222: Black Sea Market

Su Lin stood before the remains of the Grey-Robed Figures, his brow still furrowed.

"Myriad Corpse True Person... an evil cultivator from thirty thousand years ago?"

He repeated the name in a low voice, searching his memory for any information about this person.

When he reached the Mahayana Stage in his previous life, he had never heard of this figure, which meant this person was hidden extremely deep.

"Revered Master, that name sounds like bad luck."

Su Hongling slammed her great sword onto the ground, kicking up a circle of dust. "Whether it's ten thousand corpses or twenty thousand, if he dares to provoke us, I'll tear him to pieces and turn him into a No-Corpse True Person!"

"It's not that simple."

Su Lin shook his head, turning his gaze toward Hua Shenyou, who was shivering in the corner.

At this moment, Hua Shenyou was even more terrified than before.

He had watched with his own eyes as the three emissaries, who were like gods in his eyes, were chopped up like vegetables by this group of even more terrifying lunatics. Especially that red-clothed Female Demon Lords.

Just what kind of monsters had he provoked!

"Pavilion Master Hua."

Su Lin's voice drifted over softly.

Hua Shenyou shuddered all over and scrambled over, kneeling at Su Lin's feet and banging his head against the ground.

"Young Master... no, Grandfather! Ancestor! Please spare my life! I was forced into this; I'm just an errand boy!"

"I know you're an errand boy."

Su Lin crouched down, meeting his gaze.

"But I'm curious, how much does an 'errand boy' like you actually know?"

"The Grey-Robed Figure just mentioned refining an immortal corpse."

"But as far as I know, refining an immortal corpse requires more than just living Souls and Spiritual Roots; it also needs a real set of Immortal bones as a foundation."

Su Lin's gaze sharpened, like two sharp swords piercing into Hua Shenyou's Soul.

"Underneath this Jile Pavilion, besides this Blood Pool, is there something else hidden?"

"This..."

Hua Shenyou's eyes flickered, and cold sweat poured down like a waterfall.

He subconsciously clutched a storage ring at his chest, a subtle movement that was instantly caught by the sharp-eyed people present.

"Oh?"

Luo Ximei raised an eyebrow, a hint of playfulness flashing in her heterochromatic eyes.

"It seems our Pavilion Master Hua isn't being very honest."

"Third Senior Sister, are your insects hungry?"

"Hungry! Starving!"

Chu Weiwei immediately cooperated by pulling out a small jar filled with poisonous Gu, approaching with a grin.

"Pavilion Master Hua, that pill just now was just an appetizer. I have a main course here called 'Hundred Insects Heart-Drilling.' Would you like to try it?"

"No! Please, no!"

Hua Shenyou completely broke down.

He ripped the storage ring from his chest and offered it with both hands, wailing:

"I'll talk! I'll tell you everything! The key to the secret chamber is in this ring! The real treasures are all in the secret chamber!"

"A secret chamber?"

Su Lin took the ring, swept it with his Divine Sense, and easily erased the mark on it.

"Lead the way."

...The secret chamber wasn't far, located directly beneath the Blood Pool and connected by an extremely hidden Teleportation Formation.

When Su Lin and the others stepped into the secret chamber, a strange aura—more desolate than outside yet laced with decay—hit them.

The chamber wasn't large, its walls covered in golden Talismans, seemingly suppressing something.

In the very center of the chamber sat a crystal coffin.

Inside the coffin, there wasn't a complete corpse.

There was only a hand—a severed hand.

The hand was translucent white like jade, its skin as delicate as mutton-fat jade. Even after being severed for countless years, it still emitted a faint glow.

It hadn't decayed; instead, it gave the illusion that it was still alive.

However, from the stump of the severed hand, countless black fleshy sprouts grew, taking root in the Formation at the bottom of the crystal coffin like tree roots, seemingly absorbing some kind of nourishment.

"This is..."

The moment Cold Moon saw the severed hand, the Imperial Dao Dragon Qi within her body trembled uncontrollably—an instinctive awe felt when encountering a superior being.

"An Immortal's hand."

Su Lin slowly uttered those words.

He walked to the crystal coffin and, through the lid, could clearly feel the terrifying power of Law contained within the severed hand.

This power shared the same source as the world core he had obtained at Tongtian Demon Peak, but it was purer and more tangible.

"Is this the foundation for their immortal corpse refinement?"

A flash of realization crossed Su Lin's eyes.

"Myriad Corpse True Person... what a grand undertaking."

"He isn't creating something from nothing; he's resurrecting."

"He collected the remains of fallen True Immortals from the past and is attempting to piece them together and revive them using evil methods, then... take them for himself."

