Eternal Life from Talisman Painting-Chapter 350 - 203: The Darkness of the Market

"If it weren’t for the Lu family’s orders recently, I would have already thought of making a trip."

Old Hu spoke bluntly, but there was a solemn look on his face.

He wouldn’t just recklessly go without a plan.

"Array Disc and Array Flag, huh!"

Lin Chang’an glanced at Old Hu without showing any emotion; he had no intention of revealing his Tier Three skills.

However, he had previously discussed with Old Hu that if they joined forces to hunt Demon Beasts, a Tier Two array wouldn’t suffice.

His Blood Slaughter Red Sun Array would need to at least be nearly Tier Three, if not Tier Three, to confidently hunt weaker beasts with countering attributes.

"Old Lin, what about you?"

"Ah, it’s all for the slim chance of opportunity. This time, I just want to purchase some materials, especially leather armor from a Tier Three Demon Beast. If possible, I’d also like to trouble Old Hu to help make an inner armor."

"Haha, I was wondering what it was. Leave it to me."

The two then prepared for a bit before leaving Jade Spirit Island, heading towards the direction of Heaven-Reaching Mist Sea.

Just before leaving, they happened to run into the Wen couple, and seeing their energy, Old Hu felt envious.

...

Heaven-Reaching Mist Sea.

Even at the periphery, under the lingering thick fog, the two, even with late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation, found that their powerful Divine Sense was almost useless over the vast sea.

"Almost there. According to the sea map, ahead is the periphery of Heaven-Reaching Mist Sea, one of the three major markets, Bibo Island."

Holding a special magical artifact to guide their direction, Lin Chang’an also held the sea map, comparing along the way, and luckily they did not get lost.

After flying for half a day, they finally saw the outline of the island shimmering with light in the fog from afar.

Bibo Island.

The feeling of stepping on solid ground again made Lin Chang’an smile.

The two had disguised themselves somewhat. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

"It’s really extortionate. Just entering the market, no matter the reason, they collect ten Spirit Stones uniformly."

Old Hu secretly cursed through sound transmission but had a look of envy on his face while looking at the island.

Even though it’s just ten lower-grade Spirit Stones, having opened a market before, he knew well that this steady stream of income was not insignificant when accumulated.

"It’s said that this Bibo Island Market was founded jointly by several Core Formation Cultivators. No one is allowed to fight on the island, but outside it, life or death is of no concern."

Upon entering, Lin Chang’an sensed secretly that almost all the cultivators here were Foundation Establishment Cultivators, and even the late-stage Qi Refining cultivators were someone’s subordinates.

More importantly, each person exuded a threatening aura, looking extremely difficult to provoke.

As Lin Chang’an was secretly reminding Old Hu of the dangers here, Old Hu, staring at this dimly lit, ancient market with wide eyes, whispered enviously:

"Old Lin, do you think if the two of us reach Core Formation one day, and join forces to open a market in the Heaven-Reaching Mist Sea, we could earn even more?"

Good heavens!

Even now, Old Hu hasn’t given up on the idea and keeps thinking of opening a market.

This left Lin Chang’an speechless, as it seems the market in Celestial Profound City had left a deep impression on Old Hu’s mind.

Doing nothing and just sitting there earning Spirit Stones is naturally unforgettable.

It’s just like being a Tribulation Cultivator; once you’ve experienced robbing once and suddenly gotten rich, you’d definitely think of it often afterward.

"Old Hu, you really dare to dream."

Lin Chang’an shook his head helplessly, and then the two headed all the way to a dim cave.

In this cave, there was a whole other world, full of cultivators selling their goods, as well as fierce, bloodthirsty ones dissecting Demon Beasts.

The pungent smell of Blood Evil Qi hit them, and Lin Chang’an felt secretly alarmed.

There wasn’t a single Qi Refining Cultivator in this cave; all were Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

"What are you looking at!"

Upon entering, they were met with a hostile gaze. Beside him, Old Hu immediately revealed a bloodthirsty, cold hiss, the surrounding evil energy making this person hurriedly yield and leave with head bowed.

And beside him, Lin Chang’an was equally unafraid, a glint of coldness in his eyes.

The two late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators, exuding a thick aura of evil, were not ones anyone would dare provoke lightly.

Though the two hadn’t hunted many Demon Beasts, back in Celestial Profound City, they had indeed killed not a few.

