After passing through Spirit Fruit Valley and climbing along the rugged mountain path for two full days, Dustin's group finally arrived at a place completely different from anywhere else.
This was a relatively open platform on the mountainside, with flat terrain roughly the size of several football fields.
Most surprisingly, a temporary marketplace had formed here—dozens of crude stalls scattered about. Some people had spread beast hides on the ground, displaying a few spirit-light-emanating artifacts. Others had set up wooden frames with cloth canopies, hanging various pill bottles and jars. Most people moved back and forth, stopping to observe or conversing quietly, the sounds of haggling rising and falling.
"This... this is incredible!" Scarlet's eyes widened. "A marketplace in a place like this?"
Dustin surveyed the surroundings thoughtfully: "More and more survivors are on Buzhou Mountain. People need to exchange supplies and information—a marketplace naturally emerges. And look—"
He pointed toward the market's center, where a stone pillar several meters tall stood. The pillar was covered in runes, and at its top floated a fist-sized milky-white orb emitting gentle fluctuations.
"That should be the formation core that maintains order here." Adam said after carefully sensing it. "Whoever could set up such a formation in a place like this must have considerable backing."
Margaret nodded, speaking quietly: "Everyone be careful and don't cause trouble. Let's observe the situation first."
The team slowly entered the marketplace's edge. The "residents" here were diverse—ragged, gaunt independent cultivators alongside luxuriously dressed clan scions with impressive bearing; martial artists bristling with killing intent and wary eyes alongside calm-looking "veterans" who seemed to have adapted to mountain life.
Dustin noticed that while everyone in the marketplace had their own agendas, they all tacitly followed a certain rule—no fighting. Occasional disputes involved only glaring and exchanging insults before others quickly intervened.
"It seems whoever's behind this marketplace can keep order." Margaret said quietly.
Just then, a thin middle-aged man approached. He wore a gray robe washed so many times it had faded to white, his face full of smiles, but his eyes were shrewd and alert.
"You look unfamiliar—just arrived?" He lowered his voice. "Need a guide? Fair price—one low-grade spirit stone, and I'll tell you all the rules here and the details of every stall."
Adam was about to refuse, but Dustin raised his hand to stop him, producing a spirit stone from his chest and handing it to the man.
The man's eyes lit up. Taking the stone, he immediately became enthusiastic: "Please follow me. I'll explain as we walk."
He introduced himself as "Old Hou," an independent cultivator who had been teleported up when Buzhou Mountain opened. He'd been in this marketplace for over half a month and knew everything about it.
"This marketplace started forming half a month ago." Old Hou explained as they walked. "Several major factions arrived here first, discovered the terrain was flat and easy to defend, and joined forces to clear out the surrounding demon beasts and dangers. They set up this 'Cease-Hostility Formation.' The formation eye—that 'Wind-Calming Pearl'—was left by a Golden Core expert. Within the formation's range, no one can fight, or they'll suffer the formation's backlash."
"Which major factions?" Margaret asked.
Old Hou lowered his voice: "The most powerful is the Qin family. Have you heard of the hidden Qin family? They're extraordinary! The leaders are a young brother and sister—the male is Qin Hao, the female is Qin Xue. Their cultivation is unfathomable. Then there's Montgomary Palace, led by Mark Montgomary—also a formidable figure. There are also several smaller clans and independent cultivator alliances, but they all have to follow the Qin family's lead."
Dustin and Margaret exchanged glances—so the Qin family was here too.
"If you want to trade, I recommend the stalls on the west side." Old Hou continued. "The east side is the exclusive zone for the Qin family and Montgomary Palace. Good stuff, but expensive, and... some things have questionable origins. The old man selling pills in the north is decent—authentic pills, just has a strange temper. The stalls in the south are run by independent cultivators. Cheap prices, but hard to tell real from fake—you have to know what you're looking at."
Old Hou rambled on until they had toured the entire marketplace before leaving satisfied. Before going, he specifically warned: "Remember, never offend the Qin family here. A few days ago, a late Foundation Establishment cultivator got into a verbal dispute with someone from the Qin family. Not far outside the marketplace, he was found dead on the mountainside."
After Old Hou left, Scarlet couldn't help saying: "This Qin family is far too domineering."
"They have the capital to be domineering." Dustin said calmly. "But we needn't worry too much. Since there's a formation enforcing order, we're safe here. Let's first see what supplies we need."
Everyone split up. Dustin took Scarlet and walked slowly toward the northern stalls.
The northern stalls were indeed as Old Hou had described—crude and disorganized. Most vendors were independent cultivators, spreading a beast hide or piece of torn cloth, displaying a few items they didn't need or had stripped from corpses. There were damaged artifacts, unknown pills, incomplete technique jade slips, and even oddly shaped ores, beast bones, and spirit herbs.
Dustin stopped at an old man's pill stall. The old man had completely white hair and beard, a thin face, and wore a patched Daoist robe. He sat with eyes closed, resting. His pills weren't numerous—only seven or eight bottles—but each was in a fine jade container with runes at the seal to prevent spiritual energy from escaping.
"Elder, how much for these pills?" Dustin asked.
The old man opened his eyes and looked Dustin up and down, his gaze lingering for a moment on Dustin's body that showed no spiritual energy fluctuation. His brow furrowed slightly. He glanced at Scarlet beside him before speaking flatly: "Healing pills, five spirit stones per bottle. Spirit Recovery Pills, eight per bottle. Foundation Establishment Pills—only two left—fifty spirit stones each."
Scarlet gasped—these prices were more than ten times higher than below the mountain!
But Dustin nodded, produced a pouch of spirit stones, and bought three bottles of healing pills and two bottles of Spirit Recovery Pills. These stones had been collected on Buzhou Mountain and now came in handy.
The two continued browsing when a commotion suddenly arose ahead. A crowd had gathered around a stall, pointing and whispering.
Dustin and Scarlet approached to see an item on display—a completely black longsword with faint blood-red patterns flowing across its blade, emanating an unsettling malevolent aura.
"Is this... a demonic artifact?" Someone exclaimed.
The stall owner was a burly man with a fierce face, at early Foundation Establishment cultivation, currently introducing his wares with smug satisfaction: "I found this next to an ancient cultivator's remains—definitely an ancient treasure! It has some malevolent energy, but once refined, its power will be incredible! Fixed price—two hundred spirit stones!"
Those around discussed animatedly, but no one dared step forward. Such demonic artifacts with heavy malevolent energy could easily cause backlash with the slightest carelessness, or even lead one down the demonic path.
Dustin looked at the sword, his eyes flickering slightly. He sensed that while the malevolent energy was dense, it wasn't chaotic. Instead, it held a certain pattern. This wasn't an ordinary demonic artifact—it was more like... a righteous sword under seal.
Just then, a cool female voice rang out: "This sword—I'll take it."
Everyone turned to see a girl in moon-white fitted attire with exceptional beauty parting the crowd. She looked no more than fifteen or sixteen, but the piercing aura around her commanded respect.
It was Qin Xue!
– Marinien
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