Chapter 1301
[Immortal Realm Chapter] Similar in form and name, mistakenly entering the dark street
Soon someone went in to report, and a short while later an elderly man with gray hair and a short buzz cut came out.
"Haha, it's Fellow Daoist Huang! It's been almost sixty years since we last met, hasn't it?"
Elder Huang quickly stepped forward and cupped his hands in greeting:
"Brother Chuyun is my benefactor. I apologize for not being able to visit you in recent years, as I have been too busy with affairs in Yunbian City."
"Hey, why bring this up? I know you too well. What could possibly be going on in Cloud Edge City? Probably your time is coming up and you're busy preparing for the Five Signs of Decay, right?"
"Hehe, nothing can escape your discerning eyes, fellow Daoist."
The two entered the inner hall of the side hall and took their seats.
We chatted about our recent lives and reminisced about the past. The old friends had accumulated a lot of topics after not seeing each other for many years, so we naturally started talking about world affairs.
The older generation in the immortal realm are quite concerned about this, especially in recent years as many rumors have been circulating. The Great Calamity of the Epoch was originally a secret, but it has become common knowledge at some point, causing great panic.
Whether they were high-level cultivators or low-level rogue cultivators, they were all somewhat paranoid.
"These things are no longer relevant to me. After all, my lifespan is nearing its end, and I'm about to pass away. Let's focus on the immediate matter first."
Elder Huang sighed deeply as he finished speaking.
Elder Izumo nodded slightly and tentatively asked:
"Brother Huang, is your visit to Qiyun Ridge for the purpose of undergoing tribulation, and thus wish to purchase some related items?"
"No, I've come here to find someone."
Elder Huang was so moved that he almost performed a full-fledged worship ceremony.
"Brother Dao, you must help me. If I can truly survive this calamity and extend my life by a thousand years, then consider it as me owing you three favors!"
"Oh? Who is worthy of your attention?"
This was the first time Elder Izumo had seen his old friend look so urgent. He knew it must be something important; three favors were no small matter, equivalent to asking the other person to do three things for him.
"This person is from another region, named Zhong Shenxiu, at the early stage of the Void Realm. He looks young, like a teenager. Your Enforcement Hall is responsible for handling the entry and exit of the mountain gate. I wonder if you could help me investigate this person?"
"It's nothing, brother, please wait a moment."
This was indeed a minor matter for the Law Enforcement Hall. Moreover, although Qiyun Ridge was a neutral place, it had never said that it would protect the personal privacy of cultivators from being leaked. They just sold people out so easily.
A short while later, someone outside delivered the entry and exit registration forms for the past two days.
The two couldn't wait to start flipping through it.
After searching around, I still couldn't find Zhong Shenxiu's name.
"Brother Huang, is it possible that the person you're talking about never even came to Qiyun Ridge?"
"Impossible! He's in very poor condition right now, his cultivation level is unstable, and he urgently needs to find a place to stabilize his cultivation. The only place nearby that can provide top-tier resources for recuperation is here."
"Could it be that the other party has changed their name?"
"It should be."
The two then compiled a list of all the Void Transformation stage cultivators who had entered in the past two days.
There were six people in total!
They immediately huddled together and whispered amongst themselves, analyzing which one was Zhong Shenxiu impersonating him.
“Yun Chenzi, this is a rogue cultivator from the South China Sea. He has a name and a surname, so he can’t be fake.”
“Master Xuanjin, this is the sect leader of the Inland Burning Heaven Sect. He told me a few days ago that this is not him.”
“Fairy Qingyao, this is also a distinguished guest from the inland. It is said that he was invited by the Imperial Household Department.”
"Old Daoist Huangyue, early stage of the Void Realm, I don't recognize him."
"Xing Shuzi, early stage of the Void Realm, never seen him before."
"Ji Xuanjun, early stage of Void Realm, who is this?"
After reviewing all six, I knew the first three, the elders of the Enforcement Hall, but not so much about the last three.
"Brother Huang, what other characteristics does this Zhong Shenxiu you mentioned have?"
Elder Huang stroked his beard and began to recall the details of his past battles with Lin Shan:
"That kid's Dharma form is a three-foot red candle. When he opens his domain, auspicious energy will emerge from his head, and a red mountain will float up and down, giving people a sense of solidity and weight."
"Hmm? That old Taoist priest from Huangyue looks a bit like him!"
Elder Chuyun's eyes lit up, and he was just about to make a judgment when Elder Huang continued his description.
"I have also seen him use several star-based supernatural abilities, some of which were star bridges, and others were thousands of meteors falling, which seemed to be related to star cultivation."
"Star Cultivator? Then this Star Pivot Child seems quite suspicious as well. Are there any others?"
"He has a Void Transformation stage clone that cultivates the Yin-Yang Annihilation Power and is equipped with a Yin-Yang Treasure Bow, making him extremely difficult to fight at long range!"
"A clone? The power of annihilation? Then this Lord Jixuan is also a bit problematic."
"."
The two were stunned for a moment.
They only recognized three people, but were unsure about the other three. Now, all of them are suspects?
