Gou Zai Fei Men made up myths

The Mo Yun Shuttle slowly landed on the platform. The platform was paved with a single, solid, and flat gray-white boulder, and dozens of various flying boats, multi-story ships, and even several magnificent beast-drawn carriages were already moored there.

Many cultivators were disembarking from their flying magical artifacts and, guided by armored soldiers, heading towards the majestic city gate at the end of the platform.

Shen Mo led the group down from the Ink Cloud Shuttle. Immediately, two cultivators dressed in standard robes, whose cultivation was at the late Foundation Establishment stage, stepped forward to conduct a simple inspection of the Ink Cloud Shuttle—mainly to detect whether there were any large-scale destructive restrictions or demonic auras, etc. The process was not too complicated.

After the inspection, one of them handed over a jade token: "This is your mooring pass. Use this to retrieve your shuttle when you leave the pass. The mooring fee is ten low-grade spirit stones per day."

Shen Mo paid the spirit stones, put away the jade token, and looked up at the city gate.

The city gate was about twenty feet high and wide enough for ten carriages to pass side by side. It was open at the moment, but a detection array with flowing spiritual light was set up at the entrance. All those entering the city had to pass through the array.

Above the city gate, there is a huge black iron plaque with three large, bold characters written in a fierce and menacing style: Zhenyuan Pass.

Following the flow of people, they passed through the detection array. The array's light swept over their bodies, causing a slight warmth, but nothing unusual. As soon as they entered the city gate, a wave of noise and heat hit them.

Behind the gate was an extremely wide, straight main street leading deep into the city, paved with thick bluestone slabs, worn smooth as a mirror by countless footsteps.

On both sides of the street, buildings stand side by side with flying eaves and brackets. Shops display their banners and sell a wide variety of goods, from the lowest-grade talismans and pills to magical artifacts that shimmer with precious light and rare spiritual materials and minerals.

The streets were packed with pedestrians, and the proportion of cultivators was astonishingly high. At least six or seven out of ten people had spiritual energy fluctuations. Foundation Establishment cultivators were everywhere, and Golden Core cultivators could be encountered from time to time, their auras either flamboyant or concealed.

The air was filled with a mixture of smells: the fragrance of medicinal herbs, the earthy smell of minerals, the aroma of food, the smell of sweat, and a faint, almost imperceptible scent of the iron and blood that was unique to this war fortress.

"My God, so many people..." Li Xiaocao subconsciously grabbed A Tu's sleeve next to her, her eyes wide. The bustling and crowded place here was even more so than the Suspended Mountain Market.

"Keep up, don't get separated." Shen Mo's voice rang out, leading everyone along the main street towards the city. His divine sense had already quietly spread out, searching for a suitable place to land.

There are many guesthouses on both sides of the street, but many of them have signs that say "fully booked".

Clearly, with the Tianyuan Conference approaching, Zhenyuan Pass, as a crucial passage between the north and south, has attracted a large number of cultivators heading to Tianyuan City.

After walking for about fifteen minutes, Shen Mo stopped in front of an inn called "Ke An Ju". The inn's facade wasn't the largest, but it looked quite clean and tidy, and the waiter at the door was also very energetic.

"Shopkeeper, are there any rooms available?" Shen Mo asked as he entered the shop.

The shopkeeper behind the counter was a middle-aged man with a goatee and shrewd eyes. His cultivation level was at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. Upon hearing this, he looked up, quickly sized up Shen Mo and his group, lingering especially on Shen Mo for a moment, and immediately put on a warm smile:

"Yes, yes, yes! Senior, you've come at the perfect time. There's just one detached courtyard left, with five quiet rooms, three guest rooms, and a small patio. It's perfect for distinguished guests like you with your disciples. But the price..."

"How much?" Shen Mo asked.

"Eighty low-grade spirit stones per day," the shopkeeper announced the price.

Shi Tie, listening from behind, gasped in shock. Good heavens! In Qingyun Mountain, eighty low-grade spirit stones would be enough for an inner disciple for two months! Here, just for one day?

Shen Mo didn't even frown, and directly took out spirit stones to pay a deposit for five days.

The journey had been quite expensive, but the sect's treasury had provided ample supplies before the trip, and with his own savings, he could afford the expenses.

The innkeeper's smile widened, and he personally led everyone through the front hall to the inn's back courtyard. The courtyard was indeed quiet, with a small spiritual spring in the center, emanating a faint spiritual energy. The rooms were also spotless.

