Chapter 120: Assassination Mission, Isn't This Too Brutal?

Following the instructions of the Green Leaf Token, Zhou Changwang successfully entered the black market.

This time, the black market was fundamentally different from the last.

First of all, it was large.

Very large.

Although it was located on the outskirts of the marketplace, it occupied a long street-like residence. The black market spanned the entire length of the street, stretching for about a hundred meters.

Zhou Changwang had heard of this place back when he lived on the outskirts of the marketplace. It was the lair of a gang known as the Axe Gang, a force formed by a coalition of martial artists that had once tried to recruit Zhou Changwang’s father.

However, Zhou Qiankun had refused the offer to take care of his young son at the time.

He hadn't expected that this place would turn out to be a black market.

Moreover, as Zhou Changwang watched the martial artists guarding the entrance and the various cultivators coming and going with their faces masked, he realized that this was a permanent black market.

The Green Leaf Token was not the only credential for entry.

Zhou Changwang noticed that some people were paying with spirit stones—a single low-grade spirit stone—and these individuals were martial artists, not cultivators.

Of course, there were also cultivators who passed through unimpeded simply by displaying their cultivation aura.

So, cultivators entered for free, while martial artists and mortals had to pay?

Or perhaps there was a cultivation threshold?

Zhou Changwang then noticed that only cultivators at the middle stage of Qi Refining or higher were exempt from paying spirit stones.

Others, even those at the third level of Qi Refining, obediently handed over a low-grade spirit stone upon reaching the entrance.

For low-level cultivators, this fee was not insignificant.

"However, looking at it this way, this seems to be a standard black market. The Green Leaf Alliance was merely using this market as a venue for their activities. To think that I lived here for decades and never even knew about this place..."

Zhou Changwang mused, but then shook his head helplessly at the thought of the entry fee.

Even if he had known, what of it?

For the version of himself from back then, this entry fee was quite steep. He figured that even if he had known, he wouldn't have been willing to spend the money just to take a look.

Zhou Changwang approached the entrance, displayed his own "fourth-level Qi Refining" cultivation, and was respectfully ushered in by the guards.

After passing through a long corridor and making a turn, he truly entered the black market.

It was a world of its own.

Before his eyes was a market similar to the casual cultivator bazaars, with many people tending to their stalls.

However, the items on these stalls were a motley collection: magical artifacts, talismans, jade slips, spirit pills... some items were even stained with blood.

Clearly, these were stolen goods of unknown origin.

This black market was, in effect, a fence for illicit goods.

Zhou Changwang glanced over them; most were of little value. At least for him, they were of no great use.

It wasn't until he neared the end of the street that he saw someone displaying many archaic-looking jade slips on their stall.

"Are these ancient slips?"

Before Zhou Changwang could speak, a person in front of him asked out of curiosity.

"Fellow Daoist has a keen eye. These are indeed ancient slips, most of which I obtained while exploring an ancient tomb some time ago. Especially these five, they are treasures that have not yet had their restrictions broken. They could very well contain divine techniques, ancient legacies, or supreme secret arts. You only need one hundred low-grade spirit stones for one, and you could secure a stroke of fortune. It would be a pity to miss out."

The stall owner was an old man with a full beard, his small eyes glinting with shrewdness as he greeted them enthusiastically.

"Too expensive."

The man shook his head, looking reluctant to part with his money.

"Not expensive at all. Think about it: if this contains some supreme technique, once you master it, your cultivation will advance by leaps and bounds, and you might even reach Foundation Establishment directly. Isn't that worth it? You're not just buying a jade slip; you're buying a chance to soar into the sky."

The man was still hesitant; one hundred low-grade spirit stones was not a small sum.

"If you are sincerely interested, take it for eighty low-grade spirit stones. I see that you and I are fated; otherwise, I wouldn't sell it to just anyone."

Seeing this, the stall owner’s small eyes darted, and he spoke quickly.

The man seemed to be an honest sort and gritted his teeth, offering fifty low-grade spirit stones. The stall owner immediately agreed, saying: "Alright, alright, you're getting a huge bargain. Who told me I just happened to be short on spirit stones..."

He took the spirit stones and let the man pick one.

After the man left, the owner turned to Zhou Changwang with a face full of smiles and asked, "Fellow Daoist, do you see anything you like?"

"No. These look too new; they don't look like ancient slips."

Under his Spirit Eye Technique, Zhou Changwang could clearly see that the mud covering these seemingly archaic jade slips had obvious traces of artificial aging.

