The Seven Grand Passes

Fortunately, the Ancient Immortal Battlefield was sealed off by restrictions left behind by ancient almighty beings, which prevented the cloud beasts from invading the Lesser Cold Domain. Whether due to deliberately preserved passages or because the passage of time had weakened the restrictions, the ancient barriers now had several breaches. In response, cultivators of the Lesser Cold Domain had erected grand passes at these compromised locations, firmly penning the cloud beasts within the Ancient Immortal Battlefield and dispatching sect disciples through the passes to hunt them down, thereby preventing them from advancing south to wreak havoc on the normal world. These grand passes also served as gateways into and out of the Ancient Immortal Battlefield. The description in the jade slip went into greater detail. Along the periphery of the Ancient Immortal Battlefield stood seven major grand passes: Wanyao City, Jiuyong Pass, Xuanlu Pass, Chungang City, Yinshan Pass, and the two cities of Tianyou and Qingyang. In addition to these, there were several smaller cities held by rogue cultivators or various cultivation sects and clans, varying in size and significance. Three of the seven grand passes were garrisoned by the Eight Righteous Sects. From west to east, these were Jiuyong Pass, Xuanlu Pass, and Chungang Pass. The vast expanse behind these passes, including any ancient ruins discovered within, naturally fell under righteous control. However, traveling further inward from that territory led to completely unclaimed territory. In the regions bordering the spatial rifts in particular, great allure went hand in hand with mortal peril, having claimed the lives of countless Golden Core Masters over the years. To garrison the passes, cull the cloud beasts within the Ancient Immortal Battlefield, and explore the ancient ruins, each major sect routinely conscripted disciples to enter the battlefield, and Shaohua Mountain was no exception. Sect Master Yu had mentioned this to Qin Sang long ago. Even if Qin Sang did not volunteer for guard duty, he would eventually be conscripted sooner or later. Under normal circumstances, completing a tour required a deployment of at least twenty years. In the extreme west, Wanyao City was held exclusively by demon cultivators from the Heavenly Demon Mound. Although it was only a single city, the sector of the Ancient Immortal Battlefield behind it extended all the way to the westernmost reaches of the world—regions largely unreachable by human cultivators—spanning an expanse no less vast than the territory controlled by the righteous sects. Another major stronghold, situated between the passes controlled by the righteous path and the demonic sects, was known as Yinshan Pass. Its master possessed extraordinary might, said to be a Nascent Soul stage grand cultivator. There seemed to be a tacit understanding between the righteous and demonic factions not to extend their reach there, treating the pass as a buffer zone. As a result, Yinshan City was a melting pot of good and evil, harboring righteous cultivators, demonic practitioners, heretics, and eccentrics of every conceivable stripe. The easternmost passes, Tianyou and Qingyang, were naturally held by demonic hands, and the jade slip contained very little information concerning either city. The cultivators of the righteous and demonic factions maintained clear boundaries within the Ancient Immortal Battlefield, confining their movements to the vicinity of their respective passes and rarely daring to cross the line. Meanwhile, Xuanlu Pass—jointly defended by Shaohua Mountain, the Taiyi Dan Sect, and the Shangyuan Qingjing Palace—lay flanked by the other two righteous strongholds, separated from the demonic path by Chungang City and Yinshan City, a considerable distance away. It was precisely because of this that Qin Sang dared to consider venturing into the Ancient Immortal Battlefield. After all, the surviving Golden Core Master from the Kuiyin Sect was hiding somewhere within the battlefield. Given the Heart-Devouring Insect clinging to the surface of Qin Sang's origin soul, entering the range of that Golden Core Master's spiritual sense would immediately give him away. The Heart-Devouring Insect hung over his head like a suspended blade, a constant reminder that the looming crisis had yet to be resolved. Even if he entered the Ancient Immortal Battlefield, he would never dare venture too far from Xuanlu Pass. Furthermore, one had to tread with extreme caution within the Ancient Immortal Battlefield. If a Foundation Establishment cultivator were unfortunate enough to stumble upon a pack of cloud beasts and find themselves surrounded, they would be hard-pressed to come away unscathed. Qin