Yin Stone Seal

On the other side, several young masters and mistresses in flashy, unmasked attire walked in, surrounded by four or five elite guards, their expressions a mix of curiosity and slight arrogance.

Three men and two women, they were clearly here to see the world; they found the gloomy, eerie atmosphere of the Ghost Market both novel and somewhat uncomfortable, pointing and gesturing as their voices rang out with jarring clarity in the silent market.

Several stall owners and buyers frowned, casting cold, subtle glares in their direction.

The guards following behind the group suddenly felt their scalps tingle, as if they were lambs who had wandered into a tiger's den.

"Tsk, what is that smell? It's even more pungent than the salted fish in the wharf warehouses."

Fat Young Master Three wiped his sweat again, his chubby face twisted in disgust.

He caught sight of an open clay pot at a nearby stall, filled with a pitch-black substance; bubbles seemed to be slowly rising on the surface, emitting an indescribable, fishy stench.

"What kind of trash are they selling here? Only a ghost would want this!"

The fat man's disdain sounded exceptionally harsh in the pin-drop silence of the Ghost Market.

The few cold, subtle gazes now carried a hint of tangible chill.

Li Zhong, the head guard, felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up and whispered urgently, "Young Master, watch your tongue! This place is no ordinary spot..."

Before he could finish, the stall owner behind the clay pot—who had been resting with his eyes closed—slowly opened them, his pitch-black pupils rotating to fixate on the fat young master.

Stung by that gaze, the fat young master shivered inexplicably, yet he puffed out his chest and muttered, "What are you looking at..."

Just then, an anomaly occurred!

The thick, black liquid in the clay pot surged upward without warning.

Instead of spilling over the rim, it coalesced about a foot above the pot into a distorted black human face, lunging toward the fat young master!

A frigid, sinister aura instantly permeated the air.

"Ah--!" The two female companions shrieked in terror, their faces drained of color.

The fat young master was so frightened he nearly lost his soul, stumbling backward and nearly knocking over a neighboring stall.

Just as the black human face was about to strike the fat young master, a hand with prominent knuckles reached out from the side.

The fingers splayed wide, the palm turning crimson in an instant as a surge of scorching life force erupted!

"Hmph!"

A short, sharp grunt rang out.

It was Li Zhong who had struck.

"Sshhh!"

The black face was instantly pierced through, leaving a large hole as the black mist at the edges roiled violently.

The frigid aura was struck by the scorching life force and immediately faded by more than half.

Li Zhong's face turned pale instantly, the crimson glow on his palm fading rapidly, replaced by a faint, greenish-black haze.

He let out a muffled groan and retreated three steps, his right arm trembling slightly; clearly, the collision between his life force and the Sha had taken a toll on him.

The remaining mist of the black face retreated into the pot, which hummed and vibrated a few times before falling silent.

The stall owner's murky eyes swept over Li Zhong before closing once more, choosing not to pursue the matter, though the eerie atmosphere around his stall grew even thicker.

Li Zhong took a deep breath, suppressing the discomfort in his arm, and cupped his hands toward the stall owner, "Many thanks... for not striking again."

Li Jinrong, the fat young master, was already pale as a sheet, and the others were as silent as cicadas in winter.

Their curiosity and arrogance had been thoroughly shattered, leaving only lingering fear.

"Let's go, this is no place to linger."

Li Zhong made a prompt decision, no longer allowing the young masters and mistresses to wander, and signaled the guards to surround them and move quickly toward a brighter area of the Ghost Market.

The group wound through several turns until they reached a relatively open intersection.

Rarely, a few wind-proof lanterns hung here; though the light remained dim and yellow, it was much brighter than before.

The stalls here were also more orderly, looking more like legitimate businesses.

The largest stall among them was covered with a heavy black cloth, upon which sat not tools or medicinal herbs, but gray-black stones of varying sizes and shapes.

The surfaces of the stones were rough and unremarkable, yet under the lamplight, one could faintly see a dull, ghostly glow flickering beneath the stone skin.

Staring at them for too long made one's mind feel hazy, as if it were being pulled inside.

The stall owner was a burly, one-eyed man with a shaved head, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, ignoring the passersby.

A wooden sign stood in front of the stall, with three ferocious characters written in cinnabar.

Yin Stone Seal.

Li Zhong brought the shaken group to the stall, seemingly relaxing slightly as he explained in a low voice, "Young masters and mistresses, this item is called a Yin Stone Seal."

Fat Young Master Three steadied himself, looked at the stones, and asked in confusion, "Uncle Li, what is this? Gambling on stones?"

"In a way, yes, but also no." Li Zhong shook his head, "These are corpse-wrapping stones occasionally found deep within extreme Yin Sha veins. They naturally isolate spiritual energy and block thoughts; no one knows what is sealed inside."

"It could be the remains of an ancient cultivator, broken artifacts, or lost jade slips of cultivation techniques... or perhaps, it could be a Sha object of extreme Yin and evil, or even a sealed malevolent soul."

"Is it really that ominous?" Fat Young Master Three, whose complexion had regained a bit of color, felt his interest piqued again and leaned in to look. "Then how do you determine the price? Are the big ones more expensive?"

"Usually, yes." Li Zhong nodded. "The larger the stone, the heavier or more complete the item sealed inside might be, so the price is naturally higher."

"But that's not absolute. Some small stones might actually contain something deadly."

He glanced at the one-eyed stall owner. "The stall owners here only sell the stones; they don't open them. If you really want to open one, you have to find a professional stone-cutter. The fee is separate, and it must be opened in public—you cannot take it away."

Chen Mo listened quietly from not far away, his gaze sweeping over those dusty Yin Stone Seals.

He tried to touch one with his spiritual sense, but it was like a clay ox entering the sea; it was instantly blocked and absorbed.

Beneath the stone skin, everything was chaotic, and he could not perceive a single thing.

Isolating spiritual sense and cutting off thoughts—the gamble was on the unknown.

It was precisely because of this unknown that there was a possibility of finding the precious medicinal herbs he needed or treasures capable of extending his lifespan.

The old man who had sold the Red Sun Blood Crystal earlier told him that unless he could find those specific materials, not even a deity could save him in his current condition.

With a heavy heart, Chen Mo followed Li Jinrong and his group to the Yin Stone Seal stall.

He did not rush to pick one, but instead stood on the periphery, observing quietly for a while.

In front of the stall, Li Jinrong was boisterously picking out stones, specifically choosing the large ones and touching those with smooth, pleasing surfaces, while commenting, "This one is big enough, looks solid! This one... tsk, why is it so rough?"

Several guards were scattered around, while Li Zhong followed closely behind Li Jinrong, his gaze scanning the stall and the one-eyed owner with vigilance.

However, his right arm remained slightly unnaturally stiff; it was clear that the backlash from dispersing the black-faced man earlier had not yet fully subsided.

Chen Mo waited until Li Jinrong had settled on a basin-sized stone before stepping forward, his gaze falling upon the patch of grayish-black stones.

He did not look only at the size and appearance like Li Jinrong, but instead reached out his right hand to touch them one by one.