The Eternal Sin

Within the belly of the giant that housed the Black Market, in the flickering shadows of a narrow capillary vein, an exchange was taking place.

"Alright, I’m buying." Jiang Chen stood before a crooked wooden stall. The stall owner nodded with a smile, wrapped something in black cloth and slid it across the counter.

Jiang Chen accepted it without comment and handed over a significant sum of spirit stones.

The stones clinked softly against the dry wood.

The stall owner quickly swept them away with the speed of a starving rat. His eyes flickered toward Jiang Chen several times, but he did not dare speak further.

Jiang Chen likewise did not linger and headed to another shop he had been wanting to visit.

He had barely taken two steps when the entire world trembled. A deep shudder rolled through the giant’s belly like thunder passing beneath the earth. The flesh walls groaned, and the ground beneath the cultivators sank unevenly.

Voices erupted everywhere.

"What is happening?"

"Curses, it’s already over!"

’The time has come to depart this meat house,’ Jiang Chen thought as his feet moved faster.

High above the central plaza floated the enormous crimson eye that governed the market. It had remained motionless like a silent god watching ants crawl through its territory.

Now the overseeing eye slowly blinked.

A thin line of blood slid from its corner.

The droplet fell through the air like a red pearl. When it touched the ground, it burst open, and the crimson liquid rushed across the hardened flesh floor. It transformed into a surging river of blood throughout the entire belly of the giant until it rose to ankle depth in a matter of heartbeats.

A foul iron scent filled the air.

Then the river began to boil.

From the surface of the blood, hundreds of massive tentacles rose and merged to form doors. Each one towered several men high. Ancient runes crawled across their surfaces like living worms.

The Asura Gates had opened once again, signaling the end of the Black Market.

And since that was the case, the cultivators who were once restrained by the fear of the Overseeing Eye now cast aside all pretenses of civility.

They rushed in every direction like wolves released from chains. Murderous intent erupted across the giant’s belly without hindrance.

"Move!"

"Get out of my way!"

"Die!"

A blade flashed.

A scream followed.

Someone’s head rolled across the ground before the body had even realized it was dead.

Killing techniques ignited everywhere as flames roared, poisonous mist spread through the air, and hidden weapons cut silently through the crowd.

Jiang Chen did not hesitate either. His blood token appeared in his palm as he moved immediately toward the nearest door. The ground beneath his feet blurred while his body flowed through the crowd like a shadow slipping through cracks in stone.

Yet even before he reached halfway there, several killing intents locked onto him.

A sword beam tore through the air.

Jiang Chen tilted his head, and the beam brushed past his cheek before splitting open the skull of a cultivator behind him. Blood exploding in a gruesome display.

Another man lunged forward with a hooked spear.

Jiang Chen’s hand moved like lightning.

The Heavenly Tiger Fist erupted as golden brilliance shone through his arm. The punch crashed into the man’s chest. Bones shattered as the body folded inward like crushed paper before flying backward into the blood river.

Jiang Chen did not even look back.

Swish, swish, swish!

A flurry of poisoned needles came from his left while a crushing palm imprint descended from his right. Jiang Chen’s expression remained unflinching as his body twisted in midair with the grace of a willow branch in a gale, evading the attacks masterfully.

He continued charging forward.

Several cultivators were already battling near the door he had chosen. One of them noticed Jiang Chen approaching and sneered coldly.

"Leave your storage bag behind if you wish to pass alive!"

Jiang Chen’s snorted coldly. His hands flickered, and the next instant the man’s throat opened into a bloody smile before he could utter a word more.

The corpse collapsed without dignity.

Another cultivator attempted to strike Jiang Chen from the side with a curved blade. The attack was swift and vicious, but Jiang Chen’s body twisted, and the blade only grazed his robe.

His elbow drove backward into the attacker’s jaw with a dull crack. Teeth scattered across the ground like broken rice.

Jiang Chen seized the man’s collar and hurled him directly into the fighting crowd behind him. Screams erupted immediately in a chorus of misery.

The door was not many steps away from him.

Jiang Chen’s figure moved like a slippery eel through the net of chaos. Every step was precise and strategic. Every strike was fatal and meant to kill.

Blood stained the river darker.

Soon the massive Asura door stood before Jiang Chen. A purple vortex swirled within its frame. Beyond it, he could almost taste the cool air of the Sunken Moon Valley.

Jiang Chen stepped forward.

He was only an inch away.

Suddenly agony exploded in his abdomen. A pain so piercing tore through his body like a spear thrust from inside his flesh.

Jiang Chen’s eyes widened to full moons.

A silver chain burst out from inside his stomach. The chain shone with a holy radiance that clashed violently with the surrounding demonic aura of the market. It twisted like the serpent of a god before slamming into the ground.

Clang!

The chain embedded itself firmly into the calcified ground beneath the blood river, anchoring him to the spot with a violent jerk.

Jiang Chen’s movement technique collapsed instantly. Spiritual essence surged wildly within his meridians before rebounding viciously.

Blood burst from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.

His heart sank.

’My spiritual essence... sealed.’

Before Jiang Chen could react, a different black phantom chain descended from the sky. It wrapped around his storage bag like a hunting hawk snatching prey.

The storage bag was ripped away.

Jiang Chen’s gaze shot upward.

A figure hovered high in the air before another door.

White hair drifted around a calm middle-aged face, and crystal blue eyes gleamed with amusement.

"It’s you!" Jiang Chen’s voice carried disbelief.

Meng Yu.

The stall owner who had traded secrets with him earlier.

Meng Yu revealed a row of white teeth in a wide grin. "What is this? Not expecting to see your old acquaintance? Hehehe."

