The battle of secret bidding

Nightmare had been in seclusion for several days within the secret chamber of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion, thoroughly consolidating his Peak Golden Core Stage cultivation and initially digesting the benefits gained from devouring the Demonic Heart Essence.

Although the incomplete Demonic Path Laws contained within that wisp of essence could not be directly cultivated, they greatly broadened his horizons, deepening his understanding of the Myriad Poison Demonic Scripture and his own Demonic Essence, and making his use of Divine Abilities increasingly smooth and proficient.

The Wind-Devouring Demonic Vine had also digested its gains; its vine body was now even darker and glossier, with the wind patterns on its leaves shifting like living creatures, and the aura it radiated was already comparable to that of a Late Golden Core Stage Cultivator.

It was time to set out.

Nightmare altered his appearance, transforming into a sallow-faced, cold-aura middle-aged Cultivator, with his cultivation still suppressed at the Early Golden Core Stage, and then quietly left the secret chamber.

Within Mangshan Market, the storm regarding the killing of the Flowing Cloud Sect Disciple seemed to have subsided; at least on the surface, there were no signs of large-scale searches.

The methods of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion were truly extraordinary.

However, Nightmare could vaguely sense that some covert investigations had not ceased, and the Sky Patrol Alliance's wanted order was like an invisible net hanging over the head of every unfamiliar Cultivator.

He did not linger in the market, heading directly to the location for renting Spirit Boats, intending to board a flight to "Black Wind Market City," which was closest to the Nether Ghost Domain.

However, when he arrived at the station, he was informed that due to the recent surge in Cultivators heading toward the Nether Ghost Domain, regular flights were already fully booked, and the next one would not be until half a month later.

"Why are so many people going to the Nether Ghost Domain recently?" Nightmare asked, frowning.

The station manager glanced at him and said, "Fellow Daoist doesn't know? The 'Yin Evil Tide' on the periphery of the Nether Ghost Domain has weakened significantly recently. It is said that the once-in-a-century 'Ghost Gate Loosening' period is approaching, which is the perfect opportunity to enter the depths of the Ghost Domain to search for treasures like 'Yin Soul Jade' and 'Nether Ghost Grass'! Many Sects and merchant guilds have organized teams to head over, and there are even more Loose Cultivators!"

The Ghost Gate Loosening period? Nightmare recalled that Jiang Ya had also mentioned the frequent anomalies in the Nether Ghost Domain recently. It seemed this was not a secret and had already attracted a large number of Cultivators.

In this case, finding treasures quietly would likely not be easy, and the competition would be fierce, but it would also be easier to fish in troubled waters.

He had to get there as soon as possible!

If regular flights were not an option, perhaps there were other ways.

A thought occurred to Nightmare, and he arrived at the chaotic free market in the southwest corner of the market. Most of the stalls here were run by Loose Cultivators, trading various items of unknown origin, and circulating information from the gray areas.

He stopped seemingly casually in front of a stall selling Yin-attribute Materials. While examining the mediocre-quality Yin Soul Stones, he asked the stall owner, a thin, elderly man with Late Foundation Establishment Stage cultivation, as if inadvertently: "Fellow Daoist, these Yin Soul Stones are of average quality. I heard it's lively over at the Ghost Domain recently; haven't any good goods come over?"

The thin old man's eyes darted around, and he lowered his voice to say, "Hey, of course there are good goods! But how could it ever be the turn of us Loose Cultivators? They were all snatched up by those large Sects and merchant guilds long ago! However... if Fellow Daoist really wants to get some good goods, or wants to try your luck in the Ghost Domain, I do know of a path..."

"Oh? What path?" Nightmare displayed just the right amount of interest.

"Tonight at the Hour of the Rat, at the third entrance of the 'Abandoned Mine' in the west of the city, there will be a 'Shadow Auction'." The old man's voice dropped even lower, "It is said that many good things will be released, and there might even be an auction for slots on a 'private Spirit Boat' heading directly to Black Wind Market City... though the price, hehe..."

A Shadow Auction? A private Spirit Boat slot? This was exactly what Nightmare wanted!

He tossed a few Spirit Stones to the old man: "Many thanks for the information, Fellow Daoist."

At the Hour of the Rat, at the Abandoned Mine in the west of the city. This place had once been a Spirit Stone mine for Mangshan Market, but it had long since been mined empty, leaving only crisscrossing tunnels and huge mine caverns. Usually, it was sparsely populated, making it an excellent place for conducting shady transactions.

