At the instant he saw the Star Spirit, a surge of greed rose uncontrollably in his heart.

But in the blink of an eye, all greed was shattered by the endless fear.

"Drink!"

Gu Yuan exhaled, and his robust body flew several zhang in an instant, carrying terrifying qi power, slamming towards the young man.

The fierce wind struck his face, making the young man’s scalp tingle.

But he no longer had any demon pets to block it.

"Yellow Sand Seal!"

He could only activate the earth-yellow Dharma Seal in his dantian, trying to summon a storm of sand to block Gu Yuan.

"Roar!"

But just then, the sound of a Flood Dragon’s roar suddenly echoed in his mind.

A supremely powerful spiritual sense suddenly attacked his Sea of Consciousness, shaking his heart and spirit, causing his thoughts to stall for a moment, unable to activate the Dharma Seal.

"Bang!"

Then, he felt a sharp pain coming from his dantian.

Looking down, he saw an ice-blue fist piercing through his abdomen, completely shattering his dantian, leaving a large hole.

With such a severe injury, the young man immediately lost all ability to resist, unable to mobilize even a trace of mana.

But he did not die immediately.

"Please... don’t kill me!"

"Spare me, spare me, I am also a disciple of the Daoist School, you can’t kill me!"

The young man’s face turned deathly pale, looking at Gu Yuan in fear, begging for mercy incessantly.

"How did you find my tracks? Why did you plot against me?"

Gu Yuan grabbed the youth’s slender neck and asked coldly.

"It was the Person-Finding Insect, I have a Person-Finding Insect."

"Mi’Er has Shiva Fragrance on her, and after staying with her for a long time, the fragrance will linger on you. The Person-Finding Insect is an exotic demon beast, and the Bamboo Shadow Miasma at Moon Bamboo Market can only block spiritual sense and Dharma Eye probing, but it can’t block this purely natural fragrance." 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

"I ambushed you because you bought the Soul Signing Technique, so you must have an exotic spirit beast!"

"The Jade Water Ape is also an old Tribulation Cultivator. I knew of its existence, so I set this trap, scattering Fire-Eye Powder on your path, making it think you bought a Fire Eye Pill!"

"I wanted to reap the benefits like a fisherman. I didn’t expect you to possess such divine power, with boundless might!"

"It’s my shortsightedness, my shortsightedness, I beg you to spare me!"

"I am willing to sign..."

"Crack!"

Before the young man’s plea could finish, Gu Yuan twisted his hand and directly snapped his neck.

Then with a flick of his fingers, a fiery flame soared, burning the corpse to ashes, leaving only a storage bag and four spirit beast bags.

"Ah!"

Right after the young man’s death, the ferret and Jade Water Python, which were resisting the Cloud-Walking Seal and the Purple Thunder Drill, also let out cries of lament, dying instantly.

Watching all of this, Gu Yuan’s eyes deepened, and he couldn’t help but sigh:

"It turned out to be a flaw in the Soul Signing Technique..."

"On the path to cultivation, one can never be too cautious..."

Gu Yuan could never have imagined that everything happening today wasn’t due to the Fire Eye Pill at the auction, nor the Little Giant Divine Wood, nor any enmity.

It was merely because, in the market, he relaxed for a moment and exposed some wealth.

Then, an unfamiliar Tribulation Cultivator started plotting against him.

If it weren’t for Gu Yuan’s formidable strength, he would never have known who ambushed him or why he died.

Everything was just a muddled account.

"Shiva Fragrance? Mi’Er?"

After a moment of reflection, Gu Yuan’s eyes started to grow cold.

The cause of all these oversights was merely a whiff of fragrance, a woman at the Qi Refining Second Layer.

"Why must I be made so ruthless and heartless?"

Gu Yuan sighed, then summoned the Jade Flood Dragon Shuttle and turned towards the Moon Bamboo Market.

...

...

"Spare me, Guest!"

"Pfft!"

The coquettish plea was not yet finished when the azure Dharma Sword sliced off the beautiful head.

A young and vibrant life thus vanished.

But everything was just self-inflicted.

Gu Yuan looked indifferently at the headless corpse, his eyes as calm as still water.

"Please calm down, Guest. I did not expect that someone would use fragrance as bait in the market, deceiving the Bamboo Shadow Miasma."

"However, in the market, with many people coming and going, even an Ascendant’s Dharma Seal couldn’t be all-encompassing, so I ask for your understanding."

"But since there’s been an incident, our Moon Bamboo Market naturally bears unavoidable responsibility. I will now return the spirit stones you paid to enter, and grant you a token, allowing free entry thereafter."

"Here are also fifty spirit stones as compensation, what do you think, Guest?"

Beside Gu Yuan, a frail old man with bluish-green sheen to his skin and jade-green eyes spoke earnestly.

This old man, the steward of Moon Bamboo Market, was a bamboo spirit at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer, enlightened by an Ascendant to take human form, possessing extraordinary spiritual wisdom, managing all the market’s affairs.

Above him, there was a Foundation Establishment Stage bamboo spirit, but the market felt that for this matter, a steward at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer was ample.

"Does such a thing happen often?"

Gu Yuan asked.

"Hmm... To be honest, it happens occasionally, but the probability is very low, as not everyone can bypass the Bamboo Shadow Miasma."

The old man pondered for a moment before answering.

"Very well, so be it then!"

Upon hearing this, Gu Yuan understood the situation thoroughly, didn’t ask further, and after accepting the token and spirit stones, he turned and left the place.

He had understood.

The market always knew about these shady dealings but did not stop them.

If something occurred and someone survived to cause a stir, they would appease them.

If someone died, they would feign ignorance.

After all... Tribulation Cultivators needed the market, and the market needed the Tribulation Cultivators. Without them, who would sell illicit goods?

The market was not absolutely safe. The six spirit stone entrance fee merely mitigated most threats, and if someone genuinely targeted you, it was simply a matter of your skills not measuring up.

Gu Yuan could only accept this.

If he hadn’t revealed his identity as a member of the Cyan Peak Daoist School, today’s matter would not have been resolved so easily.

"In the future, I can only be more cautious. No external assurance can compare to one’s own strength..."

The Celestial Star Dark Market within the Sect had given him a great sense of security, leading him to slightly lower his guard, but this incident served as a lesson.

"Next, I should be able to cultivate peacefully for a while."

"No exiting seclusion until I break through to the Qi Refining Seventh Layer!"

As Gu Yuan reflected and contemplated, the mountain gate of the Cyan Peak Daoist School was already visible in the distance.

He rode the Jade Shuttle straight into the mountain gate, returning to his Cave Mansion.

After a slight inhale and exhale, cultivating briefly, Gu Yuan waved his hand, taking out the two storage bags and several spirit beast bags.

Although he had experienced an unexpected ambush, he also gained a bounty of spoils.

Before planting the Little Giant Divine Wood, Gu Yuan decided to deal with these miscellaneous items; there might just be an unexpected surprise.