Chapter 132

(AN: Thank you for your donation Vinicius Correia and Suicidal fox. I hope all of you enjoy the chapter... And with that said, peace out girls scout!)

In the dead of night, Darkya City.

Issei spent a single day and a single night in this city.

He learned from Naru who investigated the guild that the Black Feather Merchant Guild was actually the number one merchant guild of the Darkya Realm.

The Black Feather Merchant Guild had existed for over fifty thousand years and their roots were deep and vast. Not only were they known to all the people in this lower star realm, but they were also very famous among some middle star realms too. The merchant guild in Darkya City was also the heart of the entire Black Feather Merchant Guild and they had not only spread their control throughout the entire Darkya Realm, they were even reaching beyond it.

Its vast source of customers and incredible reputation were literally rivaled by no one in a total of thirty thousand lower star realms. The wealth they possessed was practically beyond a normal person's imagination.

It was rumored that the Black Feather Merchant Guild was supported by the ruling sect of Darkya Realm, the Black Soul Divine Sect. The sect master of the Black Soul Divine Sect was also the Great Realm King of the Darkya Realm.

A short and simple message was sent to him the moment it was time and following its instructions he arrived at an unfamiliar city area about one hundred kilometers to the north of the Black Feather Merchant Guild and entered a ruined stone tower.

After going through four checkpoints in total, he finally reached the bottommost level of the stone tower. Here, it was so dark that one couldn't even see their own fingers. He had to wait there for a very, very long time before the wall in front of him suddenly opened to reveal a beautiful girl. The girl walked over to him and bowed slightly. "I apologize for the wait, esteemed guest. Please, come with me."

He followed the girl through the secret door before he abruptly fell through the darkness. He estimated that he had fallen at least a couple hundred meters before he finally reached the bottom. A flash of profound light later, yet another secret door opened before his eyes.

"If you will, esteemed guest."

Issei walked through the door slowly.

The world beyond the door was a large stone chamber. Although several lamps were lit inside the chamber, the lights were purposely adjusted to create an incredibly dim environment. At a glance, there were hundreds of tables and chairs placed tidily inside the stone chamber. A lot of people had filled in the seats already.

These people's reactions towards Issei's arrival were quite tense since it's not every day that they saw a Divine King Realm cultivator here...

Although he was a completely unfamiliar face, no one wants to invoke trouble with him nor paid attention to him because pretty much everyone who came here was hidden behind a different identity. It was all too normal for people to wear false names like Issei and a large number of them had even disguised their appearances.

So him wearing a mask is nothing out of the ordinary either.

Although he was wearing a mask, his figure alone manages to attract the women who are attending this auction. This earned a few scowls from the men's side...

However, the Black Feather Merchant Guild 'knew' who he really is. Although Mister Ji hadn't dug to the bottom of Issei's identity, he knew that the person behind him was Mu Xuanyin. And that, was enough.

Silence filled the stone chamber. Issei swept a glance across the chamber and counted less than two hundred people inside. It wasn't many. More than half of the participants had disguised their faces with profound energy but every one of them was carrying themselves with an air of extreme arrogance or nobility. They were obviously extremely highly placed characters in Darkya Realm and no one here was ordinary.

These people were basically all youths and more than eighty percent of them were at the Divine Soul Realm. The strongest among them had already neared the peak of the Divine Soul Realm and considering that they were all youths of lower star realms, it was an impressive lineup.

Although these young masters were obviously extraordinary people, none of them appeared to be guarded by an elder. It was obvious that this was a rule set by the Black Feather Merchant Guild too. The message he received today had also mentioned that he was to attend this trade fair alone.

Esdeath's group already entered the <GoB> waiting for further instructions.

Issei randomly chose a seat, sat down, and wait for the auction to begin.

While everyone was waiting in silence, a stone platform slowly rose about one and a half meters from the ground at the far end of the stone chamber. Then, a secret door above the stone platform opened to reveal two people walking out one after another. They were followed by six beautiful girls.

The pair was a man and a woman. The woman had a pretty countenance and a well-developed body. Her walking form was beautiful and graceful and her black dress added to the air of mystery and charm around her.

The man behind her was a middle-aged man clad in black clothing. His head was bowed slightly and his face looked stiff. His entire person was giving off an uncomfortable feeling and the profound energy aura he kept withdrawn was extremely thick. He was at the Divine Tribulation Realm.

The arrival of the beautiful girl caused the atmosphere inside the quiet stone chamber to change instantly. Wanton gazes immediately roamed up and down the woman's shapely body.

"Hahaha! I didn't realize that Miss Ruyan was the one who would be hosting this event. Forget the pleasant surprise inside the 'invitation letter', your presence alone brings massive joy to me, Miss Ruyan!" The young man sitting at the foremost of the group laughed brashly.

"The last time your great merchant guild sent an invitation letter of their own accord was three years ago. I'm sure that you won't disappoint us this time either. This noble one grows impatient, Miss Ruyan," said another guy slowly.

"Hahaha," the woman chuckled. Her laughter sounded unusually soft and mind-numbing, "You are all important guests of the Darkya Realm. We wouldn't dare invite you all over without a good enough surprise, would we?"

"Alright, tonight's trade fair officially begins now. My name is Ji Ruyan and this servant shall be in your care, oh noble ones. The rules are the same as last time, alright?"

Clap! Clap!

Ji Ruyan clapped her hands together softly before a maid walked forwards seductively while holding a long, wooden box.

Ji Ruyan pushed away the cover gently and immeasurably powerful sword energy spilled out of the box. It immediately started a hurricane of sword energy in the stone chamber that persisted for a long time.

"That is a good sword!" Dozens of people immediately cried out in shock. In fact, some of those cultivators who belonged to sects of sword were already standing on their feet...

Issei closed his eyes in boredom while they started bidding for this sword... At some point, Ji Ruyan started introducing the sword origin but Issei doesn't feel interested in the slightest so he ignores it altogether...

...

"Eight million purple profound stones!"

One final dark and fierce roar later, the sword ultimately fell into the possession of the man known as Sir Zhuo at the astronomical price of eight million purple profound stones.

"The next 'item' also came from Wind End Valley. However…" Ju Ruyan put on a rather mysterious smile, "It is a lot more interesting than the sword."

She clapped her hands again after she said this.

The middle-aged man behind her continued to stand completely still without saying a word, moving a muscle or rolling his eyeballs even once, like a dead man. He was so obscure that one might forget that he existed before they realized it.

Rrrrm...

To the left of Ji Ruyan, a stone platform suddenly rose from the ground before coming to a stop.

There was a sealing profound formation brimming with white light above the platform. No one could see clearly what was sealed behind the light.

Ji Ruyan smiled slightly before pointing a finger at the formation. The profound light immediately faded quickly, until a single layer was all that was left. A thin and weak woman is crouched inside the half-translucent sealing profound formation!

The girl's long hair was disheveled and it covered of more than half of her face. Her clothes looked recently changed since they were both very white and new. However, it was torn in many places and the dry skin beneath the clothes appeared to be covered in red marks.

The woman couldn't stop shaking when everyone's gazes became trained on her. However, she kept utterly quiet and hid her face deeper behind her hair.

Issei isn't the least surprised seeing that they also doing human trafficking here.

Naru has already investigated this guild to a certain extent after all...

Previously, the Black Feather Merchant Guild and the Black Soul Divine Sect had existed in harmony with each other as the two major powers in the Darkya Realm. Then, a thousand years ago, the Black Soul Divine Sect caused trouble for them all of a sudden. They held Mr. Ji as a hostage, who was still a child at the time and forced his father to give his consent to the Black Soul Divine Sect to integrate their underground merchant guild with the Black Feather Merchant Guild.

Mr. Ji's father had nine children in total but except for him, everyone else died at an early age. As such, his father had no choice but to agree in the end. Not long afterward, the Black Feather Merchant Guild sold Wood Spirit Orb for the first time and it was only then that Mr. Ji was released by them. Once they had gotten dirt on the Black Feather Merchant Guild, they were within the firm grasp of the Black Soul Divine Sect and were completely forced into a dark quagmire since then. Every time they were forced to carry out an underground trade, the Black Soul Divine Sect would use a Profound Imagery Stone to leave behind proof of the trade, consequently, forcing the Black Feather Merchant Guild to fall deeper and deeper.

