The first signs of an undercurrent

Nightmare turned slowly. His muscles tightened slightly, Demonic Essence condensed in secret, and his Divine Sense was highly concentrated, locking onto the seemingly ordinary old man in grey robes.

A Nascent Soul Cultivator! And certainly not just someone who had newly entered the Nascent Soul Stage! His aura was deep as the sea, obscure and unfathomable. The pressure he exerted was even a notch stronger than the remote Divine Sense of the Profound Yin Ancestor and the Clone of Immortal Master Yuheng from before!

This Mangshan Market truly was a place where hidden dragons and crouching tigers resided!

"Who are you, Your Excellency? What is your purpose?" Nightmare's voice was hoarse as he remained vigilant. The fact that the other party had appeared behind him without a sound, and he hadn't noticed at all, meant their strength was absolutely terrifying. If they harbored malicious intent, just now would have been the best Opportunity for a sneak attack.

The old man maintained his smiling, kindly appearance, as if the conflict that had just occurred in the market had nothing to do with him. Leaning on a bamboo staff, he walked forward slowly, scrutinized Nightmare a few times, and a flash of imperceptible surprise crossed his eyes.

"Hehe, Fellow Daoist, there is no need to be nervous. This old man harbors no ill will; I merely saw that you are extraordinary in skill, yet look very unfamiliar, so I came to make your acquaintance." The old man said with a chuckle, his voice peaceful, carrying an aura that calmed the heart. "This old man's surname is Jiang, with the given name 'Ya'. I am honored to serve as a manager for the 'Heavenly Secret Pavilion' in this market."

Heavenly Secret Pavilion?

Nightmare's heart stirred. He had seen scattered records about this organization in the intelligence he purchased from the Hundred Knowledge Pavilion. It was said to be an extremely mysterious and ancient organization, known for selling intelligence and divining the secrets of heaven. Its influence spread across the entire Central Province and even extended to other continents, yet it kept a low profile, rarely participated directly in the conflicts of various parties, and held a transcendent status.

He had not expected to encounter someone from the Heavenly Secret Pavilion so quickly, and a Nascent Soul Stage manager at that!

"So it is Senior Jiang." Nightmare relaxed his vigilance slightly, but still did not let his guard down. "This Junior's surname is Ye, a mere Loose Cultivator. I am new here, and the matter just now was truly a forced counterattack."

He casually fabricated a surname, not revealing his true name.

"Fellow Daoist Ye, there is no need to explain. This old man happened to see the whole process just now." Jiang Ya waved his hand, his smiling expression unchanged. "That Zhang Feng relied on the influence of the Flowing Cloud Sect and was accustomed to being overbearing in the market. Today, he kicked an iron plate, so it was his own fault. Your decisive actions actually saved this old man some trouble."

Nightmare's gaze flickered, and he did not respond. This old fellow spoke with watertight precision; he seemed amiable, yet gave off a feeling of being unfathomably deep.

Jiang Ya did not seem to care about Nightmare's coldness and continued on his own: "Although the Flowing Cloud Sect is only a second-rate Sect in this area, its Sect Master is very protective of his own, and there is an Old Ancestor at the Early Nascent Soul Stage within the Sect. Since Fellow Daoist Ye killed their Inner Sect Disciple, I fear you are in for quite some trouble. In less than an hour, the people from the Flowing Cloud Sect will likely come knocking."

Nightmare frowned slightly. "What does Senior mean by this? Are you trying to stop this Junior from leaving?" He quietly circulated his Demonic Essence, ready to strike at any moment. Even if the opponent was a Nascent Soul Cultivator, he would fight for a chance.

"Not at all, not at all." Jiang Ya shook his head repeatedly and smiled. "If this old man wanted to stop you, why would I need to appear and waste words with you? I simply saw that you are no ordinary person, felt curious, and wished to form a good connection with you."

He paused, his gaze seeming to be able to see through people's hearts, and said slowly: "Fellow Daoist Ye, you didn't come to the Central Province just to sightsee, did you? The waters in the Central Province are very murky. Without a foundation, it is difficult to move an inch. Even if you are powerful, you might be able to evade the Flowing Cloud Sect, but can you evade the dragnet of the Sky Patrol Alliance?"

Nightmare's pupils constricted slightly, and his gaze instantly became sharp. "Senior knows my identity?"

"Hehe, I know a thing or two." Jiang Ya stroked his beard and chuckled. "That highest-level wanted order issued by the Sky Patrol Alliance Headquarters is described in quite some detail... Proficient in poison and Divine Soul techniques, bizarre movement arts, devouring a demonic vine... coupled with the Divine Soul-annihilating finger technique you just used... it would be hard not to make the connection."

