Chapter 18: The Ghost Market

Before dawn, Hu Feng returned to the Monastery in Wuhai Town once again without a sound. Early the next morning, he and Ophelia set off across the vast Wasteland to visit the hidden Ghost Market to gather information.

“Hu Feng, mount my Pegasus. After meeting up with a few teammates, we will head straight for the Ghost Market. Those teammates might be a bit arrogant, so please don’t mind it.” Not far from Wuhai Town, Ophelia quickly summoned a tall Pegasus from her Demon Hunter Card and invited Hu Feng to ride with her.

“I’m afraid it’s not just about being arrogant!” Hu Feng smiled, flipped onto the horse, and although Ophelia didn’t say it directly, her meaning was clear.

As long as he did not surge his Soul Crystals and Magic Crystals, he looked like a Magic Apprentice of only a high rank on the outside. Although his cultivation speed had been astonishing recently, allowing him to break through from the First Step of a Magic Apprentice to the Eighth Step and cleanly eliminate Urbato, this strength was clearly not enough to show before powerful Demon Hunters.

“No one is born a powerful warrior or magician. Hu Feng, I believe that one day you will become the most powerful magician in our Divine Court, and even a Great Divine Official!” Ophelia smiled back, pulled the reins tightly with her sturdy whip, and the Pegasus beneath her legs accelerated, galloping away.

A Sixth Step Pegasus did not have strong charging power or much combat ability, but its speed was much faster than that of ordinary low-to-mid-level creatures. After a frantic gallop for more than half an hour, the two arrived at a majestic high mountain, where three powerful Hunters had been waiting on the peak for a long time. Clad in heavy armor, riding strong and vigorous warhorses, with cold expressions, straight backs, they looked like three cold pikes. Their Killing Intent was imposing, and no creatures appeared in the surroundings.

“Ophelia, is this the Divine Official with the greatest potential for cultivation in the Wasteland you mentioned?” Glancing at Hu Feng behind Ophelia, the lead Knight’s face was gloomy, hiding neither the arrogance nor dissatisfaction in his words.

The Angel Squad could be said to be the most powerful violent machine in the Divine Court. Every person selected, even if they were just peripheral members, was powerful, at least reaching the level of a Grand Swordsman or a Great Magician. Divine Officials held a high status within the Divine Court, but they did not enjoy special privileges in the Angel Squad, which respected only the strong. Bringing a weak and fragile Magic Apprentice on an action was simply a joke!

“Carl, for the Angel Squad, the most important thing below the Saint Domain is not strength, but the potential for cultivation! Tell me, who among us could challenge an experienced Swordsman when they just started Cultivation and only had the strength of a Swordsman or Magic Apprentice?” Ophelia’s face was cold. It seemed she had inherited Elder Akashic’s tendency to protect her own people. After a pause, she pointed at Hu Feng and said, “He did it smoothly, without any suspense! When we return to Bright Summit, I will personally explain it to Grand Commander Arthas!”

To help Hu Feng return to the Divine Court and quickly increase his strength, Ophelia did not hesitate to offend several powerful teammates and personally took him to the Wasteland to temper himself.

Challenging a higher-level opponent?

Hearing Ophelia say this, the three powerful Knights couldn’t help but glance at Hu Feng twice more. After a moment of silence, they didn’t say anything else and rode their warhorses out first. It was not uncommon for a low-level Magic Apprentice to challenge a high-level Magic Apprentice in Settlements and major castles, but challenging a Magician or Swordsman of a higher level was extremely rare. In thousands of years, it hadn’t never happened, but those who did so were all Evil Prodigies and genius powers!

Wild monsters wandered everywhere in the Wasteland, including some high-level creatures with terrifying combat power. Even strong Demon Hunters like Ophelia dared not be careless. Avoiding powerful wild monsters along the way and moving quickly with the cover of the forest, they arrived at a huge canyon after more than an hour.

Unlike the gloomy and dark Cursed Valley, there were no Undead Creatures wandering everywhere and no black fog that never dissipated in the canyon. However, it was also impossible to see the end at a glance, and the mountain walls on both sides of the canyon were equally unclimbable. The entire canyon looked like it had been split open by a huge axe. Standing at the bottom of the canyon and looking up, one could only see a sliver of sunlight.

“Put on your cloaks and do not expose your identities!”

The lead Knight Carl took out several cloaks from his Demon Hunter Card, covering his whole body tightly, leaving only a pair of eyes exposed. He put away his fierce warhorse, glanced coldly at the newcomer Hu Feng, and then stepped into the eerie canyon first. After passing through a stone forest, they entered a deep and unfathomable cave and walked down along the ancient stone steps.

