Chapter 50: Chapter 50: Underground Black Market

Celestial Sound City.

A county city with a population of seventy to eighty thousand.

The bustling pedestrian traffic lacked the tranquility and market atmosphere one rarely found in the Cultivation Realm, making Wen Jiu feel more realistic.

Mortals work at sunrise and rest at sunset,

there are small vendors.

There are hawking cries.

And there are children playing in the streets.

Some even perform arts and tricks on the street.

Soon enough.

Wen Jiu followed the information recorded in the Three Evils Corpse Nurturing Technique to North City.

North City is filled with gambling dens, brothels, and shady businesses. As soon as Wen Jiu stepped in, he felt someone secretly watching him.

A sweep with Divine Sense revealed they were just mortals, so Wen Jiu couldn’t be bothered and turned to enter a deserted alley. At first, there was no sound, but the deeper he went, the wider it became, and soon he saw many heterodox cultivators passing by.

There were Ghost Cultivators, Corpse Nurturers, and Evil Cultivators, often brushing past Wen Jiu, exuding a sinister aura that was far more sinister than the heterodox cultivators in the sect.

Compared to the sect’s heterodox cultivators, they didn’t qualify as heterodox, given that the sect’s were only superficial.

Soon enough.

Wen Jiu bumped into a middle-aged heterodox cultivator at the Qi Cultivation First Layer. Despite being only at this level, he was steeped in death energy.

It was obvious.

He had killed many people.

The death energy clung to him and wouldn’t dissipate.

Wen Jiu immediately called him to stop, speaking with a cold tone, "Comrade, how many Spirit Stones to guide me to the trading area?"

The middle-aged heterodox cultivator sized Wen Jiu up with some caution, stepping back two steps. Even without any movements, his gaze held killing intent. It wasn’t until his Divine Sense touched the Black Corpse that the wariness in his eyes faded somewhat.

"Ten pieces!"

The middle-aged cultivator named a high price.

Wen Jiu’s face tightened, displeased, "One piece!"

"No way, one piece is too little."

The middle-aged cultivator shook his head hastily.

Wen Jiu couldn’t be bothered to argue, unwilling to add even a single piece of Spiritual Sand. To disguise as a real heterodox demon, one couldn’t be easy to negotiate with, "If not you, then someone else will."

"Alright, alright!"

The middle-aged cultivator hurriedly stepped forward as Wen Jiu turned to leave.

Wen Jiu didn’t waste words, tossing over a Low-grade Spirit Stone directly.

The middle-aged cultivator caught it with a grin and then led Wen Jiu deeper into the alley, while Wen Jiu constantly used his Divine Sense to stay alert, ready to use Blood Corpse Escape if attacked.

Soon enough.

Wen Jiu was led to a black wall.

"Go ahead." With these words, the Qi Cultivation First Layer cultivator took out a wooden Token and stepped into the black wall.

Wen Jiu’s mind immediately flashed four words—Concealment Array.

After one step.

The world in front of him transformed drastically.

Behind the wall was actually a market, an underground marketplace.

All were heterodox cultivators bustling about, and upon entering, Wen Jiu saw quite a few young women being caged like merchandise for others to choose from, some mortals, some loose cultivators.

Wen Jiu withdrew his gaze after a glance, his understanding of heterodox cultivators growing clearer.

"Here, take this Black Street Order, and in the future, you can enter and exit at will." The middle-aged cultivator tossed over a Black Wood Spirit Token.

After carefully scanning it with his Divine Sense and ensuring there were no issues, Wen Jiu put it away.

After the middle-aged cultivator left, Wen Jiu continued through the underground marketplace, discovering many stalls selling people.

There were clan cultivators.

Even infants and newborns.

"No wonder it’s hidden."

"If this isn’t hidden in a mortal city, it wouldn’t be long before the disciples of Deadman Peak took it down."

Wen Jiu withdrew his gaze.

He neither wanted to involve himself in such matters

nor was he able to.

Continuing onward, Wen Jiu saw many stalls selling rare treasures, with stall keepers who seemed abnormal, despite having spent so long in the Corpse Remains Death Land, Wen Jiu felt uneasy under their gaze.

