Translator: Cinder Translations
As soon as the bull-headed cultivator left, Song Wen received another voice transmission.
"Friend, I have some information regarding the Corpse Demon Sect. I would like to trade it for your low-grade spiritual flying sword. Is that possible?"
"That depends on whether your information is worth a low-grade spiritual item," Song Wen replied.
A few breaths later, another cultivator approached Song Wen, this one wearing a sheep- headed mask.
The sheep-headed cultivator transmitted a message, "This is about the Corpse Demon Sect pursuing traitors of the sect."
Beneath the ghost mask, Song Wen's expression grew serious. He waved his hand, and the low-grade spiritual flying sword flew into the air, heading directly toward the sheep-headed cultivator.
Song Wen could not remember where he had obtained this low-grade flying sword.
The flying sword was similar to one he had purchased in the Corpse Demon Sect's marketplace. It was a standard type of flying sword and was among the least valuable spiritual items, with a market price of around four thousand spirit stones.
In terms of value, it was far inferior to the short spear he had obtained from Lei Tianyu.
Of course, the price of such a flying sword with an unknown origin would drop significantly in the ghost market.
The sheep-headed cultivator was slightly taken aback, clearly not expecting Song Wen to agree to the trade without hesitation.
After receiving the flying sword, the sheep-headed cultivator transmitted again.
"Several foundation-building cultivators from the Corpse Demon Sect have appeared in the territory of the Nine Palaces Sect, searching for traitors. Once found, they will be killed on the spot. It's rumored that over ten individuals suspected of being traitors have already been slain."
Upon hearing this, Song Wen's brows furrowed deeply.
He had anticipated that the Corpse Demon Sect would clean up their traitors, but he hadn't expected them to act so quickly.
However, it was not surprising that foundation-building cultivators from the Corpse Demon Sect appeared in the territory of the Nine Palaces Sect, which had allied itself with demonic forces.
If the Corpse Demon Sect wanted to venture into the territory of the righteous path to hunt down traitors, it wouldn't be that easy.
Still, it was better to prepare early. If the Corpse Demon Sect found him, it would spell trouble.
Song Wen waved his hand to gather the black cloth and its treasures, then turned to leave the trading fair.
With the Corpse Demon Sect starting to eliminate traitors, it indicated that they had regained their strength after the great war between righteous and evil factions, and it was only a matter of time before they sent people into the righteous territory to root out hidden traitors.
Hiding in East Huafang Marketplace was no longer safe.
He needed to find a place where cultivators from the Corpse Demon Sect couldn't easily infiltrate.
As Song Wen was flying through the air on his sword, the thought of joining the Beastmaster Sect suddenly flashed through his mind.
The Beastmaster Sect had the subsequent cultivation methods of the Eternal Life Technique, various pills for raising spirit beasts and insects, and demonic practitioners wouldn't dare to venture there...
Moreover, he could use his identity as an alchemist to join the Beastmaster Sect, learning various alchemical techniques, which would assist him in developing the Explosive Blood Pill.
With all these reasons combined, it seemed that joining the Beastmaster Sect was the best option for Song Wen at the moment.
However, joining such a large sect would mean that they would leave a trace of his soul's aura within the sect, primarily to monitor the life and death of disciples and to prevent them from defecting.
Having learned from the lesson of the Corpse Demon Sect, Song Wen was reluctant to leave his soul aura so easily.
A bright idea suddenly struck him.
He turned his sword's light around and returned to the ghost market.
Fortunately, the small trading fair had not yet concluded. Song Wen managed to exchange a mid-grade flying sword for the souls of two early foundation-building cultivators from another seller.
Leaving the ghost market, Song Wen traveled a thousand miles and found a secluded mountainside to begin soul searching.
The two souls he held came from a medium-sized cultivation sect called "Eastern Soup Valley" and the other was from a scattered cultivator.
After devouring the soul of the Eastern Soup Valley cultivator, Song Wen forcefully
suppressed the soul of the scattered cultivator using the black hole in his sea of consciousness, sealing it within.
Once this was done, Song Wen stood up and rode the sword light toward East Huafang Marketplace.
When he was several dozen miles away from the marketplace, he withdrew the sword light and switched to flying on a spirit boat.
As he flew into the marketplace, when he passed above the alley where he lived, he caught a glimpse of a tall, beautiful figure flashing through the dark alley.
The woman was still residing in the same courtyard as before, often appearing at night with mysterious movements.
Not wanting to attract trouble, Song Wen pretended not to notice Ji Ruxue, acting like a passerby as he flew over the alley. After she left, he turned the spirit boat around and landed
in his own courtyard.
The night passed without incident.
Song Wen disguised himself, transforming his appearance to that of a man in his thirties, though his face bore a hint of weariness that shouldn't belong to someone his age, and his cultivation was adjusted to early foundation-building.
He headed to a large hall in the central area of the marketplace.
This hall was the base for the law enforcement team of East Huafang Marketplace and also
served as a residence for the Beastmaster Sect in the marketplace.
As Song Wen approached the hall, he was stopped by a guard ten zhang away.
"Stop! This is the residence of the Beastmaster Sect. Unauthorized personnel keep your
The person speaking was a young cultivator at the eighth level of Qi Refinement.
Although Song Wen displayed a higher level of cultivation than him, the guard still did not
offer any polite demeanor and spoke with a very stern tone.
Song Wen remained unperturbed, cupping his hands in salute. "I am an alchemist. I heard that
the Beastmaster Sect is recruiting alchemists, so I came to give it a try."
The young cultivator's cold expression softened slightly at these words, his tone carrying a
"Senior, you are an alchemist! An intermediate-level alchemist?"
Song Wen shook his head, displaying a hint of bitterness on his face.
"To be honest, I've been in the foundation-building stage for several years, but I have yet to refine any intermediate-level pills. I have produced quite a few low-level pills, however."
Hearing this, the young cultivator showed no signs of disappointment; instead, he became even more enthusiastic.
"Please follow me, senior. I will take you to see Elder Wang."
Even for a large sect like the Beastmaster Sect, they were eager to recruit foundation-building
scattered cultivators. As long as they weren't ruthless killers, they would welcome them into
Moreover, with Song Wen's status as an alchemist, he was even more desirable.
Under the guidance of the young cultivator, Song Wen smoothly entered the hall, and soon
they arrived at a large chamber.
After waiting for a moment, a male cultivator in the late foundation-building stage appeared; he was the "Elder Wang" the young cultivator had mentioned.
After some pleasantries and introductions, Elder Wang, with a cheerful smile, turned the
conversation to the main topic.
"Friend Wu, I've heard from the sect's disciples that you are an alchemist who wishes to join
the Beastmaster Sect?"
During the earlier exchange, Song Wen had introduced himself as "Wu Sheng."
Song Wen wore a bitter expression.
"I have been a scattered cultivator for decades and know how difficult it is. Although I have
been in the foundation-building stage for several years, I have yet to obtain a single intermediate-level recipe. Hearing that the Beastmaster Sect is recruiting alchemists, I came
Elder Wang said, "With your cultivation and status as an alchemist, it's certainly no problem
for you to join the Beastmaster Sect. However, the sect conducts thorough checks on individuals with unknown backgrounds. May I ask where you have practiced before? Do you have any connections with any cultivation families or forces that can vouch for you?"
Song Wen replied, "When I was young, I devoted myself to cultivation, spending my time
either in closed-door training or refining pills to obtain resources. During this time, due to various reasons, I moved through several marketplaces. At this moment, it may be difficult for me to find someone to vouch for me."
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