Death... and me

Meanwhile, Roan had just arrived at the Black Market once again. After he and Rean finished their interrogation with Tissan, Roan didn't go straight back to the Black Market. He wanted to make sure that Gval would find the news before he appeared. It was one thing to tell it himself and letting the other side discover it first.

As soon as he entered the antique shop, he saw Gval come out to receive him just like the last time. It's just that no one was guiding him now.

"So you came back. Come with me. Let's talk at the back."

Roan nodded and followed Gval to the same room as before. There, the token that Gval had prepared before was already on the table, waiting for them. However, as soon as Roan was about to step inside the room, he stopped.

Gval noticed that before looking at him.

"What is it?"

Roan snorted before saying.

"How about we move to the third room on the left?"

For a split second, shock appeared in Gval's eyes. However, it was too quick for most people to even notice it. Still, Roan wasn't just anyone.

"Why would you ask for that? Stop the bullshit and come inside already. I don't want to waste my time with you for much longer."

Roan faintly smiled before saying.

"Sure. As long as the Two Poles Entrapping Formation is turned off, I don't mind getting inside. If not, then let's use the third room. I'm just like you. I would rather not waste my time with bullshit."

Finally, Gval's expression changed as he gave up hiding.

"Boy... Aren't you way too clever for your own good? This is not the only Formation that can trap others inside. The moment you entered my shop, you were already trapped here."

Roan shrugged his shoulders.

"I entered the Sasamil idiot's house, killed him, and left without anyone finding a single clue. Do you think a simple Stone Heart Formation like the one covering the entire shop is enough to stop me? I still have around 33 seconds before the Formation activates completely. You changed it to a slow activation so that your enemies wouldn't notice it happening."

Gval's expression turned dark.

"Do you think I can't hold you back long enough to trap you here?"

Roan nodded as if stating a fact.

"I'm sure about it. I advise you to accept my offer. You won't like to hear a rumor that a certain black market representative was responsible for Tissan's death, after all. I'll give you 10 seconds to turn everything off. Otherwise, I'm out."

Roan completely ignored Gval's threat and started to count down.

"10..."

"9..."

"8..."

"7..."

As Roan counted down, a few more shadows appeared around, all of them blocking the escape routes. However, disdain appeared on Roan's face as he continued.

"6..."

"5..."

A few of them approached Roan and pointed their swords at him, ready to attack at any moment. It didn't matter how one looked at it. With Roan's cultivation, it should be impossible for him to escape even if he wasn't pressed by time. Still, Roan continued to count down as if those enemies were nothing more than air.

"4..."

"3..."

"2..."

"1..."

Suddenly, Gval gritted his teeth and stomped his feet on the ground. In an instant, all the formations in the shop turned off, losing any hold they could have on Roan. Gval had been in this business for way too long, so he had developed quite an instinct for it. At the moment, it was telling that Roan would definitely escape even if he used everything against him. Besides, Roan already knew about both formations even before entering his antique shop. 

Nonetheless, he came inside. It only made Gval even more certain that Roan had a contingency plan. Gval believed his instincts and decided to not risk it.

Roan coldly laughed as he stepped inside the room. Anyone could tell from his expression that he was already expecting this much.

"You made the right decision. Trust me, you don't want to make enemies from someone like myself."

Gval ignored the threat and asked something else.

"How did you find about the formations? Not only that, you even knew how long it would take for them to activate or their range. This is a secret that only I and the person who made them should know about. And I'm sure that that person didn't tell it to you."

Roan shrugged his shoulders as he responded.

"Why should I tell you? This is my little secret."

[Hmph! You could at least say thank you, no?]

Sure enough, who else would have checked for Formations other than Sister Orb? She didn't have enough time to obtain control over it. Still, she was at least able to analyze and predict how long it would take to activate. Sister Orb was there to help, so why wouldn't Roan use her?

'Yea, yea. Thank you.'

[How come I didn't feel any sincerity from it?]

'Because there wasn't any.'

[You...!]

Roan completely ignored the angry orb and waited for Gval to talk.

"I'm willing to pay a good price for the method you used to find it."

Roan shook his head nonetheless.

"No can do. Even if you give me the entire Black Market, I won't tell you. So, can I get access to it or not?"

Gval narrowed his eyes before saying.

"What guarantees I have that you won't open your mouth in the future?"

Roan faintly smiled.

"That would bring problem for the both of us, don't you think?"

Roan then threw a blue plate at Gval. Obviously, that was Tissan's one.

"So you were really successful. What did you do to the body?"

Roan shrugged his shoulders as he replied.

"You asked me to get rid of it, and so I did. Even if you ask for it now, it doesn't exist in this world anymore."

Gval nodded and didn't insist. That was indeed his own request. Finally, he threw the token at Roan.

"Use the token in this address. Say that you came from Gval Antique, and they will bring you inside. However, I'm only responsible for one of the entrances. The powers you meet inside have nothing to do with me. If you offend someone, that will be your problem."

Roan didn't mind. He took the token and suddenly...

*vup*

Disappeared in mid-air!

"What?!"

Gval couldn't believe his own eyes. Roan was definitely right in front of him just a second ago. How come he disappeared just like that? He immediately looked at his subordinates after that. Even though Gval deactivated the formations, he hadn't dismissed the guys who surrounded Roan. After all, he didn't know what Roan had hidden under his sleeve.

"Did any of you see how that happened?"

Unfortunately, everyone around was as shocked as Gval himself.

"Sorry, Senior Gval. He was definitely inside our Spiritual Sense just a moment ago. But he simply disappeared without a trace."

The rest of the cultivators around them nodded. It was the same for them.

In the end, Gval couldn't help but feel a little bit of fear.

'If he can disappear like that, what can stop him from reappearing with a knife on my neck as well? Fortunately, my instincts were correct.'

Gval was even in doubt whether Roan's cultivation was really at the Initial Stage of the Core Formation Realm or if that was what he wanted to show to others.