Meanwhile, the search party of disciples finally found Ye Chuxue and rushed her back to the Sect.

An Ze and Bai Yang were horrified to see Ye Chuxue hovering between life and death. Frantic, they pleaded for the Sect Master to come and help.

The Sect Master had no other choice but to summon Lan Le.

Lan Le was still holding a grudge. When he arrived and saw the unconscious master and disciple pair, he couldn’t help but click his tongue.

’Is this karma?’ 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

’One still hasn’t woken up, and now the other has new injuries. How interesting!’

As instructed, he gave Ye Chuxue’s injuries a cursory glance, perfunctorily took out an Elixir Pill, and had someone feed it to her.

"Alright, she’ll wake up soon. This is all I can do. They can figure out the rest themselves. Besides, Ye is an expert in the Alchemy Dao. The likes of us can’t compare!"

"Junior Brother Lan, why are you being so sarcastic?"

The Sect Master was already at his wit’s end, and Lan Le’s mocking words just fueled his anger.

Hearing this, Lan Le gave him a cool glance, flicked his hand dismissively, and left without a second thought for the Sect Master’s expression.

The only reason he had come to help at all was out of respect for the Sect Master.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have bothered even if she had died. He didn’t want to get dragged into her mess.

"..."

The Sect Master’s eyelid twitched violently as a sense of powerlessness washed over him.

’These people are getting harder and harder to manage!’

"Senior Sister Ye! Senior Sister Ye! Are you feeling any better?"

An Ze kept watch by the bed, his expression exceptionally tense. The sight of Senior Sister Ye covered in blood had nearly given him a heart attack.

’She has to be okay!’

Ye Chuxue slowly regained consciousness, but before she could answer, she coughed up several mouthfuls of fresh blood.

"BLECH..."

The blood was mixed with black clumps, a horrifying sight to behold.

"Pill... Pill... Elixir Pill..."

As she vomited, she reached for her Storage Ring, only to realize with horror that it was gone!

"My ring... my ring... it’s gone!"

Ye Chuxue’s pupils trembled. She frantically looked around, an unnatural flush rising to her cheeks in her panic.

"What? The Storage Ring is gone?"

Everyone was stunned. They urged her to search more carefully, then summoned and questioned the disciples who had brought her back, but none of them had seen the ring.

"Impossible... my ring... My Elixir Pills are in there! And all my other things!"

Overcome with panic, Ye Chuxue scrambled out of bed. Leaning on An Ze, she stumbled toward the door.

"It was... it was someone from the Divine Auction House... one of their people... That person is a Demon Cultivator! The auction house... is hiding a Demon Cultivator..."

"Sect Master, you... you have to help us!"

Her eyes were bloodshot with hatred. Just the thought of that Demon Cultivator made her heart bleed with rage.

If she hadn’t run into him, she would have brought the Elixir Pills back long ago!

"A Demon Cultivator?"

Bai Yang was startled. "What Demon Cultivator? The auction house has a Demon Cultivator?"

He hadn’t noticed at all.

"Yes... it was the host... He’s a Demon Cultivator!!!"

Ye Chuxue nodded emphatically. "He appeared right after I left and tried to rob me of my Elixir Pills..."

"It must have been him. He must have been the one who stole my Storage Ring..."

She was on the verge of tears from anxiety.

After so many years of cultivation, all her treasures were in that Storage Ring. Losing it was no different from losing her life.

"Let’s go. We’re going to the Divine Auction House! How dare they harbor a Demon Cultivator? I’d like to see what kind of explanation they have for this!"

The Sect Master was furious. To think they would target a True Disciple of the Heavenly Inquiry Sect—it was utterly audacious!

He immediately summoned two elders and led Ye Chuxue and the others toward the Divine Auction House.

He swore to get an explanation!

＊

In the black market’s trading area, Song Wanning was dressed in a black robe that completely concealed her figure.

She arrived at the main hall of the trading area, and someone immediately approached her.

"Fellow Daoist, are you here to sell or to buy?"

"To sell."

Song Wanning’s voice was low. "What I have is no ordinary item. I wish to deal with your boss directly."

Black markets were spread throughout the Cultivation World. The one she had chosen this time was only two cities away from the auction house, making it convenient for her to return after finishing her business.

That pearl was a tough nut to crack, still enduring the torment of scorching flames back at the Song Family residence. She had no time to deal with it for now.

First, she had to offload the Storage Ring.

"Heh heh, our boss isn’t someone you can just meet on a whim. I hope you’ll understand, Fellow Daoist."

The attendant chuckled and cupped his hands, but his attitude was firm. He had no intention of letting Song Wanning meet the boss.

Song Wanning wasn’t in a hurry. Instead, she smiled at him. "You don’t have to let me see him, but I’m afraid you might not be able to handle this treasure."

Her relaxed and slightly condescending demeanor gave the attendant a bad feeling.

If he really let a treasure slip through his fingers, there would be hell to pay when his superiors found out.

"Please wait a moment, Fellow Daoist. This humble one will go and report this at once!"

After a moment’s hesitation, he decided it was best to ask for instructions.

Song Wanning nodded and began to browse her surroundings casually.

Most of the Cultivators who came to the black market were like her, fully disguised to avoid being recognized.

Most of the items sold here were stolen goods that couldn’t see the light of day.

Ye Chuxue’s storage ring was a gift from Gu Qingyuan when she first joined the Sect. It had a restriction on it. If she tried to forcefully erase Ye Chuxue’s Spiritual Mark, Gu Qingyuan would surely discover it.

’It’s all trouble for no gain—a total loss.’

’It’s much better to bring it to the black market.’

’Kill two birds with one stone.’

Before long, the attendant came out and bowed respectfully. "My master will see you now."

A smile touched Song Wanning’s lips as she followed him briskly into a dark room.

Inside the dark room, only a single candle with a flame the size of a pea burned faintly, casting the entire chamber in flickering light and shadow.

The door to the dark room slowly closed. Song Wanning casually pulled up a stool and sat down, crossing one leg over the other in a particularly brazen posture.

A figure emerged from the shadows, and a soft chuckle echoed in the room.

"You’re quite bold, Fellow Daoist."

A graceful figure appeared before Song Wanning. The woman’s stunningly beautiful face made her raise an eyebrow in surprise, a flash of admiration in her eyes.

’So the owner of the black market is a peerless beauty!’

She wore a tight-fitting black outfit that clung to her sensual figure, her every move exuding charm.

’If I were a man, I’d probably fall at her feet.’

"Haha... so our Fellow Daoist is a young lady..."

The black market owner strode forward cheerfully, closing the distance to Song Wanning in just a few steps. She then leaned casually against her.

A pair of slender hands rested on her shoulders, then began to slowly trace their way down.

Her gaze was laced with seduction, her eyes seemingly capable of hooking one’s soul, utterly captivating.

Song Wanning caught her wandering hands and chuckled softly.

"Put away your Soul Capturing Technique. It’s useless against me."

’Trying to muddle my mind with the Soul Capturing Technique?’

The black market owner’s smile froze for an instant before deepening. She caressed the back of Song Wanning’s hand, then reluctantly pulled her own away.

"So you’re a Nascent Soul True Monarch. My apologies for the disrespect."

"Now then, what kind of deal did you want to make with me?"