After searching around, Wen Jiu spotted items resembling Blood Evil Crystal and Celestial Killing Water on a stall.

The vendor was a scar-faced elder cultivator, reclining nearby, a barely clad Yin Ghost continuously massaging his shoulders.

Noticing Wen Jiu’s arrival, the scar-faced elder squinted his pale eyes, his voice raspy like grains of sand rubbing against one another.

"Young friend, what do you need?"

Wen Jiu looked at the Blood Evil Crystal and Celestial Killing Water, carefully sensing their aura before saying, "I want Blood Evil Crystal and Celestial Killing Water."

"Blood Evil Crystal, twenty spirit stones; Celestial Killing Water... fifty a jug." The scar-faced elder answered readily.

Wen Jiu turned to leave immediately.

Didn’t even bother to say a word.

The scar-faced elder chuckled and hastily called out, "Friend, should have mentioned it’s your first time here. Blood Evil Crystal at eleven, Celestial Killing Water comes to twenty a jug. Discounts available for large quantities, but must start from grade five."

Upon hearing a reasonable price from the scar-faced elder, Wen Jiu turned around, "Ten pieces of Blood Evil Crystal, will it do?"

"Can’t sell for ten... You know, Blood Demon Abyss has been too fierce lately, Blood Evil Crystal isn’t easy to get." The scar-faced elder shook his head.

Wen Jiu glanced at the stall’s five pieces of Blood Evil Crystal and six jugs of Celestial Killing Water, "I’ll take both the Blood Evil Crystal and Celestial Killing Water."

"Fifty-five... one hundred twenty... One hundred seventy in total." The scar-faced elder said.

After careful inspection with Divine Sense again, making sure there wasn’t any problem, Wen Jiu put them in his storage pouch and took out a hundred seventy Low-grade Spirit Stones. He then asked, "What’s happened with Blood Demon Abyss recently?"

"Seems you haven’t been there lately... It’s just as well, avoid running into those dogs. That Blood Robe Tower lot, who knows what they’re messing around with in there, making the monsters of Blood Demon Abyss unusually restless."

The scarred-faced elder answered with irritation.

Wen Jiu refrained from asking more, instead, he focused again on the elder’s stall, purchasing several more spiritual treasures.

He spent over eighty Low-grade Spirit Stones.

All materials were needed for constructing a Corpse Nurturing Coffin.

Continuing his rounds, Wen Jiu was pleasantly surprised to find all the materials for crafting a Corpse Nurturing Coffin were finally gathered.

Indeed.

Items needed for heterodox cultivation were definitely faster to acquire from heterodox cultivator hands.

It seems this Celestial Sound City needs to be visited often in the future.

However.

Just as he was about to leave.

Wen Jiu realized he was being followed again.

Even after leaving Celestial Sound City, they were still trailing him.

Wen Jiu initially intended to directly employ Blood Corpse Escape, but suddenly received a Divine Sense Communication, surprisingly from Mu Canglong.

"Kid, keep walking, lead them out of the city!"

Wen Jiu was startled.

Steward Mu was actually here.

Also.

To investigate Blood Robe Tower, this trading place would indeed be the best spot.

If he didn’t know the location of the trading ground, how could the descendant of the creator of the Yinzhou Corpse Nurturing Technique not?

Thus, Wen Jiu continued to walk out of the city, going about ten miles out. Only then did the Tribulation Cultivator make an abrupt appearance—it was the scar-faced elder cultivator.

Upon appearing, the scar-faced elder controlled ghosts and approached, sinister laughter echoing.

He seemed sure of capturing Wen Jiu.

At this moment, Mu Canglong, Liu Xiao, and others suddenly emerged from the forest wielding swords, casting over a dozen Talismans, scattering the ghost and knocking the scar-faced elder cultivator unconscious.

It all happened in a blink.

After resolving matters, Mu Canglong immediately used his magic item to leave with the scar-faced elder and Wen Jiu, stopping only after flying ten miles out.

"Brother Liu, Steward Mu!"

As soon as they stopped, Wen Jiu immediately paid his respects.