Immortality and cultivation begin with drawing talismans.

Chapter 204 The Dark Side of the Market [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

Jade Spirit Island.

"Senior Lin."

He had barely returned when he encountered Lu Yujian, who looked at him with utmost respect.

Lin Chang'an nodded silently, noticing that this person was not as deep-thinking as others, but was single-mindedly devoted to the way of the sword.

"Fellow Daoist Lu, we are both Foundation Establishment cultivators, so let's address each other as fellow Daoist."

Although he and the other party's mother addressed each other as fellow Daoists, there was no need for him to take advantage of her.

Only a cultivator like Lu Yujian, who only has the Dao of the sword in his eyes, would be so obedient to others, even if it was just a polite remark from his mother.

They actually started calling him "senior."

"Fellow Daoist Lin, may I ask you for guidance on the way of the sword?"

Over the past two years, the two have had several encounters, and Lin Chang'an is aware of the other party's thoughts.

He then realized that the Lu family had also hidden in the Tongtian Mist Sea, so they must have unique insights, and he nodded slightly.

"Fellow Taoist, please."

Upon seeing Lin Chang'an's agreement, Lu Yujian immediately smiled.

They had sparred in kendo before, and he was completely defeated. After that, he often came over to discuss kendo.

However, according to his mother, he always obediently brought some gifts before each visit.

Inside the pavilion, Lin Chang'an brewed some spiritual tea, watching the other party openly place the gift, which made him feel helpless.

This person isn't very good at social maneuvering, but he is sincere.

"Fellow Daoist Lin, regarding the way of the sword..."

Lu Yujian excitedly shared his insights and questions about swordsmanship.

Lin Chang'an, having more experience than his opponent and having previously received the inheritance of the Blood Fiend Master, naturally knew more than his opponent.

Therefore, when the two discussed swordsmanship, Lin Chang'an mostly gave him pointers.

This is one of the reasons why the Lu family keeps inviting him; it also reflects their desire to build a good relationship.

However, although Lu Yujian was obsessed with swordsmanship, he was not really stupid.

Lin Chang'an seized the opportunity to gather intelligence, and this time he didn't try to hide it at all, wanting to ask about the Lu family's situation in the Tongtian Mist Sea.

Lu Yujian didn't hold anything back, but when the Tongtian Mist Sea was mentioned, his expression became extremely solemn.

"Fellow Daoist Lin, this place is extremely dangerous. Less than a tenth of the human cultivators have ventured into the Tongtian Mist Sea. Rumor has it that there are even great demons that can take human form deep within it..."

As Lu Yujian recounted the story, Lin Chang'an nodded secretly.

As expected, the information purchased from Duobaolou only covered the general situation, while the Lu family had been hiding here for more than ten years to avoid being hunted down.

The intelligence regarding the Sky-Piercing Fog Sea is more closely related to survival.

Especially the experiences of the Lu family, such as encountering monsters and various poisonous creatures.

"Many people think that these monsters are all in the sea, but they don't know that the island is also full of dangers, with all kinds of monsters, poisonous creatures, and even the spirits hiding in the land of spirits..."

When Lu Yujian, the sword cultivator, recounted the time when the Lu family was hiding in the east and west, a hint of lingering fear couldn't help but show deep in his eyes.

Lin Chang'an nodded secretly after hearing this, thankfully he was only going for a short visit and not staying for a long time.

According to Lu Yujian, living and hiding in the Tongtian Mist Sea for a long time is naturally fraught with danger, while his trips to a few safe markets for trading are relatively less dangerous.

"Thank you very much, Fellow Daoist Lu."

"You're too kind. If Fellow Daoist Lin wishes to go, it would be best to go with a friend, as there are many cultivators undergoing tribulation here."

Lin Chang'an nodded, and the two then discussed the matter for a while, both satisfied with their discussion.

Both sides got what they wanted.

……

However, after the other party left, Lin Chang'an was not in a hurry. Instead, he sent a telepathic message to Hu Jinfa and asked him something.

Not long after, Lao Hu replied that he had also been planning to prepare some materials for refining weapons, and that they could go together, but it would be three months later.

After all, he still had an order from the Lu family.

"The misty sea stretches to the sky; this place is truly dangerous. There are many poisonous creatures on the island, and even strange things like evil spirits."

Despite his solemn expression, Lin Chang'an was not afraid of poisons.

He had never encountered such a strange and eerie creature before.

Moreover, these kinds of strange creatures are the last thing cultivators want to encounter. Not only are their attacks bizarre, but more importantly, these spirits don't have storage bags or magical artifacts.

If you kill it, you won't even get a bone fragment; it's all for nothing.

“Yin spirits are most afraid of things that are extremely yang. Luckily, I still have quite a few of these Thunderclap Talismans, but I'll prepare more this time.”

In the days that followed, Lin Chang'an began preparations, but of course he did not neglect his cultivation.

It wasn't until three months later, after completing the Lu family's order and preparing for another two months, that Lao Hu finally paid them a visit.

