Chapter 649: Black Market

"Does a flying carriage not count as sword-riding flight?" A flying carriage could carry five people at most, which was no more than what the Sword Washing Pond could hold.

The official glanced at Lu Yang and explained, "Flying carriages belong to the category of specialized flying magical treasures. Every single one undergoes quality inspections and is specifically regulated by law. If your Sword Washing Pond also had specific regulations, that would be fine too."

Lu Yang admitted defeat.

The two had failed before their campaign even began, forced to part with money before earning any.

Fortunately, nothing tumultuous occurred thereafter.

During their several days of flight, in order to avoid sleeping in the wilderness, the two landed at an inn. They conveniently helped the proprietress deal with her brother-in-law, who had brought along relatives to claim his eldest brother's inheritance following his demise. They politely declined the family heirloom offered by the proprietress in gratitude, and from subtle clues, the two even deduced that the proprietress herself was the murderer of her husband.

At the second inn, the two encountered a quarrel between two Qi Refinement cultivators vying for a premium room. They also obtained the location of a nearby treasure hoard from them. Along the way, they unearthed a significant treasure meant for Foundation Establishment cultivators, which they handed over to the local government to post a lost-and-found notice. This drew in two Foundation Establishment clans, unveiling a century-long feud between them, which culminated in the patriarchs of both clans taking their own lives amidst a torrential downpour, bringing a curtain down on the century-old vendetta.

At the third inn, they encountered a wealthy young lady pursued across a thousand miles. The two escorted her home along the way, uncovering and resolving a vengeful spirit that had been concealed within her family home for a decade. They forced the mastermind behind the spirit to show himself, fought a bout with him, and captured him. The two declined the young lady's offer to wed them in gratitude, and based on the clues left by the ghost-raiser, they wiped out a rogue stronghold of the demonic path.

The Sword Washing Pond carried the two and smoothly arrived in Youzhou.

"We're finally here." The two exhaled a long breath. Though it was clearly a journey of only a few days, it felt as though they had been flying for over a month, their bodies aching all over.

The two entered the black market and found it distinct from ordinary markets. The black market was exceedingly quiet, with only the occasional murmur of speaking cultivators.

"It's because no water was put in; actually, taking a bath in it is quite comfortable."

At this time, cultivators from neighboring cities would come here to conduct secret transactions, and there were also those like Lu Yang and his companion who had rushed from even further away to participate.

Due to the lack of government oversight, many things could be seen in the black market that were completely unseen on ordinary days.

To be able to harness such a massive pond for flight meant they were at least Golden Core cultivators.

Cultivators guarded the entrance of the black market, a measure taken to prevent mortals from wandering in by mistake and causing unnecessary trouble.

He had witnessed with his own eyes the two flying on the Sword Washing Pond, putting it away, and changing into black robes—a sequence of actions smooth and flowing like water, the unmistakable mark of seasoned veterans.

Within the black market, trading cultivators would employ methods like focusing sound into lines or divine sense transmission to ensure the secrecy of their transactions.

The cultivators guarding the entrance did not block the two.

"The timing is just right. On the fifteenth of every month, old monsters of the Nascent Soul stage gather here."

When the two arrived at the black market, it had already been open for over an hour. The cultivators who had been waiting outside had all entered, which was why the entrance looked desolate.

The two wore black robes with their collars turned up, revealing only their eyes. This was the rule of the black market, convenient for escaping should the government come to make arrests.

The Immortal Fairy thought to herself, isn't it because the two of you experienced far too many incidents along the way?

The black market Meng Jingzhou spoke of was located at the foot of a certain great mountain in the Youzhou region. Ordinarily, the black market was hidden within a secret realm. At the alternation of Yin and Yang, a spatial displacement would occur, and it would surface from the secret realm to provide a trading venue.

"This pond of yours isn't comfortable to lie in."

For instance, the cultivation method Lu Yang was holding.

"Boss, are you sure this book is the Qi Refinement chapter of the cultivation method used by the genius Lu Yang of the Wendao Sect?"

The boss guaranteed with absolute certainty, "How could this be fake? I have a distant relative in the Wendao Sect. He brought this method out from the sect itself!"

"Little brother, I see you are at the Qi Refinement stage. Why not buy a copy and try it? I guarantee that once you practice it, you will soar into the sky and become a genius existence just like that Lu Yang!"

Due to the lack of government oversight, many counterfeits could be seen in the black market.

Lu Yang silently put it back; it was simply too glaringly fake.

There were, however, some that were not so blatantly fake, such as the one placed beside it, claiming to be the latest edition of "The Legend of the Wendao Sect".

A closer look revealed the title of the book was actually "The Legend of the Jiandao Sect".

Upon deeper thought, one could understand why such a book appeared here. The outside world was full of "The Legend of the Wendao Sect" on every street, so there was no need to bring it to the black market to sell. This was meant to deceive suckers with poor eyesight, or those thin-skinned cultivators who felt too embarrassed to put it back down once they picked it up.

Lu Yang also saw a purple-gold gourd, which allegedly could suck an opponent inside as long as their name was called and they responded.

The genuine purple-gold gourd was worth more than an entire black market combined. Even a replica would be a magical treasure treasured even by Soul Formation cultivators. Whether genuine or a replica, it certainly would not appear here.

There were storage rings of various styles and sizes. The artifact masters were unknown, so quality could not be guaranteed; correspondingly, the prices were much lower than in the outside world.

Some of these storage rings matched their descriptions, being genuine articles forged by unqualified artifact masters. Others appeared genuine on the surface but, due to forging errors, had a limited number of uses and would shatter once those uses were exhausted—they were fakes, requiring someone with a deep understanding of storage rings to differentiate them.

There were also quite a few talismans for warding off ghosts and expelling evil. Such things were difficult to counterfeit, and fakes could easily lead to major disasters, so those on sale were all genuine. However, Lu Yang and his companion had no need for them; a single drop of Meng Jingzhou's blood was more effective than a stack of talismans.

Faced with ghosts of the same level, Meng Jingzhou's Yang energy was so robust that merely emitting his aura could cause the opponent to melt away.

There were also enchantingly poised female cultivators soliciting customers on the street, who were directly ignored by the two.

"Why are there no souls, eyeballs soaked in medicinal liquid, soul-attracting banners, or things of that sort?"

Lu Yang had wandered through half of it. The atmosphere of the black market was just as imagined—gloomy and haunted—but the goods sold differed greatly from his expectations.

Meng Jingzhou cast a disdainful glance at his good brother, "The purpose of establishing this black market is to evade taxes."

"What you're talking about is a demonic black market. If I knew the location of that kind of market, I would wipe it out entirely to claim a reward from the government. Why would I bother participating in some Nascent Soul gathering? That money-making efficiency would be much higher than this."

Lu Yang conceded that Meng Jingzhou had a point.

"We're here. This is the gathering place for us Nascent Soul old monsters."

Meng Jingzhou pointed toward a luxurious palace. It was entirely black, with statues of rare and exotic beasts at the four corners of the eaves. Formations cut off divine sense probing, and two Golden Core cultivators stood at the entrance.

This was the place he had inquired about from Dai Bufan; it was absolutely reliable.

Lu Yang turned his head to ask Meng Jingzhou, "Come to think of it, I never asked. What is this self-reliant money-making method of yours?"

"Selling blood."