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Chapter 56: ..........
Meng Zhang continued to move forward in the dark passage, unaffected, while checking the two items in his hand. The mask could conceal his appearance, and the cloak could hide his figure. Both items had no traps but contained some restrictions serving two purposes.
Firstly, when worn, they obscured his entire body, making it difficult for others to see his appearance and figure, essentially solidifying a small obscuring spell. Secondly, they provided some blocking effect against Divine Consciousness for cultivators in the Foundation Building stage.
In the Cultivation World, cultivators in the Foundation Building stage could possess Divine Consciousness, a special ability for exploration distinct from the commonly used five senses.
The function of these two items was to protect the privacy of the black market traders and prevent their identities from being exposed. Meng Zhang admired this practice of the black market.
The passage twisted and turned, and it was quite long, descending deep into the ground with no knowledge of its final destination. Meng Zhang walked at a steady pace until he reached the exit.
Meng Zhang first put on the mask and the cloak before stepping out of the passage. A dazzling bright light greeted his eyes, and the surroundings were vast, almost like a wide well with a broad opening at the top.
The bottom of the well had multiple entrances and exits, and the one he had taken to enter was just one of them. In front was a high platform with a large table. At the back and on both sides, the space was divided into several layers, each containing numerous small compartments like tiny cells.
Meng Zhang had just stepped out of the passage when maidservants came forward to guide him. They ascended the steps and led him into an empty cell.
After explaining the precautions for the transaction, the maidservants closed the room's door, leaving Meng Zhang alone inside the dark cell. The small space had only a chair placed within it.
Sitting on the chair, Meng Zhang absentmindedly opened the window in front of him. The glaring light immediately poured in, and through the small window, he could clearly see the high platform in front.
Beside the chair was a slender black token, resembling a brush, with the number 185 written on it.
Meng Zhang sat on the chair, carefully observing his surroundings. At the bottom entrance, new cultivators continuously arrived, being led to different small rooms.
Some imposing individuals, obviously in the Foundation Building stage, were taken to private compartments on the top floor.
Meng Zhang didn't have to wait too long before the trading session began. All the cultivators who came to trade had entered their respective rooms.
At this moment, a plump, white-haired old man stepped onto the high platform. Without any nonsense, he clapped his hands, and countless streams of light immediately flew into the various rooms.
Meng Zhang saw one of these streams pass through his window and enter the room, transforming into a scroll floating in front of him.
As the maidservant had instructed, Meng Zhang raised the black token in his hand and lightly tapped the scroll.
The long scroll immediately unfurled, revealing a light screen with neatly arranged columns of text. These texts were the catalog of goods for sale in the black market.
Meng Zhang gently waved the token in his hand, causing the catalog to scroll down, displaying more items.
The black market indeed lived up to its name, as the first items listed were various male and female Furnace Cauldrons.
In the area controlled by Flying Swan Sect, trading with mortals was a taboo, let alone dealing with other cultivators. Cultivating cultivators into Furnace Cauldrons for sale was strictly forbidden.
Once discovered, such acts would be severely punished. Meng Zhang lightly touched the text on the catalog with his token, causing the light screen to fluctuate and immediately display corresponding images of the cauldrons.
The images of the cauldrons were remarkably clear, almost lifelike, with even the slightest expressions on their faces recorded, making the images vivid and not like lifeless objects.
Below the images, rows of text flashed, providing detailed information on the age, physical characteristics, cultivation techniques, and more for each cauldron.
For cultivators practicing unorthodox techniques,these Furnace Cauldrons were precious treasures. However, Meng Zhang felt a surge of disgust.
While unorthodox, some cultivators from righteous sects secretly practiced it. Though Taiyi Sect was a declining sect, it still upheld strict moral standards and prohibited its disciples from engaging in sinful unorthodox practices.
"These are just pitiful people," Meng Zhang sighed as he looked at the images of the cauldrons.
While he had purchased mortals before, he treated them as his subjects to replenish the population of Sweetwater Oasis. However, he loathed the act of viewing cultivators as commodities to be harvested and harmed.
Unfortunately, as a mid-stage Refining Qi cultivator, he had enough trouble on his plate and couldn't change the current situation. All he could do was protect himself while he was poor and remain virtuous.
Skipping the section about the cauldrons, he continued to browse the catalog.
The black market offered a wide range of items, including magic tools, pills, and talismans, covering almost everything. However, all the items sold in the black market were more or less shady in origin.
Meng Zhang found the section for magic tools, and there were many Ghost Path magic tools available. For instance, magic tools like the Hundred Souls Banner required the extraction of the souls of a hundred mortals during the refining process, fusing them into the magic tool. Such cruel methods were strictly prohibited by many sects in the Cultivation World.
There was also the Soul Attraction Banner, which forcefully extracted the souls of cultivators and enslaved them on the banner. Enslaving the soul of a cultivator was another heinous act.
Most of the Ghost Path magic tools were insidious and related to ghosts. Because of their powerful and peculiar abilities, some cultivators in the Cultivation World secretly kept a few for unexpected needs.
After briefly scanning the section on magic tools, Meng Zhang found that selling Ghost Path magic tools was considered the most taboo.
Despite being a black market, there were certain limits, and they didn't openly sell magic tools of the demonic path. Of course, while it was a public place, if they dared to openly sell demonic path magic tools, it might attract powerful individuals to eradicate the demonic path.
As for whether the black market would sell demonic path magic tools secretly, that remained unknown.
Among the numerous magic tools on sale, there were naturally normal magic tools, occupying most of the space in the magic tool catalog. However, these normal magic tools had some problems in terms of their origins.
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