Xihuang Town

Xihuang Town. The town lay fully exposed to the daylight and open to the howling wind and sand; only when a celestial phenomenon struck would its grand formation be activated. The north wind was bitter, swirling with yellow sand. Through the dim yellow dust, a figure drifted in and out of view, strolling leisurely toward the town. In such a fierce sandstorm, this person showed no haste at all, walking as if taking a stroll in a courtyard garden. Had mortals witnessed this, their jaws would have dropped. But in Xihuang Town, this was perfectly normal. It was virtually impossible for mortals to reach a place so remote; those coming and going were all immortal cultivators. To cultivators, a sandstorm of this scale was no different from a mere tickle. What truly frightened them was the celestial phenomenon that would soon descend after the storm. The Daoist stepped out of the wind and sand, yet his person was exceptionally clean. His pristine Daoist robe bore not a single wrinkle; whenever dust fell upon it, a layer of cyan light deflected it away. He showed no signs of aging, yet he bore a steady and composed demeanor; his true age was likely not as youthful as his appearance suggested. Lately, the people in Xihuang Town had grown accustomed to unfamiliar faces from outside. After casting a few casual glances his way, they paid him no further heed. "The celestial phenomena are appearing more and more frequently." Stepping onto the town's flagstone street, Qin Sang came to a halt and sighed inwardly, thinking of the spirit tide Yunyouzi had mentioned. Once the spirit tide arrived, whether immortal abodes or secret realms, none of it would have anything to do with Qin Sang. His strength was nowhere near enough to let him wander freely during a spirit tide; his best course of action would be to hole up outside the grand pass in bitter seclusion until the tide passed. Yet as the spirit tide drew nearer, the environment of the Ancient Immortal Battlefield would grow increasingly harsh under its influence, making survival even tougher—something that directly impacted everyone's interests. Human strength had its limits, and Qin Sang was powerless to change this; he could only hope the spirit tide would not come too quickly. Qin Sang brushed at the nonexistent dust on his robes, narrowing his eyes as he took in the desolate-looking town. He and Yunyouzi had split up a month ago. Yunyouzi had entered Xihuang Town ten days ahead of him, and they had not contacted each other since; Qin Sang had no idea whether Yunyouzi had successfully infiltrated their target's team. The scale of Xihuang Town somewhat exceeded Qin Sang's expectations. In terms of both physical size and population, it was the largest settlement he had seen in the Ancient Immortal Battlefield. Even with the fierce wind and sand raging, many figures could still be seen on the streets, most of them likely drawn here by Qiuhong Market. Qin Sang did not see Yunyouzi. Recalling the instructions Yunyouzi had given him before departing, he shifted his gaze and locked onto the northeast corner of town. There stood a wooden building with a tall shop streamer hanging outside—a teahouse. ... "You look unfamiliar, Daoist. I don't believe I have seen you before. May I ask your Daoist title?" The teahouse shopkeeper personally came over to refill Qin Sang's tea, taking his measure in secret. Qin Sang's eyes had been wandering over the street outside. Hearing the voice, he drew back his gaze, looked up at the shopkeeper, and cupped his hands. "Greetings, Fellow Daoist. This poor Daoist goes by the Daoist title of Qingfeng. Your eyes are sharp, Fellow Daoist; this is indeed my first time in Xihuang Town." To his surprise, the shopkeeper was also a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Judging by his age, however, he had likely abandoned any hope of advancing along the immortal path, opening a teahouse in this town to spend the rest of his days. "Braving the wind and sand to come to Xihuang Town, Daoist Qingfeng must be here for Qiuhong Market as well?" the shopkeeper asked directly. "Most people are, aren't they?" Qin Sang smiled and pointed at the hurried passersby on the street. Among them were not only Foundation Establishment cultivators, but even some at the Qi Refinement stage. Even for Foundation Establishment cultivators, entering Qiuhong Market carried a degree of risk; for those in the Qi Refinement stage, the danger was vastly greater. They might not even survive the journey to Qiuhong Market, let alone break through the formation. Yet wealth was sought amidst danger; the world never lacked for daring souls. The shopkeeper nodded. Seeing that Qin Sang was in the mood to chat, he sat down across from him and began conversing as though making casual small talk. "I wonder how much Daoist Qingfeng knows about Qiuhong Market? You came here all on your own, Daoist. If you have no companions, you will need to find some helpers. Otherwise, all by yourself, I'm afraid it will be very difficult to breach Qiuhong Market's protective grand formation." "Oh?" Qin Sang set down his teacup, leaned forward slightly, and feigned puzzlement. "On my way here, this poor Daoist did hear that one needs companions to force a way through the formation. Is that place truly so dangerous? Qiuhong Market emerged quite some time ago, hasn't it? Could it be that no safe path has been found yet? I am merely a rogue cultivator with few friends. Helpers found in haste can hardly be trusted, I fear." The shopkeeper gave a small laugh. "Actually, Daoist Qingfeng, if you stay in Xihuang Town for a couple of days and ask around, you'll find out soon enough. The protective grand formation of Qiuhong Market isn't static; it rotates through four arrays of earth, wind, water, and fire, with shifts of yin and yang within. There has never been such a thing as a safe path. However, people have figured out some of the formation's patterns. As long as you find helpers to support one another, the danger is greatly reduced. On the path to breaching the formation, everyone shares in success or ruin alike, so you needn't worry about anyone playing foul. If you cannot trust each other, you can simply part ways once inside." "Thank you for the guidance, Fellow Daoist." Qin Sang showed a look of sudden realization and cupped his hands in gratitude. "In that case, there must be people in town recruiting companions? Do you know anything about them, Fellow Daoist? Could you give me some pointers?" "You guessed correctly, Daoist. There are indeed quite a few people recruiting helpers. Some even amass spirit stones under the pretense of guaranteeing a breakthrough through the formation with absolute certainty. Those people are a mixed bag; you had best not trust them. Aside from them, there are several seniors of exceptional cultivation. If you could join their squads, it would naturally be exceedingly secure, but..." The shopkeeper stroked his long beard, glanced at Qin Sang, and hesitated. Qin Sang shook his head nonchalantly and asked with an open expression, "No need to spare my feelings, Fellow Daoist. I know my own limits. Is it because my cultivation is too low, so they won't look twice at me?" He had come precisely to infiltrate someone's squad; he couldn't wait to display his strength, so he had not used the Spirit Concealment Art to conceal his cultivation. The shopkeeper chuckled heartily. "You are a straightforward man, Daoist! "You and I both know that high cultivation doesn't necessarily equate to great prowess, but cultivation is indeed the most direct indicator. One can hardly turn all their trump cards out for others to inspect, so it's only natural that they have such standards. "Aside from them, there are other groups whose requirements on strength are not quite so stringent. "However, since you are unwilling to continue cooperating after entering the market, your options are very limited. "You may not be aware, Daoist, but the easily accessible places in Qiuhong Market have largely been picked clean. Wandering around those areas will rarely yield anything satisfying—it amounts to a wasted trip. "As for the crucial locations, one must join forces with others to enter. That is why many people are looking for companions not just to breach the formation. "If we speak of something that meets your requirements, I actually do know of one. If you trust this old man, I can make an introduction on your behalf." *Here it comes.* Qin Sang's heart stirred. The very reason he had come to this teahouse was precisely for this. Yunyouzi and his companion had discovered that the master of this teahouse was closely connected to Qin Sang's target, Yu Kong.