Chapter 131: The Crimson Sword Alliance

The six members of the Samsara Battle Team had consumed a vast quantity of dragon crystals over this period, each successfully elevating their cultivation to the peak of the Yuan Gang realm. Having mastered the "Sun-Shooting Heavenly Technique," this breakthrough increased the power of their archery more than tenfold, a staggering leap in ability. It could be said that the strength of the Samsara Battle Team had surged immeasurably.

Yi Tian and his companions gathered together and headed toward the trading district. With hundreds, perhaps thousands, of dragon crystals in hand, Yi Tian was eager to acquire the items he had his eye on. Yi Feng, Yi Shan, and the others dispersed to browse on their own.

"Small Creation Pill: can mend flesh to bone, regenerate tissue, dispel toxins, and bolster life force. Restores any injury within a very short time. A mid-grade spirit pill, twenty dragon crystals each!"

Seeing the remarkable efficacy of the Small Creation Pill, Yi Tian waved his hand and purchased three from the Godwood Sect’s stall. He also bought fifty Yuan Origin Pills—intended for replenishing true essence—at a rate of five for one dragon crystal.

Next, after traversing more than half of the trading district, Yi Tian finally spent six hundred and fifty dragon crystals on a low-grade extraordinary treasure bow, squandering the majority of his wealth in one go. In this trading district, a low-grade extraordinary artifact was considered a top-tier treasure. Anything superior would never appear here, as such items were tightly controlled by major factions.

After squandering so many dragon crystals, Yi Tian had exchanged them for a wealth of treasures, medicinal pills, and even a stack of high-grade human-tier talismans. At five dragon crystals each, these were refined by top-tier human-tier powerhouses at the Yuan Dan level. By sealing their Yuan techniques within, each talisman could replicate a standard strike from a Yuan Dan expert, capable of annihilating a Yuan Gang powerhouse with effortless ease.

Just as Yi Tian was preparing to head home, he passed an ordinary stall and his eyes lit up. On that stall sat over a dozen inheritance jade slips. Some were chipped, others covered in cracks, and they all appeared quite archaic. The stall owner was a man over sixty, plain in appearance, yet Yi Tian sensed he was a Yuan Fa level expert—his aura was formidable, lacking the crushing pressure of a Yuan Dan master.

Yi Tian began to examine the goods. In front of each inheritance jade slip was a brief description of the technique it contained, its characteristics, and more. There were the Dragon-Elephant Profound Technique, the Five Elements Profound Technique, the Demon-Hunting Profound Technique, the Sword-Forging Profound Technique, and so on.

He read through the descriptions of nearly all the techniques. Most were low-grade Earth-tier, with only three mid-grade and one high-grade technique among them. However, all these slips were flawed or damaged, leaving them in a fragmented state. This meant the techniques were incomplete, riddled with errors or omissions—a highly dangerous prospect for any practitioner, as the slightest mishap could lead to a cultivation deviation.

For Yi Tian, however, this was not an issue. His Star Mud clone could absolutely repair these Earth-tier techniques one by one, or even further deduce them into Heavenly Techniques. If so, the Yi tribe would possess a wealth of Heavenly Techniques to choose from, serving as a massive foundation and a pillar for the tribe’s future rise.

Suddenly, Yi Tian’s gaze froze as he read the information on the final inheritance jade slip.

"Diamond Indestructible Profound Technique!"

Yi Tian carefully digested the information regarding the Diamond Indestructible Profound Technique. It was a body-refining method that developed over two thousand acupoints within the body, tempering the flesh and forging the physique until it reached a state of "Diamond Indestructibility," comparable to the finest low-grade extraordinary artifacts. This jade slip was also slightly damaged, greatly reducing its value; otherwise, this body-refining technique would have been worth a hundred times more and would not have sat ignored at this stall for so long.

The old man, noticing Yi Tian’s focused expression, sensed an opportunity. He spoke up, "Young friend, these techniques are all ancient methods, exceptionally powerful. You can choose any one for just ten dragon crystals—a chance you cannot miss!"

Yi Tian looked at him and replied, "I want all of them. One lump sum: one hundred dragon crystals."

"This..." The old man hesitated. There were thirteen inheritance jade slips on his stall; this offer meant a loss of thirty dragon crystals, which pained him. His team had found these in a ruin, and they had been trying to offload these damaged items for days with little interest, which had made him anxious. Now that Yi Tian wanted to buy the entire lot, he was secretly overjoyed, yet Yi Tian’s aggressive bargaining made him hesitate, hoping to squeeze out a higher price. Usually, a complete Earth-tier technique was worth at least thirty or forty dragon crystals, but the damage had severely depressed their market value.

"I can only offer one hundred dragon crystals. No more." Yi Tian feigned a move to leave.

The old man’s heart tightened; he hurriedly stopped Yi Tian and agreed to sell all the inheritance jade slips for one hundred dragon crystals. Although he suspected Yi Tian might be posturing, he feared missing the opportunity. One hundred dragon crystals met his bottom line, so he finalized the deal quickly.

Yi Tian soon concluded the transaction. Additionally, he purchased several blank inheritance jade slips in the trading district. These could store all the information of a technique, but they were expensive—three dragon crystals apiece. Moreover, to imprint an inheritance, the practitioner had to have fully mastered the essence and mysteries of the technique, and possess both high cultivation and a powerful soul.

Shortly after, Yi Tian and his team departed from Huangqin City. They decided to return to the Yi tribe, having been away for nearly a year, and were filled with longing.

Regrettably, they discovered that purchasing a Void Boat—a special flight artifact—was more expensive than a low-grade extraordinary artifact, costing at least a thousand dragon crystals. If the Samsara Battle Team had one, they could have returned to the Yi tribe in a single day. Having gained a massive amount of resources, they were set for a long period of rapid cultivation and no longer needed to risk venturing deep into the Fulong Mountain Range.

On their way out, they did not use a Void Boat. This was partly to avoid any ill-intended actions from the city guard of Gulan City, who were, after all, affiliated with that faction. Thus, the six members of the Samsara Battle Team traveled on foot through the mountains.

Along the way, they were attacked by many fierce beasts, but in the face of the now-mighty Samsara Battle Team, these creatures were feeble. They were slaughtered one after another, with only peak intermediate-level beasts posing any threat.

However, after they had traveled tens of thousands of miles, they were finally targeted. A Void Boat streaked through the sky, hovering above them, and figures began to emerge. Yi Tian frowned as he looked at them. They were all dressed in grey, with a crimson sword embroidered on their cuffs, and their bodies were reeking of murderous intent.

"The Red Sword Alliance!" Yi Feng was the first to recognize them.

"What?" Yi Shan, Yi Li, and Yi Kuang were shocked. They immediately realized these were indeed the notoriously vicious Red Sword Alliance that operated around Huangqin City. The Red Sword Alliance was an organization that specialized in raiding and murdering other practitioners; they were utterly evil. Few who encountered them ever escaped alive.

A confrontation was inevitable. Members continued to step off the Void Boat. In the blink of an eye, twenty-eight members of the Red Sword Alliance appeared above. Every one of them possessed a sharp, formidable aura; each was at least at the peak of the Yuan Gang realm, more than a third were at the Yuan Fa level, and there were even two at the Yuan Dan level.