More than three months had passed since he deduced the Blood Burning Pill formula.
During this time, Luo Chen had attempted to brew it over a dozen times, succeeding with only two cauldrons.
The first batch yielded five pills, while the second yielded seven thanks to an improvement in his pill fire.
Twelve pills in total.
He had consumed one to test the medicine on a demon beast.
He had given two to Wang Yuan.
Thus, he had only nine Blood Burning Pills left in his possession.
For this black market auction, he brought out six, keeping only three for himself.
The number "three" was something he had considered carefully.
The Blood Burning Pill's effects were extraordinary, but its side effects were just as severe.
Every use took a heavy toll on the body.
Taking more than three in succession would cause irreversible injuries.
Unless one followed the path of a body cultivator like Wang Yuan, an ordinary Qi Refinement cultivator could never avoid such damage.
Luo Chen still held high hopes for the Great Dao; naturally, he would never let himself fall into such a predicament.
Of the six Blood Burning Pills, five sold for 120, 90, 80, 90, and 100 spirit stones, respectively.
The very first pill had been claimed by Tianxingzi, who had stated earlier that he would purchase it at the highest winning price of the auction.
Therefore, all told, he surprisingly raked in six hundred low-grade spirit stones.
Truth be told, Luo Chen had never expected them to fetch such a high price.
When all was said and done, this was merely a Tier 1 low-grade pill!
Yet upon seeing the winning bidders anxiously tuck their purchases away, Luo Chen seemed to understand.
Times had changed!
Ever since the Dao Discussion Platform closed, conflicts in Dahe Market had grown by the day.
It was already like a massive powder keg waiting to be ignited at any moment.
With the discovery of the Core Formation ruins, Dahe Market had plunged into even greater chaos.
Meanwhile, the Blood Burning Pill could unleash an explosive burst of combat prowess at crucial moments, catching an enemy off guard and offering a fighting chance to survive.
If one looked past the side effects and focused solely on the outcome...
How could the Blood Burning Pill be considered an evil demonic concoction? It was clearly a righteous, lifesaving pill of the orthodox path!
"Exactly. What I brew are righteous pills!"
Having worked that out, Luo Chen felt even more delighted on top of the joy of pocketing six hundred spirit stones.
As several subsequent cultivators offered their items for auction, the event arrived at its final phase: open private trading among the cultivators.
Luo Chen already had a target in mind.
"Fellow Daoist, you want all five bottles of Moisturizing Pearl Liquid?"
The delicate female cultivator was quite surprised; she had assumed no one would be interested in the stuff.
Hearing her voice, Luo Chen felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity, as though he had heard it somewhere before.
However, unable to recall it in the moment, he didn't dwell on it.
"I've heard this medicine can effectively treat eye damage caused by the overuse of the Spiritual Eye Art, so I'd like to buy some as a precaution. May I ask the price?"
"How about the starting bid I listed earlier?" the female cultivator asked apprehensively.
Luo Chen frowned slightly. "If that's the price, I could have just bid for it earlier."
The female cultivator gave a bitter smile. "If it's any cheaper, I won't even recover my cost."
"Oh?"
Cost!
Luo Chen probed, "As far as I know, this medicine comes from the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect and is rarely sold to outsiders. Even when it appears, it's usually at official auctions.
"May I ask where Fellow Daoist obtained these five bottles of Moisturizing Pearl Liquid? Of course, if it's inconvenient to say, please disregard the question."
The delicate female cultivator shook her head. "There's nothing secret about it. In other markets, this medicine has already hit the shelves of the Jade Cauldron Sword Pavilion, priced at a hundred stones each. I bought five bottles back when I was at Taishan Market, thinking I could bring them back and flip them for a modest profit."
It was already on the shelves at the Jade Cauldron Sword Pavilion in Taishan Market?
Why hadn't the stock reached Dahe Market yet?
Luo Chen considered this, then took out five hundred spirit stones.
"Thank you for sharing this news, Fellow Daoist. We'll trade at your starting price!"
The female cultivator didn't hesitate either, quickly handing five jade vials to Luo Chen.
With the transaction concluded, they should have parted ways.
Yet the female cultivator curiously asked, "Fellow Daoist, do you have any more Blood Burning Pills?"
"Hmm?"