Following the directions, Nightmare arrived at the third entrance. The entrance was concealed by an illusion array, and two fierce-aura, masked Early Golden Core Stage Cultivators were guarding in the shadows.

After verifying the Spirit Stones that Nightmare presented (obtained from the Cultivator he had killed in self-defense) as a "security deposit," they let him enter the tunnel.

Deep within the tunnel, a huge cavern had been excavated. The light inside the cavern was dim, and nearly a hundred Cultivators had gathered, most of them wearing masks or employing concealment methods. Their cultivation ranged from Foundation Establishment to Golden Core, and the atmosphere was oppressive and vigilant.

In front was a simple stone platform, with a Cultivator wearing a ghost-Face mask, whose aura was clearly that of a Late Golden Core Stage Cultivator, serving as the host.

The auction began quickly. Most of the auction items were Magical Artifacts, Medicinal Pills, and Materials of dubious origin, and there were even a few incomplete Demonic Techniques and evil arts, which attracted many Cultivators to bid, and the atmosphere gradually became heated.

Nightmare had no interest in most of the items and simply waited quietly.

Finally, the host Cultivator took out a pitch-black token and announced loudly: "The next auction item is a slot on the 'Black Skull Spirit Boat' heading to Black Wind Market City! The Spirit Boat will depart tomorrow at dawn, heading directly to the outskirts of Black Wind Market City, and will be escorted by a Late Golden Core Stage Cultivator throughout the journey, ensuring safety and secrecy! The starting bid is one thousand Spirit Stones, and each increment must be no less than one hundred!"

It was here! Immediately, many Cultivators began bidding. "One thousand one hundred!" "One thousand three hundred!" "One thousand five hundred!" The price quickly climbed to two thousand Spirit Stones.

Just as Nightmare was preparing to bid, suddenly, an arrogant voice rang out: "Three thousand Spirit Stones! The Black Fiend Gang wants this slot!"

Hearing this, the crowd quieted down significantly, and eyes turned toward the person who had spoken. It was a tall, sturdy man with a scar on his Face and Middle Golden Core cultivation. Behind him followed several Cultivators who were also filled with a murderous aura, clearly a local Gang.

The Black Fiend Gang had quite a reputation in Mangshan Market, and their Gang leader was a Peak Golden Core Stage Cultivator. They acted tyrannically, and few people dared to provoke them.

The host Cultivator also seemed somewhat wary and hesitated for a moment.

The scarred man looked around triumphantly, seemingly determined to win.

Just then, a cold voice rang out: "Three thousand one hundred."

The one who bid was Nightmare. The cavern suddenly went silent, and all eyes were focused on Nightmare, filled with surprise, pity, and schadenfreude.

The scarred man's Face instantly darkened, and he stared fiercely at Nightmare: "Brat, are you looking for death? You dare to snatch items from my Black Fiend Gang?"

Nightmare did not even look at him, but said calmly to the host Cultivator: "The auction rules state that the highest bidder wins. Is there no one else bidding?"

The host Cultivator looked at Nightmare, then at the scarred man, and finally bit the bullet and said: "This Fellow Daoist has bid three thousand one hundred. Is there any higher bid?"

"Good! Very good!" The scarred man laughed in extreme anger, "Three thousand five hundred! Brat, let's see how many Spirit Stones you have to keep up!"

"Three thousand six hundred." Nightmare's tone remained calm.

"Four thousand!"

"Four thousand one hundred."

No matter how much the scarred man bid, Nightmare always added only one hundred, clearly intending to lock horns with him.

The atmosphere in the cavern became tense, and everyone could see that this was no longer a simple auction; they were locking horns!

The scarred man's Face was livid, and murderous intent was fully exposed in his eyes. Four thousand Spirit Stones was far beyond the actual value of a single slot, but if he backed down now, where would the Black Fiend Gang's Face be?

"Five thousand Spirit Stones!" He practically roared it out, staring fixedly at Nightmare, "Brat, keep bidding if you dare!"

Everyone thought Nightmare would continue to bid. However, Nightmare suddenly smiled, spread his hands, and said: "Since Your Excellency wants it so much, then I shall yield it to you. Buying a slot for five thousand Spirit Stones—the Black Fiend Gang is indeed wealthy and imposing."

A burst of suppressed snickering broke out in the cavern.

