I'm determined to become an immortal!

Chapter 89 Far Exceeds Expectations

More than half a month later.

Blackwater Marsh.

This vast body of water, located at the border of Xia and Jing prefectures, was unlike any body of water He Sheng had ever seen before.

The murky black water flowed slowly among the low reeds, with a layer of dark green algae floating on the surface. Every now and then, a few viscous bubbles would rise up, emitting a faint stench when they burst.

Looking out, a few bare mounds are scattered across the marshland, barren of vegetation, with only some ruins of unknown age remaining, appearing particularly desolate under the hazy sky.

Flocks of crows perched on the withered tree, cawing hoarsely and intermittently.

This place is not only the border between Xia Prefecture and Jing Prefecture, but also the gap between the territories of the two behemoths, Tai Xuan Zheng Yi Dao and Siming Xuan Zhen Dao.

Perhaps to avoid unnecessary friction, both sides withdrew their reach from this swamp, and over time, the Blackwater Swamp became a true no-man's-land.

Here, fists are the rule, and survival is the skill.

Raiders, fugitives, traitors hunted by sects, and desperate rogue cultivators—all sorts of people roam this marshland, turning it into a veritable black.

Qianhongfang is located at the deepest part of this Blackwater Marsh.

He Sheng found a secluded cave in a desolate mountain hundreds of miles away from Blackwater Marsh and spent most of the day recuperating and resting.

Once his magical power had fully recovered and his divine sense had returned to its peak, he changed his appearance, transforming into a cold-faced...

The lone swordsman, carrying a long sword, sped towards the direction of Qianhongfang.

The deeper you go into the Blackwater Marsh, the more treacherous the surrounding environment becomes.

Occasionally, one can see floating corpses on the water's surface; some are swollen and white from being submerged, while others have had half their bodies gnawed off by something in the water.

The number of cultivators encountered along the way gradually increased. Most of them were in a hurry and maintained a wary distance from each other. Occasionally, their eyes would meet, but the glances were always cold and guarded.

After flying for about half an hour, Qianhongfang finally came into view in the distance.

It was a market town built on a low hill, and from a distance it looked even more rudimentary than the market town of Xiajiang.

The market town was well-connected, and the streets within it were crowded with people.

Inside the neighborhood were shacks and wooden houses, crammed together crookedly, like junk that had been carelessly discarded there by someone.

A dark red light shield loomed above the entire market, appearing and disappearing intermittently. The shield was not particularly thick; at least in He Sheng's view, it seemed as if it could be broken with a wave of his hand.

There were no patrol teams or checks at the entrance to the market, and He Sheng passed through the entrance and entered the market without any hindrance.

The market was even more noisy and chaotic than he had imagined.

The narrow street was crowded with all sorts of monks. The sounds of bargaining, arguing, and screams coming from some unknown corner mingled together, creating a buzzing noise.

Most of the cultivators who set up stalls on the street covered their faces with straw hats or masks. The items displayed on the stalls were varied, including magical artifacts with bloodstains still wet, bottles and jars sealed with deadly poison, and female cultivators in cages with numb eyes.

Occasionally, one could see a few scantily clad women leaning against the alley entrance, casting flirtatious glances at passing monks, the silver bells on their wrists jingling, eliciting a burst of vulgar laughter.

This place... truly is a paradise for cultivators who have undergone tribulations.

He Sheng sighed inwardly, then released his late-stage Foundation Establishment aura without any concealment.

Even in Yuanxia Immortal City, late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators are not a rare breed, and naturally there are even fewer late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators in Qianhongfang.

As soon as He Sheng unleashed his aura, the cultivators around him immediately retreated far away, as if afraid of bumping into him. This allowed He Sheng to reach the location marked on the Black Demon Scroll without any hindrance.

The Black Demon Gathering was held in a circular stone fortress deep within the Thousand Red Pavilion. The fortress was entirely black with mottled outer walls, and two cultivators dressed in identical black robes and wearing bronze masks stood at the entrance.

Both of them were at the early stage of Foundation Establishment, and their bodies exuded a faint aura of killing intent. Their gazes swept over everyone who approached the stone fortress like those of hawks.