"It's like this: my siblings and I have connections in Taishan Market, Snow Lotus Market, and even Liuguang Market. If Fellow Daoist possesses a large quantity of Blood Burning Pills, we could explore a partnership."
*Traveling peddlers?*
Luo Chen recalled that during the auction, this female cultivator and her two companions had brought out many cultivation resources not native to Dahe Market.
Earlier, he had assumed they were highwaymen whose miscellaneous goods had been looted from dead marks, never expecting them to be traveling merchants.
Those in this line of work either had extensive networks or great personal strength that allowed them to brave travels far and wide.
They only lacked a Foundation Establishment leader; otherwise, they could easily evolve into a force like the Lianyun Merchant Alliance.
Facing her expectant look, Luo Chen firmly shook his head.
"None. Just those few."
With that, he turned and walked away without hesitation.
For now, he didn't want to sell Blood Burning Pills en masse.
Their effect was too distinctive; selling them at scale would sooner or later attract the attention of Foundation Establishment experts.
Hadn't even Tianxingzi snapped one up on the spot?
Better to wait until he had sufficient strength before considering that!
Seeing him walk away, regret showed in the female cultivator's eyes.
"Huiniang, he doesn't have a large stock of Blood Burning Pills?"
"No, he said he only had those few."
"That's really a shame. A pill like that would fetch a high price in Snow Lotus Market or Liuguang Market."
In the distance, Luo Chen paused slightly before regaining his stride, exiting Zhenlong Hall alone.
Outside the main gate, a black-robed cultivator approached Luo Chen.
"Fellow Daoist, this is your Zhenlong embroidered ball. In the future, you may use it to freely enter and exit the black market's formation.
"Our Zhenlong Black Market is held once a month. The exact opening date will be displayed on the ball when the time comes."
Luo Chen examined the embroidered ball in his hand, feeling quite surprised.
"What if I'm not in Dahe Market?"
"It will still display, but the time shown will correspond to when the Zhenlong Black Market convenes in those other markets."
Hearing this reply, Luo Chen grew even more astonished.
What did that mean? A black market chain?
"Your market has branches in every market?"
The black-robed cultivator shook his head. "Some have them, while some don't just yet."
Though spoken casually, it left Luo Chen amazed.
He had thought the Zhenlong Black Market was just something a Foundation Establishment rogue cultivator had whipped up on his own.
Who would have thought it held such substantial backing!
One had to wonder which faction this backing stemmed from.
Before he left, the black-robed cultivator's ears twitched slightly, and he stopped Luo Chen.
"Hmm?" Luo Chen's gaze turned unfriendly.
The black-robed cultivator smiled faintly. "Seeing that this is Fellow Daoist's first time visiting the Zhenlong Black Market, allow me to offer a word of advice before you depart."
"Oh? Then I'm all ears."
*Rumble!*
A loud clap of thunder shattered the pitch-black night sky.
Savage, blinding streaks of lightning tore through the dark.
Fierce winds howled, swirling leaves through the air.
Summer had arrived, bringing more frequent thunderstorms.
Before long, a torrential downpour would surely fall!
Standing beneath the eaves of a deep, secluded alleyway, Luo Chen gazed up at the figures whistling away across the sky.
"Mass Grave Mound, Seven Stars Slope, North Street Alley Three... and the main thoroughfare back to the inner city.
"Those were the routes the cultivator named Wang told me were most prone to ambushes."
Everyone knew black markets were unsafe.
This "unsafeness" covered many aspects.
No guarantee of item quality, no customer support, possible repercussions, unexpected chaos during the auction itself...
...and most commonly, violent ambushes once the auction ended.
After all, even after official auctions held by major sects, ambushes were rampant—let alone at an inherently lawless black market.
Luo Chen had prepared well before coming.
A disguised face, an alias, an altered aura, and full readiness to fight at any second.
Yet he hadn't expected that upon leaving, the black-robed cultivator surnamed Wang would go out of his way to offer "advice."
Drawing upon his experience, he had even singled out which routes away from the market were the most perilous.
Clearly, the man was trying to get on his good side.
Perhaps due to the Blood Burning Pills?
"Still, this advice of his is quite questionable."
Luo Chen stroked his chin, pondering carefully.
"Where did he get this experience?
"Did he deduce it over time from the repeated clashes breaking out among departing attendees? Or are those simply his favorite routes for ambushing buyers himself?
