Transmigrating Into a Fantasy World: Signing in During Pregnancy, Reaching the Summit with My Childhood Sweetheart

81: Chapter 81: The Molten Rift and the Hundred Clans MarketUnder the guidance of Zhao Ming and Li Han, Su Muxue and Lin Mo traveled through these crisscrossing, maze-like underground tunnels for about an hour.

The deeper they went, the more the surrounding scenery began to change.

The tunnel’s rock walls gradually shifted from cold black boulders to sedimentary rock with dark red veins. A faint scent of sulfur began to permeate the air, the temperature rose noticeably, and they could even feel slight vibrations beneath their feet.

Fluorescent moss and fungi grew more abundantly, providing more light, and occasionally, strange glowing insects could be seen scurrying past.

”Senior, not much further ahead, you’ll be able to hear the rushing of the ’Molten Fire River’. Diyan Market is built right above the rift by the river,” Zhao Ming explained respectfully while carefully scouting ahead, his tone much more relaxed than before. Having an ”unfathomable” Senior like Su Muxue by his side greatly increased his sense of security.

Sure enough, before long, a dull, thunderous roar echoed from ahead, accompanied by an increasingly scorching airflow.

After rounding a massive bend, the scene before them suddenly opened up, causing even Su Muxue and Lin Mo’s hearts to tremble slightly.

They were standing at the edge of a colossal underground cavern. The cavity was so vast that neither the ceiling nor the opposite shore could be seen, with only endless darkness stretching upward. Opposite this bottomless abyss, an incredibly massive crimson rift, like a scar on the earth, lay across the darkness.

Within the rift, scorching, viscous lava flowed slowly like a river, letting out deafening roars. The blinding red light illuminated the entire cavern in a dim crimson hue, and waves of heat surged toward them. That was the ”Molten Fire River.”

On the cliff wall where they stood, as well as the opposite cliff wall as far as the eye could see, were countless densely packed caves, platforms, and even strange buildings resembling stilt houses clinging to the rock. Numerous thick iron chain bridges connected the two sides, with tiny figures of people or beasts moving across them.

Besides the smell of sulfur, the air was mixed with various complex scents—Demonic Qi, Devilish Qi, Yin Qi, and many more indistinguishable racial scents, as well as the scent of Human Race Cultivators. Noisy, bustling sounds drifted from those buildings and chain bridges, creating a strange, wild, and vibrant marketplace atmosphere.

This was Diyan Market—a gathering place for a hundred races in an extreme environment, where dragons and snakes mingled!

”Senior, we’ve arrived,” Li Han said softly, pointing to a more heavily guarded walkway entrance carved into the cliff. ”That’s one of the main entrances to the market. You need to pay one Low-Grade Spirit Stone or an equivalent item to enter.”

Su Muxue’s gaze swept across the entrance, noticing four guards. They weren’t human, but members of an alien race with grayish-brown skin, tall and sturdy builds, and single horns on their heads. Their cultivation was around the Middle Foundation Establishment stage, and their sharp eyes scrutinized every creature trying to enter the market. After paying the fee, they would issue a small stone talisman containing faint fire-elemental energy, which seemed to be a temporary identity token.

The line to enter was diverse: there were members of the Yao Race covered in scales, Demonic Cultivators shrouded in black robes, Essence Spirits with partially elementalized bodies, and, of course, many Human Race Cultivators like Zhao Ming and Li Han, all looking travel-worn and carrying an air of vigilance and the hardship of survival.

”Who governs this market?” Su Muxue asked Zhao Ming in a low voice.

”In response to Senior, Diyan Market has no clear ruler. It’s said to have been originally established by several Loose Cultivator experts at the Golden Core Stage and some powerful underground Yao clans, forming a loose ’Market Alliance’ to maintain basic order. But here, might makes right. The Alliance only ensures that no large-scale slaughter occurs within the market; they don’t care about anything else,” Zhao Ming explained.

