139: Ultimate Fusion! I, Iron Bull, am about to undergo a complete transformation!

Extreme Path Black Market, a huge underground palace buried deep beneath the North City Slums.

The air here was so thick it was suffocating. Besides the various strange herbal scents, it was mixed with a year-round smell of rust and blood. Gu Yang (now disguised as a scarred man) walked with his head down on the wet stone road. The black market merchants around him, shrouded in wide cloaks, were like ghosts, their occasional glances dark and full of scrutiny.

In a place like the Central State, Laws were meant to constrain the weak. In the black market, fists and Spirit Stones were the hard currency.

Gu Yang felt a slight tremor on his shoulder; it was Er Gou wriggling excitedly in his arms. This little money-grubber had clearly caught the scent of some 'high-end ingredients.'

"Don't be in a hurry. This place is deep; don't ruin my 'business'." Gu Yang lowered his voice, making it raspy and magnetic, the perfect image of a mercenary who had spent years licking blood on the fringes of the Central State.

Following the guidance of the Spirit Stone vibrations, he passed a row of eerie stalls selling 'Void Refinement Stage Yao Beast eyeballs' and 'ring fingers soaked in venom,' finally stopping in front of a domed building constructed from countless white bone fragments.

A rusted iron plaque hung over the lintel, engraved with three flamboyant characters: "Wan Zhen Pavilion."

This was the largest auction house here and the core of the northern black market... "Stop. Entry fee: one thousand Mid-grade Spirit Crystals."

Two burly Minotaur aliens with auras reaching the Nascent Soul Mid-Stage blocked the way. Their giant axes crossed, with dark red spiritual light flowing on the blades, indicating these two weapons were at least Medium Grade Spiritual Artifacts.

In the Central State, one thousand Mid-grade Spirit Crystals were enough for the annual expenses of an ordinary small Sect. Gu Yang cursed 'black shop' in his heart, but his face remained expressionless as he casually tossed out a cloth bag.

This was the salary he had just 'advanced' from the Tian Xu Holy Son.

The Minotaur guards took the bag, scanned it with their Divine Sense, and their stiff expressions immediately softened. They stepped aside and said in muffled voices, "Second floor, Spot Ding. Don't cause trouble, or you'll be thrown directly into the sea to feed the fish."

Gu Yang snorted coldly, carrying the cloth bundle on his back (which contained the myriad poison star shattering hammer), and strode in swaggeringly... Inside the auction house, the light was dim.

Hundreds of seats surrounded the central circular high platform in a semi-circle. The gravity Formation here had clearly been strengthened; an ordinary person sitting here would probably find it hard even to breathe. But for Gu Yang, it was like wearing a slightly heavy weighted vest, making his somewhat 'overloaded' blood and Qi feel a sense of relief instead.

He sat in a corner on the second floor, looking down coldly.

The auction had already begun.

"Next item: a piece of Profound Ice Iron Mother tempered by the 'Six-Nine Heavenly Tribulation.' Starting price: fifty thousand Mid-grade Spirit Crystals!" On the stage, a Fox Tribe woman wearing a sheer veil as thin as a cicada's wing, revealing a section of her fair waist, was working hard to promote it.

This kind of material would be enough to trigger a fight among those in the Soul Transformation Stage outside, but in the Central State black market, it could only be placed in the first half of the auction.

Gu Yang had no interest in this. His gaze was always locked on the backstage passage behind the Fox Tribe woman. The vibration that made his spine tingle slightly was coming from there.

"Ding!"

With a crisp chime, the Fox Tribe woman's expression became much more serious. She clapped her hands, and four burly men laboriously carried up a tray covered with red silk.

Those four burly men were all Body Cultivators at the Early Spirit Transformation Stage, yet their steps were exceptionally heavy. With every step, the solid bluestone platform would crack.

"Everyone, the next item is something our 'Wan Zhen Pavilion' salvaged from the depths of the 'Undercurrent Burial Pit' in the Endless Sea three months ago."

The woman lifted the red silk, revealing a semi-circular, dark gray metal fragment.

This metal fragment was about the size of a washbasin, its surface covered in dense cracks. It looked like a piece of rusted scrap iron dug out from under a stove, with no spiritual energy fluctuations, not even a hint of the aura of Laws.

The Cultivators in the hall, who had been expectant, immediately let out a burst of boos.

"What the hell? Bringing a piece of scrap iron onto the stage?" "This thing doesn't even have a Formation. It's probably too brittle even to make a pot, right?"

The Fox Tribe woman smiled awkwardly and coughed lightly to explain, "Fellow Daoists, please look. Although this looks like scrap iron, it weighs three million catties! And it cannot be melted even by the true fire of an Old Ancestor level. More magically, it has extremely strong 'anti-magic' properties; any Spell landing on its surface will be instantly dissolved."

"Unfortunately, it cannot be refined by Divine Sense, nor can spiritual energy be poured into it. So... the starting price is one hundred thousand Mid-grade Spirit Crystals. If any Fellow Daoist wants to take it back as a pot-pressing stone, it would be quite excellent."

The hall fell into a dead silence.

