CHAPTER 148: CHAPTER 146 DESPAIRING HOPE! BIZARRE DEMONS REAPPEAR_1

"The only good thing about being a guard is the Evil Warding Talisman."

A few guards at the Great Wilderness Market gathered, holding their newly acquired Evil Warding Talismans, smiles on their faces.

Evil Warding Talismans were pricey, each selling for over one hundred Spirit Stones.

Guards received one Evil Warding Talisman and cultivation resources each night, which was why they were willing to risk standing guard.

Becoming a guard wasn’t easy; it required competing with other Loose Cultivators.

This was one of the few chances for lower-class Loose Cultivators to strike it rich.

"What’s that noise?"

Intense vibrations traveled from afar, resembling an earthquake. The shaking grew closer, the billowing dust clouds barely concealing the figures of Magical Beasts charging both over land and through the sky towards the Market.

A casual glance revealed countless Magical Beasts, their numbers stretching beyond sight. They included both First-Order Monsters and Second-Order Monsters.

Many were predators in their food chain, but they ran past easy prey at their side without a second glance, fleeing desperately towards the distance. It was as though some terrifying entity was driving the Magical Beasts straight to the Market.

Any Magical Beast lagging behind was trampled into pulp by the ones following. They dared not stop, transforming into a relentless stampede of Magical Beasts.

"Beast tide!"

Fierce bursts of flame exploded in the sky as Sound Transmission Talismans, resembling streaks of light, fanned out in all directions.

The darkness within the Market was gradually dispelled by light as Cultivators wielding Magic Artifacts arrived, then fled even more swiftly.

"So many Magical Beasts! Run!"

"The beast tide is coming!"

"We can’t hold them back!"

Facing a hundred or so Magical Beasts, Cultivators could use the terrain to their advantage and fend them off with Talismans and Magic Artifacts.

Once the number of Magical Beasts exceeded a thousand—even if they were all First-Order Monsters—the Market couldn’t withstand them.

Furthermore, among the rampaging Magical Beasts, there was a significant number of Second-Order Monsters.

What could possibly hold them back?! Impossible!

The rampaging Magical Beasts broke through the Market, charging and crushing everything in their path.

"The Market is going to be destroyed..."

The Market Master traveled on his sword, standing high above, gazing down at the rampaging Magical Beasts. Even as a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, he felt utterly helpless against the beast tide. The painstakingly maintained Market and the recently established order crumbled at this moment.

Lucky to have survived this time? And what of the next? They were but playthings of the Black Blood Bizarre, their deaths a foregone conclusion. No, there was still hope.

"Notify the Artifact Refinement Department to evacuate."

The Cloud-Surpassing Flying Boat is the only hope of escape from the Great Wilderness; it must be securely defended at all costs.

"Not good! The beast tide is heading for the Artifact Refinement Department..."

"This can’t be the target of the beast tide, can it?!"

The Market Master was shocked by his own daring assumption, his face filled with disbelief. The Cloud-Surpassing Flying Boat had just been successfully tested. That very night, a fierce beast tide arrived, and its target was the most crucial Cave. Too many coincidences spelled inevitability! The Black Blood Bizarre has always been watching the Great Wilderness. Once it detected the possibility of humans escaping, it would surely destroy any variable and shatter the only remaining hope.

"Escape!"

The Cultivators in the Cave received the message, and the Artifact Refiners commandeered Flying Artifacts to flee.

Jia Ren, through the Parasitic Spirit Mark of a Spirit Insect, noticed the danger even before the Cultivators from the Artifact Refinement Department and was the first to fly high into the sky.

The sky hosted far fewer flying Magical Beasts than the ground, making it a suitable refuge. The flying Magical Beasts were focused only on desperate escape and had no intention of attacking, speeding off into the distance.

Thousands of Magical Beasts ran through the Market, leaving nothing but chaos in their wake. The Great Wilderness Market, which had stood for who knows how long, was trampled into fragments, leaving behind scars that could not be healed.

The beast tide claimed the lives of few Cultivators, mostly Low-Order Cultivators without the ability to fly.

"How’s the Cave?"

"We can’t afford to lose the Earth Fire; it’s vital to our ability to refine Flying Boat Magical Artifacts."

