Volume Twelve: Invitation to Hell Chapter Fifty-Two: Fated Connection

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“How large is it?”

Faced with Yaoguang’s question, Baixin wore a somewhat peculiar expression. Only after a long while did he answer, “No one can say exactly how large this place is. I heard it from my master: its size depends on the breadth of your vision, the depths of your heart, and the level of your cultivation. To put it simply, the realm you have attained determines the scenery and the extent of what you can see. This place is only as vast as your heart. Some people enter and see a desert; some see a frozen wilderness; some see barren land; others see verdant mountains and flowing waters. Whatever lies deepest within your heart is what will appear here.”

Looking at the scene before her, Yaoguang said, “A mountain is a mountain; then, looking at a mountain, it is no longer a mountain; finally, a mountain is once again a mountain.”

Seeing her standing there in a daze, Baixin smiled and asked, “Have you gained some insight?”

Yaoguang nodded. “Yes, I have. One must live without regret and let nature take its course.”

Baixin suddenly asked, “But can you truly do that?”

Yaoguang shook her head. “I am not that carefree. My heart is burdened by attachments.”

Baixin let out a quiet sigh. “Come. We are almost at the market.”

Yaoguang stared at him. “The market?”

“What did you think? How else would those people in the wastelands and snow mountains reach the market? The opportunity to comprehend the Dao is too precious. This place is extraordinary—even those who follow the unorthodox paths have their own Dao to comprehend here. But that also means you are destined to remain here only for a short while. Sometimes people come to the Dark Night Ghost Market not to trade at all, but simply to seek enlightenment. I have been here once before, so I am telling you now: we are nearly at the market.”

Baixin spoke to Yaoguang with an air of mystery.

Yaoguang’s heart was filled with questions, but she could only follow Baixin. They had not gone far when, at the end of a narrow lane, a door appeared. It was merely an ordinary, imposing door, yet it carried the same aura as the cavern entrance through which they had come.

Yaoguang could not explain why she felt that way, but there was no doubt that the aura was identical. Before she could ask, Baixin said, “That should be the door. Once we pass through it, we will arrive at the market. It seems that you and I are both people without fate in this ghost market.”

“Why do you say that?” Yaoguang asked, puzzled.

“Once you enter the market, if your trade yields nothing, you will automatically be expelled from the Dark Night Ghost Market, and you will never have another chance to return to these places. In other words, the only opportunity to encounter a destined connection comes before reaching the market. Inside the market, everything is purely a transaction. There is no such thing as stumbling upon fate there. Every item has a fixed price.”

Baixin explained this carefully.

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Yaoguang gave a quiet acknowledgment, feeling a touch of regret. She could only place her hopes of finding news about Shang Liye in the market. After all, this place was so wondrous that she truly believed she could find him here.

The lane was deserted, though a few pedestrians passed by from time to time. Yaoguang had never expected to encounter any destined connection herself, but when she was less than ten meters from the door, an old man brushed past her.

They passed one another without a word or glance. Yaoguang nevertheless looked at him curiously. He was dressed in ancient-style robes, wearing traditional garments. From his attire, he appeared to be a cultivator, which was why she had spared him a glance.

She and Baixin continued toward the door. They had taken only a few steps when a deep, vigorous voice suddenly rang out in her mind.

“You there, young woman. Stop.”

Yaoguang froze. Baixin had told her that if someone spoke to her, it meant that her destined connection had arrived.

She turned around and saw the old man standing behind her, watching her. There was even a hint of excitement in his expression.

“Sir, were you calling me?” Yaoguang asked.

“Who else would I be calling? Could you hear me if I were calling someone else? And don’t call me ‘sir.’ It sounds awkward. Just call me Old Daoist.”

“Old Daoist?” Yaoguang repeated silently to herself. Nearly everyone in this place seemed to be a Daoist practitioner. Calling him simply “Old Daoist” was rather vague.

When Yaoguang stopped, Baixin was puzzled. Naturally, he could not hear her conversation with the old Daoist. But when he saw the old man standing there, he understood at once. Excitedly, he said to Yaoguang, “Phoenix, you are incredibly lucky. Other people may come to the ghost market ten or eight times without ever encountering a destined connection. Those who do so on their first visit are exceedingly rare. I never expected you to be one of them.”

Yaoguang pressed her lips together in a smile and said to the old man, “Old Daoist, please wait a moment. I need to say a few words to my friend.”

The old Daoist was even-tempered enough. He nodded, clasped his hands behind his back, and waited nearby.

Yaoguang then said to Baixin, “Brother Bai, I will have to trouble you to wait for me a moment.”

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Baixin was an openhearted and upright man. Though he envied Yaoguang, he felt no jealousy. He said, “I am afraid I cannot wait for you. I do not know how the Dark Night Ghost Market calculates time. If I fail to encounter a destined connection and do not go to the market, yet remain here instead, I will still be forcibly expelled once my time is up. Staying here would only waste my time. After all, there are many excellent things in the market. I intend to go there, and once I do, you will have no further need of me. Besides, now that you have encountered your destined connection, you can stay here without reducing your allotted time. I will go on ahead.”

Yaoguang nodded. “Very well. I will not delay you. We shall meet again when we leave.”

And so Yaoguang and Baixin bade one another farewell. She then walked over to the old Daoist and said, “May I ask why you called me here?”

The old Daoist was tall and powerfully built. His features were imposing, and his entire presence radiated authority.

Faced with Yaoguang’s question, the old Daoist pondered for a moment before saying, “Come with me.”

With that, he turned and strode away. Yaoguang followed closely behind.

In silence, they walked to a secluded courtyard. The old Daoist pushed open the gate and led Yaoguang inside.

The courtyard was likely the old Daoist’s residence. It was quiet and tranquil. He asked Yaoguang to sit on a stone bench, then circled her several times, pacing back and forth.

Only afterward did he knit his brows slightly. “That’s right. The magnetic field around you is different. Let us dispense with formalities. What is your name and family name? Who is your master? What rank of cultivator are you?”

Yaoguang was taken aback. “I am Phoenix. My lineage cannot be revealed. I have now ascended as a Supreme God, though my physical body remains.”

She concealed nothing before the old Daoist and answered with complete frankness. The reason was simple: he gave her a feeling that he could be trusted.

“You say that you are a Supreme God whose physical body remains? Are you the Phoenix Supreme God who ascended to the Ancient God Realm with your physical body?”

The old Daoist became instantly agitated, and even his voice rose several degrees.

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