Chapter 132 Cross-border Chamber of Commerce, Shadow of the Secluded Pavilion
After nearly a year of training in the Netherworld, Ye Li realized it would be difficult to find the next fragment anytime soon. Her cultivation had reached a bottleneck in the middle stage of the Divine Power Realm, and she needed a new opportunity and insight to break through. She decided to temporarily leave this eerie and silent place and head for a place called "Wanjie City."
Wanjie City isn't just a city, but a super-sized trading hub located at the intersection of several star regions, jointly established by seven major guilds: the Xinghai Chamber of Commerce, the Duobao Pavilion, and the Tianji Tower. Uncontrolled by any single power, it's entirely autonomous and governed by the guilds. It's renowned throughout the spirit world for its absolute neutrality and abundant resources.
Through a relatively hidden exit of the Netherworld Ghost Domain, Ye Li piloted the star ship and sailed in the void for more than a month, finally arriving at the star field where the Wanjie City was located.
From afar, a vast floating city, the size of a small star, stretched across the sea of stars. Enveloped by a vast, transparent canopy of light, the entire city stood atop a forest of buildings, each with its own distinct style. There were Eastern-style pavilions and towers, Western-style spire-roofed castles, and even some bizarrely shaped, alien structures.
Countless flying boats, star rafts, and even some rare void creatures converged outside the city, forming a series of glittering waterways. Occasionally, a large merchant ship slowly passed by, the logos of major chambers of commerce emblazoned on its hull.
Ye Li landed at the designated parking area, paid a hefty fee, and then walked into Wanjie City. She had already altered her appearance, using the secret techniques learned from the Samsara Mirror to conceal her true cultivation level at the late Yuandan stage. Dressed in a simple azure Taoist robe, she looked like an ordinary casual cultivator.
As soon as one entered the city, a bustling clamor washed over them. The wide streets were bustling with people. Besides the common human cultivators, one could also see demons clad in armor, feathered creatures with wings on their backs, shadow creatures shrouded in cloaks, and even some alien visitors whose forms were completely different from those of ordinary people.
Shops lined the streets, flags fluttering. A rich medicinal aroma wafted from the doorway of "Baicaotang," the clanging sounds of forging echoed from "Shenbingge," and the windows of "Fuluzhai" displayed a dazzling array of magical talismans. Further afield, the nine-story "Tianji Tower" towered majestically, offering the perfect spot for buying intelligence.
Ye Li first found a reasonably clean-looking inn to stay in and requested a room on the upper floor. The inn was called "Xinghaiju" and had a quiet and elegant environment. Each room was soundproofed, making it a perfect place for a monk to stay.
After settling in, she began to implement her plan. Her primary goal was to gather information about other Samsara Mirror fragments or related ruins.
She first arrived at the Tianji Tower, the largest intelligence agency in Wanjie City. It was a magnificent building, with two stone lions standing in front of it, their eyes embedded with "illusion-breaking stones" that could see through illusions.
As soon as I entered the building, a waiter in uniform came forward and asked, "Fellow Daoist, how can I help you?"
"I want to buy some information about ancient ruins and special fragments." Ye Li said in a low voice.
The waiter understood and led her to a private room on the second floor. Not long after, an elderly man with a goatee pushed the door open and entered, introducing himself as a three-star steward from Tianji Tower.
"What kind of information do you want, fellow Daoist?" the old man asked straight to the point.
Ye Li chose her words carefully: "About some fragments that are neither gold nor jade, with starlight flowing around the edges, or ancient relics related to them."
The old man's eyes gleamed as he stroked his beard, saying, "This kind of information doesn't come cheap. And to be honest, most of the information about these special fragments is just hearsay, making it difficult to tell the truth."
"It doesn't matter. I want all the relevant information." Ye Li took out a storage bag and placed it on the table. It contained five hundred high-grade spirit stones.
The old man scanned the storage bag with his spiritual sense, nodded with satisfaction, and took out a jade slip, beginning to record: "As far as we know, there are three places that may be related. The first is the 'Silent Star Abyss'. Legend has it that it was the battlefield of the ancient divine war, and strange fragments often flow out from it. The second is the 'Spacetime Labyrinth', an area of turbulent spacetime that occasionally spews out objects of unknown origin. The third..."
He paused, lowering his voice. "It's said that the 'Dark Eye' organization is also searching for something similar, and they're active in several ancient ruins."