Most Artifact Refiners relied on Earth Fire for Artifact Refining. Sunfire Wood could at best refine Low-Quality Magical Artifacts, and refining Medium-grade Magic Tools was exceedingly difficult. More importantly, both the speed and quality achieved with it were subpar.

Refining the Cloud-Surpassing Flying Boat with Sunfire Wood simply wouldn’t work. This also meant that the Cloud-Surpassing Flying Boat could not be refined.

At the location of the Cave, dozens of Magical Beasts lingered; they did not follow the retreating herds and leave.

Seeing the Cultivators arrive, they showed no response, like puppets.

"Slash them!"

Before the Cultivators could act, the dozens of Magical Beasts swelled up and exploded, bursting into a mass of Black Blood that surged in every direction.

An Artifact Refiner, caught unawares, was splattered with the Black Blood. The blood, as if alive, burrowed into the Artifact Refiner’s body.

This person was clearly wealthy; multiple Evil Warding Talismans ignited, more than a dozen red halos keeping the Black Blood at bay.

"Get away!"

The Cultivators’ faces blanched as they hastily retreated, flying toward the sky. The Black Blood remained in place, squirming as if alive.

The feared scenario—the Black Blood penetrating deep into the Great Wilderness—had not occurred. Instead, it occupied the Earth Fire area within the Cave, seemingly making itself at home.

"Just as I suspected! It’s after the Artifact Refinement Department and the Earth Fire!"

Standing high above, the Market Master gazed at the Black Blood occupying the Earth Fire Cave, his expression grim. What had been suspicion was now confirmed. Every move of the Cultivators is under the control of the Black Blood Bizarre; it won’t tolerate any attempts to escape its trap. It destroyed the Earth Fire Cave, solving the problem of crossing the Great Wilderness at its source.

The Market Master’s face turned ugly as he sensed the Black Blood Bizarre’s deep malice. At that moment, a sense of despair inevitably rose in his heart.

Cleaning up this Black Blood would consume tens of thousands of Evil Warding Talismans, at a minimum... And even if we spent that much, with the Cultivators under the Black Blood Bizarre’s watchful eye, it would be futile. The same thing would just happen again.

"Without Earth Fire, can you refine a Cloud-Surpassing Flying Boat?"

At that moment, all the Artifact Refiners fell silent, no one responding.

High-quality Magic Artifacts require superior refining materials; Sunfire Wood couldn’t even melt some of the tougher ones, let alone others.

Without Earth Fire, it would be impossible to refine Medium-grade Magic Tools or higher.

"Aside from Earth Fire, aren’t there also Demon Fire Refinement and the Water Refinement Method for Artifact Refining? Who among you has mastered Demon Fire Refinement or the Water Refinement Method?"

Earthfire Artifact Refining was the most popular Refining Technique, but other niche methods also existed, such as Demon Fire Refinement, True Fire Refinement, and the Water Refinement Method.

Demon Fire Refinement involved taming Magical Beasts with special Demon Fire, which was then used for Artifact Refining.

True Fire Refinement demands a higher Cultivation Level; only after reaching the Foundation Establishment Stage does one possess Innate True Fire, allowing Foundation Establishment Cultivators to use it for both Artifact Refining and Alchemy.

These methods weren’t as universally applicable or efficient as Earthfire Artifact Refining.

Jia Ren did not respond. Revealing my mastery of the Water Refinement Method would bring endless trouble. The Cloud-Surpassing Flying Boat just completed its test flight, and this very evening, we encountered a Magical Beast tide. Now, Black Blood lingers stubbornly in the Earth Fire chamber... The answer is clear. I don’t want to become the ’special focus’ of the Black Blood Bizarre.

"Damn this Black Blood Bizarre!"

Despair was evident on many faces. They had just glimpsed hope, only to be dealt a fatal blow moments later.

They were all being toyed with by the Black Blood Bizarre, played like puppets. The swift change from hope to despair birthed the flowers of fear that the Black Blood Bizarre favored most.

No one wanted to stay close to the cursed Black Blood, instinctively keeping their distance.

"Daoist Shi, would you consider collaborating with the Tongfa Shop?"