If he wanted to, he could make those traces look far more authentic than this man could. With a few "Year-Ring Techniques," these jade slips would instantly become genuine artifacts that had weathered over a century of time.

"If you don't understand, don't talk nonsense. These are all newly excavated ancient slips. The content recorded inside, even if not divine techniques or supreme immortal arts, could be powerful spells or supernatural abilities."

The old man snorted and said.

"They are 'newly excavated,' all right," Zhou Changwang nodded with a smile, then continued, "But they were buried just last month."

"You..."

The old man's face changed, and he quickly said, "If you don't want to buy, get going."

"I'll buy. I've been studying restriction-breaking recently and want to practice. Even if your jade slips are fake, the restrictions on them are real. I'd like to see if my three years of learning can break them. I'll take these five."

Zhou Changwang spoke casually as he picked out five jade slips from the stall. He then lowered his voice and said, "Don't try to fool me with the price you gave that other fellow, or else..."

"Take them for ten low-grade spirit stones. Even though these slips aren't worth much, the restrictions on them were specifically commissioned, and that cost me quite a few stones."

The old man looked at Zhou Changwang, whose cultivation of the fourth level of Qi Refining was clearly displayed, and he became very sensible.

"Fine!"

Zhou Changwang nodded and handed over ten low-grade spirit stones, then tucked the five jade slips into his storage bag.

In truth, while the previous man was haggling, his Spirit Eye Technique had been scanning the stall. Most of the slips were indeed, as he had suspected, "newly" unearthed.

However, there was one among them that, even with his perfected Spirit Eye Technique, he could not find any traces of forgery.

Sometimes, the fake is so perfect it becomes real.

Regardless of whether they were true or false, he didn't mind spending a few spirit stones to investigate. After all, ten low-grade spirit stones were not very expensive for him now.

He then cast his gaze toward the end of the street, where there was a pavilion shielded by a screen, obscuring the interior.

But before this, he had already seen more than one cultivator enter the pavilion, and some had emerged from behind the screen.

Crucially, among those entering and leaving, several were very familiar—they were the same members of the Green Leaf Alliance he had seen at the previous black market.

Among them, there were even two experts above the late stage of Qi Refining.

Filled with curiosity, Zhou Changwang walked over.

A familiar barrier of a formation immediately blocked his path. Without hesitation, he took out the Green Leaf Token and channeled a ray of spiritual light into it. The barrier instantly dissipated, and he stepped inside.

Walking past the screen, he saw dozens of cultivators gathered in a spacious living room, looking up at three light boards.

The boards recorded numerous tasks.

Assassination, searching for items, treasure hunting, exploration, requests for help... Various tasks were categorized into small, medium, and large, depending on the risks involved.

Some tasks could be completed by an individual, while others were large-scale efforts requiring the cooperation of several people.

The rewards were clearly posted, and anyone interested could accept them. However, the distribution of the spoils had to be settled among the participants themselves.

At the very top of the list were several large-scale tasks.

The tasks he had seen last month—to hand over Foundation Establishment spiritual items and provide the horn of a Red-Horned Python—were prominently displayed.

In addition, many more assassination or assault-related tasks had been added.

However, ranking first was an assassination mission:

"Assassinate Bai Dongxian. Reward: one Foundation Establishment Pill, 10,000 points."

"Is it this public?"

Zhou Changwang's face changed slightly as he saw the name on the mission.

Bai Dongxian was the ancestor of the Bai family, the ruling family of the Fengmingwu marketplace, and a cultivator at the eighth level of Foundation Establishment.

Besides Bai Dongxian, many other large-scale tasks bore the names of other Bai family members. Every one of them was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and the minimum rewards were Foundation Solidifying Pills or Pulse-Protecting Pills.

The Foundation Solidifying Pill was specifically used by ninth-level Qi Refining cultivators to consolidate their foundation and accelerate the condensation of liquid spiritual energy when breaking through the three barriers of Foundation Establishment.

The Pulse-Protecting Pill was a life-saving medicine used during the process. Foundation Establishment was extremely perilous. Success was like a carp leaping over the dragon gate, allowing one to soar into the sky. Failure, however, meant chaotic spiritual energy would ravage the body, causing nearly irreversible damage—internal injuries and shattered meridians. Even a powerful ninth-level Qi Refining cultivator could not resist this; they would either die or be crippled.

With a Pulse-Protecting Pill to guard one's internal organs and meridians, one could survive a fatal situation. Even if the breakthrough failed, provided the cultivator was under sixty, they would have another chance to try again. At the very least, it would save their life.

It was one of the most coveted pills for countless cultivators preparing for Foundation Establishment, second only to the Foundation Establishment Pill itself.

