……

"Are you Wang Lici?"

The Saintess of Shuiyue approached Wang Lici with a stride that seemed to disregard everyone else. She reached out with her slender, strong fingers to pinch Wang Lici's delicate chin, clearly reluctant to let go. "You really are charming and lively, pure and adorable, untouched by any vulgarity. No wonder even that block of stone Qingyuan is smitten with you~"

"Sister Shuiyue?" Wang Lici blinked her innocent big eyes. "Are you Brother Qingyuan's Dao companion? Brother and I are just simple senior and junior disciples..."

It was obvious that Wang Lici had a strong desire to survive; only a fool would want to get involved in a love rivalry.

Unexpectedly, the Saintess of Shuiyue rolled her eyes at Lici and said irritably, "Don't be ridiculous. With Qingyuan being such a blockhead, why would I be interested in him?"

The disdain in her tone was almost overflowing.

At that moment.

A furious shout suddenly exploded above the market: "Shuiyue, let go of my junior sister. If you have any tricks, come at me, Qingyuan!"

Before the words even finished, a brilliant water-blue energy burst open in mid-air.

The light rippled like water waves and surged like a storm, causing the surrounding space to shake violently upon its appearance.

As the light exploded, the figure of the Qingyuan Holy Son suddenly pierced through the space, appearing within the light.

His handsome face was stern, but his eyes showed a hint of urgency.

The swirling energy lifted his blue robe, and the terrifying pressure of the True Immortal Realm swept through the heavens and earth. Even though it was released and retracted in an instant, it still caused the air to freeze for a moment.

The surroundings fell silent for a moment, and everyone couldn't help but gossip quietly with their divine senses.

"The Qingyuan Holy Son arrived so quickly? It seems he really cares about Fairy Lici."

"Two heirs of the Cave Heavens facing off, this is going to be interesting."

"Do you think the Qingyuan Holy Son is stronger, or the Saintess of Shuiyue?"

"I bet the Qingyuan Holy Son is stronger. After all, he's a bit older and his cultivation is more profound."

"This Grand Gathering of Myriad Laws is really lively, with heirs from both Cave Heavens present."

Amidst the chatter, the Qingyuan Holy Son gracefully descended, landing opposite the Saintess of Shuiyue.

"Qingyuan, stop flattering yourself." The Saintess of Shuiyue glanced at him and said with a pout, "I came because I heard about Junior Sister Lici and wanted to make friends. What, is Junior Sister Lici your pet? She can't even make friends independently?"

"Lici, you can make any friends you want. I won't oppose it." The Qingyuan Holy Son ignored her and spoke earnestly to Lici, "But as for this Saintess of Shuiyue, I suggest you stay away from her. She's domineering, irritable, petty, and vindictive—definitely not a good person."

"Oh~ Qingyuan, you scoundrel, I haven't even started on you yet~" The Saintess of Shuiyue laughed in anger. "Junior Sister Lici, let me tell you, your senior brother is not a good person. Don't be fooled by his graceful appearance; he's actually a cunning and deceitful person, full of tricks and schemes, especially fond of deceiving innocent girls like you."

The Qingyuan Holy Son's face turned ashen with anger, and the immortal spirit energy around him, like a blue mist, began to boil, his aura suddenly surging: "Shuiyue, if you dare to slander me again, don't blame me for taking action."

"Bring it on, I'm not afraid of you."

The Saintess of Shuiyue was not to be outdone, immediately letting out a cold laugh, pulling Wang Lici behind her, and stepping forward.

The overwhelming pressure of the True Immortal Realm suddenly rose.

"Just as well, let's settle the score for you snatching my treasure in the Void Immortal Mansion ruins last time."

"What do you mean by snatching your treasure?" The Qingyuan Holy Son's face darkened. "The treasures in the ruins are ownerless, and everyone relies on their own abilities. Besides, it was just a tenth-grade spiritual herb, worth only three or four Immortal Spirit Stones. Is it worth making a fuss about? Are you so poor that you can't even afford these few Immortal Spirit Stones?"

