bookbashuk Chapter 290 Netherworld Workshop
Chapter 290 Netherworld Workshop
Chapter 290 Netherworld Workshop
Three days later, in the southern part of Blackwater Marsh.
The entrance to the cave is hidden beneath the ruins of a collapsed ancient building, and would be extremely difficult for an ordinary person to find without the help of a ghost child.
Chen Jinshu and Jiang Yi stood in front of the cave entrance. The former had changed into a black robe and wore a bronze ghost mask on his face; the latter was dressed in drab servant clothes, with his head down and hands hanging down, his aura concealed to the early stage of Foundation Establishment.
"Who goes there?" came a fierce question from inside the cave.
Chen Jinshu raised his hand and revealed the Yin Sha Token.
After a moment of silence inside the cave, the stone walls slid open to the sides, revealing a downward staircase.
An elderly dwarf appeared, carrying a lantern. His eye sockets were empty, with no eyeballs; instead, two flickering, bright will-o'-the-wisps emanated from them. "Fellow Daoists of the Yin Sha Sect? A rare guest indeed. Please!"
Chen Jinshu nodded and stepped inside.
Jiang Yi followed closely behind, his heart pounding.
The steps were long and winding, with pale bone lamps embedded in the stone walls on both sides, the oil of which emitted a strange smell of rotting corpses mixed with spices.
After descending about three hundred feet, there were finally some signs of human activity ahead.
It was a huge market town built by hollowing out the ground.
The street was over ten zhang wide, with smooth black stone slabs paving the ground. Shops lined both sides, and their signs were mostly decorated with skulls and animal heads.
The passersby were of various appearances: there were ghost cultivators shrouded in black mist, demons with fleshy wings on their backs, blood cultivators with pale skin and scarlet pupils, and even a few walking puppets with creaking sounds coming from their joints.
Nine enormous, eerie green lanterns floated above the market, their light illuminating the entire space, yet offering no warmth whatsoever.
"There are three rules for the Netherworld Pavilion."
The dwarf old man's voice rang out behind him, the will-o'-the-wisps flickering in his hollow eye sockets: "First, fighting is forbidden in the workshop, violators will be imprisoned in the 'Soul Refining Well' for one hundred days; second, once a transaction is completed, it cannot be reneged on, violators will have a limb severed; third, one must not inquire about the origins of others, violators will have their tongues gouged out."
He paused, then turned the will-o'-the-wisp towards Chen Jinshu:
"Is this your first time here, fellow Daoist? Would you like me to show you the way?"
“No need.” Chen Jinshu’s voice became low and hoarse through the ghost mask. “I’m looking for the ‘Hundred Bones Pavilion’.”
The dwarf old man bowed slightly and disappeared into the shadows.
Jiang Yi lowered his voice: "Senior Chen, the yin energy here is so heavy it's comparable to a mass grave..."
"Keep quiet," Chen Jinshu transmitted his voice.
"Stay close to me."
The two walked through the crowded street.
Along the way, many eyes swept over him, but most lingered on Chen Jinshu for a moment before looking away.
A cultivation level at the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm is enough to make most people wary.
Occasionally, a few divine senses would attempt to probe, but Chen Jinshu would repel them all with even more powerful divine senses.
Baihaige is located in the northwest corner of the market and is a three-story wooden building.
The shop door was open, and the interior was dimly lit, revealing only a short, stout figure sitting behind the counter.
As soon as Chen Jinshu stepped into the shop, the fat man behind the counter suddenly looked up. His face was covered in fat, his eyes were narrowed into slits, and his mouth stretched to his ears. He said in a fawning tone:
"Distinguished guest, I am so sorry for not welcoming you properly. My surname is Liu. May I ask if you are looking to buy... or sell?"
Chen Jinshu remained silent and directly took out three items from his storage bag and placed them on the counter.
The first item is the complete toad skin of the Toad King, which is about ten feet square, with naturally formed patterns on its dark green skin to resist poisonous miasma.
The second item is the male toad's venom sac, sealed in a cold jade box. Through the jade wall, one can see the churning dark green venom inside.
The third item was twelve toad eggs, each the size of a fist, covered with strange spots. Manager Liu's narrow eyes suddenly widened, and his obese body leaned forward abruptly.