The scarred man only then realized he had been played, and he was so angry that he trembled all over, his eyes bloodshot, wishing he could immediately step forward and tear Nightmare to pieces! But constrained by the rules of the Shadow Auction and the host who was a Late Golden Core Stage Cultivator, he forcefully held back. He only stared at Nightmare with the gaze of someone looking at a dead man and said viciously: "Good! Good brat! I will remember you! I hope you can still laugh after you leave this mine!"

Nightmare turned a deaf ear to his threat.

In the end, the slot was auctioned off to the scarred man at the sky-high price of five thousand Spirit Stones.

The auction continued. Several more slots were auctioned off afterward, with prices hovering around two thousand Spirit Stones. Nightmare did not bid again, as if he had truly given up.

Until the very last slot. "The last Spirit Boat slot of this Shadow Auction, starting bid one thousand," the host Cultivator said.

This time, not many people bid, and the price slowly climbed to one thousand eight hundred Spirit Stones.

Just as the host was about to strike the hammer, Nightmare spoke again: "Two thousand."

The crowd was stunned; they had not expected him to strike again. The scarred man glared angrily, but having just spent five thousand Spirit Stones, it was obviously impossible for him to bid for a second slot.

In the end, no one else increased the bid, and Nightmare easily secured the last slot for the price of two thousand Spirit Stones.

After receiving the token representing the slot and paying the Spirit Stones, Nightmare did not linger, turned around, and walked toward the cave entrance.

He could feel the cold gaze and undisguised murderous intent of the scarred man behind him.

Sure enough, not long after walking out of the mine and entering a remote mountainous forest area, several powerful auras quickly pursued from behind, blocking his path.

Leading them was the scarred man, who brought four Gang members—two Early Golden Core Stage and two Peak Foundation Establishment Stage—surrounding Nightmare completely.

"Little bastard! You dare to play tricks on your grandfathers from the Black Fiend Gang! If I don't extract your soul and refine your spirit today, I will not be able to vent the hatred in my heart!" The scarred man gritted his teeth, and a black giant axe the size of a door panel appeared in his hand, filled with Evil Qi.

The other four also brandished their Magical Artifacts, wearing vicious smiles.

Nightmare stopped his steps and slowly turned around. There was no expression on his sallow Face, only a pair of eyes flickering with a cold, eerie light in the darkness.

"Just by relying on you few rabble?" His voice remained hoarse, yet carried a trace of undisguised mockery.

"Looking for death!" The scarred man roared, and the giant axe, accompanied by a shrill whistling sound as it cut through the air, slashed fiercely toward Nightmare's head! The other four also launched attacks simultaneously, with sword light and Spells enveloping him from all directions!

Facing the siege of the five, Nightmare did not even move a step.

He merely raised his right hand gently.

The next moment, countless pitch-black, hideous demonic vines, wreathed in the aura of Wind Evil Qi, erupted from the ground without warning like demonic claws reaching out from the Nine Nether Hell!

Pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft!

Those four Peak Foundation Establishment and Early Golden Core Stage Gang members could not react in time; their protective spiritual light was easily torn apart as if made of paper, and their bodies were instantly pierced and entangled by the demonic vines! A terrifying devouring power erupted, and their lifeblood and cultivation were frantically absorbed by the demonic vines like a burst dam; they couldn't even finish a scream before they quickly turned into mummified corpses!

And the scarred man's powerful, heavy giant axe was also tightly entangled by several thicker demonic vines; no matter how he channeled his demonic power, he could not slash down even a fraction!

"What?! This... what is this monster?!" The scarred man was so terrified to the point of Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering, his eyes filled with incredulous fear! Only then did he realize what a hard iron plate he had kicked!

He wanted to flee, but it was already too late!

Nightmare's figure appeared before him like a ghost, and he gently pointed out with a cold finger.

"Soul Shattering Finger!"

The scarred man's massive body suddenly stiffened, the giant axe slipped from his hand and fell to the ground, the luster in his eyes quickly dimmed, a tiny blood hole appeared in the center of his forehead, and he fell backward stiffly.

In the blink of an eye, the five Black Fiend Gang members were all wiped out.

Nightmare expressionlessly collected the Storage Pouches of the few, and demonic flames flickered, turning the corpses into ashes and erasing the traces.

It was as if he had merely swatted a few flies.

He glanced toward the direction of Black Wind Market City, his figure flickered, and he vanished from the spot.

Tomorrow at dawn, the Spirit Boat would set sail.

Nether Ghost Domain, I am coming.