The Saintess of Shuiyue's face flushed, as if her sore spot had been hit, and she exploded in anger, "Whether I'm poor or rich is none of your business! Does it stop me from making friends? You took my treasure, and I want to settle the score with you."

Seeing the two arguing more fiercely, Wang Lici hurriedly stepped between them to persuade, "Sister Shuiyue, Brother Qingyuan, please stop arguing. You're both good people; wouldn't it be better to let go of your grudges and be friends?"

"No!"

The Saintess of Shuiyue and the Qingyuan Holy Son spoke almost simultaneously.

Seeing the other react the same way, they both gave each other a disdainful look.

"Alright, for the sake of Sister Lici, I won't argue with you, you hypocrite." The Saintess of Shuiyue waved her hand, looking magnanimous, then pulled Lici along. "Sister Lici, I heard the Guimei Clan of the Tianxing Holy Clan has brought some good stuff for sale, including their family specialty, the Tianyun Immortal Brocade Bird, and the genuine fine wine, 'No Envy of Immortals.' Let's go, I'll take you to try them."

"My junior sister doesn't drink." The Qingyuan Holy Son said angrily, "Shuiyue, don't lead my junior sister astray."

"Tch~ Lici is your junior sister, not your daughter. Can you control her?"

The Saintess of Shuiyue ignored him, pulling Wang Lici as they soared into the sky, transforming into a streak of light and disappearing.

Lan Wan'er, the maids Baozi and Jiaozi, and the follower Sima Wuchou were startled and hurriedly followed in pursuit.

In the sky, Wang Lici's reassuring voice could be heard: "Brother Qingyuan, don't worry. Sister Shuiyue is a good person and won't harm me."

The Qingyuan Holy Son's expression changed several times, but in the end, he couldn't let it go and flew after them.

His junior sister was just too innocent; how could she believe Shuiyue's nonsense?

Seeing the three leave one after another, the onlookers finally breathed a sigh of relief, then exchanged glances and couldn't help but laugh.

"Pfft! Who would've thought that the refined and graceful Qingyuan Holy Son could be driven to such fury~~"

"Tsk tsk tsk~ Qingyuan Holy Son has such good self-control, probably only the Saintess of Shuiyue can provoke him like this."

"This is too interesting; I have to go back and tell my fellow disciples~~"

Amidst the chatter, the crowd gradually dispersed, and the street soon returned to its previous bustling state.

……

At the center of the market.

This was the busiest area in the entire market, with many stalls from the Holy Clans and Cave Heavens nearby.

Of course, compared to the stalls set up by disciples on the outskirts, these stalls from the Holy Clans and Cave Heavens were much more luxurious. For instance, the Guimei Clan had directly brought out a refined mobile Immortal Pavilion, expanded it, placed it on the stall, and set up tables and chairs, turning it into a ready-made tavern.

Other Cave Heavens and Holy Clans also showcased their abilities, preparing in advance and using various methods to set up their stalls, each looking exceptionally high-end, subtly showcasing their heritage in every detail.

But amidst this dazzling array of Immortal Pavilions, there was an anomaly.

It was a stall set up by an old man in a sloppy Taoist robe, with a somewhat rat-like and wretched appearance. He occupied a large stall by himself, with various "stones" of different sizes piled up on the empty space around the stall.

These stones were of various colors, with dense and solid surfaces, covered in mottled patterns, looking quite unremarkable.

However, those who worked in spiritual stone mines or were insiders would know that these were raw spiritual stone ores. The structure of spiritual stone veins is complex; some raw spiritual stone ores have visible spiritual energy, making it easy to discern the quantity and quality of spiritual stones contained within.

But there are also a few raw spiritual stone ores with sealed structures, with the core spiritual stones hidden within the thick spiritual jade and solid outer layer, impervious to divine sense detection. Even X-ray vision cannot see through their mysteries.

Only by cutting them open can one discover the quality of the spiritual stones hidden inside, which could be trash spiritual stones or might contain precious top-grade spiritual stones, or even Immortal Spirit Stones!

It is precisely because of the unique nature of these few raw spiritual stone ores that a special activity has emerged—stone gambling.

