Chapter 578: A Brand New Shock

A cultivator's entire being is valuable, so it's no surprise that others share my perspective. After all, understanding the laws of heaven and earth can't compare to the speed of directly seizing existing Golden Cores. However, if it's considered a 'big business'... Li Fan felt a flicker of doubt: "Massively acquiring cultivator corpses—what are they trying to do?"

Li Fan had no intention of delving into the other party's motives. However, given their secretive actions and Zhang Debiao's prolonged absence, he feared the worst. Although it might be difficult to quietly kill a cultivator in the Xuanhuang Realm due to the existence of the falling star phenomenon, there are plenty of ways to simply make someone vanish without a trace. Zhou Qing'ang was a prime example; he was still lying at the bottom of the Congyun Sea!

Just as Li Fan was hesitating, wondering whether to spend some contribution points to have someone continue investigating Zhang Debiao's whereabouts, an unfamiliar cultivator arrived uninvited, seeking him out. Since Li Fan had been operating under a new alias, Yu Ji, in Tianling Province for the past few days to conceal his true identity, he immediately knew the visitor's purpose was related to the missing Zhang Debiao. "This is interesting. I'll meet him."

In a side courtyard of the Dao Discussion Pavilion, Li Fan met the newcomer. It was a gray-robed cultivator. His body was short and frail, his face covered in deep, ravine-like wrinkles. He walked with a limp, appearing so weak that it seemed a gust of wind could knock him over. The moment the stranger drew near, Li Fan subtly caught a faint scent of decay and putrefaction emanating from him.

"Heh heh heh..."

"Fellow Daoist Yu, I heard you're looking for Zhang Debiao. Does he have something you need?" the gray-robed cultivator went straight to the point, asking in a peculiar voice.

Li Fan narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the man. Although the other party appeared to have only Golden Core cultivation, Li Fan was almost certain it was just a deception. The recurring sense of danger in his heart warned Li Fan that this gray-robed cultivator was far from simple.

"How should I address you, fellow Daoist?" Li Fan didn't answer directly. Instead, he cupped his hands and asked for the man's name.

"Rotten Wood Daoist," the gray-robed cultivator replied succinctly and straightforwardly.

Li Fan quickly scanned his memory; he had never heard of this person before.

Li Fan pondered for a moment, then lowered his voice and nodded in acknowledgment: "Indeed, I need some cultivators' Golden Cores. The more complete, the better. The higher the tier of the law contained within the Golden Core, the better." Li Fan added, "Price is not an issue."

A glint flashed in Rotten Wood Daoist's eyes. He extended a hand and, seemingly from nowhere, produced a Golden Core mixed with blue and red hues, offering it to Li Fan. "Fellow Daoist Yu, how's the quality of this one?"

Li Fan's heart stirred. He took the Golden Core and examined it closely. It looked as if it had just been dug out of a cultivator's body, with visible remnants of bloodstains. Upon sensing it, he found that the Golden Core contained insights related to the laws of wood and fire. When he used Returning to Truth to test it, a prompt to absorb it indeed appeared.

"What's the price?" Li Fan asked.

"Thirty thousand contribution points," Rotten Wood said deeply. Perhaps fearing Li Fan would find it too expensive, he continued: "I also have some single-law Golden Cores that are cheaper, only fifteen thousand contribution points. Of course, if you need a larger quantity, the price can be negotiated further." He added, while Li Fan was still pondering and hadn't replied, "Oh, and we deal in equivalent spirit stones. Direct transfers of contribution points are not accepted."

What concerned Li Fan was not the price, but the suspicious manner of Rotten Wood Daoist's appearance. Moreover, he spoke so openly and boldly about selling cultivators' Golden Cores, a highly taboo act, without any attempt at concealment. It was as if he were trading common goods, not prohibited items. More crucially, Li Fan was currently using a cultivator identity with no discernible background or origin. The Daoist certainly didn't know Li Fan's true identity. Yet Rotten Wood Daoist remained so audacious... Was he truly not afraid that Li Fan was an investigator from the Myriad Immortals Alliance, attempting to entrap him?

"Twenty-eight thousand is also acceptable," Rotten Wood Daoist offered, seeing Li Fan's prolonged silence, and proactively lowered the price.

Li Fan then feigned hesitation and nodded: "Deal." He pretended to put it into a storage ring but actually absorbed it directly using Returning to Truth. On the Returning to Truth panel, the anchor point unlock progress increased by 0.5.

"Based on this, I'll need a full two hundred complete Golden Cores. This is assuming I'm absorbing dual-law Golden Cores. If they're just ordinary single-law Golden Cores, I'd probably need even more. Conventional methods won't allow me to gather them. Unless I dare to defy the world, transform into a demon, and wantonly slaughter Golden Core cultivators..." This thought flashed through Li Fan's mind for only a moment before he discarded it.

"Fellow Daoist Rotten Wood," Li Fan lightly coughed. He didn't immediately request another transaction but instead asked about the doubts in his mind. To his surprise, Rotten Wood Daoist nonchalantly replied: "Don't worry, fellow Daoist. We're not like that petty fellow Zhang Debiao. The Golden Cores we provide have secure and guaranteed sources, with absolutely no future complications. Even if the Immortal Alliance investigates, there will be no issues. You can rest assured, fellow Daoist!" He patted his chest, guaranteeing it profusely. The force was so strong that Li Fan even wondered if he might accidentally break himself apart.

"That can't be, can it?" However, the answer given by the other party was far beyond Li Fan's expectations. He immediately showed a look of disbelief: "This Golden Core clearly looks like it was just dug out of a cultivator's body a short while ago... Such inhumane acts—not to mention our Myriad Immortals Alliance, even the Council of Five Elders wouldn't stand idly by if they knew, would they? If I didn't have a special, urgent reason, I wouldn't do something that weighs so heavily on my conscience!" Li Fan declared righteously.

Rotten Wood Daoist sneered and didn't bother refuting Li Fan's nonsense. Instead, he suddenly asked, "What if these Golden Core cultivators were all volunteers?"

"Volunteers wouldn't..." Li Fan suddenly froze. "Volunteers! How is that possible?" His heart was indeed somewhat shocked by Rotten Wood Daoist's words. Li Fan feigned an expression of utter astonishment, widening his eyes and staring fixedly at the other party.

"Where there's demand, there's naturally a market," Rotten Wood Daoist shook his head, explaining to Li Fan. "It's been so many years since order was re-established in the Xuanhuang Realm, the emergence of our line of work is truly nothing new. Like Zhang Debiao, extracting Golden Cores from cultivator corpses is simply too inefficient."