Chapter 459 75: Fortuitous Encounter in the Ghost Market

Fang Cheng stepped out of the gate of light. Before he could get a clear look at the scene behind it, a streak of black light shot toward his face.

The Li Hen Demon Light flashed before him, intercepting the incoming black light. He took a closer look and saw it was a jet-black spike!

He looked up to see that his attacker was a strange, non-human being, thirty feet tall with the head of an insect and the body of a man.

Its head resembled some kind of ferocious insect, grotesque and ugly. Its muscles were well-developed, like black iron, and its aura was dense, no weaker than that of a Human Race Life Soul Cultivator.

In the distance, no fewer than fifty similar beings hovered in the air, all looking at him.

Farther still was the familiar gray fog. In front of the fog stood a Stone Stele, upon which were carved the two words "Ghost Market."

These beings were clearly also studying the Void Ghost Marketplace and were quite surprised by Fang Cheng's sudden appearance.

'What is this place? How can there be so many Tier Three non-humans?'

The question had just flashed through Fang Cheng's mind when the non-humans shrieked. Several of them joined forces and attacked him.

Fang Cheng sneered. A white bone pellet flew out from above his head, instantly transforming into a heaven-spanning Strong Bone Demon a thousand feet tall!

A golden fist, like a small mountain, descended.

The Divine Techniques' glow and the Magical Artifacts hurtling toward Fang Cheng were pulverized by the single blow, shattering like scraps of paper.

The two beings in the lead had their Protective Spiritual Light flicker wildly before being extinguished under the fist's radiance. They were instantly blasted into dust.

The other nearby non-humans were all shocked, staring in horror at the Strong Bone Demon behind Fang Cheng.

Fang Cheng had expected to scare them off, but to his surprise, the remaining beings swarmed him, attacking all at once in a fight to the death.

The Strong Bone Demon lunged forward!

In the sky, golden fists flickered and materialized, one after another.

Each punch was like the sky falling and the earth cracking, and each one claimed a life!

In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, not a single non-human remained outside the Ghost Market.

Beyond the gray fog was a vast, boundless sea under a gray sky. The whole world gave off a gloomy, murderous feeling.

Fang Cheng glanced at the motionless hourglass floating beside him. The "grains of sand" inside, each a speck of faint light, slowly trickled down.

He still had only two hours.

With a wave of his sleeve, he recalled the Strong Bone Demon. Stepping on a Profound Light, he flew into the gray fog.

After advancing several dozen feet, the view suddenly opened up, and an immense grotto came into sight.

In the center of the grotto was a thousand-foot-tall altar. Atop it stood a colossal Divine Statue of the Insect Race.

A fissure in the grotto's ceiling allowed a piercing ray of sunlight to shoot into the cavern, striking the Insect Race's Divine Statue like a sharp sword and illuminating the entire space.

The towering rock walls on all sides were riddled with countless tunnels and holes, with many insect-headed beings entering and exiting them.

These insect-headed beings could be seen devoutly approaching the base of the altar, ascending it slowly, and finally kneeling before the Insect Race's Divine Statue to offer up various Spiritual Objects.

From the void, streaks of divine light swept down, taking the Spiritual Objects and flying into the Divine Statue. Then, golden divine light, carrying treasures, flew out of the statue and landed before the insect-headed beings.

On the altar, surrounding the Divine Statue, hundreds of insect-headed beings were making offerings at the same time, with golden divine light raining down.

Among these non-humans, there was no shortage of Tier Four individuals with astonishingly formidable strength.

Fang Cheng frowned. The scene before him was somewhat unexpected.

'It looks like... a system of barter.'

His appearance had already attracted the curiosity and attention of many nearby insect-headed beings, but the rule against fighting within the Ghost Market seemed to be absolute. These beings only watched him and did not make any aggressive moves.

'Well, I'm already here.'

After a moment's thought, Fang Cheng landed on the altar and began to walk up. The surrounding insect-headed beings made strange noises, as if asking something, but unfortunately, Fang Cheng could not understand them.

He made his way to the top of the altar and looked up at the massive, mountain-like Divine Statue of the Insect Race, sensing an indescribable divinity from it.