He Sheng flipped his palm, took out the Black Demon Scroll, and handed it over.

The black-robed cultivator on the left took the invitation, lightly traced it with his fingertip, and a faint light flashed across it. After confirming that it was correct, he slightly stepped aside to make way for the invitation.

Passing through the heavy iron gate, there is a stone staircase leading downwards.

The stone steps were lit by eerie green lamps that illuminated the entire passageway, making it appear like a ghostly realm.

After climbing about a hundred stone steps, the passageway suddenly opened up, revealing a huge underground space.

This is a circular venue with a fist-sized, eerie green orb suspended from the dome, its light casting an eerie green glow over the entire venue.

In the center of the venue was a stone platform half a zhang high, surrounded by hundreds of individual stone seats arranged in a fan shape. Each stone seat was about ten zhang apart to ensure that the participants would not get too close to each other.

He Sheng was stopped at the entrance by a female cultivator who looked like a maid, who handed him a blue talisman.

"Senior, this is a Cloud Concealing Talisman. Wearing it can conceal your aura and appearance to prevent unnecessary trouble during transactions."

During the secret meeting, the use of force is prohibited on site, and violators will be dealt with accordingly.

Wishing you all the best.

He Sheng took the talisman and casually stuck it to his clothes. A thin layer of gray mist emanated from the talisman, shrouding his entire figure and aura in a blur, leaving only a vaguely discernible outline.

He looked around and saw that everyone else was also shrouded in the same gray mist. From a distance, the entire venue was filled with blurry, indistinct figures, making it impossible to tell who was who.

"Clouds obscuring the talisman, that sounds nice, doesn't it?"

He Sheng sneered inwardly. Although he couldn't see anything special about the talisman, he figured the organizers were definitely not that kind-hearted.

It's possible that the organizers, in order to monopolize information, selected the easy targets and then resold them to Jiexiu.

He had seen this kind of tactic many times in his previous life.

Some methods that seem to provide a sense of security are merely ways to lower people's guard. By the time they are actually betrayed, it is too late.

However, He Sheng was well prepared for these tactics. He had come here to take a risk, and he was confident that he could escape unscathed.

"Senior, please take your number plate. You may enter now."

The maid handed over another number plate, which read "seventy-three".

He Sheng readily complied, took his number and went straight in, finding a relatively quiet spot to wait patiently.

About half an hour later, new cultivators continued to enter, filling nearly all of the hundred stone seats.

Some of these cultivators came in twos and threes, clearly having come together;

Some, like him, walk or sit alone, without uttering a sound.

He Sheng also noticed that there was a figure standing at each of the four corners of the venue. Judging from their aura, they were all late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators. They stood motionless in place, their light coldly sweeping across the entire venue.

Suddenly, the emerald green orb on the dome lit up, and a figure walked out from the stone door at the back of the venue and strode up to the central stone platform.

The man was also shrouded in gray mist, only his burly figure and deep, resonant voice could be vaguely discerned: "Fellow Daoists, I am honored to be the organizer of this Black Demon Secret Gathering."

The rules for this secret meeting were the same as in the past: participants would take turns on stage according to their number plates, from smallest to largest, and could either buy or exchange items; the highest bidder would win.

For every successful transaction, a commission of three percent of the transaction value must be paid.

Anyone who causes trouble will bear the consequences themselves.

He paused here, his gaze slowly sweeping across the room. Seeing that no one raised any objections, he said, "It seems everyone is eager to begin. Without further ado, let the exchange officially commence."

The first to step onto the stage was a cultivator who had received the number one "A" badge. He was extremely burly, and a huge outline could be vaguely seen beneath the gray mist.

His voice was rough, and he got straight to the point: "I am looking to purchase a piece of third-grade low-quality precious material, Azure Jade. Fellow Daoists who are interested in making a purchase can send me a telepathic message to name their price."

The burly cultivator waited for a long time, but no one seemed to respond. He shook his head and walked off the stage.

