The scale of Myriad Spirits Market far exceeded Li Wuyang's imagination.
From afar, it was no simple marketplace, but a massive city built along the mountainside, composed of countless buildings in wildly different styles! There were towering jade palaces that pierced the clouds, huge rugged stone fortresses, pavilions and towers hidden amid mist and clouds, and cave dwellings carved directly into the mountain walls. Multicolored lights flowed everywhere, formations flickered in and out of view, and innumerable strange creatures came and went. Demonic aura, spiritual aura, bloodlust, and even faint devilish aura mingled together, creating a bustling, bizarre, and magnificent primeval scene!
At the city entrance stood powerful restrictions and tall guards. One Low-grade Spirit Stone was required for entry.
After digging through a pile of miscellaneous junk in his Void-Concealing Pouch, Li Wuyang finally found several stones that appeared to be Low-grade Spirit Stones. After paying, he entered the market without issue.
The moment he entered the city, an even greater wave of noise rushed toward him.
The broad streets—if they could even be called streets—were paved with enormous blue stone slabs. Shops lined both sides, while vendors crowded every corner. Hawking, haggling, the neighing of mounts, and the booms of spell testing... filled the air without end.
The goods for sale were even more varied: ores gleaming in every color, spirit herbs emitting medicinal fragrances, weapons flashing with cold light, rare beasts sealed in cages, jade slips recording cultivation techniques, even vendors selling information and posting tasks...
The Demon Race, Witch Clan, Human Race—though there were few of them—various sprites, and even elemental lifeforms rubbed shoulders. Most remained wary of one another, but under the market's rules, they managed to coexist peacefully.
Li Wuyang's eyes were dazzled, like a country bumpkin entering a grand estate for the first time.
"Now this is more like it! This finally looks a little like a civilized society!" He was thrilled as he rode Huaihuai, bringing Little Fire and Yingying along as he wandered about curiously. Little Fire's huge size drew quite a few sideways glances, but with all manner of rare and exotic beasts in the market, it was not especially conspicuous.
He first found a shop that looked fairly reliable and traded several unused ores for some Low-grade and Mid-grade Spirit Stones. At last, he had a bit of "money."
Then he began his shopping—wandering—trip.
He saw a shop selling spirit pills and went in to ask about the prices. Even the most ordinary healing pills cost several Mid-grade Spirit Stones, leaving him speechless.
He saw a shop selling magical robes. Their defensive power looked decent, but they were outrageously expensive, and he did not care much for the styles.
He saw a shop selling flying artifacts—flying swords, gourds, flying boats—and they made his eyes burn with desire. But one look at the prices immediately put him off.
"Sigh, looks like I still need to figure out how to make money..." Li Wuyang sighed, deeply appreciating the truth that without money, one could not take a single step forward. Even in this primeval world, it was the same.
As he wandered around, he reached a relatively secluded area. The buildings here were cruder, the atmosphere somewhat eerie, and there were few pedestrians.
A scrawny old man with shifty eyes and a worn Daoist robe suddenly sidled up to him and lowered his voice. "Fellow Daoist, I can tell at a glance that you're an expert who knows quality! I've got some newly arrived 'good stuff' here, guaranteed to be worth every penny. Interested in taking a look?"
Li Wuyang eyed him warily. "What good stuff?"
The old man mysteriously glanced around, then pulled a blackened, rust-covered object from his sleeve. It looked like the corner of some kind of token, engraved with blurry flame patterns. "See this? It's an ancient treasure that came from deep within Buzhou Mountain! They say it's connected to the Fire God Zhurong! Only ten... no, five High-grade Spirit Stones!"
Li Wuyang examined it. The broken token carried no spiritual aura at all, and the patterns were crude, as though they had been carved carelessly. He curled his lip. "Do you take me for an idiot? You picked this thing up off the roadside, didn't you?"
The old man's face reddened, but he was not discouraged. He pulled out several more items. "Then take a look at these! Ten-Thousand-Year Warm Jade! A True Phoenix Feather! A Chaos Primordial Stone left behind when Pangu split open the heavens!"
Without exception, every one was fake.
Li Wuyang could not be bothered with him and turned to leave.
The old man panicked and grabbed him. "Fellow Daoist, don't go! I really do have good stuff! I can tell we were destined to meet, so I'll take you somewhere. I guarantee it has genuine goods, and they're cheap too!"
Li Wuyang was annoyed by his pestering, but curiosity also got the better of him. "Where is it? Is it far?"
"Not far, not far! It's in that alley over there. There's a temporary market with all sorts of goods that can't see the light of day..." The old man pointed toward a deep, dark alley.
Li Wuyang might not have been highly skilled, but he was bold. Besides, he believed he had some trump cards, so he said, "Lead the way!"
The old man beamed and hurriedly led the way.
After turning through countless twists and bends, they entered a dead-end alley. At its end stood only a dilapidated wooden door.
"Here it is!" The old man pushed open the door. It was pitch-black inside, and a musty smell wafted out.
Li Wuyang frowned, feeling that something was off, but he followed him inside anyway.
The moment he stepped in, the wooden door behind him slammed shut with a bang!
At the same time, several pairs of glowing green eyes lit up in the darkness, filled with greed and hunger!
A thick stench of blood and savage demonic aura spread through the air!
"Hehehe... another blind fat sheep has come knocking!" a hoarse voice cackled.
"Big Brother, there's even a Sky-Gazing Roarer this time! It's injured, but its bloodline is extraordinary. What a tonic!"
"That Heavenly Horse isn't bad either! And that little sprite looks delicious!"
Li Wuyang's heart skipped a beat!
He had been tricked! This was not a black market—it was a black shop! No, it was a ferocious beast den!
He focused his eyes and saw four or five demons crouching in the darkness. They had not fully transformed and still retained many beastlike features. Their fangs protruded, drool dripped from their mouths, and they stared at them with ill intent.
Their leader was a wolf-headed demon cultivator with a human body. His cultivation had actually reached the Spirit Refinement and Void Return realm! He was an entire major realm above Li Wuyang!
"Kid, hand over your Spirit Stones, treasures, and those beasts of yours. Then we'll give you a quick death!" The wolf demon licked his claws and grinned viciously.
Li Wuyang's face turned pale. He instinctively took a step back, his back pressing against the tightly shut wooden door.
Huaihuai pawed the ground anxiously, Little Fire let out a threatening growl, and Yingying hid fearfully behind Li Wuyang's head.
It was over... He had only just entered the market, and he had already fallen into a den of thieves?
This time, he really had become ingredients for an "all-meat feast"?!
(End of Chapter Twelve)
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