The surrounding insect-headed beings made angry sounds and glared at Fang Cheng, seemingly reprimanding him for not kneeling to the Divine Statue.

"Outlander..."

A voice entered Fang Cheng's sea of consciousness, filled with an ancient, weathered aura and supreme majesty.

"I sense offerings on you that are to my satisfaction. Place them upon the altar."

As the ancient voice faded, several profoundly mysterious images appeared in Fang Cheng's sea of consciousness. They were none other than treasures like the Mountain-Slaying Sword, the Profound Yellow Cloud Smoke Talisman, the Ruyi Celestial Escape Shuttle, the Feather Divine Soldiers, and the Immortal Binding Rope.

Fang Cheng responded in his sea of consciousness, "If I offer these sacrifices, what can I receive in return?"

The ancient voice did not answer.

Instead, a brilliant golden light erupted before Fang Cheng's eyes. A Scroll formed from this golden divine light slowly unfurled, revealing four Gu Insects.

The moment Fang Cheng saw these Gu Insects, their names, ranks, and functions automatically appeared in his mind.

Fire God Gu, a Tier Five Divine Gu, possessed the Great Sun True Fire, capable of incinerating mountains and boiling seas.

Earth God Gu, a Tier Five Divine Gu, possessed the Earth Element Divine Light, making it indestructible.

Ice God Gu, a Tier Five Divine Gu, possessed the Ice Soul Divine Light, capable of freezing heaven and earth.

Void God Gu, a Tier Five Divine Gu, possessed Void Divine Sand, allowing for seamless concealment.

Four top-tier Gu Insects, comparable to four Tier Five Fierce Beasts!

The Fire God Gu specialized in offense, the Earth God Gu in defense, the Ice God Gu in control, and the Void God Gu in support.

The temptation offered by the Insect Race's Divine Statue was by no means small.

Even the exchange "price" for each Divine Gu was clearly marked.

For example: a Tier Five Flying Sword Zan Yue could be exchanged for one Divine Gu.

Two Feather Divine Soldiers or two Profound Yellow Cloud Smoke Talismans could also be exchanged for one Divine Gu.

Ten Fourth-rank Magical Artifacts could also be exchanged for one Divine Gu.

Fang Cheng was naturally unwilling to sacrifice his Mountain-Slaying Sword or Feather Divine Soldiers, but he had three Profound Yellow Cloud Smoke Talismans, so giving up two was acceptable.

Furthermore, he could also scrape together ten Fourth-rank Magical Artifacts, aside from special ones like the Immortal Binding Rope.

In other words, he could exchange for at least two Tier Five Divine Gu!

He pondered for a moment, then tried to communicate, "I have a top-tier Human Race legacy. I wonder if that can be exchanged for a Divine Gu?"

The ancient voice replied, "Useless to me."

Fang Cheng sighed inwardly.

He took out two Profound Yellow Cloud Smoke Talismans and ten Fourth-rank Magical Artifacts, laying them all out on the altar.

The astonishing Spiritual Mechanism and treasured light immediately dazzled the nearby insect-headed beings. They stared at Fang Cheng with shock and greed but didn't dare make a move.

A golden divine light descended and swept away the treasures on the ground. Then, the ancient voice sounded in Fang Cheng's sea of consciousness: "You may choose two Divine Gu."

Fang Cheng replied, "The Fire God Gu and the Void God Gu."

Then, two beams of golden light descended and hovered before Fang Cheng. Inside were two extraordinary Gu Insects!

One of them was brilliant white all over, emitting an endless light that was bright but not glaring.

The Gu Insect's body seemed to contain a scorching sun, and its back was covered in ancient, wave-like patterns.

The Fire God Gu!

This Gu could command the Great Sun True Fire, which could incinerate anything. Its power was astonishing.

By obtaining this Gu Insect, Fang Cheng gained another trump card.

The other one, the Void God Gu, was transparent. Inside, countless motes of shimmering dust swirled, displaying the various mysteries of the Void Dao and making it difficult to comprehend.

The two Gu Insects were enveloped by a Divine Power, keeping them very still and making them easy for Fang Cheng to refine.

