178: Hua Hanxiang

The information within the Jade Slip flooded in like a tide, seemingly carrying the unique damp and fishy scent of the Southern Border, nearly spilling out from between the spiritual runes.

[Immortal Cave Restriction Details]:

The most elite scouts under his command risked their lives to conduct a close-range investigation and confirmed that the Immortal Cave's Restriction is the "Sancai Spirit-Locking Formation."

This Formation requires three Half-step Nascent Soul Cultivators to simultaneously strike three specific Formation eyes with pure spiritual power to be opened.

If other positions of the Formation are forcibly attacked, it will only trigger a terrifying backlash—several Foundation Establishment Cultivators who didn't believe the warnings have already been ground into a bloody mist on the spot by the power of the backlash, leaving no remains.

[Faction Movements]:

Tianqi Dynasty Shadows: Confirmed the leader of the Dark Division is "Azure Dragon," who has already requested reinforcements from the Royal Capital through special channels, specifically demanding the dispatch of Half-step Nascent Soul Cultivators from the "Enshrinement Pavilion."

Zhou Dynasty: The "blood hand" Village Elder Gongsun's movements are erratic. After slaughtering the Ten Thousand Gu Sect Elders, he did not stray far and seems to be tracking another faction (suspected to be a squad from the Poison Scorpion Cult). The black Qi on his ten thousand souls banner has grown even thicker, clearly gaining from his recent refinements.

Xuan Yin Sect: News reports that a Half-step Nascent Soul expert has left the Sect's grounds and is rushing toward the Southern Border at full speed; their identity remains a mystery.

Ten Thousand Gu Sect: Enraged by the killing of their Elders. Sect Leader "Granny Green Snake" has issued the "Ten Thousand Gu Command," summoning the Sect's experts and friendly factions, vowing to kill Village Elder Gongsun. Meanwhile, the Sect's only Half-step Nascent Soul Cultivator, "Poison Old Man," has also set out, his target being the Immortal Cave.

Poison Scorpion Cult: Golden Core experts are heading toward East Lin City, the exact number is unknown.

Xihua Sect (New Intelligence): Scouts discovered that people from the Xihua Sect briefly appeared on the outskirts of the Southern Border and had contact with a masked individual suspected to be a subordinate of the Tianqi Dynasty's "Azure Dragon," then vanished without a trace, their tracks pointing toward—East Lin City!

This happened to confirm Situ Jun's previous guess.

[Chaos Escalation]:

With Half-step Nascent Soul Cultivators about to enter the fray, small-scale conflicts between various factions have evolved into large-scale brawls, all competing for advantageous terrain and key positions when breaking the Restriction.

Southern Border City has long been a mixture of dragons and snakes. Official personnel have all withdrawn, and the looting and killing both inside and outside the city are intensifying. The commoners are mired in misery, with cries of grief everywhere.

The amount of information was massive, and the situation was changing in the blink of an eye.

Situ Jun's expression was solemn as his fingertips slowly brushed over the Jade Slip, finally stopping on the information related to the "Xihua Sect" and "Xuan Yin Sect."

"The Xihua Sect actually has a connection with Li Xuan? After meeting with 'Azure Dragon,' they sneaked into East Lin City. What exactly is their purpose? And the Xuan Yin Sect, the identity of this Half-step Nascent Soul expert..."

A cold light suddenly flashed in his eyes, and his fingertips unconsciously tightened.

After thinking for a long while, Situ Jun took out a sound transmission talisman and sent a message to Wang Cheng, who was heading to the Southern Border:

"The Southern Border has become a meat grinder. On this trip, you must prioritize your own safety, with intelligence being secondary. Keep a close eye on the movements of 'Azure Dragon,' Village Elder Gongsun, and Poison Old Man, as well as the layouts and conflicts of all parties before the Restriction, and report at any time."

After processing the urgent intelligence, Situ Jun rubbed his throbbing brow.

Although the center of the storm was in the Southern Border, the edge of the vortex had inevitably touched his East Lin City.

The hidden blades of the Xihua Sect, the poisonous stings of the Poison Scorpion Cult, and those Cultivators with ulterior motives who flooded in due to the chaos in the Southern Border... this seemingly peaceful city was already surging with undercurrents.

He flashed to the city tower, overlooking East Lin City bathed in the morning light.

There were more and more pedestrians on the streets, and the cries of vendors could be faintly heard, a scene of peace and harmony.

"This peace... I wonder how much longer it can be guarded."

Situ Jun murmured to himself, a trace of imperceptible hope hidden in his tone.

After observing the various aspects of city life for a moment, he flashed back to the study.

By then, Lan Yanliu had left, and only the curling sandalwood incense remained in the study.

