Chapter 150: Chapter 12 No One Understands Sword Casting Better Than Me
 

The two traversed the layered Taihang Mountains and finally arrived at Mount Cloud Platform.

Here, within Taihang Mountain, was the largest “Cloud Platform Market,” a place for internal trading for the Mortal Life Path as well as a free market for loose cultivators from outside.

Before they officially entered the market, Jiang Liyan magically produced two masks, handing over the dog-faced one to Wei Dongliu.

“Do we have to wear masks to enter the Mount Wutai Market?” Wei Dongliu took the mask and asked hesitantly.

“Not necessarily,” replied Jiang the Witch straightforwardly. “Unless you don’t mind being chased down for assassination after leaving the market…”

Before she finished speaking, Wei Dongliu sighed and put on the dog-faced mask.

Jiang Liyan also put on her cat-faced mask, then led him into the market.

As soon as Wei Dongliu stepped into the market, surprise filled his gaze.

What a wildly demonic spectacle!

He saw that almost everyone in the market was dressed in dark, long robes. Those with black robes wore black, and those without wore grey or brown, their faces also hidden behind a variety of masks, making them look like smuggling operatives.

No wonder Jiang the Witch suggested I wear a mask. If I were to go in there with my bare face, I would immediately become the center of everyone’s attention.

Although in fact, this face also wore the invisible mask of Mirror Flower Water Moon…

“What do you plan to buy?” asked Jiang Liyan, turning her head.

The clear and coquettish voice, coupled with a cute cat-head mask, completely belied any trace of a witch’s demeanor.

“Let’s start with some Flying Swords and Magical Treasures,” answered Wei Dongliu.

The supply of resources in the sect was primarily procured by Luo Yan from Penglai Yuqing View.

However, as a righteous sect, whether it was Flying Swords or Magical Treasures, Yuqing View produced them bright and righteous, without any trace of Demonic Qi in their insidious Magic Artifacts.

Wei Dongliu’s talent was the “Chaotic Demon Body,” which allowed him to harness Demonic Qi to drive Daoist Magic, Flying Swords, and Magical Treasures, granting an enhancement due to his unique physique; thus, his corresponding Magic Artifacts naturally had to be switched to the “Demonic Qi model.”

“If you want Magic Artifacts, then we have to look for Smokey Old Ghost,” Jiang Liyan mused, her chin propped up by her finger.

“Smokey Old Ghost?” Wei Dongliu asked, puzzled.

“Yeah, he’s a senior who uses smoky Magical Treasures to conceal his form. You’ll know him when you see him,” Jiang Liyan explained as she led him through twists and turns, finally finding a stall in a corner of the market.

At the stall, there was just a long table with a variety of Flying Swords and Magical Treasures on it, gleaming primarily in black and purple with tinges of grey and brown, radiating intense Ghost Qi and a sinister aura, clearly all insidious in nature.

But standing behind the table, was an incredibly dense cloud of smoke, completely obscuring whoever was within.

“Smokey Old Ghost,” Jiang the Witch greeted him nonchalantly, “You’ve set up your stall today, huh? Where’s your wife from last time?”

“Heh heh heh,” the smoke emitted a raspy, grating laugh, like the sound of something scraping on sandpaper. “That old lady of mine has already been killed. Little Witch, if you want to take her place, now’s your chance.”

“Who would be interested in an old guy like you!” Jiang Liyan scoffed with a sneer, dismissing him. “Wasn’t that lady of yours quite obedient? How did she not manage to last even a month?”

“She made me dumplings in the morning and without even asking, she put coriander in them!” the smoke grumbled incessantly. “Such a stinky thing, how could an old man like me possibly stomach it!”

“So I had to kill her with a palm strike, then placed her head in my cave dwelling. That way, the next woman I find knows to ask for my opinion when she’s cooking… What, the one beside you, is she your new sweetheart?”

