Yinshan Pass

Yinshan Pass. One of the Seven Heroes Passes, situated between Chungang City and Tianyou Pass. This grand city presented a spectacle entirely unlike Xuanlu Pass. It stood amid a boundless mire. Though located in the same bitterly cold region of the far north, the swamp was not frozen; instead, muddy bubbles gurgled and burst across its surface, each rupture sending up a wisp of warm air. At the very bottom of the bog, it seemed as if a hot spring lay hidden. The heat rose ceaselessly without dissipating, enveloping the entire swamp in a layer of thick, gloomy fog. Only by soaring into the high skies could one glimpse the sun. In such a harsh environment, a surprising variety of flora still grew in the marsh. Most were bizarrely shaped; shrouded in dense fog, the contorted ancient trees resembled fanged, clawed demons. The city walls of Yinshan Pass were formed from a palisade of these peculiar, ancient trees. The towering timber was dark greenish-black throughout, and even the slenderest required dozens of men with joined arms to encircle it—truly an astonishing sight. Crowded tightly together, these ancient trees appeared dead, their texture and hardness resembling iron and stone. Security at Yinshan Pass was not particularly strict. Qin Sang climbed onto the "city wall," paid his spirit stones to the city guards, and received a waist token that granted him unrestricted entry and exit until the runes upon it expired. Looking down upon the full panorama of Yinshan Pass, Qin Sang was mildly surprised. This was a city built among the treetops. It was said that many cultivators in Yinshan Pass carved their immortal caves into hollow trunks, and that claim indeed proved true. At this moment, crowds surged through Yinshan Pass, lending it the bustling, clamorous vitality of a thriving metropolis. Moreover, everyone coming and going was a cultivator—an exceedingly rare sight, likely drawn here by the upcoming auction. These cultivators dressed in a dizzying array of styles, resembling a chaotic gathering of assorted spirits and demons. Yet within Yinshan City, with the Great City Lord—a Nascent Soul cultivator—suppressing everything, neither righteous disciples nor demonic or heretical practitioners dared step out of line. Even when conflicts arose, they had to settle them outside the city walls. As a result, the city maintained a veneer of harmonious peace, making for a rather peculiar atmosphere. Qin Sang swept down onto the net-like ground woven from countless interwoven branches. Looking down, he could clearly see the churning black mud of the swamp below. It was a nauseating sight, though devoid of any foul stench. Furthermore, the subterranean heat could not penetrate Yinshan Pass. It was broad daylight, the sun shone brightly above, and the city was bathed in brilliant light. Stepping down firmly, he felt a faint, subtle light of protective restrictions pulse through the arborous netting, remarkably solid and stable. Glancing left and right, Qin Sang wove into the crowd. After turning through several streets, he stopped before a three-story wooden building. The building was perched in the fork of a massive tree, supported underneath by only two slender branches. However, Qin Sang could tell that these branches were not bearing the weight—otherwise they would have snapped long ago. Rather, a levitation restriction supported the structure. As if shaped to conform to the contours of the tree, the building appeared somewhat crooked, yet it hugged the main trunk snugly, possessing a peculiar, harmonious beauty. Such wooden structures were exceedingly common in Yinshan Pass, and having only three floors made it appear quite unassuming compared to others. Spirit Elixir Pavilion. The name was just as modest. Little did most know that this Spirit Elixir Pavilion was a branch of Taiyi Elixir Pavilion. Shaohua Mountain also maintained properties in Yinshan Pass, but their operations were not as deeply rooted as Taiyi Elixir Pavilion's. To inquire about the auction, Taiyi Elixir Pavilion's connections were essential. Qin Sang had therefore brought Manager Liu's token and come straight to their door. "Fellow Daoist Qin, please come in!" Once Qin Sang presented the token and established his identity, the pavilion manager warmly ushered him into a quiet chamber. "My humble shop is modest; please forgive the lack of hospitality, Fellow Daoist Qin." The manager was surnamed Pu. His cultivation was on par with Manager Liu's, but rather than having reached the twilight of his lifespan like Liu, he had actively volunteered to take charge of operations at Yinshan Pass. From Manager Pu's explanation, Qin Sang learned that the vast majority of commerce in Yinshan Pass was under the direct control of the City Lord. With countless cultivators under his command and strict order maintained, the City Lord of Yinshan Pass was essentially an independent, major faction in his own right, lacking only the formal trappings of a sect. Taiyi Elixir Pavilion did not dare compete directly with the City Lord in Yinshan Pass, so they maintained only a single shopfront catering exclusively to cultivators at or above the Foundation Establishment stage. In any case, the reputation of the Taiyi Dan Sect was grand enough that they needed no grand facade to make an impression. Due to the specialized nature of their trade, Taiyi Elixir Pavilion maintained frequent dealings with the upper echelon of Yinshan Pass. Relying on this measure of goodwill, they were able to gather inside information. Unfortunately, the details they could glean regarding the auction were limited. Nearly a year had passed, and no new information had leaked out. "The auction will not begin until ten days from now. I will have someone prepare a quiet room for you at once, where you may cultivate in peace without interruption," Manager Pu offered kindly. Qin Sang shook his head in refusal. With only ten days, there was no hurry to cultivate. "To tell the truth, Brother Pu, I only learned of the Yinshan Pass auction from Old Liu, and I know very little about it. Might I trouble you to explain the rules of the auction in detail, as well as what precautions I should take?" "What trouble could that be?" Manager Pu summoned an attendant to serve fragrant spiritual tea, sipping it as he began his explanation. "The auction of Yinshan Pass is not held within the city itself, but on a stone island a hundred li to the north. Outside the island lies an expansive grand formation, designed solely to ward off harassment by cloud beasts. It poses no danger to cultivators; anyone at or above the tenth level of Qi Refinement can easily step foot on the island. "Within the boundaries of the stone island and the formation, fighting is strictly forbidden. Any transaction must be entirely voluntary on both sides. "It is said that a Core Formation expert once relied on his formidable strength to forcibly seize an item. The very next morning, his corpse hung from the stone pillar at the center of the island, and the sect behind him did not dare utter a single word in protest. "Beyond hosting the auction, the stone island also serves as a trading venue for cultivators—a sort of miniature cultivation market that opens for only one month each time. "This exchange fair is by no means simple. Many figures wanted by the major factions even show themselves there, yet both righteous and demonic factions give face to the City Lord of Yinshan Pass; at least on the surface, neither interferes with the fair's operation. "Coupled with the draw of the auction, a massive gathering of cultivators congregates on the island every time. "If you are inclined, Fellow Daoist Qin, it would do no harm to take a stroll around the island. You might well come across some rare treasures." Manager Pu spoke with profound implication. Hearing this, Qin Sang fell into contemplative thought. Holding the exchange fair outside the city rather than within was evidently the result of compromise between the City Lord and the various major factions. Judging from Manager Pu's tone, the fair likely featured many illicit treasures that could never appear in the formal auction and could only circulate in secret. It was indeed worth a look. Qin Sang had obtained considerable spoils from slaying Yu Daiyue and the others. Added to what he had acquired from Old Man Dique, he possessed over ten thousand low-grade spirit stones in raw currency alone—wealth that certainly placed him among the affluent for a Foundation Establishment cultivator. A fine top-grade magic tool cost only about three thousand spirit stones through standard channels. Provided it was not an invaluable rarity with market demand but no supply—such as talisman treasures, millennium-old spirit herbs, or soul-attracting grass—he could essentially afford whatever caught his eye.