The King Of Warriors novel (Jared Chance) novel Chapter 6478

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Everspire stood at the heart of the North, the largest and most crowded core city for wandering cultivators across the Seventeenth Firmament.

"The city spread across a vast expanse.

Shops stood shoulder to shoulder. Markets thrived day and night.

Cultivators from every side streamed through without end, and trades passed from hand to hand in an endless current."

"No single order controlled the place.

Every kind of power had roots there, packed together in the same city until clean lines blurred and dangerous currents ran under the surface.

It was the northern region's largest resource-trading center, and it was also the permanent host city of the Treasurevault Grand Auction."

Behind the Treasurevault Grand Auction stood the Abyssal Exchange.

"The Abyssal Exchange stretched across the realms beneath the heavens.

Its foundation ran too deep to measure, and its connections reached in every direction.

Even the foremost celestial powers had to give the Abyssal Exchange some face. None of them dared provoke it lightly."

"Genesis Dew was the peerless relic for rebuilding the physical body, nourishing the spirit, and repairing the cultivation foundation.

The Abyssal Exchange had already settled its place in the Treasurevault Grand Auction: the once-in-a-century final treasure, to be auctioned publicly for the greatest possible profit."

"Venerable Starwick, Hall Master of Pole Star Hall, stood at the peak of Golden Immortal Level Three.

He was a foremost adept, the northern plenipotentiary of the Celestial Alliance, a man of vast ambition and hard methods, overbearing and vicious in his means."

"He had already found out everything about the Elderheart Soulwood, the Genesis Dew, and the rebuilding of Jared's body.

He knew exactly what would happen if Jared gathered the Genesis Dew, rebuilt his body, and returned to his peak.

One day, Jared would settle the blood debt, join forces with the human orders, stand against Pole Star Hall, and shake the celestials' supremacy."

Venerable Starwick could not give Jared even the smallest opening.

"Jared had already obtained the Elderheart Soulwood. That could no longer be intercepted.

Then the final piece, the Genesis Dew, had to be held firmly in Venerable Starwick's own hands.

He would not allow it to fall into Jared's possession."

"If he waited until the Grand Auction opened to the public, powers from every side would gather, and there would be too many variables.

The bidding would no longer move in a clean order. The longer the night dragged on, the more chances trouble had to grow.

Master Wellspring might even stake everything and win it at the auction."

"Venerable Starwick could not wait.

He could not afford to gamble either."

"Before the Grand Auction could even open, Venerable Starwick made his move.

He brought Elder Rowe and the other Golden Immortal core elders, four in all, and went straight to the Blackstone Tower of the Abyssal Exchange headquarters in Everspire.

He intended to take by force what he wanted and secure the Genesis Dew ahead of time."

"The headquarters of the Abyssal Exchange was the nine-storey Blackstone Tower, a massive black-stone structure rising into the clouds.

Ancient warding sigils covered the tower from base to peak. Its defenses were unmatched, solid as iron.

Even Golden Immortal adepts would struggle to break through by force."

"Venerable Starwick brought no army and started no slaughter.

He came only with pressure, driving it forward like a storm front.

He stood before the Blackstone Tower, his aura heavy as a mountain, tyrannical and unmatched."

"Elder Rowe went inside to deliver the announcement.

A short while later, Osric, the chapter master of the Everspire chapter of the Abyssal Exchange, came out in person to receive them."

"Osric stood at Golden Immortal Level Two.

He had a careful mind and a smooth hand for handling trouble, never lowering himself too far and never standing too high. He knew exactly how sharp the interests were between the powers gathered in Everspire."

Osric cupped his fists and bowed, his manner courteous without losing its measure. "The Hall Master of Pole Star Hall honors us with his presence, and we failed to welcome you properly. Please, come inside."

"Venerable Starwick had no patience for empty ceremony.

His face stayed cold, and his voice cut straight through the pleasantries. ""Master Blackwell, I came today for one thing only. The Genesis Dew. I want it."""

"Osric's smile locked in place for half a breath, and the weight of those words dropped through him.

"But when he reached the front counter of the Treasurevault Grand Auction and flipped through the catalog of auction items, one small line struck his eyes.

""Genesis Dew—withdrawn for unspecified reasons. No public listing."""

"A roar went off inside Master Wellspring's skull, as if lightning had split him open.

The color drained from his face in an instant. Cold ran through his whole body, and the words on the page would not fit into reality."

He grabbed hold of the staff member, his voice shaking as the questions burst out of him. "Why was it withdrawn? It was perfectly set as the final treasure. Why cancel it all of a sudden? What happened?"

"The staff member kept a blank face.

He shook his head, offered almost nothing, and said only that it was a decision from above. There was nothing to disclose."

"Master Wellspring walked out of the auction house as if his spirit had been pulled loose.

He stood on the busy street, with people flowing past and carriages moving endlessly through the crowd. The thing he had built up over so many days went out little by little, leaving only a cold that seemed to cut into the bone."

"Inside the soul-restoring phial, Jared sensed Master Wellspring's mind coming apart and his will sinking low.

His voice came out softly. ""Master Wellspring, what changed?"""

"Master Wellspring's words scraped out hoarse, carrying all the strain he could no longer swallow.

He dropped to his knees, tears falling. ""Aureate Heir... your servant was incompetent. Your servant has failed you. The Genesis Dew... someone took it ahead of time. The Grand Auction withdrew it directly. We have no chance to bid for it anymore."""

"Jared's soul gave a faint tremor.

The weight of it settled, but no outburst came. He had long expected Venerable Starwick to work from the shadows and place an obstacle in their path."

"Who took it?" Jared asked, his tone level.

Master Wellspring clenched his teeth, and each word came out bitten clean. "Venerable Starwick! He relied on his overwhelming cultivation and forced pressure onto the Abyssal Exchange. He bought the Genesis Dew ahead of time by force. No matter how many spirit stones we gather now, it is useless."

"Jared fell silent for a moment.

His state remained steady, and when he spoke again, his voice moved slowly. ""Get up. This is not on you. It was not your fault. The enemy was strong, we were weak, and raw power forced its way through. This is not the end. It is only the beginning."""

"Without the Genesis Dew, the Seventeenth Firmament is still vast. Somewhere else in this world, there will be another opportunity. We will search slowly. We will find it eventually. The day will come when this body is rebuilt."

"Master Wellspring lifted his head and wiped away his tears.

Then he nodded hard, the dimness in his eyes catching fire again. ""The Aureate Heir is absolutely right! No matter how hard the road ahead becomes, we will never give up! To the ends of the world, we will find that chance and help the Aureate Heir rebuild his true body!"""