Thenceforth, the Black Feather Merchant Guild had no way out but to be controlled by the Black Soul Divine Sect. Otherwise, once it makes the proof of the underground trade public, things would go south in no time. Not only each and everything that is possessed by the Black Feather Merchant Guild would be destroyed in a day, but it would also fall into a miserable situation where the common people would condemn and cast aside even those of its later generation.

The Black Soul Divine Sect absolutely didn't do so just to control the Black Feather Merchant Guild. It wants the whole Darkya Realm to be in its complete control. After all, every time a filthy and evil underground trade was done, the customers would also end up having the Black Soul Divine Sect get dirt on them, similar to the Black Feather Merchant Guild. The Merchant Guild is required to provide extremely detailed information about all the customers and the things they want to purchase, to the Black Soul Divine Sect, and the whole trading process is even secretly recorded by a Profound Imagery Stone.

The Black Soul Divine Sect was not afraid of any backfire since it's not them who carry out the underground trade. It's the Black Feather Merchant Guild that has always been in charge of it. If something were to really happen, the Black Feather Merchant Guild would be destroyed in a day but it definitely wouldn't hurt the Black Soul Divine Sect in any way.

Issei decided that once he's done here, he will send the <Abyssal Humans> to wipe out the <Black Soul Divine Sect>...

The people beneath the stage were rather silent. If this woman was peerlessly beautiful, then they might have bought her home as a plaything. However, not only did the woman look average, she looked like a filthy toy who was used and discarded… they had no interest in a woman like this.

Ji Ruyan cast a glance at the woman but she immediately moved her gaze away right after. She said, "This woman is no ordinary woman. I may surprise you all when I reveal her identity."

"I am sure everyone present has heard of her father's reputation. He was… the villa master of the Wind End Villa that was exterminated three years ago!"

"What?" As expected, her words shocked all of the people present.

"The Black Feather Merchant Guild doesn't spout any lies," said Ji Ruyan smilingly. "This woman is none other than the first miss and final descendant of Wind End Villa. Therefore, she may have inherited the Wind End Villa's sword forging techniques… of course, this isn't all. Besides that, she also possesses a Wind Yin Body."

"Wind Yin Body?" The dozens of gazes trained onto the woman's body immediately grew heated.

"All young masters who cultivate a wind type profound art, I am sure that your cultivation speed will grow up twice as fast if you have a Wind Yin Body woman to use as a dual cultivation incubator, am I right?" Ji Ruyan's gaze slowly moved across the crowd, "My father once told me that there are a lot of noble ones here who are searching for a woman with a Wind Yin Body all this time and today, we are finally able to fulfill that demand. Unfortunately, this woman can only belong to one young master, so you will have to give it your all."

As expected, thirty or so men had already jumped to their feet before Ji Ruyan could even finish her sentence. They all looked very excited and determined to win.

"If there is one downside to this woman, it is that she has lost her vital yin already, so I can't set the asking price too high. So, let it be… eight million purple profound stones."

"Ten million!" Ji Ruyan had just finished speaking when a shout cut right through the air. The price was immediately raised by two million purple profound stones!

"Twelve million!"

"Fifteen million! I hail from Wind Bend Alliance of the northern region and I am sure that everyone here has heard of our proud achievements. I will benefit greatly if I can obtain this woman, so please give her to me!"

"Heh, Wind Bend Alliance is not the only place in the Darkya Realm with those who cultivate the wind profound arts. This is the Black Feather Merchant Guild and status and favors have never mattered in this place! The one thing that does matter, is wealth! Twenty million!"

In the blink of an eye and just between several people, the bid price had reached twenty million purple profound stones. The skyrocketing price surprised many people and caused them to sit back down reluctantly.

"Twenty-three million!"

"Twenty-five million!"

Issei calmly observes the ongoing bidding... He wanted to see if the highest bidder will be a good person or not. If he's a good person then Issei will let it be, but if not, he will do the bidding instead.

Issei could just bid for her now but even if he were to release her later, she might just be captured again and all his effort would be for naught.

It's better if she went to someone else hand who will treat her well rather than giving her a temporary freedom.

At the end of the bid, the woman was ultimately sold for the price of forty-three million purple profound stones. She was ultimately won by a young man seated in the frontmost row.

Issei saw that this man is quite decent as a human being, even though he still went into this place, his "sin" is not leaning towards the evil side. If anything, he's leaning towards the good side even though only for a little.

So Issei decided to let it be...

After the young man went forward and paid a total of forty-three million purple profound stones, He personally unlocked the profound formation and pulled the woman into his arms. Then, they both returned to his seat.

"Congratulations, sir." Ji Ruyan smiled attractively at the young man and said, "I am sure that your cultivation will improve by leaps and bounds now that you've acquired this beautiful lady. I don't understand dual cultivation but I have heard that the essence of dual cultivation lies not only in the merging of yin and yang but also two hearts. Such a union will often produce unimaginably wondrous results. That is why you should treat her well, sir. Otherwise, you would be wasting her Wind Yin Body a little."

"Of course," said the latter while smiling slightly.

Issei set gaze at Ji Ruyan. He could see that she had spoken this from the bottom of her heart and he also noticed a flash of pity when she had cast a look at the woman. So she's not inherently evil and it is indeed the <Black Soul Divine Sect> who's behind all this.

"Now then, the next thing in the line is…"

"Miss Ruyan!"

Suddenly, a shout cut off Ji Ruyan before she could finish and a tall and brawny man abruptly stood up from the center of the seats. He hadn't disguised his face or his attire. He wore the mark of his sect, a black tercel with an angry proud eye boldly on his clothes, and his eyes shone with intimidating sharpness.

His life force betrayed his incredibly young age but the profound energy aura flowing around his body was unusually rich. He was a cultivator at the peak of the Divine Soul Realm and he could be a mere inch away from reaching the Divine Tribulation Realm.

His sudden cry and motion attracted everyone's attention and everyone in the stone chamber fell silent. There were a lot of people who were looking at him with differing levels of respect and it was obvious that this man's background was extraordinary.

"He is Ying Yushan, he youngest grandson of Black Tercel Island's island master and his sect is the third greatest in the Darkya Realm," a woman muttered softly next to Issei. "It's also said that his talent is the best among his siblings and he may very well succeed the island master in the future."

When Issei look over, the woman flashed a beautiful smile at him. This made Issei confused... why is she...

Wasn't he wearing his mask? Then how come this woman still... Issei doesn't want to attract anymore 'trouble' to himself since with the girls at <Snow Song Realm> alone is already pushing it.

If Forzelotte were to know this then she might just go furious...

He stopped his train of thought and decided to ignore the currently smiling woman. As for that said woman, her face went downcast seeing that she's being ignored...

"Sir Ying!" Ji Ruyan smiled. "May I have your instructions, please?"

"I dare not instruct you, Miss Ji. However…" Ying Yushan's voice was indifferent but his behavior betrayed an air of sharp arrogance, "Considering that it is an invitation from the great Black Feather Merchant Guild itself, I thought that you must have incredible merchandise that could wow us all. In order to see it with my own eyes, I have traveled tens of thousands of kilometers personally to attend this auction but… although the merchandise you've shown us so far hasn't been useless trash, I must say that they have not pleasantly surprised me in the least either."

Ying Yushan lifted his head proudly and said, "The Profound God Convention will be held in another few months and I am but one inch away from qualifying for this grand event. Therefore, I cannot afford to waste even minutes on unnecessary things during these two years. If you really do have something worthwhile to show us, then please do it now. You are the great Black Feather Merchant Guild, aren't you? Don't you think that it is unbecoming for the likes of you to keep your customers on tenterhooks? If this is all you have to offer us, then I really must leave for more important matters!"

