Chapter 164: The Sparrow Caught by Another Sparrow, Scoundrels Met More Scoundrels (I)

More than three months had passed since the Blood-Burning pill recipe had been developed.

During that time, he had attempted to refine the pill over a dozen times, but success only came twice. From the first successful batch, he produced five pills. The second batch, crafted with the help of refined alchemical flames, yielded seven.

A total of twelve pills.

One was used to test its effects on a demonic beast. Two more, he gave to Wang Yuan. That left nine Blood-Burning pills in Luo Chen’s possession.

For this black market auction, Luo Chen brought out six pills, keeping three carefully reserved for himself. The decision to retain three wasn’t made lightly. After extensive consideration, he concluded it was the safest choice.

The Blood-Burning pill had extremely unique effects but also came with severe side effects. Each use inflicted damage on the body. If taken more than three times in succession, the damage would become irreparable. Unless one followed Wang Yuan's Physical-Refining path, ordinary Qi-Refining cultivators couldn’t avoid such injuries.

And Luo Chen, who still aspired to walk the path of the Great Dao, could not afford to jeopardize his foundation.

The six Blood-Burning pills sold for one hundred twenty, ninety, eighty, ninety and one hundred spirit stones, respectively.

The first was purchased by Tian Xingzi, who had earlier promised to buy it at the highest auction price.

Altogether, Luo Chen earned six hundred low-grade spirit stones from the sale.

It had to be said—he hadn’t expected the pills to fetch such high prices. After all, they were merely first-tier, low-grade pills.

But when he noticed the way the successful bidders hurriedly tucked the pills away with guarded expressions, Luo Chen began to understand.

Times had changed!

Since the closure of the Debate Platform, tension within Dahe Market has been steadily escalating. The market had become a powder keg, ready to explode at the slightest spark. The recent discovery of the Golden Core Ruins had only thrown more fuel onto the fire.

The Blood-Burning pill could unleash explosive power in critical moments, catching enemies off guard or helping the user narrowly escape death.

Disregarding its therapeutic effects and focusing solely on the results.

The Blood-Burning pill wasn’t some demonic dao pill—it was clearly a righteous life-saving pill!

Yes, I refine righteous pills!

After coming to this realization, Luo Chen’s joy at earning six hundred spirit stones only grew.

As more items were auctioned by other cultivators, the event reached the final stage of individual transactions.

By then, Luo Chen had already set his sights on his next target.

A graceful female cultivator approached him, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes as she spoke, "Fellow Daoist, are you truly interested in these five bottles of Runming Pearl Essence?"

The elegant female cultivator was surprised; she had assumed no one would be interested in this item.

Upon hearing the voice, Luo Chen felt a peculiar sense of familiarity, as though he had heard it once before. However, unable to recall it for the time being, he decided not to dwell on it.

"I’ve heard this medicine can effectively alleviate eye damage caused by excessive use of Spirit Eyes, so I’d like to buy some as a backup. What’s the price?" asked Luo Chen.

"How about we stick to the starting price I listed earlier?" the female cultivator asked nervously.

Luo Chen frowned. "If that’s the price, I could have just bought it during the auction earlier."

The female cultivator gave a bitter smile. "If I sell it any cheaper, I won’t even recover my cost."

Oh? Her cost!

Luo Chen probed, "As far as I know, this medicine comes from the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect and is rarely sold publicly. Even when it does appear, it’s usually through official auctions. May I ask how you came to possess these five bottles of Runming Pearl Essence? Of course, if it’s inconvenient to explain, I’ll leave it at that."

The elegant female cultivator shook her head. "It’s nothing secretive. This medicine is now stocked in the Sword Pavilion branches of other markets, priced at one hundred per bottle. I bought five bottles from Taishan Market, hoping to flip them for a small profit."

The Sword Pavilion in Taishan Market already has stock. Why hasn’t it reached Dahe Market yet?

Luo Chen pondered for a moment before pulling out five hundred spirit stones. "Thank you for sharing this information. Let’s trade at your listed price."

The female cultivator didn’t hesitate and quickly handed over the five jade bottles to Luo Chen.

With the transaction complete, they should have parted ways. However, the female cultivator curiously asked, "Do you still have any Blood-Burning pills?"

"Hmm?"

"My siblings and I have connections in Taishan Market, Snow Lotus Market, and even Glowing Stream Market. If you have a large supply of Blood-Burning pills, we could collaborate."

Freelance traders?

Luo Chen thought back to the auction when the female cultivator and her two companions had brought out many cultivation resources unique to other markets, not native to Dahe Market.

Previously, he had assumed they were raiding cultivators who had obtained their goods by murdering and looting. But it turned out they were more like wandering merchants.

Doing such a business required either extensive connections or immense strength to travel far and wide without fear. They only lacked a Foundation Establishment leader; otherwise, they could have easily formed a force akin to the Lianyun Trade Alliance.

Faced with the female cultivator’s hopeful gaze, Luo Chen firmly shook his head and said, "No more, just those few."

With that, he didn’t hesitate and turned to leave.

For now, he wasn’t willing to sell the Blood-Burning pills on a large scale. The pill’s effects were too unique. If sold in large quantities, it would inevitably attract the attention of Foundation Establishment experts.

After all, even someone as shrewd and cautious as Tian Xingzi hadn’t hesitated to snatch one up.

It was better to bide his time. Once he had more strength and influence, he could think about mass production. But until then, caution was the wiser path.

Watching him leave, the female cultivator’s eyes revealed a hint of regret.

"Huiniang, does he not have a large supply of Blood-Burning pills?"