After settling in, Shen Mo instructed everyone that they were free to move around, but they needed to travel in groups and return before sunset. He then led Su Xiao and Zhao Qingyan to the guest room in the center of the courtyard.

After closing the door, Shen Mo waved his hand and set up a simple soundproof barrier.

"Su Xiao, Qingyan, please sit down." Shen Mo sat down in the main seat and took out the intelligence jade slips he had purchased from "Zhiwei Tower," as well as his observations and notes from the journey.

Su Xiao silently sat down in the shadows by the window, while Zhao Qingyan sat down opposite Shen Mo.

"Let me first tell you what I've seen along the way, especially my feelings after entering the pass." Shen Mo looked at Su Xiao.

Su Xiao remained silent for a moment before his clear, cold voice rang out: "The number and quality of cultivators within the pass far surpass those in the Southern Region. Their average cultivation level is high, and their equipment is excellent. The patrolling soldiers are well-trained and work in perfect harmony; they should be battle-hardened warriors."

"The streets appear bustling, but in reality there are many hidden sentries. At least four different forces are monitoring cultivators entering the city, including the City Lord's Mansion, the Sky Patrol Pavilion, and two local forces."

When we checked in, at least three divine senses swept across the courtyard from different directions; their cultivation levels were not low. Also…”

She paused for a moment, then continued, "There are at least seven places in the city where there are extremely faint traces of the chilling aura of 'Netherworld Path' cultivators. They are very faint, but it should be true. They have a base in these places, or they have been frequently active here recently."

Shen Mo's eyes narrowed slightly. The Netherworld Path... truly is omnipresent. This Zhenyuan Pass, a melting pot of all sorts, is the perfect place for them to operate.

"Qingyan, how's the intelligence analysis going?" Shen Mo turned to Zhao Qingyan.

Zhao Qingyan took out the white jade slip "Tianyuan Chronicles" and her own notebook, her expression focused: "Sect Leader, according to the current intelligence, our potential rivals in this Tianyuan Tournament are mainly concentrated in the following forces and individuals."

A glint of light emanated from her fingertips as she traced names in the air:

"Regarding the three holy lands: the Supreme Dao, Daoist Master 'Xuan Chen', who has reached the Golden Core stage and is said to be halfway to the Nascent Soul stage, is proficient in Daoist magic and nature, and is skilled at borrowing the power of heaven and earth. He has a tranquil mind, but his depths are unfathomable."

"Nine Heavens Sword Pavilion, Sword Master 'Lingxiao', Golden Core perfected, Sword Heart clear and bright, unparalleled in attack and combat, with a straightforward and sharp personality."

"The Desolate God Temple, Holy Son 'Manshan', Golden Core Perfection, walks the path of physical sainthood, blood and qi like a dragon, immense strength, personality... rather straightforward." Zhao Qingyan emphasized the word "straightforward".

"Among the nine Nascent Soul sects, those that may directly compete with us are: Blazing Sun Sect, Yan Lie, late-stage Golden Core, with pure fire techniques, and personality... The sect leader has already met them at Suspended Mountain."

"The Heavenly Sword Sect's rising star, 'Ling Wufeng,' is in the late Golden Core stage. He has an unorthodox sword style, specializing in fast assassinations. He is also ruthless and vindictive, and requires close attention."

She then listed several other names: "Iron Madman of Divine Weapon Valley, White Spirit of Beast Taming Mountain, Cold Moon Fairy of Profound Ice Pavilion (who is considered a half-ally of us, but we each rely on our own abilities in the tournament), and several powerful disciples from cultivation families, such as Lin Yushu of the Lin family (not a threat, but his family may have other experts), and Tantai Mingyue of the Tantai family (her strength is unknown, but she seems very strong)."

"In addition," Zhao Qingyan put away her spiritual light and said seriously, "there are some rogue cultivators and experts from small sects who require special attention. For example, 'Ghost Hand' Yang Xiao, who is skilled in poison and hidden weapons; and 'Shadow Fox' Hu Sanniang, who is proficient in illusion and seductive arts."

"'Vajra' Batu, a body cultivator from the Western Wilderness, possesses a physical body as strong as that of the Desolate God Temple; along with several extraordinary individuals from the East Sea and the Northern Desert, their methods are unpredictable and impossible to guard against."

After she finished speaking, the guest room fell silent. The names on the list represented the most elite fighting force of the younger generation in the Eastern Wilderness, powerful individuals accumulated through countless resources, talents, and opportunities.

Compared to Shen Mo, who is exceptionally outstanding, the other disciples of Qingyun Sect are significantly inferior in terms of cultivation, foundation, and knowledge.

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