Ying Yushan's words caused many people to shoot him a sideway glance. Those who hadn't yet reached a hundred years old especially showed great jealousy and envy. Considering Ying Yushan's age and peak Divine Soul Realm cultivation, it was extremely likely for him to become qualified for the Profound God Convention before two years were over.

Even better, there couldn't be more than one hundred people in the Darkya Realm who could qualify for in the Profound God Convention!

Ji Ruyan giggled with eyebrows that spread open like blooming peach blossom. "You truly deserve your reputation, Sir Ying. I didn't think that you were qualified for the Profound God Convention. Haah, I can die without regrets if I can visit the Eternal Heaven God Realm even once, much less participating in the Profound God Convention."

"Hmph! This is nothing." Ying Yushan sounded indifferent but he couldn't help but beam proudly. "I am only interested to know what the pleasant surprise your guild has prepared for us is, Miss Ji. If your so-called pleasant surprise is that woman with a Wind Yin Body, then I must say that I am very disappointed in the Black Feather Merchant Guild."

Ji Ruyan giggled again and said softly, "You are all the most important and respected guests of our merchant guild and I dare not disappoint any one of you, even if the heavens were to give me its own courage. I was going to reveal this pleasant surprise at the end of this auction but since Sir Ying is in a hurry, I shall obey your demands obediently, of course."

When she was done speaking, she slowly raised her hands and clapped softly four times.

Rrrrmb...

A soft rumble later, another stone platform rose up from the ground next to Ji Ruyan. An identical sealing profound formation was present above the platform.

Everyone's gazes were trained on the stone platform. They were all waiting expectantly for the pleasant surprise.

Obviously, the merchandise was yet another living being. Ji Ruyan kept quiet as a mysterious smile dressed her face. She tapped at the profound formation lightly with her finger and the profound light disappeared instantly to reveal half translucent screens and a...

…child, curling like a ball in a corner of the cage!?

The boy was probably just around 10 years old and his physical features were extremely distinctive. He had a head of green hair and skin that glowed a healthy white.

When the profound light had dissipated entirely, the young boy subconsciously turned a little towards the crowd. His exposed ears were rather sharp and the color of his pupils was also green in color!

There it is... The <Wood Spirit Race> Issei noted to himself. This child possesses a large amount of <Nature> energy within him. And his features also fit perfectly with what Bing'er described.

When the wood spirit boy saw the terrifying gazes trained onto him, he clenched his teeth and shook like a leaf. His eyes, that looked like green crystal, bore deep fear in them but not a single tear could be found inside them… there was obviously deep hatred besides his fear too.

"A wood spirit!? Hah!" Ying Yushan let out an indifferent laugh. "It is true that wood spirits are declining in numbers and it is even rarer to find one that's been captured alive but wood spirits can still be bought in many places as long as one has enough profound stones! In fact, people with Wind Yin Body are even rarer than wood spirits! Are you trying to play a game with us, Miss Ruyan?"

"Don't be so hasty, Sir Ying. If he was really just a normal wood spirit, I could not possibly bear to invite all of you here."

Her long legs brought her next to the profound formation trapping the wood spirit boy and she tapped a delicate finger into profound formation. She said smilingly, "Please look closely, everyone."

A weak wisp of profound energy flew out of Ji Ruyan's fingertip and touched the wood spirit boy between the brows. The wood spirit boy shuddered all over but he stayed completely silent. Suddenly, a green, glowing mark slowly appeared above his glabella.

WAAAH!!!

The moment the green, glowing mark appeared, the stone chamber erupted into a clamor of exclamations as if a bomb had been detonated. Everyone except Issei had jumped to their feet and even the arrogant-looking Ying Yushan was losing his cool rapidly while staring blankly at the mark.

"He's… a royal member of the wood spirit race!" Ying Yushan lost control of himself and shouted.

"That's right. As you can all see, this boy is no normal wood spirit. He is… a royal wood spirit!"

Ji Ruyan moved her finger away but the mark on his glabella didn't dissipate for a long time, "I dare say that everyone present has seen this mark before but I'm sure that this is the first time you all have set eyes on a royal wood spirit. After all, the last royal to appear was more than two thousand years ago."

"Didn't they say… that all royal members of the wood spirit race… have perished? Is… is this actually real?" Ying Yushan's voice was filled with unimaginable excitement.

"They have vanished for more than two thousand years, so it is only natural that they were thought to be extinct. Even I thought that they were extinct until the day I found him."

The stone chamber instantly turned so silent that one could hear a pin drop. The only noise that was present was an incessant stream of gulps. Everyone was certain that the Black Feather Merchant Guild wouldn't disappoint them. They wouldn't have traveled over tens of thousands of kilometers to attend this trade fair otherwise, but no one could've imagined that the pleasant surprise this time could be this big.

It was because that a normal wood spirit and royalty were at completely different levels.

This captured royal wood spirit would absolutely cause huge waves, even in the upper star realms.

"A royal wood spirit possesses the world's most refined power of nature. Although this royal wood spirit hasn't become a full adult, I am sure that you are all aware of his vast variety of 'uses'. Still, allow me to refresh all of your memories."

"If you have a royal wood spirit by your side, you will be able to nurture all kinds of extraordinary flora and spirit herbs no matter how stringent their requirement to grow is. Moreover, their growth speed will be at least ten times normal! Of course, it is incredibly risky to keep a living wood spirit in your residence and I am sure that most of you aren't willing to take such a risk. In that case, his Wood Spirit Orb is still pretty incredible."

"The Wood Spirit Orb of a royal wood spirit is absolutely superior to a normal Wood Spirit Orb. Even if he were to commit suicide and destroy his own spirit orb, even if eighty percent of the spirit energy inside the orb was lost, as long as we can extract it within a hundred breaths' time, it is still better than a perfectly intact normal Wood Spirit Orb… This is a top grade treasure that you cannot obtain no matter how many profound stones you may possess!"

"With the help of this Wood Spirit Orb, failures almost never happen if you concoct medicine, no matter how high the grade."

"With the help of this Wood Spirit Orb, there would be no bottlenecks below the Divine King Realm."

"If someone whose lifespan is reaching its limit obtains this Wood Spirit Orb, they could increase it by several thousand years… It is the one and only item where you can use profound stones to trade for life, you know."

The Wood Spirit Orb was precisely the one and only precious item that solely belonged to a wood spirit. As for a Wood Spirit Orb which belonged to a royal wood spirit, that was a treasure among treasures. Every one of Ji Ruyan's descriptions sounded especially inconceivable but no one present found it surprising or doubtful… because the legendary Royal Wood Spirit Orb was indeed a miraculous existence.

The voice talking beside him caused the wood spirit boy inside the profound formation to uncontrollably quake all over.

The profound strengths of wood spirits and humans were different. Their offensive abilities were extremely low and even the ones with higher cultivations among them were pitiful low. This added to the fact that their population was so few in number meant that once they fell into human hands, it was basically impossible for them to escape. A large majority of wood spirits would choose to self destruct their Wood Spirit Orbs once they fell into human hands… which was equal to suicide.

But he didn't...

It was because he was the only wood spirit male of the royal lineage in the entire Primal Chaos Dimension… His death meant the severance of the Wood Spirit Royal Family's bloodline. They would no longer have any more descendants. This was why even though he was young, he deeply understood that no matter how humiliating or despairing his situation was, he absolutely could not die.

"At the moment, it is not just the young masters here, even upper star realms and the king realms, everyone believes that the Wood Spirit Royal Family has died out. However, there is actually a living royal wood spirit right before your eyes. All of you seated here today are the same as me, you know. We are the few lucky ones within the entire God Realm. As for the luckiest one among you, I do wonder who it would be."

During her speech, a pair of eyes filled with a soft charming light swept across every individual present. If it were during normal circumstances, the crowd below would definitely flush and give her their souls. However, all eyes were firmly fixed upon the wood spirit boy, not wandering in the slightest.

"The senior who captured this royal wood spirit originally wanted to enjoy it himself but due to a lot of reasons, he ultimately decided to entrust him to me. If you are able to bring him to the upper star realms, he would sell for a few billion purple profound stones. Ten billion would be rather easy as well! However, your servant here is only a part of a small merchant guild, how could I possibly endure the hardships of the upper star realms? Giving him to you all here would put me at ease the most."

