41: Chapter 41 Entering the Secret Market, Seeing Rare Treasures, Hearing News of Ancient Arrays

Luoyan Slope is located thirty li outside Blackwater Market.

The slope has gentle terrain and an open view. Night owls often perch here at night, hence the name Luoyan. It looks unremarkable during the day, but at midnight, it is silent and deserted, with only the cold moon hanging high and the night wind wailing.

Ye Qing arrived an hour early. He landed several miles outside the slope, restrained his aura, and cast the Breath Concealment Technique and "Form Concealment." Like a shadow blending into the night, he approached quietly.

He did not climb to the top of the slope directly. Instead, he circled the perimeter of Luoyan Slope slowly, his Divine Sense sweeping over every inch of ground, grass, and scattered rocks in the most cautious manner, like gentle ripples of water.

Sure enough, at three unremarkable corners—east, west, and south—he sensed extremely faint Formation fluctuations that were almost merged with the earth's Qi. These were all warning-type Restrictions, hidden and malicious. If anyone intruded without permission, they would immediately trigger them, inviting a thunderous strike from the person who set them up.

"Strict defenses; it is indeed the style of the Secret Market."

Ye Qing's vigilance grew even stronger. Following the direction suggested in Shopkeeper Qian's Jade Slip, he circled to a seemingly ordinary bush on the north side of the slope.

After a moment of contemplation, he took out the nameplate Jade Slip and injected a trace of Spiritual Qi.

The Jade Slip flashed with a faint glimmer, shooting a beam of imperceptible Spiritual Qi into an unremarkable blue stone at the base of the bush.

The surface of the blue stone rippled like water, silently cracking open a gap large enough for one person to pass through. It was pitch black inside, and even his Divine Sense was blocked by some unknown force.

Ye Qing did not hesitate. With a flash of his figure, he slipped into the gap.

The scene before him suddenly opened up.

It was not the gloomy underground cave he had imagined, but a circular stone hall about ten zhang in diameter, bathed in soft white light. Several pearls emitting steady white light were embedded in the ceiling of the stone hall, making the light bright but not blinding. The floor was paved with smooth blue stone, and the four walls were bare, without any decoration.

At this moment, more than twenty people had already gathered in the hall, scattered far apart. Everyone was wearing large cloaks or masks, their auras restrained, making it impossible to see their faces or cultivation levels. However, Ye Qing could vaguely sense that at least five or six of them had deep and obscure auras; they were likely in the Late Stage of Qi Refining, and there might even be Cultivators of the Foundation Establishment Stage hiding among them.

No one spoke, and the atmosphere was oppressive and heavy. Occasionally, gazes swept over, cold and vigilant, before immediately moving away.

Ye Qing found a spot near a corner with his back to the entrance and stood still. He also lowered his head and eyes, maintaining his aura at the Sixth Level of Qi Refining, his Divine Sense retracted, observing silently with his peripheral vision and enhanced spatial perception.

After about another cup of tea's time, seven or eight more people entered through different entrances. When the number of people reached about thirty, a stone platform half a person's height rose silently from the blue stone floor in the center of the stone hall.

A Cultivator, also wearing a large black robe and a pale white mask with no mouth or nose, revealing only two deep eye sockets, appeared silently behind the stone platform.

This person's aura was as deep as an abyss, unfathomable. Ye Qing felt a tremor in his Divine Soul just by making slight contact with his perception, and he quickly moved it away. Foundation Establishment Stage! Definitely a Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator! And probably not at the Early Stage!

"The time has come." The masked person spoke, their voice hoarse and dry, like metal rubbing against metal, devoid of any emotion. "The old rules: everyone show your chips, communicate with Divine Thought, the highest bidder wins, or barter if both parties agree. No loud noises, no forced buying or selling, no probing the identities of others. Violators will die."

When the last word "die" was uttered, the temperature in the entire stone hall seemed to drop sharply, and a cold killing intent flashed and disappeared, causing everyone to feel a chill in their hearts.

No one questioned, and no one answered.

The masked person said no more and waved his sleeve. The first item appeared on the stone platform.

It was a black wooden box the size of a palm. The lid was open, and inside lay a bright red oval Ore covered with natural flame patterns, radiating scorching fire-attribute Spiritual Qi.

"Red Flame Iron Essence, three hundred years old, an excellent main material for refining top-grade fire-attribute Magical Artifacts. Starting price: eighty Low-Grade Spirit Stones, or equivalent fire-attribute or metal-attribute rare Materials."

Immediately, several Divine Thoughts fell upon the masked person, obviously communicating bids. A moment later, the masked person nodded slightly, the wooden box disappeared, and the Red Flame Iron Essence appeared in the hands of one of the people. The transaction was completed. The whole process was silent, fast, and efficient.

Next came the second item, the third item...

There were well-preserved second-order Yao Beast Materials, rare top-grade Spirit Medicine of the first grade, ancient talismans with special functions, fragments of ancient Magical Artifacts that were broken but still retained Spiritual Qi, and even a few Jade Slips recording niche Cultivation Techniques and secret arts.

Every item could be considered a boutique, rarely seen in the outside markets. The asking prices also rose with the tide, often reaching hundreds of Spirit Stones or requiring rare Materials for exchange.

Ye Qing watched quietly without making a move. These things were good, but they were not what he urgently needed, and the prices were high.

It wasn't until the seventh item appeared.

