The profound silence of the dense forest shrouded in thick fog was shattered in a single instant.
The intense heat radiating from the Ice-Qi bursting from Railin's hands caused the moisture in the air to freeze and drop like shimmering crystals. A flash of intense uncertainty flickered across the eyes of the three assassins standing before him. Yet, they were seasoned killers; lured by Elder Guan's promise of massive spiritual stones and hefty rewards, they had no intention of backing down.
"Arrogance doesn't suit a brat like you!" the middle assassin roared from behind his cloth mask. "No matter how much of a genius you are, you're still stuck at the Ninth Stage of the Qi Condensation Realm! And all three of us are half a step into Foundation Establishment! Kill him!"
They lunged forward simultaneously from three different directions.
The assassin on the right channeled a dark, toxic Qi into his short blade. A foul, rotting stench emanated from the tip of the blade; even a slight graze against the skin would cause blood to instantly coagulate. The one on the left executed a backflip onto a tree branch, hurling a dozen invisible iron needles targeting Railin's vital points. Meanwhile, the middle assassin charged straight ahead, unleashing a deadly downward slash with his heavy sword!
This was no ordinary fight; it was a well-coordinated combined attack. Any ordinary Ninth Stage cultivator facing this onslaught would have been sliced to pieces in a fraction of a second.
However, Railin was far from ordinary.
His pupils flared for a moment with dual blue and red light. The chaotic Ice and Fire core revolving deep within his body began spinning at a furious speed.
"Ice-Fire Phantom Steps!"
Though Railin's physical body stood completely still in one spot, three blurred phantoms materialized behind him.
Clang!
The middle assassin's heavy sword smashed into the ground, gouging out a massive crater—but Railin wasn't there! The needles thrown from the left merely pierced empty air, and the toxic blade on the right only managed to slice a tiny thread of fabric from Railin's black robe.
"What?! He disappeared?!" the assassin perched on the tree branch gasped, darting his eyes around in panic.
"Who are you looking for?"
A voice as cold as ice echoed directly behind him. The skin on the assassin's back crawled with terror. Before he could turn around and swing his short blade, he felt a strange, terrifying mixture of blistering heat and freezing cold pierce straight through his chest.
Railin slammed his right palm squarely into the center of the assassin's chest. Streams of blue icy light and red flames simultaneously erupted from his palm!
"Dual Elemental Core Palm!"
Pop!
There was no deafening explosion—just the dull sound of rotting wood snapping in half. The assassin's pupils dilated and froze. Every single meridian and his heart within his chest were simultaneously frozen solid and burned to ash! His lifeless body slipped off the tree branch, dropping limply to the ground.
"That's two," Railin said calmly as he stepped off the tree trunk and landed lightly on the ground with a soft breeze.
The remaining two assassins froze in horror. Their comrade had been eliminated in a single breath, and they hadn't even been able to track his speed! A chilling wave of fear coursed down their spines.
"This boy... he's a monster!" the middle assassin stammered in a shaking voice. "We can't fight him head-on! Use the Snake Toxin Fog!"
The assassin on the right pulled two small black spheres from his pouch and smashed them onto the ground. In a flash, the entire forest was swallowed by a thick, green toxic fog. Not only did this fog blind the vision, but if any cultivator inhaled it, their lungs would melt away within seconds.
"Haha! Inside this toxic fog, your eyes and ears are completely useless!" the assassin's voice echoed mockingly from all directions within the mist. "You're blind now, Railin! We're taking your head back to Elder Guan today!"
Standing amidst the dense green fog, Railin closed his eyes.
When visual sight fails, a truly powerful cultivator relies entirely upon their Spiritual Sense. Railin cleared his mind. The Ice-Fire Qi circulating through his meridians diffused into the surrounding air like mist.
Every vibration in the air, the slight rustling of forest leaves, and the pressure of footsteps upon the grass mapped themselves out with absolute clarity inside his mind.
"Fifteen paces to the left... one behind the tree on the right..." Railin calculated internally.
"Found you!"
The assassin on the right burst out from the cover of the mist, slicing his blade directly toward Railin's neck. He assumed Railin was completely blinded and disoriented.
Yet, a mere inch before the blade could touch his throat, Railin didn't even open his eyes—he simply thrust his left hand forward with absolute precision.
Catch!
Railin bare-handedly grabbed the assassin's toxic blade! An invisible armor of ice had formed over his palm, preventing the venomous blade from touching his skin.
"How... how is this possible?!" the assassin shrieked in disbelief.
"Your speed is far too slow," Railin chuckled lightly.
With a swift twist of his left hand, he shattered the blade into pieces, while his right-hand fingers flicked forward, striking the exact forehead pressure point of the assassin.
"Ice Spire Finger!"