"Damned fucker!" Jiang Chen’s voice surged with rage.

He attempted to circulate his spiritual essence. The Heavenly Tiger Fist Technique began to gather within his arm. But the moment the energy moved, it struck an invisible wall.

The silver chain vibrated faintly, and his spiritual power collapsed instantly.

Jiang Chen gritted his teeth. Only the strength of his bones remained available now. So he strained against the chains with raw force. Muscles bulged, and his bones creaked under the strain, but the silver link remained unmoved as if it were a fundamental pillar of the world itself.

Right now, his situation looked like a bird with clipped wings, pinned to the earth while the world burned around him.

"Struggle all you like brat. Hehe, it is useless." Meng Yu laughed loudly with mockery. He lifted the handful of loose silver chains slightly with one hand as if showing off a prized treasure.

"This is the Bottleneck Qi Chain, a one of a kind treasure refined from the ashes of a Foundation Establishment stage expert. Each chain can only be used for a short period, but during that time no Qi Condensation cultivator can resist it."

Jiang Chen’s expression darkened to the color of burnt charcoal.

’When did he...?’

His mind raced rapidly.

The only suspicious moment surfaced immediately.

The speck of light Meng Yu had tossed earlier toward his clones. At that time, Jiang Chen believed it was merely a prop for the act during their shared charade to deceive the other stall owners.

Now it was obvious the man had planned far deeper.

’I underestimated him...’ Jiang Chen’s eyes grew colder.

In truth, he had once considered eliminating Meng Yu. The man knew that Jiang Chen had no real backing. So killing him was the best move.

However, Jiang Chen had lacked the absolute confidence to assassinate him swiftly and silently in that crowded place. If Meng Yu managed to reveal that secret before dying, Jiang Chen would instantly become prey for the entire batch of stall owners.

Thus he restrained his killing intent and simply remained cautious.

But caution had not been enough.

Suddenly Jiang Chen’s expression changed.

Another memory surfaced.

Meng Yu had thrown not one, but two specks of light.

Just then, Meng Yu waved cheerfully from the sky with a crooked grin. "So long, Fifth Brother. Your contributions to my future cultivation are greatly appreciated. Hehehe!"

At that moment, the chains restraining Jiang Chen suddenly cracked and shattered into white dust. Spiritual essence rushed back into his meridians like a flood breaking through a dam.

But before he could move, the second hidden chain activated.

A silver thread shot from his midsection directly into the vortex of the door.

The force was irresistible.

Jiang Chen’s body was violently dragged forward, and the purple vortex swallowed him instantly.

He was forcibly expelled from the market.

Meng Yu watched the scene with gleaming eyes. Then he burst into loud laughter.

"Haha! Success!"

The storage bag rested securely in his hand. And the countless spirit stones that Jiang Chen had accumulated now belonged to him.

This was his victory.

At least it seemed that way.

A resentful cry of an infant echoed behind him. Before Meng Yu could turn his head, a streak of blood red light flashed through the air.

Then his body felt strangely light.

Only when his vision began to spin did he realize his head had already separated from his shoulders.

The final thing Meng Yu saw was the sky filled with swords. Nearly a hundred blood red blades floated in the air like frozen icicles dripping with fresh blood.

At their center stood a man with a face that appeared strangely youthful and rosy as if nourished by endless blood. Yet his stature was short, and his arms were thin like willow branches that seemed mismatched with the terrifying aura he projected. His crimson robes were lined with black, the hem patterned like a river of flowing blood. At his waist hung a rusty sword scabbard that contained no blade.

This was the infamous Qi Condensation expert, Blood Sword Gu Tianhao.

"Trying to steal my prey?" Gu Tianhao spat toward the falling head. "Death is your only hope."

With a slight curl of his finger, one of the floating swords pierced Meng Yu’s corpse. The blade hooked the arm that still clutched Jiang Chen’s storage bag and dragged it through the air.

Gu Tianhao caught it calmly.

Even before the market opened, Jiang Chen had already drawn his attention at the entrance of Sunken Moon Valley when he had effortlessly killed the fake Curse King Han Jin.

Such strength naturally piqued Gu Tianhao’s interest. However, the Black Market itself was his priority at the time, so Gu Tianhao delayed action.

Later, during his time in the belly of the giant, rumors spread within the market. Someone had daringly blocked the intestinal passage entrance and demanded spirit stones from every passerby. The man was said to possess terrifying strength that could be called legendary in the Qi Condensation realm.

Gu Tianhao investigated personally.

When he discovered the person was Jiang Chen, he laughed quietly.

From that moment he began observing the youth from the shadows.

Occasionally he even struck down powerful foes from the dark before they could reach the youth, ensuring his "harvest" remained intact and grew as fat as possible.

He had planned to wait until the market ended and both returned to Sunken Moon Valley. Then he would personally kill Jiang Chen, and all the benefits would become his.

But that insect Meng Yu had attempted to steal the prey first. How could Blood Sword Gu Tianhao tolerate such insolence?

Gu Tianhao wasted no time. He charged toward the nearest exit, his heart racing with anticipation. As he flew, a strand of his powerful divine sense slipped into the captured storage bag, eager to feast upon the mountain of spirit stones he knew must be inside.

But what his eyes found was not the glow of spirit stones or the hum of spiritual energy. The interior of the bag was a pitch black, barren void, as desolate as a tomb in a forgotten wasteland.

There were no stones, no herbs, and no treasures. Only a single crumpled piece of yellow toilet paper was lying at the very bottom of the empty space.

Gu Tianhao’s flight stuttered. His face twisted and trembled into a mask of pure, unadulterated rage as he read the single word written upon the paper in bold ink.

"Idiot."