"Finally finished. The Lu family was in a hurry. If the pay wasn't good, I, Old Hu, wouldn't have been so tired."

When Lao Hu arrived, he was all smiles, which showed that he must have made a lot of money this time.

After all, among the four major skills of cultivating immortality, weapon crafting and formation are the most lucrative.

"I really envy your skills, Lao Hu."

Lin Chang'an said with a smile, while Lao Hu waved his hand helplessly and said, "Don't mention it. This skill involves swinging a sledgehammer every day. What's there to envy? You have such a grand demeanor."

After a few polite exchanges, the two shifted the topic to the Sky-Piercing Mist Sea.

"There hasn't been any major activity in the Tongtian Fog Sea lately, so it's relatively safe."

In the past six months, Lin Chang'an had already begun planning and had been keeping a close eye on intelligence regarding the Tongtian Mist Sea.

If there is any major upheaval, he will definitely wait.

While crafting talismans is important, there's no need to make him take that risk yet.

We can just wait another year or two.

"That's good. I've been wanting to collect some high-level resources for a while now, especially the array plates and array flags that you mentioned, Old Lin. None of them require simple materials."

If it weren't for the Lu family's order, I would have already made the trip.

Old Hu spoke casually, but a serious expression appeared between his brows.

He wouldn't be so reckless as to go so easily.

"Array plates and array flags!"

Lin Chang'an glanced at Old Hu without showing any emotion; he had no intention of revealing his third-tier skill.

However, as I discussed with Lao Hu before, a second-tier formation would not be enough if we were to hunt monsters together.

His Blood Fiend Crimson Sun Formation must be at least at the quasi-third rank, or even the third rank, to be confident in hunting weaker monsters with elemental advantages.

"Old Lin, what about you?"

"Sigh, it's all for this one chance. I only want to buy some resources, especially leather armor for third-tier demon beasts. If possible, I'd also like to trouble you, Old Hu, to help me make an inner armor."

"Haha, I don't think it's anything, leave it to me."

After making some preparations, the two left Jade Spirit Island and headed towards the Sky-Piercing Mist Sea.

However, before leaving, he happened to run into the Wen couple. Seeing their complexions, Lao Hu felt envious again.

……

A sea of ​​fog reaching the sky.

Even on the outer perimeter, shrouded in a thick, persistent fog, it made no difference whether the two, both at the late Foundation Establishment stage, possessed powerful divine senses or not, in the vast sea.

"We're almost there. According to the nautical chart, ahead lies Bibo Island, one of the three major markets on the outer edge of the Sky-Reaching Mist Sea." Holding a special magical artifact to guide the way, and with the nautical chart in hand, Lin Chang'an managed to avoid getting lost by comparing the directions along the way.

The two sped along for half a day and finally saw the outline of an island shimmering in the mist in the distance.

Bibo Island.

The feeling of being grounded again brought a smile to Lin Chang'an's face.

Both of them were putting on an act.

"That's really outrageous. They charge ten spirit stones the moment you enter the market, no matter what the reason."

Old Hu secretly cursed in his mind, but his brows were full of envy as he looked at the island.

Don't underestimate the mere ten low-grade spirit stones. Having run a market before, he knew that with consistent, steady income, this sum could add up to a considerable amount.

"It is said that the Bibo Island Market was jointly established by several Core Formation cultivators. No one is allowed to fight on the island, but once they leave the island, their life or death is irrelevant."

As soon as he entered, Lin Chang'an secretly sensed that almost all the cultivators who came here were Foundation Establishment cultivators, and even those who were in the late Qi Refining stage were all subordinates of certain people.

More importantly, each of them exuded a menacing aura, appearing extremely unapproachable.

However, just as Lin Chang'an was secretly warning Lao Hu about the dangers of this place, Lao Hu, staring intently at the dimly lit, ancient market town, said enviously:
"Old Lin, if we both reach the Core Formation stage in the future, and we join forces to open a market in the Tongtian Mist Sea, wouldn't we be able to earn even more?"

Good guy!
Old Hu hasn't given up yet and keeps thinking about opening a market.

This left Lin Chang'an speechless. It seemed that Old Hu had remembered the market in Tianxuan City.

Earning spirit stones without doing anything is naturally unforgettable.

It's like robbing a cultivator; if you rob and kill someone once and suddenly become rich, you'll definitely think about it often afterward.

"Old Hu, you really dare to think of such things."

Lin Chang'an shook his head helplessly, and then the two of them arrived at a dark cave.

This cave is a hidden world inside, filled with cultivators hawking their wares and others with fierce, bloodthirsty faces, dissecting demonic beasts.

The overwhelming aura of bloodlust assaulted Lin Chang'an's nostrils, causing him to feel a chill run down his spine.

Surprisingly, there wasn't a single Qi Refining cultivator inside this cave; they were all Foundation Establishment cultivators.

"What are you looking at!"

As soon as he entered, he saw someone with hostile eyes. Old Hu, who was standing next to him, immediately revealed a bloodthirsty cold shout, and his murderous aura emerged. This made the person, who had been bluffing, lower his head and hurriedly leave.

