Chapter 49 + 50: The Old Man in Purple

As Elder Yang announced the end of the auction for the day, the crowd from the Azure Dragon Pavilion stirred, still buzzing from the bidding war over the iron rod. Each person, as they rose to leave, cast a meaningful glance at Ye Chen.

"I'll go claim the iron rod. You head back first," Ye Chen said, surveying the departing crowd before his gaze settled on the private rooms on the second floor. He then turned to Xiong Er. "Be careful on your way out. Watch your back."

"No problem, isn't my Second Grandfather here?" Xiong Er waved a dismissive hand, then slipped away into the throng like a wisp of smoke, vanishing in an instant.

After Xiong Er left, Ye Chen made his way towards the rear hall of the Azure Dragon Pavilion. Many had come to auction off items, and among them was Wu Changqing.

Seeing Ye Chen, Wu Changqing's face darkened to an alarming degree, his voice ice-cold. "Boy, you'll soon learn the cost of provoking my Zhengyang Sect."

"It was a fair auction, the highest bidder wins. If Senior wasn't willing to pay, how is that my fault?" Ye Chen scoffed.

"I hope your tongue is still so sharp at the end of the auction," Wu Changqing flung his sleeves and departed with his head held high.

"Do you think I'll give you the chance?" Ye Chen chuckled coldly as he watched Wu Changqing leave, then turned and entered the back hall.

Upon seeing that it was Ye Chen, Elder Yang, who was seated cross-legged on a cushion, couldn't help but fix his gaze upon him. "Young fellow, you were quite audacious today!"

"Senior jests," Ye Chen replied.

Elder Yang didn't pursue the topic but instead waved his hand and produced the black iron rod. Ye Chen, meanwhile, had already retrieved a storage pouch and handed it over with a pained expression. Fifty myriad Spirit Stones had truly left him penniless.

"Thank you, Senior," Ye Chen said, cupping his hands and bowing. Just as he was about to leave, Elder Yang called out, stopping him.

"Young friend, wait a moment."

Hearing this, Ye Chen turned back, a doubtful look on his face. "Senior, do you need something else?"

"I don't need anything, but someone wishes to speak with you about a small matter," Elder Yang said with a warm smile, extending his arm to gesture. "Young friend, please come inside!"

Elder Yang's sudden politeness left Ye Chen feeling somewhat flattered.

"Go on in! Someone is waiting for you," Elder Yang offered another kind smile.

Although surprised, Ye Chen followed the direction Elder Yang indicated. He knew that within the Azure Dragon Pavilion, whether he entered or not was no longer up to him. Given this, it was better to be proactive.

Following the door of the back hall, he entered and discovered that behind the back hall was a small courtyard. The courtyard was a world unto itself, radiating with light, adorned with rockeries and filled with spiritual flowers and strange herbs. The gurgling sound of water could be clearly heard, causing Ye Chen to involuntarily marvel at the Azure Dragon Pavilion's extraordinary nature. Who would have thought such an exquisite small garden existed within the Gloomy Black Market?

"Young friend, please come this way," just as Ye Chen was sighing, a warm voice emanated from the pavilion in the center of the small courtyard.

Hearing the sound, Ye Chen froze once more. The person sitting in the pavilion was none other than the purple-robed elder who had sat beside him at the auction earlier today!

"Is he from the Heavenly Profound Sect?" This was Ye Chen's first thought. Otherwise, he wouldn't be in the back garden of the Azure Dragon Pavilion, nor would Elder Yang show him such politeness.

"Come!" the purple-robed elder beckoned to Ye Chen.

Without thinking too much, Ye Chen walked up to the pavilion, respectfully bowing to the purple-robed elder. "Junior greets Senior."

"No need for formalities, sit down!" The purple-robed elder smiled. Although he was a powerful figure, he showed no airs whatsoever, making Ye Chen feel as if he was simply facing an ordinary old grandfather.

"May I ask why Senior has called Junior here?" Ye Chen looked at the purple-robed elder with a doubtful expression.

"To ask for your assistance."

"Ask me for assistance?" Ye Chen was taken aback, his heart filled with surprise. The esteemed Heavenly Profound Sect was actually seeking his help.

