Deep in the Market, the Presence of Immortals and Gods

"So that's where the doubt lies."

Yu Tunzhou gazes down.

"It's a pity I don't know where Deng Canglan went, otherwise I might be able to find him and ask him about it."

"Brother Yu, let's change our appearances and explore White Dragon Pass. Senior Brother Jin must have a reason for bringing us here." Zhang Buyu took out a disguise mask, then suddenly paused.

This disguise mask was given to him by his master before he and his Senior Brother Jin went down the mountain.

It seems like many things didn't seem like a big deal before, but looking at them now...

He quickly gathered his thoughts, looked up, and asked, "Brother Yu, do you possess the art of disguise?"

Yu Tunzhou, using his internal energy to alter his bone structure, making his face unremarkable, with slightly dark skin and a rough temperament, looking like a rough man who had been wandering the world for many years.

He possesses the Eight-Nine Mysterious Art, making it easy for him to change his form. Once he breaks through to the fourth level, he will gradually acquire the same transformation abilities as the Brother Monkey.

The two changed their clothes and mingled into the crowd in the market. Yu Tunzhou walked with heavy steps, each step making a dull thud, behaving like a rough and brute.

Zhang Buyu followed half a step behind him, his eyes lowered.

As Yu Tunzhou entered the market, he felt more than ten pairs of eyes fall on him from different directions.

Those gazes, hidden under the eaves and behind the attic windows, sometimes bright, sometimes dim, carried a cold indifference as they scrutinized their prey. Some of them were particularly malevolent, scraping across the back of his neck like knives.

Yu Tunzhou remained unfazed, his steps unwavering. He simply turned his head slowly, glaring back at everyone from left to right, his gaze carrying a subtle warning imbued with the power of his Primordial Spirit.

Those around realized he was a tough opponent and gradually withdrew their gaze.

The market town of White Dragon Pass was also much larger than the two had expected.

The road beneath our feet is a solid dirt track, lined with stalls on both sides, stretching all the way to the bend in the canyon.

The air was filled with a mixture of smells of blood, medicine, sweat, and other strange, unidentified odors.

The stalls stood side by side, selling a wide variety of things: blood-stained Demon Beast pelts, poisonous herbs gleaming with an eerie light, sinister-looking Evil Artifact, assassination jobs with bounties on the head, and supplementary materials for cultivating Devil Cultivation Method.

"It really is the black market," Zhang Buyu transmitted his voice. He had grown up on Floating Hill Mountain and had never seen such a dirty and chaotic scene.

I've never seen Yu Tunzhou before; I've certainly learned something new today.

After walking around once, Zhang Buyu wanted to turn around and take another look.

"I just noticed a few stalls that seemed to have hidden back rooms, and the ones displayed outside were just for show."

Yu Tunzhou stopped and shook his head. "Searching like this is like a headless fly bumping around; we have no idea what we're looking for. Since you think this matter might be related to Yao Liang, then use him as a clue and go directly to the person in charge here."

Zhang Buyu hesitated and asked, "You mean... that External Scenery from the Five Rivers Chamber of Commerce?"

"The External Scenery doesn't show up easily; they usually just keep things under control. The real managers are the people below." Yu Tunzhou's gaze swept around, but he didn't see the Five Rivers Chamber of Commerce of Commerce's signboard.

"I understand." Zhang Buyu glanced around, "But finding this person will be somewhat difficult..."

"What's so difficult about that?" Yu Tunzhou said nonchalantly, turning and walking into the market.

He suddenly stopped in front of a stall, looked at the stall owner, and sneered:

Why are you looking at me like that?

The stall owner was a man in a black robe with his head down. In front of him were auxiliary materials for cultivating Devil Cultivation Method, such as human heads preserved in lime, pills that exuded a strong bloody smell, and short staffs made from human bones...

At this moment, the stall owner paused for a moment, then slowly raised his head and stared at the Yu Tunzhou.

Upon entering the market, Yu Tunzhou dispelled the "concealment" his Primordial Spirit had placed on him, revealing the aura of Early Divine Ability Stage.

Therefore, after glancing at Yu Tunzhou, the black-robed man's wariness turned into indifference, and he said calmly:

"Roll."