"Resurrecting a True Immortal?"

Luo Ximei gasped. "Is that old man crazy? Even if a True Immortal has only a single finger left, their will isn't something a Mortal can withstand! Isn't he afraid of Possession?"

"Perhaps he has some secret technique, or..."

Su Lin looked at Hua Shenyou, who was kneeling to the side.

"Where did this hand come from?"

Hua Shenyou shrunk back, his voice trembling:

"It... it was bought from the Black Sea Market."

"Black Sea Market?" Su Lin's brow furrowed.

"That's... that's an underground trading ground at the border of the Endless Sea and the North Sea."

Hua Shenyou spilled everything he knew like beans from a bamboo tube.

"It's a place where all sorts of people gather."

"Every ten years, a Ghost Market is held there, where various remains from ancient battlefields are traded."

"The emissaries of Myriad Corpse True Person often appear there to purchase all kinds of special Materials."

"This hand... was the finale item of the last Ghost Market. The Venerable Emissary had me keep it here for now, using the Imperial City's Dragon Qi to suppress its Immortal aura while using the Blood Pool's resentment to corrode its will..."

"So that's how it is."

Su Lin gave a cold laugh.

"Using my disciple as a sacrifice and my disciple's Dragon Qi to nourish a corpse."

"They certainly calculated this well."

He turned to look at Cold Moon.

Cold Moon's face was also livid.

As the Empress, she hadn't known such a thing was hidden beneath her Imperial City, constantly stealing her nation's fortune!

"Revered Master, destroy it."

Cold Moon condensed a golden sword of Dragon Qi in her hand. "Keeping such a thing is only asking for trouble."

"Wait."

Su Lin stopped her.

"It would be a waste to destroy this."

"And..."

Su Lin's finger tapped lightly on the crystal coffin.

"This hand is our best guide to finding Myriad Corpse True Person."

"More importantly..."

Su Lin narrowed his eyes and looked at Hua Shenyou.

"You just said, the Black Sea Market?"

"Y-yes."

"Are there other Immortal remains there besides this hand?"

"Yes! Definitely!"

Hua Shenyou nodded frantically to save his life.

"It's said that Myriad Corpse True Person has already collected most of the torso and limbs; he's only missing a head and a heart."

"A heart..."

Su Lin subconsciously touched the Myriad Heavens Star Chart in his robes, which had fused with three world cores.

"Interesting."

A smile curled on Su Lin's lips.

"It seems we are destined to clash with this Myriad Corpse True Person."

"We'll see whose methods are superior."

..."So, are we going to that Black Sea Market next?"

Su Hongling toyed with the severed hand taken from the crystal coffin. After being sealed by Su Lin's Space Law, it looked like an ordinary jade carving.

"Is that place fun? Are there fights? Is there meat to eat?"

"There should be all of that."

Su Lin walked out of the secret chamber; the sky outside was already beginning to lighten.

After a night of upheaval, Jile Pavilion had been mostly cleared out.

Gu Qing stood atop the ruins, surrounded by black Qi. Although his vengeance was fulfilled, the blood-red tint in his eyes hadn't completely faded; instead, a sense of confusion had replaced it.

"Benefactor."

Seeing Su Lin emerge, Gu Qing knelt on one knee.

"My revenge is taken. From now on, Gu Qing's life belongs to you, Benefactor."

"Rise."

Su Lin looked at this man who had been toyed with by fate.

"The demonic seed within you has taken root. If left unguided, it will eventually turn you into a Devil Head who knows only slaughter."

"Come with me."

"Where to?" Gu Qing was stunned.

"To see a much larger world."

Su Lin glanced at Luo Ximei.

Luo Ximei rolled her eyes. "Revered Master, have you made a hobby out of collecting junk?"

"Demonic cultivators with such mediocre Aptitude are a dime a dozen in the Demonic Path."

By now, Hua Shenyou had been fed an Obedience Pill by Chu Weiwei, leaving him in a semi-comatose, semi-lucid state, answering whatever was asked.

"Hua Shenyou."

"Here..."

"When does the Black Sea Market open?"

"In... in half a month."

"What are the entry requirements?"

"A Ghost Token is required."

"Do you have one?"

"In... in the hidden compartment of that ring..."

Su Lin re-examined the storage ring and indeed found a black iron plaque in a hidden compartment, engraved with a hideous ghost head.

"Very good."

Su Lin put away the Ghost Token.

"Half a month... time is a bit tight."

He looked at Cold Moon.

"Can you handle things here in the Imperial City?"

Cold Moon had regained her composure as the Empress and nodded, though her eyes were full of reluctance.

