Dark Market Investigation, Struggle for the Origin

The interior of the Black Rock Domain was not as completely desolate as one might imagine. Under the gray sky, the earth was a dull rocky color, sporadically dotted with clusters of crude, massive stone buildings. The energy concentration was significantly higher than in the peripheral Meteorite Belt, but it also appeared more chaotic and violent. Clearly, the Origin rules here leaned towards heaviness and stability, lacking agility.

Following the star chart's guidance, Nightmare suppressed all his aura and glided through the low air like a ghost. After avoiding several places with obvious energy fluctuations—likely strongholds of the Domain Lord's forces—he arrived at the edge of a massive, sunken basin.

The bottom of the basin was not naturally formed; it seemed as if it had been forcibly hollowed out by some immense power. Inside, light and shadow swirled chaotically, and noise filled the air. Countless crude, even dilapidated stone huts, tents, and even temporary caves carved out directly with Divine Abilities were erected. Cultivators of all kinds moved among them, their auras varying in strength but generally carrying a sense of caution and wariness. This was the famous 'Blackstone Black Market' near the core area of the Black Rock Domain—a chaotic place operating outside the direct jurisdiction of the Domain Lords Mansion, filled with trade, information, and gray areas.

The black market had no walls, but several individuals with cold auras squatted at the entrance, like self-appointed 'guards.' However, their gazes were more focused on assessing the potential gains from entrants rather than maintaining order. Inside, the rules were simple and brutal: transactions were voluntary, and consequences were borne by the parties involved; large-scale conflicts were prohibited (to avoid destroying the market), but small-scale 'handling' was usually ignored as long as it was quick and didn't spread too widely.

As Nightmare stepped into the black market, air mixed with various Origin auras, the strange smells of medicinal herbs, the corrosion of metal, and a faint scent of blood rushed towards him. He calmly suppressed his Reverse Path aura to its lowest, appearing like the most ordinary Loose Cultivator who had just entered the Hongmeng Universe seeking fortune.

He wandered seemingly aimlessly, his gaze sweeping over the stalls on both sides. The items for sale were diverse: unrefined, coarse Origin Ore, fragments of ancient treasures, herbs with unknown effects, Jade Slips recording scattered Cultivation Techniques (hard to distinguish between real and fake), and even some enslaved aliens with numb eyes locked by Restrictions... The main currency for transactions was 'Grandmist Origin Crystals' of varying purity, with occasional bartering.

Nightmare stopped at a stall selling maps and miscellaneous Jade Slips. He spent a few of the lowest-purity Origin Crystals found in the checkpoint captain's Storage Pouch to buy an updated, more detailed description of the black market's internal areas and a summary of recent rumors in the Black Rock Domain. The stall owner was a one-armed old man who, after taking the crystals, paid him no further attention.

Just as Nightmare turned, seemingly heading towards the 'inner area' of the black market—dedicated to large-scale transactions and information trading—his keen Divine Sense caught a subtle gaze.

That gaze came from a Cultivator leaning in the shadows, wearing a gray cloak. The other's cultivation was also at the initial Hongmeng Dominator realm, but his aura was condensed, clearly stronger than most checkpoint guards and Loose Cultivators in the market. The person's gaze, like a venomous snake, repeatedly lingered over Nightmare, especially on the trace of unique Origin fluctuation that Nightmare had deliberately suppressed but couldn't completely extinguish, before quietly withdrawing.

He had been targeted.

Nightmare sneered inwardly, but his face showed no change. Following the purchased description, he walked unhurriedly towards the inner area, passing several forks along the way and deliberately choosing a relatively secluded path leading to the black market's edge—a dumping area for abandoned Materials.

Sure enough, as soon as he entered the quiet area piled with large amounts of discarded Ore and broken building Materials, that subtle aura followed and no longer concealed itself.

'Friend, stop.'

The gray-cloaked Cultivator emerged from behind a large rock, blocking the retreat. He pushed back his hood, revealing a sallow face with deep-set eyes that were sharp as a hawk's. He scrutinized Nightmare, forcing a fake smile: 'You look unfamiliar. New to the Black Rock Domain?'

Nightmare turned and looked at him calmly: 'What do you want?'

'Heh,' the sallow-faced Cultivator chuckled dryly twice, 'nothing major. I just find the Origin aura on you quite special, unlike anything I've seen before. I have some interest in rare Origins. I wonder if you could part with it and let me 'appreciate' it?' He emphasized the word 'appreciate,' while a chilling Qi subtly locked onto Nightmare, the threat clear. He was confident that Nightmare, alone with an 'unusual' but 'not strong' aura (Nightmare's disguise was good), was an ideal target for robbery in such a black market fringe.

'Appreciate?' Nightmare repeated the word, the cold curve at the corner of his mouth reappearing, 'With your life?'

The sallow-faced Cultivator's expression darkened, the fake smile completely gone, his eyes gleaming with malice: 'You refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit! I offered you a way out, but since you won't take it, don't blame...'

'Too much talk.'

Nightmare didn't bother to let him finish. With a thought, the long-suppressed Reverse Path Origin erupted violently!

There was no overwhelming Demonic Flame like when dealing with the checkpoint; this time, the power was extremely condensed! A thread of Demonic Flame, thin as a hair but so black it seemed to absorb all light, shot silently from Nightmare's fingertip, its speed surpassing the limit of Divine Sense perception!

The sallow-faced Cultivator was shocked. He hadn't expected the other to act so decisively and ruthlessly, and with such attack speed! He shouted sharply, bursting with gray, chilling Origin around him, instantly forming a thick, diamond-shaped ice crystal shield in front. The shield's surface flickered with runes, exuding biting cold—clearly a decent defensive Divine Ability.