"More accurately, I wish to request the assistance of the True Fire within your body," the purple-robed elder looked at Ye Chen meaningfully.

Hearing this, Ye Chen's brows furrowed. The fact that he possessed True Fire was known only to that little fatty, Xiong Er. He had thought he was hiding it deeply, never expecting to be discovered by the purple-robed elder.

Seeing the vigilance arise in Ye Chen, the purple-robed elder smiled warmly. "Young friend, rest assured, I only ask for your assistance in this one matter."

Ye Chen chuckled dryly. How could he not be relieved? In this place, he, a mere cultivator in the Qi Condensation realm, truly had no confidence. The purple-robed elder was already being very courteous by not outright robbing him.

"Of course, it won't be for free. I will give you a corresponding reward, or rather, if you have any requests, you can put them forward to the best of my ability," the purple-robed elder continued.

Since the words had reached this point, Ye Chen naturally wouldn't hold back. Why refuse something offered freely? He took a deep breath, cleared his throat, and touched the tip of his nose. "I need money."

He had originally come for the Profound Steel and Profound Iron, but who would have thought that he would be left penniless after bidding on that iron rod? Adding to that, he had a thirty-myriad debt to Xiong Er. At this moment, he was a person in dire need of funds.

Naturally, he didn't specify how much money he needed. Firstly, he honestly didn't know how much to ask for. Secondly, he decided to leave the decision to the purple-robed elder. Anyway, I need money. If you think you should give more, give more. If you think you should give less, give less. If you don't give anything, I wouldn't dare have any complaints.

On the side, the purple-robed elder held a teacup, gently sipping. Seeing that Ye Chen didn't speak further, he couldn't help but look at Ye Chen. "Just this?"

Ye Chen smiled faintly and nodded.

The purple-robed elder smiled slightly, waved his hand, and took out a storage pouch, handing it to Ye Chen.

"Thank you, Senior," Ye Chen quickly received it, but didn't immediately look inside. There was no point in looking. If he was given less, could he ask for more? He might have the desire, but he lacked the courage!

"Let's begin!"

"Good, good, good." Hearing this, Ye Chen quickly placed the Profound Steel and Profound Iron into his storage pouch.

On the other side, the purple-robed elder had already rolled up his left sleeve, exposing his arm. At the sight, Ye Chen's brows furrowed, because the purple-robed elder's arm was completely black. If he looked closely, he could even see strange symbols seemingly hidden and revealed on the surface of the arm.

"What is this?" Ye Chen raised his head and looked at the purple-robed elder.

"Witch Curse."

"Witch Curse?" Hearing this name, Ye Chen involuntarily recalled the few words about Witch Curses he had seen several years ago in the library pavilion of the Zhengyang Sect. A Witch Curse was an extremely vicious curse seal, which could only be cast by people of the legendary Witch Race. Once afflicted, if not suppressed or removed in time, one would surely be devoured by the Witch Curse and die.

As for the Witch Race, their origins were truly grand. They were an ancient and mysterious race, together with the Demon Race, Immortal Race, Spirit Race, Ancient Race, Monster Race, God Race, Dragon Race, and Barbarian Race, they were called the Nine Ancient Races, each immensely powerful, truly the real giants of ancient times.

Ye Chen was extremely surprised, never having thought that a cultivator as powerful as the purple-robed elder would actually be afflicted with such a curse seal from the Witch Race.

"Senior, can my True Fire help you suppress this Witch Curse?" Knowing the power of the Witch Curse, Ye Chen felt somewhat uncertain.

"Ordinary True Fire naturally wouldn't work, but your True Fire might," the purple-robed elder replied.

These words left Ye Chen stunned, his expression frozen as he stared at the purple-robed elder. "Senior, could it be that True Fire is also divided into strong and weak?"

"Naturally," the elder in purple robes replied with a faint smile to Ye Chen's inquiry. "I have witnessed many True Fires in my time, but yours, a golden True Fire, is truly the first I have ever seen."

"But I don't feel my True Fire is very strong," Ye Chen scratched his head.