"Or perhaps he's playing reverse psychology—steering me away from those roads so he can lie in wait along the alternatives?"
Admittedly, Luo Chen was overthinking it.
Yet when venturing out without bodyguards to scout ahead, cover his rear, or watch his flanks...
One could never be too careful.
After some thought, Luo Chen suppressed his aura and quietly set off toward North Street.
The main thoroughfare leading back to the inner city was definitely unsafe; Luo Chen was already certain of that.
Over in North Street, there used to be many abandoned buildings where rogue cultivators occasionally squatted.
Originally, the Jade Cauldron Sword Pavilion conducted regular inspections, collecting rent from permanent occupants.
Lately, however, the Pavilion's cultivators rarely bothered managing the outer city.
Luo Chen's initial plan had been to find an empty house, wait until dawn, and then quietly return to the city.
Now that he had received that "advice," he needed to tread with extra caution.
"Heh, there really are highwaymen!"
From the shadows, Luo Chen halted and looked ahead at the cluster of buildings.
Calling it a cluster of buildings was generous; it was merely a shantytown of scattered wooden shacks.
Right now, an abrupt clash was raging across this shantytown that spanned several li.
No, for the attacking party, it was anything but abrupt.
"Three Sima Cultivators, hand over your spirit stones!"
The Three Sima Cultivators wasn't the name of a single person, but of three cultivators.
The leading female cultivator spat.
"Pah! Keep dreaming! We earned every bit of this with our hard work. Qiu Bai, don't mistake Dahe Market for your Liuguang Market. The Jade Cauldron sword cultivators oversee this place!"
"Haha! Sima Huiniang, your news is far too out of date! The Jade Cauldron sword cultivators can't even be bothered with public order in the outer city right now!"
Hovering above the shantytown, a rough-featured man laughed wildly.
With a flick of his hand, a great banner swelled in the wind.
"So be it! Since you won't listen to reason, you can all stay behind!"
Catching sight of the banner, the delicate woman froze for an instant, her face turning pale.
"A supreme-grade dharma artifact! It's the Azure Musk Flood Dragon Gathering Banner!"
"Run!"
With that cry, the three turned to flee.
Yet accompanied by a burst of laughter, dense white mist billowed from all directions, cutting off their path forward and their retreat alike.
"No, he laid a trapping formation in advance. He came prepared!"
"Realizing it too late! Why do you think I left the black market so early?"
Qiu Bai gave a sinister grin as fully thirty percent of his spiritual power erupted at once.
The next moment, three massive azure flood dragons burst forth, baring their fangs and brandishing their claws.
Wheeling once in the sky, they pounced toward the three below.
The trio were no sitting ducks either; each summoned a dharma artifact to fight back.
It had to be said that traveling peddlers who dared to wander far and wide, profiting off regional price differences, truly possessed respectable skill.
Facing the assault of a supreme-grade dharma artifact, they managed not to fall behind in the opening exchange.
Yet after only a brief clash, the female cultivator named Sima Huiniang's expression changed dramatically.
"Something's wrong! This artifact carries a green musk scent that clogs our spiritual power and drastically reduces our combat strength!"
"Eldest Brother, Third Brother, hold your breath!"
Sima Huiniang shouted, hurling out several talismans that detonated repeatedly against the surrounding white mist.
What she described was precisely one of the Azure Musk Flood Dragon Gathering Banner's traits that Tianxingzi had disclosed at the auction.
Up in the sky, the Qi Refinement Great Perfection cultivator named Qiu Bai sneered:
"Too late! Do you think covering your nose and mouth will save you?
"Tianxingzi never reveals every nuance of an artifact. Otherwise, wouldn't the buyer's tricks be laid bare to everyone?"
Sure enough, even though Sima Huiniang and the others held their breath as best they could...
...their spiritual power circulation still grew sluggish, only marginally better than before.
The musk-like scent seeped through the acupoints on their skin, steadily infiltrating their meridians.
"Second Sister, we can't escape! What do we do?"
"Huiniang, if this goes on, we're all going to die. I'll hold the rear—you two run!"
The eldest brother let out an enraged roar and tapped several spots on his body, an unnatural flush rising to his face.
Then, he swallowed a pill in one gulp.
In the blink of an eye, his aura surged by fully thirty percent.
From his corner, Luo Chen blinked.