The Shenwu World also has stone gambling, and Wang Shouzhe has profited from it before, but the scale of stone gambling in the Shenwu World is very small, and the spiritual stones that can be obtained from raw spiritual stone ores are just ordinary spiritual stones. Given the Wang Clan's current financial resources, even sweeping the entire world of stone gambling would be nothing.

"Freshly arrived raw spiritual stone ores, buying them is earning." The wretched old man was sorting the raw spiritual stone ores in front of him while shouting, "One cut to profit, ten cuts to wealth, a hundred cuts to become immortal. Fellow young brothers and sisters, don't miss out as you pass by."

In the Basalt world, there are those with firm beliefs, and naturally, there are also some who are obsessed with shortcuts.

Sure enough.

Many young people attending the Grand Gathering of Myriad Laws couldn't resist the temptation and started playing stone gambling. Those who won were overjoyed, shouting and attracting many onlookers, while those who lost were red-faced and unwilling to accept defeat.

The wretched old man was clearly well-versed in human nature. Seeing that some people had lost a lot and were thinking of quitting, he secretly took out some semi-visible raw spiritual stone ores that had been appraised and used a clever sleight of hand to swap them, allowing people to make a small profit after cutting, then spouting nonsense about how their bad luck had dissipated and their fortune was turning.

Naturally, this enticed them to increase their bets, ultimately losing so much that they had to pawn off their Divine Spirit Artifacts and the like.

"Cai Youdao, it's really you."

Just as the stall was bustling with cultivators who had suddenly become rich or poor, a female voice filled with anger suddenly came from the sky.

Everyone instinctively looked up and saw the Saintess of Shuiyue, dressed in a red battle skirt with a wild and unrestrained aura, descending from the sky with Wang Lici.

Everyone's expressions changed, and they instinctively stepped back, making way for the Saintess of Shuiyue.

The Saintess of Shuiyue, upon seeing that wretched old man, was immediately filled with anger: "You wretched old swindler, how dare you appear in front of me again?"

She had originally intended to take Wang Lici to the Sima Clan's stall, but unexpectedly saw this old swindler halfway and immediately changed course to land.

"Oh! Isn't this Her Highness the Saintess of Shuiyue~" The wretched old man, Cai Youdao, chuckled upon seeing her. "Look at what you're saying. I'm just running a legitimate stone gambling stall, earning a few hard-earned coins. Not to mention appearing in front of you, I wouldn't even flinch going to the Primordial Dao Palace."

"Have you forgotten?" The Saintess of Shuiyue was furious. "Just three years ago, you conned me out of nineteen Immortal Spirit Stones!"

"Your Highness, don't wrong me." Cai Youdao immediately acted as if he had suffered a great injustice, appealing to the surrounding people. "Everyone, please be the judge. Stone gambling is all about winning and losing, relying on luck. Who blames others for losing? Oh, the Qingyuan Holy Son is here too. You're a reasonable person; please uphold justice for this old man."

As he spoke, the Qingyuan Holy Son had already arrived with Jiaozi and Lan Wan'er at the stone gambling stall.

Seeing Cai Youdao, his expression also darkened: "Who allowed you to set up a stone gambling stall in the Gui Ling Market?"

"I paid the stall fee properly." Cai Youdao said, taking out the receipt from the organizers, looking aggrieved. "Your Highness, you told me not to set up near the Cloud Sea Cave Heaven last time, and I complied. Are you and the Saintess of Shuiyue going to join forces to drive me to extinction?"

"Old fellow, don't think that just because you're a True Immortal, I won't dare to beat you up." The Saintess of Shuiyue was furious. "Do I need to join forces with others to deal with you? Come, let me teach you a lesson, you old rogue."

"Thank you, Your Highness, for your great kindness." Cai Youdao lay down on the ground with a grin. "Your Highness, go ahead. Hit me as you please. If I die from your beating, it'll be over. If not, I'll just lie in front of the Shuiyue Cave Heaven, and I'll have my meals covered for the rest of my life."

Seeing his shameless behavior, the Saintess of Shuiyue was so angry that her teeth itched. She raised and lowered her clenched fist several times but ultimately couldn't bring herself to hit him. She couldn't help but say, "This old thing is even more annoying than Qingyuan."

