"The leader of the Cangling Sect Law Enforcement Team must have been severely injured! The market at Little Black Mountain is no longer safe!"
Zhao Yu's eyebrows slightly furrowed, a sense of crisis rising in his heart.
The reason why the internal security of the market at Little Black Mountain was good was mainly because the leader of the Cangling Sect Law Enforcement Team was a Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator. Anyone who dared to make a move in the market at Little Black Mountain would be crushed by the Cangling Sect Law Enforcement Team.
The market at Little Black Mountain had many Loose Cultivators, and many people had once made their moves there. Those people were either killed on the spot or captured to dig in mines until death.
After many harsh crackdowns by the Cangling Sect Law Enforcement Team, the market at Little Black Mountain had become a place of good public order. Even so, there were still some gamblers and addicts who were addicted to Spirit Pills who would gamble and take risks from time to time.
With the Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator of the Cangling Sect Law Enforcement Team seriously injured, their control over the market at Little Black Mountain would significantly weaken.
"Someone is watching me!"
With his perception abilities surpassing those of a Great Grandmaster of the Martial Path, Zhao Yu instantly sensed several gazes and rapidly looked in their direction, spotting several Cultivators at the Middle Stage of Qi Refining.
Those Cultivators at the Middle Stage of Qi Refining shifted their gaze away as if nothing had happened.
Zhao Yu's heart sank slightly, "I've earned too many Spirit Stones, and someone has gotten jealous and harbors evil thoughts!"
It was extremely difficult to embark on the paths of being a Talisman Master or Pill Master, but once one made some achievements on these paths, one could earn a large number of Spirit Stones.
In the eyes of the Cultivators in the market at Little Black Mountain, Zhao Yu was just a Qi Refinement third level Cultivator, but he had earned a huge amount of Spirit Stones, naturally making others envious.
Zhao Yu had been hiding in the market at Little Black Mountain all along, never stepping out. He spent his days either at the stall or cultivating in seclusion within the core district's courtyard, giving no opportunity for others to make a move. Now, with the Cangling Sect Law Enforcement Team suffering a heavy blow, many people started to have unusual thoughts.
In a hurry, Zhao Yu closed his stall and went straight to Duo Bao Building with Li Xianjiao.
A clerk came forward and asked, "Daoist Zhao, what would you like to purchase?"
Zhao Yu said, "I want to buy a Magic Sword of Superior Magical Instrument Grade."
Previously, Zhao Yu did not worry about his safety while hidden in the market at Little Black Mountain and thus had no need to purchase fighting Magic Artifacts. However, with the sudden change in the situation, he urgently wished to obtain a Magic Sword for protection.
The shopkeeper at Duo Bao Building said indifferently, "The cheapest Superior Grade Magic Sword costs eight hundred Spirit Stones, do you have them?"
Zhao Yu's face changed slightly as he said, "Why is it so expensive? The last time I looked, the cheapest Qingfeng Sword was only six hundred Spirit Stones!"
Usually, Low-Grade Magical Instruments were priced between one and two hundred Spirit Stones, middle-grade ones were between two and three hundred Spirit Stones, and Superior Grade Magical Instruments were between five and eight hundred Spirit Stones. As for Supreme Grade Magical Instruments, they were generally over one thousand Spirit Stones.
The shopkeeper at Duo Bao Building said indifferently, "The prices have gone up!"
"How much for this Middle-Grade Magical Instrument level Magic Sword, the Thick Earth Sword?"
Zhao Yu had no choice but to settle for a Magic Sword of Middle-Grade Magical Instrument level.
"Five hundred Spirit Stones."
"Deal."
Zhao Yu used the legacy of Ling Chongshan to purchase the Middle-Grade Magic Sword, the Thick Earth Sword, and only then did he feel a bit more secure. He wanted to buy two Low-Grade first-order defensive magical instruments, but the defensive power of a first-order Low-Grade defensive magical instrument was no match for a first-order Superior Grade Golden Light Talisman. Since he did not have enough Spirit Stones, he had to give up the idea.
Zhao Yu then purchased three Golden Light Talismans at thirty Spirit Stones each from Duo Bao Building before he left to visit Xiong Zhenye.
"Daoist Xiong, do you have any way to leave the market at Little Black Mountain?"
Zhao Yu asked after he had informed Xiong Zhenye about what had happened.
"From Xiaoheshan Market to the nearest Cang Country is a thousand li, and along the way, there are many undeveloped territories. In some places, Second-Order Demon Beasts and dreadful Evil Spirits roam. Without the protection of a Foundation Establishment Expert, it is very dangerous to try to travel to Cang Country from here."
