Ziwei Immortal Path

Chapter 127: There is a ghost market outside Yuchuan City

The setting sun.

Outside Yuchuan City, upper reaches of Linghuai River.

Fei Wenyu was slightly surprised: "This Yuchuan Ghost Market is actually at the bottom of the Linghuai River?"

Xu Boyang saw that he had slept soundly for a whole day and night and was still dizzy and confused. He asked such questions only when they came to the river outside the city. He was speechless for a while.

Ding Xuelian smiled and said:
"I've heard about it, but I've never been there. It's said that this ghost market is located in a cave at the bottom of the upper Linghuai River, where all sorts of creatures live. But just hearing about it isn't enough. If you want to get reliable information, you have to go there in person."

Fei Wenyu stared blankly at the slowly flowing river and couldn't help but sigh:
"I never thought that there would be a ghost market right under the noses of the Immortal Sect and the Feathered Masters. It seems that even the cultivators in Yuchuan City have their own shameful ways."

He himself is the manager of the Ghost Market, and he knows very well that the people and things in the Ghost Market are complicated and difficult to understand, so he was inspired to express his feelings at the moment.

"Where there is light, there are bound to be dark corners. This is true everywhere in the world. Mr. Fei is also the master of the Ghost Market. Isn't this commonplace?"

Ding Xuelian disagreed and said,

"This ghost market at the bottom of the river is naturally isolated from the cultivators who don't know the 'water avoidance technique'. This ghost market must be more unusual than the one in your home."

Fei Wenyu nodded, his face solemn:

"Miss Ding, this is natural. Anyone who can open a ghost market outside Yuchuan City must be no ordinary person. You and I need to be careful."

Then he sighed again:
"Alas, I should have called Lu Yangxian and Fei Wenlong earlier. After all, they are also ninth-level cultivators. Two more people means two less risks."

Ding Xuelian snorted in displeasure, "What's the point of these two playboys? I helped you take care of your child all night last night, let them try tonight!"

"Alright! Brother Fei, we're already here, let's not dwell on this anymore."

Xu Boyang performed a "water avoidance technique" with a calm expression.

"According to the information Miss Ding received earlier, the entrance to the Ghost Market should be ten miles from here. Since we've decided to go, even if it's a dangerous place, we might as well take a trip."

After saying that, without hesitation, his figure flashed and he jumped down first.

The three of them dived into the river one after another and went upstream. The water was not turbulent. At this time, the sky had gradually darkened. Once they entered the river, they could not see. Xu Boyang's spiritual consciousness spread out and went ahead.

After a while, they indeed discovered that there were fluctuations of spiritual power underground. Xu Boyang took out the fang ghost mask and put it on, then quickly stepped forward. Fei Wenyu took out a sheep head mask to cover his face, while Ding Xuelian took out a black veil and put it on.

In the darkness, a tall man holding a long sword and wearing a bronze ghost mask suddenly appeared and asked in a deep voice:
"My three friends, the river is so vast, I wonder if you have taken the wrong path?"

Ding Xuelian walked forward gracefully and said with a smile, "That's right."

The man glanced at the three of them carefully, paused, and said:

"Toll, ten coins per person."

Xu Boyang and Fei Wenyu were both horrified:
"Wow! What kind of level is this ghost market? The prices are actually the same as in the Immortal Sect's Fang Cun Jian!"

"Let me do it."

Xu Boyang stepped forward, and suddenly, thirty spirit stones floated over in his hand.

"Enter the cave and walk left and right for three quarters of an hour."

The bronze-masked man took the spirit stone, said a few words, and disappeared into the darkness.

Xu Boyang used his spiritual sense to explore and found a cave in the stone wall at the bottom of the river in front of him. Without any doubt, he strode forward and went in.

The three of them entered the cave one after another and went all the way down. Not long after they entered, there was a fork in the road. Xu Boyang turned left as he was told. Not long after, the cave corridor suddenly turned upwards. The three of them turned left again. Suddenly, the river water receded and they stepped onto dry stone ground.