There was nothing they could do; they knew nothing about these people and could only guess based on their Daoist names. Generally, cultivators didn't choose their Daoist names randomly; they were usually combined with their own specialties, so guessing based on the literal meaning was not unreasonable.
If Lin Shan knew that three people's Taoist names were so closely related to his, he would probably laugh out loud in his dreams!
"I suspect that this Ji Xuanjun is very likely his clone."
Elder Huang recognized the person at a glance, his tone very certain.
Elder Chuyun nodded and then pointed to the old Taoist Huangyue.
“Zhong Shenxiu’s fortune is a mountain. With the help of the Creator, Zhong Shenxiu can divide the day and night. It’s normal for his Daoist name to include Yue. In addition, he is a young Void Realm cultivator. In order to hide his identity, he may have deliberately disguised himself as an old man. This possibility is also very high.”
They each held their own opinion, believing that the similarity between the Dharma image, practice methods, and Daoist name was the highest.
However, astrological supernatural abilities are also an important characteristic, and Xing Shuzi is also a strong suspect.
"Wait a minute, do you think it's possible that the kid split up his main body and clones to deliberately mislead people, and that two of the three are actually him?"
"Probably!"
After analyzing the case, the two concluded that it was almost certainly true.
The kid's main body is probably healing, while his clone is likely trying to find ways to browse the trading market and buy resources to cultivate his domain.
Considering that the other party's clone is still in the nascent stage of a domain, then all of this makes sense!
"Alright, Brother Chuyun, use your connections to check if any of these three people are among the recent people who rented cave dwellings. Whoever rented a cave dwelling and never came out is most likely that kid's true form!"
Elder Huang began making arrangements, his eyes filled with urgency, mainly because he was afraid that Lin Shan would secretly sell the True Spirit Feather.
“I will go and visit the trade fairs in the major markets to find out where Ji Xuanjun is and to secretly observe what he is doing.” Elder Chuyun nodded, indicating that he agreed to do as he was told, but then raised a question.
"Even if you can find and identify the opponent's main body and clone, what can you do in Qiyun Ridge? Fighting is not allowed here."
"It's alright. As a local tyrant, it's easy for you to make someone leave. Besides, he can't stay here forever; he'll have to leave eventually. Once we have the intelligence and information, we can go out of the city, follow him, and ambush him!"
Elder Huang had long harbored murderous intent and was still resentful about his previous failure. However, considering that his Xuan Tian Secret Treasure had been damaged, it was unrealistic to suppress Lin Shan and his clone again. Therefore, he invited Elder Chu Yun to join him in the attack.
The other party hesitated slightly upon hearing this:
"Brother Huang, whether to antagonize a cultivator of the same level or fight to the death is a matter that requires careful consideration. Moreover, what if we target the wrong person? Wouldn't that lead to a major disaster?"
"Brother Dao, you are mistaken. That kid is only at the early stage of Void Realm. His physical body is unstable and his clone is only in the rudimentary form of a domain. He can't even beat me, let alone someone as experienced as you at the mid-stage of Void Realm."
Fearing that Elder Chuyun might have reservations, Elder Huang had no choice but to resort to drastic measures.
"That clone has an Annihilation Bow, a genuine Xuan Tian spiritual treasure. Once we get our hands on it, it will belong to you, fellow Daoist. What do you say?"
"Oh? A Mysterious Heavenly Treasure?"
Elder Izumo was intrigued upon hearing this!
Despite being an elder of the Law Enforcement Hall, he is actually working for someone else, because the true master of Qiyun Ridge in Luoxia Mountain is someone else, a high and mighty person who doesn't care about worldly affairs but controls the wealth of thirty-three markets.
Although he wasn't lacking in any Xuan Tian spiritual treasures, he could help Elder Huang gain three favors and also get a Xuan Tian spiritual treasure for free. It was a deal he shouldn't miss.
Moreover, seeing Elder Huang's hurried appearance, he secretly wondered what it was about that young man that his old friend was so interested in.
The fact that a Void Realm cultivator on the verge of death would risk everything shows that what the other party possesses is valuable enough to warrant such a risk!
Furthermore, while the opponent was only at the early stage of the Void Realm, he had already cultivated his skills at the mid-stage for many years. He could even suppress Elder Huang, so wouldn't it be even easier for him to take action?
"Alright, then we'll do as Brother Huang says."
"Thank you, fellow Daoist!"
Lin Shan was unaware that someone had already taken the blame for him, and that several people were sharing the blame. At the moment, he was consolidating his cultivation in the cave he had just rented.
Meanwhile, the annihilation clone took his jade token and went out to various markets in search of high-end trade fairs!
In this respect, Elder Huang's guess was indeed correct.
However, out of caution, the Nirvana Avatar lowered its cultivation level to the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm, which fits the character of Master Xiongshan.
He also changed into a black hooded coat to cover his face and body.
He wandered around the No. 3 market area but couldn't find any leads, so he went to Old Zhang's pawnshop, which he had visited the day before, to ask an acquaintance for information.
