Chapter 122: Soul Capture

Hua Changxi walked along a long road shrouded in thick mist and dim light, her confidence waning with every step because the visibility was too low—she couldn't even see the end of the road. Faced with the unknown ahead, she felt like backing out.

Hoo~

A gust of eerie cold wind blew past, and Hua Changxi couldn't help but shiver.

That shiver instantly put her on guard.

She wasn't afraid of the cold; she shivered not because she felt cold, but because she felt pain—a gnawing kind of pain.

In the cold wind, it felt like something alive was biting her!

When another gust of sinister wind blew, Hua Changxi immediately circulated her spiritual power, and in an instant, a layer of flames covered her body.

"Ah~"

The eerie wind collided with the flames, and from within the wind came a piercing shriek.

Hearing the sound, Hua Changxi was both startled and terrified—there really was something alive in that sinister wind.

The flames on Hua Changxi seemed to anger the creature in the wind. "Hoo~" the surrounding mist began to churn.

Soon, eerie winds sprang up from all directions, all of them charging toward Hua Changxi.

Under the fierce assault of the winds, the flames on Hua Changxi showed signs of dying out.

Seeing this, Hua Changxi quickly increased her spiritual power output; the blazing fire began to hold its ground against the howling winds.

As the winds grew stronger, Hua Changxi grew anxious. This was her first time at the Ghost Market, and she knew nothing about it—she didn't want to cause too much of a stir.

'Boom~'

A fire lotus bloomed on Hua Changxi's body.

"Ah~"

An even sharper, more piercing sound rang out. At the same time, the sinister wind surged, and with a twist, a skull glowing with green light emerged.

Seeing the skull, Hua Changxi didn't hesitate—she condensed a fire lotus and hurled it over.

Enveloped by the fire lotus, the skull immediately began ramming back and forth inside it in fury.

Seeing that the fire lotus couldn't incinerate the skull, Hua Changxi was stunned—until a miniature firebird flew out of the lotus. The firebird spat a wisp of flame that directly burned the skull clean away.

The firebird was a divine ability she had gained after her bloodline reverted to its ancestral form; its power was to incinerate the primordial spirit.

What is the primordial spirit?

As she understood it, it was a person's soul.

If this inference was correct, then the skull in the sinister wind was formed from condensed souls!

The pain she had felt earlier was probably that skull gnawing at her soul body.

"Ghost Market..."

She had thought "Ghost Market" was just the name of a gathering place for cultivators, but it turned out to be a place where ghosts really gathered.

After the skull vanished, the eerie wind dissipated, and the surroundings fell quiet again.

Should she keep going?

Hua Changxi hesitated. She stared at the terrifying, gloomy road ahead, deliberated for a good while, and finally decided to press on.

She couldn't stay stagnant, forever holed up in a safe place—she needed to explore the true world of cultivators.

After that, no more eerie winds arose along the way.

Hua Changxi steeled herself and walked on. She didn't know how long she had been walking when, amid the gloomy, dark mist, lights of other colors finally appeared.

There was a river shimmering with green light, with an old, rickety wooden bridge crossing it. In front of the bridge stood a hunched white-haired old woman, stirring a pot of steaming hot soup.

Seeing this scene, Hua Changxi couldn't bring herself to go any further.

But on the other side of the river, dim yellow lanterns were lit. Through the light, she could faintly make out streets where countless people in black robes were moving about.

Just as Hua Changxi stopped and hesitated, cultivators began appearing one after another from other directions.

They were all at the Qi Sea realm, with one uniform feature: they wore black robes with only their eyes exposed.

Several people saw Hua Changxi, who had not bothered with any disguise, and cast surprised glances at her.

These people had no intention of speaking; they quickly walked to the wooden bridge, took the soup handed over by the White-Haired Granny, drank it all in one gulp, and then hurried across the river.

Seeing them drink the soup so naturally, Hua Changxi was somewhat surprised. Could it be that the soup brewed by the White-Haired Granny was harmless to cultivators?

Having come this far, Hua Changxi was certainly unwilling to turn back now. After hesitating for a moment, she took out the Fuwa mask she had bought earlier from her storage Buddhist beads and put it on.

Although it was no match for others' black robes, at least having a mask was a bit better than being fully exposed in front of others.

Wearing the Fuwa mask, Hua Changxi walked to the edge of the wooden bridge.

The White-Haired Granny saw the "Fuwa" in front of her, and a smile appeared on her wrinkled face: "Little girl, is this your first time at the Ghost Market?"

Hua Changxi nodded. Looking at the boiling soup in the pot, she recognized that it was only a soup that sealed spiritual power, and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

The White-Haired Granny ladled a bowl of soup and handed it to Hua Changxi with a smile.

Hua Changxi took the bowl, tilted her head back, and drank it all in one gulp.

Seeing this, the White-Haired Granny smiled again: "People who come to the Ghost Market for the first time all dare not drink the soup I, this old woman, brew. You are quite straightforward."

