Wasted Spiritual Root to Embark on Demonic Cultivation

Chapter 213

True Personage Qingyang was utterly confused. He had no idea what Wang Yu was talking about.

“Let me think for a moment. There is still something I need your help with.”

Hearing this, Qingyang could only restrain himself and wait for Wang Yu to finish thinking.

Whether or not He Gu had truly planted the demonic seed inside Luo Chen’s body, Wang Yu needed to respond immediately. Ideally, he should even strike back, forcing Jin Lin to suffer the consequences of his own plot.

Closing his eyes, rubbing his temples, Wang Yu pondered for a while before finally forming a plan. In truth, he only had two options.

If he turned hostile and killed He Gu True Personage, the entire plan would collapse.

If he concealed his intentions and pretended ignorance, allowing Jin Lin’s plan to continue, he could deliver a fatal strike at the critical moment.

The key lay in seizing the timing of the Tianshui’s arrival.

It would definitely be after three months, during his absence from Jade Spirit. After thinking it through, Wang Yu explained the upcoming plan to Qingyang, leaving the latter utterly shocked.

“So that’s what you were thinking about just now.”“I have no choice. A tall tree catches the wind’s attention. Moreover, this is Jin Miaoshan’s mess. The Jade Spirit City Lord’s Mansion was implicated for no reason, and I will demand compensation from her.”

“Haha...”

Qingyang forced a laugh and said nothing more. He left to make the preparations.

The Yanluo Ghost Market was definitely a place they had to go.

An auction at the Nascent Soul level was a grand event. Even if one did not buy anything, attending would broaden one’s horizons. Moreover, Wang Yu himself possessed rare and coveted treasures; this opportunity could not be missed.

Jade Spirit City had countless cultivators. The City Lord’s two forces alone numbered over two thousand. Since they could not move prematurely and alert the enemy, Qingyang had to take Wang Yu’s order token and discreetly notify only the most trustworthy commanders.

When the key moment arrived, everything would become clear.

After setting everything in order, Wang Yu behaved as if nothing had happened, carrying on with his usual affairs, calm and unhurried.

Three months later, the Yanluo Ghost Market auction began.

…

...

Southwest of Jade Spirit City, after passing through three thousand miles of reed marsh, lay the site of the Yanluo Ghost Market.

The area was surrounded by five black mountains. There were neither trees nor stones; the earth was dark as sand, loose and cold, resembling the soil of the underworld. From time to time, black winds howled and wailing spirits cried.

It was truly a human realm ghostland.

In truth, all of this was the result of a great formation. Although demonic cultivators were not particular about food or place, they would never willingly live in such a desolate, haunted wasteland. That was simply human nature.

The formation had been set by two cultivators, Yanluo and Yanfú.

The surrounding region was a no-man’s land. Neither the Blood Reversal Sect nor the Yellow Springs Monastery claimed authority here, as if giving the dual cultivators a measure of respect.

However, because the Deadly Silent Desert was nearby, the Yellow Springs Monastery maintained a closer relationship with the Ghost Market. The main area of the market lay within the circle of the five black mountains.

It manifested only at midnight, the effect of the formation.

According to the plan, Wang Yu and Qingyang followed the master of the Violet Golden Chamber of Commerce, secretly heading to the Ghost Market to attend the auction.

“City Lord, since this is your first visit, I will have my men take you around. When the auction is about to begin, I will come fetch you personally.”

Hearing this, Wang Yu nodded slightly and gave Qingyang a glance before stepping alone into what appeared to be barren, lifeless ground. Yet after taking only three steps, the scenery before his eyes changed entirely.

The world had a different face.

Inside the Ghost Market, everyone wore black robes and ghost masks. Yin mist swirled everywhere. Even when Wang Yu probed with his third-rank divine sense, he could not perceive anyone’s true face.

This too was the formation’s power.

Without such a formidable concealment array, the Yanluo Ghost Market would never have become the largest black market on the border between the Blood Reversal Sect and the Yellow Springs Monastery.

Even Qi Refining cultivators could enter. As for leaving afterward, that depended on one’s own ability. Those who truly had nowhere to go could even reside within the Ghost Market.

However, outsiders who wished to settle or stay overnight had to pay a hefty amount of spirit stones. For those pursued relentlessly by enemies with no escape left, selling oneself into the Ghost Market as a Spirit Slave was also an option.

While Wang Yu wandered the streets to broaden his horizons, Qingyang accompanied the members of the Violet Golden Chamber of Commerce to Gui Ling’s stationed outpost within the Ghost Market.

Indeed, Jade Spirit City had a base there—thanks to their proximity and the Blood Reversal Sect’s favor, negotiations were not difficult. They simply paid spirit stones as usual.

Moreover, Jade Spirit was not the only one with a store there.

After Wang Yu left, Qingyang secretly observed the master of the Violet Golden Chamber of Commerce. He realized that after Jin Lin plotted to use the City Lord’s Mansion to destroy Jin Miaoshan, this merchant master had also entered the list of suspects.

The Violet Golden Chamber of Commerce had risen to power after Wang Yu’s arrival in Jade Spirit, when he had massacred the City Lord’s Mansion and wiped out the northern district’s leaders. Only then did the Chamber move into the north.

The Chamber was not originally founded by Wang Yu but came from outside. Their cooperation had been smooth, and they had always completed the tasks he assigned perfectly.

That was why Wang Yu had merely suspected them at first.

But upon deeper thought, it was strange that a Foundation Establishment cultivator could run a chamber capable of purchasing third-rank treasures for him without any issue.

Such a capable person could thrive anywhere. Why submit to him?

After suspecting He Gu True Personage, Wang Yu had also begun to doubt this merchant. The last sentence the man spoke before entering the Ghost Market confirmed Wang Yu’s suspicions.