These two types of pills were extremely valuable and indispensable for anyone hoping to reach the Foundation Establishment realm.

Since such treasures were being offered as rewards, one could imagine that the force behind this was the "Chen family."

However, Zhou Changwang had not expected that the Chen family had developed to the point of openly posting bounties.

Did this not indicate that the conflict between the two sides had reached an irreconcilable point and that an all-out war could break out at any moment?

Zhou Changwang suddenly felt uneasy.

He did not care how intense the conflict between the Bai and Chen families would become; he only hoped the war would not spill over to him.

The night of chaos last time was not a pleasant memory. He believed no one would want to experience it again.

"Moreover, since the Green Leaf Alliance's task board openly lists Bai family members as assassination targets, doesn't that prove that the Green Leaf Alliance, or at least the person in charge within the Fengmingwu marketplace, has completely defected to the 'Chen family'? Remaining in this black market is no longer safe. If the Bai family can't deal with the Chen family, can't they deal with the loose Green Leaf Alliance? After all, the Bai family has controlled the marketplace for decades; their intelligence channels are strong. How could they tolerate the continued existence of such a black market?"

Thinking of this, Zhou Changwang's expression shifted.

He no longer had the heart to linger and retreated the way he came.

After leaving the pavilion and looking at the still-bustling black market, Zhou Changwang headed straight for the exit.

People were coming and going at the entrance, and with his current appearance and attire, no one recognized him or paid him any mind. He left the black market smoothly.

Once outside, he looked up at the sky.

Although it was evening, the heavy clouds had made it completely dark. He hurried toward the inner city of the marketplace.

He hadn't gone far when he saw a group of marketplace guards, led by a tall cultivator, rushing past in a hurry.

Zhou Changwang’s expression tightened.

As expected, his guess was correct.

The Bai family could not tolerate someone openly posting bounties on their members—including their ancestor—within the marketplace. It was too arrogant, too brazen.

A loose organization like the Green Leaf Alliance was no secret to the Bai or Chen families, and they would be keeping a constant eye on them.

Zhou Changwang carefully shrunk into the shadows. Using his Breath-Concealing Technique, he shifted his aura to that of an ordinary first-level Qi Refining cultivator, appearing completely unremarkable.

Only after the group of guards had passed did he quicken his pace toward his residence in the inner city.

Boom!

As expected, not long after he left, a thunderous explosion erupted from the direction of the black market, followed by the sounds of a chaotic battle.

...

Half an hour later, Zhou Changwang arrived safely at his courtyard.

"That was too intense. If I had been a step later, I would have been caught in the fighting. Thankfully, I realized it in time and avoided the conflict."

Zhou Changwang felt incredibly fortunate.

Although the Bai family had been very low-key and in a state of retreat for the past six months, this did not mean they were weak.

In fact, having managed the marketplace for decades, the Bai family had accumulated vast profits and resources, and they had cultivated many talents and experts.

Bai Yufeng, Bai Yufeng, Bai Yuheng... each and every one of them was a true Foundation Establishment cultivator. And that was just the younger generation around the age of sixty.

Among the older generation, the Bai family still had three great elders, the family head Bai Zhantang, and the ancestor Bai Dongxian...

In terms of absolute strength, they were far superior to the Chen family.

If not for the injury to their ancestor and his dwindling lifespan, the Chen family would never have dared to act so rashly. The Fengmingwu marketplace would certainly still be firmly controlled by the Bai family; aside from the Qingyuan Sect, no one could shake them.

"After today, there is only one more day left. The day after tomorrow, I will leave. I only hope these two days are peaceful and no more trouble arises."

Zhou Changwang thought about the events of the day.

Everything had been going smoothly until then. He had encountered Ghost-Eye Zhao Shanhe, purchased the Small Five Elements Thousand Thunder Technique at the Bai family firm, and then had a chance encounter with the guard captain, Yan Zhenxi, who had implicitly warned him to seek protection if he were ever in danger.

Afterward, there was the trip to the outskirts of the marketplace, where he unexpectedly learned that his father had sent a letter.

Thinking of the letter, Zhou Changwang quickly took the parchment from his storage bag.

Opening it, he saw five or six pages written in his father’s handwriting, and his heart eased.

The letter mainly detailed Zhou Qiankun's current situation and some of the things he had encountered.

His father mentioned that he was now within the territory of the Tianwu Kingdom. Having found a place to settle down, and with his martial arts skills, he had helped a nobleman of the Tianwu Kingdom solve a problem. Consequently, he had successfully settled in a place called Pingyang County, bought a massive estate, and taken three concubines and four secondary wives, determined to expand the Zhou family line.