The appraiser told him that Market No. 23 was on the other side of the mountain. Because it was close to the inland area of the Cloud Wind Immortal Realm, it was a hub for many trading venues. He needed to cross the mountain to get there.
"After you get there, you can ask around Wenzhu Street. There are some good deals there at night. I used to go there often to hunt for bargains."
Good quality goods? Could it be counterfeit?
The annihilation clone secretly noted it down, then turned and took its leave.
They immediately left Ward No. 3 and followed the narrow, winding mountain path, cutting diagonally across the mountainside. They passed through many wards along the way and finally arrived at the other side of the mountain. According to the map, they found the gate of Ward No. 23.
Each market town here is very large, with tens of thousands of people passing through at any given moment, and some bustling streets are so crowded that they can't move at all!
He asked several people and wandered around for a long time before finally finding a small alley.
"Is this Wenzhu Street?"
The alley is lined with stone buildings that are five stories or more high. The walls are mottled and peeling, and it looks like they have been there for many years without any repairs. The passage in the middle is only wide enough for two people, and it looks very narrow because many stalls occupy both sides.
The annihilation clone stepped into the alley and found it deserted. There were few pedestrians passing by, and not many stalls on either side, all covered with tarpaulins.
I found a boy squatting in the corner selling his wares. He seemed to have just arrived and was still taking his goods out of his storage bag one by one, so I went up to him and pretended to take a look.
"Senior, are you here to discuss literature or martial arts?"
The boy didn't ignore him; he asked him questions while setting up his stall.
The annihilation clone was taken aback, unsure of its meaning. Was it some kind of coded language? Of course, it couldn't afford to lose face, so it calmly replied with two words.
"Playing with martial arts."
"Hehe, senior, you're early. The martial arts activities don't start until the evening. Right now, the evenings are mostly for literary pursuits!"
The boy could tell he didn't know the rules, so he smiled and explained them to him.
Now that he'd been seen through, the Annihilation Avatar stopped pretending.
"Show off your skills? I haven't seen many of you setting up stalls."
"It's not time yet, the people will be here soon!"
The boy brought him a stool, and the Annihilation Avatar simply sat down. After waiting for a short while, he saw people coming one after another, lifting the tarpaulin and setting up their stall.
The items here don't seem particularly new; they're mostly common things like woven goods, ceramics, glassware, and wooden products.
The stall of the boy next to me was filled with ceramic bottles and jars, which he explained were used to hold potted plants and grow flowers and trees.
"Will this sell well?"
The avatar of Nirvana looked puzzled. He didn't know if growing flowers and plants was popular in the immortal realm, and he had no knowledge of the potted plant market. He thought it would be a good opportunity to ask this young man.
"It's alright. After all, most cultivators work in the market and their living quarters are no different from cramped quarters. They don't have a yard to grow flowers and plants, so I'll take a couple of flowerpots back and put them on the windowsill. Planting some spiritual plants can also increase the concentration of spiritual energy."
As he spoke, he began to introduce his flowerpot, which was a magical artifact made using his family's traditional firing techniques. It could effectively gather spiritual energy into the flowers and plants in the pot, helping them to grow vigorously.
The Nirvana Avatar fell asleep listening to this and sat on a stool nearby to wait.
As night fell, strings of small lanterns lit up the alley, and more and more customers came and went. The young man finally made a few orders.
At one point, another burly man arrived and silently sat down to wait quietly.
The young man moved a stool for the man to sit on, and explained to the annihilation clone with a smile:
"This person is also here to practice martial arts. He'll be here soon, just wait a little longer."
A little while later, two more people arrived. They seemed to be regulars as well. They waited silently against the corner of the wall, which the young man found unsurprising.
The Annihilation Avatar was slightly surprised. After carefully sensing them, it realized that these three people were not low-level cultivators, at least at the Nascent Soul stage!
There were also quite a few people waiting at the other stalls along the street, and it seemed there were still limited spots available.
Finally, at the hour of Hai (9-11 PM), a clicking sound came from behind.
Each stall had an open tunnel entrance, with exposed steps leading down, and sounds could be heard coming from inside.
"Those who wish to practice martial arts today, please enter in order."
The Annihilation Avatar remained unmoved upon hearing this, glancing at the actions of the three people beside it, only to find that they were all watching it.
"Fellow Daoist, you were the first to arrive, please go in first."
The person next to him spoke, his voice a little hoarse, probably from deliberately altering his voice.
Seeing this, the Nirvana Avatar nodded, then went down the steps and entered the tunnel. Lifting the curtain, he found an old man in coarse linen clothes waiting for a long time, with a platform in front of him.
"Category 21, your room is the second one on the right, then turn left. Take your room card and go in. Remember, you must collect at least ten black market items today. You will pay 10% of all the proceeds from these sales, and the rent will be waived. That's the rule of the black market!"
"Ok?"
The annihilation clone perked up its ears, collecting stolen goods and selling them for profit.
So all these people waited in line for ages just to open a shop on the black market? Did I accidentally become a buyer? (End of Chapter)