However, not everything here was genuine. Half-truths, half-lies.
Under Yi Tianxing's Innate Yin-Yang Eyes, he could clearly see that many of the so-called pills were nothing more than eyeballs of unknown origin. To call them pills was absurd—eating them would likely do more harm than good. Some of the cultivation manuals and scriptures, which appeared authentic at first glance, were in fact nothing more than pieces of bark or human skin, completely blank and crawling with worms.
Of course, there were real ones too. Whether one could come across them depended entirely on one's vision—and luck.
Such was the nature of the Ghost Market. Real and fake items coexisted. Once a transaction was completed, regardless of whether the item was genuine or not, there was no going back. Throwing a tantrum would be a breach of the market's rules, and such behavior would be met with punishment—being expelled from the Ghost Market and barred from returning, for example.
The old crone running this particular stall—who looked every bit like a wicked witch—was no exception. All her items were a mix of truth and illusion.
Yet these illusions and disguises meant nothing to Yi Tianxing. Under the gaze of the Innate Yin-Yang Eyes, illusions were useless. What was real couldn't be hidden; what was fake couldn't be made real. There was no fear of being scammed.
"I want to trade for this cultivation manual," Yi Tianxing said, suddenly pointing to an ancient book. Its yellowed pages gave the impression of great age. On the cover, ancient characters appeared in archaic seal script—The Five Ghosts Transport Technique!!
Clearly, this was a technique for raising and controlling ghost slaves. Without reading it, he couldn't be certain of the exact details, but one thing was clear—it was real. Not bark. Not rotting hide. The book itself was genuine. And that was enough. With it, he could get a sense of the Ghost Market's trends and values.
"In the Ghost Market, barter is the norm. Regular currency is useless here. Even ghost money must be authentic. What this old lady wants is a piece of skin. A piece of... young and beautiful... human skin. If you can bring me such a pelt, anything on this stall is yours."
The old crone grinned, her lips curling in a way that sent chills down one's spine.
"Human skin? You want to craft a Painted Skin."
Yi Tianxing frowned slightly. For ghosts to use human skin was almost always about taking on a beautiful appearance they lacked in life. The method was called Painted Skin. Stories of it had existed since ancient times—fox spirits donning human skins to marry scholars, ghosts using skin to infiltrate human society and consume human essence. The tales were endless.
Typically, only female ghosts used Painted Skins. Beauty was a desire shared across all races—a primal instinct.
"I don't have a Painted Skin. What else do you need?"Yi Tianxing shook his head and replied calmly. How could he possibly have something like that? Even if he did, he would never hand it over. The process of making such skins was unimaginably cruel and inhumane.
"That depends on what else you've got. If it pleases me, I'll trade. If you have ghost money, that works too."The old crone smiled wickedly.
By ghost money, she didn't mean the kind burned casually in the mortal world. True ghost money had to be crafted from high-grade paper and refined through days and nights of incense-burning. It absorbed the power of incense and wishes, gaining value and circulation within the ghostly realm. It could even be used as a cultivation resource—hence, it held substantial worth.
And the Ghost Market honored its value as well.
"What about this currency, then?"Yi Tianxing extended his palm, revealing a radiant Eternal Coin that shone even brighter in the market's dim surroundings.
"This is…"The old crone reached out and took the coin, sensing the energy and the mysterious aura it contained. A strange gleam appeared in her eyes. "This is an Eternal Coin from the Great Yi Dynasty."
"Correct."Yi Tianxing nodded.
"The Eternal Coin is currently one of the most valued currencies in existence. Few can compare, let alone surpass it. Like ghost money, it can also be used for ghost cultivation. It is perfectly suitable for transactions. If you want the Five Ghosts Transport Technique, that'll be five thousand Eternal Coins."The old crone grinned as she spoke, clearly unwilling to let go of the coin in her hand.
"Five thousand? Done."Yi Tianxing agreed after a brief pause. With a wave of his hand, five thousand Eternal Coins appeared. He handed them over and stored the ancient manual.