"True Fires are born from the essence of heaven and earth, inherently possessing spirituality. Naturally, they are also constrained by the cultivator's realm. As you are merely in the Qi Condensation stage, your True Fire can only manifest power commensurate with your cultivation. Furthermore…"

He paused here, his gaze upon Ye Chen taking on a profound depth. "Furthermore, your True Fire has not yet awakened."

"Not awakened?" Ye Chen's surprise grew with every word.

"I can only say that it is no ordinary True Fire. At least, in my view, it surpasses all the True Fires I have ever encountered." The purple-robed elder seemed to be holding back, deeming it unnecessary to reveal more to the current Ye Chen.

Ye Chen remained curious but knew when to restrain himself and did not press further.

"Come!" The purple-robed elder raised his arm, his palm open.

Ye Chen did not hesitate, immediately raising his own arm and pressing his palm against the elder's. With a thought, his True Fire surged forth, flowing through his palm into the elder's arm, transforming into myriad streams that tightly enveloped the countless runes.

"Demonic Blood," the moment he made contact with Ye Chen, the purple-robed elder's eyes became unfathomably deep. His gaze seemed to pierce through Ye Chen's flesh, seeing the flowing blood within. From it, he sensed an aura of bloodthirst, savagery, and violence.

The elder's eyes narrowed slightly, and he cast an almost imperceptible glance at Ye Chen. *How does he possess Demonic Blood?* the purple-robed elder pondered inwardly. He could tell that Ye Chen was clearly unaware that his blood harbored the bloodline of an ancient demonic race.

His inner turmoil was interrupted by a sharp pain in his arm. The purple-robed elder withdrew his thoughts from Ye Chen and focused his gaze upon his arm. The curse seal of the Witch's Curse, enveloped by Ye Chen's True Fire, sensed a potent threat and struggled violently.

Seeing this, the purple-robed elder pointed a finger, thoroughly trapping the curse seal on his arm to prevent it from spreading to other parts of his body.

An hour quietly passed, and Ye Chen was already drenched in sweat. His True Fire continued to burn fiercely, but the Witch's Curse seal was clearly deeply entrenched and resilient. It was actually capable of standing against the True Fire. After such a long period, he had only managed to burn away a tiny fraction of the curse seal.

"Profound Steel and Profound Iron are not easy to acquire!" Ye Chen wiped a handful of sweat. At this moment, he felt a tinge of regret for having asked for too little as a reward. This Witch's Curse seal was far more formidable than the evil thought residing within Bear Two's wolf-tooth club. It could not be refined in a mere day or two; complete eradication would require a long time.

Seeing Ye Chen's struggle, the purple-robed elder lightly placed his palm on Ye Chen's shoulder, and a surge of pure essence infused itself into Ye Chen's body. The influx of pure essence revitalized Ye Chen's spirit.

"Little friend, you need only refine one of the curse patterns," the purple-robed elder stated. "The Witch's Curse is interconnected through these patterns. Once one is refined, I will have a way to break the Witch's Curse."

*Understood!* Ye Chen nodded, taking a deep breath. The flames of his True Fire instantly surged upwards.

Six hours later, he was exhausted for the first time, gasping for breath as he retracted his True Fire. Looking at the purple-robed elder's arm again, the curse patterns above it were in significant disarray, and the Witch's Curse connected to the patterns flickered between bright and dim.

The purple-robed elder was truly a person of great divine ability. He pressed his two fingers together on his arm, starting from his shoulder and moving downwards. The curse seal that had fused into his arm was being forcefully expelled by him.

Ye Chen did not disturb him but quietly exited the small courtyard.

Returning to the back hall, he took out the storage bag the purple-robed elder had given him and quickly looked inside, a gasp escaping his lips.

"Five... fifty thousand," seeing the number of spirit stones, he couldn't help but swallow.

"Truly a grand gesture!" Clicking his tongue in awe, Ye Chen's heart pounded. He had never expected the purple-robed elder to give him so many spirit stones; it truly exceeded his expectations.

