The Po Family Market

Generally, markets that traded in Demon Beast carcasses were located fairly close to the sea.

Those in the central region were no exception.

Shops trading in Demon Beast hides and pelts were extremely common in the Chaotic Star Sea. It was a perfectly legitimate and profitable business.

The Demon Beast market in the central region was called Voidbreak Market, and it was practically a household name in this little patch of territory known as the Guluan Islands.

After making a few changes to disguise himself, Lu Shang did not head straight for Voidbreak Market.

Instead, he spent a good while searching the nearby waters.

Although Demon Beasts were fairly numerous in the sea, finding one of fifth rank or higher in the vast waters surrounding the Guluan Islands was genuinely difficult.

While roaming around, Lu Shang encountered at least a hundred third- and Fourth-Stage Demon Beasts, but he never found a single one of fifth stage or above.

To make matters worse, divine sense was not as effective underwater as it was on land.

After nearly half a day without finding a Demon Beast of fifth stage or above, Lu Shang decided that killing more third- and Fourth-Stage Demon Beasts would do.

Yet just as Lu Shang had nearly finished killing all the third- and Fourth-Stage Demon Beasts within a hundred li, an exceedingly unlucky Fifth-Stage Demon Beast appeared in his sight.

It was a Reedback Carp, unfortunate enough to be discovered here by Lu Shang.

Even after realizing that Lu Shang, this harbinger of doom, was right here, a Fifth-Stage Demon Beast like it would never flee.

A fifth-rank beast barely possessed the strength of an early Core Formation Stage cultivator, but without awakened intelligence, encountering a human Core Formation Cultivator meant asking for trouble.

And this one had encountered Lu Shang, no less.

Lu Shang fixed his eyes on the Fifth-Stage Demon Beast.

The Fifth-Stage Demon Beast seemed to notice Lu Shang as well and swiftly charged at him.

After searching for so long, Lu Shang felt a surge of anger from who knew where.

Seeing a mere fifth-rank Demon Beast dare charge at him like this truly stoked his temper.

With nowhere else to vent his anger, Lu Shang unleashed his full power.

In an instant, Lu Shang activated the third level of the Wild Desolation True Demon Art.

A four-armed demonic body more than ten zhang tall appeared in the blink of an eye.

It radiated a dazzling red light in the dark depths of the sea.

Lu Shang also rushed toward the Demon Beast.

Within moments, the distance between man and Demon Beast rapidly closed.

The eyes of Lu Shang's four-armed demonic body shone red, as though his own anger were spilling out through them.

The instant man and beast collided, a red arm pierced straight through the Demon Beast.

In moments, the Fifth-Stage Demon Beast's blood filled the surrounding water.

I misjudged my strength and pierced it straight through. They were both Fifth-Stage Demon Beasts, yet this one's defenses were even weaker than the last one's, Lu Shang thought as he looked at the impaled beast.

Lu Shang extracted its Demon Core and placed it in a Storage Bag along with the carcass.

"Next, it's time to take a look at Voidbreak Market."

Lu Shang's plan was to disguise himself as a Qi Refining Stage disciple and claim that he had happened upon the Demon Beast carcass while out at sea.

After all, as long as they did not discover that Lu Shang was a middle Core Formation cultivator, what Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator would let such an opportunity slip by?

Since they dared to do something like this, it certainly would not be their first time, nor would it be their last.

Even if they realized there was something unusual about Lu Shang, he could rely on his cultivation to turn the entire central region upside down.

That would pose no difficulty or danger to Lu Shang.

It would merely take a little more time. Still, since the trouble had been incurred on his account, Lu Shang intended to get to the bottom of it.

Voidbreak Market was located on an island in the central region.

It was also the home base of several Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators.

There was only one harbor here, reserved specifically for members of their own families.

Voidbreak Market itself had been built inside one of the cave abodes.

By the time Lu Shang entered Voidbreak Market, the sky had already darkened.

There were still quite a few people inside, however.

Sellers, buyers, merchants, and so on.

