I've finally scored a bargain! Haha, I'm rich!

Zhou Liang had just returned to his residence, impatient to take out the Black Pot he had purchased from a stall. The pot was only the size of a palm, weathered by time, its surface covered in black rust. After wiping off the rust, an ancient and mysterious pattern was revealed, complex and exquisite. Zhou Liang had seen such complex patterns on High-Grade Magic Artifacts in stores. The secret patterns on this pot far surpassed the most complex High-Grade Magic Artifact he had ever seen. Could it be a Top-grade Magical Instrument? A legendary Magical Treasure?

He gently shook the Black Pot, and there was a strange sound from inside. The Black Pot was only the vessel, and it still held other treasures inside.

Zhou Liang pulled hard on the pot lid, which seemed to be soldered shut, not budging despite his full strength. Pour Mana into it, see if that can make it work? Mana seeped into the Black Pot bit by bit, like throwing a stone into a deep sea, with no response whatsoever. No matter how much Spiritual Power was poured in, the Black Pot devoured it all. Like throwing meat buns to dogs, there was no return. Did I buy a piece of useless junk?! With all Spiritual Power exhausted, the Black Pot remained as before.

This outcome was both infuriating and annoying. This was an item he had bought with his only wealth, over a hundred Spirit Stones. There must be a treasure inside the pot; I have to open it!

After trying various methods to no avail, Zhou Liang gritted his teeth and drew the Black Sword Instrument to slash down on the Black Pot. Not a scratch appeared on the Black Pot; it was exceptionally sturdy. A cultivator at the Sixth Layer of Qi Refinement with a full-strength strike from a Mid-grade Law Sword couldn't even leave a mark. There was no doubt that this was a good treasure. The biggest problem was... it couldn't be used.

It's a restriction; breaking the restriction should enable the use of the Black Pot. Zhou Liang's eyes swept over the mysterious patterns and lines on the Black Pot, worn through the passage of time. Some parts were shiny and new, others dull, the patterns completely lost.

He made another trip to the stall and returned with a white vase in hand. This was a special secret liquid that cultivators used to break seals, highly effective for breaking restrictions; this small bottle alone was worth ten Spirit Stones. He poured the dark, foul-smelling liquid over the Black Pot, focusing especially on the areas where the restrictions were weakest. These restrictions had been in place for who knows how many years, already at their limit. Dark smoke with a foul odor rose up; the mysterious patterns flickered briefly before ultimately falling silent. Were the restrictions broken?

CRACK!

Small cracks spread across the pot walls, growing wider. Gusts of black air burst out from the pot's opening, increasing in quantity, accompanied by a silent whisper: "Finally free!"

What is this? It's not a treasure! Could it be a rare sealing artifact? It was said that cultivators could create artifacts to Seal the Strange Beasts, specifically designed for sealing Bizarre Demons. Had I just damaged an artifact for Sealing the Strange Beasts? Zhou Liang felt something was wrong and instinctively moved away.

The power of the Bizarre Demons was deeply feared; cultivators would rather encounter strong and brutal Magical Beasts than face the mysterious and unpredictable Bizarre Demons. Against the former, one could retaliate with Spiritual Power and perhaps slay them. Against the latter... apart from Evil Warding Talismans, there were few protective items, and it was impossible to harm the Bizarre Demons in the slightest.

Zhou Liang wasn't slow, but the black air was faster. A stream of black air sprayed onto his face, drilling into his Sea of Consciousness through his eyes, ears, mouth, and nose. What he saw changed; he returned to the moment before he opened the Black Pot. The Black Pot was split open, and inside was a Jade Vase. Upon opening and looking closer, it contained the legendary Nine Mysteries Immortal Pill; consuming one would allow immediate ascension to a Nascent Soul Cultivator. He decisively swallowed the Immortal Pill and instantly became a Nascent Soul Cultivator.

"Haha, I'm a Nascent Soul Cultivator!"

"A thousand years of longevity, immortal and undying!"

BOOM!

Zhou Liang's body exploded, turning into a rain of blood that scattered across the skies.