The cultivators who took the stage next each had their own needs: some wanted to purchase specific spiritual materials, some wanted to sell magical artifacts and pills, and some wanted to purchase pills directly with spirit stones.

He Sheng observed coldly and discovered that there were indeed many good things at this Black Demon's secret meeting.

The frequency of Foundation Building Pills appearing far exceeded his previous estimates.

Less than half an hour after the exchange began, several groups of cultivators had already brought out Foundation Establishment Pills as their exchange item.

Some directly exchanged for spirit stones; a genuine Foundation Establishment Pill was priced at 18,000 low-grade spirit stones.

Some wanted to exchange Foundation Establishment Pills for top-quality magic artifacts;

Other cultivators used Foundation Establishment Pills as a bonus in their transactions, hoping to exchange them for something of higher value.

He Sheng didn't let the opportunity slip by and made a series of moves.

He would bid for any opportunity to exchange Foundation Establishment Pills for spirit stones.

He also possessed two exquisite and top-grade magical artifacts: the Dragon-Shattering Banner, the prized possession of the Xiajiang branch, and the Fire-Tipped Spear from the He family's secret vault.

He Sheng also took out these two magical artifacts as a bargaining chip to exchange for the Foundation Establishment Pill.

In this way, by the time the exchange was halfway through, he had already obtained eight genuine Foundation Establishment Pills.

Not only did they pay for those two top-grade magic artifacts, but they also spent nearly 130,000 low-grade spirit stones.

He Sheng was naturally quite satisfied with this.

However, because of his frequent actions, he gradually felt that more and more divine senses were secretly watching him.

He was prepared for this, and simply sat calmly on the stone seat.

The exchange is still ongoing.

Because he arrived late, his number was seventy-third, placing him in the latter half of the exchange session.

He had originally planned to use spirit stones to purchase some Foundation Establishment Pills when he went on stage, but his plan was soon disrupted by an unexpected event.

The seventy-first person to take the stage was a tall and slender cultivator. As soon as he stepped onto the stage, he took out a small, pure white box. When he opened the lid, a rich, almost indistinguishable fragrance of medicinal pills immediately filled the entire venue.

It was a pill the size of a thumb, pale gold in color, with a restrained radiance, yet it exuded a captivating spiritual charm at all times.

"A Golden Core! Authentic, with its medicinal properties intact." The cultivator's voice was hoarse, yet his tone carried undisguised arrogance. "You can exchange it for 300,000 spirit stones, or use third-grade precious materials as a discount."

Before he finished speaking, the room erupted in uproar.

He Sheng's spirits lifted. He calculated the spirit stones he had left. After the previous transaction, he only had a little over 100,000 low-grade spirit stones left. Adding the 150,000 Eight Scenery Magic Coins, he had about 250,000 spirit stones.

He had previously witnessed people using Eight Scenery Magic Coins to offset spirit stones during exchanges, and Qianhongfang seemed to quite approve of Eight Scenery Magic Coins, exchanging them directly at a one-to-one ratio.

If you include the Frost Soul Mystic Crystal, the asking price should be over 400,000 spirit stones.

While He Sheng was still hesitating about whether to take out the Cold Soul Mystic Crystal to exchange for it, the bidding over there had already become fierce.

"Three hundred and fifty thousand!"

"Three hundred and seventy thousand."

"Three hundred and ninety thousand."

As an aged voice raised the price, the price of this Golden Core Pill actually surpassed that of the Golden Core Pill that Zhang Tuo had bought at the Yuanxia Immortal City auction.

"Four hundred thousand!"

"Forty-two hundred thousand!"

He Sheng originally thought that 390,000 was high enough, but he didn't expect that two other people would shout over 400,000.

"Why is this Golden Core Pill so expensive in Qianhongfang?"

He Sheng was somewhat puzzled.

This is also related to his lack of understanding of the local ecology.

The cultivators near Blackwater Marsh are of diverse backgrounds. Some of them are Great Tribulation cultivators who are well-known in both the Tai Xuan Zheng Yi Dao and the Siming Xuan Zhen Dao, and they dare not leave Blackwater Marsh easily.

