Absolute Destiny Game
Chapter 513 - 81: Ghost Market of the Clear Spring

Suddenly, Bai Ze’s voice came through the air ahead, "Hey, what’s the situation here?"

Xiao Jie thought to himself that the kid really had followed them, "Cut the crap, just run." With that, he allocated all 5 attribute points he gained from the upgrade to Agility, speeding up once again. His high agility score of 82 played a tremendous role at this moment, as if the wind was born under his feet, fast as lightning.

However, Handsome Brother was surprisingly not weak either, also moving like a bolt of lightning, with the others following behind. Even with spells enhancing their speed, it was difficult to catch up with the two of them.

The group ran wildly until they reached the crossroad where I Want to Be Immortal was waiting, only then did they stop to catch their breath. Xiao Jie looked back; thankfully, the Netherworld Ghost Generals hadn’t caught up.

While running, Master Shuo Bud was also contacting the teammates he’d gotten separated from. Soon most of the crew had regrouped. The situation was rather ideal, as most people had survived, except for one Iron Guard and one Mountain Splitter.

These two were probably the ones with the worst Qinggong in the group, and therefore they were the first to be caught. After being caught, they had no choice but to stop and fight, unwittingly providing a distraction for the rest.

The two were surrounded and beaten by four Boss-level Bosses, and without a second thought, it was certain they were done for.

Indeed, the saying held true, when facing a tiger, there’s no need to run faster than the tiger, just faster than your teammates.

Though the Four Ghost Generals weren’t tigers, the principle was the same.

"Damn it, we lost another two brothers!" Master Shuo Bud sighed to the heavens, his tone full of sorrow.

Someone immediately retorted, "Cut it out, monk. They were just temporary help, why pretend to be the good guy?"

"What do we do now? We lost the treasure that was within our grasp, damn it. If we had known, we should have gone directly into the tomb."

"Maybe there’s a BOSS inside the tomb?"

"Didn’t you hear what those Ghost Generals said? It’s their master’s burial site, and since it’s a burial, it definitely means they’re dead, right?"

Everyone was discussing loudly, with a mixture of fear of the Ghost Generals and a longing and unwillingness to let go of the treasure.

Xiao Jie listened clearly, realizing this group was also put together on the fly, no wonder they had no psychological pressure when it came to sacrificing teammates.

As expected, a makeshift team wasn’t reliable. A guild-based team, on the other hand, was somewhat more trustworthy; at least they wouldn’t sacrifice a comrade unless absolutely necessary.

He discreetly sent a private message to Ye Luo.

Hidden Moon Following Wind: Ye Luo, you’ve seen the situation. Should we pull out?

Ye Luo hummed in agreement, with no objection.

Four Boss-level Bosses, maybe there was a chance against a single one, but against all four ganged up together, even if they went all out, they wouldn’t stand a chance.

This wasn’t a simple matter of 1+1+1+1=4. Four Boss-level Bosses would definitely coordinate, making their strength even more formidable.

Even if they were to bring over the entire Luoyang Branch, it would still end in annihilation.

Of course, if the main force of the Dragon Soaring Knights were to come, there might be a chance, but the risk was still huge. A slip-up could potentially lead to half the team dying, and without some indispensable treasure dropped by these Bosses, Long Xingtianxia would probably not take the risk.

Nevertheless, in keeping with his guild responsibilities, Xiao Jie still sent a brief report to Long Xingtianxia, summarizing his findings, in case Long Xingtianxia was interested in leading a team to conquer it, so he could at least claim some credit for the intelligence provided.

Unfortunately, his prediction was correct; Long Xingtianxia showed little interest in the potential Magic Treasures inside the ancient tomb.

Long Xingtianxia: The main force is currently investigating the whereabouts of the dragon in the north, and we already have some leads. It’s a crucial moment, and there’s no need for us to get involved in this affair. Whether you want to participate is up to you.

Hidden Moon Following Wind: Understood.

After closing the private message, Xiao Jie prepared to leave with his group.

Master Shuo Bud, however, came over.

"Brother, I’ve already contacted my guild, and reinforcements will be here soon. Still, we’re short on manpower. Are you interested in joining the team?"

Xiao Jie declined, "Sorry, I’m not interested."

"Don’t reject it so quickly... The Magic Treasures in the ancient tomb are extraordinary. I know you might feel you’re in no position to claim a share due to your solitary status. However, you can inquire on the forums. People know that Master Shuo Bud has some reputation in the Old Earth Circle, and I assure you of a fair distribution. Even if you don’t want to contribute much, just offering auxiliary support is fine. Even if you don’t get your hands on a Magic Treasure, you’ll still get a share of the Four Ghost Generals’ loot. I’ve seen what you can do, brother. If you’re willing, you definitely won’t miss out on your share."

Master Shuo Bud was quite sincere, but Xiao Jie still declined, "Ha, sorry, I have a very important task to do. This time, I just happened to pass by. Let’s forget it. That Handsome Brother has impressive skills, I think you could try asking him."

Without further ado, he signaled his group to leave quickly.

He had figured it out by now. This Master Shuo Bud might not be a bad person; he wouldn’t maliciously PK other players without reason, but he was certainly not a saint. If the stakes were high enough, killing was a perfectly normal tactic for him.