"If you don't get out of here, you're never leaving."

Yu Tunzhou roared in fury, "You dare threaten me?"

Having said that, he made his move directly, reaching out to grab the stall owner. The latter's eyes were gloomy, and his withered right arm suddenly rose up, his five fingers joined together into a claw, the fingertips gleaming with a jet-black luster, carrying a nauseating stench of decay, aiming straight for Yu Tunzhou's wrist.

The next moment, the Limitless Gang Qi erupted instantly, and the black-robed stall owner's eyes changed in an instant, from indifference to horror.

"Clang--!"

The stall owner's arm was twisted at an odd angle.

"Ah!"

A piercing scream echoed throughout the entire street.

The surrounding noise stopped instantly, everyone turned their heads, but no one offered to help; they simply watched coldly, indifferent to what was none of their business.

"You madman!" The stall owner's arm went limp, and he stumbled to his feet, retreating with a menacing snarl. "Do you want to become public enemy number one?"

"What enemy?!" Yu Tunzhou followed up with an even stronger aura, displaying the level of Late Divine Ability Stage Power, and shouted, "Who told you to look at me first!"

He grabbed the short staff made of human bone from the ground, choosing not to continue with his fists. His figure swept across like an eagle, and with a single blow, a chilling explosion of air caused the black-robed stall owner's chest to cave in instantly, knocking over the stall next to him.

The stall owner whose stall had been overturned turned ashen-faced at Yu Tunzhou's arrogant demeanor, but could only swallow his anger and stare at Yu Tunzhou with the look of someone looking at a dead man.

Do you really think that just because you're at the Late Divine Ability Stage, you can do whatever you want here?!

Yu Tunzhou, carrying his bone staff, was about to step forward and strike again when a cold and majestic Primordial Spirit will suddenly descended from the sky, locking onto him firmly.

That will was as heavy as a mountain, as if the entire world was against him.

The Yu Tunzhou stopped at just the right moment.

Is this the External Scenery of the town's market?

interesting...

He hadn't sensed this External Scenery's presence earlier. Where was this guy hiding?

Just then, a chubby figure pushed through the crowd—a fat man, about forty years old, smiling as he looked at the onlookers in the market.

The people around him seemed quite wary of him; upon his arrival, they all averted their gazes and went about their own business.

He approached the Yu Tunzhou and asked curiously, "This brother looks unfamiliar. May I ask where you're from? We don't want to be mistaken for each other."

At this moment, his gaze swept over Zhang Buyu Yu Tunzhou, and a look of doubt immediately appeared in his eyes, though it was extremely subtle. Yu Tunzhou noticed this and also sensed that this guy seemed somewhat shocked, or perhaps nervous?

He sneered, "Who do you care Laozi am? Where's Yao Liang? Tell him to come out here!"

The fat man immediately looked surprised and couldn't help but ask, "Friend, where are you from?"

Yu Tunzhou glanced around, about to speak, when the fat man suddenly raised his hand to stop him, smiling as he said:

"Let's talk somewhere else. Someone, help this guy up and get him treated properly. We don't want to ruin our business."

Several taciturn, yet extremely fierce, Late Divine Ability Realm martial artists approached.

Yu Tunzhou's eyes flashed with a sharp light, seemingly with no intention of surrendering.

But the will that was locking onto his Primordial Spirit suddenly intensified at this moment.

The power of heaven and earth above the entire market gathered towards him, like an invisible cage, suppressing his figure, aura, and even his senses within a few feet.

Yu Tunzhou's expression changed slightly, as if his arrogance had been suppressed. He gritted his teeth and remained silent for a moment.

In the end, he snorted coldly, offered no resistance, and allowed the two men to lead him into a narrow alley beside the market.

"Please invite this young man up as well," the fat man added leisurely from behind.

Soon, Zhang Buyu was also "invited" over by another man, and a black cloth was placed over his eyes.

The treatment on Yu Tunzhou's side was even more elaborate; not only were his eyes blindfolded, but even his Primordial Spirit perception was "suppressed" by something.

He didn't struggle, afraid that he might accidentally break free of the "rope" that others had tied him up.

After turning several corners and descending a series of downward stone steps, the surrounding sounds gradually quieted down, and the air became damp and chilly.