As soon as he came out of the water, Xu Boyang heard the faint noisy voices. When he reached the end and turned right, the cave suddenly became clear, and a huge underground palace with bright lights came into view.

The rocks in the underground palace were like natural pillars, interlaced with each other. Thick wood was placed across the rocks, covered with white cloth, and set up white cloth shops like shops. There were stalls in the shops, and monks with masks on their faces were sitting and shouting to sell things.

The three of them took a look and couldn't help but gasp. This underground palace was extremely huge. There were hundreds of shops in the rocks and a crowd of people. A rough look showed that there were no less than a thousand people walking around in it.

Xu Boyang's eyes suddenly focused, and he saw that the irregular stone walls on all four sides of the underground palace had been hollowed out, forming stone caves, and there were many people moving around inside.

The most eye-catching stone cave is the one in the middle. The cave is huge, occupying almost half of the underground palace. It is brightly lit and bustling with people.

"Don't make any noise yet, go in and take a look first."

Xu Boyang said in a low voice. At this time, among the three people, Ding Xuelian was at the seventh level of Condensation Yuan, Fei Wenyu was at the eighth level of Condensation Yuan, and Xu Boyang had the highest level of Condensation Yuan at the ninth level. Naturally, the two of them followed him as the leader. They both responded in a low voice and followed him into the crowd.

Xu Boyang looked left and right along the way and found that the spiritual objects in the Yuchuan Ghost Market were still mainly at the Nascent Soul stage, but it was obviously much better than the ghost market in Dongke Town, and the variety was complete, almost comparable to Fang Cunjian, and even the unrestricted market like the Yaoling Island in the Thousand Stars and Ten Thousand Islands Hunan could not reach it.

There are quite a few spiritual objects in the Foundation Establishment Stage, no wonder the toll is so high.

But what is strange is that the people who sell spiritual objects are generally cultivators at the sixth or seventh level of Condensation Stage, even for the Foundation Establishment spiritual objects. It seems that they are all here on orders and are not the owners of the spiritual objects themselves.

After a while, Xu Boyang saw several spiritual objects he wanted to buy, especially a complete array formation and the spiritual plant seeds that Su Zilu asked him to take back. Unfortunately, Ding Xuelian was beside him, and he didn't want to show off too much wealth to avoid arousing suspicion, so he just looked around and didn't rush to buy anything.

Not long after, the three of them passed through the most crowded white cloth shop and arrived at the cave in the middle of the rock wall. Just as they arrived, a monk wearing a horse mask ran over from the crowd, holding a stack of books in his hand, and said with a smile:

"Sir, would you like to buy the 'Taihe Jingwu Banquet'? We have both Tianyuan and Diyuan tickets, and the prizes are drawn simultaneously. You can win big with a small investment. If you win, you can come back anytime. The ticket is free of tolls."

Xu Boyang smiled silently, turned around to glance at Fei Wenyu and Ding Xuelian, and then said in a hoarse voice:
"Have fun?"

Ding Xuelian smiled and walked over: "Since we're here, let's have some fun."

Fei Wenyu stepped forward and asked, "Interpreter? How do you want to compete?"

"Hey! Is this gentleman here for the court hearing?"

The horse-faced monk immediately laughed, nodded, and gestured with his hand.

"Come on, this way please! Set up the dragon gate formation!"

After saying that, he squeezed through the crowd and led the way into the cave.

Xu Boyang and Ding Xuelian were confused by the conversation between the two. Xu Boyang chuckled and cursed softly:
"Fei Wenyu, you're so good, pretending to be ignorant when you know the truth. You're hiding your true abilities. What kind of nonsense are you talking about?"

Fei Wenyu laughed, came over and whispered:
"Tongshi means intermediary, duipan means communication, and guotang means veteran. If he wants to talk nonsense, he is just chatting with us in detail. It's all jargon among the wandering cultivators in the Jianghu of Qingshen. It's nothing serious. It's all just bullshit and not worth mentioning."