He put away the Divine Gu. Knowing there were no more opportunities to be had for the time being, he decisively left the grotto via the tunnel he had come through. After exiting the gray fog, he immediately returned to the gate of light.

Sure enough, as he was leaving, many of the insect-headed beings followed him out. But upon seeing the gate of light in the sky, they all stopped warily. Only after the gate disappeared did the group of non-humans disperse.

...

「True Flame Sect, Spirit Rock Peak, the Jade Tower.」

Fang Cheng's figure appeared in a secret chamber, his face devoid of any emotion.

He sat back down on the Jade Couch, took out the two Divine Gu, and began to refine them. Soon, he was completely immersed in the profound mysteries of the two Divine Gu, oblivious to the passage of time outside.

Until one day, the clear, pleasant sound of a Jade Chime came from outside the door. Wan'Er spoke softly, "Master, Elder Yingya is waiting outside the tower. The Nine Truths Dharma Assembly is about to begin."

Fang Cheng slowly returned to his senses. The two Gu Insects flying around him quietly vanished into his wide sleeves.

He had not refined Gu for a long time. He had yet to find any powerful Gu Dao legacies in the East Cyan Domain, so this Secret Technique that he had "started with" had been neglected for quite a while.

Now that he was refining Gu again, he felt a peculiar sense of nostalgia.

He collected his thoughts and walked out of the Jade Tower. As expected, Elder Yingya was waiting for him in a cloud chariot.

The two of them immediately left the True Flame Sect and flew toward the Nine Truths Tower.

Along the way, Elder Yingya introduced Fang Cheng to the various Dharma Masters of the Jin Country.

First were the Mystic Sects of the Righteous Path, led by the Holy Spirit Sect. They had a total of seven Dharma Cultivators. The Holy Spirit Sect had three, while the True Flame Sect and the Thousand Buddha Sect each had two.

The Holy Spirit Sect was known as the number one sect in the Jin Country, but it had only been established for a little over six thousand years, much later than the other eight major powers. It was a classic example of a latecomer surpassing its predecessors.

As for the Demon Dao in the Jin Country, it was led by the Great Chi and Demon Extreme Sects. Below them were many smaller sects, forming another extremely powerful force in the country.

Of the Great Chi Demon Sect's two Dharma Aspects, one had already been slain by Fang Cheng, leaving only one.

The Demon Extreme Sect only had one Dharma Aspect, the Heart Demon Hall Master, who had also been defeated by Fang Cheng. His Dao Heart was likely damaged, and it would be difficult for him to recover in a short time.

The three major powers—the Nine Truths Tower, Miaoxiang Tower, and Ten Thousand Treasures Studio—each had a Dharma Master presiding over them.

The three powers maintained a strategic balance among themselves. They also had intricate connections with both the Mystic and Demon paths, but generally remained neutral.

Among the Loose Cultivators, there was also a Dharma Master who had been famous for over three hundred years. He rarely made public appearances and was said to often travel in the Mingxiao Domain.

As for how many other hidden masters like the Master of Ten Thousand Transformations Sect there were, no one knew.

There were rumors that the Thousand Buddha Sect had a reclusive high monk with a Peak of Dharma Cultivation, who had enlightened many Buddhist cultivators in the past.

There were also rumors that the Demon Extreme Sect's Blood Prison held a demon lord who had been the most outstanding genius of the Demon Dao five hundred years ago, and who had long since achieved the Dharma Aspect stage.

Among all these Dharma Masters, Fu Yunxiu, the Supreme Elder of the Holy Spirit Sect, was the undisputed number one expert. He possessed a Late-stage Dharma Realm Cultivation and had dominated the Jin Country for several hundred years. The Celestial Refining Demon Monarch had challenged him three times and was soundly defeated on every occasion.

Now, Fang Cheng had appeared out of nowhere, rising like a blazing sun, and seemed poised to challenge Fu Yunxiu's status in the Jin Country's Cultivation Realm.

...

Note: In ancient times, the time it takes for an incense stick to burn was about five minutes. The time to drink a cup of tea was about two to three incense sticks.