Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 587 - Acting

The black market was located at the most remote corner of the western streets. The entrance looked tattered, surrounded by heaps of garbage, and two burly guards guarded the entrance.

The entrance had a plaque with “Black Market” engraved on it. It would have been impossible to find such an inconspicuous thing if Liu Wuxie hadn’t asked about it beforehand.

Liu Wuxie wasn’t in a hurry to enter and observed patiently for two hours, watching hundreds of cultivators paying a certain amount of spirit stones before entering.

As the flow of visitors began to decrease, the two burly guards started preparing to close the entrance. It was the cut-off to let anyone else enter the black market.

Liu Wuxie vanished like a ghost and appeared before the entrance.

The two guards tensed their muscles when they saw Liu Wuxie, ready for a confrontation. One of the guards looked at Liu Wuxie coldly and asked, “Who are you?!”

As guards, they recognized the faces of most cultivators who frequented the black market, and an unfamiliar face was a cause for concern. This was why they were so cautious when they saw Liu Wuxie.

“I’m here to browse the black market,” Liu Wuxie said. He was fully aware of the rules and threw a thousand spirit stones at one of the guards.

Weighing the spirit stones in their hands, the two guards exchanged a look with a smile. They didn’t let Liu Wuxie in immediately and asked, “Do you know the black market’s rules?”

The black market was operated under a set of rules that were vastly different from the shops in the city.

Liu Wuxie shook his head, admitting he was unaware of the rules. This was his first time here.

“There are three rules in the black market,” the guard continued, his voice cutting through the night sky.

“First, no fighting is allowed. If there’s any feud between you and another person, take it outside. If anyone is found causing trouble in the black market, you will be thrown out and blacklisted from ever returning.”

The second rule soon followed: “Second, no refund or exchange once the transaction goes through.”

In the black market, every purchase depended on the buyer's discernment. If someone was deceived by a counterfeit, they had no choice but to accept their misfortune. The goods here were far less dependable than those available in the city shops.

“Lastly, there’s a thirty percent fee for every transaction, regardless of whether you’re buying or selling.”

Other than the first rule to ensure everyone’s safety in the black market, the other two served the black market to make profits, especially the third rule.

For instance, if Liu Wuxie spent ten thousand spirit stones to buy a spiritual herb, both the buyer and seller had to pay three thousand spirit stones each to the black market.

Even so, there was still a vast influx of visitors to the black market daily. This was because items that couldn’t be found on the standard market could often be found in the black market, like the pills embezzled by the elders in the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.

If those pills were to be sold openly, these elder's reputations would be affected if the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion found them.

There was nothing more important to alchemists than their reputation, and no one wished to have their reputation tarnished. Thus, the best option was to sell their illicit pills through the black market, killing two birds with one stone.

While the profits were significantly reduced, the safety was guaranteed.

“Can I go in now?” Liu Wuxie asked coldly. From the beginning, he maintained an indifferent demeanor and even concealed his cultivation to the fifth level of the Heavenly Phase Realm.

“You can go in now,” said the guard on the right, allowing Liu Wuxie in.

As Liu Wuxie stepped through the entrance, a pungent stench of decay assaulted his senses. Before him stretched a long, spiraling staircase, winding down into the depths below.

The stairs had thousands of steps. Liu Wuxie walked for roughly fifteen minutes, the time needed to brew tea before finally reaching the underground world.

The first thing that greeted him was a dimly lighted hall, like a hollowed-out cavern to transform into the black market.

Due to the terrible lighting, the vision was restricted to no more than three meters.

Liu Wuxie scanned his vicinity and noted that most cultivators wore a cloak to conceal their identities. After all, visiting the black market wasn’t something honorable.

The black market was larger than he had expected. There were two streets lined with stalls. Most vendors here were familiar faces to the black market, peddling items that couldn’t be seen in the light of day.

Performing Ghost Eye, Liu Wuxie captured everything on the two stalls to his left and smirked at what he saw. He muttered, “All fake!”

Genuine items could be found in the black market, but that depended on luck.

The number of people in the black market exceeded Liu Wuxie’s imagination. He wove through the crowd and ventured deeper.

He didn’t forget the purpose of his visit: to investigate the Lesser Blade Association’s operation in the black market and to look around to broaden his horizons.

Suddenly, a creepy-looking middle-aged man ran over to Liu Wuxie and dragged him to the side, taking out a porcelain bottle, wanting to conduct a discreet transaction.

“Young master, I have a top-notch pill for sale!”

The man poured a purple pill from the bottle that emitted a faint fragrance. The quality of this pill was decent, and if he had presented it to anyone else, they would’ve been immediately captivated by it.

However, as a grandmaster alchemist, Liu Wuxie needed only a single glance to detect a severe flaw in the pill, his Ghost Eye revealing its imperfections instantly.

A dark hue marked the pill’s core, a sign that this pill had been tainted with demonic traits. This meant the alchemist who refined this pill was suffering from an inner demon.

Consuming such pills wouldn’t yield any benefits, and it would also harm the foundation, possibly giving birth to an inner demon for the consumer. The consequences were too dire to fathom once the inner demon was formed in cultivators.