"No, he said he only had a few."

"That’s truly a pity. These pills would fetch high prices in the Snow Lotus Market or Glowing Stream Market."

***

In the distance, Luo Chen’s figure paused briefly before returning to normal as he quietly exited the Precious Dragon Hall alone.

At the entrance, a black-clad cultivator approached Luo Chen. “Fellow Daoist, here’s your Precious Dragon Embroidered Ball. You can use it to freely enter and exit the black market formations in the future.

“Our Precious Dragon Black Market is held once a month. The specific dates will be displayed on the ball.”

Luo Chen examined the embroidered ball in his hand, visibly surprised. “What if I’m not at Dahe Market?”

“It will still display, but it will show the opening times of the Precious Dragon Black Market in other markets.”

Hearing this, Luo Chen was even more astonished.

What does this mean? A chain of shady shops? No, a chain of black markets?

Luo Chen asked curiously, “Does your market have branches in every city?”

The black-clad cultivator shook his head. “Some places do, others don’t—at least not yet.”

Although his words were calm, Luo Chen was inwardly amazed. He had thought the Precious Dragon Black Market was just the venture of a lone Foundation Establishment rogue cultivator. Who would’ve guessed there was substantial power behind it!

But which faction does this strength belong to?

Before Luo Chen could leave, the black-clad cultivator’s ear twitched, and he stopped him.

“Hm?” Luo Chen’s expression darkened.

The black-clad cultivator smiled faintly. “Since this is your first visit to the Precious Dragon Black Market, let me offer you some advice before you leave.”

“Oh? Then I’ll listen carefully.”

***

Boom!

A deafening thunderclap split the pitch-black night sky. Jagged bolts of blinding lightning tore through the darkness, illuminating the world in stark, fleeting flashes. A fierce wind howled through the streets, sending leaves spiraling into the air.

Summer had come, and with it, the thunderstorms had grown ever more frequent. It wouldn’t be long before the skies opened in a torrential downpour.

Under the shadowed eaves of a narrow alley, Luo Chen stood silently, his gaze lifted toward the stormy heavens. Overhead, blurred figures raced past, vanishing into the night.

"The Mass Graveyard, Seven-Star Hill, the three allies of North Street... and the main road leading back to the inner city. These are the routes that cultivator surnamed Wang said were the most likely spots for ambushes.”

It was common knowledge that black markets were unsafe and this “unsafe” encompassed many aspects.

Auctioned items lacked quality guarantees or after-sales support, leading to potential future trouble; unexpected incidents at the black market auctions themselves were also possible. Most commonly, robberies after the auctions concluded.

After all, even large sects’ official auctions often saw robberies afterward. How could black markets, inherently unsafe, be any different?

Luo Chen had prepared himself well before coming.

He had disguised himself, changed his name, altered his energy flow, and was ready to fight at any moment. Still, he hadn’t expected the black-clad cultivator surnamed Wang to offer him some “advice” before he left.

The cultivator had even provided specific advice on which routes were the most dangerous after leaving the black market. It was clearly an attempt to win his favor.

Perhaps it was because of those few Blood-Burning pills? Still, his advice... is quite worth deliberating

. Luo Chen muttered as he rubbed his chin, deep in thought.

Where did he get that experience?

Was it from years of running the black market and summarizing the frequent conflicts among departing participants? Or is he someone who often robs others and prefers those routes himself? Maybe he’s doing the opposite—making me avoid those routes so he can ambush me elsewhere?

It had to be said—Luo Chen was overthinking and complicating matters but traveling alone, without bodyguards to scout ahead or guard him, he could never be too cautious.

After some thought, Luo Chen suppressed his energy flow and quietly headed in the direction of North Street.

The main road back to the inner city was unsafe—that much Luo Chen already knew.

The North Street area had many vacant houses, occasionally rented out to rogue cultivators. The Jade Cauldron Sword Pavilion used to conduct regular inspections there, charging rent from long-term residents.

Recently, the cultivators of the Jade Cauldron Sword Pavilion had mostly stopped overseeing the outer city.

Luo Chen initially intended to find a place to stay, wait until dawn, and then quietly make his way back to the city. However, after receiving the "advice" he had to be more cautious.

Huh, so there really are raiding cultivators!

From the shadows, Luo Chen halted his steps and stared at the cluster of buildings ahead.

Calling it a cluster of buildings was generous—it was merely a shantytown of scattered wooden huts. At that moment, a sudden battle was erupting in the sprawling slum that spanned several miles.

No—at least for one side, it was anything but sudden.

"Simas, hand over your spirit stones!"

The "Simas" wasn’t a single person’s name; it referred to three cultivators.

The leading female cultivator spat in defiance.

"Bah! Dream on—these are hard-earned. Qiu Bai, don’t treat Dahe Market like your Glowing Stream Market; this place is under the jurisdiction of Jade Cauldron Sword Cultivators."

"Haha, Sima Huiniang, you’re far behind the times! The Jade Cauldron Sword Cultivators couldn’t care less about the outer city’s law and order anymore."

Above the slum, a coarse-faced man laughed maniacally. With a wave of his hand, a massive banner unfurled, growing larger in the wind.

"Fine, since you’re so stubborn, none of you will leave!" said Qiu Bai.

Seeing the banner, the elegant female cultivator froze momentarily before her expression drastically changed. "A supreme-grade artifact—it’s the Blue Musk Gathering Serpent Banner.

"Run!"

With that, the three of them prepared to flee. However, with a burst of laughter, thick white mist enveloped the area, cutting off all their escape routes.