Chapter 293: Zero-Yuan Shopping Upgrade! Nascent Soul Stage Puppets Become My Moving Company!

"Greetings, My Lord!"

Three thousand-foot-tall Eight-Armed Asura Guards, burning with dark red magma all over their bodies, knelt on one knee in front of Gu Lan without any warning.

The heavy clanging of metal echoed in the purple vacuum of the void, making Gu Lan's eardrums ring softly.

Gu Lan remained frozen on the spot, his arms raised high and his ten-pattern purple extreme golden core bursting with full power, the expression on his face thoroughly magnificent.

Moments ago, he had almost prepared his last words, ready to blow up half his cultivation level to see if he could blast open a bloody path to escape.

Yet these three steel behemoths, comparable to the Peak of the Late Stage Nascent Soul, actually knelt right before him?!

*Gulp.*

Gu Lan swallowed hard, slowly lowered his arms, and took a tentative small step forward.

"What… did you call me?"

The largest Asura Guard in the center raised its head slightly. Its single eye, burning with a cross-shaped demonic fire, quietly observed Gu Lan as a mechanical, raspy voice sounded once more:

"Highest authority Demonic Path Origin detected: ten-pattern purple extreme golden core."

"The aura of the Supreme Demon God flows through you. Asura Guards pledge life and death loyalty to My Lord."

[Holy crap! Holy crap! Holy craaaap!!!]

In his mind, the Soul-Devouring Sword Spirit, who had been cowering in terror just a second ago, now acted like it was pumped full of adrenaline, wildly dancing around inside its scabbard!

[Boss! You're freakin' the legitimate son of the Heavenly Dao, aren't you?!]

[These are the ultimate guards personally refined by the ancient Demon God! They recognize bloodlines, not people! Your ten-pattern Golden Core directly overwrote their base logic! You're now the supreme authority control freak… er, supreme authority controller of this grand tomb!]

Listening to the sword spirit's incoherent, ecstatic roaring, Gu Lan finally completely registered what happened.

I'm not dead!

Not only am I not dead, I picked up three super bodyguards at the Peak of Late Stage Nascent Soul for free?!

“Hahaha!”

Gu Lan couldn't help but throw back his head and let out a burst of extremely arrogant, unrestrained laughter.

"Awesome! So damn awesome!"

"That Old Hag Ye Hongzhuang wanted to use me as cannon fodder to clear the way? In her dreams could she guess that I became the supreme authority in here!"

Gu Lan straightened his spine, instantly clearing away his former posture of facing a formidable foe. He placed his hands behind his back and marched boldly right up to the three giant behemoths with swaggering steps.

"Ahem, since you acknowledge me as your lord, does that mean whatever I say, you'll do?"

Gu Lan cleared his throat, putting on the air of a master.

"My Lord's command is the divine mandate." The three Asura Guards replied in unison, their voices devoid of emotion yet oozing absolute obedience.

"Very good, excellent awareness."

Gu Lan nodded with satisfaction, then turned around and pointed at the sky full of glowing bubbles floating around, which contained countless Heaven And Earth Treasures.

"See those bubbles over there?"

"My hands got sore just picking them earlier."

"Now, I give you your first task—pack up everything glowing in here! Don't leave a single one behind!"

Zero-yuan shopping?

No, I'm clearing out the entire supermarket directly! And I'm using the top free moving company around!

"As you command."

Without any hesitation, the three Eight-Armed Asura Guards stood up straight from the ground.

If the Righteous Path Cultivators outside saw the scene that followed, they would probably gouge their own eyeballs out on the spot.

Those three thousand-foot-tall ancient killing weapons of overwhelming terror actually put away their burning magma giant axes with great care. They moved their thick legs, navigating the purple starry sky clumsily yet with extreme precision.

Waving twenty-four thick arms, they popped those lethal bubbles—which would kill a normal person upon touch—one by one, just like picking grapes in an orchard.

*Pop! Pop! Pop!*

The bubbles burst in their hands, dropping peerless treasures inside. The giant palms of the Asura Guards were surprisingly nimble, catching these treasures—which were smaller than their fingernails—and respectfully presenting them to Gu Lan.

"Top-grade 'Nine Nether Soul-Returning Grass'? Not bad, pack it up."

"Ancient 'Sky-Splitting Demon Saber'? Looks quite domineering, take it back to give to someone."

"Holy crap, an entire box full of top-grade demonic Spirit Stones?! I'm rich, I'm rich!"

Gu Lan stood in place and picked back up the several oversized Universe Bags he had discarded earlier. Smiling so wide his mouth almost reached the back of his head like a wealthy landlord, he frantically stuffed items into the bags.

With three Late Stage Nascent Soul Puppets as coolies, the efficiency was ridiculously high.

In barely the time it takes to burn an incense stick,

The bubbles that originally covered the sky like vast stars were swept completely clean. This stretch of purple Void Realm thoroughly turned into a barren wasteland.

Gu Lan patted the bulging four Universe Bags and let out a satisfied burp.

"Feels good."