"However, Zhao Yu Daoist, you need not worry too much! Each year, Xiaoheshan Market earns massive resources for the Cangling Sect. Otherwise, they would not have established a market in such a perilous location. They will soon send a new Foundation Establishment Expert to take charge," Xiong Zhenye said with a confident smile.
Zhao Yu's heart felt somewhat relieved and, out of curiosity, he asked, "Xiong Daoist, why did you come to Xiaoheshan Market?"
Xiong Zhenye was a Cultivator at the Great Circle of Qi Refining and was proficient in several refining methods for Qi Refinement period pills that could enhance one's cultivation level, as well as breakthrough pills. He could live an extremely comfortable life anywhere.
Now over seventy years old, Xiong Zhenye had missed the best age range for Foundation Establishment, and unless he could consume some incredibly rare Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, he wouldn't be able to achieve Foundation Establishment even with several Foundation Establishment Pills.
Xiong Zhenye said, "In Xiaoheshan Market, gathering a batch of materials for Yellow Spirit Pills only costs twenty Spirit Stones, whereas in other places, if one were to buy materials from other market medicine shops, it would require forty to sixty Spirit Stones to gather one batch of materials."
"Moreover, Xiaoheshan Market also sells Cultivation Secret Manuals for those at the Foundation Establishment Stage! In the Northern Wastelands, aside from some auctions, one basically cannot purchase Foundation Establishment Cultivation Secret Manuals. Even in those auctions, you are not guaranteed to find one suitable for cultivation. So, if Zhao Daoist intends to establish his foundation, it is best to buy a Secret Manual that matches the attributes of your Spirit Root."
Zhao Yu said, "Thank you for the reminder, Xiong Daoist!"
In the days that followed, the prices of Demon Beast Meat, herbs, Spirit Rice, as well as various Talismans and Magic Artifacts began to soar. All Cultivators huddled within the market, not daring to venture into the Canglong Mountain Range for adventures.
An eerie atmosphere permeated the entire Xiaoheshan Market, as if something terrifying was brewing.
Zhao Yu shifted his routine to cultivate at night and sleep during the day. Li Xianjiao, on the other hand, kept watch during the day and slept at night.
Seven days later.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Loud knocking came from outside the door, and Li Xianjiao woke Zhao Yu, who then opened the door.
Liu Cheng's face was pale as he bowed deeply and said, "Zhao Immortal Master, I have come to ask for help! My son Feifan has been injured by an Evil Spirit and requires an evil-warding Talisman and a Healing Elixir. I beseech you, on behalf of my ancestors, to save my son's life!"
Zhao Yu said indifferently, "My ties with your Liu family have ended, seek help from someone else!"
Liu Cheng fell to his knees with a thud, continually knocking his head against the ground until it bled, "I have sought help from everyone, but no one is willing to lend a hand. I beg you, Immortal Master Zhao, to show mercy and save my son. I am kneeling before you!!"
"Suit yourself!"
Zhao Yu remained unmoved and closed the door, leaving Liu Cheng to wail outside.
Now was the most dangerous time, and even if old Liu were still alive and pleading, Zhao Yu would not leave the market. As for a profligate like Liu Feifan, Zhao Yu was even less likely to risk his life for him.
After wailing for a while, Liu Cheng left the market with a look of utter despair.
Half a month later, a corpse, missing both hands, with a pitch-black hole in its chest, wearing a Daoist robe and with a face of despair, appeared in the market's street vendor area, drawing a crowd of Cultivators.
All the Cultivators were waiting for the Cangling Sect Law Enforcement Team to take action.
If it had been before, faced with such a violent murder and corpse-dumping incident in the market, the Cangling Sect Law Enforcement Team would definitely have used various Spells to track down the murderer, and even a Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator might have involved.
At dusk.
Zhao Yu stood on the edge of the market's street vendor area, watching the corpse from a distance. A sinister premonition rose in his heart, and he sighed faintly, "The heavens are about to change!"
The fact that the Cangling Sect Law Enforcement Team was not taking action to pursue the murderer meant that their power had weakened considerably, and they could only defend their current position, unable to maintain order in the market.
Many Cultivators within Xiaoheshan Market secretly engaged in the crime of robbing other Cultivators, but they had refrained from acting within the market due to the deterrent effect of the Cangling Sect Law Enforcement Team. Now that the enforcement team's power was lost, the market's order was also on the verge of collapse.