"Miss Ruyan… start the bid, quick!" Ying Yushan roared with wide eyes. He was currently at the peak of the Divine Soul Realm but breaking through the bottleneck to the Divine Tribulation Realm did not only need great effort but also chance enlightenment. If his luck was not great, forget about two years, it was very normal for most to not be able to break through for several decades.

However, if he were to obtain this royal wood spirit of the wood spirit race, his bottleneck would cease to exist. He would be able to directly breakthrough in a few days! His future progress would receive huge amounts of benefits as well.

Being able to sell it for ten billion purple profound stones in an upper star realm… that wasn't exaggerated at all! It was just that no matter how much gutsier the Black Feather Merchant Guild was, it was impossible for them to dare try to sell him in a middle or upper star realm… they wouldn't even dare leak out that information. Otherwise, there was simply no need for them to continue this auction. Those who would come to secretly steal the child would number so many that they could exterminate the entire Black Feather Merchant Guild in several breaths.

Since it was decided that he was to be sold, then it had to be in a place where they were in complete control.

"Hehehe, it looks like everyone here can't wait any longer." Ji Ruyan's eyes narrowed into slits that overflowed with charming light as she slowly extended a finger. "The starting bid for this royal wood spirit… is one hundred million purple profound stones!"

One hundred million purple profound stones was an astronomical number to anyone. But if it was the price that would enable them to buy a royal wood spirit, then the profit gained was simply incalculable. The key point was that if they missed this opportunity, they would perhaps never chance upon it ever again in their entire lives.

"Wait!!" It was yet again Ying Yushan who had shouted. He took a step forward and said while breathing slightly hurriedly, "Miss Ruyan, I was in a hurry today so the profound stones I have on hand are not much, may I…"

"Of course not!" Ji Ruyan cut him off without hesitation. She said with a smile, "Sir Ying ought to be most clear about the rules here. Before the trade fair has yet to end, no one is allowed to leave. This day in particular, if it were to be known that a royal wood spirit was here, I can't possibly imagine the consequences that would come after."

"However if Sir Ying is able to buy him, then it is only natural that you can immediately leave right after. When that time comes, he would no longer have anything to do with our Black Feather Merchant Guild anyways and no one would know or believe that he came from our Black Feather Merchant Guild… So leaving early is not permissible. Even though I trust every one of you here, if, if there is the slightest chance something could happen, I simply cannot bear what comes after."

Ji Ruyan's smile bloomed like a flower but every single one of her words were stringent.

"..." Ying Yushan's forehead was matted with sweat. It took him a long period of restraint before he finally said, "Then give me ten breaths to send a sound transmission to let my men send over some purple profound crystals, how about that? Your Black Feather Merchant Guild wouldn't let go of a huge profit, would it?"

"Please do not make things difficult for me, Sir Ying. The reason why our Black Feather Merchant Guild has existed for this many years is mostly because we never broke our own rules. Besides, when I sent out the invitation letters, I reminded every one of you here that you absolutely must bring a bit more profound stones."

The corner of Ying Yushan's mouth twitched… Since he had come, then he obviously brought a ton with him! But who would've thought that something like a royal wood spirit would show up!

This was a "precious treasure" even the upper star realms did not have the fortune to see! It was a treasure worth trading one's entire family fortune for!

Ji Ruyan's gaze moved away from Ying Yushan. "One hundred million purple profound stones, begin the bidding."

When Ji Ruyan's voice fell, not a single person answered for a moment. Right when Ji Ruyan was about to repeat herself, Issei said lightly. "One billion."

...WHAT!!?

The gazes of everyone present evenly fell upon Issei's body. Not a single person here today wasn't an upper-class existence within the Darkya Realm. Even though one hundred million was quite a large sum, it wasn't something they couldn't endure… It was just that even if they were richer, who in their right minds would casually carry around several hundred million purple profound stones!?

But this person actually brought One Billion purple profound stones with him and he immediately increased the price by tenfold right off the bat!

Brother, can you flaunt your wealth somewhere else!? They all shouted in their mind with astringent expression.

The woman who was beside Issei felt even more regretful that she couldn't seduce Issei just now...

Even Ji Ruyan becomes stupefied at this sight... Her little mouth remained slightly open for a long while before it closed...

Ji Ruyan's gaze swept toward Issei like water. "This sir here is quite straightforward in his actions. I do like that kind of person the most."

Increasing the bid by tenfold in one go… that was one billion! Even Ying Yushan, who hailed from the number three sect in the Darkya Realm was given a great shock. He glanced at Issei before his face went completely pale... A Divine King Realm cultivator...

He only had a total of two hundred and sixty million purple profound stones... There's nothing else that he can do... Ying Yushan's hands tightly clenched into fists and he had no other choice but to unwillingly sit down.

All eyes gathered on Issei as they all tried to guess his identity.

His background is certainly quite powerful. The imposingness he embodied, which left them feeling fear, could not be possessed by any ordinary person.

He can casually call out that price without hesitation... as if that one billion doesn't worth anything in his eyes...

Inside the profound formation cage, the wood spirit body also carefully tilted his head up to look at Issei… and the tinge of hope suddenly appeared within his previously dusky emerald eyes.

"Hehehe, this sir has already increased the bid to One Billion purple profound stones. It is the first time in my life that I have ever seen such a nimble young master." Ji Ruyan sized Issei up from head to toe. "Are there any others who wish to bid? If there isn't…"

Ji Ruyan called out many times but no one else raised the bid.

"Then, congratulations, sir. This royal wood spirit that could possibly be the only one left in the world belongs to you."

Under envious and unreconciled gazes of everyone present, Issei calmly walked forward and directly handed Ji Ruyan one billion purple profound stones. Then, he said flatly, "Can I take him away now?"

"Of course." Up close, Ji Ruyan's smile was even more charming, her cheeks are also slightly reddened seeing Issei this up close. Just like the other women, she also felt attracted to Issei's otherworldly figure.

"He is yours from now on." She said in a comely voice.

As she said that, Ji Ruyan lightly tapped with a finger and the sealing profound formation opened in reply. Issei slowly walked forward and grabbed a hold of the wood spirit body's arm. The somewhat unexpected thing was that once the sealing profound formation disappeared, the wood spirit boy didn't make any effort to escape. He allowed Issei to grab him… perhaps he had long since accepted his fate.

"Sir, I'm sure you understand the saying 'a person's treasure will arouse the envy of others'," Ji Ruyan said reminded with a smile. "Leaving aside the ban imposed by the Eternal Heaven God Realm, a royal wood spirit is something even the upper star realms would covet. Although I do trust that everyone here is a trustworthy esteemed guest who can keep secrets, in case this matter were to be known by others, you'd be in danger. It's best if you quickly handle it as soon as possible… though the best choice is to directly take its Wood Spirit Orb and then…"

"No need, I have my own plans. Thank you for the warning." Issei answered before he was about to leave with the wood spirit boy.

The same time he turned around, his eyes briefly landed on the motionless black-clothed middle-aged man who had been standing behind Ji Ruyan. The man behind her slowly picked up a black sound transmission jade.

This underground space isolated sound transmissions yet the sound transmission jade in the black-clothed middle-aged man's hands were actually able to receive sound transmissions. It was clear that it was "special." His brows bunched together as he listened and after hearing the entire message, his expression suddenly changed. His gaze shot to Issei.

A low voice came from behind Issei, "Wait, sir, we are no longer selling this royal wood spirit."

Issei's footsteps paused but he did not turn around. "What do you mean by not selling?"

The black-clothed middle-aged man's words shocked everyone present, even Ji Ruyan's beautiful face had slightly changed.

This kind of thing had never happened in their Black Feather Merchant Guild… perhaps it could be said that this had never happened in all of the Black Feather Merchant Guild's several tens of thousands of years of history.

"I mean exactly what I just said."

