Chapter 36: Skeleton Mountain Market

With his knowledge of Zhao Xuhe's past lives, Lu Yang quickly became acquainted with him, providing Zhao Xuhe with a long-lost sense of respect from an outsider.

To be honest, he hadn't felt this way in many years.

Ever since the price of the Substitute Yin Puppet collapsed and the mysterious disappearance of Dragon Scale Island—an event whose causality even his master, the Peak Master of Butian Peak, could not calculate—his life had become increasingly difficult.

First, his master grew increasingly disappointed in him; second, his cultivation had become stagnant. Even after ten full years, he remained stuck in the middle stage of Qi Refinement, unable to break through the bottleneck. If there was any silver lining, it was that seeing his continuous decline, his master had canceled his engagement with his junior sister.

The world is unpredictable, and human nature is fickle; Zhao Xuhe had tasted the full spectrum of both over these past ten years.

Therefore, when he heard that Lu Yang had exited the market just as the price of the Substitute Yin Puppet reached its peak and had subsequently achieved financial freedom, Zhao Xuhe's eyes turned red with envy.

"Sigh, Junior Brother, your Dao heart is steadfast and unswayed by wealth. Your future achievements will be limitless. It is just a pity that I did not possess such a Dao heart back then..."

"Senior Brother, you must not undervalue yourself."

Lu Yang comforted him in a low voice, "Fortune is not determined in a single moment. As long as you remain committed to the immortal path, what are these brief setbacks?"

"You are right."

Zhao Xuhe nodded, appearing slightly more uplifted, but then he gave Lu Yang a tentative glance, opened his mouth, and yet remained silent.

To Lu Yang, such behavior made his intentions crystal clear.

He wanted to borrow money.

Lu Yang smiled faintly. If Zhao Xuhe didn't speak, he wouldn't bring it up either; after all, if something is obtained too easily, one will not know how to cherish it.

Just then, a voice suddenly drifted from the flying vessel

"Skeleton Mountain has arrived!"

The Northern Territory, Skeleton Mountain.

Though called a mountain, it was actually a massive mountain range stretching hundreds of miles. Its peaks clustered together like waves, and every inch of land overflowed with spiritual energy.

There was a reason the Saint Sect had established a market here. Although it paled in comparison to the Sky-Reaching Cloud Sea, for secular rogue cultivators, Skeleton Mountain could be considered a treasure land. At the very center of the mountain range lay the White Bone Cave, where the Saint Sect's market was situated.

"The feng shui of this place is an extremely Yin location."

On the deck of the flying vessel, Lu Yang looked down at the ley lines of Skeleton Mountain with some surprise. "Any cultivator buried here would inevitably transform into a zombie within ten years..."

"Junior Brother has keen eyes."

A sudden glow appeared as Fairy Feixia stepped out, her celestial feathers fluttering. "That is why the Saint Sect sent us to garrison Skeleton Mountain and maintain the order of the market."

"As you said, due to the unique feng shui, a large-scale corpse tide occurs in Skeleton Mountain every thirty years. These zombies lack consciousness and only know how to devour the living. This is the risk of Skeleton Mountain, but it is also an opportunity; after all, these zombies are excellent materials for weapon forging."

After explaining, Fairy Feixia continued

"The market is protected by the 'Hundred Bones Return to Truth Array.' Of the four array eyes, Fellow Daoist Lu and Fellow Daoist Chen are responsible for two. As for the remaining two, Junior Brother and I will each take one."

"I shall follow your instructions, Senior Sister."

Fairy Feixia nodded upon hearing this, but then her brow furrowed slightly as she glanced at Zhao Xuhe, who stood beside Lu Yang with wide eyes and a face full of disbelief.

"What is it?" Lu Yang asked curiously. "Does Senior Sister know Senior Brother Zhao?"

"...I do not."

Fairy Feixia withdrew her gaze indifferently, no longer looking at Zhao Xuhe. Instead, she gave Lu Yang a gentle smile. "I shall have to rely on your care in the future, Junior Brother."

With that, she rode a streak of light and soared away.

Zhao Xuhe remained on the spot, his expression complex. He had clearly guessed that Lu Yang's strength was certainly not the mid-stage Qi Refinement he had sensed, given that he was stationed to guard the market.

"Senior Brother Zhao?"

At the sound of Lu Yang's voice, Zhao Xuhe froze.