Besides, they were just loose cultivators; whoever could walk this path wasn’t a tough character?

"This cave market is the main stage; Qi Refining Cultivators aren’t qualified to enter."

Lin Chang’an and Hu Jin’s silhouettes, enveloped in evil energy, made many cultivators secretly avoid them.

Lin Chang’an’s indifferent gaze swept around, secretly startled.

The cultivators here all held a fierce glint in their eyes, some even carried a bloodthirsty madness, clearly a result of years of slaughter in this place, leading to a twisted character.

"This is truly a savage land."

At the same time, the vendors around made him widen his eyes in astonishment.

Various Demon Beast Materials, freshly plundered blood-stained Storage Bags, damaged Magical Artifacts, everything was available.

Even live Demon Beasts, trapped in cages, roared madly, meeting him with a wave of stabs.

There were many who killed beasts on site to obtain Demon Cores, skinning and drawing sinews.

But what rendered him silent was that cultivators were also on the stalls.

Indeed, men and women, living cultivators were being sold.

"Come and take a look, these are excellent materials for making Corpse Puppets."

"I have a Female Cultivator here, a high-quality one."

And these cultivators, being peddled as goods, had hollow, apathetic eyes and bodies littered with scars.

These were cultivators captured alive through raids.

Suddenly, from afar came pitiful wailing and screams, where a vicious Female Cultivator wielded a long whip, angrily flogging three bound cultivators.

"Bitch, it’s been three days, why hasn’t your family come yet? If the ransom isn’t here today, I’ll sell you."

"No, I beg you, I’ve already sent the letter as you asked..."

Amidst the screams and bloodthirsty laughter, the surrounding cultivators seemed accustomed, unfazed, and many even laughed gleefully.

"Tsk tsk, bringing ransom to the Heaven-Reaching Mist Sea, how many fools dare to come."

"Exactly, that venomous woman asks too much, if she asked for less, there might be a chance."

Witnessing scene after scene here, though he had heard of it before, Lin Chang’an still took a deep breath. He was not angry, nor did he hate.

Instead, he felt a pressure; he did not want to become one of the goods here.

Every world has its dark scenes. He is no saint, never thought of saving everyone.

"Old Hu, let’s first have a good look around, communicate with sound transmission, and be ready to leave anytime."

"Alright."

The two parted ways in the market, knowing well that there were Golden Core Cultivators overseeing here, and no one dared to act rashly.

...

"This place has everything indeed."

Lin Chang’an marveled, worthy of being the chaotic land of the Heaven-Reaching Mist Sea, he even saw the manipulation of crafting Corpse Puppets on site, just to sell at a good price.

"After bitter cultivation for nearly a hundred years, finally reaching Foundation Establishment, only to become goods on a stall."

This scene secretly astounded Lin Chang’an, reminding himself to never be careless, lest an oversight leads to him becoming merchandise on these stalls too.

In the market, he also procured some rare materials, but he kept the purpose of his trip in mind as he made his way to an ancient shop.

An overwhelming scent of blood was in the air at the entrance, and upon entering, dimly lit rooms were surrounded by cages hanging everywhere.

The cages were filled with various Demon Beasts, all showing visible signs of terror, utterly frightened.

"This is the shop that the Lu Family mentioned."

Seeing Demon Beast Meat hung indiscriminately on the rafters, and even cleaned bones, Lin Chang’an couldn’t help but nod silently.

Meanwhile, in the dimly lit shop, many cultivators remained silent, some buying meat, some buying bones, and some directly purchasing whole Demon Beasts.

As he contemplated, a deep voice rang out.

"Hurry up, the shop recently acquired half of a Tier Three Demon Beast. Demon Beast Meat is first come, first served. These bones are perfect for medicinal baths or soup-making..."

In this butcher shop, twelve cultivators with empty, apathetic eyes and rigid expressions were collecting spirit stones from customers, then wielding large knives to bone and chop meat.

All twelve were Foundation Establishment Cultivators, but it was evident they had been made into Human Puppets.

The source of the voice made Lin Chang’an’s eyes flicker with surprise as he looked over.

This person was enormous, like a mountain of flesh sitting there.

This was the storeowner, a Fake Pill cultivator with the surname Lei.

His massive frame watched as people came and went, casually brandishing a White Folding Fan with the large character "Virtue," scolding his Human Puppets without care.

Seeing this figure, Lin Chang’an took a deep breath, indeed matching Lu Yujian’s description.