I transmigrated to a chaotic world and became the sole player.

The market at Blackstone Fortress is located in the northeast corner of the fortress. It's not large, consisting of dozens of simple stone houses and stalls. It was afternoon, and the sandstorm had subsided, making the market quite lively. Cultivators dressed in various colors and exuding mixed auras moved among the crowds, some haggling loudly, others trading in hushed whispers. The air was filled with a mixture of smells: spiritual herbs, ores, demonic beast materials, and even a faint scent of blood.

Lu Zhao changed into an ordinary gray robe, concealing most of his aura, looking like a solitary cultivator with a decent cultivation level (around the early Foundation Establishment stage), but looking travel-worn. He casually strolled through the market and found that the goods traded here were mostly Gobi Desert specialties, such as drought-resistant spiritual herbs, low-grade fire or earth attribute ores, and materials from some Gobi poisonous insects and monsters. The quality was generally not high, and the few decent items were marked with astonishing prices.

He stopped in front of a shop with a sign that read "Yunmeng Pavilion," which Chen Song had mentioned to him. This was the largest shop directly under the Yunmeng Chamber of Commerce in Black Stone Fortress, and its goods were relatively complete and reliable. The shopkeeper was a capable old man with a cultivation level of the ninth level of Qi Refining. He had already received instructions from Chen Song, and upon seeing Lu Zhao enter, he immediately greeted him with a beaming smile.

"It is an honor to have you here, senior! Deacon Chen has already instructed me that if you need anything, please feel free to ask," the old man said respectfully.

Lu Zhao nodded, said nothing more, and directly took out a [human skin pouch], poured out a small pile of things, and placed them on the counter. These were all spoils of war he had collected on his way back from "Nine Netherworlds," including those unlucky black-robed men he had killed, and items he had casually gathered on the outskirts of "Dragon Roar Valley" and "Dragon Bone Canyon" that he neither needed nor were of high quality. These included several damaged demonic artifacts tainted with demonic energy but of acceptable quality (they had been simply purified of their malevolent aura with the power of annihilation), some low-grade yin and poisonous materials, and several strange bone fragments he had picked up on the outskirts of "Annihilation Dragon Tomb," containing a faint aura of death.

These things were useless to Lu Zhao, and even somewhat cumbersome, but in the market of this Black Wind Gobi Desert, they were considered quite good items, especially those few strange bones. Although the spiritual energy was thin, the material was hard and carried an ancient aura, making them quite valuable for research.

The old shopkeeper's eyes lit up as he carefully examined the items. After a moment, he looked up and quoted a price: "Senior, these items are worth a total of eight hundred low-grade spirit stones. What do you think?" This price was fair in the Gobi Market, even slightly higher than the market price, clearly because Chen Song had made arrangements.

"Okay." Lu Zhao nodded without haggling. He didn't lack spirit stones; he mainly wanted to get rid of these potentially troublesome "dirty things" and free up space.

The transaction was completed quickly, and Lu Zhao pocketed eight hundred spirit stones (most of which were standard low-grade spirit stones, with a few dozen mid-grade spirit stones as well). He had no intention of buying anything else and was about to leave when he suddenly sensed something. His gaze seemed to casually sweep over the shadowy corner of the shop and several figures outside the door who appeared to be strolling around, but whose eyes were actually occasionally glancing in his direction.

"Being targeted?" Lu Zhao sneered inwardly. It seemed that his handling of these items had attracted the attention of some interested parties. Indeed, a Foundation Establishment cultivator with an unfamiliar face selling a batch of goods of dubious origin but of considerable quality was bound to attract attention in this chaotic border region. Especially those strange bones, with their peculiar aura, would likely arouse even more suspicion.

He ignored the prying eyes and walked straight out of Yunmeng Pavilion. Sure enough, as soon as he left, two figures silently followed, keeping a distance and hanging on him at a leisurely pace.

Lu Zhao pretended not to know anything, wandered around the market for a while, bought a more detailed map of the Gobi Desert and a few bottles of local specialty pills for resisting wind, sand and poisonous miasma, and then went straight back to the quiet room that Chen Song had arranged for him.

Back in the quiet room, after activating the built-in simple soundproofing barrier, Lu Zhao's calm expression disappeared, and his eyes became deep and unfathomable.

"It seems Blackstone Fortress isn't a monolithic entity. Besides the Yunmeng Merchant Guild, there must be other forces entrenched there. The two men who followed me earlier had a chilling aura, carrying a murderous intent. They didn't seem like members of the merchant guild; they seemed more like... bandits or spies from some shady organization." Lu Zhao recalled the characteristics of the two men's auras. "Were they remnants of the Black Wind Bandits? Or... someone else?"

He wasn't worried about his safety. With his current strength, he could easily protect himself unless a Golden Core cultivator personally intervened or he was surrounded. He simply didn't want any further complications before returning to his sect.

"The most urgent task is to get rid of this troublesome mark." Lu Zhao sat down cross-legged and focused his mind on his sea of ​​consciousness.