Cold winds blew in gusts, and it got colder the further they went down, as if entering a thousand-year-old ice cave. Every ten or so meters, torches were inserted on both sides of the stone steps, faintly illuminating the road ahead. Faint sounds came from deep underground from time to time, making the dark cave look more and more eerie.

The Ghost Market!

Hu Feng, covered in a pitch-black cloak, followed Knight Carl deep into the hidden Ghost Market. On the surface, there was nothing abnormal, but secretly, he held his Dark Magic Pen tightly.

The area of the Sunset Wasteland was almost boundless. People lived and reproduced relying on Settlements or castles one after another. Demon Hunters walking on the Wasteland, besides going to Settlements and castles to replenish supplies, had another choice—the Ghost Market. Here, there were no laws, or even any rules. Killing others would not be cared about, and if you were killed by others, no one would collect your body. Everything was left to its own devices. People coming and in and out hurried with serious expressions, wearing tight-fitting large cloaks.

Creak…

After turning a pitch-black bend, a simple stone cave appeared before everyone. An old man with ragged clothes sat cross-legged on the ground. His gray-white long hair dragged on the ground, covering most of his face. He was playing a worn-out Huqin, emitting a series of piercing and ugly sounds.

In front of him were several bottles and jars, emitting a foul smell. It was unknown whether it was medicinal herbs or the blood of some demon beasts. Even more surprisingly, both of his hands had six fingers, and he kept playing the instrument. Seeing the group, he raised his head and smiled strangely, but his eyes were cold and clear, revealing an indescribable eeriness everywhere.

“This is a mutated Wandering Hunter. Don’t stare at him. Let’s go quickly!” Seeing the old man’s eyes sweep over, Ophelia pulled Hu Feng beside her and quickly moved forward. Behind them, a hoarse cackling laugh came.

The vast Wasteland had all kinds of strange things. Some Demon Hunters, in order to quickly increase their strength, forcibly fused the demon cores of demon beasts. As a result, they not only failed to comprehend the Innate Divine Ability of the demon beasts, but also turned into a state of neither man nor ghost, despised by people. Rejected by major Settlements and castles, they could only wander on the Wasteland all year round, seeing no sky. The Ghost Market was their best destination.

These guys might look weak, but they might hide an Innate Divine Ability or treasure with astonishing power behind their backs. Their strength was often unfathomable, and no one dared to provoke them lightly. Ophelia and others, who walked on the Wasteland for many years, deeply understood how troublesome and terrible these guys were!

“Will forcibly swallowing the vital blood energy and Soul of enemies one day also turn one into some kind of monster?” Hu Feng remained silent, following Ophelia and others to continue walking.

Currently, the Great Devour Technique was undoubtedly his greatest reliance for rapid cultivation. Every time he killed a strong enemy, his strength would go up a step. According to Ovisis’s memory, this was an ancient Magic he comprehended after killing a Soul Devouring Beast deep in the Cursed Valley, and he had not been cultivating it for long. No one knew if continuing to cultivate like this would have any impact.

The underground Ghost Market was more like a massive underground palace than a cave, with a complex terrain. The further they went down, the darker the light became, and the fewer Demon Hunters passing by.

Under the guidance of Knight Carl, the group made several turns and arrived at a dim stone cave to pay respects to an old man sitting cross-legged on the ground with his eyes closed. He wore a black robe, had a slender figure, and was followed by an armless servant with long cyan hair, wearing a black-and-white mask on his face. No fluctuation of Magic Power could be sensed from inside the old man. He seemed no different from an ordinary old man, but precisely for this reason, the group dared not make any rash moves.

Those who could live in the lawless Ghost Market for many years were all extraordinary!

“Lord Gui Yin, I heard that many anomalies have recently appeared deep in the Wasteland. I wonder what exactly is going on? As peripheral warriors of the Angel Squad, how are our fates? How should we respond next?” The lead Knight Carl respectfully handed over a crystal card. To his surprise, he actually produced a whole 200,000 Contribution Points at once, astonishing the calmly observing Hu Feng.

In the Settlements on the Wasteland, 100 Contribution Points were enough for an ordinary family to live for a year. A whole 200,000 Contribution Points were undoubtedly a huge amount of money that ordinary people wouldn’t even dare to dream of.

A grand gesture!

Carl’s actions made Hu Feng look up to the old man named Gui Yin, becoming more cautious and secretly guessing the other’s strength and identity. For a proud Knight to respect him so much, this old man was definitely not simple. Not to mention other things, the Magic Power fluctuation inside the servant with cyan hair standing behind him was extremely worrying.