The Steward of the Tongfa Shop approached him, followed by two Artifact Refiners loyal to the Tongfa association and a woman with a familiar face: Liu Mingyan.

Jia Ren remembered her clearly. She was the first woman in the Cultivation World I’d ’considered a match’ for. I never forgot the disdainful way she looked at me for lacking ambition. She’s still alive? She’s accompanied by an Artifact Refiner; their relationship must be significant.

The Steward continued, "The Tongfa Shop still has a small amount of Fierce Yang Wood, which is even more effective than Sunfire Wood. If we join forces to construct a Flying Boat, how does that sound? The Tongfa Shop is willing to offer you two spots to leave."

Fierce Yang Wood? This is a precious type of spiritual wood. It can be used as refining material or, like Sunfire Wood, for Artifact Refining and Alchemy. The latter is too extravagant; no one would normally do such a thing. But now, the major shops have no choice.

Leading figures from other shops also approached Jia Ren with similar offers, each more generous than the last.

"No need. Thank you for your kind offers," Jia Ren replied.

"Is he an Artifact Refiner?" Liu Mingyan asked the man beside her incredulously as Jia Ren departed.

Could Shi Bai be unaware of how precious a spot to leave the Market is? The Medium-grade Artifact Refiner I found is very talented, and the association values him highly, yet he only secured one ticket. I’m still trying to get another spot for myself. Shi Bai was not only approached by numerous shops but also declined two precious tickets! He’s such a fool!

The man beside her replied, "Daoist Shi is the most talented High-grade Artifact Refiner I have ever seen. Without him, these tickets are worthless."

Without him, the tickets are worthless?! That’s the highest praise an Artifact Refiner can receive!

Liu Mingyan stared at Jia Ren’s departing figure for a long time, unable to snap back to reality. She put on a façade of indifference, trying to convince herself she hadn’t made the wrong choice. But she couldn’t deceive herself; her heart felt as if it were being gnawed by thousands of serpents, an unbearable agony. What exactly did I miss out on...

The alleyway known as Black Street was relatively isolated and had not been affected by the beast tide, remaining intact. Many surviving Cultivators moved to Black Street or to Heavenly Arts Lane on the other end; the ruins in between made the Market seem split into two different worlds.

It’s time to discard the Shi Bai identity. Shops and other Cultivators will inevitably seek my assistance, causing endless trouble. I’ve already obtained what I wanted from the Artifact Refinement Department; there’s no need for further hassles.

"Master Zhang, please convert my Market contribution points into the Medium-grade Magic Tool Yunling Miasma and the Icy Fog Veil. I have great need of them."

I can’t refine enough Defense Artifacts in a short time, so I need a backup plan. I would never exchange the Thick Earth Seal and Flowing Gold Sand, but the combination of Yunling Miasma and Icy Fog Veil is a good alternative.

Jia Ren found a place to settle not far from Talisman Master Zhang. After setting up his Formation, he used Spirit Insects as his eyes.

He took out the materials for refining the Flying Boat, which had already been purified with Earth Fire. During the chaos of the beast tide, I conveniently brought them back. I’ll just use these to settle my account for the Market contribution points I’m forfeiting.

It’s also time to craft a Cloud-Surpassing Flying Boat for myself.

Jia Ren closed his eyes and concentrated, channeling the Triple Profound Primal Heavy Water to swiftly envelop the materials, slowly fusing them.

Compared to Earthfire Artifact Refining, the Water Refinement Method was more delicate; he meticulously controlled the fusion of materials, shaping the basic hull of the Boat.

The refining process was slower than Earthfire Artifact Refining; it took three days just to form the prototype hull. Engraving the Inscriptions was relatively easier.

Jia Ren was unaware that after his disappearance, the Market Master had dispatched numerous Cultivators to search for him, all to no avail.

Has he been killed?

「Later that night...」

The night was deep and unusually peaceful, with no Magical Beasts in sight.

The night guards thought they might enjoy a rare night of tranquility, unaware that a woman in a white dress, with gaping holes where her eyes should have been, had silently appeared in the Market.

If Jia Ren had been there, he would have recognized the white-dressed woman as the Bizarre Demon lured by the Gathering Bizarre Red Candle.