21: Chapter 21 Black Market Transactions

No accidents occurred along the way, and Li Changqing arrived at a secluded street. At the end of the street stood a seemingly ordinary two-story wooden pavilion.

This was the largest black market trading location in Anping County, a shop opened by the Heixuan Alliance. The Heixuan Alliance was a Loose Cultivator Alliance spanning multiple counties. To promote the comprehensive development of Wangshan Town, the Li Family also needed a place like the black market. After the Heixuan Alliance settled in Wangshan Town, thirty percent of the profits from the black market were handed over to the Li Family.

Li Changqing had been here many times. The black market did not open for trade every day; it only opened for one day every half month and was not open to everyone.

After entering the pavilion, the noise faded away. The light inside was very dim, with only two dim blue talisman lamps suspended in specific corners. The light from the talisman lamps flickered, illuminating a narrow staircase made of rough bluestone that extended downward.

Descending about a hundred zhang along the stairs, the air gradually became cold and damp, mixed with the smell of soil, old wood, and a faint scent of Medicinal Pill. At the end of the stairs was a heavy dark iron door, engraved with complex concealment and defensive Formation runes. If any Cultivator tried to force their way in without permission, the Formation would immediately trigger a Restriction.

At the entrance, there was a Qi Refining 6th layer Cultivator and an Innate Middle Stage Martial Artist standing guard. After handing over his entry token to the guards for inspection, Li Changqing entered smoothly.

After entering the door, the scene changed drastically. The black market trading venue was a space formed by artificially modifying a huge natural karst cave, over twenty zhang high, about one hundred zhang long, and fifty zhang wide.

The ceiling of the cave was not flat but filled with inverted green gold stones. Many stone tips were embedded with a strange Ore called "Luminous Stone," emitting a pale white cold light that was not dazzling but bright enough to illuminate the entire venue, shrouding the whole space in a deep and mysterious halo.

No fixed seats were set up inside; instead, dozens of stone chairs and stone tables were scattered about for Cultivators to trade freely. Entrants only needed to pay a service fee of one Low-Grade Spirit Stone.

In the deepest part of the cave were three black private rooms. Outside the rooms, a Formation was set up to isolate Divine Sense detection, which was prepared by the organizers for some Cultivators who were selling valuable items directly.

To ensure the safety and privacy of all participants, all entrants were strictly required to wear masks or veils. The black market was filled with an atmosphere of tension and anticipation.

The Cultivators either sat cross-legged on the stone chairs or stood directly in the corners. Although there were dozens of people here, it was exceptionally quiet due to the environment and rules, with only the mosquito-like sound of telepathic communication occasionally heard.

When the trading time officially arrived, the Cultivators in the cave who were preparing to sell items found free stone tables, set up the treasures they wanted to sell, and waited for buyers. Some Cultivators who found it troublesome could also choose to sell their treasures directly to the Heixuan Alliance in the private rooms at the back.

At this moment, Li Changqing had several Magical Artifacts to deal with in his Storage Pouch. Apart from the five Magical Artifacts he had seized—the top-grade flying Magical Artifact, the Tengyun Boat; the top-grade defensive Magical Artifact, the Black Armor Shield; the top-grade Demonic Path Magical Artifact, the Hundred Soul Banner; the High Grade Magical Artifact, the Water-Avoiding Bead; and the High Grade Magical Artifact, the qingyuan sword, which he had used for many years.

He intended to sell all the remaining Demonic Path Magical Artifacts to the Heixuan Alliance, and sell the Righteous Path Magical Artifacts directly to the Family shop. This was a decision he had made after careful consideration.

After observing his surroundings, Li Changqing stepped into a private room specially set up by the Heixuan Alliance. At this moment, he was only wearing a mask, and he had used his Qi to alter his appearance and physique, so even if someone familiar were nearby, they wouldn't recognize him.

"Welcome, Fellow Daoist, to our Alliance. My surname is Wang. You may call me Fellow Daoist Wang, or Shopkeeper Three. I wonder what treasures you intend to sell?" As soon as Li Changqing entered the private room, a middle-aged man at the 9th layer of Qi Refining walked towards him and asked.

