I Can Transfer the Side Effects of Evil Skills

Zou Feng’s plan was to first practice as many of these skills as possible. He would then slowly research how to fuse all of these Poison Skills and Poison Techniques together, thereby creating a truly practical Poison Technique.

If the resulting fused Poison Technique was compatible with the Poison Pill he had yet to fully refine, that would be ideal.

Jade Dragon Marketplace had another unique feature: brothels specializing in banshees.

Zou Feng had originally assumed the banshees in these brothels would be fully transformed, retaining only a few subtle traits of their species.

But as he passed by, he discovered that the ones standing outside to solicit customers were, at the very least, only halfway transformed. Some could even be considered to have failed their transformation entirely.

This made Zou Feng think of his good friend back in Great Yan, the "Beast Taming Scholar" Wang Xingjian. ’If he knew a place like this existed, he’d probably give up his throne as Emperor and beg me to bring him here.’

"If you want to go, then go. It’s no big deal. And you certainly don’t have to mind me..."

Su Qingyu teased, noticing he had been staring for quite a while.

"I was just reminded of an old friend with... similar interests..."

Before he could finish, more than ten cultivators suddenly flew over from nearby.

The only people who would dare to fly so brazenly through the air in Jade Dragon Marketplace were the disciples of the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect stationed at the Celestial Hearing Tower.

After all, it was the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect that maintained basic order throughout the marketplace.

Although they were fellow sect members, Zou Feng didn’t recognize any of them and had no intention of saying hello.

However, just as the group was about to fly past, the disciple in the lead, a Dao Foundation Realm cultivator, noticed Zou Feng and Su Qingyu.

As one of the administrators of Jade Dragon Marketplace, he was naturally wary of any unfamiliar Dao Foundation Realm cultivators who suddenly appeared.

This was especially true since he was in the middle of tracking a Celestial General who had just infiltrated the area; he couldn’t afford to overlook any strangers.

"Fellow Daoists, would you mind identifying yourselves?"

The next moment, the man led his team down to land, blocking Su Qingyu and Zou Feng’s path.

In response, Zou Feng and Su Qingyu took out their tokens at almost the same time.

Realization dawned on the man. "Ah, so you’re from our sect. Did you come with Jiang Zhenchuan?"

After some pleasantries, they introduced themselves.

The man’s name was Lian Zexing, and he was the Chief Inspection Envoy of Jade Dragon Marketplace.

"Jade Dragon Marketplace hasn’t been very safe recently. If you two have no other business, it would be best to return to the Celestial Hearing Tower as soon as possible!"

Lian Zexing’s tone was tantamount to shooing them away.

Clearly, even though he knew they were from the same sect, he didn’t truly consider Su Qingyu and Zou Feng to be on his side.

Seeing that he was about to leave in a hurry, an idea struck Zou Feng. "Have you found a trace of the Celestial General?" he asked.

Lian Zexing, who had been about to turn and leave, froze for a moment. He then said impatiently, "This doesn’t concern you. Go on back!"

Hearing this, Zou Feng couldn’t help but sneer. "Brother Lian, you’re mistaken. We may be newcomers who arrived with Jiang Zhenchuan, but we are now also disciples stationed at the Celestial Hearing Tower..."

"Therefore, investigating and eliminating the Celestial Generals who have infiltrated this place is our duty. How can you say it doesn’t concern us?"

At these words, Lian Zexing looked as though he was about to lose his temper but managed to restrain himself. He said in a low voice, "It is precisely because you are newcomers and don’t understand the complexities of Jade Dragon Marketplace that I’m afraid you’ll only get in the way!"

Su Qingyu could no longer hold back either. She chimed in with a cold snort, "And what if I insist on helping?"

Although they didn’t know why the man was so hostile, Su Qingyu shared Zou Feng’s thoughts. ’Since we’re already here, we should do everything we can to reap some benefits and earn merit. How can we let a good opportunity pass us by just because he wants to sideline us?’

Seeing that things were about to turn ugly, Lian Zexing still showed no intention of backing down. He said coldly, "Still don’t get it? This isn’t the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect. Never mind you two—even Jiang Zhenchuan has to abide by the rules here at the Celestial Hearing Tower!"

Zou Feng was done wasting words on this guy. He decided he simply wasn’t leaving; he wanted to see what kind of game Lian Zexing was playing.