In the Central State, Spirit Stones are used to buy lives and Realms. Spending one hundred thousand Mid-grade Spirit Crystals on a 'pot-pressing stone'? Unless one's head was kicked by a donkey.

However, in the shadows of Spot Ding on the second floor.

Gu Yang's pupils suddenly shrank to the size of pinpricks the moment that metal fragment appeared.

He felt the Divine Demon blood and Qi in his body roar like they had seen their long-lost father, crazily conveying a message of desire: Eat it! Eat it quickly!

In his Extreme Path vision, deep within the cracks of that scrap iron, a layer of dark gold, seemingly eternal glimmer flickered faintly.

That was... the remnants of the will of an ancient Extreme Path Divine Demon!

"One hundred thousand Mid-grade Spirit Crystals."

A raspy and dull voice abruptly broke the silence of the auction house.

Gu Yang slowly raised his hand, the scar on his face looking particularly hideous in the dim light.

The Fox Tribe woman was stunned for a moment, then overjoyed: "The Fellow Daoist at Spot Ding on the second floor bids one hundred thousand! Anyone else?"

The Cultivators in the hall turned their heads one after another, their eyes filled with pity and mockery. "Where did this idiot come from? He's actually buying this piece of scrap iron?" "Probably a Body Cultivator barbarian from some remote mountain area who thinks heavy things are treasures, haha."

However, before Gu Yang could breathe a sigh of relief.

"One hundred and ten thousand."

A cold and undeniably overbearing female voice came from a private room in the front row of the first floor.

The curtain of the private room was slightly lifted, revealing a side profile that was heroic even with a veil. At the center of that woman's brow was a faint golden character for 'Zhan'.

Secluded Ancient Clan — Zhan Clan!

The whole hall gasped.

"Is that 'Zhan Linger' of the Zhan Clan? Rumor has it the Zhan Clan possesses the Ancient Divine War Bloodline, and their Physical Bodies are incredibly strong. Could this scrap iron really have something hidden inside?"

Gu Yang frowned slightly. He didn't know any Zhan Linger; he only knew someone was snatching his 'dinner'.

"Two hundred thousand." Gu Yang raised his hand again without hesitation. The Spirit Stones he had saved up were enough for him to be a spendthrift for a while.

Zhan Linger turned her head slightly to look at Gu Yang on the second floor, a flash of scrutiny and cold pride in her eyes. In the eyes of the Zhan Clan, most external Body Cultivators were crude, low-quality products. But the calm demeanor of the other party when bidding just now piqued her curiosity.

"Two hundred and fifty thousand." Zhan Linger bid calmly. As the little princess of the Zhan Clan, she didn't lack this bit of pocket money. She bought this fragment purely out of an instinctive sense — the Zhan Clan Bloodline had a natural sensitivity to heavy metals.

Gu Yang grinned, revealing a row of white teeth.

"Five hundred thousand. My old man said I need to bring a substantial pot-pressing stone when I get married, and this one is just right."

A series of heavy coughs rang out in the auction house; many people were choked by Gu Yang's bizarre reason.

Five hundred thousand Mid-grade Spirit Crystals! To buy a pot-pressing stone?!

Zhan Linger's face darkened. Although she was rich, it didn't mean she was a fool. In the Central State, five hundred thousand Mid-grade Spirit Crystals could already buy a decent Medium Grade ancient treasure.

She gave Gu Yang a deep look, finally snorted coldly, and put down the jade plaque in her hand.

"Sold! Congratulations to the Fellow Daoist at Spot Ding on the second floor!" The Fox Tribe woman's voice was shaking with excitement... A moment later, Gu Yang completed the transaction for the Spirit Stones backstage.

When his large, calloused hands actually touched that dark gray fragment.

Buzz—!

A primitive aura heavy enough to crush the Void Realm instantly rushed into his internal organs through his fingertips. Gu Yang felt as if he wasn't holding a piece of iron, but an entire fallen star core!

[Detected Divine Demon-level evolution patch: Extreme Path Heart Protection Mirror Fragment!] [Detected Ancient War God's Will... Matching rate: 98%!] [Warning: The Fusion process is extremely painful. It is recommended to find a place with a stable gravity field!]

"Good stuff... Truly good stuff!" Gu Yang felt the greedy desire emanating from the fragment, his heart thumping wildly.

He didn't stay backstage but quickly put the fragment into his Storage Pouch.

Just as he stepped out of the Wan Zhen Pavilion's main gate.

Er Gou suddenly tugged at his pant leg, his emerald eyes looking toward the shadows at the end of the street.

"Old Man Lei's nose is still sharper than I expected."

Gu Yang patted Er Gou in his arms, his lips curling into a cruel arc.

"Since they want to 'give me money' so badly, then before fusing with this treasure, I'll earn one last bit of travel expenses."

He looked at the purple lightning faintly appearing in the distant sky, and his whole body turned into a shadow, disappearing into the maze-like alleys of the black market.

The first real storm of the Central State was about to explode over the ruins of this black market.

[Current Cultivation: Divine Demon Golden Body · Initial Stage (Second Revolution Perfection)] [Evolution Progress: 30% (Fragment pending Fusion)] [Combat Power Estimate: After successful Fusion, can sweep through the Early Stage of Void Refining.]