The fat man's voice rang out again, chuckling, "Someone, untie these two."

"No."

Yu Tunzhou snorted coldly, and a surge of powerful Gang Qi erupted from his body like waves rising from a calm surface, shattering the invisible force binding him. He displayed an attitude that indicated he was uncontrollable and forcefully broke free from his restraints.

This scene made the fat man's eyes flicker, as if he was gauging something.

Yu Tunzhou looked around and realized that this place seemed to be underground, and based on the distance he had just walked, it was not too far from the market.

He abandoned his usual reckless and impulsive demeanor, his expression turning grim as he said, "It's really not easy to see you all. Tell me, where exactly is Yao Liang?"

The fat man looked at him strangely and couldn't help but ask, "Brother, where on earth did you come from? Brother Yao... has been dead for more than half a year!"

Yu Tunzhou's pupils contracted, and he suddenly roared, "Bullshit! He's in the top ten of the Dragon and Tiger Ranking, backed by Floating Hill Mountain. Who in the world, except for the External Scenery, would dare to kill him? And which External Scenery would dare to kill him despite Floating Hill Mountain's reputation?"

The fat man sighed, "I see now, brother, you've been in seclusion for too long; you haven't even heard this news. The one who killed Yao Liang was Deng Canglan of the Heavenly Demon Sect. Do you think he's qualified?"

"... Deng Canglan of the Heavenly Demon Sect?!" Yu Tunzhou's face twitched, still unable to believe it.

The fat man continued, "Let's put that aside for now. Friend, why did you come here looking for Yao Liang? This White Dragon Pass is the territory of the Five Rivers Chamber of Commerce. If you wanted to find Yao Liang, you should have gone to Three Autumns City, shouldn't you?"

Yu Tunzhou remained silent for a moment, then said coldly, "This was my agreement with Yao Liang, and it has nothing to do with you. Since Yao Liang is dead, then pretend I was never here."

After saying that, he turned around and said "Let's go" to Zhang Buyu, and was about to leave the place, but was stopped by several martial artists with Divine Ability powers behind him.

"Is it really appropriate for a friend to leave so soon?" the fat man chuckled.

Yu Tunzhou turned around, his face so dark it could drip water. "Do you really think you can keep me here?"

The fat man smiled and said, "Friend, don't be too impulsive. Lady Zhao Xuan is on the External Scenery Second Layer; she's watching from up there."

Yu Tunzhou suddenly became interested.

Could a black market really have someone from the External Scenery Second Layer studio sitting in charge of it?

This place is only good for observing half of the Half-Step External Scenery; it seems this place truly holds a secret.

He took a deep breath. "You want me to compensate that guy?"

The fat man waved his hand and said, "Let me introduce myself first. I am Nan Guan, but my friends call me Fatty Nan. May I ask what you call me?"

"Lu," Yu Tunzhou uttered stiffly.

The Fatty Nan smiled and looked at Zhang Buyu: "Brother Lu, is this your little apprentice?"

Yu Tunzhou confirmed once again that this guy's attention was indeed entirely on Zhang Buyu.

Zhang Buyu's disguise mask was a gift from his master, and it was difficult to see through even without being External Scenery in person. It was definitely not something this fat man could see through, so the fat man's focus was elsewhere.

"None of your business!" Yu Tunzhou's eyes showed vigilance, revealing his high regard for Zhang Buyu. At the same time, he used telepathy, which was very close to Zhang Buyu, to tell him about his discovery and analysis.

Nan Guan didn't take it seriously at all; on the contrary, he understood Yu Tunzhou's wariness.

He didn't beat around the bush, chuckling and waving his hand. "Brother Lu, I just Wenqing, what exactly is the relationship between you and Yao Liang?"

Yu Tunzhou said coldly, "The person is dead, what else is there to say?"

Nan Guan smiled and said, "If it's business, then it doesn't matter who we do business with?"

"Oh?" Yu Tunzhou glanced at the fat man, who seemed to understand everything, and suddenly sneered, "You can't handle this business!"

Nan Guan smiled and said, "Yao Liang's Dao lineage is based in Three Autumns City, yet he arranged to make the deal with Brother Lu at White Dragon Pass. Aren't you even a little curious, Brother Lu?"