Nightmare felt a chill in his heart; the intelligence capability of this Heavenly Secret Pavilion was truly terrifying! He had only just arrived at the border of the Central Province, and he had already been recognized!

He remained silent, but secretly, he had already prepared to fight to the death.

However, what Jiang Ya said next exceeded his expectations.

"Fellow Daoist, no need to be nervous." Jiang Ya waved his hand. "My Heavenly Secret Pavilion opens its doors for business; we only sell intelligence, do not participate in grievances, and certainly would not act as lackeys for the Sky Patrol Alliance. The reason I pointed out your identity is simply to express our Pavilion's sincerity."

"Sincerity?" Nightmare said coldly.

"Correct." Jiang Ya nodded. "My Pavilion wishes to make a deal with you."

"What kind of deal?"

"My Pavilion can provide you with shelter, help you avoid the initial investigations by the Flowing Cloud Sect and the Sky Patrol Alliance, and provide you with the intelligence and resources you need, and even... including clues to the subsequent Cultivation Techniques of the 'Myriad Poison Demonic Scripture'." Jiang Ya said slowly, his tone filled with temptation.

Nightmare's heart shook violently! The other party even knew he was cultivating the 'Myriad Poison Demonic Scripture'?! And they even knew the technique was incomplete?!

This Heavenly Secret Pavilion was simply too terrifying!

"What are the conditions?" Nightmare suppressed the shock in his heart and asked in a deep voice. There was no such thing as a free lunch in the world; since the other party offered such generous terms, their goal must be significant.

"As for the conditions..." Jiang Ya smiled slightly, a deep light flashing in his eyes. "It is very simple. First, you must become a 'Guest Elder' of my Heavenly Secret Pavilion. It does not require you to join our Pavilion, only that when we need it, you provide some 'within your power' assistance regarding certain matters. Second, in the future, when you have the ability, you must retrieve an item for my Pavilion."

"What item?"

"It is too early to tell you now." Jiang Ya shook his head. "The place where this item is located—with your current strength, you would be courting death if you went. When you condense your Demonic Infant and possess Nascent Soul strength, our Pavilion will naturally inform you."

Nightmare's gaze flickered as he weighed the options rapidly. Becoming a Guest Elder, doing one thing for the other party in the future, in exchange for immediate shelter and the urgently needed Cultivation Technique clues... This deal sounded quite good. The Heavenly Secret Pavilion had vast influence, and if he could use it as cover, it would indeed save him countless troubles.

But the other party was so mysterious, and the "item" that needed to be retrieved must be extremely dangerous. Moreover, the other party seemed to know everything about him, a feeling that made him very uncomfortable.

Risk and Opportunity coexisted.

Seeing Nightmare pondering in silence, Jiang Ya did not urge him, just waited with a smile.

In the distance, the sound of rapid air-splitting and commotion could already be faintly heard; clearly, the people from the Flowing Cloud Sect had gotten the news and were rushing over.

Time was tight.

A flash of determination crossed Nightmare's eyes as he looked up at Jiang Ya. "Fine! I agree! But I also have conditions: I will not do things for you that are obviously courting death or against my principles. Furthermore, I need to see the exact clues for the subsequent Cultivation Techniques of the 'Myriad Poison Demonic Scripture' first!"

"Hehe, straightforward!" Jiang Ya seemed to have expected Nightmare to agree and smiled. "The conditions are reasonable. This is natural; our Pavilion has always dealt fairly."

He flipped his wrist, and a black token that was neither gold nor jade, engraved with complex star patterns, appeared in his hand. He handed it to Nightmare. "This is the Guest Elder Token of my Heavenly Secret Pavilion. With this token, you can seek help at any of our branches, enjoy a 30% discount, and also receive some internal intelligence through it. As for the Cultivation Technique clues..."

He took out another thin, silver Jade Slip. "The 'Myriad Poison Demonic Scripture' is rumored to have been created by the ancient Poison Venerable and consists of nine layers. Most of what circulates in the world are the Incomplete Manuals of the first four layers. As far as this old man knows, the Cultivation Techniques after the fifth layer may exist in three places: first, the Poison Venerable's tomb deep within the 'Myriad Poison Swamp'; second, a certain ancient demonic battlefield in the 'Nether Ghost Domain'; and third... the Legacy Secret Hall of the 'Heavenly Demon Sect'. How to specifically obtain them will depend on your own Opportunity and means. This Jade Slip contains basic information about these three locations, which I will include as a bonus."

