Southern Wilderness Demon Realm, Azure Phoenix Market

The Southern Wasteland is vastly different from the landscape of the Human Race's Southern Territory.

Here, ancient trees tower into the sky, miasma fills the air, and the atmosphere is saturated with dense yet wild Demonic Qi. The mountain ranges are even more majestic and perilous, rivers roar and surge, and all sorts of strange plants, venomous insects, and Vicious Beasts can be seen everywhere, revealing an atmosphere of primeval antiquity.

Nightmare suppressed the injuries in his body, concealed all traces of his Human Race Cultivator aura, and used the power of the rule fragment to slightly simulate pure, gloomy Devilish Qi, making him appear more like a Devilish Cultivator or Yao Cultivator from some absolute land of yin veins, rather than a member of the Human Race. In this territory where the Yao Race reigns supreme, a Human Race identity was far too conspicuous.

He followed the faint sensation from the System's Devil Seed and traveled through the primitive jungle for several days, finally arriving at the rendezvous point where Mo Yuan and the others were located—near a small Yao Race settlement on the outskirts of the Southern Wasteland.

This was a temporary Immortal Cave hidden within the belly of a mountain, with clever Restrictions; had it not been for the sensation from the Devil Seed, it would have been extremely difficult to discover.

"Benefactor!" Seeing that although Nightmare's aura was withered and he was carrying injuries, he had finally returned safely, Mo Yuan and the others breathed a sigh of relief. They hurriedly stepped forward to salute, their eyes filled with worry and lingering fear. Although they had not witnessed the Soul Transformation Cultivator with their own eyes, the terrifying pressure that had traveled from afar had left them trembling with fear.

"It is nothing, just minor injuries." Nightmare waved his hand, swallowed a few Medicinal Pills, and sat cross-legged to regulate his breathing. Half a day later, the injuries were temporarily suppressed; although he was still far from a full recovery, it no longer affected his movements.

"How is the situation?" he asked.

Mo Yuan respectfully replied: "Reporting to Benefactor, we have already conducted preliminary inquiries. This place belongs to the edge of the 'Black Wind Demon King's' territory. Further in, it is the sphere of influence of the various major Yao Race tribes. Human Race Cultivators rarely set foot here, and the Sky Patrol Alliance's reach cannot yet extend this far. We have also gathered some information regarding the Blood Crow Tribe and the Myriad Demon Blood Pool."

"Speak."

"The Blood Crow Tribe is one of the major tribes of the Southern Wasteland. It is said that their Clan Chief is a great Demon King at the Late Nascent Soul Stage, fierce and warlike, and extremely xenophobic. Their ancestral land is heavily guarded, and ordinary Yao Race can hardly get close, let alone us 'outsiders'." Mo Yuan looked troubled. "As for the Myriad Demon Blood Pool, it is the Holy Land of the Blood Crow Tribe. It is rumored to be located within a volcano at the deepest part of their ancestral land, guarded jointly by the tribe's priests and Elders. It only opens once every hundred years, used for sacrifices and totem baptisms..."

After listening, Nightmare furrowed his brows. The situation was indeed tricky. Forcibly breaking into the Holy Land of a major tribe with a Late Nascent Soul Stage great Demon King sitting in command was no different from seeking death.

"Do you know when the Myriad Demon Blood Pool will open next?"

"It is said to be... ten years from now." Mo Yuan said in a low voice.

Ten years? Nightmare's eyes turned cold. He could not wait that long.

"Is there any other news regarding 'blood mud' or items similar to it that can bind souls and connect Karma?"

Mo Yuan pondered for a moment and said: "There is... It is said that in three months, 'Azure Luan Peak' will host a large-scale Yao market, where all tribes of the Southern Wasteland will go to trade. There are many strange items at the Yao market, and perhaps there might be clues to similar objects. Moreover, the Yao market is a mix of all kinds of people, making it easier to hide one's identity. It is just that..."

"Just what?"

"It is just that Azure Luan Peak is the territory of the 'Azure Luan Demon King'. It is said that this Demon King has a trace of ancient Azure Luan Bloodline in its body, its strength is unfathomable, and it detests Devilish Qi the most..." Mo Yuan looked at Nightmare with some worry. Benefactor had a body full of pure Demonic Essence; although he could simulate Demonic Qi, if he encountered a true great demon, it might be difficult to hide it completely.

"Azure Luan Market..." Nightmare pondered for a moment. "No matter, I have my own ways to conceal it when the time comes. This is a good opportunity to gather information."

He decided to try his luck at the Azure Luan Market first. If he really couldn't find any clues, he would think of a way to infiltrate the Blood Crow Tribe. After all, he was determined to obtain the karma mud.

For the next period, Nightmare remained in the temporary Immortal Cave to concentrate on healing his injuries. He used Medicinal Pills and his powerful Demonic Technique to recover from his injuries extremely quickly. At the same time, he began to study how to better disguise his own aura. He attempted to further restrain his Demonic Essence, while simultaneously mobilizing the power of that trace of rule fragment to distort his own energy field, supplemented by the sap of a special material called "Phantom Yao Vine" that he had obtained from the Sky Patrol Alliance's treasury, which could simulate Demonic Qi.