"Don't worry, Revered Master. Sima Rongrong's faction has been eliminated; the rest are just fence-sitters."

"I only need three days to completely purge the court."

"It's just..."

She grabbed Su Lin's sleeve, looking at him pleadingly.

"Revered Master, when you go to the North Sea this time... you must take me with you."

"With Southern Yu no longer threatened by the scar of heaven, there's no need for me to oversee it day and night."

"I... don't want to guard that empty palace alone anymore."

Seeing her fragile yet stubborn gaze, Su Lin's heart softened.

"Alright."

He agreed.

"This time, everyone is going."

"We're going to overturn that Myriad Corpse True Person's nest!"

...Three days later.

The situation in the Nanyu Divine Dynasty was settled.

Under Cold Moon's iron-fisted methods and Gu Qiuyue's financial offensive, the entire court was completely revitalized.

And on the morning of the fourth day.

A specially modified flying boat quietly left the Imperial City, speeding toward the border of the Endless Sea and the North Sea in the north.

This flying boat was named the 'hidden dragon,' a secret treasure of the Southern Yu royal family. Not only was it extremely fast, but it also possessed powerful stealth capabilities, making it perfect for this kind of infiltration mission.

On the deck of the flying boat.

Su Lin was lying on a lounge chair, sunbathing.

But the sunbathing wasn't peaceful.

Because standing before him were his four disciples, arguing incessantly over "who gets to disguise Revered Master."

"To go to a place as chaotic as the Black Sea Market, we definitely can't show our true faces!"

Luo Ximei held a set of black cloaks and masks, speaking with conviction.

"Revered Master's face is too conspicuous; it must be covered!"

"Besides, this 'Night Walker' set comes with its own Evil Qi. Once you put it on, no one will dare provoke you. How majestic!"

"Majestic my foot!"

Su Hongling held a set of coarse hemp clothes and a fake beard prop.

"Since we're going to a Ghost Market, we have to be low-key!"

"Dressing up as a down-and-out expert with a face full of stubble and weary eyes—a man who clearly has a story to tell—now that's a real disguise!"

"None of you understand aesthetics."

Chu Weiwei held rouge and powder, smiling strangely.

"The Black Sea Market has many peculiar tastes... If we disguise Revered Master as a sickly noble Young Master, or..."

"Ahem, a feminine male consort, we'll definitely be able to gather more information!"

"..."

Su Lin's forehead was covered in black lines.

Male consort?

Is this girl looking for a scolding?

"None of those will do."

Mu Qingxue spoke coldly.

She didn't hold anything, but a thin layer of frost condensed on her fingertips.

"The best disguise is to let others see nothing clearly."

"I can envelop Revered Master in ice mist. To anyone looking, he will be a mass of white vapor, mysterious and unpredictable."

"Wouldn't that just make him a ghost?!" the three others retorted in unison.

"Enough, enough."

Su Lin really couldn't stand the squabbling anymore and sat up.

"As for the disguise, I have my own plans."

With a thought,

The Starlight Dharma Robe on his body instantly transformed.

It was no longer that conspicuous starlight; instead, it became a deep purple robe embroidered with dark gold thunder patterns.

His features also underwent subtle adjustments.

His originally handsome and gentle features became more sharp and defined, with a hint of wickedness and dominance appearing between his brows.

The beauty mark at the corner of his eye was darkened to a deep crimson, and his gaze became profound and cold.

In an instant, he went from a transcendent Grandmaster to a charismatic and wild demonic hegemon.

"From now on,"

Su Lin's voice also became low and raspy.

"I am Star Evil Ancestor from a hidden demonic sect in the Central Continent."

"And you..."

"Are my Demonic Consorts... oh, no, my handmaidens."

"Handmaidens?!"

The four of them were stunned, but then their eyes lit up.

"This setting... seems quite exciting!"

Luo Ximei was the first to respond. She transformed, changing into revealing black leather armor and holding her Demon Dragon Whip, looking every bit the ruthless female assassin.

"Then I'm the head handmaiden, responsible for helping Revered Master... dispose of trash."

"Then I'm the personal handmaiden!"

Chu Weiwei changed into a semi-transparent green gauze dress, her waist hung with jangling poison bottles, smiling like a scorpion beauty.

"Responsible for taking care of Revered Master's daily life... and warming the bed."

"I... I'm the bodyguard!"

Su Hongling thought for a long time before strapping her great sword to her back and changing into a tight-fitting red martial arts outfit, her muscle lines faintly visible.

"Anyone who dares to come within three feet of Revered Master, I'll hack them to death!"

As for Cold Moon, she looked at her drama-loving Junior Sisters and shook her head helplessly.

"Then I... shall be the housekeeper."