Teleportation

"Have you decided which sect to join, Brother Zhang?" After the two left the trade fair, Yang Xiu asked as they walked slowly.

"I still need to give it more thought, but I already have a general direction," Zhang Tie replied.

"That's good. If you need any help, Brother Zhang, come directly to the Yang family and find me. I'll take my leave first," Yang Xiu said with cupped fists.

"Farewell," Zhang Tie replied. Yang Xiu then turned and left, while Zhang Tie returned directly to the inn.

Zhang Tie sat cross-legged on the bed, his thoughts racing as he carefully analyzed all the information he had gathered about the various sects over the past few months. Violet Flame City, where he currently was, was merely a border city in the north of the Crimson Fire Nation. In terms of scale, it would be difficult for it to even rank among the top ten.

The Immortal Cultivation sects of the Crimson Fire Nation were tangled and complex, while Immortal Cultivation families were countless. Still, there was an overall pattern to follow.

The undisputed first-tier power in the Crimson Fire Nation was the Crimson Fire Sect.

This sect had stood firm for thousands of years and was a super sect, with more than one Nascent Soul-level patriarch overseeing it. As for the second-tier powers, though no one had publicly announced them to the world, the gathered information made it possible to determine that they were the Fire Cloud Sect, Beast Taming Sect, and Thousand Puppet Sect.

The reason these three sects were classified as second-tier powers was that all three possessed strength comparable to the Nascent Soul stage. By comparable, it meant that they had no Nascent Soul patriarchs themselves, yet possessed the offensive power of Nascent Soul cultivators.

For instance, the Fire Cloud Sect possessed a sect-protecting treasure capable of drawing upon the sect's spirit vein to unleash the attack power of an early Nascent Soul cultivator;

the Beast Taming Sect's sect-protecting divine beast was a poisonous flood dragon that had cultivated for a thousand years, and its strength had likewise reached the Nascent Soul stage;

the Thousand Puppet Sect was said to possess an ancient puppet passed down within the sect. Given ample Spirit Stones, its strength was comparable to that of a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator.

Thus, while these three sects might have been somewhat lacking in offensive capability, their ability to protect themselves was already sufficient. It was hardly surprising that they were widely recognized as second-tier powers.

As for third-tier powers, they were mainly judged by their number of Core Formation cultivators. Moreover, these sects were usually far removed from the first- and second-tier powers.

Such as the Carefree Sect, Azure Flame Gate, Corpse Refining Sect, Joyful Union Sect, Hundred Skills Sect, Demon Purging Sect, and Spirit Nurturing Sect. Each of these sects had more than five Core Formation cultivators on the surface, and most had some connection to a first- or second-tier sect.

The sect Zhang Tie was considering joining was precisely the Hundred Skills Sect, because it was renowned for alchemy, artifact refinement, talisman crafting, and formations.

Its alchemy in particular was exceptional. Half of all pills in the Crimson Fire Nation came from the Hundred Skills Sect. The Hundred Skills Sect's Crimson Fire Pill especially could increase the chance of Core Formation by thirty percent. It was absolutely a priceless treasure that could not be bought even with money.

With Zhang Tie's Quadruple Spiritual Root aptitude, entering a first- or second-tier power was probably nothing more than a fool's dream.

However, his talent for talisman crafting might allow him to gain a foothold in the Hundred Skills Sect. More importantly, the Hundred Skills Sect possessed abundant resources and was incredibly wealthy.

The Hundred Skills Sect itself understood this well, so it had proactively attached itself to the Crimson Fire Sect in exchange for protection. No one dared harbor ill intentions toward it.

The Hundred Skills Sect was located in the central-western region of the Crimson Fire Nation, over two thousand li from the Crimson Fire Sect in the central region. Four thousand li farther west lay the Myriad Monster Forest, and west of the Myriad Monster Forest was the Western Buddha Nation.

Violet Flame City, where Zhang Tie was located, was roughly eight thousand li from the Hundred Skills Sect. Therefore, Zhang Tie decided to stop relying on his own legs to travel and instead spend Spirit Stones to use the long-distance Teleportation Array in the City Lord's Hall.

Early the next morning, Zhang Tie settled his bill at the inn and left his room. He headed straight for the City Lord's Hall along the broad road.

As soon as Zhang Tie entered the City Lord's Hall, he saw its towering grandeur. Its vermilion gates were tall and heavy, embedded with golden studs that glimmered with a mysterious radiance. The roof was adorned with upturned eaves and bracket sets, carved with exquisite, lifelike immortal beasts.

When Zhang Tie stepped into the City Lord's Hall, a solemn and dignified atmosphere pervaded the spacious main hall. Towering stone pillars supported the vaulted ceiling, their surfaces covered in ancient runes that flickered with faint spiritual light. The floor was paved with bluestone, smooth as a mirror.

After presenting his teleportation token, Zhang Tie entered the City Lord's Hall without trouble and headed to the Teleportation Hall on the right.

Inside the Teleportation Hall, a circular stone platform five zhang across was especially eye-catching. Atop it sat a circular stone disk one zhang in diameter, and the entire grand formation was covered in densely packed, obscure runes.

Zhang Tie walked over and stood to the right of the Teleportation Array. Three people were already waiting there. Each teleportation was limited to seven people, so they still had to wait for three more before they could depart.

About half an hour later, four people arrived at once. They were clearly together. Their leader was a middle-aged man with a long scar across the left side of his face, making him look particularly terrifying.

Two men and one woman followed behind him. The scarred man was at the Foundation Establishment stage. Of the other three, the two men were at the ninth layer of Qi Refining, while the woman was at the seventh layer of Qi Refining.

"Three of you four, step out. The remaining one can wait for the next trip," said the armored guard in charge of the teleportation.

Upon hearing this, the scarred man furrowed his brow. He quickly walked to the armored guard's side, slipped a Storage Pouch into his hand, and said, "Sir, the four of us are together and truly have urgent business. I'll discuss it with the others. Please wait a moment."

"Mm, I understand. Hurry up, though. Fighting is forbidden within the city," the armored guard said before turning around and sitting down again.

The scarred man walked up to Zhang Tie and instantly released the pressure of the Foundation Establishment stage. Yet Zhang Tie showed no reaction at all. The scarred man said, "Kid, step aside and take the next trip."

"My apologies, but I also have urgent business. Find someone else," Zhang Tie answered directly.

"We're all heading to Hundred Skill City. Are you sure you won't give me this favor? I hear there are many demonic beasts outside Hundred Skill City, and it's extremely dangerous," the scarred man said again.

"There is no need for Fellow Daoist to worry. I have my own way of dealing with it," Zhang Tie said.

"Good. Very good. I'll remember you," the scarred man said viciously, then turned toward an old man beside Zhang Tie.

"Senior, I am willing to wait for the next trip. I am not in any hurry," the old man said with a smile, cupping his fists toward the scarred man. The old man was only at the eighth layer of Qi Refining. How could he withstand being targeted by a Foundation Establishment cultivator? Thus, he took the initiative to step forward.

The scarred man nodded, looking as though he considered the old man sensible. Then the group of seven stepped onto the Teleportation Array.

The armored guard stepped forward at this moment and said, "Take out your teleportation tokens and hold them in your hands. During the teleportation process, do not loosen your grip on the tokens under any circumstances, or you will be torn apart by the power of space." With that, he fired a hand seal into the Teleportation Array.

The Teleportation Array began to hum and emit a soft white glow. The light flashed in an instant, and the seven people on the array vanished.