However, the moment the thin black thread touched the ice crystal shield—

Sss!

There was no loud collision, only a faint sound like a hot knife cutting through butter. The ice crystal shield, imbued with chilling Origin and incredibly sturdy, was easily pierced by the black thread! The runes on the shield instantly dimmed and shattered. The entire shield, centered on the hole, rapidly stained with a lifeless black color, then crumbled with a crash into countless ice shards devoid of spiritual light!

'What?!' The sallow-faced Cultivator was Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering, instinctively trying to dodge and flee.

But it was too late.

After piercing the shield, the black thread didn't slow down; instead, it accelerated, making an eerie turn as if alive, precisely entering the sallow-faced Cultivator's forehead!

The Cultivator's body stiffened abruptly, his eyes widening instantly, bloodshot, with endless darkness and destruction reflected deep in his pupils. He opened his mouth but made no sound. The layer of gray, chilling Origin on his surface rapidly faded and vanished as if encountering a nemesis.

Nightmare's figure blurred, appearing behind him, his right hand forming a claw and gently pressing against his back.

'Star Devouring Dao!'

A powerful suction force erupted. The sallow-faced Cultivator's initial Hongmeng Dominator realm Origin, along with his not-yet-completely-dispersed vitality and Soul Power, surged like a bursting flood into Nightmare's palm. The Cultivator's body visibly withered, eventually turning into a shriveled husk that collapsed to the ground, then was burned to ashes by a lingering wisp of Demonic Flame, completely disappearing.

The entire process, from attack to disposing of the evidence, took only two or three breaths—clean and efficient.

Nightmare raised his hand, and a Storage Pouch of noticeably better quality flew from the ashes into his grasp. Probing with his Divine Sense, he quickly found the target amidst some miscellaneous items and a few Origin Crystals—three fist-sized, irregular polyhedral, pale-yellow crystals, inside which swirled pure, dense energy.

Grandmist Origin Crystals! And with much higher purity than the fragmented crystals obtained from the looters earlier. This was the hard currency of the Hongmeng Universe and an important resource for Cultivation.

'A decent harvest.' Nightmare stored the crystals and the Storage Pouch, preparing to leave.

'Halt! Who dares commit murder within the black market?!' A sharp shout came.

Two Cultivators wearing matching black martial attire, with dark red rock patterns embroidered on their sleeves, flew rapidly from a fork in the path—clearly patrol Cultivators responsible for basic order in the black market. They happened to witness Nightmare storing the Storage Pouch and the last of the ashes scattering, their expressions immediately turning grim. Though the black market was chaotic, blatant murder and robbery witnessed by patrols had to be addressed, or they couldn't answer to the few bosses maintaining order behind the scenes.

These two were also at the initial Dominator realm, their auras slightly weaker than the sallow-faced Cultivator's, but they had the advantage of tacit cooperation. They blocked the path left and right, looking coldly at Nightmare: 'Come with us! Explain what happened!'

Nightmare looked up at these two patrol Cultivators, his eyes showing no fluctuation, only indifference.

'Explain?' he uttered two words faintly.

The next moment, without giving the other any chance to react or assert their authority, Nightmare flicked both hands simultaneously!

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Two black Demonic Flame needles, even more condensed than before, shot out silently, aiming straight for the foreheads of the two patrol Cultivators! Fast! Accurate! Ruthless!

'How dare you!' The two patrol Cultivators were shocked and furious, not expecting this person to be so brazen as to directly attack even the patrol team! They hurriedly activated their protective Origin and tried to dodge.

But the speed of the Demonic Flame needles and their eerie piercing, corrosive characteristic once again exceeded their ability to respond.

Thud! Thud!

Two soft sounds.

The protective Origin was pierced like paper. The two patrol Cultivators shuddered, their eyes instantly glazing over, their faces still bearing expressions of shock, anger, and disbelief, then fell straight backward. As they fell, black Demonic Flame ignited from within their bodies, incinerating both corpses along with their Divine Souls into nothingness in an instant, leaving only two small piles of ashes on the ground.

Nightmare didn't even glance at the ashes, as if he had merely crushed two insects. He concealed his form again, perfectly suppressing his aura, and left the abandoned dumping area like a ghost, heading towards the black market's core—the largest three-story stone trading pavilion, 'Myriad Treasures Pavilion.'

At the Myriad Treasures Pavilion, using the three higher-purity Origin Crystals he had just obtained plus some earlier fragments, he successfully exchanged for a more detailed map of the Black Rock Domain's Distribution of power, even marking some of the Domain Lords Mansion's daily patrol routes and the activity ranges of several Protectors. According to the intelligence, the Black Rock Domain Lord was at the intermediate Hongmeng Dominator realm. Besides the deceased Black Wind Protector, he had two other Protectors at the Peak of the initial Dominator realm, along with several initial Dominator realm personal guards.

After obtaining the desired intelligence, Nightmare didn't linger for a moment. He immediately left the noisy and dangerous Blackstone Black Market, his figure blending into the domain's gloomy sky and complex terrain, disappearing.

At the edge of the black market's abandoned dumping area, the two small piles of patrol Cultivators' ashes were soon scattered by the passing wind, leaving no trace. Only a very few Cultivators who happened to notice the brief energy fluctuations felt a chill, knowing that some fool had kicked an iron plate in the black market, leaving no remains. In this Blackstone Black Market, similar scenes played out daily. But this time, the hardness of the iron plate might far exceed everyone's imagination.

Nightmare's next target was the 'Abandoned Mine' area marked on the Distribution of power map as relatively weak in the Domain Lord's forces. He needed a temporarily safe place to digest the recently plundered Origin while planning his next move. The Black Rock Domain Lord? Soon, he would come knocking. And Nightmare never feared the hunt, no matter who the prey was.