Chapter 357: Chapter 357: Forced Buying and Selling

The voice carried a powerful, oppressive force, weighing down on Ye Xuan like a great mountain. It was a clear attempt to intimidate him from the start.

Several Martial Artists who had been about to approach Ye Xuan instinctively froze when they heard the voice and saw the brown-haired old man approaching. They didn’t take another step forward.

Ye Xuan poured himself a cup of tea and downed it in one go. The terrifying pressure instantly vanished, as if swept away by a gentle breeze.

"Heh, you’ve got some skill," the brown-haired old man said, plopping down onto the chair opposite Ye Xuan. He then sneered at the cloaked person beside him. "You, hiding your face like a coward. I’ve arrived. Aren’t you going to get lost?"

The cloaked person instinctively took two steps back and glanced at Ye Xuan.

"This is my table. Whether someone leaves or not doesn’t seem to be your decision to make," Ye Xuan said nonchalantly, his words ostensibly for the cloaked person but clearly aimed at the old man.

’He’s a Tier Six Second Layer Martial Venerable. And his aura seems even stronger than that Gale whom Jin Lin killed back then.’

’Even in the Sky Empire’s Imperial Capital, teeming with experts, a Martial Artist like this would be considered a master.’

’However, to Ye Xuan—who had once killed Elder Gale and subdued Mo Chengtian and others—this old man was only slightly stronger, and that was all.’

The brown-haired old man was taken aback by Ye Xuan’s blatant disregard for him. He let out a cold laugh. "You’ve got a lot of nerve, don’t you? Right, you’re a new face. This must be your first time at the underground black market, so you don’t know who I am. I am Yin Jiu, but most people call me the Slaughter Venerable."

"And what does who you are have to do with me? If you’re done talking, you can leave. I’m busy and don’t have time to entertain you." If they weren’t in the underground black market, Ye Xuan would have already summoned his Zhenyuan Stone and smashed this guy’s head in. ’To think he’d try to act all high and mighty in front of me!’

Yin Jiu couldn’t believe his ears. He pointed a trembling finger at Ye Xuan. "A mere Fifth Grade Martial Sect dares to speak to me like that? You’re not from the Imperial Capital, are you? None of the young people here would ever dare talk to me this way. I’ll give you three breaths. Take out your Clearing God Pills and Profound Light Pills and let me see them."

Ye Xuan’s gaze turned cold. ’I don’t know if fighting is allowed here, but there are probably restrictions. When I came in, I saw a few pairs of people who looked like they were about to come to blows, but in the end, none of them actually fought.’

’I’m not afraid of this Yin Jiu, but if I make too much of a scene and attract the attention of a Martial King, that would be troublesome.’

"Why on earth should I show you my things?" Ye Xuan sneered. He wouldn’t trade with this kind of person, even if Yin Jiu had something he wanted.

"You’re very arrogant, kid. A pity. Arrogance comes with a price." Yin Jiu abruptly stood up, his voice dripping with malice. A terrifying pressure of Profound Power surged toward Ye Xuan like a tidal wave.

Ye Xuan shot to his feet as well. He grabbed the teapot from the table and, with a CRASH, smashed it onto the floor.

His cold gaze swept across the room. "I thought this was a place for fair trade, but I was completely mistaken! So this is a place where you can just rob people in broad daylight, without any regard for the seller’s wishes. The Imperial Capital really is something else, isn’t it?"

Ye Xuan’s voice was so loud that almost everyone in the hall heard him.

After speaking, Ye Xuan stood there quietly.

’There’s no way the black market’s managers didn’t hear me,’ he thought. ’I’ll just wait and see if they show up. If they don’t, then I’ll have no choice but to fight this Yin Jiu.’

In truth, Ye Xuan was already prepared for battle. He just didn’t plan on making the first move. The moment Yin Jiu dared to attack, he would retaliate with his full strength.

Just then, a cold voice laced with anger rang out.

"Yin Jiu, our underground black market is a place where people come to find what they need. It’s not a stage for your arrogance. Are you planning to rely on your strength to ignore our rules?"

As the voice faded, a middle-aged man in a gray robe walked over. He had small eyes, a hooked nose, and thin lips that gave him a ruthless look. The aura he exuded was that of a Tier Six Martial Venerable, not a bit weaker than Yin Jiu.

Upon seeing the newcomer, Yin Jiu immediately retracted his torrential Profound Power pressure. He cupped his fist in a salute and chuckled. "Ah, Manager Feng You. You’re taking this too seriously. How could I possibly break the black market’s rules? This young friend here is looking to trade some Pills for materials, and I was just trying to do business with him. It seems the young friend misunderstood my intentions."

As Yin Jiu spoke, he took out a blue ore and presented it to Ye Xuan. "I see you’re looking for materials, young friend. What do you think about trading this ore for your Pills?"

"A Blue Thunder Crystal!"

Before Ye Xuan could even speak, gasps of amazement erupted from the crowd.

The Blue Thunder Crystal was a Tier Six material. While its tier wasn’t exceptionally high, its applications were incredibly broad.