A sweep of Lu Shang's divine sense revealed that most of the people here were mere mortals.

And they were all gathered near the cave entrance.

There was absolutely no way these people could afford the carcass and core of a Fifth-Stage Demon Beast.

Unless a Foundation Establishment cultivator took action, the only way to swiftly subdue someone as experienced as Steward Chang would be through sheer numbers.

Of course, that meant little to Lu Shang.

Lu Shang walked to a shop at the very back.

He had come here because his divine sense had detected a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator overseeing the shop.

Lu Shang walked up outside the shop and addressed a Qi Refining Stage cultivator. "Could you call the owner out?"

Lu Shang had deliberately adopted this guise.

He believed that to make them lower their guard, he needed to genuinely act the part of a Qi Refining Stage cultivator.

He had even altered his appearance.

"Whatever it is, you can talk to me. Do you have some Demon Beast you want to sell here?" asked the man, who looked to be in his early thirties.

Working for the central region had clearly given him plenty of confidence.

Even when facing a cultivator, he showed no courtesy whatsoever.

Lu Shang feigned an explanation. "I'm afraid this isn't a deal you can handle."

Hearing this, the man immediately felt that Lu Shang was looking down on him, and his expression changed at once.

He stood up and snapped, "Hah! A deal I can't handle?"

"Well... I'm afraid you really can't handle this one," Lu Shang said, rejecting him again.

"Take it out. Let's see what you have that I can't make a decision on," the man said, pointing at Lu Shang.

Just then, a fat middle-aged man with a greasy face emerged.

The moment the other man saw him, he hurried over, bowed, and said ingratiatingly, "Boss Po."

The fat middle-aged man looked at Lu Shang, then at the other man, seemingly puzzled.

The fat man asked the shop assistant, "What's going on? I'm resting inside, and you're out here making such a racket. Where are your manners?"

Seeing the middle-aged man's temper flare, the shop assistant immediately grew frightened.

"Forgive me, Boss Po! It's all because of this man. He came here to sell a Demon Beast, but he insisted I wasn't qualified to handle it."

As he spoke, the shop assistant extended a hand and pointed at Lu Shang's nose.

The fat man turned his gaze back to Lu Shang.

Only then did he notice that the aura slowly emerging from Lu Shang was precisely that of an early Qi Refining Stage cultivator.

"Oh! So you're only at the Qi Refining Stage. With all that airs, I thought you were some Core Formation Stage cultivator."

Seeing that Lu Shang was merely an early Qi Refining Stage cultivator, the fat middle-aged man no longer bothered to look pleasant.

With that, he was ready to send Lu Shang away.

"Wait. You might not find what I have worthless, shopkeeper!"

As he spoke, Lu Shang took out a Storage Bag.

Seeing Lu Shang produce a Storage Bag, the middle-aged man realized that he might possess a little wealth after all.

"Hand it over. Let me see just what it is."

With that, the middle-aged man unhesitatingly reached out to snatch it from Lu Shang's hand.

He took it in a single grab.

A moment later, a glimmer of delighted surprise appeared in the middle-aged man's eyes, difficult to conceal.

Seeing this, the shop assistant hurriedly asked, "Boss Po, what exactly is in there?"

"Get lost. You really have no sense."

As he spoke, he shoved the oblivious shop assistant aside.

"Please come inside. What you have here is indeed quite good, but I still have a few questions to ask you."

As he spoke, the middle-aged man extended a hand, gesturing for Lu Shang to enter.

Lu Shang had come to find someone, so naturally he intended to see just what tricks this man had up his sleeve.

And so Lu Shang stepped ahead of him.

Watching Lu Shang enter, the middle-aged man revealed a sinister smile.

The shop assistant, who had been shoved aside, saw it and immediately felt a chill run through his whole body.

"Close the shop as soon as I go inside," Boss Po ordered the shop assistant.

"But..."

The word had barely left his mouth when he caught sight of Boss Po's icy expression and immediately stopped.

"Yes!"