Heaven Gate Opens, Ghost Market Appears

Heaven Gate Opens, Ghost Market Appears

The wilderness of Tianshiyuan lay in darkness. Only the outlines of mountains and the shadows of forests could be vaguely seen. Suddenly, radiance like rosy clouds burst through an abandoned grave!

That light transformed into countless characters, each as large as a bushel basket, layered like walls. They surged skyward from the tomb, ethereal and dazzling, splendid as embroidered brocade. Their brilliance lit the heavens, competing with the stars and moon!

"That is the grave of a Great Scholar."

Qiu Shuijing instructed them, saying, "While Great Scholars lived, they recited the writings of sages and governed the world through classical learning. The profound meanings within their writings were branded into their spirits and became Spiritual Abilities. After they died, their spirits did not disperse, nor did their abilities. At night, magnificent writings rose from their graves. Those writings are their Spiritual Abilities."

The Scholars looked around and saw graves throughout Tianshiyuan's barren mountains and wild ridges blooming with light of every color. In an instant, Tianshiyuan beneath the dark night became as bright as day.

Of course, this was what the Celestial Eye saw.

Ordinary people, with their mortal flesh and naked eyes, would never be able to see such a spectacle.

Above some graves were brocade-like writings. Above others sat great Buddhas upon lotus platforms, solemn in expression, their entire bodies shining with holy light, majestic and immense.

Some were jade palaces and jeweled towers, bricks and tiles stacked layer upon layer, carved beams and painted rafters, bracket sets supporting one another, winding corridors, and eaves reaching high like birds' beaks.

Some were flowers, trees, weapons, and vessels. Others were divine beasts such as dragons and phoenixes, or mountain sprites, water monsters, Demons, Ghosts and Gods—an overwhelming sight that left the eye dazzled.

These were the phenomena formed by Spiritual Abilities.

The Spiritual Abilities above the myriad graves had actually formed a resplendent, glittering gate. It rose from the countryside of Tianshiyuan and stood high in the air.

Countless strange characters paved a path from the ground into the sky, gleaming gold as they stretched all the way to the gate like a staircase.

Behind that gate stood a magnificent city of gold and jade, beautiful beyond compare, like a divine city in the heavens that compelled reverence.

The Scholars raised their heads and stared blankly at the gate and city in the sky, unable to recover their senses for a long while.

A female Scholar murmured, "So this is the Heaven Gate... The powerful figures buried here used their Spiritual Abilities to form this strange gate..."

Another Scholar suddenly shuddered. "Then the Ghost Market lies beyond the Heaven Gate! When the Heaven Gate appears, the ghostly pass opens, and countless ghosts and monsters emerge in the Night Market..."

The other Scholars' expressions changed slightly as they silently exchanged glances.

"When a person dies, their lamp goes out. Where could ghosts possibly come from? It is nothing more than religious nonsense meant to deceive people."

Qiu Shuijing's gaze was sharp as a sword as it swept over them. "It would be one thing for ignorant villagers in the mountains to say that. But you are all Scholars who have studied in official schools for years and cultivated your spirits. Why are you still so superstitious?"

With a flick of his sleeve, he stood there in awe-inspiring righteousness. "So-called demons, monsters, ghosts, and freaks are nothing more than human spirits causing mischief. Even so-called deities are formed from spirits! Some Spirit Scholars cultivate their spirits, and after death, their spirits do not perish. They attach themselves to birds and beasts in the wilderness, or to plants and trees, and thus become what people call demons, monsters, ghosts, and freaks!"

One Scholar asked, "Mister Shuijing, was that wild fox we encountered this evening also formed from a human spirit?"

"Not only was Mister Wild Fox formed from a spirit—even those little Fox Demons were human spirits as well."

Qiu Shuijing's great sleeves fluttered as he leaped down from the schoolhouse and walked toward the Heaven Gate. "Their spirits are too weak, muddled, and ignorant to manifest themselves. They can only attach themselves to birds and beasts, becoming Fox Demons. Because they are unenlightened, they often possess no humanity, only beastly nature. Beastly nature is cruel, so they must be subdued and eliminated."

Another Scholar asked, "What if they attach themselves to plants and trees?"

Qiu Shuijing said, "Then they are spirits. If they attach themselves to vessels, then they are freaks."

One Scholar asked curiously, "Then what if a spirit attaches itself to a person?"

Qiu Shuijing's face immediately darkened. In a chilling voice, he said, "That is a Human Demon! Human Demons are utterly wicked and evil, enemies of the entire world. No matter what, they must be eliminated!"

As they spoke, they had already arrived before the long staircase beneath the Heaven Gate, made from enormous characters.

Everyone looked up and saw every character radiating light. Faintly, they seemed to hear ancient sages reciting their own writings.

Qiu Shuijing stepped onto the staircase formed of words and walked toward the Heaven Gate one step at a time. In a grave voice, he said, "Once we reach the Heaven Gate and enter the Ghost Market, we must obey the Ghost Market's rules. You must not act recklessly. If you violate its rules, even I may not be able to protect you! Do you understand?"

It was the first time several Scholars had seen him so stern. Their hearts turned solemn.