Hua Changxi: "I saw the people ahead of me drink it. If they all dared to drink, it shouldn't have any harmful effects."

The White-Haired Granny smiled noncommittally, looked again at the Fuwa mask Hua Changxi was wearing, a hint of recollection flashing in her eyes. After hesitating a moment, she finally offered a reminder: "This mask you're wearing is useless. It makes no difference whether you wear it or not."

Hua Changxi was startled: "How can that be?"

The White-Haired Granny: "The black robes others wear can block divine sense detection. This mask of yours is just an ordinary object." As she spoke, she tapped the pot in front of her.

"What's boiling in the pot is Seal Spirit Soup. After drinking it, you can no longer mobilize spiritual power."

Upon hearing this, Hua Changxi immediately tried it. Finding that she indeed could not mobilize her spiritual power, she stared wide-eyed in shock at the White-Haired Granny.

Through the mask, the White-Haired Granny saw Hua Changxi's shocked eyes and laughed: "Little girl, you lack experience. Think carefully: since everyone who comes here has their spiritual power sealed, there should be no danger among them. So why do they still wear black robes?"

This question indeed stumped Hua Changxi, but soon she figured it out: "Wearing black robes is not to guard against other cultivators, but to guard against the people of the Ghost Market."

White-Haired Granny: "You're clever enough."

Seeing the White-Haired Granny confirm her answer, Hua Changxi's heart sank.

Divine sense detection...

For a cultivator to release their divine sense externally, they must advance to the Spiritual Platform realm.

Does this mean that the people running the Ghost Market are all experts at the Spiritual Platform realm?

Hua Changxi's mood grew somewhat heavy. She had originally thought that advancing to the Nascent Soul stage so quickly was already rare, but she hadn't expected there to be experts at the Spiritual Platform realm in the Ghost Market.

"Granny, where should I go to buy a black robe?"

The White-Haired Granny laughed: "Where to buy one, this old woman doesn't know. But if you want a black robe, it's simple."

Hearing this, Hua Changxi immediately clasped her fists, bowed, and made a gesture of humble inquiry: "Please enlighten me, Granny."

The White-Haired Granny raised her right hand and pointed at a black-robed cultivator who was approaching: "Snatching is the simplest."

Hua Changxi: "..."

Seeing the dumbfounded "Fuwa," the White-Haired Granny shook her head with a smile: "Little girl, you can't mobilize your spiritual power now. If you don't want to die, cross the bridge quickly."

Upon hearing the reminder, Hua Changxi glanced at the cultivator running quickly toward her. Without another word, she ran onto the wooden bridge, quickly crossed the river, and then stood on the opposite bank. She wanted to thank the White-Haired Granny, but saw that several more cultivators had arrived.

Those people launched a fierce attack on the cultivator who had not yet crossed the bridge. Soon, the cultivator fell in a pool of blood.

Next, his black robe was stripped off, and everything on him was taken. Finally, the cultivator's body was kicked into the green river.

As soon as the corpse entered the green river, the river began to churn.

Faintly, Hua Changxi seemed to hear the sound of gnawing.

Watching those cultivators as if nothing had happened begin to divide the spoils on the spot, Hua Changxi took a deep breath, quickly took out a Spirit Release Pill, and swallowed it.

Only after confirming that she could once again mobilize her spiritual power did she breathe a sigh of relief.

She must not become like that cultivator just now, a prey in the eyes of others.

"Granny, thank you."

Hua Changxi shouted across the river, then turned and walked toward the crowd.

Bo Bao looked at Hua Changxi's retreating figure, his expression filled with pity—a lamb walking into a wolf's den, never to return. Such a pity, she was still so young.

He really didn't know how the little girl's parents could do their job—sending a child to train in the Ghost Market. And even if they came, they came completely unprepared. Wasn't this just sending her to her death?

Hua Changxi walked toward the place with the strongest light. Along the way, at intervals, a dim yellow skull lantern hung, looking from a distance a bit like the lighting lanterns of the mortal world at night.

On the other side of the river, not only was the light stronger, but it was no longer hazy. Although it was still gloomy and terrifying, at that moment she had the illusion of having arrived in another world.

Looking up, she couldn't see the top at all; instead, it gave her a feeling of deep, vast openness like the night sky.

At that moment, Hua Changxi clearly realized that the so-called Ghost Market was absolutely not a simple place for cultivators to gather and trade.

Before long, Hua Changxi saw the trading street crowded with cultivators.

Truly as Eunuch Lin had said, you could find everything here.

On the street, there were not only all kinds of shops but also all kinds of stalls, and the stalls sold everything.

Apart from cultivators wearing black robes, there were many cultivators in ordinary attire on the street, most of whom were sellers.

Hua Changxi had originally thought that wearing a mask would make her stand out, but after stepping into the crowd, she realized she wasn't too conspicuous. Although people would glance at her, it wasn't anything particularly unusual.

This made her feel much more at ease. But thinking that the Ghost Market was run by experts above the Spirit Platform realm, she didn't dare to wander carelessly. Walking on the street, she focused solely on finding a talisman master so she could leave quickly.

