A snow-white lion with a single horn?
What's more, it was confined in a cage. It didn't appear large—clearly just a newborn cub—lying inside with an adorably innocent look. Anyone seeing it couldn't help but feel a surge of affection. It was undeniably a beautiful, cute creature—one that most women would find hard to resist. Unsurprisingly, upon seeing it, the Serpent Empress felt a wave of fondness rise within her.
It was as pure as a cloud in the sky, unsullied and pristine.
"What kind of spirit beast is this?"The Serpent Empress stepped forward and asked.
Clearly, she liked it from the bottom of her heart—otherwise she wouldn't have inquired.
"I don't know what kind of spirit beast it is either. But it fell from the sky. It can fly through the air, swallow clouds, and exhale mist. It's definitely a rare breed," said a figure cloaked in black mist, his voice hoarse and raspy.
Though he didn't know the exact species, he had already decided it was a creature of immense value—and now that someone was asking, he naturally began to pitch it.
"Swallow clouds and exhale mist? Fell from the sky?"
Yi Tianxing's eyes changed at once. Without hesitation, he probed it with his divine sense.
Cloudswallow Beast (吞云兽): A rare and unique beast of Heaven and Earth. It lives in and feeds on clouds, capable of swallowing and exhaling mist. It can naturally gather cloud energy and is always shrouded in clouds. A mystical creature of the clouds, it can create cloud illusions and dominate any battle within a sea of clouds. Possesses the ability to condense Cloud Essence (云精). Extremely rare.
Information about the beast rapidly surfaced in his mind.
"A Cloudswallow Beast? It can even produce Cloud Essence and gather clouds naturally."
Yi Tianxing's heart surged with excitement. If he could obtain this beast, it would be a priceless treasure—especially for the Great Yi Dynasty, its value would be immeasurable.
With the Cloudswallow Beast, they could obtain Rainbow Cloud Essence, and with that, forge the Seven-Colored Warships (七色战船). Once those were crafted, the strength of Great Yi would increase dramatically. Even when marching into the wilderness, their military might would be unmatched. This was a true war asset.
"How much for this spirit beast?"The Serpent Empress asked first.
Her tone and gaze made it clear she truly liked the creature. It was small and adorable—something that struck a woman's heart.
"Heh, you're using Eternal Coins for trade, right?"The vendor grinned slyly.
Clearly, the earlier transaction involving Eternal Coins hadn't escaped notice. No one would reject such a currency—regardless of race or cultivation path. It could even be used for cultivation. A currency like this was universally welcomed.
"Yes!"The Serpent Empress glanced at Yi Tianxing and nodded.
"Good then. This spirit beast is ten thousand Eternal Coins (永恒币)," the vendor said with a strange laugh.
"Alright, pay him."She nodded in agreement, clearly speaking to Yi Tianxing—she didn't have that many Eternal Coins on hand.
"Very well."Yi Tianxing smiled and took out ten thousand Eternal Coins, neatly stacking them like a small mountain.
He didn't care whether he overpaid or got a bargain—it didn't matter. Instead, what delighted him was how naturally the Serpent Empress had asked him to pay. That alone showed their relationship was subtly shifting. She no longer resisted relying on him. It was a silent but major step forward in their bond.
And so, he paid gladly—without hesitation.
"Heh, I'll throw in the cage too,"the vendor chuckled as he accepted the coins, completing the deal swiftly.
"I'll put this spirit beast away for now—we'll check on it after we leave the Ghost Market," Yi Tianxing said.
He didn't hand the Cloudswallow Beast to the Serpent Empress immediately. Instead, he stored it in the Hongmeng Heavenly Emperor Pagoda (鸿蒙天帝塔). Now was not the time to inspect it closely.
The Serpent Empress made no objection.
The two of them continued strolling through the Ghost Market.
The market was indeed vast and bizarrely eerie under its dim lighting. But there was no doubt about the quantity of treasures. The number of cultivation manuals and ancient texts they encountered was staggering.
Whenever he saw something not already in the Great Yi Canon Repository, Yi Tianxing would stop and examine it. Many of the texts were high-quality.
One such was the military cultivation technique:
"Ninefold Soldier's Wrath Art (九转兵伐诀)" —a fierce, brutal method that tempered the body using the violent energy of warfare. Painful and extreme, it tempered the body to the level of a physical cultivator. This dual-cultivation technique was forged for slaughter and perfect for the military.
Though it was a crude method, it produced tangible results through pain. In terms of efficacy, it wasn't much weaker than the Heavenly Soldier Battle Codex (天兵战典).
Techniques like this were surprisingly abundant in the Ghost Market.
They even found Life Diagram Construction Methods (命图构建之法).
Examples included:
"Parade of a Hundred Ghosts Diagram (百鬼夜行图)"
"Scissors Hell Diagram (剪刀地狱图)"
"Tongue-Pulling Hell Diagram (拔舌地狱图)"
These rare diagrams were incredibly appealing to any cultivator. Such treasures were invaluable additions to the Canon Repository, which had always been short on diagrams.
"A huge harvest. Trading a bit of wealth for all this is an incredible bargain,"Yi Tianxing couldn't help but smile.
To him, any problem solvable with money wasn't a real problem. Knowledge was priceless. These manuals and techniques were the foundations of civilization.
Suddenly, the Serpent Empress pointed at a stall."What's that?"
Yi Tianxing followed her gaze—and was startled.
On a stall lay a blood-colored box, carved with countless mysterious runes that intersected in strange, almost terrifying patterns. A gruesome vampiric bat was depicted on the surface, its fangs clearly visible.
Its crimson eyes seemed to follow you no matter where you stood. A shiver crawled down your spine just looking at it.
It was clearly some kind of evil artifact.
"I don't know what the box is, but I do know what it does. Feed it blood, and it will condense Blood Essence (血精). That essence is great stuff—refines the body and strengthens the blood. Perfect for physical cultivators," the vendor laughed.
He was shrouded in dark mist, but his form was unmistakable: a Hanged Ghost—his tongue dragging along the ground. Terrifying.
"Condensing blood essence by devouring blood? That's definitely an evil item,"Yi Tianxing frowned.
Still, he didn't entirely reject such things. This was a chaotic era, one where slaughter was routine. The Iron-Blooded Great Wall itself was forged from the blood and bones of countless enemies. If this item could truly produce Blood Essence to aid in cultivation, it was worth it.
"Treasure is neither righteous nor evil. It all depends on how it's used."
Vampiric Demon Box (吸血鬼魔盒) — Devours fresh blood to condense Blood Essence, but comes with a risk of bloodline contamination, potentially turning the user into a blood thrall (血奴) or a vampire, becoming addicted to blood. Must be purified before consumption. Can also be used in alchemy to produce blood potions, though it also emits Blood Poison (血毒)—a highly contagious toxin that causes the victim's body to rot if released.
Clearly, the Vampiric Demon Box wasn't just some blood refining tool. It was a potential weapon of mass destruction.
"What's the price for this box?"Yi Tianxing asked.
"Heh, 300,000 Eternal Coins."
By now, everyone in the Ghost Market knew about these two wealthy newcomers who spent Eternal Coins like water. No one even bothered negotiating with them. Everyone just wished they'd come to their stall next.