The Blue Thunder Crystal had a unique property: it could passively absorb the Power of thunder and lightning from the heavens and earth. When stimulated with Profound Power, this energy could be easily released. Therefore, a Blue Thunder Crystal could be used in the refining of Profound Soldiers, Soul Armaments, various Profound Treasures, and even Array Discs.

Any treasure infused with a Blue Thunder Crystal would gain a lightning attribute, which had extraordinary effects in battle.

It could even be integrated into certain Martial Souls, granting some Martial Artists a latent lightning attack.

Because of this, whether in the Artifact Refining Realm or the Soul Refining Realm, the Blue Thunder Crystal was an extremely precious treasure, with a value that could even rival some Tier Seven treasures.

Ye Xuan’s eyes narrowed. ’I was just about to forge a flying-type Spiritual Treasure. If I add the Broken Feather of a Lightning Eagle and this Blue Thunder Crystal, I could definitely increase its flight speed by more than fifty percent.’

’And it would have a paralyzing lightning attack.’

’This is definitely one of the materials I need most.’

Manager Feng You, the man with the hooked nose, was also secretly amazed when he saw the Blue Thunder Crystal. The value of such a piece was unparalleled, but its true worth depended on who was using it.

"You should be well aware of this Blue Thunder Crystal’s value, so I won’t say more. It’s more than enough to trade for your few bottles of Pills. In fact, I feel like I’m getting the short end of the stick. So, how about this: you give me one bottle of each Pill you listed on the notice board, along with that Fifth Grade Profound Treasure. Also, add one hundred mid-grade Profound Stones. Finally, just let me take a peek inside your Storage Ring, and I’ll pick a few things at random. That should about cover it."

Yin Jiu said nonchalantly, a flash of greed in his eyes.

In his view, anyone who could offer so many Fifth Grade Pills must have far more treasures on them.

Ye Xuan was so furious he almost laughed. The nerve of this guy. This wasn’t a trade; it was blatant extortion.

Even for a Blue Thunder Crystal, Ye Xuan had lost all interest in trading. His face fell, and he spat a single, cold word at Yin Jiu: "Scram."

The man was utterly shameless. Ye Xuan didn’t even have the slightest inclination to be polite with him anymore.

"You’re courting death..." Hearing Ye Xuan tell him to scram, Yin Jiu’s fury erupted. A killing intent as frigid as a bitter winter emanated from his entire body.

Every Martial Artist present could clearly feel the temperature in the hall plummet by more than ten degrees in an instant.

Before Yin Jiu could make a move, Feng You, who was standing nearby, spoke coldly. "What’s this, Yin Jiu? Are you planning to start a fight in my underground black market?"

Yin Jiu instantly calmed down. He knew he couldn’t possibly make a move here. The backing of the underground black market was far too powerful for him to offend.

"Good. Very good." Yin Jiu spat out the words, shot a cold glare at Ye Xuan, then turned and walked away. He sat down not far off, in a spot where he had a clear view of Ye Xuan.

Feng You of the underground black market gave Ye Xuan a meaningful look, then turned and left the hall without another word.

Ye Xuan acted as if nothing had happened at all. "Let’s go," he said to the cloaked person.

The few Martial Artists who had wanted to trade with Ye Xuan saw this and dispersed, none of them approaching him now.

Instead of returning to the Celestial Breath Tower, Ye Xuan followed the cloaked person out of the underground black market through one of its exits.

Seeing Ye Xuan leave, Yin Jiu abruptly stood up and silently followed him.

Witnessing this, many people in the hall shook their heads. They didn’t know where this kid came from, but he had openly provoked the Slaughter Venerable. Now, regardless of his background, his chances of survival seemed slim.

The Slaughter Venerable hadn’t given himself that nickname; he’d earned it after massacring an entire village in a fit of rage. His methods were so ruthless that he was someone most Martial Artists would never want to cross.

As Ye Xuan and the cloaked person walked down the street, the cloaked person suddenly whispered, "The Slaughter Venerable, Yin Jiu, is following us."

"Are you afraid of him?" Ye Xuan glanced nonchalantly at the cloaked person.

The cloaked person’s voice was grim. "The Slaughter Venerable, Yin Jiu, has a huge reputation around the black market. His personality is arrogant and untamable, and he’s offended many people. Plenty of them want him dead, yet he’s managed to live to this day. His strength is terrifying, and his methods are exceptionally cruel. No one who dies at his hands is left in one piece."

"He’s following us now because he definitely wants to kill us. We can’t shake him just by walking. We need to think of a plan," the cloaked person said, her tone heavy with concern.

"If you’re so scared, you should leave first," Ye Xuan said suddenly.

"What did you say?" The cloaked person could hardly believe her ears. Was Ye Xuan telling her to go on ahead?

Ye Xuan gave her a half-smile. "You heard me. Go back and get the Essence Soul Stone ready. I’ll come get it later. For now, let’s split up."

Without waiting for her reaction, Ye Xuan parted ways with the cloaked person and turned onto another street.

Yin Jiu, who was following behind, let out a cold smirk. He ignored the cloaked person and continued to tail Ye Xuan.

The cloaked person was completely stunned by this. She never expected Ye Xuan to not follow her. ’After splitting up like this, can he really find me again?’ She found it hard to believe.