The Jiang family's shop was bustling with people eager to buy Yuan Shi (Origin Stones). This batch would be sold here first, and any remaining would be taken to the trading market.
The Yuan Shi Zhou Yan had bought in the past were all leftovers. Even so, he had accumulated immense wealth and discovered many treasures within them.
Having already bought all the good stuff from the Ji family, Zhou Yan, upon seeing this considerable pile of Yuan Shi, quickly turned to Jiang Yu and said, "Um, can you assign someone to me? I'd like to start purchasing."
"Certainly, no problem," Jiang Yu replied, curious about how many Yuan Shi Zhou Yan intended to buy.
Ji Mingyue overheard and immediately told Jiang Yu, "You'd better send over a dozen people to accompany him. He tends to buy quite a lot."
"'Quite a lot'?" Jiang Yu sounded puzzled.
But Zhou Yan had already walked up to the Yuan Shi. He pointed at them, saying, "Take this one, this one too, I'll take all ten of these, and this one looks good too..."
Jiang Yu watched as Zhou Yan began selecting them at a rapid pace, barely even inspecting them, as if just going through the motions. In the blink of an eye, he had purchased over a hundred Yuan Shi.
"Are you sure he's not here to cause trouble?" Jiang Yu inquired.
"Haven't you heard of the person who bought a massive amount of Yuan Shi a few years ago? It's him," Ji Mingyue quickly explained.
"So it's that person!" Jiang Yu immediately instructed someone nearby, "Quickly gather the Yuan Shi chosen by our esteemed guest and calculate the price!"
"Yes, yes, yes!!!"
A group of people hurried to Zhou Yan's side, beginning to collect the Yuan Shi one by one. The surrounding customers watched this scene, their eyes wide with shock at Zhou Yan.
They saw Zhou Yan pointing at Yuan Shi all around, while those behind him continuously gathered them, and others meticulously calculated their prices.
"Who is this person? Is he really here to buy Yuan Shi?"
"This scene reminds me of something familiar."
"It's him, that person has arrived!"
"I knew it. Only that person from a few years ago would dare to buy Yuan Shi like this."
Many still remembered the Yuan Shi Convention from years ago. Even if they hadn't seen it themselves, they had heard much about it. Witnessing it firsthand now, they could understand Zhou Yan's purchasing behavior.
He wasn't buying Yuan Shi; he was shopping in bulk. Yuan Shi were being collected in massive quantities. By the time Zhou Yan stopped, a third of the entire batch had been depleted.
Zhou Yan smiled with satisfaction. Jiang Yu also smiled, never having imagined such a large portion of this batch of Yuan Shi could be sold. Ji Mingyue, on the other hand, was unfazed, having already predicted this outcome.
When Jiang Yu saw Zhou Yan settle the bill with Ling Bi (spirit coins), she was still somewhat stunned. Such a colossal sum, yet the man seemed to dismiss it nonchalantly, as if it were nothing.
"Allow me to show you around," Jiang Yu said promptly.
"That would be good," Zhou Yan nodded. Afterward, Zhou Yan proceeded to buy a large number of items from Jiang Ji.
Jiang Yu was completely dumbfounded. Just how rich was this guy?
Ji Mingyue guided Zhou Yan and his companions through various shops and sights. However, the innermost area of Huang Tian City was off-limits to outsiders.
"What is this place?" Zhou Yan inquired.
"Inside is the ancient village. It's been specially preserved to prevent destruction. The villagers of Huang Cun (Desolate Village) also hold a grand sacrificial ceremony each year to commemorate the Desolate God. Only a select few are invited to participate."
Ji Mingyue explained the situation inside. Zhou Yan and Ye Xun didn't force their way in. The place was indeed quite peculiar, but there was no need for them to enter.
By evening, Jiang Yu hosted a splendid banquet for Zhou Yan and his group. Jiang Yu also joined, primarily wanting to forge friendships with Zhou Yan and his companions.
Upon hearing that Zhou Yan and his party intended to go to Wan Long Ku (Ten Thousand Dragon Den), Jiang Yu expressed great surprise. "Why would you want to go to such an inauspicious place?"
"Just curiosity. We know it's dangerous, but we are confident in our abilities. If we weren't, we wouldn't go," Zhou Yan replied.
Jiang Yu's brow furrowed. "There's recent danger there. I suggest you go some other time."
"Oh? Have any evil corpses emerged?" Ji Mingyue asked curiously. Wan Long Ku was inherently a perilous place, with incidents occurring periodically.
Jiang Yu shook her head and replied, "Something more terrifying than evil corpses. Have you heard about the emergence of the Si Clan (Death Clan) a while back?"
"What? The Death Clan has appeared? Weren't they annihilated by the Desolate God back then?" Ji Mingyue was greatly astonished.
During the Desolate God's era, the Death Clan had refined countless humans into corpses, enraging the Desolate God. Although not yet a god at that time, the Desolate God's combat power overwhelmed the heavens, unstoppable by any. He single-handedly charged into the Death Clan's holy land and wiped them out, striking fear into countless alien races who dared not confront him. Even after countless years, this event commanded immense respect. The Death Clan was an extremely powerful race, difficult to eliminate by ordinary means; special methods were required. Who would have thought the Death Clan would rise from the ashes, staging a comeback after tens of millions of years?
"The resurgence of races in the Great Desolation is now unavoidable. Our Human Race has become one of the top races in the Great Desolation, and these others naturally want to oppress us."
"However, I've heard that a god has appeared among the Human Race, making the various races hesitant to act rashly against us. This is a good thing." Jiang Yu's eyes shone with adoration and excitement. While the truth of this news was uncertain, it couldn't be entirely groundless.
"What? A god has appeared among the Human Race? No wonder I've noticed the alien races have been less active lately. It turns out they're not unwilling to act, but afraid." Ji Mingyue was surprised. She genuinely hadn't heard of this matter, or perhaps hadn't had time to learn about it.
"What have you been doing lately? How do you not know these things?" Jiang Yu found it odd. Jiang Jiang and the Ji family were ancient clans, privy to information relatively quickly.
Ji Mingyue smiled. "You are a genius heavily cultivated by your family. I'm just a shop manager. Isn't it normal for me not to know these things?"
Jiang Yu then recalled Ji Mingyue's status, which was why they were merely acquainted rather than close friends. She was only here this time because she was escorting this batch of Yuan Shi.
Zhou Yan and his companions didn't mention that the god they were discussing was him. Even if they did, would they believe it? There was no need. Zhou Yan and the others remained composed, as if none of this concerned them.