liǎng rén de xiū wèi dōu zài níng dān zhōng qī ， kàn shén qíng ， sì hū shì yī duì shuāng xiū dào lǚ 。
两人的修为都在凝丹中期，看神情，似乎是一对双修道侣。
The two cultivators were both at the Condensation Core中期 stage, and their expressions suggested they were a pair of cultivation partners.
cān jiā pāi mài huì de bā wèi níng dān qī xiū shì ， yí gè bù luò ， quán dōu jù jí zài le zhè lǐ 。
参加拍卖会的八位凝丹期修士，一个不落，全都聚集在了这里。
Eight Condensation Core period cultivators who had participated in the auction had all gathered here without exception.
nà yī nán yī nǚ luò zuò yǐ hòu ， liè hǎi péng tuán tuán zuò le yí gè yī ：“ xiè xiè gè wèi qián bèi dà jià guāng lín ， zài xià ……”
那一男一女落座以后，列海鹏团团作了一个揖：“谢谢各位前辈大驾光临，在下……”
After taking their seats, Li Haipeng made a full bow: "Thank you all for coming. I..."
“ fèi huà shǎo shuō ， nǐ qī jué tiān yāo qǐng wǒ děng jù jí jiū jìng yǒu hé yào shì ， ruò bù néng gěi gè mǎn yì de jiě shì ， lǐ mǒu rén kě yào bù kè qì le 。” yī zuò zài lín xuān xià shǒu ， shēn chuān xìng huáng dào páo de zhōng nián xiū shì miàn sè bù shàn de kāi kǒu 。
“废话少说，你七绝天邀请我等聚集究竟有何要事，若不能给个满意的解释，李某人可要不客气了。”一坐在林轩下手，身穿杏黄道袍的中年修士面色不善的开口。
"Cut to the chase. Why did you invite us here? If you can't give a satisfactory explanation, I won't hold back," an elderly cultivator in yellow robes sitting next to Lin Xuan spoke with a stern expression.
“ lǐ dào yǒu suǒ yán bù cuò ， dāng chū nǐ qī jué tiān yāo qǐng wǒ děng cān jiā pāi mài huì shí ， kě shì shuō yǒu guǐ pū zuò wèi yā zhòu de dōng xī ， wèi hé zuì hòu què yòu bú jiàn le zōng yǐng ， nǐ zuì hǎo gěi wǒ yí gè hé lǐ de jiě shì 。” lìng wài yī míng shēn cái shòu xiǎo ， miàn róng yǒu hēi de xiū shì yě bù shàn de chā kǒu dào 。
“李道友所言不错，当初你七绝天邀请我等参加拍卖会时，可是说有鬼仆做为压轴的东西，为何最后却又不见了踪影，你最好给我一个合理的解释。”另外一名身材瘦小，面容黝黑的修士也不善的插口道。
"Friend Li is right. When you invited us to participate in this auction, you mentioned that there would be ghost servants as the finale. Why did they disappear at the last minute? You should give us a reasonable explanation," another thin and dark-faced cultivator also interjected.
qí tā níng dān qī xiū shì suī rán méi yǒu shuō shén me ， dàn tóng yàng mù guāng shuò shuò ， miàn lù bù shàn zhī sè 。
其他凝丹期修士虽然没有说什么，但同样目光烁烁，面露不善之色。
The other Condensation Core period cultivators remained silent but their expressions were not friendly.
bèi zhè me duō gāo jiē xiū shì dīng zhe ， nà liè hǎi péng yī rán bù huāng bù máng ， sì hū zǎo yǐ dǎ hǎo le fù gǎo ， miàn lù kǔ xiào zhī sè de dào ：“ zhòng wèi qián bèi xī nù ， wǒ qī jué tiān zuò shēng yì xiàng lái shì chéng xìn wèi běn ， nǎ gǎn fàng jià xiāo xī kuāng piàn gè wèi gāo rén ， shí zài shì nà pī guǐ pū ， bàn lù shàng chú le chā cuò 。”
被这么多高阶修士盯着，那列海鹏依然不慌不忙，似乎早已打好了腹稿，面露苦笑之色的道：“众位前辈息怒，我七绝天做生意向来是诚信为本，哪敢放假消息诓骗各位高人，实在是那批鬼仆，半路上除了差错。”
Despite being watched by so many high-ranking cultivators, Li Haipeng was still calm. He seemed to have prepared his words in advance and said with a bitter smile: "Please forgive us, we of the Seven Extremes Firmament always conduct business honestly. We would never dare to spread false information to deceive you all. The batch of ghost servants encountered an error on their way."
