Starting as a stray dog, I embarked on a journey of cultivation.

"Why?" Long Youzi frowned immediately, and couldn't help but ask, "After so many years of friendship, you're not even willing to show me the way?"

"What else could it be?" Xian Kongzi waved his hand again and said, "I almost lost my life in there last time. I still feel scared when I think about it now."

"Didn't they say fighting wasn't allowed inside?" Gou An suddenly asked.

"Sigh!" Xian Kongzi sighed and explained, "You can't fight in the black market, but that doesn't mean you can't fight outside."

"What do you mean?" Long Youzi couldn't help but ask.

"The Wuxiang Black Market is guarded by the Wuxiang Immortal, so it's naturally very safe." Xian Kongzi's expression was grave. "But the area outside the Black Market can be described as a lawless land, where murder and robbery are commonplace. Plus, everyone wears masks, so if something happens, you won't even be able to find out who your enemy is."

"Last time I just went in for a quick look around and didn't buy anything, but I was still targeted by a group of evil cultivators."

"And then?" Long Youzi continued to ask.

"And then what could we do?" Kongzi shook her head helplessly: "They almost stole even my underwear."

He sighed again at this point: "If I hadn't been so humble and cooperative, I would have been a handful of dust somewhere long ago."

"This time is different!" Long Youzi comforted him, "This time, the three of us will travel together."

"That makes no difference!" Xian Kongzi still waved his hand in refusal: "You haven't been there, so you don't know. Those guys who rob people on the road are no pushovers. They are all Core Formation Realm cultivators. Not only are their cultivation levels high, but there are also quite a few of them."

After listening, Gou An stroked his chin and slowly said, "If it were really as dangerous as you say, would anyone still go to the black market to trade?"

"Yes, there are quite a few." Xian Kongzi nodded: "But ultimately, only a small number of people get robbed; there are always some who think they won't be so unlucky."

Long Youzi wanted to persuade him further, but Gou An stopped him, saying, "Name your price!"

"What's your price?" Xian Kongzi frowned slightly.

"I'll naturally pay you for leading the way!" Gou An said with a smile, "I won't let you help me for nothing."

Xian Kongzi quickly waved his hand, saying, "Fellow Daoist, please don't joke! This isn't about spirit stones; it's about the real danger of losing your life! I still dream about the methods those evil cultivators used last time. What's the use of having many spirit stones if you're dead?"

Gou An smiled faintly and said nothing, but simply took out a storage bag and gently placed it on the table.

"There are five thousand low-grade spirit stones in here!" Gou An said softly. "Just take me into the black market, and I'll give you another five thousand after we come out successfully."

"Only five thousand low-grade spirit stones?" Xian Kongzi shook his head: "That's only five mid-grade spirit stones, not worth it."

"Just showing you the way, and you're already planning to ask for an exorbitant amount?" Long Youzi said with displeasure, "If my master hadn't helped you out earlier, you would have lost everything by now, and might even be detained inside."

"But..." Xian Kongzi clearly still had reservations.

"What?" Long Youzi continued to scold, "Five thousand low-grade items and you still think it's not enough? You suddenly became rich in a few days and now you don't know your own worth anymore, huh? Before, could you earn three thousand a year?"

"If you don't want to earn these spirit stones, we'll find someone who is willing to."

After saying his last sentence, Long Youzi got up and prepared to pull Gou An away.

Xiankongzi seemed to have been snapped out of his daze by the scolding, and hurriedly said, "No, no, no, I'll take it, I'll take it, okay?"

Seeing that he agreed, Long Youzi sat back down on the stool.

Gou An was initially prepared to add some spirit stones when he saw that Long Youzi wouldn't agree, but unexpectedly, Long Youzi still had some ideas.

Xian Kongzi rubbed his hands together, gave Gou An an awkward smile, and then looked at Long Youzi, saying, "Speaking of which, I forgot to ask, is this the sect master you mentioned before? He looks quite young!"

Long Youzi waved his hand: "He's not my sect master, he's my newly apprenticed alchemy master. His alchemy skills are unparalleled. He went to the black market this time to buy a few rare spiritual herbs."

"I see!" Xian Kongzi nodded, then put away the storage bag on the table and asked, "When do we depart?"

"The sooner the better!" Gou An replied, "We have an urgent matter."

"Let's go now!" Xian Kongzi suddenly stood up: "The Wuxiang Black Market is only open at night. If we set off now and take the flying boat, we can catch it in time."

"Alright, lead the way!" Gou An nodded.

Before long, Xian Kongzi led Gou Anlong and Youzi out of Xiangdong City, and then took a flying boat into the sky, flying all the way to the southwest.

On the flying boat, Xian Kongzi opened an old map, which roughly outlined the vast territory of the Eastern Continent, spanning tens of thousands of miles.

"The Wuxiang Black Market is right here!" Xian Kongzi pointed to an inconspicuous, dark area on the map and introduced it to Gou An and Long Youzi.

Gou An glanced at the map and saw that although the place was inconspicuous, it was actually a few hundred square miles in size, according to a rough calculation.

"This place is called the Blackwater Area!" Xian Kongzi continued, "The Formless Black Market is hidden within it."

