Translator: 549690339 |
Previously, he had learned from Song Buping that all Ghost Markets in Yan State have a common characteristic, that is, to enter different Ghost Markets, apart from the Market Entering Order, there are various unique requirements to each one.
For example, this Golden River Ghost Market, if there wasn’t someone to guide, no one would ever think that an arbitrary spot at the bottom of a river could be the entrance to the Ghost Market, therefore concealing a requirement, that one must be accompanied by an acquaintance.
Naturally, higher-level Ghost Markets have more requirements.
This is also a measure to prevent those with ulterior motives from sneaking in.
Of course, the effectiveness of this method varies from person to person.
Regardless, Wang Ba learned from Song Buping that a couple of Ghost Markets in Yan State disappear every few years.
Upon hearing this, Zhu Jianyi was initially startled, then seemed to suddenly understand, “S-senior… are you a member of the Sect?”
“Are you here to annihilate the Ghost Market?
Wang Ba made no comment, saying, “You don’t need to worry about that, I just
want to know if you have it.”
“Yes! Of course, I do!”
Zhu Jianyi’s thoughts whirled rapidly before he gritted his teeth, saying,
“However, I’m not able to disclose it!”
“Unable to disclose?”
Wang Ba sneered, for he was the master of a Soul Searching technique.
Despite it being a Class I spell, it is very practical.
During the Qi Refining stage, he was limited by his Cultivation Base and required assistance from other techniques. Now, he’s a Foundation Establishment Master and it is much easier for him to use it on a Qi Refining cultivator.
The only reason he hasn’t used it yet is because he happened to have caught the other party and doesn’t need to apply it for the time being.
“Please don’t misunderstand, Senior. It’s not that I’m unwilling to cooperate, but when I obtained the Market Entering Order, I swore a Heart Demon oath that if 1 were to tell other people the entrance requirements, I would immediately die due to a retaliatory Heart Demon attack.”
Zhu Jianyi saw Wang Ba’s eyes grow cold and hastily explained in panic.
“Ha!”
Wang Ba completely disbelieved Zhu’s excuses—had this been the case, wouldn’t it mean that no one else could have entered the market? Zhu was just making frantic efforts to be cured, presuming that by adhering to this point, he could gain the upper hand.
Wang Ba was not someone easily fooled; he saw through Zhu’s intentions at a glance.
Immediately, he prepared to use Soul Search.
Zhu Jianyi immediately sensed the coldness in Wang Ba’s eyes, and seeing his palm heading his way, his heart suddenly panicked!
In his desperate moment, he quickly said:
“Senior! I-I’m telling the truth!”
“If I could say it, even if it leads to my death due to a Heart Demon attack, it would be worth it. Otherwise, wouldn’t that delay your important matter?
“I-I can take you there, and I can ensure you get into the Ghost Market!”
“I can swear on the Heart Demon that I absolutely will not cheat you, Senior!” Upon hearing this, Wang Ba’s palm, heading towards his head, eventually stopped at the top of his skull.
Zhu Jianyi was so nervous that his brain went blank.
After a while, he finally heard an incredibly relieving voice:
“Alright then, make your oath.”
Upon hearing this, Zhu Jianyi felt an immediate wave of relief, and he was soaked in sweat, relieved of a heavy burden, and couldn’t help but pant heavily.
However, the next second, he felt a slap on top of his head and soon after, his consciousness quickly faded.
Just before his consciousness completely disappeared, only one thought
echoed in his mind:
“Damn it! He tricked me!”
Wang Ba retracted his palm.
His expression wasn’t quite good.
No matter how sincere Zhu Jianyi sounded, he could not possibly entrust his life to someone else’s verbal assurance, so Soul Search was a necessity.
He just didn’t expect that Zhu Jianyi was telling the truth.
When he asked about a place called the “Linglong Ghost Market and questioned the entrance requirements, the moment Zhu was about to answer, his face started twitching, and he was on the verge of sudden death.
Wang Ba had to interrupt the questioning immediately.
When he asked about another Ghost Market, the result was the same.
After questioning for a while, his gains were meager.
With no other alternatives, he could only end the Soul Searching.
He patiently waited for the other party to wake up.
Meanwhile, he performed Soul Searching on a few other low-class cultivators but without any gains.
Throughout the questioning, he learned that these individuals were no saints, prompting him to think about an experiment he had never conducted before. Looking around, this place was uninhabited – an excellent spot for it.
After a slight hesitation, he stored lifespan into one of them.
This experiment was something that he always wanted to do but never had the opportunity to.
If extracting human lifespan will lead to a phenomenon of lifespan deficiency, what would happen if he bestowed lifespan onto a cultivator?
Soon, he discovered the exchange ratio of lifespan was approximately one to four.
One year of Wang Ba’s lifespan could be exchanged for four years for the other party.
After storing the lifespan, the cultivator’s body quickly began to draw the surrounding faint Spiritual Energy on its own.
What astonished Wang Ba was that gradually, an aura that he was extremely familiar with sprung up from the other party’s body.
“Is he advancing to the Foundation Establishment?
Wang Ba stared in disbelief at the Stage III Qi Refining cultivator.
In spite of the fact that the cultivator’s realm was still at Stage III of Qi Refining,
the aura emanating from his body was clearly the unique scent that manifested when advancing to the Foundation Establishment.
A stark contrast of weakness and strength simultaneously existing on his body gave one an intensely contradictory feeling.
Very quickly, the Foundation Establishment aura burgeoning in this cultivator’s body grew stronger and more distinct!
“No, it’s more like a Spirit Beast, undergoing a metamorphosis in its life stage…”
However, Wang Ba quickly perceived a difference.
Perhaps due to the aura burgeoning within him, the cultivator, who had been bestowed the lifespan, slowly woke up from his unconscious state post-Soul Searching.
Immediately cognizant of the anomaly, he could not help but stare at his hands wide-eyed.
He vaguely sensed that he seemed to possess a powerful force, this force, even raised an unparalleled confidence in his heart.
“What does Zhu Jianyi count for? What does Master Lin count for? With this power, I can…”
The next instant, he suddenly widened his eyes.
Cracks started surfacing on his face, as if it could not endure the sudden surge in power.
“No!”
In that instant, his body exploded like fireworks!
Having sensed that something was amiss through his Spiritual Sense, Wang Ba hurriedly swept Zhu Jianyi and a nearby low-class cultivator away to safety.
The two cultivators still unconscious were immediately engulfed by the explosion…
When the blast subsided, Wang Ba solemnly returned alone, only to find stray limbs scattered all around.
“Why would such a change occur when lifespan is bestowed?”
Wang Ba’s heart was filled with shock and puzzlement.
He had originally thought, that if because both parties belonged to the same race, a deficiency problem would occur, the majority effect would be a decrease in the other party’s lifespan.
Never would he have expected, that after the other party received the lifespan, his body would quickly attempt to ascend to Class II.
It was virtually a leap into the sky.
He did not know what complications had arisen that led to the abrupt failure of ascension, and the loss of control over his mana, leading directly to an explosion.
This change was indeed beyond Wang Ba’s expectations.
After contemplation, he still endured his disgust and collected the limbs scattered on the ground.
Perhaps these items, could help him understand what had really happened.
However, it wasn’t suitable to delve deeper into it under the current circumstances.
He could sense cultivators approaching from the distant horizon.
Wang Ba did not hesitate; grabbing Zhu Jianyi and the remaining low-class cultivator, he manipulated the Magic Tool to take flight, turning into a streak of light, and disappeared from the location..