Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather Chapter 1361: 871: Chaos in Lotus Heart Valley (Part 2)

Capítulo 1361: Chapter 871: Chaos in Lotus Heart Valley (Part 2)

Gazing upward at the black-robed cultivator, Yang Jishan continued his words.

A hood concealed the black-robed cultivator's face, hiding any trace of his emotions.

In truth, these long boots stood out as an exceptionally rare high-quality magic artifact, particularly with the unfamiliar restrictions upon them that Yang Jishan couldn't identify. Though not an immortal cultivator himself, Yang Jishan possessed knowledge of magic artifact restrictions.

These boots bore six types of restrictions unknown to him, underscoring their remarkable nature.

The black-robed cultivator remained silent, offering only a slight nod, as if the price quoted by Yang Jishan held little importance.

Yang Jishan kept evaluating and pricing each item until he finished with all the magic artifacts, then declared, “Immortal Master, sixteen magic artifacts in total come to fifty-eight thousand three hundred low-grade spirit stones, what do you think~~”

“I want mid-grade spirit stones!”

“This humble shop doesn’t have that many mid-grade spirit stones, only half can be in mid-grade spirit stones!”

“Fine!” The black-robed cultivator seemed remarkably agreeable.

Yet unease gnawed at Yang Jishan, for he knew his offered price was ridiculously low, yet this individual accepted it without a single bargain.

With the agreement in place, he saw no grounds to object further.

“Immortal Master, please hold on a moment!”

“Shopkeeper, Shopkeeper!”

He called out toward the back courtyard.

Having listened in from the rear for some time, Yang Cheng’an stepped into the shop naturally at the summons.

“Shopkeeper, this Immortal Master wishes to sell these magic artifacts. I’ve appraised them already. The total is fifty-eight thousand three hundred low-grade spirit stones!” Yang Jishan reported.

Yang Cheng’an regarded the black-robed cultivator with a warm smile. “Greetings, Immortal Master!”

Another nod was all the black-robed cultivator gave, uttering no words.

Yang Cheng’an wasted no time on chatter, swiftly retrieving spirit stones, stowing them in a storage bag, and passing it over to the black-robed cultivator.

After inspecting the storage bag, the black-robed cultivator departed without delay.

Once gone, Yang Cheng’an frowned at the magic artifacts arrayed on the counter.

As someone capable of appraising magic artifacts like Yang Jishan, he shared that skill and surpassed him in expertise regarding such treasures.

“Eighth Master, this person feels suspicious!” Yang Jishan remarked.

Yang Cheng’an swept all the counter's magic artifacts into a storage bag, then moved to the entrance, peering out at the street.

His gaze deepened as he surveyed the lively street.

Lotus Heart Valley felt unusually altered today.

Hmm!

Black-robed figures abounded in greater numbers!

While many cultivators preferred hiding their forms and faces, black-robed ones weren't rare. Still, Lotus Heart Valley's main residents were typical cultivators. Those who truly masked themselves were often outsiders.

On normal days, one might spot two or three at most in a glance, but today over ten caught his eye.

Their disguises and styles differed, yet their sheer quantity far outstripped the usual.

“All rogue cultivators? Impossible! Is the Law Enforcement Team so blind as to allow hordes of rogue cultivators into the workshop?”

“Or have they already infiltrated the workshop?”

This thought caused Yang Cheng’an’s face to shift subtly.

If these figures had already slipped inside the workshop, why were they surfacing everywhere in the marketplace now?

“Hurry, shut the door!”

“Eighth Master, what’s happening?” Yang Jishan inquired.

“Something feels wrong—seal the door first!”

The pair awkwardly closed the shop door and rushed to pack the magic artifacts and goods from the back courtyard.

Noticing their frantic efforts, Jiang Ping’an questioned, “Eighth Master, what’s going on?”

“Unclear. Pack everything for now!”

Yang Cheng’an couldn’t confirm his suspicions, but caution demanded action. Worst case, they’d shutter the shop briefly.

Luckily, ample storage bags ensured they could carry the entire shop’s contents if escape proved necessary.

As they hustled to pack, a deafening explosion rocked the Lotus Heart Valley workshop.

Boom~~

In the instant that followed, the whole of Lotus Heart Valley quaked violently.

