The legend of the Five Spirit Orbs had circulated across the Primordial Heartlands for a long time. It was said that when the five beads were gathered, they could even change the fate of the entire continent.
Previously, Xu Zimo had obtained the Wind-Destroying Pearl and the Soft-Water Pearl. Now, this was the third, the Second-Wood Pearl.
Second-Wood represented endless life, the beginning and end of all things.
Xu Zimo had already guessed before that when the two beads in his body resonated, the item inside the box had to be related to the Five Spirit Orbs.
Though the Eternal Lands and the Primordial Heartlands were two different worlds, since he himself could come here, Xu Zimo didn’t believe that over such a long stretch of time, no one else from the Primordial Heartlands had ever made it here.
If some ancient being had crossed over and brought one of the Five Spirit Orbs, it wouldn’t be strange.
The moment the box opened and the rich aura of life spread out, the old woman beside them narrowed her cloudy eyes, staring at the box in Xu Zimo’s hands.
“I want that box,” the old woman suddenly said in a raspy voice.
Xu Zimo chuckled and looked at the shopkeeper.
The shopkeeper smiled awkwardly at the old woman and said, “Ma’am, that box has already been sold to this honored guest. Please choose something else.”
“I want that box,” the old woman insisted stubbornly.
“This...” the shopkeeper shook his head slightly and said, “Please don’t make it difficult for me.”
“Kunlun is famed, I am Cangshan. Heaven and Earth shift, eternal and unyielding.”
The old woman murmured softly.
Upon hearing those words, the shopkeeper’s expression changed drastically. He stared at the old woman for a long time before asking, “May I ask who you are, senior?”
“Bring me a pen,” the old woman said.
As soon as she finished speaking, a yellow scroll and a brush flew down from the air with a wave of the shopkeeper’s right hand.
The girl in the white dress quickly helped the old woman sit down. She picked up the pen and began writing something.
After a while, the old woman folded the yellow scroll and handed it to the shopkeeper.
He stepped to the side and glanced at the scroll. His pupils suddenly contracted.
“This... this...” he muttered in shock, then took a deep breath and put the scroll away.
“My apologies, senior. Please forgive the offense,” the shopkeeper bowed deeply to the old woman, then turned to Xu Zimo.
He said, “Young master, I’m sorry. This box can no longer be sold to you. To make up for it, you may choose any item from this shop. It will be my gift to you.”
“Do I look like I need charity?” Xu Zimo frowned.
“I worked hard to obtain the Blood Lizard Heart, and now you’re telling me that something I already purchased must be taken back? What, do you think I’m beneath you?”
“As long as the item hasn’t left the store, I still have authority over it,” the shopkeeper smiled, then looked at Xu Zimo and said, “I don’t know who you are, but don’t cause trouble here. You can’t afford the consequences.”
“Oh?” Xu Zimo sneered, holding the Second-Wood Pearl in his hand. “The item’s right here, come take it.”
“Arrogant fool,” the shopkeeper squinted his eyes and snorted coldly. His figure shifted rapidly, and he reached out with a large hand toward Xu Zimo.
The next moment, a beastly roar echoed from the void beside them.
A massive paw from the Darksky Tiger reached out of the void and swatted the shopkeeper away with a single strike.
The Darksky Tiger landed, its bloodshot eyes locked onto the shopkeeper, its roar shaking the void. Its huge body nearly filled half the shop.
“Beast!” the shopkeeper roared in fury. A powerful aura burst forth around him.
Endless spiritforce gathered above his head, a storm surged, and the entire shop began to tremble.
In just a few breaths’ time, a vast celestial sky condensed above him.
It was a bizarre scene, the sky churned with clouds and storms, endless and grand.
The pressure around the shopkeeper grew heavier. With the sky above and storm at his back, he charged at the Darksky Tiger.
Unfortunately, the Darksky Tiger was already at the peak of the Fusion Heaven Realm. Xu Zimo could tell this shopkeeper had only just entered Fusion Heaven.
With a loud boom, the Darksky Tiger’s claw ripped the celestial sky above the shopkeeper’s head to pieces.
The winds and clouds wailed. The shopkeeper flew backward, slamming heavily into the store’s dragon pillar.
Xu Zimo looked over and saw the tiger’s claws stained red, it was clearly injured.
To be able to wound the Darksky Tiger despite a lower realm, the shopkeeper was quite formidable.
“You dared offend the Cang Clan, you won’t end well,” the shopkeeper growled furiously.
He struggled to stand, still trying to fight again, but his organs seemed to have been shattered. He could hardly move.
“You’re no match for it. Let me,” said the old woman at that moment.
She walked forward slowly, silver cane in hand.
“Grandma, be careful,” the girl in the white dress said quickly.
“It’s nothing. Ning’er, go stand aside. Don’t get hurt by mistake,” the old woman smiled.
Her silver cane trembled slightly, and an immense aura burst forth from it.
“Young man, I acted unfairly in this matter. I won’t kill you, but I’ll give you a small punishment,” said the old woman.
Dark spiritforce began to gather around the silver cane.
It carried a cold and shadowy aura.
As more and more energy flowed in, the image of a grand hall began to appear on the cane.
A long, dark river flowed silently outside the hall, and ghostly howls echoed as twisted faces struggled above it.
It looked like a vision of a real place reflected onto the cane.
The hall was deep and dark, as if buried deep within the void, exuding the breath of death.
“This is...” the shopkeeper muttered in shock, “As expected, someone from the Underworld Sect.”
“Today I’ll slay this beast, to teach you a lesson,” the old woman’s eyes suddenly opened.
No longer cloudy, they radiated a thick aura of death, as if ten thousand ghosts screamed within them, ready to crawl out at any moment.
A chilling bloodlust surged.
“Soul, come!” the old woman shouted.
From the shadow of the grand hall on her cane, streams of death energy flowed out.
The aura of death floated in midair and enveloped the Darksky Tiger.
As the tiger howled in pain, it felt as though its soul was being pulled into the hall, tortured by unseen forces.
“Interesting,” Xu Zimo smiled. “But old woman, you’re at the end of your life. Instead of enjoying your twilight years, why stir up trouble outside?”
He looked at the Second-Wood Pearl in his hand, flicked it gently, and the bead flew directly into the Darksky Tiger’s mouth.
The next moment, a rich aura of life spread throughout its body.