After Situ Jun sat down, his Divine Thought moved slightly, and an invisible ripple spread out with him as the center, instantly covering the Rain Embroidery Courtyard and extending outward.

He "saw" squads of guards patrolling along the city walls, their armor glinting coldly in the morning sun; he "saw" in the Rain Embroidery Courtyard, an Embroiderer was comforting an overexcited Lan Yanliu, while Mei Shuang was alone in the courtyard watering flowers, water droplets rolling down the leaves; Shen Xingwan had returned to the western wing and was facing a small bronze mirror, her fingertip stained with a bit of rouge, carefully applying it to her lips, her eyes deep and unfathomable.

Further away, in several inns and taverns within the city, some figures with obscure auras also fell into his perception.

Most were Loose Cultivators at the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment Stages, but there were also two or three Early Golden Core Stage auras mixed in the crowd like lurking reefs.

Are these people here for the news of the Southern Border? Or do they have another purpose?

Situ Jun withdrew his Divine Thought.

The city was still relatively calm for now, but beneath the surface, undercurrents were already surging.

As noon approached, the atmosphere in East Lin City was noticeably different.

The sky was gloomy, and leaden clouds hung low over the city walls.

The number of patrolling guards on the streets had increased significantly, their steps rhythmic, and the clashing of their armor produced a dull metallic friction. The vendors' cries seemed to have lowered a bit, and pedestrians walked in a hurry, carrying a sense of oppression as if a mountain storm were about to break.

Just after noon, the heavy sound of horse hooves and the rumbling of wheels over the bluestone slabs approached from afar, breaking the city gate's dullness.

A team of about twenty people appeared at the city gate.

Leading them was a massive carriage pulled by four white mutant horses. The carriage was entirely pink, carved with various rare butterflies of different shapes and brilliant lusters, looking as lifelike as if they were alive.

The carriage curtains were tightly closed, completely sealing off the situation inside.

On both sides of the carriage were over ten knights dressed in black martial attire with fierce auras. Everyone had a scimitar hanging at their waist, and their eyes were as sharp as hawks, carrying an Evil Qi that warned strangers not to approach.

Behind the team followed several ordinary carriages loaded with supplies. The horses pulling them also appeared restless, pawing their hooves and neighing.

The guard captain at the city gate had clearly already received instructions. He took a step forward and, bracing himself, cupped his hands and said:

"Who goes there? The City Lord has ordered..."

"Get lost!"

A bald knight with a scar on his face beside the carriage barked coldly, his voice like sandpaper rubbing together, with a heavy foreign accent.

He didn't even look at the guard captain. With a flick of his horsewhip in the air, it made a piercing crack, driving away the pedestrians blocking the way. The convoy didn't stop and drove straight into the city.

The guard captain's face turned a shade of blue and white, but he didn't dare to stop them.

The aura emitted by the other party was at least at the Late Foundation Establishment Stage, and that bald knight was even at the Early Golden Core Stage!

He could only watch helplessly as this arrogant and unyielding team entered the city overbearingly, leaving behind a mess and terrified commoners.

The convoy did not go to the City Lord Manor to pay respects but drove straight to the largest and most luxurious "Drunken Immortal Tower" in the city.

The carriage stopped in front of the building. The bald knight dismounted, roughly pushed aside the Waiter who came to greet them, and personally stepped forward to respectfully lift the heavy carriage curtain.

A delicate jade foot stepped out first. A colorful butterfly was actually perched on the ankle, flapping its wings and slightly shaking its antennae, looking quite beautiful.

Immediately after, a figure gracefully and elegantly stepped down. The butterfly took flight, circled a few times, and then landed steadily back on her shoulder.

This was an extremely bewitching woman.

She was dressed in a tight-fitting lake-blue long dress that outlined her breathtaking curves, and the hidden butterfly patterns on the hem shimmered with her movements.

Her skin was exceptionally fair, almost transparent, as if it would bleed water with just a pinch.

Under her long, curled eyelashes, a pair of narrow phoenix eyes were like black jade soaked in a cold pool, her gaze carrying a soul-stirring allure yet being so cold as to not have a trace of warmth.

Her lip color was an alluring Cherry red, with a faint, ambiguous smile at the corners of her mouth.

Most striking was her hair bun. The hairpins on it were composed of countless colorful, lifelike butterfly ornaments of all sizes, shimmering with fine, varied lights that dazzled the eyes.

She was one of the leaders of the Poison Scorpion Cult on this trip, "Madame Butterfly" Hua Hanxiang.

(400,000 words in, and it's still just a few yuan a day. I really can't keep writing this. Leave a comment about what kind of novels you like, and I'll just start a new one.)