It was an ancient Jade Slip that was dark yellow in color, with broken edges, and seemed to have been scorched by fire. On the surface of the Jade Slip, one could vaguely see a few blurry, distorted runes, which were seven or eight parts similar to the "ancient teleportation array" rune on the remnant map in Ye Qing's hand!

"A remnant Jade Slip of an unnamed ancient Formation, obtained from some ruins on the outskirts of 'Dragonfall Abyss.' It records part of the structure of a broken ancient Formation and suspected 'Void Realm positioning' runes. The purpose is unknown, and it is severely damaged. Starting price: thirty Low-Grade Spirit Stones, or equivalent Formation-related items or knowledge."

The masked person's introduction was brief, obviously not very certain about the value of this item either. After all, the Legacy of Formations was already obscure and difficult, and this Jade Slip was broken and its purpose unknown.

The hall was silent for a moment. Most people were not interested in this broken Jade Slip.

Ye Qing's heart, however, jumped violently.

Dragonfall Abyss! Ancient Formation! Void Realm positioning runes!

This Jade Slip might very well be related to that "ancient teleportation array"! It might even record part of the Formation's structure or principles!

He suppressed the excitement in his heart, calmly separated a wisp of Divine Thought, and touched the masked person lightly.

"Forty Low-Grade Spirit Stones." He stated the price.

A moment later, no one else bid. Perhaps they felt it was not worth spending forty Spirit Stones for a broken Jade Slip, or perhaps they were not interested in Formations.

The masked person nodded slightly, and the dark yellow Jade Slip disappeared from the stone platform. The next moment, it was already in Ye Qing's hand. He quickly put it away, his expression as usual.

The transaction continued.

Subsequently, several more items appeared that made Ye Qing's heart move. A five-hundred-year-old "geocentric poria," which was the main ingredient for refining certain Medicinal Pills that solidify the foundation and strengthen the Physical Body. A piece of "starfall iron" the size of a fist, containing pure star power, which was a top-grade material for refining space-attribute or special Magical Artifacts and Formation Plates. There was also a Jade Slip recording the "Lesser Five Elements Prohibition Formation (Remnant)," which, although incomplete, was exactly the kind of middle-grade Formation Legacy for concealment and protection, and it would be of great help to him in perfecting the "Yinling Protective Formation."

Ye Qing deliberated repeatedly and finally gritted his teeth and made a move.

He exchanged five stalks of moonlight flower produced in his space, nearly twenty years in quality (claimed to be obtained by chance), plus twenty Low-Grade Spirit Stones, for that stalk of "geocentric poria."

He exchanged three purified life feathers of the Wind-Splitting Falcon, plus a piece of purified heavy back armor from a Wind-Gale Rhinoceros, for that piece of "starfall iron."

Finally, he used the remaining majority of his Low-Grade Spirit Stones, totaling one hundred and twenty, to buy that "Lesser Five Elements Prohibition Formation (Remnant)" Jade Slip.

At this point, he had very few Spirit Stones and ordinary Materials left for trading. But the harvest was fruitful.

An ancient Formation remnant slip, geocentric poria, starfall iron, and the Lesser Five Elements Prohibition Formation remnant. Any one of these, if placed in the outside world, would be enough to cause small-scale fighting.

The Secret Market was nearing its end, and the last few finale items were even more astonishing. There was a complete Cultivation Technique for the Foundation Establishment Stage, rare Medicinal Pills that could assist in Foundation Establishment, and even an item that was a Magic Treasure fragment, though its Spiritual Qi was dim, which led to fierce competition among those suspected Foundation Establishment Cultivators, eventually being sold at a sky-high price.

Ye Qing watched coldly from the sidelines, gaining a clearer understanding of the power behind the Secret Market and the deep waters of this Black Water Swamp.

"The time is up. Disperse." The masked person spat out three words, his figure fading from behind the stone platform first and disappearing without a trace.

Everyone in the stone hall also stood up one after another and walked towards the walls in different directions. Ripples appeared on the walls, revealing exits, which obviously led to different directions.

Ye Qing chose the exit closest to him, which was also the most unremarkable, and flashed into it.

With a flash before his eyes, he was already in a dense forest on the other side of Luoyan Slope. Looking back, the slope was as quiet as usual, as if everything just now was a dream.

He did not stop, nor did he return the same way. Instead, he cast "Wind Spirit Wings," his figure turning into a faint, imperceptible plume of blue smoke, and he sped away towards the deep mountains in the opposite direction to the temporary stone room and the Yinling Protective Formation.

Inside his body, the sixty-five-zhang space was quiet. The few newly obtained items had been sent into it at the first opportunity.

That dark yellow ancient Formation Jade Slip was floating quietly beside the moonlight jade tree, faintly echoing with the "void wind seed."

The geocentric poria was planted by him in a reserved spirit field in the black soil.

The starfall iron was placed in the gray fog area at the edge, letting the space slowly absorb its star power.

The Lesser Five Elements Prohibition Formation remnant Jade Slip was placed together with those previous Formation notes.

Tonight's trip to the Secret Market had hidden risks, but the harvest far exceeded expectations.

Especially that ancient Formation remnant slip, which might be able to reveal a corner of the veil of the "ancient teleportation array" for him.

On the road of steady growth, the accumulation of information and resources had taken another key step.

Although the road ahead was dark, the lamp in his hand was gradually brightening.