Chapter 2141: Underground Black Market

"Thank you, Elder," Zhang Xuan said with a slight smile after receiving permission to leave. He took a few steps with his group, but just as they were about to exit the hall, he suddenly stopped and turned back. "Oh, by the way, since Nightglow City emphasizes fairness and cheating is forbidden here, does selling personally calculated numbers for profit, and taking a cut, count as a violation of the rules?"

"That is a violation of the rules!" Elder Fu Yuan nodded. Such deceptive practices were even worse than scalping.

"Senior Yaoshan over there has been selling numbers he calculated himself. If you don't believe me, you can ask around!" Zhang Xuan smiled faintly, pointed at Yaoshan, and cupped his fists again. "Farewell!"

With that, he turned and left, paying no mind to the other party's reaction. If the fellow had just accepted his loss, Zhang Xuan wouldn't have bothered with him. But to intentionally cause trouble and prevent him from leaving... Zhang Xuan was not someone to be easily bullied. As for how to prove Yaoshan was selling numbers, it was simple. When they were gambling just now, several newcomers had been conned and had implicated him. It wouldn't be hard to confirm.

"Elder Fu Yuan, I..." Yaoshan was startled, never having dreamed that Zhang Xuan would be so vengeful. He quickly tried to explain.

Before he could finish, Elder Fu Yuan roared, "Apprehend him!"

With a rush of movement, a group of people surrounded him and took him into custody. There was no doubt that the man was in for a miserable time. Before, he had only lost a bathroom and a kitchen; now, his living room and dining room were probably gone too.

Ignoring the commotion inside, Zhang Xuan and his companions mounted their horses and swiftly departed the Nether Ghost Hall, heading towards their residence. After riding around several streets to ensure they weren't being followed or watched, they stopped. Zhang Xuan instructed everyone, "You all should go back and cultivate, preparing for tomorrow's journey to the Divine Mountain. Strive for everyone to break through to the Divine Spirit realm there!"

Everyone nodded.

Without another word, Zhang Xuan changed direction on his horse and soon disappeared at the end of the street. Saying no more, the group quickly galloped back. Only by becoming Divine Spirits could they avoid being a burden; they had to accelerate their cultivation.

After leaving the others, Zhang Xuan continued forward and soon arrived in front of a modest building. The building looked no different from others, completely unremarkable, like a regular residence. Its doors were tightly shut, and there was no one around outside.

Upon reaching it, he pressed his fingers together and knocked six times on the wooden door: four long taps followed by two short ones.

The door creaked open, and a blind man emerged. "Please come in," he said.

Without a word, Zhang Xuan stepped inside. The room was somewhat dim. He followed the blind man to the innermost chamber. The blind man stopped and extended his palm. Zhang Xuan flipped his wrist and handed over a token. The man took it, felt it for a moment, then nodded. He placed his palm on the wall.

With a soft hum, as if a formation had been activated, the wall instantly turned transparent. The blind man stepped forward and walked through, with Zhang Xuan following closely behind. It was a descending staircase, pitch black, with no clear view of what lay below. Only special runes carved into the stone were visible, making the place's existence hard to detect.

With his eyes half-closed, Zhang Xuan remained silent and quickly reached the end of the staircase, where a small boat floated on an underground river. He boarded the boat and traveled through the dark underground passage. It was so dark he couldn't see his own hand, and even his Eye of Insight seemed to lose its effectiveness, unable to discern directions.

After about half an hour, the boat lightly touched what appeared to be an incredibly solid rock, then sank into it, swayed twice, and stopped. Following the blind man, he ascended another similar staircase for a while, emerging from a wall into a spacious marketplace, bustling with countless people.

"Wait here. I'll be out once I'm done with my business!" Zhang Xuan instructed, then strode towards the crowd.

This was... Nightglow City's underground black market! Where rules existed, places without them naturally followed. This black market was exactly such a place. The bandit named One-Inch Ash had frequently sold his stolen treasures here. The books in his storage ring detailed the methods of entry, which Zhang Xuan had fully understood after one read-through. Here, one could buy anything desired and sell any treasure. However, the prices were far from modest.

The black market's manager was a somewhat seductive woman, around thirty years old, emanating a strong, rather pungent perfume. A crimson rose, with sharp thorns, was embroidered on her neck.

"You look quite new here, little brother..." The seductive woman leaned in, her eyes like silken threads.

"Being new means no business?" Zhang Xuan raised an eyebrow.

"Of course not!" The seductive woman twisted her waist, like a water snake, and stepped out from behind the counter, smiling softly. "May I ask... what kind of business are you here for, little brother? We have everything here... including myself!" She finished by intentionally blowing a puff of air onto Zhang Xuan's face.

Ignoring her flirtation, Zhang Xuan tapped his fingers on the counter and smiled calmly. "I need Mahayang beast blood. Can I find it here?" He had already obtained the Ancient Azure Beast Grass; now he needed Mahayang beast blood to find a way to enhance his soul power.

