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

"Hiss! Why does it feel like you're cursing me?" Gou An took the Bilian bottle, smelled it, and put it away after confirming that it was genuine.

"Can I leave now?" Li Qiufeng asked, frowning.

"Let's go, let's go!" Gou An waved his hand and led Long Youzi and Xian Kongzi to make way for them.

Li Qiufeng did not hesitate and walked past Gou An step by step without stopping for a moment.

Gou An watched the other party leave without making any move.

But just after Li Qiufeng had walked a short distance away, Xian Kongzi slowly raised his palm, only to be stopped by Gou An.

"What are you doing?" Gou An asked.

"Why don't we take the opportunity to launch a sneak attack?" Xian Kongzi blinked, looking completely innocent.

"No need!" Gou An shook his head. "This guy is a madman. If we really want to kill him, who knows what other tricks he might have up his sleeve."

"Now that we've achieved our goal, there's no need to fight to the death. He doesn't know who we are anyway."

As Li Qiufeng's figure disappeared, Gou An turned and headed in another direction.

"Master, where are we going?" Long Youzi asked curiously.

"Let's change our clothes and then head out in a different direction!" Gou An smiled slightly, this trip to the black market was worthwhile.

Now all I need to do is return to the Monster Mountain Range, pretend to search for spiritual materials for a few days, and then go back to the Myriad Demon City to check on the situation.

Just as the three were about to leave, a sudden gust of wind blew overhead!

A dark figure descended vertically from the high-altitude miasma in the forest, hovering steadily in mid-air, blocking the path of Gou An and his companions.

His black robe billowed in the wind, and a majestic and imposing pressure spread out, causing all the surrounding plants and trees to bend over.

Almost simultaneously, several figures flashed out from the dense forest behind them, subtly blocking their retreat and trapping Gou An, Long Youzi, and Xian Kongzi in the middle.

"The oriole is unaware of the mantis behind!" Gou An couldn't help but exclaim in surprise upon seeing this.

The aura emanating from these individuals was identical to that of the previous evil cultivators, clearly indicating that they too were among the evil cultivators mingling in this area.

The black-robed man at the head of the group swept over with indifferent eyes, his aura unfathomable. Gou An's eyes flashed with golden light, and he immediately frowned.

This person's cultivation level was surprisingly at the Transcendent God Realm.

Behind them were several evil cultivators, all of whom were Golden Core cultivators, standing quietly on either side, their killing intent hidden.

Suddenly, an unexpected turn of events occurred. Xian Kongzi froze, and Long Youzi subconsciously took half a step closer to Gou An.

Gou An's heart sank further. His thoughts raced, and he was about to take out the Palm Heaven Diagram to summon Xuan Kongzi for help.

But the black-robed leader of the Transcendent Realm didn't give him a chance to react at all. He simply raised one hand and made a grasping motion in the air.

In an instant, an invisible and intangible force suddenly enveloped the three of them, and the space seemed to freeze.

Gou An felt as if he were being held tightly by two invisible hands, unable to move at all.

The man in black robes floated forward, his gaze sweeping over the three of them before finally settling on Gou An. His voice was deep: "You two are quite interesting, quite bold, daring to steal business from us evil cultivators in the Blackwater Domain."

He raised his hand and waved it, and a black chain flew out from his sleeve, binding Gou An and the other two back to back.

"Take them back to the base and interrogate them slowly."

After saying this, the man in black turned around, took a step in the air, and his figure disappeared instantly.

The Golden Core cultivators flew forward, carrying Gou An and the other two, and prepared to head deeper into the dense forest.

"Fellow Daoists, this is a misunderstanding!" Gou An quickly pleaded for forgiveness. "We're not here to steal business; we're just out to pick up bargains. If we've offended you, we can simply give you everything we just got, can't we?"

"Shut up!" But the Golden Core cultivator merely shouted and ignored him completely: "Go back and wait for the Domain Lord's words. Whether you live or die depends entirely on his decision."

Gou An wanted to say something more, but his mouth was sealed shut by a silencing talisman.

After flying through the forest with this group for a long time, we finally stopped in a secluded valley.

Upon entering this place, a chilling, damp, and malevolent aura immediately assaulted my senses.

The gray-black miasma shrouding the valley was much denser than in other places, and the rocks on both sides were black, with wisps of black gas even seeping from the cracks in the rocks.

The ground was covered with dark purple poisonous plants, and there was no sound of birds or beasts; it was deathly silent, which was the stronghold of the evil cultivators in the Blackwater Domain.

Deep in the valley, there is a flat and open cliff face that juts out from the mountain, naturally forming a black stone plaza.

The rough black stone ground, stained with blood from years of battles, has a faint dark red hue.

Many heretical practitioners gathered here, some leaning against the rock wall, others chatting in small groups, their auras uneven and their eyes full of ferocity.

At the very top of the square stands a huge stone chair.

Sitting on the platform was the black-robed man who had just subdued Gou An with a single move.

The black-robed domain lord sat upright, his black robe hanging down, most of his face hidden in shadow. The pressure of his Transcendent God Realm power emanated faintly, causing all the evil cultivators present to remain silent.

Only then did Gou An clearly realize that this person's cultivation level was actually higher than Xuan Kongzi's, which was the Nascent Soul stage!