Ye Li's heart moved, but she remained calm on the surface: "Anything else?"
The old man shook his head. "That's all. But I want to remind you, fellow Daoist, that these places are extremely dangerous. Even cultivators with supernatural powers wouldn't dare venture in easily."
After leaving Tianji Tower, Ye Li visited several other intelligence agencies such as "Tingfeng Pavilion" and "Bai Xiaosheng", and the information he obtained was similar, all of which were vague pointers without a precise location.
Next, she sought information about the Dark Pupil organization. However, to her disappointment, these publicly known intelligence agencies remained extremely secretive about the Dark Pupil organization. In Tianji Tower, when she asked about the Dark Pupil organization, the old man's expression changed noticeably.
"'Dark Eyes'? It's best not to inquire about this organization, fellow Daoist." The old man said solemnly, "This isn't an ordinary force. It's deeply involved. Knowing too much will only bring you trouble."
The situation was similar in other intelligence agencies. Clearly, Dark Pupil's influence was even greater than imagined, and even these major intelligence agencies were reluctant to offend them easily.
Ye Li was not surprised by this. She followed the pre-arranged code and method to contact the person in charge of Youge in Wanjie City.
In the southeastern district of Wanjie City, there's a street called "Baigong Lane," home to a variety of artisans and small vendors. It looks unremarkable. Ye Li walked into a puppet shop called "Qiaoshoufang," where a variety of lifelike puppets were displayed.
"What do you need, sir?" a waiter came forward.
Ye Li took out a specially made jade talisman, engraved with Youge's secret code: "I want to customize a puppet in the shape of 'Nine Heavens Mysterious Lady'."
The waiter's expression changed slightly, but he quickly returned to normal: "Sir, please come in. This special order requires detailed discussion with the shopkeeper."
Following the waiter to the back hall, a middle-aged man was polishing a puppet part. Seeing the jade talisman in Ye Li's hand, he immediately stood up and saluted respectfully: "I greet the Pavilion Master!"
To Ye Li's surprise, the person in charge of Wanjie City turned out to be the Monkey King Sun Xiaohou, who had followed her from the Northern Territory! After not seeing him for several years, Sun Xiaohou's cultivation had reached the early stages of the Yuandan stage. His demeanor had become much calmer and more capable, no longer the frivolous teenager he once was. His eyes had a more mature look, but his excitement at seeing Ye Li remained undiminished.
"Little monkey, is that you?" Ye Li was also a little surprised.
"It's me!" Sun Xiaohou said excitedly, "Brother Lin Feng said that Wanjie City is a key location and that a reliable person must be sent to take charge. I volunteered to come."
He took Ye Li through a secret door and came to a safe house underground. There were multiple restrictions in place, making it absolutely safe.
"Master, please take a rest first. I will report to you about the development of Youge in the past few years." Sun Xiaohou brewed a pot of spiritual tea for Ye Li and then began to report in detail.
Leveraging the influence of Ye Li and Qin Yixuan's fame in the spirit world, as well as the vast resources provided by Ye Li, Youge, under Lin Feng's overall leadership, has grown rapidly. Today, Youge is no longer limited to the Northern Territory and Central Continent; its reach has extended to Eastern Continent, Western Territory, Southern Wasteland, and even to some overseas islands.
"Currently, there are 327 core members of Youge, all of whom have been rigorously vetted and are loyal and reliable. There are over 5,000 peripheral members, spread across various industries and factions." Sun Xiaohou listed them one by one. "We have established bases in 36 major cities, and Wanjie City is the most important one."
Under the guise of the "Lixuan Chamber of Commerce," Youge operates a business dealing in elixirs, talismans, and intelligence. Sun Xiaohou specifically mentioned that the Chamber of Commerce, using the recipes left by Ye Li, has refined the "Ice Heart Pill" and "Mysterious Water Talisman," which are very popular in the market and provide a stable source of income for the organization.
Secretly, Youge established an intelligence network covering a small portion of the Spirit World. "Our people have already infiltrated the middle levels of some major sects and chambers of commerce. While they haven't yet accessed core secrets, they've been able to obtain a lot of valuable information."
Sun Xiaohou took out a jade slip and handed it to Ye Li: "This is a summary of the important intelligence we have collected recently."
Ye Li's divine sense swept across the jade slip, which recorded the movements of major forces, news of the emergence of secret realms, the whereabouts of important figures, etc. What caught her attention was that there were many records about "Dark Pupil" and "Eclipse Realm".
