Li Yuan moved through the Netherworld Ghost Market like a phantom.
He seemed to wander aimlessly, but his gaze was a perfectly precise sieve, filtering through the chaos around him. The weapons stained with resentment on the stalls, the sinister bone artifacts, the materials radiating ominous energy—none stirred the slightest interest in him. The Crimson Sun in his qi sea instinctively rejected these sinister things and yearned to burn them to ashes.
He was searching for something deeper: an aura of the same origin as the Netherworld Soul Chasing Token in his arms, or any clue that might point to the higher ranks of the Netherworld Cult and the secrets behind the so-called "Sacred Sacrifice."
The Ghost Market was crowded, but everyone kept their guard up. Beneath the hoods and masks lurked greedy, wary, or numb eyes. Li Yuan could sense several furtive gazes lingering on him, especially as they swept over the seemingly ordinary cloth pouch at his waist. Inside were the ghost-faced token and account book he had obtained from Poison Fang. But perhaps the name "Black Mountain Fiend Star" was beginning to spread, or perhaps they sensed the volcanic aura contained within him. No one dared approach and provoke him.
He stopped in front of a stall selling all kinds of strange ore. The vendor was a hunched old man wrapped in a black robe, showing only a pair of withered hands like chicken claws. He was fiddling with several black stones that radiated a faint, chilly energy, similar to ones Li Yuan had obtained before.
Li Yuan crouched and casually picked up a stone. It was icy to the touch, and a viscous darkness seemed to flow within it.
"How much?" he asked in a hoarse voice, deliberately altering his pitch a little.
The old man