(TN: Extra chapter)
Liu Ping stood frozen, utterly speechless, watching the lines of small characters dissipate into the void.
"This unreliable fellow!" he muttered in frustration.
He stepped into the Grand Profundity Palace tent, preparing to sit down on the rush cushion when a sudden thought stopped him.
Wait.
That Divine Transformation cultivator—Elder Wang.
Before leaving with numerous Nascent Soul cultivators, Elder Wang had said:
"This old man is willing to bet that This is a golden opportunity for us. Let's move!"
He was gambling.
But this was no ordinary gamble. Elder Wang's infamous title, "Gambling Addict" preceded him.
A gambler who lost nine out of ten bets.
And if he lost this time?
A cold chill inexplicably ran down Liu Ping's spine.
Several Grand Profundity Palace cultivators were missing.
There was a Gold Core stage monster in the camp—and it had already discovered him.
If Elder Wang lost this gamble...
Liu Ping paused, took a slow, deep breath, and reached into his robes.
He carefully drew out the bartender's Return Card.
Staring at the card, his mind raced with hesitation.
A Gold Core monster.
Right now, he couldn't possibly defeat it.
But…
After working so hard to gain his status as a Grand Profundity Palace disciple, was he supposed to just walk away now?
'Xie Dongliu has already awakened' Liu Ping thought. 'He holds the sect title "Life-Seizing Scholar" and is a formidable combat cultivator.'
'Should I stay, wait for him, and return to Grand Profundity Palace together?'
Moreover, if Xie Dongliu returned, he would surely bring valuable information about the large-scale Skyfall event.
Unable to sit still any longer, Liu Ping turned on his heel, lifted the curtain, and walked quickly along the track toward the market, weaving through the various sect tents.
The market was subdued.
The recent crash from the sky had left the cultivators shaken. At this moment, no one seemed interested in doing business. Instead, they gathered in small groups, communicating through divine thoughts.
Liu Ping moved with purpose, heading straight for a booth.
"Twenty bundles of blank talismans and a talisman brush suitable for Foundation Establishment cultivators," he said quickly.
The booth's guard, a cultivator, glanced at Liu Ping and sneered. "A talisman brush is expensive, boy. Looking at you, I'd say—"
The cultivator's gaze stopped abruptly as he noticed the long row of storage bags neatly arranged on Liu Ping's waist.
A wide smile spread across his face. "Ah, two hundred spirit stones should cover it."
Liu Ping handed over the spirit stones without a word, took his items, and turned to leave.
Before Liu Ping could reach another booth, he quickly scanned the surroundings and asked, "Excuse me, how much are you selling for the Reviving the Dispersed talisman?"
The vendor was a tall, thin cultivator who looked like a bamboo pole. His hands were tucked into his sleeves, and he didn't respond immediately to Liu Ping's question.
Liu Ping sensed something was off and turned his gaze toward the cultivator.
The man's face had turned pale, and cold sweat the size of broad beans appeared on his forehead. His body trembled as he stared beyond Liu Ping, towards the distant sky.
"W-What... what is that?" he exclaimed in a near-panicked tone.
His outburst startled those nearby, who immediately stopped what they were doing and turned their gazes toward the sky beyond the camp.
Liu Ping froze for a moment, then slowly turned to follow their gaze.
But... he saw nothing.
The thick, leaden clouds in the sky had parted for just a moment, only to close swiftly, concealing whatever might have been behind them.
Some people walked over, bowing to the tall cultivator, and asked, "Fellow Daoist Zhang, what did you see just now?"
The cultivator, still pale and trembling, pointed toward the sky but struggled to speak, his mouth dry and words stuck.
The crowd followed his gaze.
They could only see a sky blanketed by dark clouds, like an impenetrable curtain, with no clue of what had transpired beyond it.
Then, a booming voice emanated from deep within the clouds:
"I have received word. It seems that an honored guest is here."
"A formal announcement must be made now."
"The world below is the private property of Lady Agony. If any noble guest is currently here, please cease your disruptive actions immediately and come forward to meet."
Liu Ping's heart skipped a beat.
From its sound, the voice seemed to believe that the collapse of the world was caused by some "honored guest."
But Liu Ping knew better—it was something he had caused.
The mention of the "honored guest" made him think back to the time when he had tricked that wolf monster and taken its corpse. Had his words then led the other party to believe something different?
And so they referred to that entity...
Lady Agony.
Everything here belonged to Lady Agony.
Lady Agony... private property...
A surge of realization hit Liu Ping like a lightning strike.
He recalled the words Wang Cheng had once said:
"Maliciously destroying private property is one of the worst crimes in the world. I advise you not to do so..."
