Black Wind Mountain was eerily quiet at night. The only sounds, if any, were the thunderous snores of the demons.
Of course, there were also occasional crashes and cries, but these mostly came from the mountain’s peak, too far to be heard clearly.
Mo Fan glanced at the bright moon hanging high, then at the grumbling Lu Tantai beside him, feeling quite pleased.
With his silver tongue, Lu Tantai had finally agreed to guide him, though Mo Fan had to pay an extra five spirit stones for the service.
Mo Fan knew full well that Lu Tantai was eager to visit the market himself. Having just acquired fifty spirit stones, he naturally wanted to spend them on useful items at the market.
So, Mo Fan’s request was merely convenient, and earning a bit extra was something the greedy Lu Tantai was more than happy to do.
It was clear that Lu Tantai had been to the market many times, as he navigated the descent from Black Wind Mountain with ease, avoiding the patrolling lesser demons entirely.
Though those lesser demons had no authority over demon soldiers like them, being spotted could still cause trouble.
Both being demon soldiers, they moved swiftly. After descending Black Wind Mountain, they galloped like wild horses, vanishing into the night.
They headed southeast, covering a hundred li in half the night, then another two hundred li. By dawn, they arrived at a dilapidated temple.
Mo Fan stood outside, carefully observing the temple. It was in ruins: the main gate was gone, the surrounding walls were riddled with holes, and thick dust and chaotic cobwebs covered everything.
Inside, a clay statue of a deity was enshrined, but Mo Fan couldn’t tell which immortal it was. The statue’s head was missing, its neck severed cleanly as if sliced by a sharp blade.
Stepping into the temple, Mo Fan’s foot triggered a soft sound. Looking down, he saw a dust-covered plaque.
He exhaled a wisp of demonic energy, and black smoke swirled, sweeping away the dust to reveal three large characters:
Mountain God Temple!
The plaque was incomplete, and Mo Fan sensed there were missing characters. Subconsciously, he asked, “What were the words before?”
“The words ‘Demon Suppressing’!” Lu Tantai grinned.
Demon Suppressing Mountain God Temple?
Mo Fan was slightly taken aback, then frowned, “Demon Suppressing Mountain God? What a strange name.”
“That’s why this temple’s incense was doomed to fade. Our Demon Spirit Mountain Range doesn’t need so-called mountain gods, and the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains have no place for so-called deities.
These gods are just the lackeys of the human race!” Lu Tantai sneered.
“Why did you bring me here?”
Mo Fan changed the subject, pausing before saying, “Is this the entrance to the human market?”
“Exactly. But the market entrance is closed now. We’ll have to wait outside the temple for a day!”
“It only opens at night.”
Lu Tantai glanced at the sky, noting it was already growing light.
With that, he found a branch on a large tree outside the temple and sat down. Mo Fan followed suit, sitting beside him.
No sooner had they settled than footsteps approached from behind.
Mo Fan turned and was startled.
It was a human—or more precisely, a young human cultivator.
The youth seemed to sense his gaze, looking back at Mo Fan with a flicker of surprise before averting his eyes and sitting cross-legged under another tree.
Only then did Mo Fan notice the bamboo basket on the youth’s back, filled with various items, and a sword and bronze mirror hanging at his waist.
Sensing the youth’s aura, Mo Fan confirmed he wasn’t ordinary. A faint purple glow shimmered around him, making Mo Fan wary.
“Why is there a human cultivator here?” Mo Fan asked quietly.
He noticed Lu Tantai had also seen the human but remained unfazed, showing no reaction to his presence.
“Aren’t you stating the obvious?”
“This is a human market. Isn’t it normal for a human cultivator to show up?” Lu Tantai rolled his eyes.
Mo Fan paused, mulling over Lu Tantai’s words. It did seem normal, but he pressed, “Then why do you dare come here? Aren’t you afraid of being killed by these human cultivators?”
Lu Tantai stroked his chin, glancing at the figure under the tree, and chuckled, “Relax. Every market has its rules. At least within a li of this market, no killing is allowed. Otherwise… heh, the market master won’t spare rule-breakers, nor welcome them!
Besides, I can tell that guy’s aura is only at the Qi Refining stage, probably a human demon hunter, on par with us. Why fear him?”
There were such rules?
Mo Fan was stunned but then thought of another question, “Do these rules apply to us demons too?”
“Maybe not at other markets, but here they do, because the market master is a half-demon!”
“Oh, by the way, a half-demon is the offspring of a demon and a human,” Lu Tantai added casually.
“The market master is a half-demon, so both demons and humans are allowed in?”
Mo Fan mused to himself, finding the market increasingly intriguing.
Normally, demons and human cultivators were sworn enemies. Human cultivators saw slaying demons as their duty, while demons took pride in devouring humans—a seemingly irreconcilable conflict.
Yet, this market was run by someone with both human and demon blood, and from what he heard, this half-demon’s cultivation wasn’t weak, able to intimidate both visiting cultivators and demons, creating this fascinating place.
He continued chatting with Lu Tantai.
From him, Mo Fan learned that such markets weren’t accepted by either demon or human societies but were oddly popular. Most visitors were rogue cultivators—those unaffiliated with any demon mountain or human sect.
These rogue cultivators were extremely dangerous, often with far richer combat experience. Though they didn’t dare act recklessly due to the market’s rules, once outside the one-li radius, they were unbound by those rules, revealing their true ferocity and fangs.
With this detailed information, Mo Fan gained a rough understanding of the place.
As they waited, more rogue cultivators arrived.
Some were demon hunters like the young cultivator, others were demons like Mo Fan and Lu Tantai.
Everyone sat quietly on the ground or in trees, not disturbing one another.
A few, however, scanned the crowd with undisguised ferocity, as if selecting prey.
“Looks like some tough characters showed up this time. We’ll need to be extra careful when we leave,” Lu Tantai frowned, whispering to Mo Fan.
Mo Fan nodded, not particularly afraid. In fact, he felt a faint thrill.
For someone with the Heaven-Swallowing Divine Ability, weren’t these guys perfect cultivation resources?
Time passed, and night soon fell.
With a *ding*, every being outside the temple opened their eyes.
A red light shone from the headless clay statue, transforming the dilapidated temple. In the blink of an eye, it changed entirely.
Mo Fan rubbed his eyes. Where was the ruined temple?
Before him stood a brightly lit, towering pavilion, behind which was a courtyard enclosed by high walls, its size unknown.
“The market is open, dear guests, you may enter!”
“Same old rules: two low-grade spirit stones per entry. No spirit stones? One low-grade spirit herb will do!”
Two red-robed children carrying bamboo baskets appeared at the pavilion’s gates, looking like a pair of golden boys and jade girls, smiling at the crowd outside.
