Chapter 166: Slave Trade
Lin Feng had no idea what happened after he left the tavern. Although his perception was strong, he still couldn't detect someone at the Mysterious Martial Realm tracking him.
Lin Feng didn't even know that Meng Qing had never left his side. Ever since he stepped out of the academy, she had been following him.
At this moment, the silver mask on Lin Feng's face was back on, restoring that cold, sharp aura. Not only him, but Overlord Blade beside him also wore a mask—a bronze one, fierce and domineering, which suited him quite well.
"Overlord Blade, aside from those sold at auction or killed, do any slaves from the fighting pits end up elsewhere?"
Walking along the road, Lin Feng turned his gaze and asked Overlord Blade.
"Yeah." Overlord Blade paused for a moment, then nodded. "Forget about the dead ones. The remaining slaves are all elites. Those that can be tamed are kept. But the unruly ones that can't be subdued are sent to the auction house—keeping them around is useless. Also, many slaves are sold off to cultivators who need them."
Lin Feng glanced at Overlord Blade. He didn't need to say it—this guy was definitely one of those unruly slaves who couldn't be tamed.
"Where are they sold?" Lin Feng pressed.
"Not sure," Overlord Blade shook his head. "I never got to know their business. I only know what happened around me."
A thoughtful look flickered in Lin Feng's eyes, but then Yi Xue spoke up beside him. "They're sent to the slave trading market. It's no secret. As long as nobles need slave cultivators, they go to the slave market and buy them directly with Origin Stones or trade goods."
"Slave trading market." Lin Feng's eyes narrowed. Such a place actually existed.
"Yi Xue, take me there," Lin Feng said indifferently.
Yi Xue was a bit puzzled. She glanced at Lin Feng, then nodded. "Alright."
With that, Yi Xue stepped forward to lead the way. Soon, the group arrived at the slave trading market.
Standing outside the market, Lin Feng looked at the wide avenue before him, and his pupils contracted.
This market was nothing more than a broad street. On both sides of the street stood iron cages, with many slaves locked inside. Outside the cages, their owners sat casually, waiting for someone to come and inquire about trading.
Here, slaves were treated like livestock—mere commodities with no human rights at all.
These slaves, branded with the slave mark, could be war prisoners, death row convicts, or people who had offended certain nobles or major powers. Take the Cloud Sea Sect, for example—its entire sect was wiped out, and the few survivors were branded with the slave mark by Duan Tianlang, becoming lowly slaves, abused and bullied, even facing death at any moment.
Moreover, this slave trading market was bustling. People constantly walked along the central avenue, picking out slaves that caught their interest. Many of them were nobles.
Lin Feng and his group stepped into the market, scanning the cages on both sides. The slaves here ranged from scrawny to muscular, and there were even some seductive, alluring female slaves, meant to satisfy the lust of lecherous buyers who would purchase them for pleasure.
"Young Master Feng," Yi Xue said at that moment, "most of the slaves here are Qi Martial Realm cultivators. Spirit Martial Realm cultivators are more expensive and monopolized by a few major families in the Imperial City. They're in the center of the market. Do you want to go take a look?"
Although she didn't know why Lin Feng had come, given his strength, if he really wanted to buy slave cultivators, he would naturally choose Spirit Martial Realm ones.
"Alright, let's go take a look."
Lin Feng replied and walked forward, but he felt extremely uncomfortable. The slaves in the cages all stared at him, making him uneasy. And the eyes of the slave traders were equally repulsive.
Soon, Lin Feng arrived at the center of the slave trading market. Here, there were no cages like elsewhere. Instead, there was a massive building, like a small ancient castle.
"Young Master, this is the largest trading venue in the slave market. They monopolize eighty percent of the Spirit Martial Realm slave cultivators."
Yi Xue leaned close to Lin Feng's ear and whispered. Outside the castle, a figure was watching Lin Feng and the others. Hearing Yi Xue call Lin Feng "Young Master," he smiled and said, "Young Master, do you need slave cultivators? I guarantee that here, you'll find ones that satisfy you."
"Take me to see them," Lin Feng said indifferently, his eyes beneath the silver mask calm and unruffled.
"Alright, Young Master, follow me." The man put on a polite smile and led Lin Feng's group into the castle-like ancient building.
The interior of this castle was spacious and vast. Half of the space was locked up, filled with slave cultivators sitting lazily on the ground. When they saw Lin Feng and the others enter, their gazes turned toward him, and Lin Feng immediately felt a wave of murderous intent wash over him.
"Young Master, you can pick the ones you like from out here. The number of chains on their bodies represents their strength. One chain means Spirit Martial Realm, First Layer; five chains means Spirit Martial Realm, Fifth Layer."
The man spoke to Lin Feng again. Standing outside the cage door, Lin Feng could indeed see the number of chains on the slave cultivators and deduce their strength.
"Over two hundred Spirit Martial Realm slave cultivators, with the strongest being at the Sixth Layer. The owner here must be a major power," Lin Feng thought as he roughly scanned the slaves. Over two hundred of them, all at the Spirit Martial Realm and not old—if released, they could form a terrifying force and establish a sect.
"Young Master, rest assured. These slaves all come from the fighting pits. Many of them are prisoners taken by the Celestial Wolf King when he wiped out the Cloud Sea Sect. The Cloud Sea Sect was a major sect. Many of these people were inner disciples, and some were even core disciples. They won't disappoint you."
The man beside him spoke eagerly, causing Lin Feng's eyes beneath the mask to narrow. Cloud Sea Sect disciples. Truly, he had found them without even searching.
Last time, he heard that Duan Tianlang had sent the Cloud Sea Sect people to the fighting pits. Lin Feng had hoped to find some former Cloud Sea Sect members, which was why he had come specifically to check.
"Heh, Cloud Sea Sect disciples. Not bad. I happen to be heading to the depths of the Demon Beast Forest and need some people to clear the way. Looks like I came at the right time."
Lin Feng chuckled, making the slaves' eyes turn cold as they glared at him. Going to the depths of the Demon Beast Forest to clear the way—in other words, they were being sent to die. Bastard.
"Hehe, Young Master certainly came at the right time." The man beside him laughed, but inwardly cursed Lin Feng. What kind of noble family's brat was this, so stupid as to blurt out his intentions?
"What's the price for these slave cultivators?" Lin Feng asked.
"Spirit Martial Realm, First Layer: ten Mid-Grade Origin Stones. Second Layer: thirty Mid-Grade Origin Stones. Third Layer: eighty. Fourth Layer: two hundred. Fifth Layer: five hundred. Sixth Layer: one thousand."
Lin Feng nodded slightly and said to the slaves in the cage, "Cloud Sea Sect disciples, step forward and come with me."
Hearing this, the man beside him cursed Lin Feng again in his heart. Idiot!
The slave cultivators also glanced at Lin Feng dismissively. Since they knew it was a death sentence, who would go with him? They didn't have "Cloud Sea Sect" written on their faces. If they didn't speak up, who would know?
Even Overlord Blade and Yi Xue didn't understand Lin Feng's approach.
But Lin Feng remained calm. A faint glint flickered in his eyes. He withdrew one hand from his chest and placed it on the iron cage.
On one of Lin Feng's fingers was a very ordinary stone ring, inconspicuous. But many of the slaves in the cage saw it, and their hearts trembled violently.
This ordinary ring wouldn't catch anyone's attention anywhere else. But many of these slave cultivators had seen it before. In the past, this stone ring had been worn on the finger of the Cloud Sea Sect's Sect Leader, Nan Gong Ling.