Moreover, the other party was bringing in a guild; whatever share they’d get would depend completely on the guild’s discretion. It was a deal he couldn’t entertain.

Besides, the lineup of the Four Ghost Generals was exceedingly dangerous. If a real battle broke out, even he couldn’t guarantee coming out unscathed. The treasured items in the game were indeed tempting, but there was a time to back off. Once the risk exceeded a certain threshold, it was absolutely necessary to abstain. Even if one were to take risks, there had to be a reasonable chance of success.

"Just quit while you’re ahead."

Watching Xiao Jie lead his people away, Master Shuo Bud felt helpless.

(Damn it, are they all so afraid of me scamming them? I’m not a robber... It’s okay, there’re plenty of experts out there.)

"That handsome guy over there, interested in joining a team?"

------------------

Leaving the crossroads, this time the four didn’t get distracted and followed the coordinates all the way, after more than half an hour, they arrived at the point.

However, once they got there, Xiao Jie was speechless. He looked around. Where was there any Heavenly Cave? Forget strange plants, there wasn’t even a decent tree in sight. The scene was one of charred chaos with only remnants of walls and wild, dying grass. It seemed to have once been a village, but now it was completely flat, leaving only a few traces that made one wonder how many years it had been destroyed.

Walking a few steps around the ruins, they found a graveyard with heaps of earth that had decayed bones poking out, an incredibly desolate sight.

Xiao Jie checked the coordinates again, thinking there had been no mistake.

Qi Observation Skill!

He immediately activated his profession skill, and the screen changed color, left with only shades of black and white. He looked around, but where was there any trace of Spiritual Energy? Not only was there no Spiritual Energy, but there was also nothing but darkness. Clearly, because of the contamination from Yin Energy, there wasn’t a single living thing.

Could this Heavenly Cave be a fake?

The other three also sought ways to search. I Want to Be Immortal had his Wolf Spirit help investigate, Ye Luo summoned his Ghost Servant, and Bai Ze used his Divination Skill.

Xiao Jie watched everyone busily searching while he directly messaged Xiao Yi the Unrivaled privately.

Hidden Moon Following Wind: Brother Xia, are you sure it’s these coordinates? There’s nothing here.

Xia Yi the Unrivaled: Absolutely no mistake.

Hidden Moon Following Wind: Could you come out to meet us? We can’t find anything.

Xia Yi the Unrivaled: I’d like to go out too, brother. I seem to be trapped.

Hidden Moon Following Wind: What’s going on?

Xia Yi the Unrivaled: It wasn’t easy finishing those tasks given by the Fairies, and they even gave me an Orange Weapon. But when I wanted to leave, I couldn’t find the exit.

I asked them how to leave, and these ladies wouldn’t speak; just kept smiling at me. Damn, their smiles sent shivers down my spine.

Besides, I feel something’s off with these Fairies. Sometimes they just freeze up abruptly, standing stiff as a zombie. Don’t know if it’s a game graphics issue or what, but it feels very eerie.

As he said this, he even sent a video.

In the video, some Fairies appeared to be sword dancing and others dancing, but all were frozen in place, even the dancing poses were halted, indeed quite eerie.

Then there was a picture showing a backpack filled to the brim, with a treasure sword emanating an orange glow prominently placed.

Xiao Jie frowned, an Orange Weapon? Could this ghostly place yield an Orange Weapon? And they gave it just for doing a few tasks?

There are basic rules to the game, for something like an Orange Weapon, you wouldn’t expect less than a grand task shaking heaven and earth, or at least slaying a great demon to get one.

There’s definitely something fishy going on.

Hidden Moon Following Wind: Why don’t you just fight your way out? Xiao Jie suggested.

Xia Yi the Unrivaled: Those Fairies are all level 50 or 60 NPCs, I wouldn’t dare make a move. Good brother, if it’s convenient for you, it’d be great if you could come and get me, I would be eternally grateful.

I’ve found it! Ye Luo suddenly exclaimed.

The four gathered around, and at the end of the ruins stood a damaged archway with three large characters barely discernible—Qingquan Town.

A faint mist was swirling around.

"Where is it?" Xiao Jie asked in confusion.

"Right behind this door. You can’t see it, but I can—besides, it’s not a Heavenly Cave at all; it’s a Ghost Market."

"Ghost Market?"

Ye Luo explained, "A special area born from the convergence of lingering resentment from a large number of ghosts. Wandering ghosts often like to settle in Ghost Markets, even developing into market towns and villages. Normally, you can’t get into a Ghost Market unless—now I see!" Ye Luo’s voice suddenly rose a few notches as he seemed to realize something.

"What do you mean ’now I see’?"

Ye Luo explained, "Ghost Markets only occasionally open at midnight, when Yin Energy peaks. They don’t appear during the day. But the environment in Ghost Mist Ridge is special, and there was a Yin Tide outbreak before, making Yin Energy even stronger than at a typical midnight. Xia Yi the Unrivaled must have walked into the Ghost Market at that time!"

Xiao Jie thought this sounded quite reasonable.

"So does the Ghost Market appear to be a scenic Heavenly Cave? With Fairies and all?"

"No, usually a Ghost Market just looks like an ordinary city market."