When the Phoenix appeared, Yang Kai had been on Yuqing Mountain.
It could be said that among the warriors who had observed the Phoenix at close range, Yang Kai was the only one still alive. Everyone else was already dead.
As for Kang Siran's proposal, he naturally had no interest in it.
So he politely declined Kang Siran's invitation. Though Manager Kang felt it was a pity, he didn't press the matter. After all, not everyone wanted to show their face in front of the Star Envoy and hope for advancement — people had their own ambitions, and it was pointless to force the issue.
Kang Siran actually admired Yang Kai's free-spirited temperament, so after urging him once more to rest well for a few days, he took his leave.
Yang Kai tidied up his things briefly and left the Spirit Pill Workshop, returning to the cave dwelling he had rented in Maple Forest City.
The next day, an imposing, enormous, luxuriously decorated tower ship rose from the City Lord's Mansion and flew straight toward Yuqing Mountain. On the ship was the emblem of intertwined star and moon.
That was the symbol of the Star God Palace, the overlord of the Southern Domain.
Every warrior in Maple Forest City was shaken.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai had hired a white jade dragon-horse carriage and instructed the driver to take him to a street on the western side of the city.
Even though Maple Forest City was not famous in the Southern Domain, it covered an enormous area. Flying was prohibited within the city, as was the use of flight artifacts. If warriors wanted to save time while traveling, their only option was to hire one of these white jade dragon-horse carriages. The white jade dragon horses were said to carry the blood of ancient divine dragons, though it had thinned greatly over the ages. They were docile in temperament, easy to tame, and striking in appearance — making them perfect for pulling carriages.
In less than half an hour, they arrived.
Yang Kai paid the fare, stepped down from the carriage, and walked to a secluded corner. From his space ring, he took out a set of clothes he had prepared in advance, put them on, and pulled up the hood to conceal his features. Then he headed straight toward the bustling street ahead.
This was the black market of Maple Forest City!
Though he had not been in Maple Forest City for long, he had already gathered information about the black market's existence.
The so-called black market was a place that could not exist openly — yet it was tacitly permitted by the Maple Forest City Lord's Mansion, a single street where all manner of goods were traded. Here one could find many spoils taken after robbery and murder — items that could not be sold on the legitimate market but could find good buyers in this place.
There were also items of unknown origin that could be auctioned off here.
Warriors who entered and exited the black market all followed an unspoken rule: don't ask about the source of goods, don't ask about the seller's name or background. Payment and goods exchanged, and after the transaction, both parties went their separate ways.
In a place like this, it was easy to stumble upon treasures, so it was immensely popular among the warriors of Maple Forest City, packed with people every single day.
But precisely because of that special rule, there were also those who engaged in sharp practices, passing off fakes and shoddy goods as genuine articles. This tested a buyer's eye and knowledge. If someone was swindled out of greed, they had only themselves to blame — no use complaining about anyone else.
Yang Kai had been a bit worried that his disguise might attract too much attention, after all, this was the sort of outfit a guilty person would wear. It really didn't look like the getup of an upstanding individual.
But once he stepped onto the black market street, he realized his concerns were somewhat unnecessary.
There were plenty of warriors dressed similarly to him — they were everywhere. This discovery immediately put him at ease.
No sooner had he entered the street than a shifty-eyed elderly man sidled up to him, wearing a mysterious expression. He tugged at the hem of Yang Kai's garment, his eyes darting about, gesturing for Yang Kai to step aside and talk.
"Say what you have to say." Yang Kai said coldly.
"Brother, this old man has good news to share with you. But how can one speak of such things here? Walls have ears, you know." The old man kept glancing left and right as he spoke, as vigilant as a mouse stealing oil.
"Then don't bother." Yang Kai knew well that all sorts of characters roamed a place like this. He had no intention of wasting time with a stranger.
With that, he strode forward.
"Hey, don't go, young brother!" The old man hurried after him and blocked his path, gritting his teeth. "Fine. Young brother looks like a busy man, so this old man won't waste your time. Just take a look at this!"
So saying, he pulled from inside his chest a crumpled piece of beast-hide parchment that looked quite aged. It was unclear what kind of demon beast's hide had been used to prepare it, but it actually emitted a fairly strong energy fluctuation. On the parchment, complex lines ran through it in a dense, interlocking pattern that looked extremely profound.
The old man flashed the beast-hide parchment before Yang Kai's eyes for just a moment, then retracted it with incredible speed. He then adopted a pained and anguished expression: "I'll be honest with you, young brother. This treasure map was handed down through my ancestors. My forebears served the incomparably mighty Heaven Devouring Great Emperor, and this treasure map points to the location where the Heaven Devouring Great Emperor hid his treasures. My own strength is far too weak to go searching for the treasure. Today I took one look at you and felt we were kindred spirits — how about I sell you this treasure map at a bargain?"
"Heaven Devouring Great Emperor?" Yang Kai raised an eyebrow.
"Indeed!"