The countenances of Yang Cheng’an and his two companions shifted dramatically; they all raised their eyes to the sky, where a khaki-colored light barrier had suddenly formed over Lotus Heart Valley. This was the Guardian Array of Lotus Heart Valley, the Second-Order Thick Earth Lock Mountain Array, a defensive formation that harnessed the power of Earth Veins and the mountainous landscape.

Triggering the Guardian Array signaled that they were now facing an enemy assault.

Before the trio could even respond, screams of pain and furious yells erupted from outside the shop.

“Bold! Who dares stir up trouble in Lotus Heart Valley!”

Thunderous roars of anger boomed through the air, unveiling two figures radiating overpowering auras.

“Eighth Master, they’re Foundation Establishment Cultivators!” Jiang Ping’an cried out in excitement.

Yet Yang Cheng’an’s face grew profoundly grave, “Quickly pack things up!”

Since the attackers dared to strike Lotus Heart Valley, they clearly knew Foundation Establishment cultivators were stationed there; launching now proved they were completely ready.

The three dove back into packing with urgency, as the proverb warns, “even a rundown home holds a thousand in value,” let alone a full-fledged shop.

The warehouse brimmed with artifact refining materials, alongside plenty of spiritual weapon crafting tools, Yang Jizhen’s personal refining implements, and more—items totaling tens of thousands of spirit stones in worth.

Even merely stuffing everything into storage bags demanded considerable time.

As they concentrated on the task, utter mayhem already gripped the outside.

All at once, masked figures flooded Lotus Heart Valley, staying utterly silent; they slaughtered anyone in sight and ransacked every valuable object, igniting clashes throughout the entire valley.

Beyond Lotus Heart Valley’s edges, waves of black-robed assailants closed in swiftly from every direction. A precise tally showed six or seven hundred strong, each boasting late-stage Qi Refinement cultivation.

Yang Cheng’an and the other two had barely secured all valuables in storage bags when a resounding bang shattered the shop door.

Right then, a black-robed figure burst into the backyard, met by the warily clustered trio of Yang Cheng’an.

“Oh, it’s all packed; you saved me some time!”

The black-robed figure’s voice rasped low and rough—the same cultivator who had just peddled the magic artifacts.

“Immortal Master, what is the meaning of this?” Yang Cheng’an demanded, his face darkening.

“Heh, hand over all the storage bags, and I’ll leave you an intact corpse!” the black-robed cultivator sneered coldly.

Of course, he’d never truly planned to sell those spiritual artifacts before; he merely sought to trade junk ones for spirit stones from this Artifact Refining Workshop.

As to why he held back earlier, first, the operation’s set time hadn’t come. Second, with so many involved, he wanted to claim his share upfront, swapping unusable goods for spirit stones before comrades could snatch them.

But then he reconsidered upon realizing how loaded this Artifact Refining Workshop was, casually forking over nearly fifty thousand spirit stones. Thus, at the raid’s very start, he doubled back here.

Under his black cloak, a grin twisted his face as he abruptly hurled a talisman.

A deafening boom rang out as the talisman burst, unleashing streams of gray flames.

“Watch out!” Yang Cheng’an shoved Jiang Ping’an at his side with a kick, then dove rolling aside.

Yang Jishan reacted swiftly too; the moment the black-robed cultivator lifted his arm, a spear materialized in Yang Jishan’s grip, stabbing forth directly.

Spear light flashed out, yet it failed to halt the surging black flames.

In a flash, multiple black flames slammed into Yang Jishan; with a stifled grunt, he staggered and crumpled to the ground.

“Jishan!”

Yang Cheng’an’s eyes widened in shock; he rolled across the dirt toward the black-robed cultivator, yanking out a spear to plunge it at the foe’s chest.

Still, the spear’s razor edge halted against a shroud of black mist over the chest, blocked from piercing even slightly.

Nearby, Jiang Ping’an witnessed it all and swiftly grabbed a short spear, flinging it at the black-robed cultivator—but freshly stepped into the Innate Realm, his strike menaced neither a late-stage Qi Refinement powerhouse nor even a Heavenly Gang Stage fighter.

“Take Jishan and leave!” Yang Cheng’an bellowed softly.

The assault struck at an impeccably unfortunate moment, precisely as Yang Jizhen seized the Jade Token and retreated to the Spirit Source Land. Had Yang Jizhen been present, his formidable strength might have allowed him to subdue this black-robed cultivator. Even if he failed, they could still use the Jade Token to escape back to Spirit Source Land.