Liu Ping fell silent, looking around at the faces of the other cultivators.
Everyone seemed confused, their expressions vacant, as though they hadn't heard a word of the announcement.
'So... has our world really become your private property?'
'Did you ever even ask our opinion?'
Suppressing the turmoil in his chest, Liu Ping turned and walked away.
As the crowd gathered around the tall cultivator, Liu Ping quickly slipped away, pressing both hands to his face to change his appearance slightly before heading toward a corner.
There, some people had set up stalls.
Liu Ping hurriedly cupped his fist toward the vendor and said, "I've heard of Your Excellency's reputation. Your bamboo hats are exquisitely crafted. I wish to purchase a batch. Please, name your price."
The cultivator, who had been watching the crowd, turned his attention back to Liu Ping. He rubbed his hands together and smiled, "Ah, I see. But I'm curious—how many do you intend to buy?"
"Everything you have," Liu Ping replied.
At this point, the Grand Profundity Palace cultivators had already left, and strange monsters were showing up in the sky. Liu Ping couldn't afford to waste time with anything else.
"What? Everything?" the vendor exclaimed in disbelief.
"I'm talking about the bamboo hats you refined. Don't leave any behind. I'll take them all," Liu Ping said, as he lifted his sleeves, revealing several exquisite Storage Bags tied at his waist.
Later, inside a tent, Liu Ping sat on the ground with two piles of talismans in front of him. One pile contained Exorcising Demons Rupturing Talismans, and the other, Blank Talismans. His expression showed a hint of longing.
"It's been a long time since I've done such delicate work..." he murmured. "But I had prepared well in advance for this."
He picked up a talisman brush and, with swift, practiced motions, began to inscribe spirit marks on the Blank Talismans. His hands moved fluidly, outlining intricate patterns without hesitation.
After finishing, he looked at the talisman, seeing two carefully drawn spirit marks on its back.
One was an absorbing spirit mark, designed to bind the talisman to others, and the second was a constraining mark, meant to stabilize the spirit power of other talismans and prevent fluctuations.
With these two marks, Liu Ping placed the Blank Talisman behind an Exorcising Demons Rupturing Talisman.
A marvel occurred.
The absorbing spirit mark on the Blank Talisman gleamed and immediately attracted the Exorcising Demons Rupturing Talisman, binding the two together. The fluctuating spirit power of the Exorcising Demons Rupturing Talisman vanished in an instant.
The two talismans, now bound, had their fronts completely blank, making them appear almost harmless. In this form, they could be used for surprise attacks, catching the enemy off guard.
Liu Ping paused for a moment, lost in thought. 'How many spirit stones did I pay for this technique back when I was studying it? I can't quite remember...' he muttered.
Then, with renewed focus, he continued to transform the rest of the Exorcising Demons Rupturing Talismans into Blank Talismans, just as he had before.
These were his special creations—a unique blend of talismans he'd devised after studying the designs of a wealthy disciple from a powerful sect. Despite the disciple's low cultivation, he had used these symbols for underhanded purposes, and thus, Liu Ping had named them "Shady Talismans."
Holding a handful of these "Shady Talismans," Liu Ping felt a sense of calm. This was his craftsmanship—no one in cultivation history had ever thought of or created such a talisman.
But this was only the beginning.
After a short break, Liu Ping's expression turned serious as he began preparing the most important talisman of the day. He sat down in a meditative posture, picked up his talisman brush, and began inscribing a law symbol. His hands were steady and sure, and the marks he drew swiftly gathered the surrounding spirit energy.
No matter what happened around him, no sound or distraction could sway him from his task. He drew with precision and determination even if the heavens collapsed it couldn't break his focus.
After several breaths, Liu Ping slowly put down his pen. The surrounding spirit power had coalesced into a unique fluctuation, a special energy emanating from the completed talisman.
This was the Technique Borrowing Talisman—a complex and rare talisman. It allowed a cultivator to borrow power from spirit stones and transfer up to five times their own spirit power to operate formations.
It was a highly specialized and unpopular talisman, but for Liu Ping, it was invaluable.
Sitting calmly, he took a moment to regain his strength. Once he felt fully recovered, he retrieved the exquisite formation plate he had purchased earlier.
"Open," he murmured softly, his hands moving swiftly over the formation plate.
The plate buzzed to life, releasing a white light that formed a misty barrier. The small concealment formation was activated.
"Tens of thousands of spirit stones... and I will control all the war formations in the Western Desolate Great Camp. No regrets" Liu Ping said solemnly, opening all ten of his Storage Bags.
With a crash, spirit stones poured out in piles, filling the formation, forming a hill of wealth.