"This wave basically emptied the entire demonic sect's treasury, didn't it?"

He looked up at the three Asura Guards standing before him waiting for their next instruction and rubbed his chin.

Everything outside had been looted clean, but what exactly was the item Ye Hongzhuang wanted him to find? Could it be among that pile of scrap metal just now?

"Big guys, let me ask you."

Gu Lan looked at the middle Asura Guard, "Besides these bubbles in this space, are there any more core, even more awesome treasures? Like the kind of thing that suppresses the entire grand tomb."

The single eye of the Asura Guard flickered, seemingly processing Gu Lan's command.

A moment later, it answered in a deep voice:

"Reporting to My Lord."

"This place is the Outer Wanmo Treasury; all that is stored here are mortal items."

Mortal items?!

The corner of Gu Lan's mouth twitched wildly. Those Magic Treasures and Medicinal Pills, any single one of which could stir up a bloodbath in the cultivation world outside, were merely 'mortal items' to these iron lumps?!

"The true core of the grand tomb is located upon the 'Nine Nether Demon God Platform'. Only those holding the highest authority can open the passage."

After the Asura Guard spoke, all three turned around in unison.

Their six giant hands raised simultaneously and violently tore downward at the deepest part of the purple starry sky!

*BOOM——!!!*

The Void Realm seemed to be forcibly ripped apart by a pair of invisible giant hands.

A black spatial crack hundreds of feet long abruptly appeared in the starry sky.

Behind the rift lay neither starlight nor void, but an ancient staircase paved with dense white bones, extending all the way up into an unknown high platform shrouded in thick blood mist.

"My Lord, please ascend the platform."

The three Asura Guards parted to both sides, slightly lowering their heads in a gesture of invitation.

Gu Lan took a deep breath.

It seemed the main event was up above.

Without hesitation, he strode onto the white bone staircase.

With every step he took, a dull throb echoed from the surrounding void, as if some ancient entity was watching him.

The staircase was not long, and Gu Lan quickly reached the top.

Passing through the thick blood mist, the view before him suddenly opened up.

This was a massive, octagonal black altar. Unquenchable dark blue demon fires burned around its edges, while at the very center of the altar floated a huge demonic lotus carved entirely out of black crystal.

The petals of the demonic lotus were tightly closed, flowing with extremely complex and ancient dark gold Formation runes.

Just getting close to this demonic lotus made Gu Lan feel the Purple Extreme Golden Core in his body emit an extremely thirsty hum.

"What on earth is wrapped inside this flower?"

Gu Lan walked up to the demonic lotus.

Before he could even reach out to touch it,

*Crack——*

The demonic lotus seemed to sense the aura of the ten-pattern Golden Core inside him and emitted a crisp mechanical click.

Immediately after, the tightly shut black crystal petals slowly bloomed open one by one.

Dazzling dark golden light shot out from the stamen, illuminating the entire altar brightly.

Gu Lan squinted his eyes and looked closely.

In the very center of the demonic lotus's stamen, there was no mountain of treasures, but only two items quietly floating there.

On the left was a plain black ring, entirely destitute of patterns.

On the right was a heavy weapon with an extremely exaggerated design and a violent aura!

It was a halberd over a zhang long! Forged entirely from an unknown dark red metal, its blade resembled a crescent moon, carved densely with blood grooves. A vivid black Dragon relief was wrapped around the shaft, its jaws facing the tip of the halberd as if ready to spew destructive dragon breath at any moment.

The demonic power radiating from this halberd was even more terrifying than the three Asura Guards combined!

"Th-This is what Ye Hongzhuang asked me to find?!"

Gu Lan swallowed hard, reaching out to grab the halberd in his hand.

Extremely heavy!

It weighed at least tens of thousands of jin!

If not for Gu Lan's powerful Physical Body, he would have been crushed to the ground by this touch.

Strangely, although this weapon looked frightening, it possessed no will to resist whatsoever, docilely allowing Gu Lan to hold it.

[B… Boss…]

In his mind, the Soul-Devouring Sword Spirit's voice was trembling.

[That's the 'great wilderness heaven-shattering halberd'! A peerless lethal weapon used by the ancient Demon God to split open the Nine Heavens back in the day! It's said this thing only cares about pure destructive power and has no item spirit at all—it's a pure slaughter machine!]

"Good stuff!"

Gu Lan's eyes lit up; this appearance and this weight were definitely impressive to show off.

"The Old Hag definitely wants this."

He rested the halberd against his shoulder, then turned his gaze to the unassuming black ring beside it.

Unlike the ostentatious halberd, this ring showed not a single ripple of spiritual energy, looking like a defective product bought from a street stall.

However, being placed alongside a lethal weapon of this caliber, it could never be a mortal item!

Gu Lan reached out, picked up the ring, and sent a strand of Divine Sense into it.

*BOOM!!!*

The moment his Divine Sense entered, it felt as though a cosmic big bang had occurred inside Gu Lan's mind!

His Divine Sense was dragged directly into a boundless mustard-seed space.

