Chapter 45: The Dark Underworld Market

## Chapter 45: The Netherworld Black Market

"A secret manual for strengthening Yang," Ye Chen muttered, a faint twitch playing at the corner of his lips.

"A secret manual for strengthening Yang?" Xiong Er's eyes immediately lit up upon hearing this.

"Come, come, let's trade!" Xiong Er promptly snatched the manual away, then shoved his own volume into Ye Chen's hand.

Ye Chen's mouth twitched once more.

"Hehe, not bad, not bad," Xiong Er chuckled to himself as he flipped through the manual, utterly engrossed. His laughter continued unabated, seemingly oblivious to the disdainful gaze fixed upon him by Ye Chen.

"Eccentric," Ye Chen rubbed his eyebrows and turned his attention to the copy of the Shaking Mountain Fist technique.

A quick perusal revealed that this Shaking Mountain Fist, much like the Thunderbolt Palm, was a formidable offensive mystic art. It demanded a robust physique, lest the overbearing internal force inflict a painful backlash.

After a brief rest of half an hour, the two resumed their journey.

This time, their path was remarkably smooth.

As the stars began to blanket the night sky, they halted their steps before a vast and desolate expanse of land shrouded in darkness.

"Behold, that is the Netherworld Black Market," Xiong Er declared, pointing ahead.

Ye Chen's gaze was already fixed upon the distant, blackened earth.

The Netherworld Black Market stretched for dozens of *li*, resembling a scorched wasteland. A palpable gloom enveloped the area, and even before entering, Ye Chen could sense an unsettling mix of blood, violence, and a chilling, *yin* energy permeating the air.

"Let's go," Xiong Er urged, already dragging Ye Chen into the depths of the Netherworld Black Market.

The moment he stepped inside, Ye Chen felt a strange and potent force. His cultivation was forcefully suppressed to the first level of the Condensing Qi realm.

"What's going on?" Ye Chen involuntarily turned his head to look at Xiong Er.

"No need for such a fuss," Xiong Er replied. "Every time there's an auction, powerful restrictions are placed here. Everyone who enters has their cultivation suppressed to the first level of Condensing Qi."

"Even powerful experts in the Void Nether realm are suppressed?" Ye Chen tentatively questioned Xiong Er.

"Without exception."

"So formidable." His eyes narrowed slightly, and Ye Chen's heart involuntarily stirred with awe. "Exactly who laid these restrictions? This is truly too powerful."

"The Heaven Profound Gate," Xiong Er stated, pointing towards one side of the Netherworld Black Market in the distance.

Following his gaze, Ye Chen finally noticed that at the very heart of the Netherworld Black Market, a pavilion floated mid-air, dozens of *zhang* above the ground. The pavilion was grand and majestic, like a symbol, unyielding to any encroachment.

Even from this distance, Ye Chen felt a terrifying pressure emanating from it.

"What is the origin of this Heaven Profound Gate? How have I never heard of such a force in Great Chu?" Ye Chen asked Xiong Er, his eyes filled with surprise.

The usually all-knowing Xiong Er, however, shook his head lightly this time. "My old uncle told me that the Heaven Profound Gate was already here long before the Hengyue Sect was founded. They don't belong to any sect, but the members within are all mysteriously powerful. I've heard that their Gate Master is a cultivator in the Heaven Seclusion realm."

"Heaven Seclusion realm?" Ye Chen's heart leaped with shock.

The six major realms of cultivation were Condensing Qi, Human Origin, True Yang, Spirit Void, Void Nether, and Heaven Seclusion. Each step was a monumental leap. Even the three great sects and the even more powerful Bloodthirsty Hall did not possess Heaven Realm cultivators, leaving Ye Chen utterly stunned.

"Although they are located within the Netherworld Black Market, they never interfere with the conflicts in this area. It is only during the triennial auction that they strictly prohibit killing here," Xiong Er added.

"Legend has it that people from the Bloodthirsty Hall once came here to cause trouble, but they were utterly defeated and forced to retreat. The Heaven Profound Gate stands as a symbol in this land; neither sects nor cultivation families dare to provoke their prestige."

Ye Chen remained silent, simply gazing up at the Heaven Profound Gate, his eyes filled with reverence.

As he pondered these matters, the two continued their trek deeper into the market.

Ye Chen noticed that the cultivators coming and going here, though their auras were vigorous, all had their cultivation suppressed to the first level of Condensing Qi. This couldn't help but make him sigh; no matter how powerful you were outside, you had to keep a low profile once you arrived here.

The deeper they ventured, the more Ye Chen marveled.

This Netherworld Black Market was truly as the legends described – chaotic.

Along their path, he had seen no shortage of pavilions, but there were far more collapsed houses. In many places, the blood hadn't even dried yet, and the aftermath of battles was evident everywhere.

Furthermore, the people here were all fierce and unruly, each exuding a violent aura. Their eyes were often blood-red, filled with a raw aggression.

"Come, come, come! Take a look! Spirit stones and spirit liquid on sale!"

"Daoist friend, are you in need of spirit tools?"

"These are all top-grade goods!"

As the two reached a more bustling area, they were met with a chorus of hawking voices. Stalls were set up everywhere, offering a diverse array of goods.

"Fire Linglong," Ye Chen's eyes flashed with a glint of heat as he spotted a treasure displayed on a stall.

"Seven-colored Blood Crystal Stone."

"Red Blood Lotus Pulp."

Along the way, Ye Chen's eyes were constantly drawn to various items.

"How about it, fresh enough, right?" Xiong Er waddled in front, his plump body making him look like a small Maitreya Buddha, a truly comical sight that attracted many curious glances.

"It is quite fresh," Ye Chen sighed.

"You mustn't underestimate the stall owners here," Xiong Er whispered. "Most of them are disguised. Perhaps one of them is an elder from a sect or a powerful figure from a cultivation family."

"This, I believe."

"The auction only begins tomorrow. Let's just stroll around. It's quite lively here at night too," Xiong Er said, pulling a chicken leg from his pants pocket and brazenly eating it, completely unconcerned by the disdainful looks around him.

Eh?

As he spoke, he let out a soft "eh" and his eyes brightened, as if he had spotted something he liked.

"You go ahead and browse. I'm going to take a look over there," Xiong Er said, then stuffed the remaining chicken leg back into his pants pocket before bouncing off in a certain direction.

Ye Chen followed his gaze and involuntarily rubbed his eyebrows.

A large crowd had gathered in that area, three layers deep on the inside and three layers deep on the outside, creating a lively scene. A sign stood there: "Yang-strengthening Tiger Whip."

"Eccentric," Ye Chen clicked his tongue, inwardly remarking that the Netherworld Black Market truly had everything for sale.

With Xiong Er gone, Ye Chen began idly browsing the various stalls.

He picked and chose along the way, secretly hoping that the True Fire would give him some hint, otherwise he truly couldn't distinguish between treasure and fake.

"Young friend, everything here is a treasure!"

"You won't regret it if you don't buy!"

"Pass this village and you won't find this shop again!"

Ye Chen was accompanied by these calls along his path. The items on the stalls dazzled him; many he had never seen before, and many he couldn't discern.

Suddenly, Ye Chen stopped in his tracks, staring blankly at the area not far away.

There, a white-clothed woman gracefully walked over, her green silk hair flowing, her clothes fluttering, like a blossoming lotus flower.

She was like a fairy descended from the nine heavens, untouched by the mundane world.

Looking closely, wasn't this precisely Ji Ningshuang from the Hengyue Sect?