The pill the eldest brother swallowed was none other than one of the Blood Burning Pills he had auctioned off.
He remembered it so vividly because this man had timed his bid impeccably, snagging a Blood Burning Pill for just eighty spirit stones.
That was the lowest winning price among all six pills.
Luo Chen had even grumbled internally at the time, wondering how someone could be so adept at auctions.
All the better!
This gave him a front-row seat to see how the Blood Burning Pill performed when taken by a late Qi Refinement cultivator.
As the pill took effect, the man's aura exploded upward, nearing Qiu Bai's Qi Refinement Great Perfection level.
The ring artifact in his hand blazed with light, instantly multiplying into three massive rings.
Each ring flew to encircle one of the relentless wood-attribute flood dragons.
From the looks of it, he intended to draw all three dragons into his own skirmish.
He was staying behind alone to cover their retreat, buying his brother and sister a chance to flee!
Regrettably...
The gap in cultivation between him and Qiu Bai was wide, and he was only wielding a high-grade artifact. How could he match a supreme-grade artifact unleashed by a Great Perfection expert?
After ensnaring just two flood dragons, his strength fell short.
Never mind a third—holding back two alone made him vomit blood, his robes tearing apart to reveal blood-oozing gashes.
"Spiritual power backlash?
"Or the pill's nature?
"The Blood Burning Pill is an evil pill refined with Explosive Ape demon blood as its core ingredient. The burden on the physical body is immense; this must be one of the pill's effects—albeit a negative one."
Crouched in the corner, Luo Chen swiftly recorded the pill's performance.
He noted this down as his third pill-testing trial.
The first was on a demon beast, and the second was conducted by Wang Yuan using a mid Qi Refinement cultivator.
And now, he had the best specimen possible: late Qi Refinement!
Confronted with the eldest brother's sudden eruption, Qiu Bai's expression darkened in midair.
Undoubtedly, this was the pill put up by that rogue cultivator after he had left the auction hall.
A pity he hadn't stayed, or he would have bought one as a reserve no matter what.
While Luo Chen was taking notes, the battle approached a fever pitch.
The eldest of the Three Sima Cultivators held off two wood dragons by himself, while the second, Sima Huiniang, struggled alone against the third.
Meanwhile, the third brother frantically bombarded the formation, trying to carve an exit.
Suddenly, a despairing shout rang out:
"Big Brother! Second Sister! It's no good—someone else is controlling this formation!"
No sooner had the words left his mouth than the eldest coughed up a huge mouthful of blood.
The wood dragons broke free of the ring artifact.
With a sharp snap, it shattered into pieces.
The man was flung backward by the immense concussive force.
"Little Brother, help me!"
Sima Huiniang cried out, flinging a talisman.
A protective light barrier expanded in an instant.
Knowing what the talisman did, the youngest brother rushed over immediately, pouring in his spiritual power to help sustain the barrier.
The eldest brother flew back from behind to pitch in as well.
In the blink of an eye, the three flood dragons were gnawing and slamming against the protective barrier.
The situation hung by a thread.
In the shadows, Luo Chen felt a sudden jolt.
All because of what the youngest brother had yelled: *someone else is controlling this formation!*
"There's someone else!
"Qiu Bai has an accomplice?"
Almost the moment the thought crossed his mind, a tremendous explosion detonated in another direction.
Yet it was only a single boom.
A moment later, an irritated voice sounded:
"Curse his mother! A mere fifth-level Qi Refinement dog dared to play the oriole behind our backs!"
A figure emerged from the white mist, dangling a mangled corpse in hand.
He glanced at the teetering Sima trio, then leaped up beside Qiu Bai, standing shoulder to shoulder.
His envious gaze landed on the great banner in Qiu Bai's grip.
"A supreme-grade dharma artifact truly wields boundless power!"
Qiu Bai laughed loudly. "Of course! It cost me nearly seven thousand spirit stones—wait!"
The man beside him changed color, hand half-raised, only to hear Qiu Bai continue:
"That old bastard Tianxingzi lied to me. He said a ninth-level Qi Refinement cultivator could use the Azure Musk Flood Dragon Gathering Banner twice, but even at Great Perfection with all my abundant spiritual power, I can still only use it twice!"
Hearing this, the companion secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
"Well, he didn't really lie to you. Isn't Great Perfection still the ninth level?"
