Chapter 539 - 505: Black Market

Chapter 539: Chapter 505: Black Market

’The Demon Race is attacking the Eastern Domain... What a coincidence. Could it have something to do with me?’

Bai Zichen went through the messages on the Memory Stone one by one. The last message was scrawled hastily, as if smeared on in a rush.

He figured the person must have been in a hurry, rushing into the Star Palace Secret Realm to leave the message before immediately departing.

A war between the Human-Demon Races, one worthy of the name, would be no small-scale conflict.

In the coastal cities, the situation was always treacherous, with demonic gales and furious waves constantly lashing the shores.

Tens of thousands of mortals dying or getting injured, or even entire cities being breached and annihilated, were not uncommon occurrences. It happened every few years.

Aside from pursuing and killing the demons as they retreated, the few Nascent Soul Major Sects of the Eastern Domain didn’t dare venture deep into the Outer Sea to fight.

Their response was mostly passive, limited to reinforcing their defensive lines and setting up Defense Arrays.

However, for Cultivators living away from the Eastern Domain’s coast, the official narrative was one of peace and tranquility, claiming that the two races had coexisted peacefully for ten thousand years.

This time, it was so severe it was being called a racial war. A million demons had made landfall, several prefectures had fallen, and countless lives had been enslaved by the Demon Race.

Most importantly, the Moral Sect’s stable foundation in the Outer Sea, which they had operated for ten thousand years and which had become the Human Race’s bridgehead for expanding into the region, was destroyed overnight.

Tens of millions of mortals lived on the seventeen Large Islands, and a significant portion of the Moral Sect’s Cunsi Peak disciples were recruited directly from among these Outer Sea mortals.

The destruction of cities and islands, the deaths of numerous Moral Sect disciples, including even a Nascent Soul True Monarch—this was the most direct sign that all pretenses had been dropped.

The Moral Sect, a model for the world, had a glorious reputation that wasn’t confined to the inland Cultivation Realm. Even in the Outer Sea, it was considered a first-rate power.

As a clear example, everyone knew the sea was rich in resources, offering an inexhaustible supply of materials for Cultivation.

Many Spirit Grasses and Spiritual Objects that had vanished from the mainland could still be found in the Outer Sea.

But no other Sect dared to form a merchant caravan and try to claim a piece of the astronomical profits to be made there.

Only the Moral Sect’s hundreds of treasure ships sailed unhindered through the Outer Sea, not only trading with Transformed Great Demons from various regions but also independently developing multiple Undersea Ore Veins.

Over ten percent of the Cultivation Realm’s High-Tier Water Spiritual Objects were brought back to the mainland from the Outer Sea by the Moral Sect.

No Great Demon power dared to launch an unprovoked attack on a Moral Sect treasure ship.

This was a reputation built by Cunsi Peak over tens of thousands of years of bloodshed in the Outer Sea. More importantly, it was because the Moral Sect had never declined, and Divinity Transformation Great Powers appeared in its ranks frequently.

If any other Sect produced a single Divinity Transformation Great Power, it could bask in that glory for ten thousand years.

But in the Moral Sect’s Five Peaks, every single peak had produced Divinity Transformation Great Powers.

This was especially true for Celestial Punishment Peak and Yellow Court Peak, which had existed since the Moral Sect’s founding. The number of Divinity Transformation Cultivators produced by these two peaks alone could be counted on one hand.

Not to mention the sparsely populated and highly revered Dao Vein, which existed outside the Five Peaks of the Virtue Vein.

It, too, had produced many world-shaking figures, though ordinary people were unaware of them.

The more one learned about the Moral Sect’s profound heritage, the more shocking it was. Even the Outer Sea Demon Clan had to show it a measure of respect.

Therefore, whether or not the Moral Sect was attacked served as a barometer for whether the Demon Race was planning a major offensive.

This time, Cunsi Peak’s tens of thousands of years of work—the complete devotion of countless disciples, the painstaking efforts of generations—had all been for naught.

Such a decisive move had caught all the major Human Race Sects completely off guard.

There had been no warning signs whatsoever before this.

The relationship between the Human-Demon Races had always been the same—lukewarm, with no trend toward deterioration.

’Ninety percent of Cunsi Peak’s strength is in the Outer Sea. They have a force of at least one Great True Monarch and several Nascent Soul True Monarchs, yet they were powerless against the demon offensive and instantly lost an Immortal City protected by a Tier Four Array. There’s only one possibility: a Tier Five Demon Monarch took action!’

