Chapter 435: Passing Spirit Market

Huang Liao said gravely, "Oh, by the way, Brother Li, the Spirit Market opens tonight for two days. Do you need Sun-shielding Beads or Netherworld Human Skin?"

"Give me two Sun-shielding Beads. How much?" Li Wei asked.

Huang Liao took out two Sun-shielding Beads and placed them in front of Li Wei. "No need for money! Brother Li is clearly no ordinary person. Consider it me making a friend."

Li Wei didn't decline, not wanting to seem too particular. If the other party genuinely wanted to make friends, Li Wei was precisely someone who enjoyed making friends and wasn't that reclusive.

When living people entered the Netherworld of the Dead, they shone as brightly as torches in the eyes of the spirits. Sun-shielding Beads and Netherworld Human Skin were used to conceal the aura of the living.

The primary reason Li Wei wanted to visit the Spirit Market was to purchase Phoenix Blood Leaves. The Phoenix Blood Tree, once the most miraculous tree in Yuzhou, one of the three hundred prefectures of Lingxiao, was comparable to the Earth Demon Pine of the Six Thoughts Zen Temple. Now submerged in the Netherworld of the Dead, its leaves were exceedingly difficult to acquire in the living realm.

Phoenix Blood Leaves were a precious treasure for "tempering tendons and shaping skin" in body cultivation, far surpassing Divine Hearthwood in effectiveness.

Currently, in Li Wei's body cultivation, his muscles and internal organs had progressed the furthest, having already refined seven catties of immortal soil. However, due to delays in his bone and tendon/skin progress, the refinement and absorption of the immortal soil had become incredibly slow.

His Great Accomplishment Golden Bones were about thirty percent complete. His tendons and skin, on the other hand, had only been cultivated to roughly twenty percent.

According to Li Wei's estimation, as long as he cultivated his tendons and skin to thirty percent the strength of a Longevity Body, he could, relying solely on his physical strength, challenge a martial cultivator at the seventh heaven of the Dao Seed Realm. If both his Golden Bones and tendons/skin were cultivated to fifty percent of a Longevity Body, his physical strength would absolutely be able to directly confront a martial cultivator at the ninth heaven of the Dao Seed Realm.

Huang Liao reminded him, "Transactions at the Spirit Market usually involve Blood Crystals. Brother Li, if you haven't prepared any, you should quickly go to the city to exchange for some."

"Alright, thank you, Shopkeeper Huang."

Li Wei watched Huang Liao leave, feeling that the shopkeeper harbored many secrets.

After dining with Yu'er, the two went into the city to exchange for Blood Crystals. Li Wei was not short on Blood Crystals; he had many spatial bags from top experts in the Dao Seed Realm, all of whom were very wealthy. However, not exchanging any Blood Crystals would expose the secret of him carrying a large amount. Exchanging some would make it seem more authentic.

As dusk fell, bone lanterns hung on some sides of the street, indicating human residences. On others, ghost-fire lanterns floated, signifying that spirits resided there.

"Rumble!"

A long convoy sped past, half martial cultivators, half supplies. Among them were Buddhist bandits in monastic robes and experts from the Rice Sect.

Li Wei pulled Yu'er aside. At the front of the convoy, he saw a familiar face: One-day Snow, the Commander of the Thousand Guards of Tianli Hall, with a resolute face that looked under thirty years old. Riding beside him was another person who closely resembled him, dressed in black—presumably his Rice Sect brother, Lingering Night Snow. One was at the fifth heaven of the Dao Seed Realm, the other at the sixth.

Such powerful individuals held extremely high positions in the Rice Sect's headquarters, yet at this moment, they were utterly disheveled, covered in blood and grime, fleeing towards the ferry crossing.

Li Wei held a grudge against One-day Snow, but he didn't want to cause any complications. He was concerned that a grandmaster-level figure from the Rice Sect might have fled here, and there was no need to provoke a group of desperate people.

