"What do you take this Yin Spirit Pill for? One of these pills is enough to make me feel bad for months. You want more? No way!" The Soul-Snatching Horse-Face's cheek muscles twitched slightly as he rebuked him.
"I never said I'd shamelessly ask for it for free. If you're willing to sell it, I'll sell everything I own to save up and buy it," Shen Luo said, still unwilling to give up.
"Giving you one for free this time is already breaking the rules; as for more, don't even think about it," said the Soul-Snatching Horse-Face with a flick of his sleeve.
"This isn't something given away for free. Going to Hidden Wind Valley with you is the price to pay, isn't it?" Shen Luo didn't say anything more, but muttered to himself.
However, deep down, he was quite grateful to the Soul-Snatching Horse-Face.
"Senior, is there really no other way to obtain this Yin Spirit Pill?" Shen Luo asked seriously.
"It's not entirely without a solution," said the Soul-Snatching Horse-Face after a slight hesitation.
"Please enlighten me, senior," Shen Luo said quickly, overjoyed.
"Do you remember the special mission I mentioned to you last time, the one in the Underworld that only cultivators at the Mortal Realm Soul Condensation Stage or above in the mortal realm are qualified to participate in?" asked the Soul-Snatching Horse-Face.
"Of course I remember. You said that these kinds of cultivators can obtain special benefits by completing tasks. Could the Yin Spirit Pill be one of them?" Shen Luo asked.
"Through missions, you can indeed exchange for pills, and not just Yin Spirit Pill, but also other higher-level pills. In fact, there are many other benefits, such as the consumable Spirit-Linking Contract mentioned earlier, which can summon other Yin Soldiers Ghost General from the Underworld to assist you. Also, you can be allowed to enter some Ghost Domain Underworld controlled by the underworld..." said the Soul-Snatching Horse-Face.
"These are privileges only available to cultivators in the Soul Condensation Stage. I'm still far from that level," Shen Luo said, initially delighted but then somewhat disappointed.
"Have you ever heard of the Ghost Market?" the Soul-Snatching Horse-Face asked in return.
"I've read about Ghost Market in ancient books. They say that at certain times and in certain special places, a place where the Yin and Yang realms intersect will appear. Ghost Market will appear there, a place where ghosts from the Netherworld trade. If people from the Mortal Realm accidentally enter it, they will often be deceived by Endless Ghost Stories and buy a bunch of paper effigies in exchange for a lot of useless ghost money," Shen Luo said after thinking for a moment.
"These are all wild guesses from worldly people. Some have even written absurd stories about spitting ghosts out of the sky and turning them into goats to sell in the Ghost Market. The real Ghost Market is a place where cultivators from the Mortal Realm trade with ghosts from the Netherworld. I can't give you the Yin Spirit Pill you want directly, but there might be a way to get it over there," said the Soul-Snatching Horse-Face unhurriedly.
"I hope you can tell me when and where the Ghost Market will open?" Shen Luo asked hurriedly, a thought crossing his mind.
"Stop! Whether I can tell you about the Ghost Market depends on how you perform in this trip to Hidden Wind Valley," the Soul-Snatching Horse-Face said calmly, raising a hand to Shen Luo.
"Don't worry, senior! Even without the Ghost Market incident, I would have given it my all. My cultivation has improved by two minor realms this time. Putting aside everything else, my Magic Power is indeed much more abundant. I should be able to use the Falling Thunder Talisman twice without any problem, which should be enough to deal with some emergencies," Shen Luo said with a smile.
"That's good. Let's not delay, let's set off now." The Soul-Snatching Horse-Face's expression softened slightly, and he nodded.
After that, he twisted the talisman in his hand, grabbed Shen Luo's shoulder again, performed the escape technique, and soon left the underground cave.
When the two emerged from underground, they were already standing in front of a valley.
Shen Luo looked up at the sun and realized that it was noon, the time when the yang energy was at its peak. However, a cool breeze was blowing from the valley in front of him, which was quite penetrating.
He shifted his gaze to the entrance of the valley, where a layer of pale white mist shrouded the area, wafting slightly outwards. As he looked deeper inside, the mist grew even thicker, obscuring everything.
" The Yin Baleful Qi here is even stronger than when I last came. Look at the sky above the valley; it's also tainted by this malevolent energy. Something's not right," the Soul-Snatching Horse-Face said slowly.
Upon hearing this, Shen Luo looked up at the sky and noticed an oval-shaped black cloud floating in the void directly above the valley. At first glance, it seemed normal, but upon closer inspection, one could see that mist was swirling inside, and the faces of vengeful spirits were faintly emerging, looking ferocious and terrifying.
"Dark clouds loom overhead, and the malevolent aura is subdued; it certainly looks like a very ominous place," Shen Luo said, withdrawing his gaze and agreeing wholeheartedly.
As the two were talking and preparing to enter the valley, they suddenly heard a commotion coming from afar outside the valley.
The Soul-Snatching Horse-Face then tugged at Shen Luo's shoulder, pulling him behind a huge rock in the distance.
Soon, a group of people approached from the distance. Shen Luo immediately recognized the leader as a man in his thirties, dressed in a scholar's robe, with a handsome and refined appearance. Who else could it be but Bai Hecheng, the head of the Bai Family?
Following closely behind him was a short, gray-robed old man with a thin face and gray hair; it was Bai Jiangfeng.
Besides the two of them, there were four or five other figures following behind them. Judging from their attire, they were all retainers of the Bai Family. Among them, the most eye-catching was Xie Yuxin, a female cultivator with a graceful figure dressed in red.
Master Daoist Bai Shui, and Feng Ling, who was waving a folding fan, were also in the group, but Wu Tong and Chu Li were nowhere to be seen.
In addition, Shen Luo also saw another familiar face. She was thin with silver hair pulled back and looked energetic. She was none other than the Fifth Madam who guarded the secret chamber at the bottom of the Bai Family Lake.
"Not only is the patriarch leading the team personally, but even that Fifth Madam has come along. It seems the Bai Family is determined to take the top spot on the Ghost-Hunting List this time. This makes things easier for you." Shen Luo swallowed, glanced at Horse Face, and said with a smile.
"With such a small force, without any special preparations, they'd likely face dire consequences once they entered the valley. However, having someone lead the charge is not bad," said the Soul-Snatching Horse-Face coldly.
Shen Luo's heart tightened, a hint of hesitation flashed in his eyes, and then he lifted his foot, ready to walk out immediately.
"What are you doing?" The Soul-Snatching Horse-Face stopped him and asked in a low voice.
"Since they are not strong enough, of course we have to stop them. I don't care about others, but the Bai Family and I have a special relationship. I can't just watch Bai Hecheng and Bai Jiangfeng go to their deaths," Shen Luo said.
"Who said they were sent to their deaths? Haven't you figured out the purpose of our trip?" said the Soul-Snatching Horse-Face.
"Senior, do you mean to have them stir up trouble and attract the attention of the ghosts in the valley, so we can go straight to the heart of the matter and find the source of the Yin Fiend?" Shen Luo was taken aback, and then asked.