This was precisely why Bai Zichen suspected the matter was related to him.

Tier Five Demon Monarchs hadn’t made a move in ten thousand years. Yet, not long after he killed a descendant of the Divinity Transformation Elder Dragon, a war between the two races began, with a suspected Demon Monarch involved.

No matter how he looked at it, he couldn’t escape the feeling that he was connected to this.

Of course, it couldn’t be so simple as to trigger a war between the two races just like that. The Outer Sea Demon Clan must have been plotting this in secret for a long time.

His actions had merely served as a convenient pretext. They used it to persuade the Divinity Transformation Elder Dragon to act, immediately escalating the scale of the conflict.

Judging by the current scale, this wasn’t something the Star Constellation Sea could achieve on its own.

It would take all the demon clans of the Outer Sea banding together to create such a massive force, one capable of pushing the Eastern Domain’s Human Race Cultivators into constant retreat.

The Jinyue Sect that Po Jun Star Monarch mentioned was the Eastern Domain’s only Super Sect, dominating the region completely.

It had been the hegemon of the Eastern Domain for over ten thousand years, having gone through countless battles with the Demon Race.

But expecting it to resist the entire Outer Sea alone was beyond its capabilities, especially against an Outer Sea Demon Clan that was going all out with no regard for casualties.

’In that case, it wouldn’t be wise for me to appear near the coast... There’s probably a Celestial Net of Heaven and Earth waiting in some unknown corner. The moment I show my face will be the moment they close the net.’

After seeing the message, Bai Zichen had originally thought about heading to the Eastern Domain to witness the events for himself.

A conflict on the scale of a war between two races meant a wealth of opportunities.

Although countless mortals and Cultivators in the Eastern Domain had fallen or been captured, the number of demons killed was four or five times greater, and the Demon Bodies they left behind were piling up into mountains.

These were mainly Tier Two and Tier Three Demon Beasts, and their deaths would have a massive impact on the market for Demon Beast Materials.

Even the market price of the Foundation Establishment Pill would likely drop significantly.

The number of Tier Three Demon Beasts killed by Cultivators and arrays was astounding. Whether one used their Demon Pills for Refining Foundation Establishment Pills or for becoming a Fake Pill Cultivator, it would all become much easier.

The prices of Spiritual Artifacts and Magical Treasures refined from those Demon Beast Materials would also fall to a certain extent.

But if the war continued, the prices of consumable goods like Elixirs, Talismans, and Spiritual Artifacts would quickly rebound.

At that point, the prices of these items would skyrocket, becoming even more expensive than before the war began.

The slight benefits were far outweighed by the potential risks.

However, he couldn’t just stay cooped up and ignorant. Otherwise, the Demon Race might sweep through the entire Eastern Domain while he was still foolishly practicing Cultivation in the Star Palace Secret Realm.

It would be awkward if he teleported out only to find the area had been declared territory of the Outer Sea.

Bai Zichen considered his options. It was better not to take risks; he could choose a middle path.

He didn’t need to go to the front lines himself to find out about the war. He could do it through other channels.

He put on his mask, consumed a wisp of True Essence to manifest a Magical Robe, and grabbed a Conical Hat that could block Divine Sense before leaving the Star Palace Secret Realm.

According to Po Jun Star Monarch, this was only the second time in the Star Palace’s history that the Ziwei Star Lord Mask had been chosen.

The previous Ziwei Star Star Monarch dated back over three thousand years ago. That Nascent Soul Sword Cultivator had joined the Star Palace less than ten years before he was unfortunately struck by an ancient Suppression Technique during an expedition to a Secret Realm.

After returning, he grew weaker by the day and regrettably passed away in meditation less than two years later.

This was a man who had been hailed as having limitless potential, whose breakthrough to the Nascent Soul realm had been accompanied by the phenomenon of a Grotto Heaven Gate.

For him to perish so easily, voices within the Star Palace soon began to claim that it was because he couldn’t bear the weight of the Ziwei Star Lord’s station.

That was why several people had given Bai Zichen complicated looks after he was chosen by the Ziwei Star God Mask.

’With the mask on, even if someone sees through my other disguises, they’ll just think I’m some mysterious Star Monarch... No one would guess that the face *behind* the mask is the appearance I truly want to conceal.’

After leaving the Star Palace Secret Realm, Bai Zichen appeared back in his original location.

Ten years ago, it was from this very spot that he and Zhuo Xiong had entered the Star Palace Secret Realm.