The black-clothed middle-aged man slowly walked toward Issei. His attitude was not as warm as Ji Ruyan as he continued with a cold, hard face. "News just came about the lord who captured this royal wood spirit. He wants to take back the royal wood spirit. Since that's the case, this transaction will be nulled. Our apologies, but don't worry, we will refund all your purple profound stones without missing a single one."

Even though he said "our apologies", the way he spoke was obviously an order that couldn't be refused.

"This…" Ji Ruyan quickly walked to the black-clothed middle-aged man's front. After a slight moment of hesitation, she asked, "Our Black Feather Merchant Guild has never taken back something we have sold. May… I ask what has happened?"

The black-clothed middle-aged man gave her a glance. Even though he was looking at Ji Ruyan, his gaze was still cold. His mouth moved slightly as he sent her a short sound transmission.

"Ah!?" It was unknown what she had heard but Ji Ruyan's beautiful countenance suddenly worsened. She even took a step back, as though she had received a huge fright.

Just as Issei was about to speak, he suddenly felt the wood spirit boy in his grasp tremble from head to toe. A little hand tightly clutched the edge of his clothes as his shivering body shrunk behind him. It was obvious that he was frightened of the fact that Issei might return him.

Issei who saw this gives the spirit boy a reassuring head pat.

"I refuse. So what will you do towards me?" Issei asked in a bored tone.

"...Sir, it's best to not be so impulsive. Forcibly taking it back is indeed not appropriate but I must warn you, the people who want this wood spirit are those both you and I cannot afford to offend, more you than me. In fact, it'd be best if you obediently return it so everything will end up well. I'm afraid you can't handle the consequences otherwise." The middle-aged man said in a slightly nervous tone since Issei's cultivation is higher than his.

It was very obvious that he also did not want to shed all forms of civility. After all, Issei being able to toss out one billion purple profound stones without batting an eye was astonishing and that's not including his cultivation realm. It definitely meant that he had an extremely strong backer and background. Unless he had no other choice, it was obvious that he would not choose to completely offend him.

But little did he know that… Issei doesn't have a single backer. He only has himself... but... his identity is far more terrifying than he could possibly imagine! Not that he will know about it since he and his backer will soon disappear from this world...

"I want to be impulsive. Can you stop me?" Issei asked yet again.

"...You better not regret this." This time the middle-aged man can't say anything else other than giving empty threats.

"Will I? Then I will wait for that time to come."

Ji Ruyan's sound transmission suddenly rang beside Issei's ears, "Sir Heise, please return him. The situation is far more grave than you can possibly imagine. This involves an upper star realm! Furthermore, the person in front of you comes from a great background. Take advantage of the fact that he is currently not willing to thoroughly offend you to quickly comply or else… not only will he forcibly take it back, but he might also even kill you!"

To a lower star realm, an upper star realm was an existence similar to a palace in the heavens. If an upper star realm really was involved in this, then even the Realm King of a lower star realm would pale in fright and hand over the wood spirit while stumbling.

Unfortunately, they just had to encounter Issei. He completely ignored Ji Ruyan's warning before bringing the spirit boy away...

...

Amidst the darkness, the wood spirit boy's two pupils revealed an incredibly brilliant green glow, as if they were two flawless gleaming crystals. The two brilliantly green glowing eyes were completely devoid of anxiety and terror as the wood spirit boy looked at Issei and said in an innocent and pure voice, "Senior… thank you very much."

"Oh? Why are you thanking me? I could be a bad person that wanted to harvest your spirit orb you know?" Issei asked with a smirk.

Suddenly, the boy lightly laughed as he said, "It is because I know that senior is definitely a good person."

Issei who heard this chuckled lightly: "I'm not a good person. I'm actually quite selfish you know?"

"No, senior is obviously a good person." The boy still retain his smile.

Issei sighed before he gives the boy head another pat: "Can you tell me where the rest of your family is?"

If it was anyone else, the boy would be wary and refuse to say a single word... but since it's Issei who's asking, he readily told him everything...

The boy has never seen a truly good person before but he imagines that there's not a single person in existence that is as good as Issei...

"...My wood spirit race has never brought harm to any other living organism. We have also never done anything evil or unforgivable. Even when… even when you humans have practically killed our entire clan, we still have never committed any malicious acts towards humans out of our resentment and despair… So many of my clansmen have died. My mother, in order to protect me, also died at the hands of humans. Even my sister… my last relation has become separated from me. Perhaps I will never be able to meet her again in this lifetime… Why? Where�� Just where did we commit so many mistakes for those humans to do this to us!" The boy cried softly at the end.

It looks like the boy can tell that Issei is not a human... not really surprising given his capability to sense a person's nature. In a way, his race is quite similar to the Kalars race.

"Do you want revenge?" Issei asked after the boy finishes retelling his story.

"...No. I just want to safely live with my clansmen and perhaps reunite with my sister one day..." The boy said in a sad tone.

"You can. I will help you find your sister and also keep your clansmen safe." Issei smiled softly.

"...Thank you senior!" The boy looks up and smiled widely at Issei's statement and he trusts that Issei can do what he promised.

He then pointed towards the south. "My home is not far from the city. Senior is so strong, as long as we continue in this direction and out of Darkya City, we'll be there very quickly."

"Alright, take me there." Issei nodded slightly.

"What's your name?" Issei asked during their journey.

"My name is He Lin," Replied the boy.

The green eyes he looked at Issei with grew brighter. "May I know how I should address senior?"

"Hm? You can just call me Ise. And I'm only around ten year older than you so there's no need to call me senior."

"Eh?" He Lin's jaw dropped, a wave of shock spread across his face. After quite some time he exclaimed, "So it's actually big brother! big brother cultivation is already at the Divine King Realm, so I thought big brother was much much older!"

From his voice and the glimmer in his eyes, Issei could see a sense of deep and passionate worship.

"I've heard that Darkya City has long had a history of hunting and killing the wood spirit race. Your home… how can it be so near such a dangerous place?" Issei asked.

Hearing his words, He Lin stayed solemnly silent for a while before he gently said, "Compared to the middle and upper star realms, this lower star realm is actually the safest. If we're discovered, we might be able to escape here. Moreover, our current home has a great natural power protecting us. Me and my clansmen have already lived there for two years and without being discovered.

"Your clan… How many of you are left?"

He Lin hesitated for a while and then replied "Those of my fellow clansmen that are with me��� We've only got about a hundred of us left. While I've been captured, they'll definitely have been very anxious and if they left that place to search for me, the consequences could be dire."

"He Lin, how old are you this year?"

"I… I'm eleven."

"And you have an older sister?"

"Mn," he softly answered and his voice slowly trailed off. "Three years ago, during that terrible disaster, mother and father, in order to protect my sister and I… they… they… after that, me and my sister were separated. I haven't seen her since but I believe that sister is definitely alive! I can sense it!"

Issei didn't probe further after that. He can help him reunite with his sister later on.

Orphaned, his last living relative missing… He was but an eleven-year-old boy, yet he had experienced countless unimaginable cruel and difficult situations. It wasn't his fault or was it the consequence of his actions; it was all because he was a wood spirit—a royal wood spirit.

They were a race that inherited the purest powers of nature but instead of it being a blessing, it was the cruelest of curses.

Once out of Darkya City, Issei didn't stop. He carried on in the direction He Lin pointed. About half an hour later, he had flown into a stretch of jungle that seemingly had no end.

Issei can tell that they're being followed, but he doesn't care since it will be easier if they group up in a single group. That way he can wipe them out at the same time later.

The one who's following him is probably only a scout since he's alone. Well, it doesn't matter... they will die soon anyway.

"This home you speak of, is it within this forest?" Issei asked.

"Yes!" He Lin now pointed to the southeast. Being really close to home, he started getting a little more excited. "In that direction, I can already sense its aura… This is great!"

They quickly shot through the jungle and finally came to a stop not long after.

Up ahead, towering ancient trees stood tall, draped in countless big and dark greenish black vines. The vines barred their path, stretching innumerably beyond what the eye could see.

He Lin bounded forward with excitement. He made a gentle gesture with his hands and immediately the dense greenish-black vines came to life, they quickly started bending and moving, opening up just enough to form a narrow passageway.

"Big brother, quickly come here!"

