Great Zhou Martial Immortal

Chapter 66 Ghostly Exchange Thief

Transformation?

The two assassins were taken aback, but then they understood why Lu Chenyuan had asked the four of them to split up.

"boom!"

Cui Wujian's figure suddenly appeared a thousand paces away in another inn's private room. The moment he appeared, his body swayed, the Ghost Claw poison attacked his heart, and he spat out a mouthful of black blood, which splattered on the wall in the shape of plum blossoms.

Inside the private room, the sashimi on the ash-wood table was still trembling slightly, and Cui Wuhen, the holder of the [Shadow Shifting Jade] Yin Jade, had his chopsticks suspended in mid-air.

The two brothers' eyes met, and the cicadas chirping outside the window suddenly stopped.

"go!"

The moment the name Cui Wujian was uttered, Cui Wuhen had already overturned the entire dining table. The celadon bowls and cups were still tumbling in the air, and his palms were already glowing with a dark, corpse-blue light. Amidst the flying wood chips, two figures crashed through the carved window frame!
The sound of the wooden window cracking startled the pigeons under the eaves.

The first round of combat began the instant the pigeon flapped its wings.

Shi Sha's twin swords arrived even before the pigeon feathers—the blades sliced ​​through the falling downy feathers, one aimed at Cui Wuhen's throat, while the other strangely circled around to Cui Wujian's back. The sword's path was so light and agile that it didn't seem like a killing technique, but rather like an embroiderer threading a needle.

—The Twin Swords of the Withered Soul!
—Two swords separate life and death, withered souls break hearts; the swords pass and no one survives, corpses grow cold and bones grow cold.

Cui Wuhen had already sensed something, and his response was extremely ruthless. Instead of retreating, he advanced, letting the sword tip draw blood on his neck. His purplish-black right hand gripped Shi Sha's wrist like a ghostly claw. With a "hiss," the cold iron sword hilt was corroded and emitted blue smoke!
Shi Sha grunted and withdrew his sword, only to see Cui Wuhen's left palm already striking towards his chest. Before the palm wind even arrived, the fabric of his clothes had already been corroded!

At this moment, the White Bone Sword of the Year Demon plunged in, and the skull at the hilt emitted a shrill cry like that of a baby crying, which was soul-stirring.

The White Bone Instant Prison Sword!
Cui Wuhen's movements suddenly slowed down by a fraction.

In that split second, Shi Sha abandoned his sword and retreated swiftly, while the green light of the White Bone Sword had already touched Cui Wuhen's brow.

"Big Brother!!"

Cui Wujian was in a great hurry. Rainbow Silk arrived first, and seven blood-stained threads wrapped around the white bone sword. The internal energy attached to the threads clashed with the ghost fire on the sword, bursting out a series of eerie blue sparks.

Nian Sha sneered and flicked his wrist, the sword slicing through three threads, only to see the remaining four suddenly burrow into the floor—

"boom!"

The entire floor suddenly collapsed!

Amidst the flying sawdust, Cui Wuhen pressed his palms to the ground, and the corpse-blue palm force spread outwards like ripples within a radius of ten feet. The broken wood that touched the palm wind instantly shattered and decayed. Even more terrifying was the black mist that rose up with it, in which countless tiny black insects surged. Wherever it passed, curtains turned to ashes and beams and pillars were covered with mold.

[The Deathly Aura of the Underworld]!
Shi Sha's single sword had barely pierced halfway when it rusted into a rusty blade.

Although this sword is not a top-grade sword, but merely a family heirloom, it is still ranked sixth grade.

Shi Sha never expected this person's poison skills to be so powerful!

Nian Sha swiftly wielded the White Bone Sword to protect himself, the sword wind tearing a brief path through the poisonous mist—but that was enough.

The Cui brothers had already reached the center of the street.

Just as they were about to escape, a mace descended from the sky!

Lu Chenyuan's attack came without warning, and this strike was without any fancy moves, as devastating as a meteor falling to earth!

The roar of the Cloud-Piercing Mace crushing the air instantly drowned out all other sounds!
The cloud patterns on the mace were flowing with a dark red light, as if it had drunk its fill of blood!

In the nick of time, Cui Wuhen only had time to push his brothers away, then met the heavy mace with both palms, his protective aura erupting—

However, in the haste to gather his energy, before his protective aura could solidify, the immense force of the attack crashed down!
Instantly, a shockwave surged forth, shaking the heavens and the earth!
"Crack!"

The first sound was a broken wrist bone.

The second sound is a broken rib.

The third sound was the muffled thud of a mace piercing the chest cavity.

