Chapter Twenty-Five: The Master's Concern

At this moment, his appearance was utterly wretched, as if he had been driven mad by torment, his brows streaked with white; there was not the slightest trace of the dignified figure he had once been in the Azure Profound Manor.

"And that Gongsun Yan—damned as well! Daring to seal off Divine Wind City and trap me here! If only I could return to Azure Profound Manor, this trifling restriction would mean nothing!"

A hint of madness flickered in his eyes.

Suddenly, he jerked his head up, gaze fixed on the distant sky, and thrust out his hand!

At that very moment, three cultivators were rushing back from the front lines, wounded.

"Damn it! The Yuan Beast isn't hurt—we've all been deceived!"

"We must deliver this news to the City Lord! We can't remain in Divine Wind City any longer, or we'll all perish!"

"Not good! Retreat!"

The leader's pupils contracted sharply; ahead, he sensed an overwhelming threat to his life. Yet, his warning came too late. From the sky, a colossal azure hand descended. He managed to halt his own body, but his two companions, unable to react in time, plunged headlong into the blue mist. They couldn't even utter a scream before their bodies withered instantaneously, reduced to piles of bones.

"Brother Yuan! Brother Tai Zhi! Damn it!"

The leader roared in anguish. They had escaped from the Yuan Beast's grasp, only to find disaster in Divine Wind City. He dared not linger another moment and turned to flee.

In the distance, Lin Fengtian let out a faint sound of surprise, followed by a cold snort. His movements never slowed; he shifted direction and grasped at the void.

The Azure Profound Giant Hand transformed from a palm into claws, enveloping the space.

A muffled boom resounded beneath the sky.

"Ah!"

A scream echoed from within the Azure Profound Giant Hand, a streak of blood-red light shooting through the void, escaping.

This time, genuine surprise appeared in Lin Fengtian's eyes. Though his powers were sealed here, the Blood God Gauntlet remained. The gauntlet allowed him to accumulate primal energy; even with his cultivation suppressed, he could briefly unleash the terrifying power of a Purple Manor cultivator.

Yet, despite such prowess, a heavily injured Sea-Filling realm cultivator managed to escape?

"Forget it. A mere rat. Two late-stage Sea-Filling sacrifices are enough to activate the Blood God Gauntlet's inscription skill!"

He narrowed his eyes; the urgent task was to break through the restriction Lin Ru had placed upon him. Otherwise, he dared not even approach Gongsun Yan.

For he knew well—Gongsun Yan... was nothing short of a madman.

But as he rallied his strength, preparing to strike at the seal, the life force he had absorbed from the three cultivators suddenly dispersed from the Blood God Gauntlet.

He was momentarily stunned, then unleashed a furious, terrifying roar.

"Ah! Witch, you shall die a miserable death! You—you—you dare tamper with my treasured artifact!"

His roar shook half the slum district.

...

Meanwhile, Tu Lu finally returned from Heavenly Dragon Square.

Most of the Thunderstones in his possession had been exchanged for magical artifacts—a total of twenty, including a set of top-tier middle-grade items.

This set, named the Primordial Meridian Sword, comprised a mother sword and nine subsidiary swords. Though not an inscribed artifact, its price was exorbitant; acquiring it alone had cost him three thousand Thunderstones.

"I need artifacts too. I can't prepare equipment solely for Divine Wind City's cultivators while having nothing for myself—I'm not that generous."

He shook his head with a wry smile.

He had prepared the Primordial Meridian Sword for himself, as well as two sets of artifact armor, one for himself and one for the little girl. Middle-grade armor was too costly, but with the Heavenly Dragon Order for defense, armor was merely an embellishment, so he chose only the finest of the lower-grade options.

"Let's begin."

Taking a deep breath, he commenced the inscription process.

At the same time, he activated the Small Cosmic Image Technique gifted to him by Zhao Yuyang, carefully monitoring for errors while envisioning a colossal stone statue in his mind. Though his spiritual power was drained, it was continuously replenished from the statue in some mysterious way. The mental burden increased, but the depletion of spiritual power was greatly reduced.

As a result, his efficiency soared. In just two days, twenty-two artifacts—save for the two armor sets and three middle-grade items—were all inscribed.

However, a lapse in concentration led to damage on two lower-grade artifacts.

Half a day later, he presented all these items.

During this period, many watched his progress, eagerly awaiting his inscribed artifacts.

Even several masters in the Trading Square kept a close eye.

Tu Lu's artifacts had seriously affected business there. Normally, inscribed items would be in high demand, but thanks to Tu Lu, not a single piece had sold in two days.

"What! He's released another batch of inscribed artifacts—seventeen pieces!"

Xu Lei, seated in his shop at the Trading Square, shot to his feet in shock upon hearing the news.

"Impossible! No matter how skilled he is, his success rate can't exceed thirty percent—it's fate! Even if he inscribes three items a day, one succeeds; in two days, at most two can be offered. Seventeen? What kind of joke is this!" Xu Lei ranted hysterically, as if to convince himself.

"Enough, Xu. Whether you accept it or not, the facts are clear. It was you who drove him away, and now this has happened. What do you plan to do?"

Three others sat nearby: Dongfang Xiao, Tu Long, and Shang Xingzong—all inscription masters of the Trading Square.

Each wore a sour expression, for the situation was clearly Xu Lei's doing, and they suffered the consequences.

Shang Xingzong spoke, "How he managed it is irrelevant. What matters is his astonishing efficiency! Coupled with the low price of a thousand Thunderstones, it's enough to drive every cultivator in Divine Wind City mad, all waiting for his inscribed artifacts. No matter how tense things get, few will come to us—that's the crux!

After all, most cultivators here can't afford three thousand Thunderstones. Our inscribed artifacts are beyond their reach!"

"Hmph! What's more, even those who can afford it—how many are willing to waste their money? The truly wealthy already own several inscribed artifacts; they don't lack them! Which means our clientele has dried up!"

"Enough!"

Xu Lei seemed to regain his composure. "There's no need for panic; inscribed artifacts aren't so easily produced. He's likely selling from his stockpile.

What surprises me is that the inscription master backing him would stoop to such nonsense—absurd!"

"What use is talk? Do you have a solution?" Dongfang Xiao retorted bitterly. "We all know he's probably selling old stock, but what does that matter? In time, once Divine Wind City's conflict settles, these cultivators will be grateful to him, all flocking to buy his artifacts. Who will buy ours then?"

"Should I just send someone to take care of the brat and smash his shop?" Tu Long's eyes flashed with menace.

But the others rejected the idea outright.

"Too late! Now, most of Divine Wind City's attention is fixed there. Aside from Purple Manor cultivators, who has the means? Do you expect the City Lord to intervene?"

"And the boy is not the issue. The real problem is the inscription master behind him!"

At this, Tu Long's face flushed red and green. He sat for a long moment, exhaling heavily through his nose.

The group of inscription masters sat together, yet could not devise a solution.