← 百炼成仙

第三百二十四章 鬼修坊市

Above the city, there were restrictions on flying spells to prevent unauthorized flight. Thus, cultivators could only walk slowly.

After half an hour, Lin Xuan arrived at the southern district of Ghost Web City. There was a bustling market here, but initially, he had no intention of buying anything; he just wanted to gather some information.

However, his mind changed soon enough.

This market seemed somewhat different from others.

With over ten thousand cultivators residing in Ghost Web City, this market originally served the convenience of local cultivators. However, as more outsiders ventured into the Dark Soul Canyon for exploration, the market gradually developed its unique characteristics.

Firstly, there was an increase in ghost tools. Strictly speaking, ghost cultivators were merely a branch of demonic cultivation, and their numbers were extremely limited—so few that even among demons, they constituted only a tiny fraction.

The items used by these cultivators were hard to find in ordinary markets. However, due to its proximity to the Dark Soul Canyon, Ghost Web City gradually became a gathering place for ghost cultivators from Youzhou Province.

The main reason was the dark mists. These mists, which should have been found only in the Netherworld, posed a severe threat to anyone who encountered them without proper preparation and protection; they were considered as dangerous as venomous snakes.

But for ghost cultivators, these dark mists served as a great source of nourishment, like a spiritual vein. Hence, they flocked here like moths to a flame.

Despite being ghosts, these individuals still retained their human form initially, making them fundamentally different from the true ghosts in the Dark Soul Canyon. Thus, when they met, there was often violent conflict.

Lin Xuan had heard this information casually at a tea house within the market. He became interested; could there be something here that might help Moon's injuries?

If such luck were to come his way, he would gladly spend more crystal stones. After all, money was just an external matter, and unless absolutely necessary, he did not wish to face monsters like the Demon King.

With this thought in mind, Lin Xuan began searching purposefully through the market.

The market covered about two thousand acres, with nine streets crisscrossing it.

Ignoring other streets for now, Lin Xuan headed to the westernmost alley. Here, each shop exuded an eerie atmosphere.

After a thorough search, he arrived at the "Ghost Spirit Temple" in the middle of the street.

He chose this store not only because of its prominent location but also due to its size. The sign was bold and boastful; even if it was exaggerated, there should be plenty of items here!

"Senior, is there anything I can help you with?"

The shopkeeper greeted him warmly as he entered, ignoring the two other cultivators who had arrived before him. These two were clearly furious but fell silent upon seeing Lin Xuan's cultivation level. In the world of cultivators, might was right; true fairness did not exist.

"Someone injured my ghost servant. Do you have any spiritual herbs that could help her?" Lin Xuan did not hide his intentions and hinted at a glimmer of hope, though he knew it was unlikely.

The shopkeeper's face showed signs of difficulty: "Senior, I'm sorry. While we do sell some medicines here, they are for human ghost cultivators. We don't have anything suitable for the Dark Souls. Perhaps you should check elsewhere."

"Alright, then."

Lin Xuan did not press his point further; this outcome was expected. Still, he felt a bit disappointed as he left.

For the rest of the day, Lin Xuan visited every shop on that street but came back empty-handed. It seemed like all that time had been wasted, yet there was still some gain.

By chance, Lin Xuan's divine sense was much stronger than that of ordinary cultivators. This not only helped him in combat but also allowed him to detect low-grade隔音禁制 (soundproofing restrictions) easily.

During his walk, he overheard two cultivators whispering about a secret auction happening tonight at the outskirts of Ghost Web City.

At this auction, several Dark Souls would be sold as ghost servants.

Logically, more participants meant higher bids. So why was this auction being held in secret?

The reason lay in the Dark Soul Canyon's inhabitants. Ten thousand years ago, after multiple battles, the demons and humans united to drive out the fierce ghosts. However, their strength should not be underestimated; otherwise, humans would not have built a city here to monitor them.

Over time, both sides maintained a delicate balance due to mutual concerns. Due to profit motives, many outsiders ventured into the Dark Soul Canyon to capture ghost servants.

Most of these captured souls had low cultivation levels and posed no threat to the canyon's essence. However, high-ranking ghosts like the Demon King or Ghost Emperor, equivalent to元婴期 (Incubation Stage) cultivators, could not tolerate this; it was an affront to their dignity. They had negotiated with human cultivators multiple times.

The Incubation Stage experts did not want a new war but capturing ghost servants involved too many parties—large sects, families, and individual practitioners. Even if they wanted to ban such activities, they couldn't enforce it.

When money was involved, it would attract envy. Even Incubation Stage cultivators didn't wish to become targets of public hatred!

The Demon King and Ghost Emperor possessed intelligence comparable to humans and knew the truth. Fine, you can capture ghost servants, but we will exterminate any humans near the Dark Soul Canyon without mercy.

This tacit agreement allowed for sporadic killings; neither side would trigger a full-scale conflict.

However, the secret auction was canceled.

You are free to sell, but only privately. Public auctions would provoke the wrath of the canyon's inhabitants.

The Incubation Stage experts and three Ghost Emperors had signed an agreement early on.

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