Ding Xuelian smiled silently and said quietly:
"Mr. Fei, I didn't realize that you are also a person who cares about both black and white." The three followed the horse-faced monk into the cave. The cave was illuminated by spiritual lights and was extremely spacious. There were tables and chairs on all four sides. Many monks were sitting in it, each holding a booklet and making circles.

As Xu Boyang followed in, he saw a monk wearing a bear-head mask slamming the table, stepping one foot on the chair, and holding his waist with one hand, shouting in a rough voice:

"Stop talking. I'll buy Xie Shuge! The Yunfu Xie family isn't well-known, but this person is incredibly talented. Last term, he was first in the Diyuan First Class. Although he's currently only a disciple of a branch sect, he's deeply loved by the Huaishang Immortal Sect's head, Yunjin Tianzhang. After eight years, his cultivation has reached a new level, and he's sure to win first place in the Tianyuan Six Classes this time!"

"Xie Shuge?"

Xu Boyang sat down with the horse-faced monk, looking at the bear-faced monk not far away, thinking to himself:
"It seems like we've finally come to the right place. I've never heard of this cultivator from the Yunfu Xie family, and I don't know who he is."

"Brother Big Bear, this is wrong!"

A wolf-headed monk slammed the table and stood up, speaking incessantly, expressing his views:

"This time, the top spot in the Tianyuan ranking will undoubtedly go to Jiangzuo. Consider the Wuyin Chen family's rising fame in recent years. Their ancestor, the newly promoted Feathered Master 'Danfengxiuyue,' is unrivaled, and their disciple, 'Biweijian' Chen Baochong, is the last disciple of the Sword Saint Feathered Master 'Cuilangluyu.' Their small clan has a young man named Chen Yanshu, a talented scholar in both civil and military fields, with impressive cultivation. He's one of the top six candidates in the Tianyuan rankings this time!"

Another tiger-headed monk snorted with disdain:
"That Chen Yanshu is only a ninth-level Nengyuan cultivator. In the last session, he was only the first among the top three of the Diyuan Six Ding. It's a testament to him that he broke into the Tianyuan Six Jia this time. He even wants to be the first among the Tianyuan. Don't dream. In my opinion, it's impossible for him to achieve the title of Hualuo Jiangzuo. Xie Shuge, whom Brother Daxiong mentioned, is indeed talented, but he hasn't established his foundation in eight years. He's not reliable!"

"In my opinion, it's Fang Zhian, a disciple from Huaiyou, Yuchuan. Eight years ago, he won the third place in the first class of the Six Ding of the Earth Yuan Sect and joined the branch of the Immortal Sect. Four years ago, he established his immortal foundation and was highly regarded by the head of the sect, Fuhuo Yingtian! He has profound cultivation and amazing skills!"

"And then there's the 'Smiling Tiger' Lin Huaisheng of the Yunfu Lin family. Their ancestor, 'Ghost Fire Fox Roar', is also a newly promoted feathered scholar from Huaishang. As a member of the Lin family's minor clan, Lin Huaisheng has already been building his foundation for five or six years. He might even be in the middle stage of foundation building by now. With this level of cultivation, won't he be the most powerful among all the heroes?"

"In this Tianyuan-level competition, the strength is clear at a glance. The superiority of the Condensation Foundation Establishment cultivators is immediately determined. How can a Tianyuan Six Jia cultivator get the chance to compete with a Condensation Foundation Establishment cultivator?"

A cat-headed monk nearby laughed:
"Brother Hu, don't be so confident. In a battle, things change rapidly. Foundation Establishment cultivators are strong, but if a cultivator at the ninth level of Condensation can cultivate three spiritual energies, he will not be much worse than a cultivator who has just established his foundation. After all, Foundation Establishment cultivators have just established their immortal foundation, and their Dao foundation wheel is not yet stable. How can they withstand the repeated tossing of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth? If they are not careful, they will go astray and lose all their previous efforts. In my opinion, if the Foundation Establishment cultivators cannot fight quickly, the outcome is still uncertain."

