Chapter 220: Lingering Ghosts

Xu Qing's eyes narrowed as he listened to the captain. He gazed at the statue inside the temple, only now realizing its profound history. Recalling the slash he made back then, Xu Qing felt a deeper understanding.

The captain sighed inwardly. He knew that gaining such profound insight wasn't as simple as taking a bite; it required not only comprehension but also a fortuitous opportunity. Most importantly, the statue had lost its spiritual essence, and he couldn't exactly kill Xu Qing to gain an understanding... Besides, he suspected he might not even win a fight against Xu Qing, thinking to himself that this kid's true strength was unknown. Therefore, despite his immense interest in the Grand Azure Blade, he felt helpless.

In the morning light, Xu Qing did not continue deeper into the restricted zone. Even with his current cultivation, he could still feel malevolent divine senses locking onto him from the depths of the area. After a few lingering glances, Xu Qing decisively chose to leave.

"Places with Grand Azure Temples usually seal away powerful and ominous entities. Xu Qing, this restricted zone near your home is quite extraordinary." The captain also felt the divine senses from the depths of the zone. He turned, looking back with a significant gaze, and a chill emanated from his body.

Xu Qing remained silent. He ascended into the air, not planning to walk his way out. With a flicker in mid-air, he sped away like thunder. The captain smiled and likewise ascended, but while airborne, he frequently looked back at the temple and then at the depths of the restricted zone.

In the sky above the depths of the restricted zone, mist slowly drifted, resembling a woman's black hair scattered across the heavens. A thick aura of resentment continuously rose from deep within the zone, merging with the clouds and making the "hair" denser. From a distance, the entire restricted zone appeared like a woman's skull.

"I wonder what eerie entity is sealed here... I really want to see it..." The captain murmured, hesitated for a moment, then turned and flew towards Xu Qing.

"Xu Qing, where are you headed next? You're not just going back to the sect, are you?" Arriving beside Xu Qing, the captain stretched, pulled out an apple, and began eating while speaking.

"I plan to find a black market and sell some items," Xu Qing replied calmly.

"Going to a black market to sell... stolen goods?" The captain's eyes lit up.

Xu Qing glanced at the captain and nodded.

"Let me see! Or you could just sell them to me; I love stolen goods," the captain said with great enthusiasm. Xu Qing hesitated, thinking it wasn't a good idea to sell to an acquaintance. If the spiritual artifacts were discovered to be mere shells that would shatter with a slight impact, the buyer would immediately track him down.

"These items are better sold in a black market," Xu Qing politely declined.

"Little Ah Qing, I need to scold you! You can't be so stingy. Who cares who you sell good stuff to? Are you looking down on me? I have money!" The captain's eyes widened.

Xu Qing's expression was odd. He coughed, deciding not to trick the captain after all. So, he didn't respond, accelerating his pace straight towards Deerhorn City's teleportation array.

As for the black market he chose, he had already inquired about it from the Adamantine Sect's old patriarch before his departure. It was located in a place called Lingyou City, near the territory of the Departure Cult. The surrounding desolation was even worse than that of the Red Wastes, so it was also ignored by various forces. However, it attracted a gathering of ruthless individuals and gradually became a black market trading hub.

The items he intended to sell were spiritual artifacts that had 70-80% of their essence siphoned off by the Adamantine Sect's old patriarch and then counterfeited. Xu Qing hadn't originally planned to sell them, but his recent extensive consumption from refining the small black insects had left him with few spirit stones. This led him to think of those seven or eight artifacts...

"Once I sell them, I'll return to the sect," Xu Qing decided inwardly. As he sped along, he drew closer to Deerhorn City. He was only a short incense stick's worth of travel away when his figure suddenly paused in mid-air, looking down at the ground.

On the ground, a convoy was currently heading towards Deerhorn City. The convoy consisted of over thirty carriages, all black from top to bottom. Even the people seated in the carriages and the surrounding guards were clad in black robes.

The entire procession exuded a sinister and murderous aura. In this region, a convoy of such scale and atmosphere meant that few forces would dare to provoke them. Notably, there were clearly high-level Qi Condensation cultivators whose released aura carried significant pressure for cultivators of that stage. Furthermore, Xu Qing also spotted an old man in one of the central carriages.

This old man was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, though he hadn't reached the stage of igniting his life-flame and activating the Profound Radiance state. In Xu Qing's perception, the spiritual power fluctuations from the old man suggested he had opened around fifteen or sixteen spiritual apertures.

As for the other carriages, outsiders might not have noticed, but Xu Qing clearly saw that each one was a cage, holding varying numbers of scavengers. There were men and women, mostly children, all unconscious. Some adults were awake but appeared listless, powerless, lying in their cages with despair in their eyes.

"The Night Ravens are truly annoying, like lingering ghosts. It seems no matter how many you kill, there are always more," the captain remarked with disgust, having also spotted the convoy below.

"Is it because there's a high demand for 'treasure nourishers' that they can't be eliminated?" Xu Qing asked, his gaze cold as he watched the convoy below.