"Mahayang beast blood? Mahayang beasts are low-grade Celestial God realm divine beasts. Their blood isn't easy to acquire..." The seductive woman frowned, looking at him with suspicion. Most low-grade Celestial God divine beasts had already taken on human forms, making them extremely difficult to capture, let alone extract blood from.

"Alright then, I'll go find someone else!" Zhang Xuan stood up and turned to leave.

"Hehe, don't be so hasty!" The seductive woman quickly came forward and blocked his path. "I only said it wasn't easy to acquire, not that it couldn't be found..."

"I need one liter!" Zhang Xuan looked at her.

"That much?" The seductive woman was startled and couldn't help but frown. "You must have already inquired about the value of Celestial God realm divine beast blood since you're buying it! I won't waste your time; one liter of blood costs three thousand divine coins!"

"Three thousand?" Zhang Xuan frowned. "That price doesn't seem right!" The divine coins he had obtained from One-Inch Ash only totaled about six hundred. Three thousand was still a significant amount short. Mahayang beast blood was this expensive? Although he didn't know the exact value of Celestial God realm divine beast blood, the price she quoted was definitely inflated, far exceeding the market rate. Buying items in the black market left no traces and avoided many troubles, which was why he hadn't inquired at the regular merchant guilds in the city.

"Celestial God realm divine beast blood isn't easy to come by, and three thousand divine coins is already not expensive... Besides, you understand that a woman like me, living in such a gloomy, hidden place... if I don't earn a bit more, how will I ever marry?" Circling Zhang Xuan, the seductive woman let out a giggle. "How about it, little brother? If you marry me, I'll give you a discount?"

Ignoring her, Zhang Xuan raised his head. "Six hundred divine coins, plus a piece of advice!"

"Six hundred divine coins? Are you trying to cause trouble here?" The seductive woman's face darkened. With a whoosh, several middle-aged men in black robes instantly emerged from the surroundings. Each of them exuded a surging aura, having reached the Middle-Grade Divine Spirit realm.

"You're overthinking it. I wouldn't cause trouble, nor would I stoop to doing so," Zhang Xuan said calmly. "Because it's cold, damp, and lacking spiritual energy underground, haven't you been taking 'Damp-Expelling Pills' to dispel dampness from your body and maintain your youthful beauty?"

"So what if I have?" The seductive woman sneered. Many people who lived underground, never seeing the sun, took Damp-Expelling Pills; she was just one of them.

"It's good that you are. However, while others can take them, you cannot. If I'm not mistaken, your neck and chest are covered in red blisters that you haven't been able to get rid of, right?" Zhang Xuan stated.

"Who told you that?" The seductive woman's expression changed, and she raised her eyebrows. What he said was true; her body was indeed covered in blisters and emitted a peculiar odor. This was why she sprayed herself with strong perfume every day and had crimson roses embroidered on her exposed skin to conceal the color of the blisters.

"No one needed to tell me; it's obvious with just one look!" With his hands clasped behind his back, Zhang Xuan spoke calmly, "As a woman, you cultivate a Yin-attributed art called 'Tidal Cold Current Art.' This cultivation method requires absorbing Yin-attributed power from tides and cold currents, which inherently makes your body's dampness heavier. Taking Damp-Expelling Pills to remove this dampness, while seemingly eliminating the hidden dangers of living underground, actually expels the essence of your cultivation. With most of your cultivation art rendered ineffective, coupled with this environment, developing blisters is merely the simplest reaction. Over time, your muscles will rot, your cultivation will become increasingly sluggish, and eventually... it will stagnate, leading to qi deviation and death!"

"Are you trying to scare me? Sister, I'm not easily intimidated!" The seductive woman paused, then narrowed her eyes. Even though much of what he said was accurate, including her cultivation method and the changes within her body, she... didn't believe that merely taking Damp-Expelling Pills could cause such a condition, especially since she hadn't noticed anything herself.

"Of course you're not easily intimidated!" Zhang Xuan continued. "A simple Damp-Expelling Pill truly wouldn't have a significant impact on your cultivation art. But what if it's combined with the unique concealing formation of this underground market? If I'm not mistaken, your residence should be in the southwest direction, right?"

The seductive woman frowned.

Ignoring her expression, Zhang Xuan continued, "The sun rises in the northeast and sets in the southwest. At sunrise, Yang energy is born; at sunset, the Yin gate opens. The southwest is precisely where Yin and Yang energies transition. In other places, everything flourishes, full of vitality, unaffected. But at the Yin gate, it's different! For other cultivation methods, it wouldn't matter. But you cultivate a Yin-attributed art. Normally, your cultivation should advance rapidly, but unfortunately, the Damp-Expelling Pills contain Yang properties that dispel dampness. Long-term consumption leads to an imbalance of Yin and Yang, and blisters are already the simplest symptom."