"Our current intelligence regarding 'Dark Pupil' is still very incomplete," Sun Xiaohou said solemnly. "This organization is extremely secretive and complex. Their members don't appear to be entirely human, and are connected to some ancient demons."
He pulled up some footage. "These were captured by our men at great risk. Look at these people's eyes. Under certain lighting conditions, they exhibit inhuman vertical pupils. Furthermore, the power they wield is unlike ordinary spiritual energy."
In the video, several people in black robes are holding some kind of ceremony in an ancient ruin. They are surrounded by black mist, emitting an unsettling aura.
"In recent years, the Dark Eyes have been active more frequently, seemingly searching for something, or perhaps preparing for some large-scale ritual," Sun Xiaohou continued. "We've discovered traces of them in several ancient ruins, including the Netherworld, the Burial Gods Mountain, and the Sea of Samsara."
Ye Li frowned slightly. These places were all related to reincarnation and death. It was obviously not a coincidence.
"As for the 'Eclipse Realm'..." Sun Xiaohou's voice deepened. "We've only seen fragments of it in some extremely ancient and incomplete texts. It seems to be related to the legendary 'World Annihilation' and 'Era Reincarnation', but its specific reference is unknown."
He pulled out a yellowed fragment of an ancient book. "I stumbled upon this at an underground auction. It mentioned the advent of the eclipse, and the return of all things to nothingness. But the rest of the text has been lost."
Ye Li took the fragment and examined it carefully. The text on it was an extremely ancient divine script. If she had not been so knowledgeable in her previous life, she would not have been able to recognize it. It was indeed as Sun Xiaohou said, the content was fragmented and difficult to piece together the complete message.
"But..." Sun Xiaohou hesitated, "We recently discovered that 'Dark Eyes' seems to be collecting ancient books and magical instruments related to the 'Eclipse Realm'. Perhaps they know more about the inside story."
Ye Li pondered for a moment, feeling very satisfied with the abilities of Lin Feng, Sun Xiaohou, and the others. She hadn't expected that Youge could grow to such a scale in just a few years.
She issued new instructions: "Continue to expand the intelligence network, focusing on infiltrating the major powerhouses and those chaotic star regions where there's no law or order. But remember, safety comes first. It's better to proceed slowly than to be exposed."
"Intensify the investigation into 'Dark Pupil' and 'Eclipse Realm', but be careful not to alert them. You can try searching for clues in the ancient ruins where they operate."
"At the same time, we will begin to secretly recruit and cultivate talents with special talents. This will be particularly important for our future development, especially those skilled in spatial analysis, divination, and demon control."
She also gave Sun Xiaohou some unused resources from the Netherworld Ghost Realm and some previously acquired resources, including the Netherworld Soul Iron and several magical instruments obtained from the Ghost King. "These will serve as funds for the further development of the Netherworld Pavilion. Remember, wealth must be used wisely."
During her two weeks in Wanjie City, Ye Li not only took care of the affairs of Youge, but also took the opportunity to replenish some necessary supplies. She purchased materials for refining talismans, healing pills, and some life-saving magic tools from various shops.
It's worth noting that she stumbled upon a fragment of a sutra about the Six Paths of Reincarnation at a small auction. While incomplete, it provided valuable inspiration for her to perfect the Six Paths of Reincarnation Sword. She therefore spent a fortune to purchase it.
Before leaving, Sun Xiaohou prepared a detailed star map and a specially crafted communication jade talisman for Ye Li: "Pavilion Master, this star map marks some known dangerous areas and shortcuts. The communication jade talisman can be used to request assistance from us in times of crisis, and we will do our best to respond."
Ye Li accepted the gift and patted Sun Xiaohou on the shoulder: "Thank you for your hard work. Remember, no matter what happens, protecting yourself is the most important thing."
"Master, rest assured, I understand."
After leaving Wanjie City, Ye Li piloted the Starship towards a new destination. This time, following a vague message purchased from the Tianji Tower, she journeyed to a region known as the "Broken Galaxy," where space-time turbulence was rumored to occur. It was said that hidden there lay an ancient relic related to the Samsara Mirror, which might hold clues to the next fragment.
The starship streaked across the void, quickly disappearing into the vast sea of stars. Behind her, the hidden Youge, an organization quietly growing stronger, like an invisible net, slowly enveloping the entire spirit world.
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