“ chū le chā cuò ？”
“出了差错？”
"An error?"
“ shì de 。” liè hǎi péng tàn le kǒu qì ：“ bù mán zhū wèi ， rú jīn zhè yīn hún xiá gǔ zhōng de guǐ wù shì yuè lái yuè jiǎo huá ， xiǎng yào bǔ zhuō ， pǒ wèi bù yì ， bǐ huì yě shì huā le dà jià qián ， cái hǎo bù róng yì shōu gòu le zhè me jǐ zhī lì guǐ 。”
“是的。”列海鹏叹了口气：“不瞒诸位，如今这阴魂峡谷中的鬼物是越来越狡猾，想要捕捉，颇为不易，鄙会也是花了大价钱，才好不容易收购了这么几只厉鬼。”
"Yes," Li Haipeng sighed. "To be honest with everyone, these ghosts in the Yin Spirit Canyon have become increasingly cunning. Capturing them is no easy task. Our organization had to pay a high price to acquire just a few of these厉鬼."
“ sù kǔ de yán yǔ nǐ jiù wú xū duō shuō le ， wǒ men zài zuò de nǎ yí gè huì bù qīng chǔ ？” yuán dà hǎi zhòu le zhòu méi ， jiāng tā de huà dǎ duàn 。
“诉苦的言语你就无需多说了，我们在座的哪一个会不清楚？”袁大海皱了皱眉，将他的话打断。
"You don't need to complain about it. We all know this," Yuan Daha frowned and interrupted him.
shuō qǐ zhè yīn hún xiá gǔ ， què shí yǔ wàn nián qián gāng gāng chǎn shēng shí de gé jú dà bù xiāng tóng ， nà shí hòu ， zhè xiē guǐ wù gāng gāng cóng yōu míng dì fǔ táo dào rén jiān jiè lái ， kě wèi yī pán sǎn shā ， bù guò hòu lái zài yǔ rén lèi xiū shì de zhēng dòu zhī zhōng ， jiàn jiàn de tuán jié le qǐ lái ， bìng xíng chéng le yǐ sān wèi guǐ dì wèi de sān dà shì lì 。
说起这阴魂峡谷，确实与万年前刚刚产生时的格局大不相同，那时候，这些鬼物刚刚从幽冥地府逃到人间界来，可谓一盘散沙，不过后来在与人类修士的争斗之中，渐渐的团结了起来，并形成了以三位鬼帝为的三大势力。
Indeed, compared to ten thousand years ago when the ghosts first escaped from the Netherworld Realm into the human world, they were now much more organized, forming three major factions with three ghost emperors each.
ér zhè guǐ dì dì shén tōng 。 fēi tóng xiǎo kě 。 zú kě yǐ yǔ rén lèi dì yuán yīng qī xiū shì xiāng pǐ dí 。
而这鬼帝地神通。非同小可。足可以与人类地元婴期修士相匹敌。
The power of these ghost emperors was formidable enough to rival human Core Formation period cultivators. Moreover, these ghosts rarely ventured out of the Yin Spirit Canyon and would often set up ambushes in groups, leaving human cultivators empty-handed while they themselves were plundered.
ér qiě zhè xiē guǐ wù qīng yì bú huì chū yīn hún xiá gǔ 。 yǒu shí hòu shèn zhì huì chéng qún jié duì dì zài zhōu wéi bù xià mái fú 。 wǎng wǎng qǔ bǔ zhuō lì guǐ dì rén lèi xiū shì yī wú suǒ huò 。 zì jǐ dǎo fǎn bèi duì fāng gěi xǐ jié le 。
而且这些鬼物轻易不会出阴魂峡谷。有时候甚至会成群结队地在周围布下埋伏。往往取捕捉厉鬼地人类修士一无所获。自己倒反被对方给洗劫了。
Thus, this activity had become extremely risky, and the price for ghost servants on the black market was rising.
gù ér rú jīn zhè yǐ jīng shì yī xiàng fēi cháng mào xiǎn dì huó dòng 。 hēi shì shàng guǐ pū dì jià gé yě yuè lái yuè guì le 。
故而如今这已经是一项非常冒险地活动。黑市上鬼仆地价格也越来越贵了。
"Originally, we intended to sell this batch of ghost servants at the auction. But unfortunately, they were stolen halfway through."
