Arrival and Ambush

When he opened his eyes once more, a wave of fresh fragrance washed over him. The protective light barrier around his body could no longer sustain itself and shattered into nothingness. At that exact moment, the terrifying spatial distortion force vanished completely without a trace.

Before him stood a massive city. Its walls were covered in dark green moss and some lush vines, resembling a green castle. The sky was a pale blue, dotted with drifting white clouds. Further out, an endless expanse of lush greenery stretched into the distance. Unlike the previous realm, this place was bathed in daylight.

"Hey, come over here and collect your supplies!"

A rather hoarse voice came from the side. Zhang Shou-Zheng snapped out of his daze, turned, and looked over.

A huge plaque hung above the city gate, bearing the characters "Three Realms Marketplace." Not far from the gate stood a towering ancient tree. Beneath it was a desk, and standing beside it was a man clad in black robes whose facial features bore a slight resemblance to Qian San. Zhang Shou-Zheng immediately walked over and cupped his fists in a salute.

"Take your garments. The Three Realms Marketplace remains open for three days. Time here passes just one night shorter than in the outside world. During this period, you may use your token to stay at any inn within the marketplace. Fighting is strictly prohibited inside; otherwise, the marketplace enforcers will punish you severely. There are certain rules here, read through them carefully yourself."

The man reached out, retrieved a black plastic bag, and handed it to Zhang Shou-Zheng. Opening it, Zhang Shou-Zheng found a black robe, a small booklet, and a red opera mask.

"These are all meant to conceal your identity. Of course, if you choose not to hide who you are, you don't have to wear them. However, I must warn you: if you are targeted and killed out here, you bear the consequences entirely! This area does not belong to the Three Realms Marketplace proper; the marketplace is inside the walls. Therefore, if you are killed out here, the enforcers of the marketplace will not intervene. I advise you to enter the city soon and not linger in this Exile Land."

The man spoke with a hint of warning in his tone.

"May I ask if there are other city gates leading into the Three Realms Marketplace? Why have my companions vanished?"

Zhang Shou-Zheng realized that Qian Sheng and Jiuer were nowhere to be seen. They had entered one after another with less than a minute between them, making this situation extremely bizarre.

"This is the East Gate. There is also a West Gate, and the teleportation arrays are entirely random."

The man appeared somewhat impatient. At that moment, a flash of white and green light erupted not far away, faintly revealing a human figure within. As the light faded, a youth emerged, looking around with wide-eyed curiosity. The youth wore a simple short-sleeved shirt and, much like Zhang Shou-Zheng, carried a large backpack. He scanned his surroundings, his face filled with astonishment. Seeing this, the man by the desk impatiently called out:

"Hey! Come over here and collect your supplies!"

Only then did the youth turn around and look toward them. Zhang Shou-Zheng was still holding the black robe, intending to put it on just in case someone targeted him—being marked out here would be disastrous. However, as he inadvertently glanced at the newcomer, he froze. A painfully familiar face appeared before his eyes. The youth was equally startled upon seeing Zhang Shou-Zheng, but his expression immediately transformed into one of pleasant surprise. He hurried over, brimming with excitement, and called out,

"You're Zhang Shou-Zheng from Class 1401! I can't believe you ended up here too. Thanks to you last time, otherwise, there's no way I would have made it out of Emperor Dragon High School alive."

"So it's Liu Ming of the Wind and Fire Sect. Long time no see. This is not the place to talk; let's get into the Three Realms Marketplace quickly."

After donning the black robe, Zhang Shou-Zheng put on the opera mask and spoke in a deep voice.

Seeing this, Liu Ming quickly took the black plastic bag handed over by the robed man and pulled out a black garment of his own. His mask turned out to be a monkey-face mask. With a silent mutual understanding, the two of them walked together toward the city gate.

Yet before they even drew close, Zhang Shou-Zheng sensed a chilling aura permeating the air around them, and he immediately grabbed Liu Ming to halt his steps.

Through his mask, Zhang Shou-Zheng stared fixedly at the man beneath the ancient tree. That man was standing there completely motionless, looking utterly bizarre.

"Are we being ambushed?"

Liu Ming asked softly, while his hand quietly slipped inside his robe and drew out a feathered fan. It was impossible to tell what kind of feathers the fan was crafted from; one side was a cool cyan, while the other burned with a fiery crimson.

No sooner had his voice fallen than two figures clad in identical cloaks emerged from the city. One was noticeably tall and wore a wolf mask, while the other was petite and slender, wearing a fox mask. The man held a gleaming saber radiating a chilly glint, and the woman held a pitch-black banner from which ghostly energy billowed and chilly winds howled.

"Hand over everything you're carrying, and you may leave this place. Otherwise, do not blame the two of us for being discourteous."

The man spoke in a muffled, rumbling voice, sounding as though he had deliberately altered it.

"This is the Three Realms Marketplace! Do you dare to act so lawless?!"

Zhang Shou-Zheng drew his broken sword and spoke coldly. Handing over his possessions was completely out of the question, especially since he needed his belongings to exchange for the Sun Poria.

"Ridiculous! The Three Realms Marketplace is inside the city. Since you haven't entered, you are not yet considered inside the marketplace. The zone you are currently in is the Exile Land. Meiniang, it seems this fellow has no intention of handing over his things. Let's strike, before too many nosy onlookers show up."

The man spoke coldly, suddenly raising his saber and hacking fiercely toward Zhang Shou-Zheng.

Although he had anticipated that the Three Realms Marketplace wouldn't be simple, this was his first time encountering anyone attempting murder and robbery so blatantly in broad daylight. He glanced toward the black-robed man under the distant tree. The man looked back, spread his hands in a helpless gesture, and indicated that he had already issued his warning, washing his hands of the matter.

Meanwhile, the woman called Meiniang blew upon the black banner in her hands, forming hand seals with one hand. Fog churned violently within the black banner, and lines of blood-red, ominous runes writhed across it. The banner expanded in her hands until it towered over a man's height. Upon its surface, distorted, agonized human faces materialized, emitting silent, miserable shrieks from their mouths. The sight made Zhang Shou-Zheng's heart drop, and he blazed with righteous anger:

"How vicious! To actually seal living souls into this banner to refine a magical artifact—you practitioners of the evil path!"

"Cackle, cackle, cackle... Little one, these were all people who refused to hand over their wealth, just like you. Now, you still have time to make a choice, before I extract your souls and seal them into this ghost banner. Once trapped, your souls will never be able to reincarnate, enslaved by me for all eternity. There are no regrets to be bought in this world!"

The woman let out a delicate, shrill laugh, while a pair of pitch-black pupils hidden behind the fox mask emitted a murderous, bone-chilling glare.

"In your dreams! Liu Ming, handle that woman. Just stall her."

Zhang Shou-Zheng sneered, gripping his broken sword tightly with one hand as his internal mana surged. With his free hand, he traced a Tai Chi circle in the empty air before him, and with a flash of sword light, his broken sword pierced through the Tai Chi diagram. The black and white energies of the Tai Chi instantly imbued the broken sword, drastically amplifying its might.