"Materials from the Golden Core stage Corrupted Poison Toad King! And a complete set of three! You have impressive skills!"
He rubbed his hands together, his tone becoming more enthusiastic:
"The toad skin is 90% intact and can be used to make a top-grade poison-avoiding robe, valued at 8,000 low-grade spirit stones; the venom in the venom sac is pure and is the main ingredient for making the 'Ten Thousand Poisons Breaking Needle,' valued at 12,000; as for the toad eggs..."
He leaned closer to examine the spots and patterns, his breathing rapid.
"They are actually mutated species with the 'Corrupting Poison Demon Vein'! If they can be hatched and tamed, their combat power after adulthood will be comparable to that of an early Golden Core cultivator! Twelve of them are priced at... thirty thousand spirit stones!"
Upon hearing this, Chen Jinshu couldn't help but let out a cold laugh from behind his mask: "Manager Liu, are you trying to take advantage of my new arrival?"
"The Corrupting Toad King is ranked thirty-seventh on the list of the seventy-two most ferocious demons in the Southern Frontier. A set of three of them, along with its materials, could fetch at least 60,000 spirit stones outside the market. You're asking for 50,000? Do you think I'm a sucker?"
Manager Liu's smile froze.
He squinted at Chen Jinshu, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his narrowed eyes, before finally forcing a smile again.
"I misspoke. How about this, the total price is fifty-eight thousand, and I'll also give you two bottles of 'Corrosive Poison Bone-Corroding Powder' as a gift?"
"Sixty-five thousand." Chen Jinshu's tone left no room for doubt. "Plus two items: a Soul-Nourishing Jade, of no less than grade three; and three ounces of Earth Vein Yin Crystal, of no less than 80% purity."
"This..." Manager Liu looked troubled.
"Nourishing Soul Jade is easy to find; I have two pieces of Grade 3 in stock. But Earth Vein Yin Crystal is a treasure for refining Yin-attribute magic weapons. Only half a pound flows out of the workshop each month, and those with 80% purity are even rarer..."
Chen Jinshu made a gesture as if to put the materials away.
"Wait!" Manager Liu hurriedly pressed down on the toad's skin, gritting his teeth as he spoke.
"Sixty-three thousand! I will do my best to raise the Soul Nourishing Jade and the Earth Vein Yin Crystal, but it will take three days!"
“Okay.” Chen Jinshu withdrew his hand and said, “Pay a deposit of 30,000 first, and settle the balance upon delivery.”
Manager Liu breathed a sigh of relief and took out a jet-black storage ring from under the counter:
"This is a deposit of 30,000 spirit stones. Please count it. The final payment will be made here three days from now."
Chen Jinshu scanned the ring with his divine sense, and put it away after confirming that it was genuine.
She turned to leave, but Manager Liu suddenly spoke:
"Please wait, sir."
Chen Jinshu turned around and saw a meaningful smile on Manager Liu's fat face.
"If I may be so bold as to say something, things have been rather unsettled in the Netherworld Pavilion lately."
The Blood Fiend Sect, the Joyful Union Sect, and several other hidden demonic sects have all sent people, seemingly searching for something.
If you have nothing else to do, it would be best to leave as soon as the transaction is complete.
Upon hearing this, Chen Jinshu's expression changed slightly, but she didn't take it to heart. She was just a newcomer; how could she attract the attention of these people?
"Thank you for reminding me."
She led Jiang Yi out of Baihai Pavilion and into the flow of people on the street.
Only after turning two street corners and confirming that no one was following him did he send a telepathic message to Jiang Yi:
"The Blood Fiend Sect is also active in the Southern Frontier... It seems that the Yin Fiend Sect will not let the death of Xuan Yinzi go unpunished."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Yi felt a chill run down his spine and couldn't help but whisper, "Senior, should we leave now?"
"No need," Chen Jinshu shook her head.
Having finally made it to Heishuize in southern Xinjiang, I should experience some trials before leaving and take something with me.
"Since we're here, we should gather as much information as possible. Besides..."
"Blackwater Marsh is rich in Yin-attribute spiritual items such as Soul-Nourishing Jade and Earth Vein Yin Crystal, which will greatly benefit my future cultivation and strengthening of my substitute puppet. This deal is worth taking some risks for."