The legendary scene of a powerful being breaking a seal and granting tremendous opportunities did not happen. The result was... he had to face the grudges accumulated by the one sealed over countless years. "Why didn't you release me sooner?!" The first person they saw often became the target of their vengeance. The black air continued to flow out without end, eventually dissipating into thin air.

Just then, from the direction of the Cave, Spiritual Power Fluctuations could be felt.

"Foundation Establishment!"

Someone was undergoing Foundation Establishment!

Outside the Market, countless people looked towards the Cave, watching the gathering Spiritual Power of heaven and earth. Who is undergoing Foundation Establishment? This person was certainly not a family or Sect Disciple but a Loose Cultivator. Family and Sect Disciples would choose their family grounds or sect residence for their Foundation Establishment, which was safer and more secure, better than any other region mixed with dragons and snakes. Safety couldn't be guaranteed, and interference was likely. Even the Market Cave was not one hundred percent safe. If someone became jealous and destructive, the consequences were unthinkable.

"A Loose Cultivator undergoing Foundation Establishment? The Black Desert Marketplace will have a new Foundation Establishment Cultivator."

"The shops affiliated with the major sects have sent cultivators here. Are they trying to recruit Foundation Establishment Cultivators in advance?"

"People from the Artifact Sect have arrived!"

"Tian Fu Sect has also sent people!"

"Foundation Establishment Cultivators are truly enviable! I also want to become a Foundation Establishment Cultivator."

More and more cultivators gathered around the location of the Cave, casting their gazes. The most noteworthy was the Utensil Sect, which had sent people to wait early on, their eyes brimming with eagerness. If they could recruit a Foundation Establishment Loose Cultivator for their sect, that would be a great achievement.

Zhang Peng Peng was also a member of the crowd, her eyes shining with a peculiar light. Is my junior fellow apprentice about to succeed in Foundation Establishment?

Where there was envy, there naturally was jealousy. Many cultivators failed their Foundation Establishment breakthrough, suffering lingering side effects and doomed to never grasp the Great Dao in their lifetime. The success of others in their Foundation Establishment seemed to poke at their own scars, inciting intense jealousy. The only things in this world one dares not look directly at are the sun and the human heart.

A Ninth Level of Qi Refinement Cultivator snuck into Jia Ren's residence silently, secretly releasing several demon heads into the Cave. Any slight influence could cause the Foundation Establishment breakthrough to fail. This person's failure would soothe my own heart. Unfortunately, he accidentally entered the range of the Formation, becoming deeply trapped within it. The Yun Luo Illusion Array prevented him from escaping, leaving him trapped. Sword lights of Mysterious Iron, solid and brimming with a chilling intent to kill, slashed down. This isn't the Cave's Formation! The person was a cultivator who had failed his Foundation Establishment breakthrough. He had rented the Cave several times before, so he knew the range of the Formation and shouldn't have been affected. He hadn't anticipated that the cultivator preparing for Foundation Establishment had set up an additional, more powerful Formation. This was something an ordinary Loose Cultivator could not have accomplished. The Mysterious Sword Seven Kills Array, inlaid with Medium-grade Spirit Stones, was lethal enough that even Ninth Level Qi Refinement cultivators couldn't withstand it. In a few breaths, the cultivator seeking to harm others was reduced to mincemeat by the Formation.

"Foundation Establishment? It should be mine." Silent murmurs echoed in the Void, as streams of black qi ceaselessly surged towards Jia Ren's Cave. One inherently encountered the Heart Demon during Foundation Establishment, maximizing the power of the Heart Demon Bizarre. Such a parasitic target was even better than established Foundation Establishment and Golden Core Cultivators.

Where the black qi passed, the surrounding cultivators were influenced. They seemed to see a beautiful time and place, immersed in it.

"I want to ascend to immortality, to become an immortal ancestor!"

"Even Liu family's daughter dares to look down on me! You are only fit to serve as my maidservant, a furnace for my replenishment!"

"What kind of Bizarre Demon is this, don't kill me."

"..."