Once she got a black robe, she could come back next time and explore properly.

"What a fragrant soul body."

As Hua Changxi passed a stall, the middle-aged stall owner's nose suddenly twitched violently, and a look of enjoyment appeared on his face: "What a fragrant soul body."

The middle-aged stall owner glanced at Hua Changxi, quickly stood up, and walked toward a pavilion not far away.

On the pavilion hung a plaque with the words "Ghost Servant Pavilion" in large, eerie green characters.

Seeing the middle-aged stall owner enter the Ghost Servant Pavilion, the nearby vendors all showed envious expressions.

Before long, two burly, muscular men came out of the Ghost Servant Pavilion, each holding a set of iron claw chains that emitted a sinister aura.

Several hundred meters away, Hua Changxi was crouching in front of a stall, flipping through the spirit talismans on display and casually chatting with the stall owner, trying to gauge his talisman-making ability.

Although she was talking to the stall owner, she hadn't forgotten to stay alert to her surroundings.

Thus, she noticed immediately that the vendors on both sides were sizing her up, and the black-robed cultivators on the street were also distancing themselves from her.

Sensing something was wrong, Hua Changxi quickly stood up, intending to leave.

At that moment, two iron claws struck at the same time, one from the front and one from behind.

She dodged one but couldn't avoid the other; an iron claw clamped onto her left shoulder.

It wasn't a fatal wound, and Hua Changxi was confident she could break free from the iron claw. However, in the next moment, she was terrified—she realized she could no longer control her body. She stood frozen in front of the stall, watching the two big men walk toward her.

"My lords, it's her—her soul body is so fragrant. If you offer her to the Bull-Headed Venerable, you two will surely receive the Venerable's reward."

The two big men removed Hua Changxi's mask, looked her over from head to toe, and nodded in satisfaction: "The Bull-Headed Venerable loves beautiful female cultivators the most."

With that, they tossed a white stone to the middle-aged stall owner.

The middle-aged stall owner received the stone and repeatedly bowed in thanks.

Then, the street vendors and the black-robed people all watched as Hua Changxi, like a walking corpse, was dragged away by the two big men.

"Sigh~"

A black-robed man let out a long sigh: "Not even carrying a Dharma artifact to conceal one's soul body aura, yet daring to come to the Ghost Market—isn't that just asking for death?"

At this moment, Hua Changxi, unable to control her own body, was truly terrified beyond measure.

Since becoming a cultivator, she had been too smooth-sailing; she had let her guard down, underestimating the dangers of the cultivator world.

What to do?

What exactly was this iron claw?

Why couldn't she control her body?

At this moment, Hua Changxi not only realized how shallow her understanding of the cultivator world was, but she also discovered that she had been too much of a lone fighter.

She came to the Ghost Market; only Lin Sheng knew about it, and she had only known Lin Sheng for two days. If she went missing, he would not go all out to search for her, let alone find someone to rescue her.

Moreover, she didn't know any powerful experts, so she couldn't even find anyone to ask for help.

In anxiety and fear, Hua Changxi was pulled by two men out of the trading street, heading toward a direction where the light grew dimmer and dimmer.

Everything in her sight turned into a gray blur, with visibility limited to a few dozen meters. She vaguely saw herself being dragged into a huge mountain by the two big men.

The shape of the mountain was somewhat like an ox head.

From the outside it looked like a huge mountain, but inside it was a stone palace. Hua Changxi was brought into a spacious hall.

At the far end of the hall crouched a massive... yellow ox.

The two big men knelt on one knee: "Venerable One, your humble servants have a gift to present."

The yellow ox slowly opened its eyes. Seeing Hua Changxi caught by the Soul-Hooking Claws, its ox eyes brightened, and it quickly got up.

As the yellow ox rose, a white radiance bloomed around it, and in the surging light, it transformed into a tall, muscular man wearing a white vest.

The yellow ox walked up to Hua Changxi with a smile, circling around her twice: "Too beautiful, I like her, especially the lotus pattern between her brows. It deeply pleases me."

"It's a pity it's red. If it were a green lotus pattern, that would be even better."

The two big men were the yellow ox's trusted subordinates and knew its thoughts. They immediately laughed: "Venerable One is thinking of the Green Lotus Venerable of Lotus Mountain again?"

The yellow ox sighed, looking like a wronged lover: "What's the use even if I think of her? She won't even let me hold her little hand. Oh well, first find a human female cultivator to relieve boredom—that's not bad either."

With that, ignoring Hua Changxi's cold stare, it reached out and touched the lotus pattern between her brows.

However, the moment the yellow ox's hand touched Hua Changxi's skin, flames flickered within the lotus pattern.

"Ah."

White smoke rose from the yellow ox's hand, making it quickly withdraw its hand while looking at Hua Changxi in astonishment. After a moment of silence, it fanned its nose with its hand.

"This Venerable does not like this female cultivator's scent. Throw her into the Soul Well."