Yu Tunzhou narrowed his eyes, making no comment, but instead using telepathy to inquire about what kind of human-related business Zhang Buyu — Yao Liang, or rather, Floating Hill Mountain— was engaged in.

The reason for asking this is because the other party seems to be...

He saw Zhang Buyu as the "goods" he wanted to sell.

Zhang Buyu was equally puzzled. Their Floating Hill Mountain was famous for its Dao of Alchemy, and even if they did business, it was about alchemy. How could it be related to "people"?

Could it be for drug testing?

However, the sect has its own rules, and those who test the medicine are often Demon Beast, monsters, Outer Dao.

For this reason, Floating Hill Mountain would also secretly purchase heinous death row inmates from the Great Yan. This was not done openly, but Zhang Buyu had heard some rumors about it.

Seeing that Yu Tunzhou remained silent, Nan Guan was not in a hurry. He waved his hand to disperse the several martial artists with Divine Ability powers behind him and chuckled:

"Brother Lu, why don't we sit down and talk?"

Yu Tunzhou's eyes flickered, and he did not refuse again.

They moved to a private room, Nan Guan cut to the chase, asking, "I wonder what price Brother Lu and Yao Liang offered?"

Yu Tunzhou thought to himself, "How would I know the price?" He then held up two fingers and said no more.

Nan Guan's gaze lingered on those two fingers for a moment, then he tentatively asked, "Twenty thousand taels?"

Yu Tunzhou remained expressionless, his fingers motionless.

Nan Guan squinted. "Two hundred thousand taels? That price is way too much."

Yu Tunzhou noticed that this fellow's mind was completely unmoved, and a guess immediately arose in his mind. He then cast a cold gaze at him.

He immediately stood up, making a gesture as if to take Zhang Buyu away.

"Hey, Brother Lu, wait a minute! We were having such a nice chat, why are you leaving all of a sudden?"

Yu Tunzhou paused, then suddenly said coldly, "I have nothing to talk to you about. You don't even know what kind of deal Yao Liang and I made, so what makes you think you can talk to me?"

He took a step to leave.

Behind him, Nan Guan's voice caught up unhurriedly. "Brother Lu, why the rush to leave? To tell you the truth, Brother Yao owed me five Primordial Pill before his death—"

Primordial Pill?

Yu Tunzhou paused in his tracks.

It seems we're finally getting to the point.

Nan Guan poured himself a cup of tea and said with a smile, "Since Brother Lu has agreed to trade here, he must have something that interests him. I guess—it's a 'good prospect'?"

The moment the words fell, Nan Guan's gaze swept over Zhang Buyu almost imperceptibly, a deeper meaning creeping into his smile.

No one expected Deng Canglan to make a move. Yao Liang died suddenly, and many things were left unhanded over. Unexpectedly, he actually found a [Reincarnated Spirit Physique] in the dark.

Just because Yao Liang didn't report it at all, he deserved to die!

Fortunately, this person actually offered themselves up!

Yu Tunzhou remained silent for a few moments, then suddenly turned around and sneered:

"Manager Nan has a good eye. But since you've recognized him, I might as well be frank. Yao Liang's asking price isn't low. If you can pay for him, then this man is yours."

"In addition..."

"Don't even think about double-crossing Laozi. I'm here because I've made thorough preparations!"

Nan Guan quickly waved his hand. "Business is all about rules, there's no such thing as double-crossing, Brother Lu, you're overthinking it."

"You businessmen are all ruthless, one after another. I'll give you one chance to name your price." Yu Tunzhou held up a finger and sneered, "If it's higher than Yao Liang's, then it proves you're sincere. If not... heh heh, Laozi turning around and leaving."

He gave a forced laugh twice, and then emphasized:

"I'm not worried about selling Laozi goods!"

Nan Guan squinted and began to scrutinize his expression.

After a moment, he held up one finger and said calmly:

"Ten Primordial Pill pills."

"Brother Lu, you won't find another place like this at this price."

Yu Tunzhou was silent for a moment, then suddenly nodded. "Okay!"