“ yuán běn bǐ huì què shí shì xiǎng jiāng zhè pī guǐ pū zài cǐ cì pāi mài huì shàng chū shòu 。 nǎ zhī dào bàn lù zhī shàng què bèi jié zǒu 。”
“原本鄙会确实是想将这批鬼仆在此次拍卖会上出售。哪知道半路之上却被劫走。”
"Stolen? By whom?" The male cultivator with a hooked nose looked surprised as he spoke.
“ jié zǒu 。 shì hé rén gàn dì ？” nà zuì hòu yí gè jìn lái 。 liǎn shàng zhǎng zhe yīng gōu bí dì nán xiū miàn lù chà yì zhī sè dì kāi kǒu 。
“劫走。是何人干地？”那最后一个进来。脸上长着鹰钩鼻地男修面露诧异之色地开口。
The Seven Extremes Firmament might just be a merchant organization, but it had been around for tens of thousands of years and its strength was beyond measure. Few forces dared to steal goods from them.
yào zhī dào qī jué tiān suī rán jǐn jǐn shì yí gè shāng huì 。 rán ér què chuán chéng le shàng wàn nián 。 shí lì shēn bù kě cè 。 gǎn zài tā men shǒu lǐ jié qǔ huò wù dì shì lì kě zhe shí bù duō 。
要知道七绝天虽然仅仅是一个商会。然而却传承了上万年。实力深不可测。敢在他们手里劫取货物地势力可着实不多。
"It wasn't human cultivators; it was the Ghost King," Li Haipeng sighed in anger. "Ghost King?"
“ bú shì wǒ men rén lèi xiū shì ， ér shì guǐ wáng 。” liè hǎi péng tàn le kǒu qì ， hèn hèn bù yǐ 。“ guǐ wáng ？”
“不是我们人类修士，而是鬼王。”列海鹏叹了口气，恨恨不已。“鬼王？”
The other cultivators were taken aback, their faces showing shock. Although a Ghost King's power equated to that of a Condensation Core period cultivator, its treasures and abilities were extremely mysterious. In combat, even at the same level, human cultivators would likely meet a bitter end.
zài zuò de xiū shì sǒng rán dòng róng ， liǎn shàng jiē lù chū le yī sī hài rán zhī yì 。 suī rán cóng shí lì shàng lái shuō ， guǐ wáng zhè zhǒng děng jí de guài wù ， yě jiù xiāng dāng yú níng dān qī de xiū zhēn 。 rán ér duì fāng de bǎo wù shén tōng dōu guǐ yì fēi cháng ， zhēn yào dǎ dòu de huà ， tóng jiē de rén lèi shí zhī ** zhǐ yǒu hán hèn yǔn luò de xià chǎng 。
在座的修士耸然动容，脸上皆露出了一丝骇然之意。虽然从实力上来说，鬼王这种等级的怪物，也就相当于凝丹期的修真。然而对方的宝物神通都诡异非常，真要打斗的话，同阶的人类十之**只有含恨陨落的下场。
"So you're asking us to help you reclaim those ghost servants?" Yuan Daha frowned. If it was the Ghost King from the Yin Spirit Canyon, they wouldn't dare chase after their lair, not even Core Formation period cultivators.
“ nà nǐ zhǎo wǒ men lái gàn má ， zǒng bù zhì yú shì xiǎng ràng wǒ men tì nǐ chū tóu ， zài qiǎng huí nà qún guǐ pū ？” yuán dà hǎi liǎn lù bú yuè dì kāi kǒu ， jì rán shì yīn hún xiá gǔ zhōng de guǐ wáng chū shǒu ， nán bù chéng hái zhuī dào duì fāng de lǎo cháo ， jiù suàn shì yuán yīng qī xiū shì ， yě bù gǎn nà me xiāo zhāng 。
“那你找我们来干嘛，总不至于是想让我们替你出头，再抢回那群鬼仆？”袁大海脸露不悦地开口，既然是阴魂峡谷中的鬼王出手，难不成还追到对方的老巢，就算是元婴期修士，也不敢那么嚣张。
"Senior, there's a misunderstanding. I wouldn't dream of asking such a risk," Li Haipeng said with a smile. "According to our intelligence, the Ghost King who made the move resides in a cave about a hundred miles away from here."
