At night, Mo Fan sneaked down the mountain along the route Lu Tantan had shown him before, indeed avoiding any patrolling lesser demons.
As soon as he reached the foot of the mountain, he slapped two Divine Travel Talismans on his legs, turning into a blur and vanishing into the distant night.
By the time Mo Fan arrived at the Broken Temple Market, dawn was breaking.
He scanned the surroundings, noticing many cultivators had already gathered—human rogue cultivators and numerous demon cultivators, most with unfamiliar faces.
While he observed them, they also glanced at the newcomer, though most only gave a quick look before losing interest.
Mo Fan looked away, bent his knees, and leapt with a loud *boom*, the ground cracking as he soared several metres, landing precisely on a large tree.
This display drew the attention of the nearby cultivators.
“What a powerful guy!”
“Such strong physical strength—he’s either a demon cultivator or a body cultivator!”
“We’d better remember this guy’s face to avoid trouble later!”
“…”
The cultivators murmured among themselves, but Mo Fan ignored them, closing his eyes to rest.
Per the market’s rules, he was in a safe zone, so he had no worries about his safety. His earlier show of strength was intentional, meant to display his power and deter any troublemakers.
Clearly, it worked!
As time passed, night fell, and Mo Fan opened his eyes. A red glow shot from the broken clay statue in the temple.
Ripples appeared in the air, and the dilapidated temple transformed into a grand courtyard pavilion.
“What kind of technique is this, to change the environment so instantly? Truly incredible!”
Mo Fan muttered to himself, then saw the red-robed boy and girl from before, carrying bamboo baskets, opening the pavilion’s gates.
Before they could speak, a cultivator approached, tossed two low-grade spirit stones into one of the baskets, and silently entered the pavilion, vanishing from sight.
One by one, rogue and demon cultivators followed suit.
When Mo Fan reached the children, he noticed their baskets were nearly overflowing with spirit stones.
He wasn’t envious. With his money-making ability, spirit stones were the least of his concerns. Given enough time, he could produce endless amounts.
Tossing two spirit stones, Mo Fan entered the true market.
This time, he ignored the roadside stalls and headed straight for the Spirit Beast Court.
His goal was clear: to break through to the late Demon Ding stage.
He could likely achieve this in a month by absorbing moonlight, but time was what Mo Fan lacked most. With over a month already passed since the half-year deadline, he needed to seize every moment to boost his cultivation.
Only then could he face the so-called trial in six months!
His rapid progress this time was largely due to devouring numerous demons at the Spirit Beast Court last time, which greatly nourished his demonic aura.
Without that, a single night’s moonlight absorption wouldn’t have sufficed.
At the Spirit Beast Court, the same chubby shopkeeper greeted him.
The moment he saw Mo Fan, the shopkeeper’s eyes lit up, recognising him instantly.
“Fellow cultivator, you’ve finally come!”
The chubby shopkeeper approached warmly, grinning, “Here for another feast?”
Mo Fan raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
He knew the shopkeeper must have learned about his demon-devouring from last time, explaining the enthusiasm. Did the shopkeeper think he bought those demons just for food?
Smirking, Mo Fan nodded, “I don’t like hassle, so can you arrange someone to take me in quickly?”
“Of course!”
The shopkeeper’s smile widened, winking at Mo Fan, “This time, we’ve got some fine goods at the Spirit Beast Court. Not just fox girls, but rare cat girls and even snake girls. Tsk tsk… their figures are simply captivating…”
“Are female demons tastier or something?”
Mo Fan’s calm question made the shopkeeper’s face freeze, then twitch, before he gave a wry smile, “Seems you’re a dedicated demon cultivator. But abstaining from all desires? That’s a bit too harsh.”
The shopkeeper spoke sincerely. He’d never seen a demon cultivator as ascetic as this one—rarer than finding a monk from the Western Desert among human cultivators!
“Even if I wanted desires, I wouldn’t pick from your place. Who knows how many hands your female demons have passed through?” Mo Fan rolled his eyes, frowning, “Hurry up and arrange it, I’m in a rush.”
Seeing Mo Fan’s insistence, the shopkeeper could only nod with a wry smile, “Please wait a moment!”
He pulled out a transmission talisman to send a message.
“By the way, do you have any demons here who’ve awakened supernatural powers?” Mo Fan suddenly asked.
“None of those. Your request is even higher than asking for a cat girl.
Demons who awaken supernatural powers are rare, and those who do are usually powerful. Ordinary demon catchers can’t handle them.”
The shopkeeper shook his head, then paused, “No demons with powers, but we do have two at the Demon Ding stage.”
“Oh?”
Mo Fan’s interest was piqued, and he said, “Take me to see them later!”
“Naturally!”
The shopkeeper perked up. A big customer like this was rare, and he had to seize the opportunity.
Soon, a woman in red emerged from behind a screen.
Mo Fan glanced at her, noting her stunning face and tall, slender figure, no less impressive than the Black Wind Demon King’s beauties.
But her demeanor was cold, like an unmelting iceberg.
“Fellow cultivator, this is Bing Qi, the highest-cultivated member of our Spirit Beast Court!”
The shopkeeper spoke, then transmitted with a sly chuckle, “Bing Qi is the most beautiful woman in our court! She rarely shows herself, but since you’re here, I’ve made an exception to have her guide you to select spirit beasts! Seize the chance!”
Mo Fan gave the shopkeeper an odd look, then glanced at Bing Qi, who remained expressionless, as if she hadn’t heard a thing.
“Voice transmission?”
Mo Fan vaguely understood, slightly surprised.
This seemingly harmless shopkeeper wasn’t ordinary!
What intrigued him more was this woman named Bing Qi. Last time, at the Hundred Weapons Pavilion, he’d met a male cultivator named Bing Jiu.
Did that mean this market had others with “Bing” as a surname and numbers as names?
“Honoured guest, follow me!”
Bing Qi spoke, her voice as cold as her face.
Mo Fan nodded and followed her. To him, it didn’t matter who led the way.