A piercing, needle-like spike of ice pierced straight through the assassin's skull. He collapsed to the ground before he even had a chance to scream.
Now, only the leader of the assassins remained.
He had watched the fall of his two comrades from the shadows of the fog. Cold sweat began beading on his forehead. Elder Guan had told him this job would be easy—that killing a mere outer disciple would be child's play. But now he realized this boy was a ferocious wolf disguised in sheep's skin!
"I... I won't die here!"
The assassin leader lost all courage to fight. He spun around, poured every ounce of his energy into his legs, and bolted deeper into the forest. He was trying to run away!
Railin opened his eyes and stood straight. Not a shred of mercy lingered in his gaze. There was no question of sparing an enemy who had come to take his life. With one hand, he drew the familiar Spirit-Forging longsword hanging at his back.
The moment the sword cleared the scabbard, dual strands of Ice-Fire Qi coiled around the blade, vibrating with destructive power.
"First Form of Mystic Crescent: Frost Fire Slash!"
Railin swung the sword horizontally in an arc through the air.
Whoosh!
A massive crescent-shaped wave of crystal-white and red energy surged forward, cleaving through the forest. Every tree, boulder, and patch of toxic fog in its path was sliced in two and instantly reduced to frozen ash by the wave's impact!
Before the fleeing assassin leader could realize what was happening, he saw his body severing cleanly at the waist. Both halves dropped to the ground, yet not a single drop of blood spilled—the combination of ice and fire had instantly cauterized the wounds!
The mountainous forest fell silent once more.
Railin slowly sheathed his sword. He walked over to the bodies of the three assassins. In the cultivation world, an unwritten rule reigned supreme—looting the battlefield after defeating an enemy.
He searched through their pockets and storage pouches.
"Not bad," Railin muttered.
Inside the pouches, he found nearly five hundred low-grade spiritual stones, some standard healing pills, and a specialized scroll.
Railin unrolled the scroll to inspect it. It contained a map bearing Elder Guan's personal seal, marking out Railin's probable travel routes.
"Elder Guan... you really are investing a handsome amount of resources on me," Railin smiled faintly. "Though these lackeys of yours just made my journey to the black market a bit more prosperous."
He transferred all the spiritual stones and useful items into his own inner space pouch. Then, flicking a trace of fire-qi onto the assassins' corpses, he reduced them to ashes so no evidence remained.
The Border of Desolation
Crossing the dense jungle, Railin finally arrived at The Border of Desolation.
This region belonged to no sect or empire; it was a true no-man's-land. The landscape was defined by dry, reddish soil and jagged black stone mountains. The clouds overhead bore a blood-red hue. A constant, howling wind whistled through the canyon, sounding eerily like the cries of a thousand wailing souls.
Cutting straight through the heart of this desolate border was a hidden gorge. At the mouth of that gorge sat a massive cave known as The Blood-Mist Cavern.
This cave was the sole hidden entrance to The Dark Black Market.
Railin walked steadily toward the mouth of the cave. Four massive guards stood stationed outside. Each wore spiked reinforced leather armor and wielded a heavy battle axe. The powerful, savage aura radiating from them clearly signaled that they were cultivators well-accustomed to bloody, ruthless combat.
"Halt!" One of the guards thrust his massive axe horizontally across Railin's path. His eyes burned red like a wild beast's. "Don't you know the rules of the black market? Without a pass token or a valid sponsor, no one gets in!"
Railin remained completely unfazed. He reached into his pouch and pulled out the small crystal token gifted by Peak Master Bing Lian.
Carved upon the token was the image of an ice dragon, radiating a faint, soothing blue glow.
The moment the guard laid eyes on that token, his fierce, arrogant expression vanished completely! Extreme terror and profound respect flooded his features. He hurriedly withdrew his axe and bowed deeply at nearly a ninety-degree angle.
"Peak... Peak Master Bing Lian's personal glacial token?!" The guard's voice trembled uncontrollably. "Plea-please enter, honored guest! We didn't realize you were a special guest of Ice Mystic Peak!"
Railin nodded calmly, slipping the token back into his pouch. He realized just how influential Bing Lian's power and name were—not only within the Sect, but even out here in the lawless underworld of the black market!
"What are the rules for entering?" Railin asked.
"Respected guest, everyone conceals their identity in the black market," the guard quickly retrieved a specialized black phantom mask and a dark robe from his waist. "Wearing this mask will conceal both your facial features and the spiritual Qi aura of your body. No one will be able to sense your true cultivation level or identity."
Railin took the mask. It was crafted from a special grade of soul-stone. He placed the mask over his face and draped the new black robe over his shoulders.
In an instant, all his facial features were completely obscured. Anyone looking at him now would see nothing more than a mysterious, shadowy figure whose Qi level was rendered entirely invisible.