“ qián bèi wù huì le 。 wǎn bèi qǐ huì yì xiǎng tiān kāi ， ràng zhū wèi mào cǐ qí xiǎn ， gēn běn bǐ huì suǒ zhǎng wò dì qíng bào ， nà chū shǒu de guǐ wáng suǒ jū de dòng fǔ bìng bù zài yīn hún xiá gǔ ， ér shì jù lí zhè lǐ bǎi lǐ zhī wài de yī zuò shān ào 。” liè hǎi péng xiōng yǒu chéng zhú de dào 。
“前辈误会了。晚辈岂会异想天开，让诸位冒此奇险，根本鄙会所掌握地情报，那出手的鬼王所居的洞府并不在阴魂峡谷，而是距离这里百里之外的一座山坳。”列海鹏胸有成竹的道。
"A cave?"
“ shān ào ？”
“山坳？”
Apart from Lin Xuan, everyone else looked relieved. Some ghosts preferred to reside outside the Yin Spirit Canyon due to their high power, but it wasn't unheard of.
chú le lín xuān bù dòng shēng sè yǐ wài ， qí tā jǐ rén jiē lù chū le xīn xǐ de biǎo qíng ， yǒu yī xiē guǐ wù ， zì chí fǎ lì gāo shēn ， bù yuàn yì jū zhù zài ān quán de yīn hún xiá gǔ 。 ér jiāng dòng fǔ ān zhì zài rén lèi de dì pán ， zhè zhǒng qíng kuàng zhǐ bù guò xī shǎo le diǎn ， dàn yě bìng fēi bú huì chū xiàn 。
除了林轩不动声色以外，其他几人皆露出了欣喜的表情，有一些鬼物，自持法力高深，不愿意居住在安全的阴魂峡谷。而将洞府安置在人类的地盘，这种情况只不过稀少了点，但也并非不会出现。
"Not in the canyon? That makes things easier. What's his rank?" A middle-aged woman in her thirties interjected.
“ bù zài yīn hún xiá gǔ ma ， nà zhè jiù hǎo bàn le ， duì fāng de pǐn jiē rú hé ， nǐ men kě yǒu nòng qīng chǔ ？” nà sān shí chū tóu dì zhōng nián měi fù yě rěn bú zhù chā kǒu le 。
“不在阴魂峡谷吗，那这就好办了，对方的品阶如何，你们可有弄清楚？”那三十出头地中年美妇也忍不住插口了。
"Yes," Li Haipeng nodded. "We've already investigated and found out that he is an upper-grade Ghost King."
“ ń 。” liè hǎi péng diǎn le diǎn tóu ：“ wǒ men yǐ jīng dǎ tàn qīng chǔ ， duì fāng shì yī zhī shàng pǐn guǐ wáng 。”“ shàng pǐn guǐ wáng ， zhè kě yǒu diǎn jí shǒu ， lǐ lùn shàng 。 de xiū wèi xiāng dāng yú níng dān hòu qī xiū shì 。 dàn qí guǐ yì de shén tōng yǔ fǎ bǎo ， shí jì de shí lì hái yào shèng shàng yī chóu 。 zú yǐ pǐ dí de dà yuán mǎn jìng jiè de gāo shǒu ， ér wǒ men zài zuò de dào yǒu ， zuì gāo de yě bù guò níng dān zhōng qī zuǒ yòu 。” nà yīng gōu bí de nán zi liǎn lù chí yí dì kāi kǒu 。
“嗯。”列海鹏点了点头：“我们已经打探清楚，对方是一只上品鬼王。”“上品鬼王，这可有点棘手，理论上。的修为相当于凝丹后期修士。但其诡异的神通与法宝，实际的实力还要胜上一筹。足以匹敌的大圆满境界的高手，而我们在座的道友，最高的也不过凝丹中期左右。”那鹰钩鼻的男子脸露迟疑地开口。
"Upper-grade Ghost King, this could be tricky. Theoretically, his power equates to a late-stage Condensation Core cultivator, but his abilities are so strange that his actual strength surpasses even the peak of Core Formation period cultivators," the man with the hooked nose hesitated.
