breath, he asked about the sinister energy he cared about most.

“Where near Azure Haven City can I find any sinister energy?”

At this question, a look of surprise immediately appeared on the dwarf’s face. Clearly, he had already realized that the cultivator before him, whose cultivation he could not see through, was in fact a Foundation Establishment cultivator in the early stage.

At once, a respectful expression surfaced on his face.

“Senior, there are indeed many places near Azure Haven City where sinister energy can be captured and gathered, but most of them are of inferior grade. I fear they may not meet Senior’s standards.”

If a Foundation Establishment cultivator in the early stage merely wanted to search casually for sinister energy and use it to advance to the middle stage, then he would not have come to the secret market to seek information at all.

So the dwarf continued:

“As for obtaining mid-grade or high-grade sinister energy, as far as I know, the only place where it exists is in the ruins of the former Green Lotus Sword Sect. There, one can find Green Lotus Sinister Energy. It ranks sixty-fourth on the Strange Sinister Energies List of the Central Plains cultivation world, so it should be sufficient for Senior’s use.”

“Green Lotus Sinister Energy? Why have I never heard of it?”

Shen Yan was startled. Xu Daoqing’s memories contained nothing of this sinister energy. One must know that Xu Daoqing had been a Foundation Establishment elder of the Green Lotus Sword Sect. If such a thing truly existed, he could not possibly have been unaware of it. Moreover, for such a precious object of cultivation, it would have left a deep impression on him; there was no way he could simply have forgotten.

Although Shen Yan did not know much about the classification of sinister energies, he was by no means ignorant.

For example, the reason Liu Jing of the Jade Immortal Sect was despised by all cultivators was precisely because the sinister energy he condensed was the so-called Peach Blossom Sinister Energy.

This kind of sinister energy was not only of poor quality, but also brought no benefit at all in combat. However, Peach Blossom Sinister Energy did have one advantage: it could draw yin to nourish yang, thereby increasing one’s cultivation.

There were plenty of such low-grade sinister energies in the cultivation world, so it was not difficult for a cultivator to advance to the middle stage of Foundation Establishment. What was difficult was for those who wished to condense high-quality sinister energy.

“Indeed. Green Lotus Sinister Energy is unique to the ruins of the Green Lotus Sword Sect. It is said to have appeared only after the sect’s destruction. This sinister energy was not born without cause; some speculate that it arose from unknown changes within the Green Lotus Sword Sect back then.”

Upon hearing this, Shen Yan’s heart was immediately stirred. What the dwarf said made sense. Some sinister energies are innate, while others are artificially created. Green Lotus Sinister Energy might very well have been formed when the Green Lotus Sword Sect perished.

For others, Green Lotus Sinister Energy might be precious, but not irreplaceable.

Yet for Shen Yan, who possessed the inheritance of the Green Lotus Sword Sect, if he could merge with Green Lotus Sinister Energy, the power of his Green Lotus Sword Art would certainly rise another level.

However, the techniques he possessed were not limited to that one. There was also the Water Origin Art. Although this technique was not of especially high grade, the water-manipulating ability bestowed upon him by the Heavenly Emperor Divine Seal was sufficient for him to condense sinister energy.

In addition, there was the Primordial Earth Magnet Mystic Art. If he could fuse it with a suitable sinister energy, his strength would likewise undergo a dramatic transformation.

“Then apart from Green Lotus Sinister Energy, are there any other leads on sinister energy?”

After a moment of hesitation, Shen Yan asked again.

“Near Azure Haven City, this is the only lead that could be called of decent quality. If Senior wants to learn about other sinister energies, then you must go to the territory of the Floating Peak Sect. That is the most prosperous and flourishing place in the Central Plains cultivation world. Not to mention high-grade sinister energies, you could even buy astral energies there.”

The dwarf shook his head and said this.

At this, Shen Yan nodded silently. The Floating Peak Sect was, like the Vast Sea Immortal Sect, a sect that controlled its own cultivation domain. However, in the Central Plains cultivation world, there were several other sects that could stand shoulder to shoulder with the Floating Peak Sect; they were simply inferior in influence and fame.

This also indirectly showed that the Central Plains cultivation world was far more prosperous and thriving than the East Sea cultivation world.

Moreover, Shen Yan still had a token of the Floating Peak Sect left behind by Feng Jun. With this token, one could become a disciple of the Floating Peak Sect.

However, Shen Yan was unwilling to join a cultivation sect and be constrained by others, so he had not considered going to the Floating Peak Sect.

As for traveling to the territory of the Floating Peak Sect, that was even more absurd. Azure Haven City lay at the edge of the Central Plains cultivation world. To reach the Floating Peak Sect, one would not only have to cross mountains and rivers, but also face wild demons, bandits, demonic cultivators, and even certain cultivation clans at every turn.

Although Shen Yan had great confidence in his own combat strength, if he encountered a Golden Core cultivator, he had no confidence that he could escape.

For now, staying within Azure Haven City was already enough to meet his cultivation needs. On the one hand, he had already formed an unspoken understanding with the three major clans. In the future, if his cultivation reached the middle or late stage, he might even be able to serve in Azure Haven City as a guest elder free from others’ control.

“How much for this piece of information?”

Shen Yan took the dwarf’s advice without comment and asked the price.

“Fifty spirit stones.”

The dwarf gave a figure, then hesitated slightly, looking somewhat uncertain as he said:

“However, if Senior intends to go to the ruins of the Green Lotus Sword Sect, you must be careful. It is said that within those ruins there still remain some ghost cultivators formed from the corpses of Green Lotus Sword Sect cultivators after their deaths. These ghost cultivators have profound cultivation but no intelligence whatsoever. If Senior encounters them, it would be best to avoid them as early as possible.”

“Many thanks.”

After offering his thanks, Shen Yan recalled the auction mentioned earlier by the Qi Refinement perfection cultivator at the gate and asked again:

“How much do you know about the auction inside the secret market?”

The dwarf gave a sly laugh and rubbed his oversized head.

“Senior has asked the right person. This auction in Azure Haven City’s secret market, held specifically for Foundation Establishment cultivators, is precisely being organized by our Thousand Mechanisms Tower together with several other parties.”

As he spoke, he directly took out a jade slip and handed it to Shen Yan.

“Please take a look, Senior. The items in this auction are all recorded on this jade slip. When the time comes, we hope Senior will honor us with your presence.”

After taking the jade slip, Shen Yan did not rush to inspect it. He put it into his storage bag, then asked a few more questions about nearby cultivation sects before turning to leave.

Inside the room, the dwarf pondered for a moment, recorded the day’s transaction information in a ledger, and finally wrote down a remark:

“This person is suspected to be a cultivator from the East Sea cultivation world who has come to our Central Plains.”