Chapter 46: Purple Profound Heaven

The Purple Profound Celestial Marketplace wasn’t too far from the mining area.

It wasn’t a long flight.

Soon, a majestic, ancient city came into view, standing on the horizon.

As time passed, Jiang Xu gradually made out the city’s appearance.

The city walls were a full twenty meters high, and the gates were forged from Refined Iron, making them incredibly sturdy. Above the gate hung a plaque inscribed with the three powerful words, "Purple Profound Heaven."

The walls were also covered in mottled, dark-red and black bloodstains, which looked to have seeped deep into the stone, impossible to wipe away.

From just a few glances, Jiang Xu could imagine the brutal history this ancient city must have endured.

"This is the Purple Profound Celestial Marketplace."

"Actually, it’s less of a Marketplace and more of the Three Great Sects’ first barrier against the Endless Forest."

Shan Lanlan had clearly been here before.

"Over the past several hundred, even a thousand years, the Endless Forest has unleashed a beast tide every few decades, some large, some small."

"If the beast tide breaks through into the territory of any of the sects, the losses are devastating."

"So the Three Great Sects joined forces to build this ancient city. In normal times, it’s a Marketplace. When a beast tide comes, it becomes the first line of defense, giving the Three Great Sects a buffer to prepare."

"This Marketplace is always guarded by a Golden Core Ancestor from one of the Three Great Sects. They rotate every ten years. This year, it should be the Golden Core Ancestor from the Purple Flower Palace on duty."

As she spoke, the Silver Moon Ship had already landed outside the gates of the Purple Profound Celestial Marketplace.

There were Marketplace guards at the entrance responsible for registration.

A sign stood beside them, stating that everyone entering the Marketplace was required to pay an entrance fee of one Spirit Stone.

A long line had formed outside the city gates, waiting to register.

Jiang Xu saw the line and was about to go to the back, but then he saw Yan Chunyu, Shan Lanlan, and Ding Shiping walk straight toward the person handling registration at the front.

Seeing this, Jiang Xu, though confused, quickly followed them.

Yan Chunyu walked up to the guard in charge of registration. Just as she was about to say something, a young Qi Cultivation Fourth Layer Cultivator in line spoke to her rudely.

"Hey, Fellow Daoist, isn’t this a bit much? Don’t think I won’t call you out just because you’re a Female Cultivator. We’re all lining up honestly here. What, you think you’re special?"

"Yeah, that’s right!"

Someone behind the young Cultivator chimed in, but his companion yanked him hard by the sleeve.

"Hey, what’d you pull me for?!"

The man’s companion looked anxious and quickly leaned in to whisper something in his ear. The man’s expression changed drastically. After apologizing to Yan Chunyu, he and his companion hurried away.

SLAP—!

Yan Chunyu tossed a token, slapping it down on the guard’s table.

The guard hastily picked it up. Upon seeing it, he respectfully held the token with both hands and offered it back to Yan Chunyu with a fawning smile.

"So it is a lord from the Upper Sect! Please, come in! Come in!"

"Upper Sect..."

Hearing those two words, the young Cultivator who had just been shouting instantly paled. He trembled as he bowed to Yan Chunyu, then fled in a panic as if he were being hunted down, even fumbling and falling as he tried to mount his Magical Artifact.

Yan Chunyu watched with a cold gaze, not saying a single word from beginning to end. She took back the token and walked directly into the city without paying the entrance fee.

’So disciples of the Profound Origin Sect have such high status in this Marketplace!’

Jiang Xu was a little surprised as he watched the scene unfold.

"Of course! If Chairman Yan had wanted to, she could have even had the guards arrest that man just now. While she can’t just kill innocent people at will, a little punishment is perfectly acceptable.

You have to understand, the Profound Origin Sect was one of the three major powers that built this city. Besides the Three Great Sects, other sects might have businesses in the Purple Profound Celestial Marketplace, but they don’t count for much! As for Loose Cultivators, don’t even mention them."

Shan Lanlan’s face was filled with pride.

"But only Inner Sect Disciples get this kind of exaggerated treatment. Outer Sect disciples can forget about it, especially a Qi Cultivation Third Layer disciple like you. Oh, right, and there’s one with no Cultivation at all."

Her words were like two buckets of cold water dumped on him.

Jiang Xu was a little disappointed.

’But I came here with Yan Chunyu this time. If anything happens, I can still use her name for protection.’

Yan Chunyu was clearly very familiar with the Purple Profound Celestial Marketplace.

Upon entering the city gates, they were in the Marketplace’s North District.

In the North District, she found an inn run by the Profound Origin Sect. After showing her Identity Token, she booked three "Earth" grade rooms and two "Human" grade rooms.

Before they checked in, Yan Chunyu said to them:

"We will be staying here for the next two days. I have some matters to attend to and won’t be at the inn, but I will be back on time. After I return, we will set out for the Endless Forest.

You are free to move about during these two days, but you must be back at the inn when I return. Otherwise, I will handle it according to the Sect’s rules. Is that clear?"

"Understood." "Yes." "Got it." "Mmph mmph."

Yan Chunyu looked at Ding Shiping.

The Talisman on Ding Shiping’s mouth had already fallen off, but he was still under orders not to speak, so he could only nod frantically.

Seeing that everyone had acknowledged her, Yan Chunyu finally left, reassured.

...

After Yan Chunyu left, Shan Lanlan immediately ran out.

Judging by her direction, she wasn’t going with Yan Chunyu.

Jiang Xu guessed that her playful nature had taken over, and she couldn’t wait to go out and have some fun.

Jiang Xu glanced at Zong Ziqi.

"Fellow Daoist Zong, are you planning to go out and look around?"

"No. Right now, there’s nothing I need to buy at the Marketplace. The things I need are available in the Sect."

Ding Shiping let out a few muffled sounds, wanting to join the conversation, but he couldn’t speak.

He wanted to casually cast some magic to free himself from the Silent Meditation, but then he remembered how terrifying Yan Chunyu was and decided against it.

"Have you been here before?" Jiang Xu asked Zong Ziqi.

"Never, but I’ve heard about it. You could say it’s the largest Marketplace in the vicinity of the Three Sects.

It has the basic stuff, like mega-chambers of commerce such as the Ingenuity Pavilion and the Duo Bao Pavilion.

There are also less common establishments, like gambling dens, brothels, the Spiritual Food Shop, and high-grade grottoes for Cultivation.

And other places like auction houses, Black Markets, and slave markets."

Jiang Xu’s mouth watered hearing this, but he didn’t have a single Spirit Stone on him.

’Perfect!’

’Plans can’t keep up with changes. Yan Chunyu disrupted all the arrangements I had made back in the Sect, but I never expected we’d end up at the Marketplace anyway.’

’Now I can go ahead with my original plan.’

’Duo Bao Pavilion, which Zong Ziqi just mentioned, should buy Talismans. They probably won’t think much of the few Cold Ice Talismans I have, but maybe I’ll have a place to sell the ones I make in the future.’

’No, better not risk it. I’ll hit and run, selling to a different place each time. There are so many shops here, I’ll just sell to a few different ones!’

At this thought, Jiang Xu secretly glanced at Ding Shiping.

Once he had enough Spirit Stones, Jiang Xu planned to ask Ding Shiping if he would sell him a copy of his Seeking Technique.

’That Seeking Technique is really something else. It can even find people who are dead. If I cultivate it to a high level, what Zong Ziqi said might actually come true.’