He Lin pulled at Issei's arm, bouncing boisterously into the vine-covered passageway. Issei let himself being pulled.

The passageway continued for quite a long way. They walked for a period of time before finally reaching the exit. When they finally stepped out through the exit, dozens of greenish-black vines suddenly struck down, like fangs of a really large demon.

He Lin didn't seem fazed at all and instead continued forward. He made a light pushing movement with his arms, a flash of green light appeared and the vines were suddenly frozen in place whereupon they immediately started retracting.

"Granny Qing Ye! Aunty Kui! Uncle Mu Han… I'm back! I'm back!!"

The world before their eyes was a field with tens of thousands of plants. Green grass abounded while the leaves and vegetation contained an unbelievable amount of jade green nature energy. The air was so fresh it gave one a sense of peace and clarity. Just further up, strange flowers and plants abounded. Butterflies flew all around. This place was beautiful beyond compare. If anyone stepped into this place, they would probably think that they had stepped into an unreal immortal wonderland.

The bright crisp voice of He Lin traveled throughout this little immortal-like world.

"Lin… Lin'er! Lin'er!!"

"Young patriarch… It's the young patriarch!"

"Lin'er!!"

The serene world suddenly transformed into a scene of excited shouts of happiness. One by one, jade green figures emerged from the ancient trees and millions of flowers. They crazedly rushed towards He Lin. One of them seemed older than the rest. He walked with a slight awkwardness and hugged He Lin with a tight embrace. Before he even spoke, his old tears started streaming down.

"Lin'er… It's really you? You really came back… We had imagined the worst, that you had been captured by the humans… This is great, you're safe and sound, thank goodness..."

The others huddled together and surrounded him, each of them had tears of excitement in their eyes.

Every one of them had hair the color of emerald, fluorite-like eyes, and pointed long ears. Their skin was flawless like jade. Without a doubt, they were the hidden wood spirit race, the fellow clan members of whom He Lin was talking about.

Their numbers were as what He Lin had described, around a hundred of them.

From their excited reactions, one could see that He Lin was an extremely important existence… He was the only male possessing the royal wood spirit bloodline. Although still young, he bore the burden of being the last hope of the wood spirit race.

"I'm sorry Granny Qin Ye… I'm sorry everyone… I've made everyone worried this time." Tears swirled in He Lin's eye "I… I actually was captured by humans…"

"Ah!?" He Lin's words shocked all the wood spirits present.

"But, I met a really good person, a super-duper good and really really powerful big brother. It was him that saved me and even escorted me back here."

He Lin wiped away his tears and quickly ran to Issei's side "He's that big brother, if not for him… by now… I would have… would really have…"

Countless gazes landed on Issei. The oldest wood spirit, the one He Lin called "Granny Qing Ye" slowly walked forward and suddenly bent down, kneeling before Issei.

Issei's eyelids jumped, he was about to speak when he suddenly saw the rest of the wood spirits kneeling as well.

"Respected benefactor… thank you. Thank you for saving our young patriarch," Granny Qing Ye said in an old voice which carried a deep sense of sincere gratitude straight from her soul.

"You saved our young patriarch. From now on, you're the great benefactor of our wood spirit clan. Please accept this bow from us."

"Young patriarch met with danger but then met such an honorable person, it's definitely the blessing and protection from the patriarch in the heavens," a middle-aged wood spirit shouted, who then proceeded to kowtow to Issei.

"Rise... What I did is nothing much. There's no need to kneel before me." Issei waved his hand to lift all of them from the ground.

Although they're surprised, they still adamantly said: "No, we wood spirits always know to repay favors, let alone such a great favor as this one."

Granny Qing Ye was the oldest among everyone present, so her words held the greatest weight. She said sincerely, "Young man, if you need something, feel free to tell us. We will definitely try our best to repay you."

"No need. I came here with an offer... I don't know if you all will agree or not."

"Please, do say benefactor."

"Are all of you willing to come with me? I can provide a safe haven for you where your entire race won't be harmed by anyone else."

"..."

All of them went silent and started to look at each other. But then they look at He Lin since he's basically their leader and this is the turning point for him as their leader.

Granny Qing Ye said warmly at He Lin: "What do you think, young patriarch?"

"I..." He Lin hesitated a bit before he looks at Issei.

"I know you have a tragic past where you got betrayed. But I can assure you that I won't do the same." Issei said before taking off his mask.

Whether it be man or woman, all of them went into a daze when they saw Issei's face.

Issei will only offer them his help once... If they still refuse then... he won't say anything else.

"...We accept." It took He Lin a good while before he made up his mind.

"We're willing to accept big brother offer. But... what do you gain from helping us, big brother?"

Issei nodded internally seeing He Lin questioning him like this.

"The reason was it? Simply because I can. I don't need anything from you or your clansmen, He Lin. You could say that it's just on a whim." Issei said simply.

Granny Qing Ye gently smiled, her cloudy eyes looked at He Lin: "Since our young patriarch has decided. Then we shall accept benefactor offer."

The others are also nodding in agreement.

The reason why they don't have any objection was because they can sense that Issei is nothing like their past 'benefactor'.

And also because the plants around them seem to look more vibrant and lively when Issei stepped his foot into this place...

"Then please give us time to prepare ourselves, benefactor."

"Um. You can take your time."

"Big brother, is it okay if I show you our home? Even though it's small, I'm sure you'll like it." Seeing that they have come to an agreement, He Lin excitedly tugged at Issei's sleeve.

"Oh? Sure." Issei smiled softly while patting He Lin's head.

He Lin dragged him, formally inviting him into the little world that belonged to the wood spirits.

With green trees as houses and flowers and grass for seats, this was an inconceivably pure world. Not even the slightest filth could be smelled from the air in this place.

Due to the avarice of humans, a race that originally received the protection of nature ended up in a more tragic and fallen state than any other race. They should have a deeply entrenched hatred for humans, yet they seem to not bore any hatred towards the human race as a whole... They might be afraid of the human race but they don't hate them.

Wood spirits possessed the world's purest of powers and the purest of hearts. This is also why Issei is willing to go this far for them.

This kind of race ought to receive the utmost protection of nature, why do they have to bear such a cruel, unfair fate...

Because of humanity's evil and greed...

And because they were weak.

The entire body of those belonging to the dragon race were also treasures but how could this world possibly dare to bully the clan of True Dragons in the Dragon God Realm?

But now that they're being protected by a True Dragon who's king amongst king. Their cruel fate has finally ended... They can finally live at peace from now on...

"Big Sister Qing He!"

He Lin dragged Issei all the way to the ends of this little world. There was a huge garden that stretched far and wide, with all kinds of blossoming flowers flourishing in an explosion of colors. A colorfully dressed girl was at the center of the garden, gathering morning dew from the petals. Her graceful, lithe figure resembled a colorful, elegantly dancing butterfly within the myriad flowers. It was pleasing to the eye and intoxicating to the soul.

Amidst He Lin's high pitched shout, the girl within the garden turned, her soft gaze following shortly after. He Lin introduced Issei with rosy cheeks. "This is Big Sister Qing He. Oh, her father is Uncle Qing Mu. Big Sister Qing, this is the big brother who saved me. Even though he's a big brother, he's super-duper powerful, you know."

The colorfully dressed girl looked to only be around fifteen or sixteen. Her bright face contained a young girl's charming immaturity and a wood spirit's beautiful purity.

She was in a daze but soon snapped back from her thoughts when she heard He Lin shout. She gently bowed at Issei. "T-Thank you for saving our young patriarch, big brother."

Once she said those words, she didn't dare to look Issei in the eyes a second time. She lowered her head as a deep flush spread across her cheeks.

The sound of a girl's voice, which resembled clear spring water, came from behind them as a girl around the same age as Qing He gently fluttered over. Behind her followed a handsome, tall, and slender young wood spirit who looked to be around seventeen years old.

"Big Sister Fei Yan, Big Brother Qing Zhu!" He Lin shouted their names in a clear voice.