"Thank you," Railin answered briefly, stepping into the dark tunnel leading inside the cave.
The tunnel was quite long and sloped downwards. Rows of red spiritual fire lanterns flickered along the stone walls on either side.
After walking for nearly ten minutes, a massive stone door appeared at the end of the tunnel. Passing through the door opened up an entirely different world before Railin's eyes!
It was a massive underground city!
Situated hundreds of feet beneath the earth, this sprawling city bustled with thousands of people. Hundreds of shops, auction houses, gambling dens, and clandestine trading posts lined the streets. Yet, the atmosphere of this city was suffocatingly heavy and toxic; the scents of greed, violence, and death hung thick in the air.
Anyone here could stab another in the back and rob their belongings if the opportunity arose. Only one rule governed this place—The Law of the Jungle! (Might makes right).
Railin stepped into the middle of the sprawling plaza, casting his gaze across the surrounding shops. Various stalls sold rare pills, forbidden ancient scrolls, monstrous beast parts, and venomous weapons.
"Master Bing Lian and Ruo Shu mentioned that Ruo Shu would arrange a covert contact for me here..." Railin thought to himself.
Right at that moment, a small, shadowy figure darted through the crowd with extreme agility, approaching Railin directly.
It was a young girl wearing slightly tattered clothes, but her eyes were exceptionally sharp and clever. She stepped close beside Railin and whispered in a hushed tone:
"The wind of the ice dragon blows through the mountains, but its shadow falls upon the silken thread..."
This was the secret code! Ruo Shu had instructed him about this specific phrase before his departure.
Railin replied instantly in a low voice: "And that thread weaves straight into the market of the Dark Bazaar."
A flicker of relief crossed the girl's face. Glancing quickly around to ensure privacy, she murmured, "You've finally arrived! Elder sister Ruo Shu sent me. My name is Xiao An. I am an information broker operating within this black market."
Railin looked at the girl from behind his mask. "Where is Ruo Shu?"
"The elder sister couldn't come here directly due to the Sect's watchful eyes, but she gave me all the instructions," Xiao An whispered cleverly. "As for the two rare items you came for—'Spatial Forging Essence' and 'Ice-Prince Dragon Blood'—I've already got word on them."
Railin's pupils narrowed slightly. He asked in a grave tone, "Where can they be found?"
Xiao An cast another cautious glance around the surroundings before leading Railin into a secluded alleyway. She leaned in close:
"The first item—'Spatial Forging Essence'—is going up for auction tonight at The Crimson Pavilion Auction! It's an extremely rare material, so many major factions and powerful cultivators have their eyes on it. The price is going to be astronomical!"
"And the second item? The 'Ice-Prince Dragon Blood'?" Railin inquired.
Xiao An's expression turned slightly pale, a trace of genuine fear evident in her voice.
"The second item isn't being sold in any shop or auction," Xiao An whispered tremblingly. "It is in the hands of the most dangerous man in the black market—The Blood Claw Leader, Master Sha! He has hidden it away in his stronghold. He refuses to sell it to anyone because he plans to use it to achieve his own personal cultivation breakthrough!"
Railin listened quietly as all the information sank in. The situation was quite complex. Acquiring the 'Spatial Forging Essence' would require a massive fortune, while securing the 'Ice-Prince Dragon Blood' would mean a direct confrontation with a savage and powerful faction.
"How much time is left before the auction starts?" Railin asked.
"Only two hours," Xiao An replied. "But do you have enough spiritual stones? The starting bid for the Spatial Forging Essence alone will be at least ten thousand mid-grade spiritual stones!"
Railin glanced down at his pouch. He possessed only a modest amount of low-grade spiritual stones, making it utterly impossible to participate in the auction with those alone.
Yet, instead of panic, a confident smile tugged at the corners of Railin's lips.
"No need to worry about money," Railin said. "Is there a major trading shop or appraiser house in the black market where rare items can be sold for a profit?"
Xiao An looked at him in astonishment. "There is! The Shadow Treasure Hall is the largest trading house in this market. But what exactly are you planning to sell there?"
Railin retrieved a small glass vial from his inner space. Inside the vial glowed a swirling liquid of dual blue and red energy—his custom-formulated Dual Energy Catalyst Formula! It was a substance capable of doubling the success rate when refining high-tier medicinal pills.
"Let's go," Railin said. "We need to fatten our pockets before the auction begins."
Xiao An stared at Railin with wide, astonished eyes. She realized this mysterious young man was no ordinary cultivator; every step of his plan was meticulously calculated and exceptionally dangerous.
The two of them pushed through the bustling crowd toward The Shadow Treasure Hall. The true battle within the black market was only just beginning!
See you in next chapter....