Returning to the inn, he finished packing their luggage.

Outside the inn, a group of over twenty people had gathered, all headed to the Spirit Market. Some were draped in Netherworld human skin, their faces pale and their appearances quite frightening.

Li Wei secretly decided that after purchasing the Phoenix Blood Leaves at the Spirit Market, he would go search for the armies of the Zuoqiu Clan and the Nine Li Tribe. He surmised that the human race in the Lingxiao living realm must be in an excellent situation.

As night fully descended, Huang Liao and an old man with streaked gray hair came downstairs, leading over a dozen blue Spirit Soul Steeds behind them.

Huang Liao introduced with a smile, "The Spirit Market is two hundred li from Huangjiang Border City. Tonight, Elder Yao will guide us. Elder Yao was once a Netherworld Lantern Guide of the Nine Li Divine Temple, capable of discerning fortune and misfortune. He can travel freely through the Netherworld and has never been lost."

Yao Qingfeng quickly waved his hand. "Please don't overpraise me. This old man has never ventured deeper than a thousand li into the Netherworld, which is why I'm still alive; it's not because of great skill."

"Let's go. The other groups in the city have already departed; we should follow," Huang Liao said.

Yao Qingfeng, holding an ancient bronze lantern, rode the first soul-steed at the head of the procession. Huang Liao brought up the rear.

Li Wei and Yu'er rode together on one steed, watching the ancient lantern. It was indeed a Netherworld Lantern from the Nine Li Divine Temple, just like Li Ling's. This was very strange! A Netherworld Lantern Guide held an extremely high position within the Nine Li Tribe, almost all of them being disciples of the Nine Great Priests. How could such a figure have fallen to this state?

After leaving the city, Li Wei deliberately slowed his soul-steed, falling back to ride alongside Huang Liao at the very end of the procession.

He asked, "Shopkeeper Huang, are you also going to the Spirit Market to buy things?"

Huang Liao smiled wryly and shook his head. "I'm going to avoid disaster! So many heretical cults and Buddhist bandits have fled to Huangjiang; the armies of the Zuoqiu Clan and the Nine Li Tribe will likely arrive within the next two days. It's a bloodbath in the living realm. Who would have thought that the Netherworld of the Dead would be safer now?"

At the Huangjiang Ferry Crossing not far away, torches glowed densely. Large numbers of routed soldiers from the Rice Sect and Buddhist bandits were gathered, busily boarding ships. It seemed they truly intended to set sail. Great ships had already departed, heading east along the river.

After passing the ferry crossing, the group of over twenty people formally entered the pitch-black Netherworld of the Dead. Li Wei felt the temperature plummet. The spiritual energy between heaven and earth became thin and chilling. An unknown dark force was invading his body, requiring him to circulate spiritual energy to refine and expel it. It wouldn't be an issue for a short period, but living people with insufficient cultivation would certainly face problems if they lived in the Netherworld for an extended time.

His vision was obstructed; it was even darker than a night in the living realm. There was no green vegetation on the ground, only black, thorny vine-like tendrils that were sharp and extremely hard.

Besides their group, there were other large groups ahead and behind them. From time to time, martial cultivators who considered themselves highly skilled would ride strange beasts, galloping past fearlessly. After all, they were only at the fringe of the Netherworld and didn't even carry Sun-shielding Beads or Netherworld Human Skin.

Huang Liao frowned. "Every month when the Spirit Market opens, a large number of humans and demons flock to the exchange, but tonight, it seems excessively crowded."

"Boom!"

In the darkness several miles away, two magical artifacts collided, blazing with light and sending dust flying. Martial arts masters were clashing, but the battle quickly receded, disappearing into the depths of the Netherworld.

"It seems Shopkeeper Huang's prediction was accurate; the war has indeed spread to Huangjiang Border City," Li Wei thought, feeling exceptionally good, as it was the armies of the Zuoqiu Clan and the Nine Li Tribe that were arriving.