The Qingyuan Holy Son glanced at her speechlessly.

No matter what, he was better than you, Shuiyue, right?

"If you're not going to hit, why not support Cai Youdao's business?" Cai Youdao looked at her a few times, seeing that she had indeed given up on the idea of hitting him, and immediately sat up, full of flattery. "This batch of raw spiritual stone ores, I sourced them from the Tianling Mine of the Primordial Dao Palace. I guarantee their quality is reliable and definitely worthwhile. Look at this piece; it's of excellent quality and might just yield a large Immortal Spirit Stone."

"Really?" The Saintess of Shuiyue was tempted. "Are these really sourced from the Tianling Mine?"

"True, truer than Immortal Spirit Stones." Cai Youdao patted his chest and even took out the purchase receipt. "Your Highness, look at the stamp from the Tianling Mine. Even if you gave me the courage, I wouldn't dare to forge the stamp of a Primordial Dao Palace property. Oh, Your Highness, today you have an auspicious aura, a sign of great fortune."

"Then let's try our luck." The Saintess of Shuiyue circled around and pointed to a piece of raw spiritual stone ore. "Open this one."

"Your Highness has a keen eye. This is a top-grade raw ore with a high chance of yielding an Immortal Spirit Stone, priced at eight top-grade spiritual stones." Cai Youdao spread his hands, adopting a stance of not releasing the rabbit until he sees the eagle.

"Here! Open it for me~"

The Saintess of Shuiyue directly tossed a small bag of top-grade spiritual stones over.

Cai Youdao pointed his finger, and a golden Immortal Artifact-grade gold jade scissors flashed by, cutting through the stone like tofu, instantly slicing the raw spiritual stone ore into two halves, revealing a large, shiny spiritual stone inside.

This spiritual stone was quite large, but its quality was only at the top-grade spiritual stone level, capable of yielding about seventy to eighty pieces. However, the Saintess of Shuiyue had spent eight top-grade spiritual stones to buy this raw spiritual stone ore, and since a hundred top-grade spiritual stones could only exchange for one top-grade spiritual stone, she had lost over seven top-grade spiritual stones.

"Your Highness, a bet is a bet." Seeing that the Saintess of Shuiyue was about to lose her temper, Cai Youdao quickly appeased her. "Immortal Spirit Stones are so precious that they can't be casually gambled out. Maybe it's just not your time yet~"

"Again!"

The Saintess of Shuiyue frowned, tossing another bag of spiritual stones and picking out another piece of raw spiritual stone ore.

After several rounds, the Saintess of Shuiyue only profited once, losing on the rest, totaling a loss of over one Immortal Spirit Stone.

However, with so many spiritual stones invested, the Saintess of Shuiyue had already become addicted, unable to stop: "I refuse to believe I can't get an Immortal Spirit Stone this time."

Wang Lici was stunned.

Wasn't Sister Shuiyue supposed to take her to eat and drink? How did it turn into gambling?

"Lici~" The Qingyuan Holy Son pulled Lici's sleeve to hide behind, moving a bit further away from the Saintess of Shuiyue, speaking earnestly, "Now you understand why I don't want you to be friends with the Saintess of Shuiyue, right?"

"You don't know, she's greedy, stingy, loves gambling, and often drinks excessively... Her temper is fiery, and she starts fights at the drop of a hat!" The Qingyuan Holy Son said with a complex expression, "In my life, I've never seen a Saintess like her. It's really hard on the senior of the Shuiyue Cave Heaven."

Sima Wuchou also whispered gossipingly, "I heard the senior of the Shuiyue Cave Heaven has been so angry that they've gone into seclusion several times. Tsk tsk, if it weren't for the need to pass on the legacy of the Shuiyue Cave Heaven, she might have been beaten to death long ago."

"You two, don't speak ill of Sister Saintess." Wang Lici was not having it, puffing her cheeks in anger. "I can tell that Sister Saintess genuinely wants to be friends with me. Besides, she couldn't have always been like this, or the Shuiyue Sacred Diagram wouldn't have been passed to her. There must be some hidden reason."

