A brand new shock

“A Cultivator's entire body is a treasure. It’s not strange for someone to have the same idea as me.”

“After all, comprehending the Law of Heaven and Earth is nowhere near as quick as directly plundering an existing Golden Core.”

“But if it can be called a big business…”

A hint of doubt flashed through Li Fan’s mind: “Massively acquiring Cultivator corpses, what do they want to do?”

Li Fan had no intention of delving into the other party’s motives.

However, their actions were so secretive, and Zhang Debiao had not returned for so long, it was likely he had met with misfortune.

Although in the Xuanhuang World, due to the existence of the fall phenomenon, it might be somewhat difficult to kill a Cultivator silently.

But if it was just to make them vanish without a trace, there were far too many methods.

For example, Zhou Qingang was a living example.

He was still lying at the bottom of the Congyun Seabed!

Just as Li Fan was hesitating whether to spend some contribution points to ask someone to continue inquiring about Zhang Debiao’s whereabouts.

A strange Cultivator, uninvited, came knocking on his door.

Because Li Fan had been using a completely new identity, under the alias Yu Ji, for the past few days while acting in Tianling State to avoid attracting attention.

So, Li Fan immediately knew that the other party’s purpose in finding him must be related to the missing Zhang Debiao.

“A bit interesting. I’ll meet him.”

In the Lundao Tower’s annex, Li Fan met the visitor.

It was a gray-robed Cultivator.

A short, frail body, a face full of deep, ravine-like wrinkles, walking with a limp, looking extremely weak, as if a gust of wind could blow him over.

The moment the other party approached, Li Fan even faintly smelled a putrid, fishy odor coming from him.

“Hehehe…”

“Yu Daoyou, I heard you are looking for Zhang Debiao? Does he have something you need?”

The gray-robed Cultivator went straight to the point, asking in a strange voice.

Li Fan narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the other party.

Although the other party only appeared to have Golden Core cultivation, Li Fan was almost certain this was just a trick.

The constant surges of danger he felt reminded Li Fan that this gray-robed Cultivator was not simple.

“How should I address you, Fellow Daoist?” Li Fan did not answer directly, but cupped his hands and asked for the other party’s name.

“Xiu Mu Daoist.” The gray-robed Cultivator was also very straightforward, speaking concisely.

He scanned through his mind; he had never heard of this person before.

Li Fan pondered for a moment, then lowered his voice and nodded in admission: “That’s right, I need some Cultivators’ Golden Cores.”

“The more complete, the better. The higher the Law contained within the Golden Core, the better.”

“Price is not an issue,” Li Fan added after speaking.

A gleam flashed in Xiu Mu Daoist’s eyes. He stretched out his hand, and from somewhere, produced a Golden Core intermingled with green and crimson, and handed it over.

“Yu Daoyou, how is the quality of this one?”

Li Fan’s heart stirred. He took the Golden Core and examined it carefully.

It looked as if it had just been dug out of a Cultivator’s body, with visible remnants of bloodstains on it.

Upon sensing it, he found that the Golden Core contained insights into Laws seemingly related to wood and fire.

When he tested it with Huan Zhen, a prompt indicating it could be absorbed indeed appeared.

“What’s the price?” Li Fan then asked.

“Thirty thousand contribution points,” Xiu Mu said in a deep voice.

Perhaps fearing Li Fan would find it expensive, he continued, “I also have some single-Law Golden Cores on my side, which are cheaper, only fifteen thousand contribution points. Of course, if you need a large quantity, the price can be negotiated further.”

“Oh, and we only accept Spirit Stone transactions of equivalent value. Direct transfers of contribution points are not accepted.” While Li Fan was thinking and hadn’t replied, Xiu Mu Daoist added another remark.

What Li Fan cared about was naturally not the price, but the suspicious manner in which this Xiu Mu Daoist appeared.

Furthermore, selling Cultivator Golden Cores, such a taboo act, was discussed openly and without any concealment.

It was as if they were trading not contraband, but common goods.

More crucially, Li Fan was currently using a Cultivator identity with no background and unknown origins.

He definitely didn’t know Li Fan’s true identity.

Yet Xiu Mu Daoist was still so brazen…

Was he not afraid that Li Fan was an Immortal Alliance operative fishing for Law enforcement, investigating in secret?

“Twenty-eight thousand is also fine.” Xiu Mu Daoist, seeing Li Fan’s prolonged silence, voluntarily offered a price reduction.

Li Fan then took the opportunity to feign hesitation, nodding: “Deal.”

He pretended to put it into his storage ring, but in reality, he directly absorbed it with Huan Zhen.

On the Huan Zhen panel, the anchor point unlock progress increased by 0.5%.

“Calculating this, it would take a full two hundred complete Golden Cores. This is even considering that what I just absorbed was a dual-Law Golden Core. If it were just ordinary single-Law Golden Cores, the quantity needed would likely be even greater.”

“Conventional methods won’t be enough to collect them.”

“Unless I dare to defy the world, transform into an evil demon, and wantonly slaughter Golden Core cultivators…”

This thought merely flashed through his mind for an instant before Li Fan discarded it.

“Xiu Mu Daoist.” Li Fan lightly coughed and did not immediately request another transaction, but instead inquired about the doubts in his mind.

To his surprise, Xiu Mu Daoist said indifferently, “Fellow Daoist, rest assured, we are not like that low-grade fellow Zhang Debiao.”

“The Golden Cores we provide are from safe and guaranteed sources, absolutely no worries about future troubles.”

“Even if the Immortal Alliance investigates, there will be no problems whatsoever, Fellow Daoist can rest assured!”

He patted his chest, guaranteeing with a mouthful.

The force was so great that Li Fan even suspected he might actually pat himself apart.

“No way?”

However, the answer given by the other party was also far beyond Li Fan’s expectation. He immediately showed a look of disbelief on his face: “This Golden Core just now was clearly dug out of a Cultivator’s body not long ago…”

“Such inhumane behavior, let alone our Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance. Even the Five Old Men Association, I’m afraid they wouldn’t ignore it if they knew, would they?”

“If it weren’t for my special reasons and urgent need, I wouldn’t do such a thing that troubles my conscience!”

Li Fan said righteously.

Xiu Mu Daoist sneered and did not bother to refute Li Fan’s nonsense.

Instead, he suddenly asked, “What if these Golden Core cultivators, they were all willing?”

“Even if they were willing, it wouldn’t…”

Li Fan suddenly froze.

“Willing! How is that possible?”

His heart was indeed somewhat shocked by what Xiu Mu Daoist said. Li Fan feigned a look of utter horror, his eyes wide, staring intently at the other party.

“Where there is demand, there is naturally a market.”

“Since the reconstruction of order in the Xuanhuang World so many years ago, the emergence of those in our line of work is truly nothing new.”

Xiu Mu Daoist shook his head, explaining to Li Fan.

“Like Zhang Debiao, digging Golden Cores from Cultivator corpses, the efficiency is simply too low.”