“Don’t talk nonsense, or the Heavenly Demon Path might snatch you and wring your tongue!” Jiang Liyan picked up a magical treasure, examined it closely for a moment, then turned to Wei Dongliu and said, “This Smoky Old Ghost is one of the best Artifact Refiners in the Taihang Mountains; everything he sells is of high grade, it’s just a bit pricey.”

“Of course, the only thing I have to show off is my Artifact Forging skill,” boasted Smoky Old Ghost, “I charge ten percent more than the market rate in spirit stones, fair and square, no bargaining.”

Wei Dongliu picked up a Flying Sword from the table and looked it over back and forth before asking,

“A Ninth Rank Flying Sword made from Ghost Vine Wood? The craftsmanship is indeed exquisite, but why was Corrosion Water added?”

“Without Corrosion Water, how can the Yin Soul within be purified?” Smoky Old Ghost scoffed disdainfully, “The stench of decay permeates it, lingering for a long time; can you stand it?”

“Then why did you use the blood and flesh of children to nurture the Ghost Vine Wood?” Wei Dongliu shook his head, “Mortal flesh, although rich in murky energy, is inevitably impure.”

“Even if you pick young children who have consumed little grain, it cannot possibly be pure.”

“Don’t spout nonsense!” Smoky Old Ghost suddenly roared in irritation, “If not the blood and flesh of children, then what? Infant blood and flesh aren’t enough for sword casting by volume, and using more infants would make it even more impure…”

“Why fixate on mortal flesh and blood?” Wei Dongliu sighed, “Haven’t you heard of Nether Yin Soul Stones?”

“Nether…” Smoky Old Ghost had only uttered two words before the rest got stuck in his throat.

Who didn’t know that Nether Yin Soul Stones were more suitable for sword casting than mortal flesh? But that item only grew in places heavy with ghost qi like Mass Burial Mounds or deep under the ground of ancient battlefields, which weren’t easy to find at all.

“Hmm, to think you know about Nether Yin Soul Stones; I underestimated you,” Smoky Old Ghost thought hard to himself, then finally said, “I get it; you’re implying you’re an expert too, telling me not to try to fool you with these inferior goods on the table, right?”

Jiang Liyan: ???

For a moment, the expression beneath her mask was extremely vivid. Her previous words of praise for Smoky Old Ghost still hung in the air, yet now it felt as though she was being harshly slapped.

Wei Dongliu remained noncommittal, just continued after hearing the notification that his Synchronization Value had increased:

“After the devastation of the Chanjiao, the art of Ancient Artifact Forging was lost as well. How good can a Ninth Rank magical treasure Flying Sword really be? If you can’t produce a Tenth Rank magic artifact, then let’s not waste our time here.”

“Such audacity in the youth, daring indeed!” Smoky Old Ghost laughed heartily and then suddenly waved his smoky arm, clearing everything from the table, “What exactly do you want? A magical treasure, or a Flying Sword?”

“Bring out an Eleventh Rank Immortal Sword first,” Wei Dongliu stated gravely.

A sword suddenly flew out of the smoke and clattered onto the table.

“Myriad Demons Evil Spirit Sword,” Smoky Old Ghost said sinisterly, “This sword is forged from Netherworld Yin Iron, washed with Netherworld water for forty-nine days, possessing the might to snatch souls and control minds. Does it meet your requirements?”

“Myriad Demons Evil Spirit Sword?” Jiang Liyan suddenly spoke up in reminder, “Isn’t that the Eleventh Rank Immortal Sword that Nether Ghost Path has been seeking for years?”

“Indeed, that’s the one,” Smoky Old Ghost snorted, “If it weren’t for the fear of using this sword outside and having those mad dogs of the Nether Ghost Path come knocking, why would I even consider selling it here?”

“Wei friend,” Jiang the Witch chuckled coldly several times, her voice ethereal, “The sword’s features are all too prevalent. Every strike brings a wail of a hundred ghosts; it simply cannot be concealed.”

“If you buy this sword, unless you keep it boxed up and unused, sooner or later word will reach the ears of the Nether Ghost Path…”

“I’ll take it!” Wei Dongliu declared resolutely.