A mixture of joy and misery appeared on his face. His lips moved, but no sound came out. Finally, his movements became respectful as he clearly called out

"My Lord."

Seeing this, Lu Yang could only sigh helplessly. "Senior Brother Zhao, I have official business to attend to. If you encounter any difficulties in the future, contact me anytime."

Having said that, he also departed via light.

Only Zhao Xuhe was left behind, his expression shifting unpredictably. His previous emotions were quickly suppressed, replaced by a look of deep contemplation in his eyes.

"He is wary of me. It seems I was too hasty."

Entering the market, Lu Yang recalled Zhao Xuhe's reaction and couldn't help but chuckle. "Just as I expected; he actually has another purpose for coming to this market."

"Good, good."

"In this life, I shall treat him as a bosom friend!"

Lu Yang was not afraid of Zhao Xuhe's wariness because he had sufficient patience.

If necessary, he could even abandon this life to truly be Zhao Xuhe's lifelong friend, gathering intelligence to pave the way for the next life!

While lost in thought, Lu Yang arrived before a pavilion.

This place was one of the four major array eyes of the market and also the area with the highest concentration of spiritual energy in Skeleton Mountain, estimated to be about thirty percent of the level of a Saint Sect cave dwelling.

"Blood-Wash Heaven River Sword Array, activate!"

With a wave of his sleeve, the Blood-Sun Sword Pill flew into the pavilion to guard the center. Subsequently, array patterns expanded outward, beginning to replace the original ones.

Although the "Hundred Bones Return to Truth Array" of the market was more miraculous than the Blood-Wash Heaven River Sword Array, it was partly because Lu Yang only occupied one of the array eyes, and partly because, as an array master, Lu Yang did not like to entrust his life and property to an array arranged by an outsider.

"After all, I have quite a few secrets..."

"Furthermore, the Skeleton Mountain market has been established for so long. No matter how ingenious this 'Hundred Bones Return to Truth Array' is, its effects are already common knowledge."

The more one's background is exposed, the easier it is to be targeted.

Therefore, if a powerful figure were to attack the Skeleton Mountain market, they would undoubtedly come prepared with divine methods to break the "Hundred Bones Return to Truth Array."

By then, this array might not be of much use.

That being said, Lu Yang did not simply discard the original array. Instead, he opened a new area within the pavilion, hiding an array within an array—a hidden trump card.

Only after completing all this did Lu Yang nod in satisfaction.

Immediately after, he waved his hand again and named the pavilion the "Blood-Clad Pavilion," officially settling in the Skeleton Mountain market and establishing a title for the outside world.

Just then, over a dozen streaks of light flew toward him.

These were Saint Sect disciples assigned to Lu Yang's area, most of whom were in the early or middle stages of Qi Refinement, all here to perform tasks in the market.

The streaks of light entered the Blood-Clad Pavilion and gradually dispersed, revealing cultivators of various ages and appearances. One by one, they approached the terrace with expressions of awe, only to see a handsome young man in blood-colored clothing leaning against the railing, looking down at them all with a slight smile.

"Greetings, Pavilion Master!"

The disciples did not dare to be negligent and bowed one after another. Although they could call each other brothers within the Saint Sect, outside the sect, they had to use official titles.

Moreover, this was a Senior Brother in the late stage of Qi Refinement!

The early, middle, late, and Great Perfection stages of the Qi Refinement realm might look like just four minor stages, but the gap between them was nothing short of a chasm.

"Rise."

Looking at the row of figures below, Lu Yang nodded with satisfaction, thinking to himself, *Not bad. At a glance, they are all just beasts of burden; no remarkable talents here.*

Setting aside everything else, the Saint Sect's cultivation environment was indeed top-tier. Generally speaking, cultivators who chose external assignments were either like Lu Yang and Fairy Feixia, aiming for Foundation Establishment, or like the people before him—those with poor aptitude, advanced age, and little money, who could no longer make it within the Saint Sect.

"If I wanted to, I could kill them all with just one man and one sword..."

Those with the intention of building a faction might be dissatisfied with this situation, but Lu Yang felt this was perfect. The atmosphere of the weak made him feel very secure.

"You may all disperse. Decide on small matters yourselves; there is no need to come to me."

After giving his casual instructions, Lu Yang announced the end of the meeting and proceeded to seal the Blood-Clad Pavilion, intending to cultivate peacefully and remain in seclusion until the opportunity for Foundation Establishment appeared!