“ hē hē ， zhū wèi qián bèi bù yòng wàng zì fěi bó ， suī rán nà niè chù de shí lì què shí hěn gāo ， dàn jǐn jǐn shì gū jiā guǎ rén ér yǐ ， zhū wèi qián bèi zhǐ yào tōng lì hé zuò ， miè le bù guò shì xiǎo cài yī dié bà le 。” liè hǎi péng lián máng péi xiào ， yòng chuī pěng de yǔ qì dào 。
“呵呵，诸位前辈不用妄自菲薄，虽然那孽畜的实力确实很高，但仅仅是孤家寡人而已，诸位前辈只要通力合作，灭了不过是小菜一碟罢了。”列海鹏连忙陪笑，用吹捧的语气道。
"Haha, don't undervalue yourselves, Senior. Although that beast's strength is indeed high, it's just an isolated case. If we cooperate, defeating him will be a piece of cake," Li Haipeng quickly smiled and flattered them.
“ zhè xiē xiān bù shuō ， rú ruò shì qíng chéng le ， qī jué tiān néng gěi wǒ men shén me hǎo chù ？” yuán dà hǎi de huà diǎn chū le guān jiàn ， suǒ yǒu rén de liǎn shàng jiē lù chū le guān zhù zhī sè 。
“这些先不说，如若事情成了，七绝天能给我们什么好处？”袁大海的话点出了关键，所有人的脸上皆露出了关注之色。
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. What benefits can the Seven Extremes Firmament offer if this succeeds?" Yuan Daha cut in with his key question, drawing everyone's attention.
“ nà pī bèi qiǎng zǒu de guǐ pū ， yī gòng bā gè ， zài zuò de qián bèi ， měi rén yī zhī rú hé ？”
“那批被抢走的鬼仆，一共八个，在座的前辈，每人一只如何？”
"We could give each senior one of the eight ghost servants stolen."
fáng jiān lǐ yī xià zi ān jìng le xià lái ， zhòng wèi níng dān qī xiū shì zài xīn zhōng àn àn pán suàn ， píng xīn ér lùn ， zhè ge bào chóu yǐ suàn bù fēi ， yī míng lì guǐ jí bié de guǐ pū ， lùn shí lì ， xiāng dāng yú zhù jī qī xiū zhēn ， zài shì miàn shàng biāo jià shù wàn jīng shí ， yě bù suàn shén me xī qí zhī shì 。
房间里一下子安静了下来，众位凝丹期修士在心中暗暗盘算，平心而论，这个报酬已算不菲，一名厉鬼级别的鬼仆，论实力，相当于筑基期修真，在市面上标价数万晶石，也不算什么稀奇之事。
The room fell silent as the Condensation Core period cultivators mentally calculated their share. To be honest, this reward was quite generous. A ghost servant at the厉鬼level equated to a Core Formation period cultivator in terms of power and was worth several thousand crystal stones on the market.
rán ér nà yòng yīng gōu bí de nán zi què hēng le yī shēng ， lěng xiào qǐ lái ：“ qī jué tiān guǒ rán bù kuì shì yōu zhōu zuì dà dì shāng méng ， zhè shēng yì zuò dé què shí jīng míng ， wèi le qū qū yī míng guǐ pū ， jiù yào wǒ men mào qí xiǎn duì fù guǐ wáng zhè zhǒng yāo wù 。”
然而那用鹰钩鼻的男子却哼了一声，冷笑起来：“七绝天果然不愧是幽州最大地商盟，这生意做得确实精明，为了区区一名鬼仆，就要我们冒奇险对付鬼王这种妖物。”
However, the man with the hooked nose snorted and sneered: "The Seven Extremes Firmament is indeed the largest merchant alliance in Youzhou. They are truly shrewd businessmen. For such a small ghost servant, they want us to take such risks against a monster like the Ghost King."