It was soon their turn. When the one-horned guard saw Su Muxue (who, despite her hidden face, had an extraordinary temperament) and the light orb of Lin Mo in her arms with its peculiar aura, he clearly took a few extra looks. However, he didn’t ask questions, took the Spirit Stones, and issued the stone talismans.

As soon as they entered the market area, an even more clamorous wave of heat hit them.

On both sides of the street (which was a wide platform carved into the cliff), various stalls were crowded together, selling unique underground minerals, Spiritual Plants, Yao Beast Materials, and all sorts of Magical Artifacts and Medicinal Pills of unknown origin. The sounds of shouting and haggling were incessant.

The ”people” they saw were even more bizarre: there were short, stout, bearded Caveman blacksmiths hammering glowing red metal; ”Night Wraith” tribesmen with pale skin and huge eyes selling glowing mushrooms; and one could even see a few semi-transparent ”Ghosts” floating in the air, lingering in front of a stall... Zhao Ming and Li Han were clearly familiar with this place, leading Su Muxue through the crowded main road toward a relatively quiet area where more Human Race Cultivators gathered.

”Senior, this area is mostly where human Loose Cultivators from various places stay. There are inns and taverns, and it’s also convenient for gathering information,” Zhao Ming said, leading Su Muxue to a stone cave inn that looked reasonably clean, named ”Rock Dwelling.”

”Give us two adjacent quiet rooms.” Su Muxue tossed over a few Spirit Stones. The shopkeeper was an elderly human with low cultivation; he took the Spirit Stones, efficiently completed the procedures, and handed over two stone keys.

Entering the narrow but tidy stone room and setting up a simple soundproofing Restriction, Su Muxue finally breathed a sigh of relief. The continuous experiences had left her physically and mentally exhausted.

”Thank you for your protection all the way, Senior!” Zhao Ming and Li Han bowed solemnly once more. ”If not for Senior, the two of us would surely have met with disaster today!”

”It was just a small matter,” Su Muxue said calmly. ”Go and rest yourselves.”

The two hesitated for a moment, then Zhao Ming added, ”Since Senior has just arrived, if you need to find out anything, you can look for ’Know-it-all’. He lives in the stone house at the easternmost end of the market that always smells of medicine. He’s the most well-informed, though his fees are quite high. Senior saved our lives, and we still have a few Spirit Stones here...” He began to reach into his pocket as he spoke.

”No need,” Su Muxue interrupted him. ”You may go now.”

Seeing this, the two didn’t dare say more. After thanking her again, they respectfully withdrew from the stone room.

Only Su Muxue and Lin Mo remained in the room.

”Finally, we have a temporary place to stay,” Lin Mo’s thought came through, carrying a hint of fatigue. ”This place is a mix of dragons and snakes, and information flows quickly. It’s perfect for us to gather intelligence.”

”Mm.” Su Muxue sat down to regulate her breathing. ”That ’Know-it-all’ might be a Breakthrough. We need to know: first, how to return to the surface; second, information regarding bone rotting grass or that corrosive energy; and third, Senior Brother Nangong’s whereabouts... even if there’s only a one-in-ten-thousand chance.”

”And fourth,” Lin Mo added, ”keep an eye out for information regarding the Star Palace, the heavenly patrol ancient path, or... the White Mask. I always feel that City Lord Bai He, and even this underground world, might be related to the remnants of the Star Palace.”

The abnormal reaction of the nirvana star core in this place made it impossible for him not to care.

After a moment of meditation, Su Muxue’s state recovered slightly. She changed into a more inconspicuous grey cloak, carefully hid Lin Mo’s light orb, and decided to find ”Know-it-all” immediately.

Following Zhao Ming’s directions, she soon found the stone house at the eastern end of the market that emitted a strange medicinal smell. The door was wide open, and the inside was cluttered with various herbs, Ores, and bone fragments. A thin, withered old man with exceptionally shrewd eyes was carefully grinding some medicinal powder by the light of a glowing moss.

