This should have been the Sacred Realm. Having landed atop the mountain, everyone looked around once more. The inscription on the mountain gate stele bore the two words: "Gapwatch."
On this mountain, tiered towers crisscrossed the summit, buildings stretched on in succession, and covered bridges wove between them. It was plainly a residence for the people of Misty Pavilion.
From their attire alone, Niu Youdao guessed that those living here were the people guarding the Sacred Realm's exit.
This was likely an agreement among the Nine Supremes. The Sacred Realm had only one entrance and exit; it would not have been suitable for any one party to control it alone. Whenever shared interests were involved, Misty Pavilion—staffed jointly by personnel dispatched by the Nine Supremes—handled the matter.
This mountain was called Gapwatch Mountain, also known as Gapwatch Manor. It was where the Misty Pavilion personnel responsible for guarding the Sacred Realm's exit were stationed. Together with the Misty Pavilion personnel on Holy Island outside, they guarded one from within and one from without. Idle outsiders had no way to enter or leave freely without being discovered.
They were not allowed to linger outside the mountain gate for long. Once everyone had arrived, they were herded into the manor like sheep.
They truly did feel like lambs awaiting slaughter. Meek and submissive, none dared resist.
They were driven into a spacious, empty pavilion. Inside stood rows upon rows of low tables meant for seated work on the floor—eighty-four in all, corresponding to the number of arrivals.
Among the nations, both inland and overseas, Misty Pavilion had a total of thirty seats. Excluding the two separately established merit seats—positions awarded to those commended by Misty Pavilion—the remaining twenty-eight consisted of twenty-one seats from the seven kingdoms, three from the Spirit Sect, Skywalking