Deep within his brow, the "Soul-Devouring Seal," now grayish-black and more like a coiled dragon, yet still retaining a trace of its cold, evil essence, floated silently. Refined by the "Dragon Tomb of Annihilation" and bestowed with the essence of "Ember," this mark had been greatly suppressed and altered, forming a strange connection with Lu Zhao's own "Annihilation Demon Dragon" Dao Foundation. It could even be said to have become part of the "nourishment" and "characteristic" of his Dao Foundation. However, its core connection to the "Soul-Devouring Demon Lord" was not completely severed, but merely sealed and isolated by layers of annihilating power.

The strange tremors in the market earlier made Lu Zhao realize that the mark was not completely "dead." It could still resonate with the same source of power in the outside world, and it could also be detected by the "Soul Devouring Demon Lord" or its subordinates using special methods.

"I must refine it further, or... find a way to completely transform it into a part of my own power and sever the external senses," Lu Zhao pondered. He tried to activate the gray-black Dao Foundation Vortex in his dantian, slowly channeling the purer, more refined Annihilation Dragon Qi, now infused with his own will, into his brow, enveloping the mutated mark, attempting a deeper level of refinement and fusion.

This process is much gentler than refining demonic souls before, but it is also more delicate and dangerous. It requires extreme care to avoid triggering the backlash that may exist in the core of the mark, or damaging the stability of one's own Dao foundation.

Time flowed slowly in his meditation. Lu Zhao was completely focused, guiding the extinguishing dragon energy, like the most patient craftsman, slowly eroding and assimilating the remaining malicious essence within the mark that did not belong to him. He could feel the mark slowly "softening," its connection with his own Dao foundation deepening, and the cold sense of alienation diminishing.

However, just as he was immersed in this slow refining process, another change occurred!

"Buzz..."

Another extremely faint, yet more distinct, tremor emanated from the depths of the mutated "Soul-Devouring Seal" than the one felt in the market! This time, the tremor seemed to be mixed with an indescribable longing, excitement, and... a faint warning of danger!

The source of the tremor was not within the fortress, nor from the direction of the market, but rather... in the distant northwest, deep within the Gobi Desert, in the direction known as "Dragon Bone Hill"! It was as if something there resonated with this mutated mark in some strange, trans-spatial way!

Lu Zhao suddenly opened his eyes, a fleeting glint of gray-gold and deep darkness flashing in them.

"It's here again... and this time it's even clearer." He muttered to himself, "Is it something left there by the 'Soul Devouring Demon Lord'? Or... something related to the 'Nine Netherworld Evil Dragon,' but also corrupted or sealed by the power of the 'Soul Devouring Demon Lord'?"

This resonance was no accident. Recalling the ancient dragon-patterned jade slip discovered by Zhou Tong and his group, and the unusual movements of various forces in this area in recent years, Lu Zhao's doubts and curiosity grew stronger.

"It seems we have no choice but to go and take a look." Lu Zhao stood up, walked to the window, and looked northwest. Dusk was approaching, and the Gobi Desert sky was dyed a dark red by the setting sun; the howling wind seemed to carry an ominous rhythm.

"However, before we go, we need to deal with the tails first." Lu Zhao turned around, his gaze seemingly piercing through the stone wall. "And... we need to find out which force is watching me."

He didn't immediately leave, but instead sat down cross-legged again. His divine sense, like mercury spilling onto the ground, silently spread outwards, covering the entire Black Stone Fortress and even extending several miles outwards. With his powerful divine sense, enhanced multiple times by the *Refining God Technique* during his mid-Foundation Establishment stage, the situation in most parts of the fortress was clearly reflected in his "eyes."

He quickly identified his target.

On the western side of the fortress, in a relatively dilapidated area of ​​stone houses with lax security, the two scouts who had been following him were whispering a report to a burly man with a hideous scar on his face, a single arm, and an aura of intense, bloodthirsty menace. The one-armed man's cultivation had clearly reached the peak of the early Foundation Establishment stage, and his ferocious aura indicated he was no benevolent individual.

"The Blood Wolf Gang?" Lu Zhao found the corresponding information in the intelligence jade slip given to him by Chen Song. The Blood Wolf Gang was another large bandit force entrenched in the western part of the Black Wind Gobi Desert. Their strength was comparable to that of the Black Wind Bandits, and the two were mortal enemies, frequently fighting over territory and resources. Black Stone Fortress, as the stronghold of the Yunmeng Merchant Guild, conducted business neutrally, maintaining some contact with both sides while remaining wary of both.

"It seems the things I sold at the market have piqued their interest. Especially those bone fragments..." Lu Zhao understood. "Perhaps they're also looking for something similar, or... they know the origin of those bones."

He withdrew his divine sense, a cold smile appearing on his face.

"Since you've delivered yourselves to my doorstep, don't blame me for being impolite. Perfect timing, I just need a guide, or... a source of information."

As night deepened, the cold wind of the Gobi Desert grew increasingly biting. Inside Black Stone Fortress, most areas fell silent, save for the footsteps of patrolling guards and the distant howling of the wind.

A faint gray-black figure, almost blending into the night, floated out of the window of Lu Zhao's quiet room like a ghost, landed silently on the ground, and then stealthily made its way to the western side of the fortress, to the area where the Blood Wolf Gang scouts were located.