"puff--"

Cui Wuhen's eyes widened, and blood gushed out.

As he knelt on the ground, he saw his blood flowing along the cloud patterns on the mace, as if it were being greedily devoured by some living creature.

He tried to channel the last of his Yellow Springs' death energy, but found that his inner strength was rapidly draining away along with his blood—

Ten steps away, Cui Wujian was pinned to the blue brick wall by four bone-piercing nails piercing through his limbs. Shi Sha's short sword was pressed against his throat, and black nematodes that had been picked up from Cui Wuhen's palm wind were crawling on the blade.

Everything is settled.

The midday hustle and bustle of Nanshi came to an abrupt halt.

The man holding a large bowl in the teahouse stood frozen in place, the rising steam sticking to his face; the old man haggling in front of the silk shop stood with his mouth agape, spittle still clinging to his beard; the peddler carrying his load stumbled, scattering hawthorns all over the ground, and everyone stared wide-eyed at the purple-robed figure in the middle of the long street.

Lu Chenyuan flicked his mace, and the Chuiyun Mace, as smooth as new, returned to its horizontal position at his waist.

He stood there with one hand on his mace, his purple robe sleeves motionless, the jade belt at his waist reflecting the sunlight, the dark red cloud pattern on the mace handle still visible. His angular face was expressionless, and wherever his gaze swept, the crowd of onlookers all took three steps back.

"The guards are arresting thieves; bystanders, please stay away."

The crowd was so startled that they stepped back.

The Four Fiends had already dragged the Cui brothers forward.

Cui Wuhen's arms were both severed, his chest was caved in, and blood was still bubbling from his mouth; Cui Wujian's face was purplish-black, his limbs were chained, and every step he took left bloody trails on the ground.

Lu Chenyuan casually snatched the money pouch from Cui Wuhen's chest, tossed it on the table, and turned to leave.

The onlookers automatically parted to make way, no one dared to make a sound or move, until the group disappeared at the end of the long street, at which point someone breathed a long sigh of relief.

...[Item: Teleportation Jade]

[Rank: Upper Fifth Rank]

[Note: This magical artifact, crafted by Li Chunfeng, a Tang Dynasty sorcerer and Grand Astrologer, was based on the principles of "yin and yang overcoming each other" from the *Huangdi Yinfu Jing*, combined with the unpredictable "eight gates shifting" from *Qimen Dunjia*, and further refined using the "Three Mountains Talisman Method" of Longhu Mountain. The wielder can sense the interaction of yin and yang within a thousand paces; when the yang jade moves, the yin jade responds; when the yin jade moves, the yang jade follows. When both jades resonate, the wielder can teleport, and even the strongest walls and a thousand-strong army cannot hinder their swift and unpredictable movements.]

Suiming Pavilion, inside the Jianbingfang (military supervisor's quarters).

Lu Chenyuan leaned back in his armchair, toying with the pair of jade pendants between his fingers.

The goddess sat beside him, with the book "Records of the Grand Historian" on her lap, looking down at it intently.

In the adjacent cell where weapons were being tested, the Cui brothers were suspended in mid-air by iron chains.

Brothers with deep bonds are easier to judge; they'll just mess with whoever they care about.

Wang Yizhi quickly learned the whole story from them, then left the cell and strode towards Lu Chenyuan. His expression was somewhat solemn, but even more so, it was one of admiration.

How did the adults realize something was wrong?

He looked surprised and thought carefully: "I heard from the elders in the pavilion that the young servant has been working in the kitchen for several years. Although he was only transferred to deliver meals a month ago, he has always been diligent and hardworking and is quite popular. Could it be because he glanced at him a few more times?"

Lu Chenyuan said calmly, "If he looked openly, I wouldn't have noticed."

Wang Yi was taken aback, then thought to himself that it made sense; a guilty conscience makes one feel different from before.

Lu Chenyuan gestured with his chin towards the room next door: "How is it?"

"The results have been released."

Wang Yizhi said solemnly, "These two are the famous 'Ghost Thief' Cui brothers in the martial arts world. The elder one is called Cui Wuhen, and the other one is called Cui Wujian. They are the true disciples of the Yellow Springs Sect, an evil sect in the Northwest."

Lu Chenyuan nodded: "Cui Wuhen must have used the 'Yellow Springs and Azure Heaven Hand'. Its palm poison spreads like mist. Once unleashed, vegetation within ten feet withers and all living beings perish. I can see that. Their lineage is not surprising..."