*Huh?* A faint glow caught his attention. Ye Chen then discovered that besides the fifty thousand spirit stones, there was also a small note inside the storage bag. Taking out the note, Ye Chen quickly read it: *That iron club counts as a gift from my Tian Xuan Sect to the little friend. The fifty thousand spirit stones are returned.*

"Indeed, he is from the Tian Xuan Sect," Ye Chen touched his chin.

With this thought in mind, he stepped out of the back hall and onto the main street. His mood was quite good. The return of fifty thousand spirit stones gave him that little bit of confidence again. Having money in hand felt very reassuring.

The sky was already late, but there were still many pedestrians on the main street, and the sounds of hawking continued. Ye Chen did not return immediately but strolled leisurely along the street, his gaze sweeping over the stalls on both sides, searching for the Profound Steel and Profound Iron he needed.

Finally, he stopped in front of a stall belonging to a scruffy old man.

"Profound Steel, Profound Iron." The moment Ye Chen stopped, his gaze fell upon two irregular stones. One was black, the other snow-white. Neither was particularly large, only about the size of an egg.

His arrival, however, did not attract the attention of the scruffy old man. At this moment, the fellow's eyes were gleaming as he ogled the passing women. As he looked, he still wore that particular kind of lewd smile.

For some reason, the moment he saw the old man, Ye Chen felt an impulse to kick him.

"Old man, if you keep looking, I'll just take the goods."

*Huh?* The old man's gaze immediately shifted. He cleared his throat, calmly wiped a handful of saliva from the corner of his mouth, and his demeanor changed by one hundred and eighty degrees. First, he stroked his small tuft of beard, adopting the appearance of a senior expert.

Ye Chen's mouth twitched. He secretly thought that the old man's acting skills were truly impressive. One second he was looking at beauties with a lewd expression, and the next he became a senior expert. Someone who didn't know might actually think this guy was truly a senior expert, wouldn't they?

"This little brother, with a single look, you can tell you are a person of knowledge. My treasures here are all waiting for a fated person," the old man again habitually stroked his beard, a lewd expression still lingering on his face.

*Pshaw!* Ye Chen didn't think so. He had passed by so many stalls, and almost everyone said the same thing. He was already used to it.

"I want this piece of Profound Iron and this piece of Profound Steel," Ye Chen said without further ado, pointing at the two stones.

"Ten thousand," the old man immediately held up one finger.

"Five thousand," Ye Chen immediately blurted out his offer. *Your granny, ten thousand spirit stones! Isn't it better to just buy from Zhou Dafu? Does he really need to run thousands of miles to this Netherworld Black Market?*

"I say, little kid, your price is too ruthless!" The scruffy old man's beard bristled and his eyes widened.

"My master taught me to cut the price in half when buying things," Ye Chen looked at the scruffy old man with an innocent expression.

"I…" The scruffy old man was about to erupt but managed to restrain himself. "Nine thousand, no less."

"Six thousand."

"Deal."

Ye Chen was prepared to bargain vigorously with the scruffy old man, but he didn't expect the old man to agree so straightforwardly, leaving him slightly taken aback.

"Pay up, pay up, quickly, quickly." The scruffy old man seemed to have an urgent matter. He stuffed the Profound Iron and Profound Steel into Ye Chen's hand and then began packing up his stall. The fellow's expression was panicked, as if he had some urgent business.

Ye Chen was very stunned but still reached into his storage bag.

"Zhuge Yu, you old bastard, you heartless scoundrel!" Before he could take out the spirit stones, Ye Chen heard a loud scolding voice from afar. He couldn't help but glance over. Not far away, a portly old man was rushing towards him in anger.

Seeing this, Ye Chen finally understood why the scruffy old man who ran the stall was so anxious. Someone had come to settle accounts with him!

Despite this thought, Ye Chen still took out the spirit stones. One had to pay when buying things.

However, before he could hand over the spirit stones, the scruffy old man grabbed his things and ran, his speed truly impressive.

"Your granny!" Following the scruffy old man, the fat old man also howled over like a gust of wind. The originally noisy main street became chaotic because of these two undying old men.

"He just left?" Ye Chen coughed dryly, still holding the storage bag containing the spirit stones. He very consciously stuffed it back into his storage bag.