Just as Lian Zexing was about to utter a few more threats, a subordinate behind him suddenly saw something on his token. He rushed forward and sent a voice transmission to Lian Zexing.

Apparently, the moment he had learned Zou Feng’s name, Lian Zexing’s subordinate had started looking up his and Su Qingyu’s histories.

There was nothing particularly noteworthy in Su Qingyu’s file, but when he saw what Zou Feng had accomplished since joining the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect, he instantly realized this was a big deal.

"What? Number one on the Ascension Rankings? Are you sure!?"

Lian Zexing whipped his head around, stunned, and stared at the subordinate who had sent the transmission.

When the man gave a firm nod, Lian Zexing’s arrogant demeanor instantly crumbled.

Lian Zexing’s confidence had stemmed from the fact that Jade Dragon Marketplace was his turf, where he could rally support with a single call.

And even without backup, if things truly got out of hand, Lian Zexing was extremely confident in his own strength.

After all, he was at the mid-stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm and had extensive experience fighting life-and-death battles against the Yama Underworld and the Ninefold Celestial Court. With his combat experience maxed out, he had no reason to fear two fresh-faced newbies at the early Dao Foundation Realm.

In any case, this wasn’t the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect, and the Celestial Dao Cauldron wasn’t here to monitor everything. No matter what happened, he, the "local emperor," could spin black into white.

However, learning that Zou Feng was the former number one on the Ascension Rankings changed everything.

He remembered back when he was an Inner Sect Disciple; he had cultivated so frantically that he’d nearly suffered a cultivation deviation, yet he couldn’t even break into the top thousand of the Ascension Rankings...

After a brief stupor, Lian Zexing turned back around, all traces of his previous arrogance and aggression gone.

"Brother Zou, Sister Su, we’ve just received intel. There is indeed a disturbance caused by the Celestial Court. Please, follow me!" With that, Lian Zexing made a natural "this way, please" gesture, as if their argument had never happened.

Given his sudden, drastic change in attitude, both Zou Feng and Su Qingyu could guess the reason. They had, after all, clearly seen Lian Zexing communicating with his subordinate via voice transmission.

’The title of former number one on the Ascension Rankings really comes in handy...’

Su Qingyu was actually a little envious.

’Subduing an enemy without a fight. All you need is a title with enough weight.’

Zou Feng, however, stepped forward until he was beside Lian Zexing and whispered, "Actually, I preferred your defiant look from before."

"You jest, Brother Zou..." Lian Zexing laughed awkwardly.

Zou Feng didn’t bother bickering with him any longer. He simply ordered the group to press on toward the Celestial General’s suspected hiding place.

Zou Feng had always been very interested in these Celestial Generals from the Celestial Court.

Even if there were no Poison Cultivators among the infiltrating Celestial Generals, he could still covet their bizarre and unpredictable Evil Arts.

In any case, on this trip to the Northern Domain, he was determined to get his hands on a few Skills from the Yama Underworld and the Ninefold Celestial Court one way or another.

To think he would run into such a perfect opportunity on his very first visit to Jade Dragon Marketplace!

After hurrying along, it wasn’t long before the group arrived in the southern district of Jade Dragon Marketplace.

Here, there was a gathering hall where Loose Cultivators came to exchange insights on the Dao.

However, even before they got close, a thick stench of blood already hung in the air.

The entire hall was shrouded in a dense, cloud-like "immortal aura," making it impossible to see what was happening inside.

But Zou Feng could see what was happening at a glance. A "Domain" had clearly formed here.

What puzzled Zou Feng, however, was whether these infiltrating Celestial Generals were really so bold as to start causing trouble this openly.

"The Ninefold Celestial Court is full of charlatans who excel at bewitching the minds of others. The Loose Cultivators in that hall are most likely doomed!" Lian Zexing said with a frown.

Zou Feng had read the intelligence reports, so he knew the Ninefold Celestial Court’s most common method for bewitching people: the promise of "Ascension to Immortality."

This wasn’t just an empty promise. The Ninefold Celestial Court truly possessed an Evil Skill that could force a cultivator to break through their bottlenecks and advance their Realm.

Furthermore, the Ninefold Celestial Court highly promoted all manner of hedonistic pursuits, always finding ways to make people indulge until they were lost in a state of ecstasy.

Therefore, even if one failed in cultivation, as long as they could contribute to the Ninefold Celestial Court and accumulate enough merit, they too could "join the celestial ranks" and enjoy immortal bliss!