“Not interested!” Liu Wuxie declared, shaking his head, and turned to leave.

He still had to investigate the Lesser Blade Association and didn’t want any complications.

“Wait, don’t go! I have more pills here with me!” The man pulled Liu Wuxie and retrieved several porcelain bottles from his cloak, pouring all the contents out. The pills were primarily similar, containing demonic traits.

Suddenly, Liu Wuxie narrowed his eyes as his gaze landed on a yellow pill in the man’s palm that only the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion had the formula to refine.

So, how could it possibly appear on the black market? If one wanted to purchase pills produced by the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, one would have to go through proper channels because the sect had its shops.

The fact that such a pill existed in the black market alone had piqued Liu Wuxie’s interest.

“How much for this Earth Origin Pill?” Liu Wuxie asked, picking up the pill.

The Earth Origin Pill was a seventh-grade pill, typically costing hundreds of thousands of spirit stones. However, this pill didn’t hold much value for Liu Wuxie because he could refine it himself.

Seventh-grade pills were meant for those in the Astral River Realm. However, due to Liu Wuxie’s unique constitution, ordinary seventh-grade pills offered little aid.

“A hundred thousand spirit stones!” the creepy-looking man said. It was a surprisingly low price, about half the price found elsewhere.

Liu Wuxie knew why so many people flocked to the black market—to obtain comparable items at half the cost.

“I need more of these Earth Origin Pills. Can you tell me where I can find them?” Liu Wuxie smiled, placing the Earth Origin Pill back in the hand of the creepy-looking man.

There was a high chance that this pill had slipped out of the Lesser Blade Association, and he wasn’t sure if this man was a member.

“How many do you want?” The man’s eyes sparkled with excitement, thrilled at the possibility of a vast order.

“How many do you have?” Liu Wuxie countered, not revealing his true intentions.

“I’m not sure at the moment, but if you truly want them, I can gather as many as I can as long as you pay a deposit,” the creepy-looking man said, insisting on a deposit to secure Liu Wuxie’s commitment to the order.

“Why should I trust you? I can only look for someone else if you can’t deliver,” Liu Wuxie said, turning to leave.

The man’s face flickered with anxiety, unwilling to let such an opportunity slip from his hands. He wasn’t the only one selling pills in the black market, and countless people would swarm over if they learned that a customer was looking for pills.

“Hold up!” the man exclaimed, grabbing onto Liu Wuxie’s arm to force him to a halt.

“What is it?” Liu Wuxie smiled, looking at the man.

“I only have one on me, but I can take you to someone if you’re really interested. He has plenty on him, and you only have to pay me ten thousand spirit stones once the transaction is done,” the man said, his tone hinting at desperation as he gritted his teeth.

“Lead the way,” Liu Wuxie replied, motioning the man to proceed. His response was ambiguous because he didn’t give an outright answer.

If anyone had ample Earth Origin Pills in the black market, it would have to be the Lesser Blade Association.

The two left the dark corner, and the man was called Xiao Gou—a name that was just a facade. After all, not many people dared use their real names in the black market.

“Xiao Gou, how much longer do we have to walk?” Liu Wuxie began to look impatient after they walked for ten-odd minutes, traversing an entire street.

“We’re almost there,” Xiao Gou reassured.

The crowd had decreased significantly, but those who lingered here had noticeably higher cultivation. They were all in the Astral River Realm, and Liu Wuxie even saw someone in the Nascent Transformation Realm. Of course, there were also many Heavenly Phase Realm cultivators mixed within.

The two passed through several stalls before they finally stopped upon a decent-sized stall with “Pills” engraved on the plaque. Such establishments were common in the black market.

Stalls that sold weapons usually only displayed a weapon motif, while those peddling pills would do the same.

“This is the place!” Xiao Gou said, gesturing for Liu Wuxie to hurry along. Although he didin’t secure his sales, he could gain a decent commission by bringing Liu Wuxie over.

Liu Wuxie took a steadying breath and followed Xiao Gou into the cramped stall. He knew the path ahead could be treacherous, but he was resolved to see it through. The Lesser Blade Association had effectively placed a knife at his throat, and if he wanted to avoid a swift end at their hands, he’d have to strike back.

Some guests were in the stall, picking their preferred pills. The stall wasn’t huge and only had a few counters displaying a dozen varieties of pills.

The air buzzed with sounds of haggling, and Xiao Gou vanished to the back of the stall when Liu Wuxie stepped in, presumably to notify the staff.

Liu Wuxie remained in place and gazed around the store, capturing every detail. He waited roughly five minutes before Xiao Gou hurried over with a man behind him.

As Liu Wuxie’s gaze landed on the man behind Xiao Gou, a cold smirk tugged at his lips. He recognized him instantly—another disciple of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion. This encounter confirmed his suspicions: the Lesser Blade Association was indeed behind this stall, using it to peddle their illicit pills.

The man’s face also mirrored Liu Wuxie’s surprise. He also didn’t expect to see Liu Wuxie here, and they both released murderous intent at the sight of each other.