Nightmare took the token and the Jade Slip. His Divine Sense swept over the Jade Slip, and it indeed recorded rough introductions about the Myriad Poison Swamp, the Nether Ghost Domain, and the Heavenly Demon Sect. They were all extremely dangerous places, but the information was indeed valuable.

"Thank you." He put away the token and the Jade Slip.

At this moment, the forces of the Flowing Cloud Sect had already arrived nearby, and their powerful Divine Sense began to frantically scan this area.

"Let's go, follow me. There is a short-distance teleportation array set up by our Pavilion in the market, which can temporarily help you avoid them." Jiang Ya said, turning and walking towards the depths of the alley.

Nightmare hesitated slightly, but followed anyway. Matters had reached this point; he might as well see what means this Heavenly Secret Pavilion truly possessed.

Jiang Ya stopped in front of a seemingly ordinary wall and tapped a few positions with his fingers, seemingly at random.

The wall slid open silently, revealing a small stone room with an exquisite teleportation array carved into the floor.

The two stepped into the array, a white light flashed, and they instantly vanished.

Less than three breaths after they disappeared, several powerful figures landed in the alley. The black-robed old man leading them had an aura that had reached the Peak Late Golden Core Stage. He looked at the empty alley, his face turning livid.

"Search! Even if you have to dig three feet into the ground, find that murderer for me!"

...

Nightmare only felt his vision blur before he appeared in another secret chamber with a similar layout. The Spiritual Qi here was even denser, clearly having left the most chaotic area of the market.

"This is a secret stronghold of our Pavilion within the market; it is absolutely safe." Jiang Ya said with a smile. "Fellow Daoist, you can rest here for a while; the people from the Flowing Cloud Sect dare not come here to act wildly. As for the Sky Patrol Alliance's wanted order, our Pavilion will also manipulate things a little and temporarily divert their attention elsewhere, but how long we can hide it will depend on your own ability."

"Thank you for the trouble, Senior Jiang." Nightmare cupped his hands. Regardless of the other party's purpose, they had indeed done him a huge favor right now.

"Hehe, it is just a transaction; Fellow Daoist, no need to be polite." Jiang Ya waved his hand. "By the way, let me remind you of one thing. The Central Province has been experiencing undercurrents recently, and not just because of your matter. It is said that the 'Nether Ghost Domain' has had frequent unusual movements recently, as if a precious treasure is about to emerge; and over at the 'Heavenly Demon Sect', they seem to be secretly searching for something, which may be related to an ancient Demonic Path Legacy. If you are interested in those Cultivation Technique clues, perhaps you can start from those two places. As for the Myriad Poison Swamp... it has recently been targeted by a group of fellows who play with bugs; it is a bit troublesome."

Nether Ghost Domain? Heavenly Demon Sect? Myriad Poison Swamp?

Nightmare noted down this information; it seemed the Central Province was indeed much more exciting than the Southern Wasteland.

"Thank you for informing me, Senior."

"Hmm, Fellow Daoist, take care of yourself. If you have any needs, you can contact the nearby branch through the Guest Elder Token. This old man will take his leave." After Jiang Ya finished speaking, his figure gradually faded, as if merging into the air, and disappeared.

In the secret chamber, only Nightmare remained.

He looked at the Guest Elder Token and the Jade Slip in his hand, his eyes complex. He had only just stepped into the Central Province, and he was already embroiled in a new storm. The Heavenly Secret Pavilion... seemingly kind, but actually unfathomable. The road ahead would likely be even more fraught with danger. But at the same time, there were also more opportunities!

The subsequent Cultivation Techniques of the 'Myriad Poison Demonic Scripture', the Opportunity to condense a Demonic Infant, and ways to rapidly increase his strength...

Cold flames reignited in Nightmare's eyes. No matter what the road ahead held, he would walk it step by step and trample all his enemies underfoot!

The most urgent task was to digest what he had gained as quickly as possible, increase his strength, and then... head to one of those three dangerous locations!

His gaze first turned to the introduction about the "Nether Ghost Domain" in the Jade Slip.

It seemed closest to this place, and... it vaguely had some compatibility with the attributes of the Demonic Heart Essence Soul he had just absorbed?

Perhaps that would be his next stop.

Sitting cross-legged, Nightmare once again immersed himself in cultivation.

The stage of the Central Province had already been unveiled. And he, this fierce dragon crossing the river, would surely stir up even greater waves in this deep pool of water!