Several Golden Core cultivators escorted Gou An and the other two to the center and casually tossed them aside.

"Bang!"

Gou An, Long Youzi, and Xian Kongzi fell heavily to the center of the square. The black chains binding the three of them were still not unlocked, and the suffocating charms on their masks were still affixed, preventing them from speaking.

The surrounding evil cultivators immediately gathered around, standing in circles, their eyes brazenly surveying the prisoner in the center of the square, and murmurs arose.

"These are the three who dare to try and steal business from our Blackwater region?"

"He doesn't look like a powerful cultivator, but his audacity is outrageous."

"Since the Domain Lord personally took it down, we should take a good look at it."

Countless gazes, some mocking, some cruel, and some curious, fell upon Gou An and his two companions, like monkeys in a cage being watched.

Before Gou An could react, the black-robed domain lord simply waved his sleeve, creating a strange gust of wind that directly blew off the masks on Gou An and the other two's faces, as well as the hoods on their heads, revealing their true appearances.

When the black-robed domain lord saw Gou An, he couldn't help but sneer, "I didn't expect the leader to be a demon cultivator!"

"Pointy ears, she really is a demon cultivator!"

"I'll dig out his demon core and soak it in wine to drink!"

"Give me a piece of demon bone; I'll need it for alchemy."

The onlookers, who were practicing heresy, grew increasingly frenzied.

The black-robed domain lord ignored these voices and simply said, "Speak, who sent you?"

Neither Long Youzi nor Xian Kongzi spoke; facing such a large number of evil cultivators, they were utterly despondent.

Only Gou An took a deep breath, calmed himself down, and said, "No one sent us."

"Oh?" The black-robed domain lord clearly didn't believe it.

"This is our first time here, and we don't know the rules!" Gou An looked up at the black-robed domain lord, trying his best to remain calm: "Please give us a chance, domain lord. I can hand over everything we just snatched."

"First time here?" The black-robed domain lord burst into laughter upon hearing this, seemingly finding it quite amusing: "You dare to steal things on your first visit? Looks like you weren't exactly saints outside either."

"The Domain Lord is right, we are indeed no good!" Gou An nodded hurriedly, then pointed to himself and introduced himself: "I am a dog demon, skilled in all sorts of evil deeds, from eating people to stealing treasures."

Then he pointed to the idle person next to him: "This guy is a gambler, a loan shark, a cheater, he's done a lot of harm."

"And him!" Gou An pointed to Long Youzi beside him: "This brat betrayed his master and ancestors, harmed his fellow disciples, and when he had nowhere else to turn, he actually sought refuge with a demon."

After saying this, he smiled at the black-robed domain lord and said, "We came here because we heard of your illustrious reputation, and therefore wish to seek your patronage."

Upon hearing this, both Long Youzi and Xian Kongzi looked at Gou An with surprise, not expecting that Gou An could make up such a lie so quickly.

Before this, no one had even heard of the title "Lord of the Blackwater Domain".

"Hahahaha!" The black-robed domain lord burst into laughter upon hearing this: "You yellow-haired dog demon are quite amusing; your nonsense actually sounds plausible."

Seeing that he had been seen through, Gou An remained calm and continued, "Lord of the Domain, just tell us a way to survive, and we will do it."

"No rush!" The black-robed domain lord suddenly flicked his finger, and the black chains binding Gou An and the other two were taken back.

Then the black-robed domain lord spread his right hand and said to Gou An, "Give me what you just stole from that Xuan Chun Sect elder."

"Alright!" Gou An dared not refuse, and took out the Jade Lotus Bottle and held it in his palm.

The black-robed domain lord flicked his finger again, and the Jade Lotus Bottle flew over automatically, finally being caught in his hand.

He glanced at it briefly and said, "So it's a spirit bottle, used for planting flowers and grass."

At this point, he looked up at Gou An again and said, "You stole this item, so it seems you're an alchemist too!"

"I know a little bit!" Gou An dared not hide it.

A leader of a heretical sect like him must be a ruthless character, otherwise he wouldn't be able to control so many lunatics.

"Since you're an alchemist!" the black-robed cultivator sneered, "then I'll spare your life!"

"Please speak, Lord of the Domain!" Gou An quickly cupped his hands in greeting.

"I have a patient here. If you can cure him, I will take nothing from you and set you all free!" The black-robed domain lord's tone suddenly hardened. "If you can't, all three of you will die here!"

"Okay, I can give it a try!" Gou An nodded, knowing that this was the only way.

In this situation, even if we use all our skills, it will be difficult to escape; we have no choice but to fight with our backs against the wall.

"Good!" The black-robed domain lord nodded. "You little demon dog have some guts!"

After he finished speaking, he waved his hand, and the evil cultivators beside him immediately understood. They stepped forward, grabbed Long Youzi and Xian Kongzi again, locked them in the iron cage on the edge of the cliff, and sealed them.

The black-robed domain lord then flipped his hand and took out a black feather. With a gentle blow, it transformed into a giant black eagle demon beast.

A dark shadow flew in, its huge claws grabbing Gou An's shoulders and lifting him up, flying him deeper into the valley.

A brightly colored, bustling high-rise building was constructed there, looking completely out of place in the Blackwater area.