The price could be considered both expensive and cheap—that was the Ghost Market. Don't expect anyone to sell you a truly unique copy. A technique like that was unlikely to be one of a kind. Once sold, another would appear. Knowledge was wealth—it could be sold endlessly. Don't expect professional ethics. Profit was everything.
So, five thousand Eternal Coins—a mutually acceptable price. Both parties left satisfied.
In fact, the old crone had clearly profited.
But to Yi Tianxing, Eternal Coins were of little concern—he could generate as many as he needed. If he could acquire real goods for them, all the better.
Behind the surrounding stalls, the hidden vendors' eyes—shrouded in black mist—flashed with interest and desire.
"Very well. I'll take all of these techniques and manuals. Calculate the price."Yi Tianxing pointed to the genuine ones only, leaving out those veiled by illusion. Let someone else take the garbage if they wanted.
Even the old crone was surprised. The Ghost Market's illusions weren't so easy to pierce, and yet this man hadn't picked a single fake. If this was just luck, it was almost too good to be true.
Most of the manuals ranged from three to four thousand coins. Some higher, some lower. Regardless, to the crone, it was a massive windfall.
"Include this one as well."Yi Tianxing pointed to a final manual. This one was under illusion—just a beast hide disguised as a book. Yet the hide wasn't decayed or bug-infested, which made it stand out. Still, it wasn't a real manual.
"So, you couldn't see through everything after all."The old crone looked relieved. If he had seen through all the illusions, that would've been unsettling. His inability to see through this one made things feel more… normal.
After payment, Yi Tianxing turned away from the stall with the Snake Empress, a playful look in his eyes as he examined the last item.
"What is that? Why does it interest you so much?"The Snake Empress looked curiously at the book still veiled in illusion. Unless the illusion was dispelled manually, it would remain even in the Ghost Market—a rule, and a kind of power.
"A treasure," Yi Tianxing said with a smile. A thought triggered his power—his mana pierced through the illusion. The "manual" instantly reverted to its true form: a piece of beast hide. There wasn't a single word on it.
"This hide… it feels like snake skin."The Snake Empress looked surprised. She sensed a familiar aura from the piece. Not just any hide—snake hide, and the scale and texture suggested it came from a massive serpent. Its dark hue suggested the owner was no ordinary beast.
"This is the hide of a Ba Snake. And not just any part—this is the hide from its seven-inch point."Yi Tianxing revealed calmly.
With the Wordless Heavenly Tome, the truth of the hide was laid bare. It was indeed from a Ba Snake.
"A Ba Snake?"The Snake Empress was startled.
The Classic of Mountains and Seas: Classic of the Regions Within the Seas records: "In the southwest, there is the Kingdom of Ba, and the land of Zhujuan. There dwell black snakes with blue heads that consume elephants."Guo Pu's commentary: "These are the Ba Snakes."Another line reads: "The Ba Snake consumes elephants and only expels their bones after three years. When worn, a gentleman suffers no internal ailments. They come in shades of blue, yellow, red, and black—one is said to be a black snake with a blue head, located west of the rhinoceros."
There was a saying: Human greed knows no bounds, just as a Ba Snake swallows an elephant.
The Ba Snake could devour elephants—clearly a creature of the extraordinary.
Its hide was a precious material, naturally containing spatial Dao patterns. It could be refined into high-tier spatial artifacts. The most valuable portion was from the seven-inch point—the essence of its hide, its most perfect section.
This material could be used to craft supreme spatial treasures—like the Universe Pouch. Not the ordinary kind, but one that contained an actual world within—capable of storing mountains, cities, even lifeforms. Some legendary Seed Bags were also said to be made from Ba Snake hide.
A piece like this, if circulated, wouldn't sell for a mere few thousand Eternal Coins. Not even tens of thousands would suffice.
Such was the Ghost Market. If your eyes were sharp enough, finding hidden treasures was as simple as breathing.
"Huh? What's that? A spirit beast?"As they continued browsing, the Snake Empress was suddenly captivated by something in a nearby stall.
It was no inanimate object—but a living creature. Locked in a cage, it had snow-white fur and resembled a lion, save for a single strange horn on its head. Strangely, the horn and the lion's body did not appear mismatched or unnatural.