liè hǎi péng dà nù ， qū qū guǐ pū ， zhè jiā huo yě bù pà fēng dà shǎn le shé tou ， nà kě shì jià zhí shù wàn jīng shí dì dōng dōng ， duì fāng zhè yàng xù yì biǎn dī xiǎn rán shì wèi le qiāo zhà le 。
列海鹏大怒，区区鬼仆，这家伙也不怕风大闪了舌头，那可是价值数万晶石地东东，对方这样蓄意贬低显然是为了敲诈了。
Li Haipeng was furious. A few thousand crystal stones wasn't worth worrying about, but this man clearly intended to extort them.
bù guò xīn zhōng gù rán shēng qì ， rán ér biǎo miàn shàng tā yī rán gōng jìng wú bǐ ， xiàn zài hái yǒu qiú yú duì fāng ， zì rán bù néng è yì xiāng xiàng ， hé kuàng zhè xìng fù de nǎi shì níng dān zhōng qī dì xiū zhēn ， jiù suàn shì qī jué tiān ， yě bù yuàn qīng yì dé zuì yǒu zhè zhǒng xiū wèi de rén wù 。
不过心中固然生气，然而表面上他依然恭敬无比，现在还有求于对方，自然不能恶意相向，何况这姓付的乃是凝丹中期地修真，就算是七绝天，也不愿轻易得罪有这种修为的人物。
Despite his anger, he remained respectful on the surface, as he still needed their help and didn't want to offend someone at Condensation Core中期level. After all, even the Seven Extremes Firmament wouldn't easily offend a cultivator of that rank.
“ fù qián bèi yán zhī yǒu lǐ ， zhè yàng ba ， chú le guǐ pū yǐ wài ， bǐ huì zài zèng sòng gè wèi měi rén wǔ qiān jīng shí ， zhè yàng de dài jià shì fǒu kě yǐ ？” liè hǎi péng yǎo le yǎo yá ， mǎn liǎn ròu tòng de jiàn yì 。
“付前辈言之有理，这样吧，除了鬼仆以外，鄙会再赠送各位每人五千晶石，这样的代价是否可以？”列海鹏咬了咬牙，满脸肉痛的建议。
"Senior Fu is right. Besides the ghost servants, we will also gift each of you five thousand crystal stones. Is this price acceptable?" Li Haipeng gritted his teeth and suggested with a pained expression.
néng gòu dào dá níng dān qī ， nǎ yí gè bú shì jīng lì guò dà fēng dà làng de lǎo hú lí ， shēn shēn míng bái jiàn hǎo jiù shōu de dào lǐ ， zhè ge jià qián yǐ jīng shí fēn fēng hòu ， bù néng zài tān dé wú yàn le ， bì jìng qī jué tiān yě bú shì kě yǐ ràng tā men qiāo zhà de duì shǒu 。
能够到达凝丹期，哪一个不是经历过大风大浪的老狐狸，深深明白见好就收的道理，这个价钱已经十分丰厚，不能再贪得无厌了，毕竟七绝天也不是可以让他们敲诈的对手。
Cultivators who had reached Condensation Core level knew well the principle of taking what was offered and stopping there. The price was already generous enough, so they couldn't be greedy anymore. After all, the Seven Extremes Firmament wasn't an easy target to extort from.
dāng xià fēn fēn diǎn tóu biǎo shì tóng yì 。
当下纷纷点头表示同意。
They all nodded in agreement.
The two cultivators were both at the Condensation Core中期 stage, and their expressions suggested they were a pair of cultivation partners.
Eight Condensation Core period cultivators who had participated in the auction had all gathered here without exception.
After taking their seats, Li Haipeng made a full bow: "Thank you all for coming. I..."
"Cut to the chase. Why did you invite us here? If you can't give a satisfactory explanation, I won't hold back," an elderly cultivator in yellow robes sitting next to Lin Xuan spoke with a stern expression.
"Friend Li is right. When you invited us to participate in this auction, you mentioned that there would be ghost servants as the finale. Why did they disappear at the last minute? You should give us a reasonable explanation," another thin and dark-faced cultivator also interjected.
The other Condensation Core period cultivators remained silent but their expressions were not friendly.
Despite being watched by so many high-ranking cultivators, Li Haipeng was still calm. He seemed to have prepared his words in advance and said with a bitter smile: "Please forgive us, we of the Seven Extremes Firmament always conduct business honestly. We would never dare to spread false information to deceive you all. The batch of ghost servants encountered an error on their way."