Lin Chang'an, standing to the side, was equally unafraid, a chill flashing in his eyes.

The two late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators exuded a dense aura of malevolence, a strength that no one dared to easily provoke.

Although the two did not hunt many demonic beasts here, they had killed quite a few back in Tianxuan City.

Besides, they're all just independent cultivators; those who've made it this far are all formidable characters.

"The market inside this cave is the main place; cultivators at Qi Refining level are not qualified to enter."

The menacing aura emanating from Lin Chang'an and Hu Jin caused many cultivators to secretly avoid them.

Lin Chang'an's cold gaze swept over them, and they were secretly alarmed.

The cultivators here all had fierce glints in their eyes, and some even had a bloodthirsty madness. This was clearly due to years of fighting in this place, which had caused their personalities to become somewhat distorted.

"This really is an ominous place."

Meanwhile, the stalls selling their wares all around him were an eye-opener for him.

All sorts of monster resources, bloodstained storage bags that were clearly from a recent robbery, damaged magical artifacts—everything imaginable was there.

Even living monsters, locked in cages and roaring wildly, were met with a barrage of stabbing.

There were too many demons killed on the spot to obtain their cores, skinned, and had their tendons pulled out.

But what silenced him was that the monk was also at the stall.

Indeed, there were men and women, all living, breathing cultivators, being sold.

"Come and take a look! This is excellent material for refining corpse puppets."

“I have female cultivators here, top-notch female cultivators.”

These cultivators, who were being sold as commodities, had empty, numb eyes and numerous injuries on their bodies.

These are all cultivators who were robbed and captured alive.

Suddenly, a series of pitiful wails and screams rang out from afar. A vicious female cultivator was seen wielding a long whip, angrily lashing three bound cultivators.

"You wretch, it's been three days already, why hasn't anyone from your family come yet? If you don't bring the ransom soon, I'll sell you off today."

"No, please, I've already sent the letter as you asked..."

Amidst the screams and bloodthirsty laughter, the surrounding cultivators seemed to have become accustomed to it, showing no emotion whatsoever. On the contrary, many of them laughed with schadenfreude.

"Tsk tsk, bringing ransom to Tongtian Wuhai to redeem people, how many fools would dare to come?"

"Exactly, that vicious woman is asking for way too much. Maybe we could get a lower ransom."

Looking at the scene unfolding before him, Lin Chang'an took a deep breath, though he had heard of it before. He was neither angry nor hateful.

Instead, he felt a sense of pressure; he didn't want to become one of the goods here.

Every world has its dark moments. He was no saint and never thought of saving all living beings.

"Old Hu, let's take a good look around first, keep in touch by telepathy, and be prepared to leave at any time."

"it is good."

The two parted ways in the market, since there was a Golden Core cultivator in charge here, and no one dared to act recklessly.

……

"This place really has everything."

Lin Chang'an was amazed. As expected of the chaotic Tongtian Mist Sea, he even saw people creating corpse puppets on the spot, just to sell them for a good price.

"After nearly a hundred years of arduous cultivation, I finally established a foundation, only to end up as merchandise on a stall."

This scene secretly alarmed Lin Chang'an, reminding him not to be careless, otherwise he might become one of the items sold at the stall.

At the market, he also purchased some materials that were not usually available, but he kept the purpose of his trip in mind and came to an old shop.

The pungent smell of blood filled the air as soon as they entered the gate. Inside, the dimly lit room was filled with hanging cages.

The cage was filled with all sorts of demonic beasts, but without exception, they all showed signs of fear and trepidation, completely terrified.

"This is the shop the Lu family mentioned."

Looking at the monster meat hanging everywhere on the roof beams, as well as the cleaned bones, Lin Chang'an couldn't help but nod in approval.

Meanwhile, inside the dimly lit room, many cultivators remained silent. Some bought meat, some bought bones, and some even bought the entire demon beast.

Just as he was pondering, a deep voice rang out.

"Hurry up, everyone. We recently acquired half a third-tier demon beast. The meat is first come, first served, and the bones are excellent ingredients for making medicinal baths or soups..."

Inside the butcher shop, twelve cultivators with vacant, numb eyes stiffly collected spirit stones from customers, then brandished large knives to debone and chop meat.

All twelve of them were Foundation Establishment cultivators, but they had clearly been turned into human puppets.

Upon seeing the source of the sound, Lin Chang'an couldn't help but show a look of shock.

This person was enormous, and more importantly, sitting there, he resembled a mountain of flesh.

This person is the owner of the shop, a fake Core Formation cultivator surnamed Lei.

His massive frame, amidst the bustling crowd, waved a white folding fan, casually shouting and cursing:
"You bunch of useless trash, get to work!"

This person was actually reprimanding the puppet, and the large "德" (virtue) character on the white folding fan in his hand formed a stark contrast.

Upon seeing this person, Lin Chang'an took a deep breath; it was indeed just as Lu Yujian had said.

　It's almost the end of the month, so I'm asking all my fellow cultivators for your support with your monthly votes.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)