"Do you think that with Xie Shuge's talent, having won first place in the last Diyuan class, he can't build a foundation? He just doesn't want to. He's probably cultivating other spiritual energies to conserve his energy. You have to know that this kind of genius has no ambitions for this!"

The bear-headed monk laughed loudly:

"What Brother Mao said resonates deeply with me. I'll buy Xie Shuge!"

After saying that, he took out three Yuqing Spirit Stones from his storage bag and threw them on the table with a plop sound.
"Come! This horse-faced interpreter, give me three Yuqing coins, write a receipt, and buy Xie Shuge from Yunfu for the first place in Tianyuan!"

The cat-headed monk then bowed and said, "Great minds think alike. I'll buy two too."

"These two gentlemen are very open-minded. Please wait a moment!"

The horse-faced interpreter sitting next to Xu Boyang hadn't even warmed up yet when he heard what he said, he laughed and quickly stood up and trotted over, took the spirit stone, took out the pen and ink, made a note on the booklet, and took out the seal from his sleeve to stamp it.

Xu Boyang listened to the conversation between the few people. In just a few words, the information content was simply overwhelming. He was secretly terrified:

"It seems that Qingshen also has a precedent of Condensation cultivators cultivating multiple spiritual energies. This is perfect, and I don't have to hide it. However, from what this person said, it can only be three at most. I don't know if it's true or not. It seems that I can only wait until the battle, see actual combat, and then make a decision."

"I never thought that this jerk Lin Huaisheng would actually come to the Taihe Jingwu Banquet. What a narrow road for enemies. It's a pity that this person's cultivation is too high and I can't defeat him. And since it happens to be a big meeting, I can't avenge Xiaode and Aunt Huang. It's really hateful!"

At this time, a leopard-headed monk stood up, looked at the bear-headed monk and the cat-headed monk, and laughed:
"Brother Big Bear, Brother Cat, let me say something unpleasant. You two have wasted your Yuqing Spirit Stones. Xie Shuge may be very powerful, but the odds are low. Buy one and get one back. How can you make any money with this? If you're not careful, you might end up capsizing in the ditch!"

The cat-headed monk disagreed: "Bet for safety, protect your capital and make a profit, what do you know?"

"Gambling, gambling, if you can't win big with a small investment, what's the point of gambling?"

The leopard-headed monk put his hands on his hips and said bluntly:

"In my opinion, Xie Shuge and Lin Huaisheng from Yunfu, Chen Yanshu from Cangwu, Fang Zhian and Ding Yunshan from Yuchuan, and Sun Shangli from Nanhuai—these six are the favorites for this year's Tianyuan Liujia. The odds in the pool are 1 to 1, 1 to 2, and at best 1 to 3. Why are you still betting on them?"

"To be frank, unless you gamble heavily on one, even if you win, it's just a small amount of tea money. You won't make much money at all. I really don't know what you are thinking."

"Take my word, bet on the underdog!"

"Ding Yunshan?"

Xu Boyang's face changed slightly. He remembered that Ding Fusheng and Monk Li had both mentioned this person. He was from the Fengqing branch of the Ding family. Later, he went to the Samadhi Mountain branch of the Ding family. He was a confidant of the Ding family. Could it be that this person voluntarily gave up his identity as a descendant of the Yushi family's branch and joined the Xianzong branch to fight for the Tianyuan Liujia?
"...If that's the case, this person has great ambitions. It seems he's aiming for the Tianyuan Liujia. Otherwise, why would he bother with this?"

Thinking of this, I felt strange. I remembered that when Ding Fusheng mentioned this person two years ago, he was only at the eighth level of Ningyuan. Could it be that he is now completely different from before, with his cultivation advancing by leaps and bounds, and he actually has the strength to covet the Tianyuan Liujia?

When he thought of this, he couldn't help but glance at Ding Xuelian, only to see that her face was indifferent, as if nothing had happened, as if she hadn't heard it.