"We can't drag this out any longer; delays breed complications! Liu Han, watch my back in a moment."
With that, Qiu Bai barked a low shout.
Instantly, a deluge of pure spiritual power surged forth like a roaring river.
"Roar!" "Roar!" "Roar!"
Three more flood dragons soared into the sky.
Under the despairing gazes of the Three Sima Cultivators, all six wood-attribute flood dragons slammed simultaneously into the light barrier enveloping them.
Even though they had triggered a Tier 2 defensive talisman, it could not withstand a full-power strike from a supreme-grade dharma artifact.
*Boom!*
A deafening roar erupted.
The explosive shockwave blasted the three several hundred meters away.
Blood sprayed recklessly while they were still airborne.
By the time they hit the ground, they lay motionless like discarded rags.
"Brother Qiu, slaying three peers single-handedly—truly domineering!"
Liu Han slapped Qiu Bai on the shoulder, showering him with praise.
Qiu Bai caught his breath and grinned, about to speak.
Suddenly, his pupils dilated.
"You bastard!"
"Heh heh."
Liu Han chuckled softly and leaped backward.
"Brother Qiu, why so angry? It's merely a curious little artifact I won at the Zhenlong Black Market. Consider it an invitation to appreciate its craftsmanship."
There on Qiu Bai's shoulder was a grotesque mouth that resembled a human's!
The mouth clamped down fiercely upon his flesh as deep, pitch-black radiance bloomed like a dark halo.
Qiu Bai's eyes bulged with rage and horror.
He froze in place, utterly paralyzed.
In the next breath, the dark halo enveloped his entire body.
Then—
*Hiss!*
He dissolved into smoke, leaving not a trace of bone behind.
A Qi Refinement Great Perfection expert had fallen just like that.
Only a storage bag and a great banner drifted lightly toward the ground.
Liu Han couldn't help exhaling. He had genuinely feared Qiu Bai's dying counterattack.
The man was a Great Perfection cultivator, after all; who knew whether claiming the artifact could only be used twice was a bluff?
Yet now that his single-use bizarre artifact had done its work, the outcome was set in stone.
With the legacy of a powerhouse like Qiu Bai plus whatever the Three Sima Cultivators had on them, along with his own preparations, he would be confident even exploring the Core Formation ruins alone.
Chuckling, he sent out two tendrils of spiritual power, reaching for the storage bag and the Azure Musk Flood Dragon Gathering Banner.
Yet in the next instant, stunned fury gripped him, and an expletive burst from his lips:
"You little bastard!"
A figure rose with the gale like a roc, bursting with blinding speed under the tempestuous storm.
So swift was he that in the blink of an eye, he had arrived right before the Azure Musk Flood Dragon Gathering Banner.
Surging spiritual power condensed into a giant hand that brushed aside Liu Han's tendril of power.
Snatching the great banner, the figure turned and fled.
Not only that, before departing, the figure unleashed two attacks.
One struck toward the midair storage bag, while the other hit a large millstone hidden within the white mist.
Liu Han's eyes nearly split with fury, rage blazing hot enough to consume him.
Storage bags had never been known for their sturdiness or stability.
Low-tier storage bags in particular were routinely ruined in battle.
When destroyed, most of their contents vanished into void, leaving only scraps behind.
This dog had not only stolen the supreme-grade artifact and fled, but also tried to leave him with nothing!
Without hesitation, Liu Han threw his all into intercepting the black attack.
*Thud!*
It felt like a gentle breeze brushing his face, lacking even the power of a low-grade dharma artifact...
Clutching the storage bag in one hand, Liu Han swiped at the air with the other, catching only a handful of jade powder carrying a faint burnt herbal scent.
"Don't let me find out who you are, or I'll skin you alive and pluck out your bones!"
Taking a deep breath, Liu Han consoled himself that he had at least secured Qiu Bai's storage bag, which held the entire wealth of a Qi Refinement Great Perfection expert.
Furthermore, the spoils of three ninth-level Qi Refinement cultivators lay on the ground.
The Three Sima Cultivators were itinerant merchants plying their trade between markets, and they had sold most of their goods today, meaning their wealth was bound to be substantial.
Substantial...
Liu Han stared dumbfounded at the ground. Where the three bodies should have been, there was now nothing at all.
"Where the hell are my three huge storage bags?!"
Chapter 128