Becoming an immortal against the will of heaven

After flying for three days, suddenly, a desolate and barren landscape appeared before Chen Tian's eyes.

All he could see was a canyon filled with towering rocks. The surroundings were composed of bare rocks of unknown material, incapable of supporting any vegetation. The scene was stark and desolate.

On the west side of the canyon lay a stagnant lake filled with the decaying corpses of countless wild beasts. The rotting flesh had turned the water black, and a nauseating stench filled the air.

To call this place a desolate and barren land was no exaggeration.

Shi Changgeng led Chen Tian to this place and stopped flying forward. With a shift of his body, he landed on a twenty-zhang-high rock.

Seeing this, Chen Tian quickly stopped and landed beside him.

"Brother Yang, did you see that? On that side of the canyon, there's a row of stone houses. That's the Black Market, we call it Qizhuang Market!" Shi Changgeng said, pointing to one end of the canyon.

Chen Tian frowned and followed his finger to look.

Sure enough, on the south side of the canyon, there was a row of shops built from smooth, giant stones.

Unlike ordinary shops, there were no signs or shopkeepers soliciting customers. Only people in a hurry flew in and out of the area.

Seeing this scene, Chen Tian nodded slightly.

At this time, Shi Changgeng smiled and said, "Brother Yang, Qizhuang Market is generally not open to strangers. You can only enter through a referral. I assume this is your first time here, so let me be your referrer."

"Then I really have to thank Brother Shi," Chen Tian said with a slight bow.

"Hey, it's nothing. Let's go over there now."

Shi Changgeng laughed and then led Chen Tian to fly down from the giant rock and walk toward the row of stone houses.

"Halt, who are you?"

Just as Shi Changgeng was leading Chen Tian to the front of the stone houses, a burly man in black, close-fitting attire with a scar on his face stopped them and shouted sharply.

"Hey, isn't this Brother Zhou! Long time no see!"

Shi Changgeng was clearly very familiar with this person. As soon as he saw him, he walked over with a beaming smile.

"You are… Brother Shi?"

After carefully identifying Shi Changgeng, the burly man finally remembered him. The serious expression on his face instantly relaxed, and he laughed, "Brother Shi, it's been a long time. The bottle of 'Jun Mountain Phoenix Tail Wine' you brought me last time was really good. I wanted to buy some more from you, but you never came again."

"Haha, I've had some things to take care of these past few years, so I haven't had time to come. But since Brother Zhou likes that wine, I'll definitely choose two good jars next time and send them to your residence," Shi Changgeng said with a hearty laugh.

"Hehe, then I'll thank Brother Shi," the burly man laughed twice, then turned his gaze to Chen Tian, and asked suspiciously, "This fellow Daoist looks very unfamiliar. Is this your first time here?"

"Hey, who says it isn't?" Shi Changgeng pulled Chen Tian forward and said with a smile, "He's my senior brother from the sect, surnamed Yang. Because he admires the reputation of our Qizhuang Market, he's been begging me to bring him to see it. As it happens, I have some business to take care of nearby, so I brought him along. Brother Zhou, for my sake, can you let him in?"

"Since he's Brother Shi's friend, then of course, it's no problem. You can go right in," the burly man said, stepping aside to make way.

"Thank you, Brother Zhou. Next time I have the chance, I'll definitely bring some fine wine to visit your residence," Shi Changgeng cupped his fist at the burly man.

However, at this time, he didn't rush to go in. Instead, he pulled Chen Tian aside and said, "Brother Yang, I have some urgent business to attend to next, so I can't accompany you anymore. Go in by yourself. I've been here before, and they have everything you need. You'll definitely find the demon cores you're looking for."

Hearing Shi Changgeng's words, Chen Tian immediately nodded and said, "Brother Shi, I'll remember this favor."

"Hey, we're all friends, no need to be so polite,"

Shi Changgeng smiled. Then, as if he had thought of something, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a cyan jade slip, saying, "Brother Yang, this contains portraits of some people. After you finish your business and come out, if you find any of these people following you, then you need to be extra careful, because it means you've probably been targeted."

With that said, Shi Changgeng very solemnly handed the cyan jade slip to Chen Tian.

Chen Tian didn't dare to be careless after hearing this. He took the jade slip and placed it on his forehead. Instantly, dozens of portraits of people entered his mind from the jade slip.

These people were both male and female, and of different ages, but the only thing they had in common was that they all had fierce faces. Even though they were just portraits, they were enough to make people tremble.

After putting down the jade slip, Chen Tian's expression became even more solemn. He nodded heavily and said, "Brother Shi, thank you."

"Hey, there's no need to thank me. I've said before, I just don't want to lose a good customer like you, so take care of yourself!"

Shi Changgeng patted Chen Tian on the shoulder, gave him a smile, and then stopped talking, turning and flying away.

Chen Tian watched Shi Changgeng leave until he could no longer see his figure. Only then did Chen Tian put away the jade slip and turn to walk towards the stone houses.

Getting closer, Chen Tian discovered that there were a total of four stone houses, arranged in a straight line from front to back.

The two stone houses in the front were the largest, and the most cultivators went in and out. The two stone houses in the back were slightly smaller, but they were more exquisite, with many beautiful patterns carved on the outer walls.

Seeing this, Chen Tian's eyes flickered slightly, and then he lifted his leg and walked towards the first stone house in the front.

As soon as he entered, Chen Tian found that the space inside the stone house was very large, and the surroundings were filled with shelves, with countless items of various shapes placed on them.

Chen Tian was intrigued and walked around the shelves, admiring them.

On the first layer of shelves were placed rows of weapons, including sabers, swords, and heavy hammers. Clearly, they were not ordinary items, exuding a chilling light and imposing aura. Some of the sabers and swords even had sealing talismans attached to them to prevent their sharpness from hurting people.

The second and third layers of shelves were more cluttered, with not only armor but also books, alchemy furnaces, storage magical artifacts, and other items.

Chen Tian walked along, looking at everything with interest, and couldn't help but marvel.

But Chen Tian's actions clearly attracted the attention of a shop assistant in the store. He walked up to Chen Tian and said rudely, "Hey, what are you looking at? If you have business, do it. If you don't, get lost. Don't get in the way here."

This wasn't a legitimate shop to begin with. It was used by those vicious cultivators to sell stolen goods after killing and robbing, so seeing a new face like Chen Tian, the shop assistant assumed he was here to sell stolen goods and didn't give him a friendly look.

Hearing this, Chen Tian took his eyes off the shelves and looked at the shop assistant. He wasn't angry, but instead smiled softly and said, "Do you sell demon cores here?"