At the end of the letter, he mentioned that at the time of writing, one of his secondary wives was already pregnant, meaning Zhou Changwang was now an older brother. He declared that once the child reached ten years old and could have their spiritual roots tested, they would certainly do so. He emphasized that if the child truly had spiritual roots, Zhou Changwang should help look after them.

Finally, he left his address and urged his son to be careful in the world of immortality, to tread as if on thin ice...

"This is good."

Seeing that his father was doing well and had taken several wives, Zhou Changwang felt relieved.

During the twenty years in the world of immortality, Zhou Qiankun had suffered too much. Now that he could enjoy his golden years in the mortal realm, with his martial arts, he could have many descendants and live out his life in peace.

With this, he could rest easy.

He would have to write a reply, but with the marketplace in such chaos, he wasn't sure if the letter could be delivered. He would have to find another opportunity.

Zhou Changwang then took out the jade slip: "Small Five Elements Thousand Thunder Technique."

He moved his spiritual sense into it.

The jade slip from the Bai family firm relied on a soul oath, unlike many others that used restriction techniques. Both had their pros and cons.

The soul oath bound the individual cultivator. If the jade slip were lost, or if someone had already given up on the path of cultivation, they might disregard the oath and spread it widely.

The restriction method, first and foremost, could block most people from peeking at or practicing the technique. If one tried to force their way through without knowing the technique, it could trigger the restriction and reduce the jade slip to dust, preventing anyone from seeing the immortal inheritance within.

Of course, if a cultivator mastered advanced restriction-breaking techniques, this limitation would be ineffective. Therefore, some strictly guarded secrets would also employ measures within the content itself...

In the world of immortality, techniques are not easily passed on. Every major sect and force had various means to prevent and break them... a detailed discussion could fill a massive tome.

Zhou Changwang took the soul oath.

He finally "saw" the information inside the jade slip.

"Small Five Elements Thousand Thunder Technique, it deserves to be a high-tier spell. The concept of lightning involved is very profound, and most importantly, the rune structure composing this technique consists of ninety-three parts. It is truly a genuine high-tier lightning technique. It has significantly more parts than the 'Five Elements Glazed Heart Lamp,' which is also a first-grade high-tier spell."

Zhou Changwang looked at the rune structure that made up the spell, comparing them one by one.

A trace of joy appeared on his face.

"Indeed. The 'Thousand Thunder Flash' and the 'Five Elements Thunder Transformation' were clearly simplified by breaking down this Small Five Elements Thousand Thunder Technique. Of the ninety-three rune structures, sixty-seven are present in those two spells. This means if I want to master this spell, I only need to fully grasp the remaining twenty-six structures."

This was infinitely easier than learning a high-tier spell from scratch. As for the remaining twenty-six structures? They were equivalent to a relatively high-quality basic spell. It wasn't difficult at all.

Zhou Changwang spent only half an hour familiarizing himself with these rune structures one by one.

Then, he began to attempt to cast it.

Once, twice, three times...

After the hundredth attempt, Zhou Changwang controlled the spiritual energy in his body, rapidly completing each rune structure until the final one was successfully condensed.

*Hum!*

In an instant, most of the spiritual energy in his body was drained.

A vast amount of spiritual energy surged into the rune structure. After filling it, dark clouds suddenly gathered in the sky.

Endless lightning power converged within. The terrifying force swirled, like a horrific void beast opening its maw, preparing to unleash a thunderous strike upon the area below.

"This commotion..."

Zhou Changwang looked up slightly, then glanced at the spell wall in front of him. For the first time, he doubted whether the anti-spiritual stone on the wall could withstand the terrifying power of this endless lightning and block this devastating strike.

He gritted his teeth.

"Release!"

*Boom, boom, boom!*

Endless lightning snakes, like a thousand troops, instantly shot down from the void. He controlled them all, slamming them into the spell wall.

*Hum, hum, hum...*

The void trembled, and the earth shook. Endless dust rose from the spell wall. The intense spiritual light turned the entire secret chamber a blinding white.

If Zhou Changwang hadn't already set up a Mist Formation and a Sound-Insulation Formation in his courtyard, which could block sound and movement, the spiritual energy fluctuations and the impact of this spell alone would have attracted most of the people in the marketplace.

After a long while, the dust settled, and the rampaging lightning dissipated.

Zhou Changwang turned his gaze to the spell wall.

The sight made his eyes widen.

"That... isn't that a bit too brutal?"