The Spirit Market was built on the old site of an ancient county town, surrounded by desolation like a Gobi Desert. The ridgelines of the low hills undulated like waves. From a distance, the entire market was enveloped in clusters of blue firelight, filled with a lively and bustling atmosphere. Corpse Generals and Ghost Generals maintained order. The owners of the Spirit Market were almost all powerful entities from the Netherworld.

Upon entering the market, the group dispersed, each going to purchase what they needed.

Huang Liao became Li Wei's guide, explaining, "Any spirit that reaches the General rank, equivalent to a Five Seas Realm martial cultivator among humans, can initially develop sentience. At the Commander rank, comparable to a Dao Seed Realm martial cultivator, their intelligence grows significantly, even matching humans. However, influenced by the Netherworld's dark power, they are all brutal and bloodthirsty, attacking any living creature they see. Only a small fraction of spirits, those who have drunk from the Spring of Wisdom, can maintain their rationality."

Li Wei heard the hawking of "Phoenix Blood Leaves" and, holding Yu'er who had become a little scared after entering the market, quickly walked over.

The vendor was a handsome young man with the skin of a pure immortal body, seemingly in his twenties. This was quite rare in a Spirit Market where the vendors were typically either corpses or ghosts.

The Phoenix Blood Leaves were the size of a cattail leaf fan, golden yellow, and covered in blood-red vein patterns. Although appearing to be just leaves, each felt quite heavy in hand, weighing about a catty.

Li Wei asked, "How much are they?"

"One Phoenix Blood Leaf for one high-grade Blood Crystal. No bargaining," the young man said.

One high-grade Blood Crystal was worth one hundred thousand Spring Coins.

Li Wei immediately put the leaf down. "Why don't you just rob people?"

"It's actually quite fair," Huang Liao secretly transmitted to Li Wei, then added aloud, "The Phoenix Blood Tree grows slowly in the Netherworld, and its leaves are becoming increasingly scarce."

A clear, pleasant female voice came from behind them: "I'll buy all five of these Phoenix Blood Leaves!"

A graceful, slender figure in green, veiled, took out five high-grade Blood Crystals and placed them on the stall. Li Wei stared at her in surprise, then looked behind her, searching for another figure identical to hers.

"What are you looking at? I'll dig out your eyes." The green-clad woman's gaze was sharp, and an ominous, chilling aura spread from her.

Li Wei could now confirm it was Yang Qingchan, not Yang Qingxi. How strange! Li Wei had thought that the two blood letters back then would harm Yang Qingxi, at least landing her in prison. Who would have thought he'd encounter Yang Qingchan in the Netherworld of the Dead?

Li Wei had used his facial alteration technique, so she didn't recognize him. Now, with large numbers of Rice Sect experts retreating to Huangjiang Border City, Li Wei dared not easily reveal himself to her. Besides, the Sui Sect was already his mortal enemy; they were definitely enemies, not friends, now.

The young man looked at Li Wei, then spoke to Yang Qingchan, "Everything has a first-come, first-served rule. This gentleman asked for the price first. I will sell them to you after he decides not to buy."

Li Wei's eyes showed surprise, and his impression of the young man greatly improved. "I didn't expect a spirit to have such a strong sense of contract. Impressive!"

"Who said I was a spirit?" the young man replied indifferently.

Li Wei scrutinized him from head to toe, secretly praising his formidable aura concealment technique. Indeed, there's always someone better, and a higher heaven beyond this one.

"Alright, I'll buy them all!" Li Wei took out five high-grade Blood Crystals and handed them over.

Huang Liao, standing nearby, had a strange look flash in his eyes. The message he had received was that this Brother Li had only exchanged a hundred low-grade Blood Crystals in Huangjiang Border City, which was equivalent to just one high-grade Blood Crystal's worth.