When the two arrived, they stared at Issei for a long while. The young wood spirit named Qing Zhu then deeply bowed toward Issei. "Big Brother Benefactor, you saved our young patriarch and… I don't even know how we can repay you."

"Thank you, Big Brother Benefactor." The wood spirit girl named Fei Yan graciously bowed. Her clear, beautiful eyes then continued to curiously size Issei up: "May I know what race are you, big brother benefactor? You are clearly not human since there's no human that possesses this kind of aura and look... So what are you?"

"Oh right, what race are you, big brother?"

"A Dragon."

"Ah!?"

All of them are surprised knowing that their benefactor is from the Dragon race.

"Wah! No wonder you're so powerful even though you're still young, big brother!" He Ling eyes shone while he looks at Issei in awe: "I know that my eyes will never deceive me!"

"Hmph! Young patriarch, you still have the gall to say that!?" Fei Yan raised a hand and heavily knocked He Lin on the forehead, fuming. "Do you know that you almost scared all of us to death!? Granny Qing Ye cried so many times. You… If you dare to do something like this again, I'm going to ignore you from then on."

He Lin covered his hurt forehead and didn't dare to retort. He weakly answered quite pitifully, "Big Sister Fei Yan, I know that I was wrong. I won't dare to do it again. I only… I only wanted to go out to see the outside world. I never expected to be that unlucky… Uuu, I really won't do it again."

"Fei Yan, don't speak to young patriarch like that. He will definitely be obedient from now on," Qing He protectively said in a gentle voice. When she was speaking, she sneakily glanced at Issei before hurriedly lowering her head again.

"Hmph, in any case, I'll be firmly looking after young patriarch from now on!" Fei Yan said while puffing her cheeks.

At this point, Qing Zhu couldn't hold back his curiosity as he asked somewhat eagerly. "Young patriarch, what happened after you snuck out? And how is the outside world? Is it really as magical as what Granny Qing Ye and Uncle Qing Mu said it was? Tell us!"

"T-this…" He Lin said anxiously. "I got caught by someone not too long after I snuck out. A-after that, I was always scared, so I didn't have time to think about anything else. Ah! Right!"

He Ling's eyes suddenly flashed as he turned to Issei. "Big brother, how about you tell us about the outside world? Is that okay?"

He Lin's words instantly brought them to their senses. Qin He, Fei Yan and Qing Zhu all immediately stared at Issei… who was the first visitor that came to their little world from the outside world. "Big Brother Benefactor, you must know a lot about the outside world. We really, really, really want to hear about it."

Four pairs of emerald eyes flashed with the same anticipation and longing. These gazes made Issei smiled wryly but also felt pity for them...

They had always lived a life on the run and spent it amidst terror and caution. They were only safe in their little world. To them, every place in the outside world could be said to be an abyss of death.

The more they yearned and longed for it, the crueler their fate would be.

Issei breathed in deeply and then said gently, "Actually, my home isn't in the God Realm. It is in a faraway place, in a distant place… The first place I came to when I arrived in the God Realm was a white world of endless snow. The earth, seas, and rivers were all covered in ice and snow that would never melt. Even the sky was so white that it seemed as though it was covered in a layer of snow… The halls in that place would be many tens of kilometers long, the biggest being a few hundred kilometers…"

Without mentioning specific names, Issei began narrating some of his stories...

The quartet of young wood spirits listened as though they were in a trance and at times, cried out in surprise.

They only listened and then imagined it in their heads. They were fundamentally unable to truly know what it would look like, what kind of spectacle it would be. But even so, to them, who were eternally "caged" within their little world, this brought them unprecedented excitement.

"Several thousand kilometers… several tens of thousands of kilometers… a completely white world." Fei Yan looked up with a blurred gaze, before absentmindedly saying, "I'm already this old yet I've never seen snow before."

"Me too." Qing Zhu nodded in agreement with a heart full of longing.

Issei smiled lightly before he waved his hand gently into the air.

A huge expanse of fluttering snow that resembled goose feathers fell from the sky, accompanied by a cool refreshing breeze.

"Waah!"

Exhilarated cries overlapped as they all clasped their hands together. Bathing in the falling snow and sensing a coldness they had never felt before, they felt as though they had suddenly landed in a completely different world.

The snowfall was gentle at first but it quickly changed to become a snowstorm. Issei's finger moved slightly and a dozen blossoming ice lotus flowers instantly fell amidst the flying snow. The smallest one could be clasped in one's palm and the biggest one made the two wood spirit girls fall over each other in their desire to sit inside it, to personally feel the blossoming of the ice lotus.

After the display of snow. Issei showed them fire and lightning next...

He played with them for a long while before he withdrew his hand, completely scattering all the wind, snow, lightning, and fire along with it.

Everything seemed to have just been an illusion.

Beneath the excitement they had never before felt, the faces of the four wood spirit youths were all currently flushed. The eyes they looked at Issei with seemed to shimmer like bright stars. Just a moment ago, they felt gratitude and curiosity toward Issei. What they felt now, however, was a sudden, intense, all-encompassing worship.

"I really… I really want to go see the place Big Brother Benefactor talked about," Qing Zhu dreamily said as he looked up.

"That day will definitely come," Issei said: "In fact, I can bring all of you there as soon as we leave this place."

"Big Brother Benefactor… oh! Can we…" Fei Yan's eyes were earnest, yet her entire face was filled with nervousness. "Can you tell us your name?"

He Lin, Qing He, and Qing Zhu also looked at him.

Issei smiled lightly and answered without hesitation, "My real name might be too foreign to you. But you can just call me Ise."

"Ise…" they all said softly.

"Big Brother Ise!" Qing Zhu hollered excitedly.

"Y-y-you… big dummy! You stole my thunder again! I want to say it too… Big Brother Ise!" As Fei Yan called out, her eyes bent into thin crescents. Then, she tugged at the Qing He beside her. "Big Sister Qing He, you're not talking much today. Hurry up and call him Big Brother Ise."

Qing He took a small step forward and still had yet to lift her head. Both her hands nervously pinched at her colorful sash, as she timidly uttered, "Big Brother… Ise…"

"Qing He, what's wrong?" Qing He's strange actions began to worry Qing Zhu. "You… ah? Why is your face kind of red? Are you sick?"

"Ah! I got it!" Fei Yan shouted. "Big Sister Qing He must have fallen for Big Brother Ise!"

"N-no I haven't!" The faint color of the red dawn instantly became a gorgeous sunset and immediately spread to her jade-colored neck as her head drooped even lower. Then, she gently stamped her foot all of a sudden and turned to run like a startled butterfly… never daring to shoot Issei a single glance during the entire process.

"Wahaha! I guessed right!" Fei Yan laughed with satisfaction. Then, she her bright eyes looked directly at Issei. "Big Brother issei, Qing He ran away due to embarrassment, you'd better take responsibility!"

"This…" Issei smiled awkwardly as a response.

Wood spirits bore the purest of nature energy. As a result, the females tended to be gentle and beautiful, while the males are extremely pretty. However, because of this, they would lack masculinity. To wood spirit girls who were accustomed to male wood spirits, the moment they got close or became curious, Issei's manliness, otherwordly feature along with his sharpness tempered by countless hardships, would produce an attractiveness that would most likely be fatal.

In fact, if Fei Yan wasn't a childhood sweetheart with Qing Zhu then she would've felt the same way as Qing He.

Issei is fatal to women but if that woman truly loves someone else from the bottom of their heart then they won't be easily swayed by his appearance... Unless Issei himself is going on the offensive that is...

He Lin didn't laugh. Ever since Issei gave his name, he had been staring at him in a daze, the corner of his mouth slowly biting down.

When Issei sensed his unusual condition, he heavily kneeled before Issei.

"Ah? Young patriarch!" Fei Yan and Qing Zhu exclaimed in great shock.

"He Lin, you?" Issei quickly stretched out a hand, intending to lift him back up.

Yet He Lin stubbornly persisted to kneel in place. He lifted a pair of slightly trembling eyes. "I… I don't want to call you Big Brother Issei, I… I… I want to call you Master."

Issei, "..."