Further away, more and more cultivators were affected. Some rejoiced, some grieved, but most were fearful. The majority were only slightly affected; the Bizarre Demons did not target them.

The perimeter Formations of the Cave, including the Yun Luo Illusion Array and the Mysterious Sword Seven Kills Array, failed to activate and couldn't stop the black qi from entering the Cave. The black qi entered the Cave and decisively headed straight for Jia Ren. With the onset of Heart Demon Pass and the collusion of internal and external demons, the difficulty skyrocketed. Mysterious patterns gradually etched themselves on his forehead, exuding an evil aura.

Jia Ren sank into the Heart Demon illusion. The Black Demon Forest began to outline the Thousand-Headed Bizarre, a Flesh-Giant Tree, and a surging black blood tide. They seemed to manifest out of thin air, stepping out of nothingness. It was unclear whether they summoned corresponding Bizarre Demons from reality to this place, or if they drowned Jia Ren within the Heart Demon. If the latter occurred, what he saw in the illusion would turn into reality, creating identical Bizarre Demons. Whether it was the former or the latter, the capabilities of the Bizarre Demons were extremely terrifying.

The Bizarre Demons in the Black Demon Forest solidified and jointly cast their gaze towards the Black Desert Marketplace before swiftly converging on the Market. As the Bizarre Demons approached, the Evil Warding Talismans were the first to trigger. More than seventy Extraordinary Saint Level Evil Warding Talismans ignited simultaneously, erupting in an intensely dense purple halo, trying their best to prevent the black qi from entering. The black qi was ignited by the purple fire, turning into a raging purple flame. Despite this, they were still powerless to stop the invasion of the Heart Demon Bizarre. A starving camel is still larger than a horse, and the power of the Heart Demon Bizarre was extremely frightening.

Talisman after talisman burned, and white light began to grow brighter. Ten! Hundred! Thousand! A thousand rays of white light converged, forming an impregnable white tidal wave, gradually expelling the black qi that penetrated Jia Ren's Sea of Consciousness. The purple flames kept burning, finally injuring the main body of the Heart Demon Bizarre. However, the Heart Demon Bizarre at its peak wouldn't take such damage to heart. Unfortunately, it had been sealed for thousands of years, and its power and condition didn't come close to one-thousandth of its peak. A scream arose, and the black qi swiftly retreated.

In the Black Demon Forest, the Thousand-Headed Bizarre, the Flesh-Giant Tree, and the Black Blood Bizarre, which were heading toward the Black Desert Marketplace, vanished like bubbles the moment they separated from Jia Ren's body, completely dissipating into nothingness.

Jia Ren broke free from the Heart Demon, and the pain he dealt to the Heart Demon Bizarre far surpassed the torment of the purple flame's burning. The black qi didn't dare linger and quickly fled the Cave. Without the interference of the Heart Demon Bizarre, he finally escaped from Heart Demon Pass. The light from the burning Evil Warding Talismans and Mind-Guarding Talismans dispelled the darkness, bringing light.

More than seventy Evil Warding Talismans and over a thousand Mind-Guarding Talismans burnt together, a sight far too eye-catching. Thousand Protective Heart Talismans and more than seventy Evil Warding Talismans were barely enough to protect me? What kind of terrifying creature had I encountered?! Without a doubt, this was no mere Heart Demon! Otherwise, the Evil Warding Talismans wouldn't have been triggered! Bizarre Demons in the Black Desert Marketplace?!

As if touched by inspiration, he caught a whiff of the fleeing Bizarre Demon's lingering qi. If he hadn't been well-prepared, with over a thousand Mind-Guarding Talismans and still having more than seventy Evil Warding Talismans at hand, the consequences would have been unimaginable. Jia Ren had no mood to revel in his breakthrough to Foundation Establishment; his only thought was to leave the Black Desert Marketplace, the farther the better. He decisively gathered all the treasures, Spirit Insects, Spirit Fish, and Formations within the Cave and fled the Black Desert Marketplace. This cursed place, he didn't want to stay a moment longer.

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