"Exactly. In the Southern Phoenix Continent, the demand for 'treasure nourishers' primarily comes from the Purple Earth and the Departure Cult. However, compared to overseas... especially the Desolate Ancient Continent, their demand for 'treasure nourishers' is even greater. It's not just magical treasures that require 'treasure nourishers' to absorb alien substances. Some magical treasure fragments and high-tier spiritual artifacts also need people to cleanse them with their lives. For instance, many so-called 'heavenly talents' within the Seven Sects Alliance are secretly involved in such transactions. Furthermore, multiple 'treasure nourishers' often work together, using their lives to cultivate artifacts, which yields better results. Consequently, various factions are engaged in this trade. Moreover, since the human race in the Southern Phoenix Continent possesses some degree of Purple Green Upper Kingdom bloodline, their effectiveness in nourishing treasures is particularly superior."

"That's why the Night Ravens are extremely active in the Southern Phoenix Continent," the captain stated grimly.

Xu Qing remained silent, watching the convoy below. The next instant, a black iron spike whistled out from his shadow, shooting rapidly towards the ground.

Thunder rumbled and the heavens roared. As the Night Raven convoy below looked on in a daze, the black iron spike descended like a bolt of black lightning, piercing through the necks of one black-robed Night Raven member after another.

Wherever it passed, these Qi Condensation Night Ravens were utterly unable to dodge or even clearly see it. Instantly, their bodies could not withstand the impact, exploding and dying after the black iron spike passed through them.

From a distance, one could only see a black line weaving through the convoy, with bodies blooming into blood flowers. Even the Foundation Establishment elder had no time to react, being pierced instantly.

However, the Adamantine Sect's old patriarch did not kill him. Instead, it wrapped around his body and ascended into the air, making him float before Xu Qing.

The Night Raven Foundation Establishment cultivator trembled uncontrollably, his eyes filled with unprecedented terror. His body shook, almost as if his soul was about to scatter.

The truth was that Xu Qing and the captain, whose appearances had changed in his eyes, emitted terrifying fluctuations that distorted his vision and affected the surroundings. In his perception, these two individuals could obliterate him with a single finger.

After all, despite both being Foundation Establishment cultivators, the disparity in their power was immense.

"Seniors..."

"Where is your convoy headed?" Xu Qing asked coldly.

The Foundation Establishment elder hesitated. Xu Qing's expression grew impatient, and just as he was about to begin his interrogation, the captain smiled.

"I'll do it," he said, raising his right hand and grabbing at the void. Immediately, countless wisps of cold air converged into a needle. To the Foundation Establishment elder's horror, it pierced into his body and slowly moved within him.

The pain caused by this internal movement did not last long before the Foundation Establishment elder's mind collapsed. He truthfully disclosed everything he knew.

It wasn't just their group of Night Ravens that had mobilized this time; all Night Raven members across the Southern Phoenix Continent had received orders from their superiors to secretly send their goods to the Seven Blood Eyes recently. They were also informed that a major client would soon arrive from afar at the Seven Blood Eyes, intending to make large purchases.

This was why Xu Qing had seen the convoy. In fact, throughout the Southern Phoenix Continent, there were numerous such convoys currently, spread across many regions, all attempting to reach the Seven Blood Eyes.

A fierce glint appeared in Xu Qing's eyes upon hearing this news.

He harbored extreme disgust for the Night Ravens. The captain also narrowed his eyes, and with a wave of his hand, the Foundation Establishment elder's body shuddered, then exploded directly into chunks of ice that fell to the ground, utterly destroyed.

"It seems the Demon Suppression Division will have their hands full soon. But I'm curious, who is this 'major client' he spoke of, arriving from afar? Are they outsiders?" The captain mused, looking at Xu Qing.

Xu Qing remained silent, but the ferocity in his eyes intensified. With a wave of his hand, the cages in the convoy below opened, and the people inside awoke, regaining their freedom.

Xu Qing didn't concern himself with them too much; they were merely strangers passing by, each destined to their own fate. His previous action was simply out of his aversion to the Night Ravens. With a flicker, he and the captain departed for Deerhorn City, where they quickly used the teleportation array to leave for Lingyou City.

Lingyou City, situated on the outskirts of the Departure Cult's territory, was surprisingly bustling, contrary to its desolate surroundings. Due to its lack of order, it was a preferred haunt for wanted criminals and desperate fugitives.

This made the city rife with chaos, populated by numerous Foundation Establishment cultivators, and occasionally even Golden Core cultivators, most of whom came to trade illicit goods.

Therefore, those who dared to trade here typically had confidence in their own abilities. While the city was chaotic, it wasn't a place of endless slaughter; as long as one handled things carefully and kept their wealth hidden, they could generally come and go without incident.

This distorted prosperity had given Lingyou City a considerable reputation in the Southern Phoenix Continent, with various factions mingling within its walls.

The law of the jungle was the only rule here.

So, when Xu Qing and the captain stepped out of the teleportation array, they were met by numerous malevolent gazes from individuals who had been squatting there, observing the strength and value of passing cultivators.

Among them were even some children who lived in Lingyou City. They too were observing, waiting for cultivators new to the city who weren't familiar with its ways. This type of person often needed a local guide.