It’s quite normal for a marketplace or Immortal City to have a black market, and it’s also normal for it to be controlled by those in power, but to have it nearly in plain sight like this is quite unusual.

After all, the word ’black’ encapsulates the main attribute of the black market, which is to conduct some not-so-above-board transactions.

And yet, the cultivator with the Dao name Da Kong, has laid it out in the open, confident that even if something unsavory emerges in the black market, it can be easily resolved, with no fear of anyone causing trouble.

"It’s said that somewhere hidden outside the city is the place you mentioned, senior, but the exact location is unknown to me."

"Hmm."

Fu Chengguang nodded in satisfaction, then tossed out a small package and said, "This is the fee for your information, see if it’s enough?"

Li Zhirui also provided several bottles of freshly made Mortal Realm Elixir Pills, which he had casually concocted while familiarizing himself with this place, without using any alchemy techniques, he simply extracted some Spiritual Essence and compressed it into pills.

They looked rather crude, but in reality, their effects were much better than ordinary pills.

After all, in just the step of extracting Spiritual Essence, he surpassed other alchemists by countless times.

"This is too much, I don’t need so many," the young man said in a fluster, with a hint of reluctance in his eyes but still painfully returned several bottles of pills.

He didn’t examine those spiritual objects closely, but when he returned to his room to check them, he realized the value exceeded his imagination, and he wouldn’t need to worry about cultivation resources for a long time to come.

"Take them, you don’t want to attract attention and invite disaster in such a public place, do you?"

"Cultivate diligently." Li Zhirui advised, and then the two turned and left.

The young cultivator, clutching the bundle, stood there dazed for a long time without gathering his wits.

By then, the two had gained some understanding of Da Kong Immortal City, so they didn’t linger but instead left the city directly.

The reason was simple: this place was not suitable for long-term closed cultivation, as renting a cave mansion was too expensive, and although neither lacked Spirit Stones, they weren’t accustomed to being wasteful.

Furthermore, as the young man mentioned, with their strength, they could easily find a spiritual energy-rich place outside the city and establish their own cave mansion.

In such a situation, why are so many cultivators entering Da Kong Immortal City?

Besides buying and selling spiritual objects, there is also receiving tasks, finding teammates, etc., as no fighting is allowed within the city, ensuring personal safety. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

If one casually chooses a spot outside the city, trust alone poses a significant issue.

And Li Zhirui and Fu Chengguang didn’t have the need for these, so it was naturally unnecessary to stay in the city.

The two exited from the north gate to avoid crowds and disturbances and further prevent their true identities from being discovered.

In their search for a suitable place for closed cultivation, they flew slowly, noting down suitable locations.

They didn’t care if these places were already claimed.

If they liked a place, they would seize it, as most wouldn’t have the power to resist.

"Fellow Daoist, shall we split up?" Fu Chengguang suggested, finding their efficiency as a pair somewhat low.

"Sure."

Li Zhirui nodded in agreement and said, "Shall we meet back here at dawn tomorrow?"

"Alright, I’ll head off then."

With that, he flew northeast.

Li Zhirui naturally headed northwest.

Initially, the journey was peaceful, with no incidents, but soon unexpected events unfolded.

From afar, Li Zhirui sensed a group of cultivators fighting ahead, seemingly over some spiritual object, and one group was nearing defeat and desperately trying to escape.

They managed to break away and fled wildly in his direction.

He was not interested in intervening to save these beings from this realm and concealed himself, continuing forward like a breeze.

A startling twist occurred!

Among the escaping cultivators, one noticed his concealment and shouted, "Senior, please help us! We have secrets related to a Heavenly Immortal breakthrough to offer!"

Li Zhirui halted immediately, curiously observing the cultivator who had seen through his concealment. Though it was a casual secret technique, being able to see through it was noteworthy.

After pondering briefly, he decided to intervene.

He was intrigued by a breakthrough to the Heavenly Immortal realm in this domain, as well as by the cultivator himself.

"This matter concerns Wanye Immortal City; you should leave swiftly, to avoid trouble!" The pursuers warned, wary of the imposing figure of Li Zhirui.

Wanye Immortal City—although he had not heard of it, its power ranked among the top in Kong Mountain State.

"This matter is fated with me; if you don’t want to lose your lives, you’d better leave promptly," Li Zhirui stated calmly.

"Forgive us!"

The pursuers couldn’t retreat on mere words, as his aura didn’t match that of a Heavenly Immortal.

With a low growl, they charged, yet only two restrained him while others attacked their fleeing targets.

"Sigh! So stubborn!"

Li Zhirui sighed, and without any apparent action, those attackers were knocked away, crashing heavily onto the ground.

Before they could react, vines ensnared them.

"Now, explain to me what’s going on," he instructed the awestruck cultivators.

They shuddered and promptly replied, "Yes, sir!"

Silently, they lamented, escaping one peril only to fall into another—this was worse than a wolf’s lair, for this cultivator effortlessly subdued their predators.

The group obediently followed Li Zhirui to a desolate mountain.

"Speak, what happened?"

"Senior, we brothers, half a month ago, explored a relic with other cultivators, expecting an ordinary site. Unexpectedly, it was an Ancient Times Heavenly Immortal’s cave mansion!"

The speaker seemed lost in memory, saying, "Everyone was excited, for such immortals wielded terrifying power—and might possess methods for breaking through The Void, departing This Realm."

"Inside, a struggle erupted among cultivators over methods and spiritual objects. We survived by chance, and secured a Jade Slip detailing how to break through to the Heavenly Immortal realm and leave this realm."

"Before leaving, everyone swore a Dao Oath to keep it secret, but days ago, Wanye Immortal City began hunting us."

"Without your intervention, we’d surely be dead now."

Finishing, he presented an ancient, aura-emitting Jade Slip with both hands.

Li Zhirui accepted without hesitation—it was his reward, and the methods intrigued him.

His Divine Sense skimmed through, confirming content on Heavenly Immortal cultivation and breaking through The Void, before storing it in a Storage Magical Treasure without further scrutiny.

Then, he asked the cultivator who had detected him, "How did you discover my whereabouts?"

"I unintentionally consumed an Exotic Fruit, which granted my eyes the Illusion-breaking Divine Power," the cultivator replied respectfully.

"Is that so?"

Li Zhirui glanced at him, but didn’t expose the lie.

Or rather, the group’s collective deception.