Chapter 76: Heavy Casualties

Gou Jiancheng stared at the shell on the ground, his expression somewhat grim. Su Yizhao, meanwhile, gazed at an elderly cultivator in the hall; he saw a smile flicker at the old man's lips, and in the blink of an eye, the elder vanished before him.

Was he going alone? And he was just an old man! Could he really rescue so many cultivators at the Void Level? Unless this elder was above the Void Level? Su Yizhao felt a surge of reverence. What realm lay beyond the Void Level?

“We can confirm it: the deep-sea demon cultivators are no longer content to remain in the depths—they’ve come ashore!” Gou Jiancheng snatched up the shell from the ground.

Su Yizhao exclaimed in surprise, “That’s mine!”

“I know,” Gou Jiancheng replied. “I’ll take it for them to study.”

To study it? Su Yizhao looked puzzled; what was there to research about the shell? Was he simply coveting it? Suddenly, he recalled that this was an auction house, always eager to collect precious items. He reckoned he wouldn’t be able to get the shell back.

Su Yizhao nodded in agreement. “It’s fine for research, but it truly is mine—I risked my life for it…”

“All right, all right, you’ll receive your contribution points, don’t worry about that. Now, tell me, what do you lack?” Gou Jiancheng was clearly impressed by him. Such a formidable young man! Slaying foes above his own level!

Su Yizhao thought for a moment. What he lacked most now was time. Time was pressing. With demon cultivators coming ashore, Void Level cultivators would be the main force, those below would likely be cannon fodder. He refused to be cannon fodder! He had to hurry in his cultivation, advance quickly—at least reach the Seven Gods Realm in the short term.

He asked, “Does the Gou Family Auction House, with its vast influence, have a training chamber unaffected by external time?”

Gou Jiancheng fixed his gaze on him, silent for a long while. Su Yizhao felt a twinge of unease—was there such a thing or not? Feng Manyin was equally stunned.

Su Yizhao said, “If not, forget it.”

“There is,” Gou Jiancheng replied with certainty. “But it’s expensive!”

Su Yizhao was elated. “Expensive, I can understand!”

Gou Jiancheng nodded, as if reminding him to be mentally prepared. “Such training chambers aren’t available at the Kaoshan City branch. In Huanglong County City, there’s one called the Eternal Training Chamber.”

Eternal Training Chamber! Su Yizhao repeated the name inwardly—what a fitting title.

“In reality, achieving true eternity is impossible. The best is at the headquarters in Vast City: one day outside equals a year inside.”

Su Yizhao’s eyes lit up. Ten days would mean ten years—he might actually hope to advance to the Void Level!

Gou Jiancheng, seeing his eyes gleam, chuckled bitterly. “In Huanglong County City, you can only achieve one day for half a year.”

Su Yizhao nodded in understanding. Even half a year for a day was terrific.

“But two conditions apply. First, you need a branch recommendation. Second, it’s expensive—very expensive!” Gou Jiancheng said. “The recommendation is no problem. With your reputation as the Brothel Swordsman and your feat of slaying demon cultivators above your own level, our Kaoshan City branch can recommend you!”

Su Yizhao cupped his hands in thanks. “Thank you, Senior Gou!”

“Of course, you’ll need to wait for Leng Muran and the others to return. What if their contribution surpasses yours?” Gou Jiancheng spoke with official detachment.

Feng Manyin interjected, “Impossible! If they survive, it’ll be a miracle!”

Su Yizhao said, “Then we’ll wait. How expensive is it?”

He had over three million top-grade Xuan Stones in his storage ring, surely enough for ten days’ cultivation.

Gou Jiancheng raised a finger.

One million per day? Su Yizhao was startled inwardly. Three days would be a year and a half—still a substantial period for cultivation.

“Ten million per day! And you must take a minimum of one day!” Gou Jiancheng declared.

Su Yizhao was stunned.

Gou Jiancheng explained, “That’s why young prodigies, aside from exceptional talent, also need deep background and vast wealth.”

Su Yizhao’s mood soured instantly. His three million-plus top-grade Xuan Stones couldn’t even buy entry.

Feng Manyin added, “I’ve heard it takes a lot of Xuan Stones just to activate the chamber?”

Gou Jiancheng nodded. “Correct. The chamber is actually a massive, complex array, the result of a millennium of research by the Xuantian Sect’s Array Hall. Just to activate it costs over three million Xuan Stones.”

Seeing Su Yizhao’s dazed expression, Gou Jiancheng couldn’t help but find it amusing. Brothel Swordsman? Master of grand spells? Without Xuan Stones, even the most outstanding youth can hardly develop. Still, since the young master favors him, the Gou Family Auction House will naturally find ways to support him.

Gou Jiancheng smiled, “I can lend you some! The auction house can lend you some as well!”

Su Yizhao cupped his hands. “How much is the shell worth, then?”

Seeing him still hung up on the shell, Gou Jiancheng’s smile vanished. “That shell is a companion object of the demon tribe, and the demon was at the peak of the Seven Gods Realm. That shell should be at the Void Treasure level, worth seven or eight million.”

Su Yizhao felt reassured, and was about to ask for Xuan Stones when a commotion sounded from outside.

Everyone was startled. Had the ambushed cultivators returned?

The elderly man was the first to enter the hall, followed by a group of cultivators with grim faces.

Gou Jiancheng cupped his hands. “Thank you, Elder!”

The old man nodded, vanishing in an instant.

Su Yizhao observed the cultivators trailing behind, and was dumbfounded. Each was wounded, and of the thirty-plus Void Level cultivators, only half remained. Of twenty-two Seven Gods Realm cultivators, only nine survived.

Yet to his surprise, Leng Muran and his companions were among them. They hadn’t died? How was that possible, when even half the Void Level cultivators perished?

Gou Jiancheng’s face was filled with sorrow. He asked in a grave voice, “Can someone explain?”

A middle-aged cultivator stepped forward. “There was a so-called Extinction Void Array—it locked the void within the formation, preventing even Void Level cultivators from breaking through. Moreover, divine weapons flitted everywhere, invisible and ceaseless, impossible to defend against!”

Gou Jiancheng snorted coldly. “Extinction Void Array—designed specifically to target Void Level cultivators? It seems the Tang Clan has completely betrayed the cultivator race!”

The middle-aged cultivator nodded. “This time, half our comrades perished—all within the first incense stick’s time. After that, casualties were minimal.”

Gou Jiancheng was puzzled. “Did you manage to decipher the array?”

The middle-aged cultivator smiled bitterly and shook his head. “At first, someone must have been presiding over the array—its power was so great, even Void Level cultivators couldn’t withstand it. Deciphering was impossible. But, inexplicably, after an incense stick’s time, the array seemed unattended, operating on its own, its power halved.”

So that was it! No wonder Leng Muran and the others survived.

Gou Jiancheng suddenly understood and pointed to Su Yizhao. “It must be thanks to the Brothel Swordsman, Fellow Daoist Su. He wasn’t trapped in the array, and after slaying the pursuing enemies, he immediately sent word. When the others realized something was wrong, they quickly escaped!”

“Brothel Swordsman?”

“Brothel Scoundrel?”

All eyes focused on Su Yizhao.

Hearing the increasingly distorted title, Su Yizhao could only offer the crowd a cupped-hand salute. “It’s a pity I couldn’t fight alongside you all!”

These were mostly Void Level cultivators; a little humility could only help.

Sure enough, gratitude appeared on many faces.

Cultivation is arduous—who isn’t afraid of death?