"An error?"
"Yes," Li Haipeng sighed. "To be honest with everyone, these ghosts in the Yin Spirit Canyon have become increasingly cunning. Capturing them is no easy task. Our organization had to pay a high price to acquire just a few of these厉鬼."
"You don't need to complain about it. We all know this," Yuan Daha frowned and interrupted him.
Indeed, compared to ten thousand years ago when the ghosts first escaped from the Netherworld Realm into the human world, they were now much more organized, forming three major factions with three ghost emperors each.
The power of these ghost emperors was formidable enough to rival human Core Formation period cultivators. Moreover, these ghosts rarely ventured out of the Yin Spirit Canyon and would often set up ambushes in groups, leaving human cultivators empty-handed while they themselves were plundered.
Thus, this activity had become extremely risky, and the price for ghost servants on the black market was rising.
"Originally, we intended to sell this batch of ghost servants at the auction. But unfortunately, they were stolen halfway through."
"Stolen? By whom?" The male cultivator with a hooked nose looked surprised as he spoke.
The Seven Extremes Firmament might just be a merchant organization, but it had been around for tens of thousands of years and its strength was beyond measure. Few forces dared to steal goods from them.
"It wasn't human cultivators; it was the Ghost King," Li Haipeng sighed in anger. "Ghost King?"
The other cultivators were taken aback, their faces showing shock. Although a Ghost King's power equated to that of a Condensation Core period cultivator, its treasures and abilities were extremely mysterious. In combat, even at the same level, human cultivators would likely meet a bitter end.
"So you're asking us to help you reclaim those ghost servants?" Yuan Daha frowned. If it was the Ghost King from the Yin Spirit Canyon, they wouldn't dare chase after their lair, not even Core Formation period cultivators.
"Senior, there's a misunderstanding. I wouldn't dream of asking such a risk," Li Haipeng said with a smile. "According to our intelligence, the Ghost King who made the move resides in a cave about a hundred miles away from here."
"A cave?"
Apart from Lin Xuan, everyone else looked relieved. Some ghosts preferred to reside outside the Yin Spirit Canyon due to their high power, but it wasn't unheard of.
"Not in the canyon? That makes things easier. What's his rank?" A middle-aged woman in her thirties interjected.
"Yes," Li Haipeng nodded. "We've already investigated and found out that he is an upper-grade Ghost King."
"Upper-grade Ghost King, this could be tricky. Theoretically, his power equates to a late-stage Condensation Core cultivator, but his abilities are so strange that his actual strength surpasses even the peak of Core Formation period cultivators," the man with the hooked nose hesitated.
"Haha, don't undervalue yourselves, Senior. Although that beast's strength is indeed high, it's just an isolated case. If we cooperate, defeating him will be a piece of cake," Li Haipeng quickly smiled and flattered them.
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. What benefits can the Seven Extremes Firmament offer if this succeeds?" Yuan Daha cut in with his key question, drawing everyone's attention.
"We could give each senior one of the eight ghost servants stolen."
The room fell silent as the Condensation Core period cultivators mentally calculated their share. To be honest, this reward was quite generous. A ghost servant at the厉鬼level equated to a Core Formation period cultivator in terms of power and was worth several thousand crystal stones on the market.
However, the man with the hooked nose snorted and sneered: "The Seven Extremes Firmament is indeed the largest merchant alliance in Youzhou. They are truly shrewd businessmen. For such a small ghost servant, they want us to take such risks against a monster like the Ghost King."
Li Haipeng was furious. A few thousand crystal stones wasn't worth worrying about, but this man clearly intended to extort them.
Despite his anger, he remained respectful on the surface, as he still needed their help and didn't want to offend someone at Condensation Core中期level. After all, even the Seven Extremes Firmament wouldn't easily offend a cultivator of that rank.
"Senior Fu is right. Besides the ghost servants, we will also gift each of you five thousand crystal stones. Is this price acceptable?" Li Haipeng gritted his teeth and suggested with a pained expression.
Cultivators who had reached Condensation Core level knew well the principle of taking what was offered and stopping there. The price was already generous enough, so they couldn't be greedy anymore. After all, the Seven Extremes Firmament wasn't an easy target to extort from.
They all nodded in agreement.