Sang had always intended to make ample preparations before genuinely considering a journey to the Ancient Immortal Battlefield; his visit today was merely to gain some preliminary knowledge. After committing the contents of the jade slip to memory, Qin Sang saw that dusk was gathering outside. Taking the intelligence on the two Demon Spirit stage beasts, he stepped onto the Sky-Soaring Shuttle and flew out of Shaohua Mountain, heading directly south. With his thoughts lingering on the Nine-Illusion Heavenly Orchid back in his cave abode, Qin Sang wished he could check on it every single day. Wasting no time, he waited until he flew beyond the bounds of Shaohua Mountain's territory before lowering his light and skim-flying over the water by sword flight. Along the way, he reviewed the intelligence on the two demon beasts. One was a serpent demon, while the other was a white rhinoceros that had cultivated into a demon. Both lurked deep within the Yuncang Great Marsh. They had originally cultivated in peace within their submerged abodes, and Shaohua Mountain would never have discovered their presence had neither beast grown restless. The report on the serpent demon had been submitted by a Senior Brother Wang. He had been dispatched by the sect to settle a minor errand in the Yuncang Great Marsh when the serpent demon ambushed him in midair on his return journey. Fortunately, Senior Brother Wang possessed considerable skill. Though caught off guard, he managed to shield his vitals and repel the serpent demon despite his injuries. However, the creature was exceptionally slippery and adept at water-escape arts; once Senior Brother Wang gave chase into the water depths, he lost its trail. Pressured by the need to report back to the sect master, Senior Brother Wang had no choice but to let it go. Yet the more he dwelled on it after returning to the mountain, the angrier he became. He returned twice in succession but failed to capture the beast either time, only uncovering a shed snakeskin on an island. It was clear that the creature's lair lay somewhere nearby, though it was concealed too well to locate. Consequently, Senior Brother Wang submitted the matter to the sect master and left behind a map, declaring that if any fellow disciple had a means of tracking demons and could hunt it down, he would offer a handsome reward. The white rhinoceros demon was bolder still, having raided one of Shaohua Mountain's spirit stone mines. The mine was situated on an island, its vein extending down to the island's subterranean base. Originally modest in size, the vein was now nearly exhausted, guarded only by a handful of Qi Refinement disciples tasked with squeezing out its remaining value. Protected by the sect's defensive arrays and restrictions, it had remained peaceful for years. Not long ago, however, a white rhinoceros demon had emerged from parts unknown and launched a sudden attack on the mine. The white rhinoceros was a formidable Demon Spirit stage beast, whereas the guards were mere Qi Refinement disciples. The unexpected assault threw them into sheer panic, but they scrambled to activate the grand array and held the line together. Unable to breach the defensive array, the white rhinoceros demon departed empty-handed and disappeared, allowing the disciples to breathe a sigh of relief. The disciples waited for a while, and seeing that the beast did not return, assumed it had moved on. To their horror, a disciple who ventured only a short distance from the mine was abruptly ambushed by the white rhinoceros. The two locations were far apart. After weighing his options, Qin Sang adjusted his flight path and headed toward the spirit stone mine. For one, the intelligence there was more reliable; for another, the presence of the mine's defensive restrictions provided a secure position to attack or retreat as needed. As of yet, he did not know what it truly meant to temper his murderous Dao—whether it meant grasping a state of mind through battle or seeking enlightenment by surviving on the razor's edge of death. Having the mine's restrictions to fall back on was simply the safer choice. Traveling by sword flight and stopping only to restore his spiritual power, Qin Sang pressed on without pause. Free of any complications, he took half a month to finally sight the island housing the spirit stone mine. This island was vastly larger than the one where his cave abode stood, dominated by a bottomless canyon stretching abruptly from east to west across nearly the entire landmass. At this moment, a shimmering golden light barrier enveloped the canyon—the protective array of the spirit stone mine. Beneath the glow of the barrier, the seated silhouettes of meditating cultivators could be faintly discerned.