Chapter 974: The Black Market

Su Han finally arrived at the small city Du Yao had mentioned, but the place was miserably dilapidated.

There were no city walls, only a stretch of tattered fencing that merely marked the boundary, with not the slightest bit of defensive power.

The buildings inside the city were all extremely crude; having even a single brick-and-tile house was already remarkable.

A small city like this, outside the Prison State, wouldn’t even count as a village.

"The Prison State is barren and lacks building materials. There are a few resplendent palaces, but those were brought in from outside at great cost. Besides, killing isn’t a crime here—many people live with their heads tied to their belts, no tomorrow after today—so no one bothers to spend effort on construction."

Du Yao had guessed what Su Han was thinking and took the initiative to explain.

Su Han nodded without saying much. This was the unique local way of life within the Prison State; he naturally couldn’t be bothered to meddle.

But the local customs here were not just ramshackle cities; they also included ugly villains.

"Well, well, two fresh little rookies. Didn’t expect you to walk here alive. Since that’s the case, hand over your Storage Rings like good boys. If Grandpa’s in a good mood, maybe I’ll spare your dog lives!"

Just as they stepped into the city, a burly man with a tattooed neck, brandishing a blood-stained saber, blocked Su Han and Du Yao’s path.

This tattoo-necked brute wasn’t weak—actually Seventh Layer Heavenly King Realm—one of the top figures in this small city, and his goal was completely undisguised: robbery.

"Courting death!"

Du Yao let out a cold snort. The Hell Poisonous Snake Whip howled forth like a real venomous serpent, directly piercing through the man’s brow. With a single strike, this Seventh Layer Heavenly King Realm brute crashed straight to the ground, life force utterly gone.

With that one move, Du Yao instantly cowed the rest of the people in the city. One by one, their eyes filled with shock as they quickly backed away, not daring to come close.

Anyone who could one-shot a Seventh Layer Heavenly King Realm was definitely not an ordinary person; they had no desire to die.

Thus Su Han’s ears finally quieted down. He wandered casually through the city, leaving the task of asking around for information to Du Yao.

Although Du Yao had been on the run outside for ten years, she was, after all, a native of the Prison State and far more familiar with it than he was.

Soon, Du Yao returned.

"Master, this is a rough map of the Prison State. This little city only has this kind; detailed maps can only be found in the big cities!"

Du Yao first handed over a map. Su Han glanced at it—it was much more detailed than the one he’d obtained before.

They were currently in the northern region of the Prison State, while Hell’s main base was in the south. To reach Hell’s main base, they would have to cross the entire Prison State.

Within the Prison State there were a total of ten large cities. The closest to them was Red Moon City. Besides that, there were several perilous lands where ordinary people must not tread; stepping in meant certain death.

Su Han’s destination was Hell’s main base, but his main purpose in coming to the Prison State was to search for Ning Feifan. So it would be best to visit each of the ten major cities along the way—he might be able to pick up some useful information.

As for seeking out King Yama, Su Han wasn’t in a hurry. With his current strength, even if he did find King Yama, getting Ning Feifan’s whereabouts out of him would not be simple.

Know yourself and know your enemy, and you’ll never lose a hundred battles!

The New Demon-Slaying Alliance had now disbanded, and Immortal Forces such as King Yama’s Palace were temporarily lying low. Lu Yunxian still had over half a year before coming out of the Heavenly Medicine Blessed Land, so Su Han had no urgent matters pressing him and plenty of time here to search for Ning Feifan.

"Master, there’s no news here about the person you asked me to look into!"

Du Yao spoke again. Su Han had already told her his purpose and ordered her to ask around about Ning Feifan’s whereabouts. Du Yao hadn’t been careless—she’d been inquiring all along the way—but unfortunately she had not found a single clue so far.

"What do you suggest?"

Su Han put away the map and asked Du Yao.

Du Yao was, after all, native to the Prison State and knew far more than he did. His main task this time was to find someone, so he wanted to hear Du Yao’s suggestions.

"Master, we can go to the black market to ask around!"

The black market?

Su Han’s eyes showed doubt as he waited for Du Yao’s explanation.

"Master, the black market is a unique marketplace within the Prison State. It buys everything and sells everything. In the black market, you can sell anything without worrying about anyone coming after you, and you can also buy whatever you want."

"Although chaos rules the Prison State, the black market’s rules are something no one dares challenge. The background behind the black market is complicated. It’s said that the Black Market Master is a Great Emperor Realm powerhouse, and not the Prison Lord, because the black market once went to war with Hell. In the end, neither side could do anything to the other, so they settled into a state of mutual non-interference."

"All ten cities have a black market. As long as we go to the black market, we might be able to ask out some news about Ning Feifan."

Du Yao held nothing back and quickly introduced it.

Outside the Prison State, there were no black markets, but within the Prison State, the black market was an existence that could stand against Hell. The black market, however, only wanted to do business and had no intention of fighting over territory; that’s why Hell could become the sole overlord of the Prison State.

"In such a tiny Prison State, there are actually two Great Emperors hidden away!"

From Du Yao’s words, Su Han grasped another layer of meaning.

Great Emperor Realm powerhouses were extremely rare. Across the nine hundred and ninety-nine Daozhou of the entire Central Plains, there were not many Great Emperors.

The Prison State was not a large Daozhou. Spiritual Energy here was thin, the environment harsh, completely unsuitable for cultivation.

For the Prison Lord and the Black Market Master—these two Great Emperors—to both reside within the Prison State meant that the Prison State must conceal some great secret. Perhaps the legend Du Yao had mentioned wasn’t just legend.

Unfortunately, Su Han had just arrived and only had a hazy understanding of the Prison State, let alone access to such top-level secrets.

Still, if the black market was truly as Du Yao described, perhaps they really could get news of Ning Feifan there.

As long as Ning Feifan had appeared within the Prison State, Su Han refused to believe no one had seen him. Even if King Yama had captured him, it was impossible for there to be absolutely no trace.

"My Bronze Ring is holding a massive haul of spoils of war. It’s about time I found a chance to sell them all off, in exchange for the Sun Essence, Moon Radiance, and Emperor Gold I need!"

Su Han had fought battle after battle and accumulated enormous spoils. Even after sharing some with Li Mingliang and Li Qingyue, he still possessed a vast trove of treasures.

Those treasures were of little use to Su Han himself; he’d always wanted an opportunity to sell them. It was only the constraints of his Nineteenth Prince identity that had kept him from making a move.

Meanwhile, both his Sword Nurturing Gourd and the Dragon Slaying Divine Spear in his sea of consciousness required special treasures to repair. If the black market truly had such capabilities, it would be worth a try.

If either the Sword Nurturing Gourd or the Dragon Slaying Divine Spear could be repaired, his trump cards would become much more solid.

"In that case, let’s go have a look at the black market in Red Moon City!"

Su Han made his decision and left the small city with Du Yao, heading for Red Moon City.