After a moment’s thought, he didn’t head directly for the nearest Five Phoenix Sword Sect’s Honghu Immortal City. Instead, he flew several thousand miles on his sword, landing before a patch of jagged, strange-looking rocks.

He walked with a peculiar gait, moving forward and back, until he reached a massive black stone. He raised his hand and knocked lightly: three long, two short.

CRACK!

The black stone split open down the middle, revealing a dark passageway that appeared to extend straight down.

"I was not aware of your visit, Senior. Please forgive me... Please present your Token, Senior, so that I may arrange for someone to receive you."

A Core Formation Cultivator guarding the passage jumped in fright when he sensed the visitor’s Cultivation. The man, who was built like an iron pagoda, seemed to shrink by two sizes, unable to stand up straight.

"Sea of Starlight,"

Bai Zichen said, his voice as calm as still water.

"So it’s a Senior from the Star Palace! This way, please... There are twelve small shops open today. As for the auction, you’ll probably have to wait until next month. The proprietor acquired the Essence of a Transformed Great Demon from the Eastern Domain and is preparing it as the finale item, but it’s still in transit."

The burly man, who was built like an iron pagoda, had a voice as gruff as thunder, but he deliberately lowered it now, trying his best to sound as gentle as a light breeze and soft rain.

"A Transformed Great Demon from the Outer Sea Demon Clan has already been slain?"

Beneath his mask, the corner of Bai Zichen’s eye twitched. He hadn’t expected to hear such explosive news the moment he arrived.

The Demon Race was different from the Human Race; the hierarchy between Tiers was even more pronounced.

In the eyes of a Transformed Great Demon, demons below Tier Four that lacked mature Spiritual Wisdom weren’t even considered kin, even if they shared the same bloodline.

They showed no mercy when commanding Low-Tier Demon Beasts and felt no heartache over their deaths, no matter how numerous.

A Transformed Great Demon was always at the center, in the safest location. To even get close to one, you had to pass through countless other demons.

Given the current situation, with a million demons having made landfall, the Transformed Great Demons were likely concentrated in a few major cities, surrounded by innumerable Demon Beasts.

For a Transformed Great Demon to be slain under these circumstances could only mean that the Cultivator who acted was far stronger than their victim.

Furthermore, their life-saving and escape techniques must have also been exceptional.

Otherwise, even if they managed to kill a Transformed Great Demon, they would be swamped by the other demons rushing to the scene.

"That is beyond my knowledge. Senior, you could inquire with the Cultivators at the Celestial Listening Shop in the Market."

The burly man built like an iron pagoda took a step back, clearing the way to the descending passage.

Bai Zichen glanced around and strode inside.

The black stone sealed shut, once again looking like part of an ordinary stone forest. No one would imagine that another world was hidden below.

’It’s quite lively. It seems the dark side can never be completely eradicated anywhere... I wonder if these Black Markets have a presence in the Moral Sect’s homeland, the Great Zhou.’

This place was one of the legendary Black Markets of the Cultivation Realm.

Specifically, it was a Black Market that catered to High-Tier Cultivators, with customers who were primarily at the Core Formation realm and even a few Nascent Soul True Monarchs.

The proprietor behind it was incredibly resourceful and influential, operating at least ten similar Black Markets in the Central Domain.

Its scope of business included everything a normal Market offered, plus illicit activities like selling Furnace Cauldrons, blood-sacrificed Magical Treasures, contract killings, and fencing stolen goods.

In any other place, it would be difficult for a Black Market to thrive.

In the Central Domain, however, they flourished with vigorous vitality.

The reason for this, ultimately, could be blamed on the Moral Sect.

If not for this paragon of the Righteous Dao’s excessive governance and absolute loathing for such activities—to the point where they might intervene even outside the Great Zhou if they witnessed it—things would be different.

Over time, the Moral Sect had repeatedly raised the moral baseline of the Central Domain, and many of the aforementioned activities were not tolerated in public.

Thus, the Black Market was born.

In the other Four Domains, however, these matters could be discussed openly in broad daylight, so there was no need for a Black Market to exist.

The Star Palace had established an alliance with the proprietor of this Black Market over a thousand years ago.

All members of the Star Palace had free access to all its affiliated Black Markets and were always its most welcome guests.

Bai Zichen had only taken a few steps when he saw dozens of Core Formation Cultivators and even sensed the auras of two Nascent Soul True Monarchs no weaker than his own.

This small Black Market was truly full of crouching tigers and hidden dragons.