"I have some Magical Artifacts and some Materials to sell to your Alliance." Seeing that there was no one else in the private room, Li Changqing spoke in a serious tone.

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man surnamed Wang scanned Li Changqing. Although he could not see his face clearly, the steady demeanor and the faintly radiating Qi fluctuation of the 8th layer of Qi Refining made him dare not underestimate him.

"Please elaborate, Fellow Daoist. Our Heixuan Alliance has always been fair. Regardless of the quantity, the type of treasure, or its origin, we will never leak a shred of information to cause you trouble. You should know the rules: for different categories of treasures, our Alliance's acquisition price will be twenty to thirty percent lower than the market price."

After the middle-aged man finished speaking, he took out a jade pendant and injected Qi into it. Various lights flickered within the room, and Li Changqing knew that the Formation Restriction had been activated.

Then, Li Changqing did not hesitate. He reached into his bosom, flipped his wrist, and waved his sleeve.

On the open space in the center of the room, spiritual light flickered one after another, and Magical Artifacts of various shapes appeared out of thin air, quickly and orderly arranged.

First were three Medium Grade Demonic Path Magical Artifacts: a bone sword, made entirely from the spine of a Red-Blood Wolf, with a dark red heart still faintly beating embedded in the hilt; a pitch-black bell that made no sound when gently shaken, but instead caused the surrounding light to dim slightly; and a pair of blood-colored finger guards with sharp, hook-like tips, emitting a strong smell of blood.

Among the two High Grade Demonic Path Magical Artifacts, one was a bronze mirror. The mirror surface was blurry, showing no reflection of a person, only a patch of rolling black mist; its spiritual light was significantly stronger than the Medium Grade Demonic Magical Artifacts. Finally, there was a cyan-blue Demonic Path Flying Sword, with spiritual nature faintly flowing at the tip, approaching top-grade.

Shopkeeper Wang's expression was initially calm. Although it was not common for Qi Refining Cultivators to sell Demonic Path Magical Artifacts, he encountered it a few times a year. However, when Li Changqing successively took out five Demonic Path Magical Artifacts, his pupils suddenly constricted, and he was secretly shocked.

"These... these are all Demonic Path Magical Artifacts!" Shopkeeper Wang lowered his voice, his tone filled with a trace of shock and inquiry.

Li Changqing's voice was calm and waveless: "Shopkeeper Wang has a Wisdom Eye. Whether they are Righteous Path Magical Artifacts or Demonic Path Magical Artifacts is not important. What is important is that they are now ownerless objects, their quality is well-preserved, and their power remains. Your Alliance has extensive channels and fair prices, and you have plenty of ways to handle them. If your shop finds it troublesome, I have other ways to sell them."

Li Changqing's implication was very clear: if the Heixuan Alliance would not buy them, he had other ways to get rid of them, and they could not squeeze him with a low price.

"Fellow Daoist, you have misunderstood; I was just a bit shocked!"

Shopkeeper Wang walked up to the five Demonic Path Magical Artifacts to inspect them carefully. He was experienced and quickly evaluated them based on material, refining craftsmanship, Demonic light intensity, and state of preservation, silently calculating the price in his mind. He not only observed the appearance but also used specific treasure appraisal techniques to probe their internal structure, the concentration of residual Devilish Qi, and whether the original owner's Divine Soul imprint remained.

"This Heart-Blood Bone Sword has restrained Evil Qi and is a Sharp Weapon for sneak attacks and assassinations. The Soul-Absorbing Bell, the Devilish Evil Finger Guards, the Ghost Mirror... all have their own uses." Shopkeeper Wang muttered to himself while inspecting, seemingly weighing the pros and cons.

"Due to the special nature of the two High Grade Demonic Path Magical Artifacts and three Medium Grade Demonic Path Magical Artifacts, the acquisition price must be lowered to twenty-five percent below the market price. Moreover, our Alliance needs to use special means to cleanse and transfer them, bearing the risks ourselves. The total price is one hundred and three Low-Grade Spirit Stones. What do you think, Fellow Daoist?"