Looking up, I saw the bear-headed monk was stunned for a moment and snorted:

"I have plenty of money, why do I need your advice? I bought Xie Shuge to be happy and joyful. Why would I buy unpopular cultivators? Some of them are so unknown that I've never even heard of them. How dare you buy them?"

"Brother Xiong, you believe me."

The Leopard Head monk said slowly,

"To put it bluntly, this Tianyuan-level competition is rigged. The disciples of the Immortal Sect and the children of the Feathered Scholars all know it's just a game between Feathered Scholars. The Ghost Market knows that these six people are the favorites to enter the Tianyuan Six Tops. Don't the core officials of the four sects know this?"

"This Tianyuan-level plate is so deep that you can't see the bottom. If you don't know the game behind it, you won't know how you died. It's not fun. You might as well buy the Diyuan Liuding. This is the true meaning of letting a hundred flowers bloom and a hundred schools of thought contend!"

The bear-headed monk shook his head like a rattle and muttered:
"It's not easy to buy the Diyuan Six Ding. There are too many of them and their backgrounds are too complicated. I asked around and heard that the people from other counties are not acclimatized, so I bought three people from Yuchuan!"

"One is Zhao Jiuchang from Qinghui Town. I've heard of him. He's quite powerful with his [Flame Gold Hammer]. The other is Zeng Shuming from Tianji Town. I heard he's a sword fanatic, wielding a seven-foot heavy sword [Chongyang Sword]. He's quite a figure among the small tribes in northern Yuchuan!"

"The other one is Kong Zhonghai, the young master of the Kong family in Luolin Town. He has lived in the south for generations and is an expert with a knife. Although his reputation isn't as good as the other two, he shouldn't be underestimated!"

The leopard-headed monk burst out laughing:
"Brother Xiong, these three are also the favorites to be in the top three of the Diyuan Liu Ding and Yi Jia. They're also buying one and getting two for zero. What's the difference between this and betting on the Tianyuan Liu Jia? You only buy the favorites?"

The bear-headed monk snorted, "I'm happy to take care of you!"

The Leopard Head Monk came over and whispered:

"Brother Xiong, listen to me. If you buy according to my instructions, I guarantee you'll make a lot of money! The cost is not high, but the returns are multiplied several times! I'm telling you..."

Before Xu Boyang could recover from the news that someone from the Ding family was participating in the Tianyuan Liujia, he heard familiar names one after another, and was even more surprised and delighted. He was shocked that Zhao Jiuchang and Kong Zhonghai, the young master of the Kong family in Luolin Town, also came to participate in the Taihe Jingwu Banquet, and were in the same group with him, competing for the top three places in the Diyuan Liuding.

This Zhao Jiuchang is extremely rebellious and worse than a beast. It is true that enemies will always meet. If I meet him, I will vent my anger on behalf of my guest official Zhao Jiusheng.

Fortunately, Xu Bozhao's brother Zeng Shuming had indeed come. It was a pity that he was now under surveillance by Ding Xuelian and could not release Xu Bozhao who was hiding in the [Yin Shen Buddhist Shrine]. Otherwise, if he knew the news, he would definitely be overjoyed.

"Boyang, this Leopard Head is just a stooge, working with the insiders and the outsiders. Don't listen to his nonsense. He may be a person with abilities, but his abilities may not be. In a casino, you don't need to look at anything else but the odds. The lower the odds, the stronger the abilities. That's for sure!"

Fei Wenyu suddenly reminded him with his spiritual sense, and Xu Boyang nodded. This was not uncommon in Yuchuan's casino, and he still understood this unwritten rule. Before he could reply, he saw the horse-faced monk greet a group of guests and then hurried over, saying with a smile:
"Excuse me, young lady, gentlemen. The convention is approaching, and there have been more people here these past two days. I'm sorry for the delay. What would you three like to buy?"

Thanks to 9824, 13-Dimensional Space, Codename Hanjiang, and 3431 for the monthly tickets!
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(End of this chapter)