Most of these cultivators who have undergone great tribulations are at the late Foundation Establishment stage, and their primary goal is to form their core. Therefore, whenever the materials needed for forming the core appear, bloodshed is inevitable.

Even those who aren't cultivators undergoing tribulation are mostly in some kind of trouble and dare not easily show their faces in places like Yuanxia Immortal City, so they can only come to these black market markets to snatch up Core Formation materials.

For these reasons, the price of the Golden Elixir from Qianhongfang has always been much higher than that of the outside world.

"Four hundred and fifty thousand!"

A monk in the front row gritted his teeth and shouted out an exorbitant price!

He Sheng no longer needed to worry about it; the price was already beyond his means.

The entire room fell silent.

The cultivator who had previously asked for 420,000 cursed under his breath and then fell silent.

In the end, the Golden Core fell into the hands of the cultivator sitting in the front row.

This person was quite decisive; after the transaction was completed, he got up and left, quickly disappearing at the exit of the stone fortress.

Leaving early doesn't make someone the first sheep to get into the trap, right? Without anyone to share the burden, this person is likely in serious trouble unless they're really tough.

He Sheng shook his head, then stopped thinking about it and continued to focus on the exchange meeting.

Before long, it was his turn to go on stage.

He Sheng rose and stepped onto the stage, cupped his hands in greeting to those around him, and without any pretense, stated directly: "I am seeking to purchase genuine Foundation Establishment Pills. I will buy them at the market price plus 10%, with no limit on quantity. I will accept spirit stones or equivalent magical artifacts in exchange."

As he spoke, He Sheng took out all the remaining magical artifacts from the He family's secret vault, most of which were high-grade artifacts, with a few being top-grade artifacts.

He didn't care whether others thought it was acceptable or not; as long as someone else chose him, he could pay less spirit stones.

As soon as he finished speaking, He Sheng received several telepathic messages.

Three people were attracted by the high price and exchanged a total of four Foundation Establishment Pills for spirit stones.

Another person took out two Foundation Establishment Pills, intending to buy all the magical artifacts he had brought out; clearly, he was someone who wanted to resell them.

He Sheng did some calculations and negotiated briefly with them, and the deal was successfully reached.

The last person took out four Foundation Establishment Pills in one go, but asked for 80,000, which meant adding about 1,000 spirit stones to the price offered by He Sheng.

After feigning hesitation, He Sheng still chose to make the deal.

After a series of transactions were completed, He Sheng had eighteen genuine Foundation Establishment Pills in his possession!

He carefully examined each grain after imbuing it with the power of the Mindful Ripples technique, confirming that its quality was correct.

This Dark Demon Gathering was truly worthwhile; the Foundation Establishment Pills I obtained far exceeded my expectations!

He Sheng was very satisfied, but after such a large purchase, he had very few spirit stones left, and even his Eight Scenery Magic Coins were reduced to only eighty or ninety thousand.

Seeing that no one was responding, He Sheng stepped down from the stage and sat back down in the corner.

The secret meeting lasted for another half hour before it ended. Many good things appeared afterward, but unfortunately, he didn't have enough spirit stones left, so he had to hold back.

He Sheng walked out of the stone fortress amidst the crowd, his steps unhurried and composed.

As he approached the market exit, he sensed at least five or six divine senses spying on him, like a pack of hungry wolves sniffing out their prey in the dark.

He Sheng remained completely calm. The moment he stepped out of the market, he conjured several figures and fled in different directions.

This technique is none other than the "Thousand Illusions Water Shadow Technique".

As for He Sheng's true form, it quietly concealed itself, plunging into the murky, dark water in a nearly transparent form. In just a few breaths, it used the ripples of the water to travel hundreds of feet.

A moment later, He Sheng had already rushed to the edge of the Blackwater Marsh.

With the divine sense enhanced by the subtle ripples, the feeling of being spied on had completely disappeared.

However, just when He Sheng thought he was safe, a voice exploded in his ears like thunder!

"Do you really think you can escape?!"

Before he could finish speaking, He Sheng felt a dark, eerie light, carrying endless darkness, piercing straight toward his spiritual platform.

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