And at the very center of this space quietly floated a drop of dark golden blood, only thumb-sized, yet radiating a dazzling light akin to a sun!

Beneath the drop of blood floated an extremely ancient black Jade Slip.

As Gu Lan's Divine Sense touched the Jade Slip, lines of ancient text instantly flooded into his mind.

"Nine Revolutions Divine Demon Body" — Volume Two!

"Holy crap!"

In the outside world, Gu Lan snapped his eyes open, his eyes nearly bulging out, his heart pounding wildly.

"Demon God Origin Essence Blood! And the second volume of a top-tier Body Refining Cultivation Technique?!"

He understood in an instant!

That Old Hag Ye Hongzhuang surely only knew there was a peerless weapon in this grand tomb, but had no idea it also hid the true core Demon God Legacy inside!

This was the most priceless treasure in the entire grand tomb!

"Struck it rich! I've truly struck it rich this time!"

Gu Lan put the black ring on his left index finger without hesitation, then quickly dripped his blood to claim ownership, completely concealing its aura.

"I can't let Ye Hongzhuang know about the contents of this ring, even if it kills me!"

"As for this halberd…"

Gu Lan looked at the "great wilderness heaven-shattering halberd" resting on his shoulder, a treacherous smile curling up his lips.

"Looks pretty terrifying, perfect to hand over to that Old Hag as my task completion. Since she wanted a peerless demonic weapon, this thing will definitely keep her busy for a while."

Gu Lan clapped his hands in satisfaction.

Ring in hand, the world is mine.

He turned around and looked at the three Asura Guards still standing by below.

"Big guys, I'm heading out. Can you come with me?"

Gu Lan asked tentatively. If he could take three Late Stage Nascent Soul thugs outside, wouldn't he walk sideways in the Heavenly Demon Palace?

"Reporting to My Lord."

The central Asura Guard knelt on one knee and answered in a deep voice.

"Our bodies are linked to the Formation of this realm and cannot leave the grand tomb by a single step. Here alone shall we guard for eternity."

“Tsk, what a shame.”

Gu Lan clicked his tongue with a trace of regret.

"That's fine too. You guys just watch the house here. If I'm ever hunted down with nowhere to run, I'll come back to use you as a haven."

Gu Lan waved his hand.

"Send me out."

"As you command."

The three Asura Guards raised their hands simultaneously.

The purple starry sky cracked open once more, and a beam of dazzling white light shot out from the rift.

Carrying that ten-thousand-jin great wilderness heaven-shattering halberd, Gu Lan took swaggering steps and strolled boldly into the white light.

…

Outside Wanmo Cave.

The wind and snow of the Far North continued to rage.

Three full days and nights had passed since Gu Lan went inside.

The massive bronze gate remained tightly closed, showing no movement.

Ye Hongzhuang stood in the snowstorm with her hands behind her back, wearing her black-gold snow fox cloak. Her face was icy cold, and a trace of irritation she didn't want to admit lay deep in her eyes.

"Three days."

Ye Hongzhuang's voice was cold enough to drop ice.

"The aura inside was severed long ago, and even the tracking mark this seat left behind was erased."

Standing nearby, the Grand Elder's eyes flashed with an unsuppressable surge of wild joy.

"Sect Master! That kid was merely a Half-step Golden Core. No matter how strong his Physical Body was, after staying in Wanmo Cave for three days, he must have turned into a pool of pus!"

The Grand Elder couldn't wait to kick him while he was down.

"He overestimated himself and got what he deserved! It's just a pity he couldn't bring the item out for Sect Master…"

"Shut up!"

Ye Hongzhuang snapped her head around, her icy gaze piercing like a sharp sword toward the Grand Elder, scaring him into shutting his mouth instantly.

She turned her head toward that silent, massive bronze gate and let out a long breath of white mist.

"As expected, still a piece of trash."

A hint of disappointment and boredom flickered in Ye Hongzhuang's eyes.

She turned around, preparing to order a retreat.

However,

Just at the moment she turned,

*BOOM LOUDLY——!!!*

The two black mountain Peaks behind her suddenly erupted into an extreme, violent tremor!

The giant bronze door, closed for who knows how many years, actually produced a deafening metallic wail.

Immediately following,

*BANG!*

A large foot wearing a black-gold combat boot delivered a fierce kick onto the bronze door from the inside with an extremely tyrannical, unreasonable strength!

The hundred-foot-tall, heavy bronze door was actually kicked open outward by this single strike!

Sky-covering black smoke mixed with snow and ice, surging outward frantically.

Under the terrified, appalled gazes of the crowd of demonic Cultivators,

A tall and straight black figure, carrying an extremely ferocious, dark red giant halberd radiating terrifying malicious power on his shoulder,

Strolled swaggeringly right out of the rolling Devilish Qi.

He stopped on the steps, picked his ear with his free hand, and then grinned at the dumbfounded Ye Hongzhuang, revealing an extremely arrogant and punchable smile.

"Sorry, Your Venerable, there were too many things inside and I got dazzled choosing."

"Kept you waiting."