"Maybe, but, Junior Sister Lici, you shouldn't..."

Before the Qingyuan Holy Son could finish, Wang Lici had already stepped forward to hold the Saintess of Shuiyue's arm, persuading, "Sister Shuiyue, my Fourth Uncle always says that gambling is nine times out of ten a scam. Let's not gamble anymore."

The Saintess of Shuiyue snapped out of her gambling trance, looking at the innocent and protective Lici with a complex expression, and nodded, "Since Sister Lici has spoken, alright, this time I'll listen to you."

But just as Wang Lici was about to leave with Sister Shuiyue, she accidentally kicked a particularly ugly stone.

"Ouch," she exclaimed, tears welling up as she angrily said, "You nasty stone, how dare you block my way. Sister Shuiyue, buy it and cut it to pieces for me."

"Alright, I'll vent your anger." The Saintess of Shuiyue, with a sense of righteousness, patted her chest and asked Cai Youdao straightforwardly, "Cai Youdao, how much for this ugly little stone?"

"Well..." Cai Youdao hesitated, glanced at the price list, and said, "It's worth one top-grade spiritual stone. Since you're a regular customer, I'll give it to you."

"Who wants your charity? Who do you think you're looking down on?"

The Saintess of Shuiyue glared at him, tossed over a top-grade spiritual stone, and without bothering Cai Youdao, she sliced through the stone with a flick of her finger, releasing a powerful sword intent that instantly split the ugly stone in two, venting Lici's anger.

She didn't even glance at the stone, ready to leave with Lici.

"Wait!" Wang Lici stopped in her tracks, staring at the stone with wide eyes. "Sister Shuiyue, is that a top-grade spiritual stone?"

"Top-grade spiritual stone?"

The Saintess of Shuiyue casually glanced over, only to see the center of the broken stone glowing, with a faint yet pure immortal spirit energy slowly emanating.

Her heart skipped a beat.

Could it be...

"Immortal Spirit Stone?!"

Someone with sharp eyes also noticed the anomaly and shouted, "An Immortal Spirit Stone! The Saintess of Shuiyue found an Immortal Spirit Stone!!"

"How is that possible?!"

The Saintess of Shuiyue quickly grabbed the two halves of the raw spiritual stone ore, examining them closely, and indeed, it was an Immortal Spirit Stone.

Though not large, it could yield about three Immortal Spirit Stones.

One top-grade spiritual stone for three Immortal Spirit Stones?

She was so shocked that she was speechless, stammering, "This, this, this, how is this possible?"

Cai Youdao was also stunned.

What kind of joke was this? A random ugly stone yielding an Immortal Spirit Stone?

It hurt, it hurt his heart and soul.

He wished he could travel back in time and slap himself.

But alas, a bet is a bet, and the Immortal Spirit Stone now belonged to the Saintess of Shuiyue.

"Sister Shuiyue, it seems our luck has turned." Wang Lici, also surprised, laughed happily. "Why not try a few more?"

"Alright, alright, Lici, you have good luck, you pick." The Saintess of Shuiyue was thrilled.

She had never opened such a large Immortal Spirit Stone before~

"I want this one, this one, and that one... Oh, this one looks pretty, let's take this one!" Wang Lici scanned the pile of raw spiritual stone ores and picked out over twenty pieces of various sizes. Despite the number, it was just a small pile compared to the whole lot.

"Total is two Immortal Spirit Stones, fifteen top-grade spiritual stones, and thirty-six top-grade spiritual stones." Cai Youdao smiled warmly, secretly pleased.

If they had stopped earlier, he, Cai Youdao, would have suffered a loss. Fortunately, this little girl had a gambler's mentality and wanted to continue, making it easy for him to turn the tables.

Little girl, little girl, today, let me show you what "the longer you gamble, the more you lose" means.

The mine managers are all savvy; why are they willing to sell these hard-to-identify raw ores to stone gambling merchants? Because they make twice as much by estimating rather than opening them.

And why do stone gambling merchants make money? Because they sell at twice the purchase price.