Several days later, when he stepped out of the Immortal Cave again, the chilling Devilish Qi around him had disappeared, replaced by a deep, obscure, and ancient Demonic Qi fluctuation reminiscent of old mountain forests. Although it would still feel slightly strange if perceived carefully, it was enough to deceive most of the Yao Race.

He also had Mo Yuan and the others disguise themselves and act separately to avoid being too conspicuous.

Three months passed in the blink of an eye.

Azure Luan Peak is located in the central part of the Southern Wasteland, with beautiful mountain scenery and abundant Spiritual Qi, quite different from the primeval scenes elsewhere. A huge platform had been cleared at the summit, and at this moment, it was a sea of Yao, with noise shaking the heavens.

Various strange-looking Yao Race moved among them: some had successfully transformed completely and were no different from humans; some retained partial beast characteristics, such as having bull heads or dragging fox tails; and there were even many ferocious birds and beasts that appeared in their original forms, having shrunk their bodies to trade here.

The air was filled with various scents of Demonic Qi, medicinal fragrance, blood, and Ore. The items being traded were also bizarre: there were Yao Beast inner cores containing powerful blood energy, Blood Essence Stones for tempering Yao bones, various exotic poisonous flowers and fruits, and even captured Human Race Cultivators or other weak Yao Race being sold as slaves!

Nightmare transformed into a black-robed man with a pale complexion, sinister eyes, and an aura of a cold snake demon radiating from his body, strolling through the Yao market. Mo Yuan and the others were scattered around, secretly keeping watch and gathering information.

His Divine Sense was like an invisible tentacle, carefully scanning every stall, searching for any items that might be related to "Karma", or more information about the Blood Crow Tribe and the Myriad Demon Blood Pool.

Most of the things on the stalls did not catch his eye. Occasionally, there were a few yin-attribute or poison-attribute Materials that made him pause for a moment, but he just traded for them casually.

After wandering for most of the day, he still had nothing to show for it. The clues about the karma mud were even more elusive.

Just as he passed a remote corner and a stall belonging to an old, decrepit turtle demon, his footsteps paused slightly.

The turtle demon's stall was mostly filled with old, damaged bone fragments and stone tools, which seemed to be "waste" dug out from ancient ruins, and no Yao patronized it.

But Nightmare's gaze was drawn to an inconspicuous, pitch-black, "mud lump" that seemed to be stained with dried blood!

The mud lump was only the size of a fist, irregular in shape, with a rough surface and no energy fluctuations; it looked just like ordinary dried river mud.

However, the power of the rule fragment within Nightmare's body stirred slightly, transmitting an extremely faint sensation—within that mud lump, there was a trace of extremely strange power capable of weakly interfering with Karma lines! Although it was extremely thin, its essence was somewhat similar to the characteristics of the "karma mud" he had learned about from the System!

Nightmare's heart stirred, but he remained calm on the surface. He walked to the stall, picked up a damaged bone fragment next to it, and asked in a hoarse voice (simulating a snake demon): "Old man, how much for this bone fragment?"

The old turtle demon's eyelids drooped, and he said listlessly: "Three... three Blood Essence Stones..."

Nightmare threw over three low-grade Blood Essence Stones and pointed at the black mud lump as if casually: "Is this thing a throw-in? It looks a bit ominous."

The old turtle demon glanced at the mud lump, a trace of confusion seemingly flashing in his turbid eyes, and shook his head: "No... this thing was picked up by this old man from the depths of the 'Black Swamp'. It is very hard, cannot be melted by fire, cannot be soaked through by water, and I don't know what it is... If you want it, add another Blood Essence Stone and take it..."

Nightmare sneered in his heart. Black Swamp? This old guy was clearly talking nonsense; the aura on this mud lump clearly carried a trace of extremely faint Fire Fiend power, more like it came from a volcanic region. But he did not expose him, and readily threw over another Blood Essence Stone, picking up both the bone fragment and the mud lump.

Just as he was about to leave, an arrogant voice suddenly interjected from the side:

"Wait! That black mud lump, this young master wants it!"

A young Yao Race with luxurious clothing, an arrogant expression, and a pair of striking antelope horns on his head walked over, accompanied by several fierce-looking guards. His eyes were burning as he stared at the mud lump in Nightmare's hand, as if he had discovered something.

The old turtle demon was somewhat at a loss when he saw this.

Nightmare's eyes turned cold, and he said indifferently: "I have already bought the item."

"Bought it?" The antelope-horned youth sneered, pointing at Nightmare with his chin, "Do you know who this young master is? I am the Young Valley Master of 'Antelope Valley' under the Azure Luan Peak! You dare to snatch something I have taken a fancy to? If you are sensible, hand it over obediently, and this young master will reward you with a few Spirit Stones!"

The guards behind him also stepped forward one by one, emitting Golden Core Stage Yao power fluctuations, the threat implicit.

The surrounding Yao Race saw this and avoided them one after another, clearly quite wary of this "Young Valley Master of Antelope Valley".

Nightmare smiled, but the smile was extremely cold.

He was just worrying about having no place to test his hand and, incidentally, muddy the waters of this Southern Wasteland.

"Antelope Valley? Never heard of it." He slowly turned around and looked at the hedonistic son, a trace of real killing intent flashing in the vertical pupils he had simulated to look like a snake's, "Want my things? You can..."

"Take your life to exchange for it."