"The Blackwater area is shrouded in a layer of inky miasma year-round, preventing sunlight from penetrating. As a result, it is home to many mutated venomous beasts and is extremely dangerous."

"To enter the Wuxiang Black Market, you can only take the main road; otherwise, you might be ambushed by poisonous beasts or run into those evil cultivators."

After a brief introduction by Xian Kongzi, Gou An gained a general understanding of the place.

The Formless Black Market is located in the middle of the Black Waters. It cannot be accessed directly from the outside by air, otherwise it is easy to get lost in this inky miasma.

Therefore, those who enter must enter from the main road outside the miasma and then follow the main road to successfully reach the black market.

The venomous beasts are actually demonic beasts, but they have undergone a mutation due to the miasma, making them extremely dangerous.

It is precisely because of the special nature of the environment that many evil cultivators who are being pursued by the Xuanwei hide among them. Over time, these evil cultivators have started to engage in highway robbery.

So this Blackwater area sounds like a lawless place.

During the introduction, Long Youzi, who was controlling the flying boat, began to lower its altitude.

Gou An went to the bow of the ship and looked down. Sure enough, he saw a huge basin shrouded in black mist, which looked very strange.

This inky miasma doesn't seem to have formed naturally; it's more likely that it was created by the influence of some kind of formation.

After the airship landed outside the Blackwater area, the group began to fly low into it.

Because of the miasma above the Blackwater area, even without a no-flying formation, not many people dare to fly too high.

After all, inhaling these miasmas can cause minor blockages and stagnation in the meridians, or even lead to sudden death from poisoning.

After passing through a valley, we entered the Blackwater area.

Just a moment ago it was sunny and bright outside, but after passing through the valley, it suddenly felt like it was dark.

The layer of miasma overhead completely blocked out the sunlight, making the surroundings dark.

Because of the miasma, the smell in this black water area was also strange, with a damp and musty smell everywhere, which made Gou An, who has a sensitive sense of smell, feel some discomfort in his nasal cavity for a while.

"Stay close to me, don't get lost." Xian Kongzi flew ahead, looking very cautious.

"Don't worry, just lead the way!" Gou Anfei reassured him from the middle, "You don't need to worry about anything else."

Gou An touched the black snake bracelet on his wrist, his eyes constantly scanning his surroundings, wary of any potential dangers.

The further they flew, the more cultivators from other paths gathered, clearly all wanting to go to the black market.

Seeing this, Xian Kongzi said to Gou An and Long Youzi behind him, "Fellow Daoists, remember to find something to cover your faces for now. You'll have to change your masks once we get back to the black market."

As he spoke, he turned his hand over and took out a strip of cloth, covering half of his face.

Gou An and Long Youzi exchanged a glance and did the same.

After flying at low altitude for a long time, we finally saw the outline of a city in the distance.

"It's just ahead!" Xiankongzi pointed ahead as he descended from the sky. "We're lucky, we've arrived!"

The Wuxiang Black Market only opens its gates at night, which is when it opens for business.

They would close up shop after daybreak and then shut the city gates.

The opening of the city gates at this time indicates that the market has opened.

Upon reaching the city gate, everyone entering the city was required to wear a mask and a wide robe; those without such attire had to purchase one from a stall at the gate.

These masks come in many styles and are quite varied.

Long Youzi chose a painted face mask, like a theatrical performer.

Xian Kongzi chose a mask with a six-pointed die drawn on it.

After looking around, Gou An finally chose a dog-face mask, which seemed somewhat endearing.

After the three completed their disguises, they successfully passed through the city gate and entered the city.

What Gou An didn't expect was that the city was very lively, with cultivators from all walks of life coming and going.

Everyone was the same, wearing wide robes and masks, and most of them concealed their presence.

"Let me explain the rules here to you two!" Xian Kongzi said to Gou An and Long Youzi. "You can't just take off your mask and reveal your identity in the city, nor can you cause trouble. Otherwise, you will be severely punished."

"Furthermore, when buying and selling goods, one should not inquire about their origin or destination; once the money and goods are exchanged, the transaction cannot be reversed."

After saying this, Xiankongzi stretched and asked, "How long will you two be staying here?"

"Let's leave after we buy what we need!" Gou An replied.

"Alright, I'll be waiting for you at the city gate first thing tomorrow morning!" Xian Kongzi looked around and said, "You guys go ahead and do what you need to do. It's been a while since I've been here, I'm going to find some fun for myself."

After saying this, he turned and left, quickly disappearing from sight.

Gou An looked at Long Youzi and said, "Let's go, let's deal with those things first!"

Long Youzi nodded: "I will do whatever Master says."

Since they were new to the city, Gou An first took Long Youzi for a stroll around. Although the city wasn't very big, it had all the necessary facilities.

If it weren't for the fact that everyone was wearing masks, which looked a bit strange, the rest of the place wouldn't be much different from a normal city.

The city streets are wide, and there are vendors everywhere setting up stalls on the ground; anyone who wants to sell anything can do so.

However, Gou An was not prepared to sell what he needed to get rid of in this way, so he finally set his sights on a luxury shop on the street.

The plaque has four large characters written on it.

Wanlingbaofang!