Sensing someone’s arrival, he didn’t even look up. ”The old rules for information: ten Low-Grade Spirit Stones per question, no haggling, and no guarantee I’ll know the answer.”

Su Muxue directly tossed over a small bag containing fifty Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

The old man paused, quickly grabbed the bag to weigh it, and a smile immediately broke out on his face. Looking up at Su Muxue’s obscured features, his eyes flashed with sharp insight. ”Oh, a distinguished guest! Please ask, this Bao will tell you everything he knows!”

”First question: do you know how to return to the surface world?” Su Muxue asked directly.

Know-it-all rubbed his hands. ”That’s a rather big question. As far as I know, the stable and safe passages are all controlled by several top clans, such as the Sha Chi Clan’s royal court, the Stone Spirit Clan’s ancestral land, and those demonic lords in Dark Flame City. They guard them more closely than their own lives; ordinary Cultivators can’t even dream of it. Unless...”

”Unless what?”

”Unless you can find the legendary ’Undercurrent’, that’s a brief passage formed by the occasional intersection of underground rivers and spatial rifts. Its location is uncertain and it’s extremely dangerous, but it’s the only possible path not controlled by the great clans. However, no one has seen a real ’Undercurrent’ for a long time.” Know-it-all shook his head.

”Second question: do you know of ’bone rotting grass’ or similar energy that can corrode spirituality and infect life force?”

Upon hearing this, Know-it-all’s expression changed slightly, and he lowered his voice. ”Why is Fellow Daoist asking about this? This stuff... is very sinister! It’s said to be related to a great cataclysm from long ago, a power of ’curse’ that you can’t shake off once it touches you! What occasionally circulates in the market are mostly contaminated artifacts or fragments brought out from deep within ancient ruins. They all carry misfortune, and very few people buy them.”

”Where can I find related information or actual items?”

”This...” Know-it-all hesitated. ”They occasionally surface in the black market, but the price is staggering. If you want to know who knows the most... perhaps those guys in Dark Flame City who study forbidden arts would know something. Or else... the Sha Chi Clan! Deep within their royal court, they seem to enshrine something sinister. Its aura is somewhat similar to what you described...” As he spoke, he instinctively shrank his neck.

”Third question: has there been any recent news of a Sword Cultivator named Nangong Xuan from the Tianyan Sect in the Central Continent?”

Know-it-all frowned and thought for a long time before finally shaking his head. ”Central Continent? That’s too far away. I haven’t heard of that name. However... about half a month ago, there was a rumor that an extremely powerful sword light had slashed through the crust of the Western Wasteland. It was suspected that a heavily injured Sword Cultivator expert had fallen underground, which alerted several great clans to go and search. But there was no follow-up after that, so I don’t know if it’s true.”

Nangong Xuan! Su Muxue’s heart leaped! Although the news was vague, it was the only lead!

She suppressed her excitement and asked a few more questions about the Star Palace and the White Mask, but Know-it-all claimed he had never heard of them.

Leaving Know-it-all’s stone house, Su Muxue’s mood was complex. There was both good and bad news, but at least she had a direction.

On the way back to the inn, she keenly felt that several ill-intentioned gazes were spying on her in the dark. Was it retaliation from the Sha Chi Clan? Or had she been targeted as a fat sheep because of her previous display of wealth?

She remained unfazed and quickened her pace.

Just as she was about to return to ”Rock Dwelling,” a sudden commotion and cries of alarm came from the street ahead!

A squad of Sha Chi Clan warriors in bright armor with fierce auras was roughly pushing through the crowd, heading straight toward her! Leading them was one of the four Sha Chi Clan warriors who had fled earlier. His compound eyes were locked onto Su Muxue, and he was hissing while pointing her out to a Sha Chi Clan general beside him, who wore much more ornate armor and had an aura reaching the Early Golden Core stage.

Trouble had found its way to her door so quickly!