Lu Chenyuan turned his gaze to the jade pendant in his hand, somewhat puzzled: "But this [Shadow Shifting Jade Pendant] is no ordinary item. As far as I know, this thing was made by Li Chunfeng and given to his disciple Yuan Keshi and his Daoist partner Pei Qingxuan. How did it end up in their hands? With their abilities, I'm afraid they wouldn't even be able to steal it from Yuan Keshi."

Yuan Keshi's father was Yuan Tiangang!

Yuan Tiangang was a top-tier sorcerer in the Tang Dynasty. Yuan Keshi, having received seven-tenths of his true teachings, was already a top-level expert in the fifth realm.

In his later years, Yuan Tiangang went to Langzhong to establish his own sect, Tianxuanmen, and passed down the art of divination. Li Chunfeng also went to Langzhong and established Qingxiaozong, passing down the art of astrology and feng shui. The two were both teacher and friend, competing with each other for a lifetime. In the end, Yuan Tiangang became Li Chunfeng's disciple, and both became the true disciples of their respective sects, which became a famous story.

Yuan Keshi is currently the sect leader of Tianxuan Sect, and his Daoist partner is Pei Qingxuan, another disciple of Li Chunfeng and the current sect leader of Qingxiao Sect. The Cui brothers are not weak, but they are far inferior to Yuan Keshi.

Even if Master Yuan was momentarily careless, the owner of the Yin Jue was Pei Qingxuan, so it was impossible for both of them to be mistaken.

Lu Chenyuan was worried that there was more to this than met the eye.

The Bashu region already had the restless Buqi Sect; with these two causing trouble, things will only get more chaotic!

Whether things are chaotic or not is secondary; the fact that these people have set their sights on him is no small matter.

"Don't worry, my lord."

Wang Yizhi knew what he was worried about and comforted him, "I've already found out. This pair of jade pendants was a wedding gift from Li Chunfeng to Master Yuan and his wife, intended to save their lives in a moment of crisis. However, as their cultivation levels have risen, there are very few beings in the world capable of harming them. The jade pendants have become nothing more than a keepsake, and to avoid wasting such precious items, they were passed down to the third generation a year ago..."

"understood……"

Lu Chenyuan couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle: "They're all the same! Yuan Tiangang is a bit better than Yuchi Gong and Qin Qiong, at least he didn't lose it to Yuan Keshi. Those two are really miserable, their top-tier divine weapons were gone not long after being passed down to the second generation."

Wang Yizhi sighed: "The Central Plains martial arts world has been in a state of flux for some time now."

Lu Chenyuan said, "It's good that there's no ulterior motive. So, it was Wu Chengsi who caused me trouble?"

"uncertain."

Wang Yizhi pondered for a moment and said, "They accepted the bounty from the Ghost Market."

Lu Chenyuan was taken aback: "Ghost Market?"

The Ghost Market, officially named "Mangshan Ghost Market," is a very special place.

In the fourth year of the Yifeng era, Emperor Gaozong Li Zhi, accompanied by Empress Wu, ascended Mount Mang to offer sacrifices to Heaven and spent the night at Shangqing Palace.

Suddenly, the purple mist split open, revealing a black city. The city gate plaque read "Youdu" (meaning "Netherworld Capital"), and ten thousand blood-red lamps floated in the air, their shadowy forms suggesting the presence of ghostly trade.

Li Zhi then asked his attendants, and the Taoist priest Zheng Yuanyin kowtowed and replied, "This is the Yin Spirit Market of the Former Han Dynasty. It has appeared in the mortal world by chance due to the influence of Your Majesty's true dragon aura, and is therefore called the Ghost Market."

of course.

This is a popular rumor circulating in the martial arts world.

The Ghost Market was happy to have Emperor Gaozong endorse it, and intentionally spread the word: "Where the Emperor himself witnessed it, how could the ghost merchants be fake?"

This serves as evidence that the ghost market is fair and just.

In reality, the "ghost market" was nothing more than a place where shady characters and monsters conducted black market transactions. It is said to have a history dating back to King Ping of Zhou's eastward relocation to Luoyi. From the Han to the Sui, and from the Sui to the Tang, and even now with Empress Wu's ascension to the throne, rulers of all dynasties have tried to eradicate the ghost market and eliminate this "lawless place."

Unfortunately, the Ghost Market is located in a dangerous and remote area with deep roots, making it difficult to distinguish between officials and bandits. Over the past thousand years, no one has succeeded in making it.

Lu Chenyuan had a sudden thought that Gu Yunsheng should be able to help, but neither he nor Li Shimin made a move.

I'm afraid this ghost market has something else going on...

　It's going to be difficult to finish on time. I still have a 4,000-word chapter to write, so I'll hurry up.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)