Nan Guan's face regained its warm smile, "Brother Lu, please wait here for three days. After three days, when the pill arrives, give it to me."

Yu Tunzhou frowned. "We have to wait another three days?"

Nan Guan sighed and said, "Brother Lu, such a divine pill is naturally kept at the Chamber of Commerce headquarters. I also need to communicate with the higher-ups. Please forgive me."

Yu Tunzhou hesitated for a moment, then snorted coldly, "Once the three days are up, I'll turn around and leave! I won't stay a moment longer!"

Nan Guan laughed and said, "Don't worry, I'm a man of my word! Brother Lu, this way please, I'll have someone arrange a top-class room for you."

After seeing Yu Tunzhou and his companion off, Nan Guan sat down with his eyes narrowed, but did not immediately contact headquarters as he had said.

A figure suddenly appeared in the secret room. It was a man in black with a cold expression. He was none other than Zhao Xuan, the elder of the Chamber of External Scenery who had been hiding behind the scenes.

Zhao Xuan said calmly, "Do you think this person is trustworthy?"

"We still need to test them a bit more," Nan Guan said, shaking his head. "Besides, we just received news this morning that we should behave ourselves these next few days."

Zhao Xuan Outer Dao, "Since the higher-ups told us to behave ourselves, you still dared to take the risk. Is this shipment very valuable?"

Nan Guan sighed, "Yes, we searched the entire Eastern Wilderness and only found one Reincarnated Spirit Physique, who was already taken in by Floating Hill Mountain. Now another one has suddenly appeared. How can I sit still?"

"Reincarnated Spirit Physique?" Zhao Xuan's expression also turned serious. "Are you sure?"

Nan Guan said, "I've been worshipping gods for many years, I wouldn't mistake this. The person following behind him just now is the Reincarnated Spirit Physique they need."

Zhao Xuan narrowed her eyes and suggested, "How about... I take action myself?"

"No rush. First, find out which direction he came from, then probe him a bit. Anyway, he's already here."

Nan Guan suddenly smiled and said,

"He said he had come prepared, presumably with people planted outside. If we don't hear from him for a few days, they'll assume he's dead and then retaliate against us, like spreading rumors..."

"So I deliberately suggested we reschedule for three days to see how long that timeframe would go. And since he agreed, it proves that the timeframe is more than three days."

Zhao Xuan nodded slightly. "You can handle it yourself. Just contact me if you need anything."

"Thank you for your trouble, Elder Zhao." Nan Guan laughed heartily. "With Elder Zhao here, everything is foolproof. However, I am by nature cautious, so I hope Elder Zhao will not take offense!"

Yu Tunzhou and his companion were led to a secret room. Although it was an underground chamber, the room was brightly lit by pearls and decorated in a grand and magnificent style.

At Yu Tunzhou's suggestion, Zhang Buyu sat in a corner of the room, remaining expressionless, as if he truly were his slave.

The two communicated via telepathy.

"... There are over a hundred types of alchemists who use the 'Primordial Pill' suffix. Although I have read through the Fuqiu Daoist Canon Dao of Alchemy, I have not seen any actual examples and therefore cannot distinguish them," Zhang Buyu replied.

Yu Tunzhou suddenly asked, "Brother Zhang, do you possess any special physical constitution?"

He had heard about the concept of Buddhist roots and Daoist bones in Luofu Grotto-Heaven, but Zhang Buyu was not among those he heard about at the time.

Zhang Buyu was taken aback, then shook his head and said, "I don't have any special physique, but Senior Brother Jin has a natural Daoist bone structure."

Yu Tunzhou nodded. It seemed that even Zhang Buyu himself was unaware of the secret he possessed.

"Brother Yu, I feel that Nan Guan doesn't trust you and me. I'm afraid we don't have three days," Zhang Buyu reminded him.

"That's normal. That fat guy is very suspicious; he didn't believe us at all." Yu Tunzhou looked up at a certain spot and said slowly, "I'm not worried about that External Scenery Second Layer yet. The troublesome one here is someone else; we need to investigate that first."

He had previously considered taking action forcefully, but suddenly sensed an obscure and ancient aura emanating from the depths of this place.

It's like...

When those ancient immortals Immortals and Gods descended from Dragon Gate!