Whoosh…

As soon as Knight Carl put down the crystal card, a strand of cyan hair suddenly appeared in the darkness. With a flash of cyan light, several bronze cups carved with runes appeared in front of everyone. The servant standing behind Gui Yin remained motionless, as if a stone statue without emotional fluctuations, but his action gave people a strong sense of threat. His cyan long hair, dragging on the ground, was a sharp weapon each, coming and going without a trace.

If a disabled servant was so powerful, how formidable was his master, Gui Yin?

Feeling the vast Magic Power fluctuation inside the cyan-haired servant, Hu Feng’s face became serious. The threat he gave the moment he acted far exceeded that of the Twelfth Step Dark Knight, making him, the Lich King, feel an almost boundless suppression for the first time. That invisible aura was somewhat similar to one of the Old Ancestor Bone Demon’s thoughts.

“Thank you, Lord!”

After exchanging glances, Carl and others forced out a drop of vital blood from their middle fingers in turn and dripped it into the bronze cup in front of them. Gui Yin, sitting cross-legged on the ground, said nothing. His long fingers reached into the bronze cups one by one. With a “chi” sound, the vital blood in the cups quickly turned into wavy smoke, forming a mysterious Rune. Instantly, a faint and obscure aura came from the Void, vast, majestic, yet elusive.

Top-level Astrology!

Unknowingly, the old man Gui Yin seemed to carry a trace of the aura of fate. As the most powerful and mysterious top-level Astrologer within thousands of miles, his status in the Ghost Market could be said to be extraordinary. Even the strongest Demon Hunters dared not act arbitrarily in front of him.

“No matter how strict the agreement is, it cannot exchange for permanent peace. What should come will come sooner or later!” Gui Yin, whose strength was elusive, kept his eyes closed, returned the crystal card to the respectful Carl, and then slowly said to Ophelia: “Young Priest, your faith is firm, you are beautiful and kind, but you will eventually fall under the gaze of the world. That moment is your blasphemy, but also your rebirth!”

“What?”

Carl and the other Knights and Ophelia cried out in shock, their faces changing drastically.

Gui Yin, famous for a long time, withdrew his reward. This was not a good thing; instead, it meant that their fates were not good at all, and he was unwilling to guide them. Even a top-level Astrologer deduced this. Carl and the other Knights instantly felt their limbs turn cold, not knowing what kind of disaster awaited them next. They had just received an urgent secret order from Bright Summit, the headquarters of the Divine Court, to go deep into the Sunset Wasteland for investigation. The three of them had a bad premonition. After hearing Gui Yin’s deduction, they felt even more uneasy in their hearts.

Unlike the strong unease of Knight Carl and others, Ophelia felt more confused and panicked. She couldn’t understand what kind of pain she would have to encounter to abandon her firm faith. Blaspheming the Divine Court and betraying her faith, for a devout Priest, she couldn’t figure it out and didn’t dare to think about it at all.

“Huh, young man, where is your vital blood?” After inserting his finger into the bronze cup in front of Hu Feng, Gui Yin, whose face was calm, suddenly opened his eyes and exclaimed in surprise. His eyes had no pupils, only a cloudy white, making him a blind man who couldn’t see anything.

“My fate doesn’t need to be deduced or pointed out by others. I control my own fate!” Hu Feng’s face was calm.

From the moment he became the Lich King, he swore to cultivate to the Divine Domain Peak and control his own fate. Carelessly handing over a drop of vital blood to others was, in his eyes, not only meaningless but also extremely stupid. If fate could be deduced and changed so easily, it wouldn’t be called fate. Meeting an untalented and greedy Astrologer was nothing, but if he met an evil guy, the consequences would be unimaginable. In Ovisis’s memory, there were several ancient Magics that specifically attacked enemies based on their vital blood, killing them from a thousand miles away!

I control my own fate?

Gui Yin, wearing a black robe, trembled all over. A River of Fate without beginning or end appeared in his pupil-less eyes, and an unprecedented storm rose in the depths of his soul. The servant with cyan hair behind him was spiritually connected, suddenly raising his head. “Whoosh,” his three thousand strands of cyan hair spread out one by one, penetrating into the boundless Void.

Bad!

Sensing the rising Magic Power and suppression inside the cyan-haired servant, Hu Feng’s face changed drastically. He held his Dark Magic Pen and stepped sideways to block Ophelia! Without a trace, he drew a large “Demon” character, secretly accumulating vast Magic Power, ready to launch a Fatal Strike at any time!