Qingyang chose not to leave, staying to keep watch.

“True Personage Qingyang, since we both serve the City Lord, allow me to offer a small gift. The Yanluo Ghost Market’s auction has attracted many cultivators this time. Who knows, you might find a rare bargain.”

"Hehe.

"Brother Luo is indeed thoughtful. I will accept this item. Since the Ghost Market can be visited at any time, let us head to the Jade Spirit base first."

"Very well, very well."

Seeing that there was no way to send True Personage Qingyang away, Luo Huzhou secretly activated a jade button hidden in his sleeve, signaling that the other side’s plan was progressing smoothly, yet unable to send a voice message.

Thus, he had no choice but to bring Qingyang along toward the Jade Spirit stronghold.

……

Inside the Ghost Market.

This place had seventy-two streets, with a resident population of over ten thousand, all of them cultivators. Above the streets drifted countless Yin spirits and ghost slaves used as laborers.

The streets were eerie and sinister, illuminated by ghostly green flames.

Wang Yu strolled leisurely through the market, marveling at the sights. Most of the shops were opened by local powers, usually offering various affiliated services, while many casual cultivators set up simple stalls along the way.

Many of these were wandering rogue cultivators, or disciples of sects and clans who came out to temper themselves, selling spoils from their adventures. Unlike proper market cities, the Ghost Market was chaotic and unpredictable—many sellers did not even know what they were selling.

Thus, treasure-hunting was common, and it was said that to find a true bargain in the Ghost Market required both luck and knowledge.

As the saying goes, “Reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles.”

Wang Yu had read countless ancient tomes, yet his practical experience was still lacking. Life within the Jade Spirit was stifling and uneventful.

"Fellow Daoist, how much is this item?"

"Ghost Whisker Mushroom, four thousand spirit stones."

The conversation ahead caught Wang Yu’s attention. He walked closer and smiled.

"Shopkeeper, this is not Ghost Whisker Mushroom."

The cultivator who was about to pay froze.

The stall owner scowled angrily.

"What business is it of yours? You say it’s not, and that makes it so? Must you interfere with my trade?"

"Don’t be impatient."

Wang Yu picked up the mushroom and sniffed it lightly.

"This is Nightcurse Poison Mushroom, a second-rank rare spiritual material. It can kill a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Given its rarity, four thousand spirit stones is far too cheap. I would say thirty thousand is more reasonable."

The buyer was stunned. He had truly thought it was Ghost Whisker Mushroom, nearly believing he had found a bargain.

The stall owner was also dumbfounded, realizing that Wang Yu was actually helping him avoid a loss. His tone immediately softened.

"Friend, you are well-learned. I was being rash. Please forgive my earlier words."

He then turned to the would-be buyer.

"Hahaha, I almost sold this treasure as Ghost Whisker Mushroom for a pittance. Do you still want it? Let’s go with this gentleman’s price—thirty thousand spirit stones."

"I... I’ll pass."

Seeing this, Wang Yu chuckled.

"If he doesn’t want it, I’ll take it. I, Jin, need this spiritual material for poison refinement."

"Good, good. Thirty thousand?"

"Of course."

Wang Yu paid without hesitation and took the Nightcurse Poison Mushroom.

The mushroom was indeed genuine—black cap with green spots and white-dotted stem, extremely toxic, capable of killing Foundation Establishment cultivators, and quite rare.

He had spoken up for two reasons.

First, he thought the buyer had recognized it and intentionally provoked the stall owner so that he would refuse to sell, but it turned out to be a misunderstanding.

Second, the true value of the mushroom was not in itself but in a rare insect species that loved to lay eggs upon it.

This kind of spiritual material was already uncommon. In the Crimson Kite Demonic Domain, it could only be found in the Heavenly Demon Bone Forest, and the strange insect that used it as a nesting ground was even rarer and more mystical.

The insect itself was non-toxic but could devour poison to grow stronger.

Its name was Immaculate Jade Toad.

Despite being called a toad, it was actually an insect resembling a small frog, growing no larger than a palm. Its only ability was to consume poison.

By devouring countless kinds of toxins, it could grow and evolve. It was said that once raised to maturity, a cultivator who refined the Immaculate Jade Toad could gain a Body of Ten Thousand Poisons Immunity.

Furthermore, if another strange insect managed to devour the Immaculate Jade Toad, it could undergo an evolution of its very bloodline, transcending its original rank.

Wang Yu had once read about it in his sect’s Scripture Hall.

It was listed as the sixty-second ranked insect in the Ancient Catalogue of Mystical Insects, which contained ninety-nine entries. Who compiled it or what the ranking criteria were remained unknown.

Based on his earlier observation, Wang Yu was certain that one of the white dots on the Nightcurse Poison Mushroom’s stem was an Immaculate Jade Toad egg—slender and white, with a faint yellow speck at the center.

To encounter such a find on his first visit to the Ghost Market left Wang Yu deeply satisfied.

He now looked forward even more to the upcoming auction.

After exploring several more streets, however, he found nothing else of note. Due to his alchemy background, his knowledge of spiritual herbs and fruits was vast, but in other fields, his expertise was limited to fragments gleaned from various records. Thus, it was normal not to gain further harvests.

When the initial excitement of the Ghost Market faded, boredom set in. Regarding the rumored Nascent Soul-grade auction, no one in the streets spoke of it, likely due to insufficient rank, though the crowds were growing denser.

At that moment, Wang Yu sensed his communication jade talisman pulse. Looking around, he saw a familiar figure at the alley entrance nodding to him.

It was True Personage Qingyang. Wang Yu approached and asked,

"Is it done?"

"Yes. To prevent any means of detecting whether he still lives, I sealed Luo Huzhou within the painting."

"Good. Let’s go see the auction then."

"Let’s go."