In essence, he was selling each raw spiritual stone ore at four times the estimated price.

It's a surefire business, and those addicted to it might profit temporarily through luck, but the longer they gamble, the more they lose. If they don't stop in time, everything they win will eventually be lost.

"The price is fair, let's pretend the previous one didn't happen."

The Saintess of Shuiyue, despite her many flaws, was generous to her friends and siblings when she had money and kept her word.

Since she had said Lici could pick, she didn't hesitate and settled the bill promptly: "I'll take all these stones."

Lan Wan'er, watching from the side, couldn't help but chuckle.

As expected.

Sister Lici's appearance is too deceiving, and her acting is superb. Who would think she's not as naive as she seems?

They had played this trick before during their travels in the Immortal Dynasty.

Back then, without backing, they couldn't be too high-profile, fearing danger, and only used it to earn a little money for meals, being cautious.

Now, Sister Lici might be playing a bit big.

But it doesn't matter; she has backing now~ This Cai Youdao is going to suffer a loss.

With the spiritual stones settled, the pile of raw spiritual stone ores was quickly opened one by one.

"Top-grade spiritual stone? Such a large piece of top-grade spiritual stone! This could yield a hundred or two."

"Oh? Another top-grade spiritual stone, slightly smaller."

"Is this... an Immortal Spirit Stone! Such a large Immortal Spirit Stone."

As each raw spiritual stone ore was opened, the Saintess of Shuiyue's eyes were filled with the dazzling light of spiritual stones.

This, this, this, this is a huge profit!

The Saintess of Shuiyue's eyes sparkled, her blood boiled, and she felt every pore in her body open, a deep sense of happiness filling her.

She excitedly hugged Wang Lici, planting a kiss on her cheek: "Sister Lici, are you the child of fortune? Your luck is incredible! I've decided you're my sister."

The Qingyuan Holy Son's eyelid twitched, almost unable to resist confronting Shuiyue.

He held back, barely suppressing the urge to fight, but secretly added another charge to her list.

This woman is not only greedy but also lustful!

"Sister Lici, what's so good about the Cloud Sea Cave Heaven? It's just a bunch of unromantic men who don't understand us girls' thoughts." The Saintess of Shuiyue, holding Wang Lici, spoke affectionately, trying to poach her. "Come to our Shuiyue Cave Heaven. There are plenty of beautiful women, and you'll have all the good food and drink you want. I'll take care of you."

Hearing this, the Qingyuan Holy Son's barely suppressed anger flared up again.

He finally couldn't hold back any longer and shouted, "Shuiyue, let go of my junior sister. She doesn't need your protection."

"I won't let go. If you have the guts, let's fight." The Saintess of Shuiyue held Wang Lici, full of provocation.

"Fight it is!"

The Qingyuan Holy Son, with a cold face, waved his sleeve, transforming into a blue light and soaring into the sky, reaching the high altitude in a blink.

The Saintess of Shuiyue snorted lightly, released Wang Lici, and her figure flickered, transforming into a crimson light and soaring into the sky, reaching the high altitude in a blink.

The two, without a word, started fighting in mid-air.

For a moment, the entire market sky was filled with the terrifying aura of their battle, the surging energy waves sweeping across the sky, making it turbulent and unpredictable, with occasional blinding flashes of light, as if the world was ending.

Soon, even the few Immortal Lords who had been sitting in various places, almost never showing themselves, were alarmed and released their divine senses to investigate.

Most of the customers who came for stone gambling were not weak, with many Void Realm experts among them. Naturally, they were bolder than the elite disciples. Seeing the two really fighting, they didn't mind the excitement and quietly started a betting pool, wagering on who would win or lose.

For a time, the area around the stone gambling stall was bustling and lively.

Wang Lici was also a bit worried, watching the battle above, fearing that either the Qingyuan Holy Son or the Saintess of Shuiyue might get hurt.

At this moment.

"This young lady..." The rat-like Cai Youdao quietly approached Wang Lici, glanced around to make sure no one was paying attention, and then, blinking his wretched eyes, whispered to Wang Lici, "Tell me secretly, are you a True Immortal reincarnation?"

……