"Master! Can you be my master? I want to be as strong as you… I… I'll work hard, I'm willing to endure hardships. No matter how tough it gets, I'm willing to take them all in. Please accept me."

He Lin wasn't asking but pleading… pleading with an intense longing.

"Are you sure? My training can be very strict and harsh for you. Especially since your race has a weak constitution as a whole." Issei asked He Lin while looking directly into the latter eyes.

"Yes! I'm willing to bear any kind of hardship!" He Lin who heard Issei's words said with determination. "Father and mother were really powerful, they were able to defeat many strong bad guys and protect tons of our clansmen. I want to be as powerful as Master, I want to be able to protect my clansmen just like father and mother did. I… I'll listen to Master's every word, I'll do anything Master wants. Please accept me."

"...Very well. But I won't train you right now since you're still too young. I will leave you on my servant's hand for now and when you're ready... I will personally train you." Issei said.

"Thank you master!" He Lin look up ecstatically.

"Um. Now go pack up your belongings since we will be leaving soon." Issei slightly smiled at He Lin.

Then the trio leaves Issei behind to prepare themselves...

Once they leave, Issei set his gaze at a certain direction and narrowed his eyes dangerously.

"Kill all of them and after you're done with them, head over to the <Black Soul Divine Sect>," Issei muttered in a low voice.

"We obey." From Issei's shadow, multiple glowing red eyes shone brightly and a low voice can be heard.

The Abyssal human resides in Issei's shadow. They still serve Nyarlathotep but also serve Issei at the same time hence why they are there as well.

They know the location of the <Black Soul Divine Sect> from Naru's conversation with Issei.

Nyarlathotep lazily opened her eyes and lightly smirked at this sight. She then closed her eyes once again since she has no interest in ants' lives.

She just finds it stupendous how ruthless her dear husband can be at times and she loves this side of him a lot... She would've flirted with him if she wasn't feeling exhausted because of their nightly activities from the other day... Oh how she loves that numbing pain that could send a shiver down to her whole being~

The Abyssal humans move so fast that the spirit race that they came across don't even realize their presence.

Going at a pace which had still yet to slow, they lock onto their designated target aura.

After mere seconds, they located their target. They found seventeen people hiding in one place.

All seventeen of them were in black robes. A black serpent's emblem could be seen at different but conspicuous spots on each of their clothing. Among these individuals, sixteen of them had auras at the Divine Spirit Realm, while the one right at the front was in the Divine King Realm.

"Hahaha." Wild laughter roared from the black-robed man who was at the front: "Never would I have expected such a big and pleasant surprise. Hehe, not only will the Hall Master not erupt in wrath, he'll definitely reward us generously. To think that we can find a hidden village full of <Wood Spirit Race>!"

"Frankly, this is probably one of the biggest harvests we've had in all these years. Since a long time back, it's as if these wood spirits came to an agreement. As soon as any of them fall into our hands, they immediately self-destruct their Wood Spirit Orbs. Hehe, as for that little wood spirit kid, boss… what is his background? Why did we have to capture him alive? Even the hall master flew into a rage because of him."

The black-robed man in the lead glanced backward coldly replying, "Some questions are best left unanswered. Just watch over him after we manage to capture him once again, if he escapes once more, let alone us, even hall master's head will roll!"

This sudden turn in the conversation left everyone in shock: "This… What's this all about? Are you saying that... that wood spirit kid is something the sect master wants?"

"Hmph!" exclaimed their leader. "I'm afraid the situation is even more dire. When Sect Master brought away the individual that was injured at the Black Feather Merchant Guild, I vaguely heard a mention of the 'Divine Martial Realm'."

"What!? Divine… Martial Realm!?"

"Shut up!" their leader gruffly shouted. "It's enough as long as you understand in your hearts. Don't talk about it and no more questions. If you don't want to die, stay vigilant. Once we meet up with the hall master we'll have to immediately capture them all and return to the sect and hand that kid over to the Sect Master. There can be no slip-ups. If we lose this kid, I can guarantee that none of us will be able to keep our lives."

"Although that man who wore a mask is powerful, with our combined effort, I'm sure that we can handle him. But it's best if we could avoid conflict with him altogether... His backing is currently unknown after all."

It looks like Mr. Ji doesn't tell them about Issei's "backing"...

"Yes, boss!" everyone shouted in harried unison.

One of them looked at their leader. "Boss, you can relax. In all of the Darkya Realm, no one has either the ability or gall to dare..."

"Hm? Why did you suddenly-!?" The person in front of him felt confused just why his accomplice suddenly went silent mid-sentence. When he turned his head, he doesn't see the person who was speaking just now... it's like he suddenly just disappear into thin air!

"Where did he go?! Hey, he-!" He was about to warn his accomplices but what greets him is yet another eerie silence... and once again, he fails to spot a single person that was with him just a few seconds ago...

Out of sixteen people that were with him, none were found...

Then he felt it... A sinister feeling that started to creep up on his entire being...

At the last moment of his life, he saw a beautiful pair of red eyes before his whole vision went black...

They felt no pain in their death which could be considered a blessing on its own...

"First objective complete, proceed with the next one..." A faint sound can be heard and then what's left in that place is just a faint wind gust and the rustling sound of the forest...

The very next day, the Darkya realm let out a piece of earth-shaking news because the <Black Soul Divine Sect> which was the strongest sect in the Darkya Realm, disappear completely leaving behind an empty sect... making it looks like a haunted house...

Not a single drop of blood or any sign of fighting can be found within their surroundings...

Surprisingly, when Issei exited the <Wood Spirit Race> village and about to leave the Darkya Realm, he met Ji Ruyan...

Ji Ruyan was dressed simply in a plain and long white skirt. She had a calm expression, which was at least completely different from how she had deliberately tried to appear charming the other day.

Her eyes shone slightly when she caught sight of Issei's figure.

She very lightly landed before Issei and the moment she landed on the ground, she immediately bowed deeply at Issei.

Issei doesn't say anything else and calmly observes her wanting to know just what her intention is.

"Sir Heise, Ruyan and the <Black Feather Merchant Guild> wanted to convey our heartfelt gratitude." She said softly.

"...For what?" Issei asked.

"Ruyan knows that sir Heise must be the one behind the 'disappearance' of the <Black Soul Divine Sect>." She said while still in a bowing position.

"Oh? What makes you so sure that I'm the one behind their disappearance?" Issei asked calmly.

"...Intuition," Ji Ruyan replied with a faint smile. "A woman's intuition is always very accurate."

Issei won't deny that... his wives at times also use the same reasoning from time to time after all... and their so-called woman intuition is very accurate.

After a brief conversation... Issei gained another pledge of loyalty... He basically becomes the new owner of the <Black Feather Merchant Guild>...

...

"Mother mother!" An excited voice belonging to a girl resounded clearly.

"Hm?" Replied the woman to the voice.

"I already met father!" This voice belongs to none other than Shirayuki.

Her mother's body stiffens the moment she heard Shirayuki's words. Her hand slightly trembled while anxiousness started to take over her.

"...What? How did you... How did you meet your father?" The woman said in a confused voice.

The woman never thought that her daughter could be lying since the concept of lying is basically nonexistent to her. She never taught her about it either...

"How? Ummm... I don't know! I only wish that I could see father and then I meet him!" Shirayuki replied.

"...What... What did your father say? Did he do anything to you?" The woman anxiously asked.

"Yep! Father gave me a name. He said my name is Shirayukihime and father is really really nice and gentle! Also also, you were right mother. Father is extremely pretty! And then..." Shirayukihime keeps on talking to her mother in a jubilant manner.

Whereas the woman unconsciously heaved a sigh of relief when she heard just how happy her daughter was...

She doesn't know why Issei would treat her daughter so kindly like this since they basically never met... Was it because of his benevolence? Or was it because something else? She doesn't know...

She's grateful as it is seeing that Issei doesn't seem to feel repugnant of their so-called daughter.

"What else did he say..." The woman asked gently and the mother-daughter duo continued their conversation... While Shirayuki narrated the time she spent playing together with Issei, the woman would listen attentively...

In the end, the woman smiled in happiness for her daughter...