"Listen carefully. The Ghost Market has three rules. The first rule: do not look directly into the eyes of Ghosts and Gods!"

Qiu Shuijing raised one finger. "If you look directly into the eyes of Ghosts and Gods, then within a single breath, gouge out your own eyes, hold them in your palms, and let the Ghosts and Gods take them!"

He raised a second finger. "The second rule: no bargaining! If you take a liking to a Ghost or God's treasure, step forward with your head bowed and ask. The Ghost or God will ask you to fulfill their final wish. If you believe you have the ability to accomplish it, then agree. If you lack the ability yet still covet the Ghost or God's treasure and try to bargain..."

Qiu Shuijing said icily, "Pull out your own tongue. Listen to me—you absolutely do not want the Ghosts and Gods of the Ghost Market to pull out your tongue themselves."

The Scholars shuddered repeatedly.

Qiu Shuijing continued, "The third rule: leave when the rooster crows. You must not linger!"

"What if we have not left when the rooster crows?" a young Scholar could not help asking.

The corner of Qiu Shuijing's eye twitched as he strode forward. "If you have not left after the rooster crows, you will disappear forever. I have never seen anyone walk out of the Ghost Market alive after dawn..."

Cold sweat beaded on the Scholars' foreheads. Their hearts quivered as they nervously followed behind Qiu Shuijing.

Though they were all children of wealthy Shuofang City families, born into renowned clans, they knew this teacher was no ordinary man. Even the heads and clan chiefs of their own families treated Mister Shuijing with utmost respect.

The prominent families of Shuofang City all knew that Tianshiyuan's Ghost Market was extraordinarily dangerous. Yet when they heard that Mister Shuijing would be taking them there, none stopped them. This showed just how much weight Mister Shuijing carried in the hearts of those great families.

Before they knew it, they had climbed the staircase made of characters into the sky. The cold wind howled like ghosts weeping, and the chill at such heights seeped into every inch of their bodies.

The crowd suddenly looked up and saw that the Heaven Gate was already beside them, hazy and unreal, as though formed from clouds.

At some point, they had already crossed into the Heaven Gate. Before them lay the renowned Ghost Market of Tianshiyuan!

When they had looked up from below, they had seen a resplendent divine city of gold and jade. But upon truly reaching the sky and passing through the Heaven Gate, that splendid divine city had become a place thick with ghostly air, stripped of all its brilliance and beauty!

All that remained were dim streets, gloomy houses on both sides, ghost flames floating by the roadside, and Ghosts and Gods hidden one after another in the shadows!

Or rather, the spirits of the dead!

Though they knew that talk of Ghosts and Gods was false, and though the Scholars themselves cultivated spirits, once they truly arrived here, they could not help feeling uneasy.

Before the Ghosts and Gods in the shadows lay one glittering treasure after another.

These treasures were also called Grave Goods—the things buried in tombs.

Tianshiyuan had many great tombs, and Precious Treasures were hidden within them. Yet no one dared rob those graves, for the Ghosts and Gods were the owners of those tombs.

They brought out the treasures from their own graves and waited quietly for those destined to come, hoping someone would fulfill the wishes they had failed to complete.

Tianshiyuan's Ghost Market had existed for hundreds, even thousands of years. Wishes that were easy to fulfill had long since been fulfilled. The wishes left by the remaining Ghosts and Gods were all wishes that could not be fulfilled.

But since ancient times, wealth had stirred people's hearts—let alone the treasures of Ghosts and Gods.

Thus, throughout history, countless people had entered the Ghost Market and taken the treasures of Ghosts and Gods, only to fail to fulfill their wishes. They often died unnatural deaths, in the most miserable fashion.

Worse still, some who thought themselves extraordinarily powerful had gathered crowds and charged into the Ghost Market to seize treasure. In the end, they died without leaving whole corpses behind, their blood staining the Ghost Market red and merely adding to its fearsome reputation.

"I know that an important figure has just passed away and was buried in Tianshiyuan. Besides bringing you here to broaden your horizons, there is another reason for this visit."

Qiu Shuijing led them down the streets of the Ghost Market. Ghost flames glimmered faintly on both sides, and they were likely the eyes of the Ghosts and Gods hidden in the shadows. Qiu Shuijing continued, "That important figure had many wishes while alive, but now he has died with them unfulfilled. Perhaps you may obtain some of his burial objects... Hm?"

Qiu Shuijing suddenly stopped. The Scholars behind him nearly crashed into him and hurriedly came to a halt.

Qiu Shuijing stared ahead blankly, his expression full of uncertainty.

The Scholars hurriedly followed his gaze and froze as well.

Ahead, on the street of the Ghost Market, a young man sat primly by the roadside. A harmless smile rested on his face, and a small stall had been set up at his feet.

Several burial objects were displayed on that stall!

"That Little Blind Person!"

A female Scholar cried out, "It is that Little Blind Person from the schoolhouse!"

The youth by the street was the very boy they had encountered at the schoolhouse, the one studying alongside Mister Wild Fox and a group of little Fox Demons!

"Su Yun!" Qiu Shuijing lowered his voice, but could not conceal its weight.

The Little Blind Person by the street seemed to hear them. He turned his head to "look" toward them and gave them a sweet smile, innocent and pure.