Emperor Qiankun

Chapter 316 Ao Ming Beiminghai City

Just after noon, Li Qingyuan and the other three had breakfast and then strolled around Yunxi City on the bluestone slabs to digest their food.

The shouts of street vendors and the laughter of pedestrians intertwine to create a vivid picture of everyday life in the city.

The old ox would occasionally linger at the stall, his eyes glued to the novelties...

After wandering around aimlessly for half an hour, Wang Anran suddenly stopped, her beautiful eyes shining:

"How about... we go to 'Beiminghai City' for a stroll?"

"That place is known as the 'Garden of Treasures,' with all sorts of rare treasures and ancient medicines. You might just stumble upon the medicinal herbs you're looking for!"

"Beiminghai City?"

Li Qingyuan and the old ox both froze, their eyes immediately turning to Wang Anran.

Wang Anran waved her slender hand, and a jade slip floated in mid-air. The moment her profound energy was injected, a detailed map of the Central Plains slowly unfolded amidst a burst of light.

The mountains and rivers, cities and strongholds are clearly visible. The Netherworld Sea, shrouded in mist, surrounds the Central Plains, which appears as an isolated island, encircled by the sea...

------

Wang Anran lightly tapped a spot on the map with her fingertip and said:

"Look, it's right there in the Nether Sea, north of Yunxi City. This place is also known as the Northern Nether Sea."

"A thousand years ago, a dragon transformed here, calling itself 'Ao Ming,' and now it occupies a three-thousand-mile stretch of sea..."

"To this day, that old dragon is still a veteran member of the Heavenly Demon Palace."

"It is both the master and the administrator of Beiminghai City."

"And that sea market is strictly speaking a black market, located at the bottom of the Northern Sea, where undercurrents are surging all year round, making it very chaotic."

"Human cultivators, demons, evil cultivators, and even desperate evil cultivators who have committed serious crimes all gather here."

"Some are searching for hidden treasures, some are selling stolen goods, and some even want to use the dragon's reputation to evade pursuit..."

Her tone grew serious, "The black market is a chaotic mess; forced buying and selling, and double-crossing are commonplace..."

Yue Qinghuan stared at the 'Northern Sea' on the map, her expression quite solemn.

She had long heard of the infamous reputation of Beiminghai City. Although the thousand-year-old dragon was stationed there, it was in seclusion year-round, and the black market was loosely organized.

But the more chaotic the place, the more hidden treasures it holds – most of the rare items that the Treasure Pavilion cannot handle end up here.

Thinking of the required medicinal herbs, her eyes flickered slightly. After weighing the options carefully, she finally nodded:

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Fortune favors the bold..."

------

Upon hearing Yue Qinghuan's agreement, Wang Anran jumped for joy like a little rabbit, lightly bouncing twice on the spot.

Li Qingyuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. As long as there was hope of finding the medicinal herbs, it was worth trying no matter how dangerous it was!

The old ox patted his chest with a swagger:

"I'll stick with you guys. If anyone dares to cause trouble, I'll punch them!"

The four hurriedly returned to the restaurant and began to disguise themselves.

Yue Qinghuan and Wang Anran are the most troublesome. As beauties, they are prone to attracting trouble in the chaotic black market.

Yue Qinghuan originally wanted to use the "Thousand Faces Disguise Technique," but she had to give up because Wang Anran was present.

The two women removed their elaborate robes, changed into black robes, simply tied their hair up in buns, and left no makeup on...

Even so, her plain face only made her appear more elegant and refined, like a rare orchid in a secluded valley.

Li Qingyuan and the old ox were quite efficient; they each put on a wide black robe, pulled down the hood, and covered most of their faces.

They were already disguised, and with a little concealment, they could blend into the eerie atmosphere of the black market.

After the four of them finished packing, they took off and left Yunxi City, flying towards the 'Northern Sea'.

......

Night fell as dark as ink, slowly descending and dyeing the Northern Sea a deep, dark purple.

Along the coast, lights fall like stars, dazzling and transforming the area into a bustling "supermarket".

The stalls are arranged in neat rows and columns, like chess pieces on a chessboard, with a pleasing and orderly arrangement.

The shouts and haggling created a noisy sea of ​​sounds.

The passersby all wore masks of various shapes and sizes and were wrapped in black robes, revealing only pairs of wary eyes that flickered in the interplay of light and shadow, like ghosts wandering around.

At this moment, four figures slowly approached from a distance. All four wore bronze-colored gold and silver masks, which gleamed eerily under the lamplight.

It was Li Qingyuan, Yue Qinghuan, Wang Anran, and Lao Huangniu!

After a long and arduous journey of more than two hours, they finally arrived at this mysterious place.

"Wow, this black market is really bustling! There are quite a lot of people here!"

The old ox squinted, its rough fingers rubbing its chin.

The sea breeze, carrying a salty, fishy smell, swept by and lifted a corner of his black robe.

Li Qingyuan's gaze swept over the bustling crowd, and she hummed in agreement, saying:

"The atmosphere here is mixed and diverse. Humans, demons, demonic cultivators... all sorts of people gather here."

------

Listening to their conversation, Wang Anran couldn't help but interject:

"There are quite a few people who want to come here hoping to strike it rich or find a bargain."

"Look at those stalls, they're selling items that were discarded from the underwater black market."

"The real 'main event' is still in the Northern Sea City at the bottom of the sea..."

Yue Qinghuan picked up the conversation and added:

"However, that doesn't mean everything on this shore is extremely bad; there might be one or two treasures among them..."

"Of course, that mainly depends on whether those old devils in Beiminghai City will be blind to the truth..."

Upon hearing this, Li Qingyuan nodded thoughtfully.

Clearly, both Yue Qinghuan and Wang Anran had been to Beiminghai City before and had some understanding of this "black market".

He thought for a moment, then asked:

"So, does that mean the underwater market is controlled by the demon race?"

"Yes."

Yue Qinghuan frowned slightly and nodded.

"After all, that thousand-year-old dragon is the master of this Beiming Sea City. Naturally, the demon race wouldn't let go of this opportunity to gain huge profits. They directly monopolized the underwater market..."

"As for the other cultivators, they are naturally inferior to the demon race here, and can only pick up some 'leftovers' on the shore."

"Yeah, that's right."

Wang Anran quickly nodded in agreement, "Here, the demon race enjoys privileges that other cultivators cannot match..."

------

Before he finished speaking, a pale blue dragon aura suddenly rose from Li Qingyuan's body, surging as if it were a tangible substance.

His aura suddenly changed. Although he was still in human form, he exuded a terrifying demonic power, as if an ancient dragon was lurking within him.

The dragon's aura swept across the surroundings, causing nearby cultivators to cast wary glances.

"Uh... what's this?"

Wang Anran's beautiful eyes widened, her face full of surprise.

She felt a pressure emanating from the depths of her soul, a sense of oppression that only pure-blooded dragons possessed!