Scanning

Starlight City.

Longqueshan Manor.

At this moment, Spirit Refining Chen Yue, who was in charge of this residence, was respectfully reporting to a woman who looked to be in her early thirties.

The woman did not appear particularly outstanding.

But the sharp sword lying across her lap gleamed with a chilling light.

If any intelligence agency leader were here, they would be able to identify the origin of this sword immediately.

Snow-covered rivers and mountains.

A superior spirit sword that combines sharpness and the ability to pierce through the air.

No fewer than two palms' worth of great Demonic Beasts and Spirit Refining died by this sword.

Its most glorious battle was when it fought against a Nascent Spirit Transformation cultivator from the Cold Moon Demon Sect, using its sharpness to cut the flying sword in the opponent's hand.

The wielder of this spirit sword is none other than the Spirit Transformation Grand Cultivator of Dragon Sparrow Manor, who calls himself the Snow River Sword Master based on the name of Wind, Snow and River.

"Master, the reason why Gu Jinlai went to Lingxiao City back then was because Tiancao Pavilion was pressing him hard. Faced with the fierce power of the three Spirit Refining True Person, he had no choice but to avoid their sharp edge when his power was not yet established."

Chen Yue's eyes gleamed. "Right now, he has defeated the Meteor Guard and the Purgatory Sect in the battles of Beishan and Yuanhua City, and is at the height of his power. In addition, he is becoming increasingly powerful by taking advantage of the influence of Yuanhua City and Lingxiao City. He will inevitably become arrogant and domineering. If we use Tiancao Pavilion, which has a grudge against him, as a provocation, the old and new grudges will erupt at the same time. He will definitely rush to Xingguang City to attack Tiancao Pavilion."

"Good."

The Snow River Sword Master nodded slightly. "I trust you to handle things."

"Only..."

Chen Yue carefully considered her words: "We don't need to worry about Tiancao Pavilion. If it weren't for the power of our Dragon Sparrow Manor, they would have been suppressed by the Meteor Guard long ago. The key is the Meteor Guard..."

"As the capital of Star Province, Starlight City is so heavily guarded that any expert above the Spirit Refining entering it will be detected by the Meteor Guards. Under such circumstances, do you know how I managed to slip into Starlight City unnoticed?"

The Snow River Sword Master said.

Chen Yue paused, then quickly realized something. "We and the Meteor Guard..."

"Xin Tian's arrival at our Dragon Sparrow Manor is not just a simple act of intimidation; his real goal is to seek cooperation."

"Cooperate?"

"Star Province has been a transportation hub and a battleground since ancient times. There are no natural defenses or obstacles within its borders. Furthermore, it connects five top forces: the Purgatory Sect, the Yellow Spring Sect, the Cold Moon Sect, the Yellow Heaven Sect, and our Dragon Sparrow Manor. No matter how talented and ambitious the Star Province governor is, he knows that if he continues to hold on, the only outcome for Star Province will be torn apart."

The Snow River Sword Master smiled slightly, "In the southwest of Star Province, if it weren't for the Gu Jinlai conflicts with the Purgatory Sect, several cities there would already be divided into separate territories."

Chen Yue nodded in deep agreement.

"Instead of watching Star Province be dismembered, why not choose one side to cooperate with, join forces to eliminate internal troubles first, and then fight against external enemies?"

The Snow River Sword Master said, "When it's time to make a decision, make it decisive! Qi Zhongsheng, Xue Yue, and Xin Tianqi all possess this kind of courage."

Upon hearing this, Chen Yue gasped. "We... we've partnered with the Governor's Mansion?"

"Given your position, you have no right to know about this matter. However, as the person in charge of Starlight City, you are needed to cooperate in many areas. To avoid any oversights, I am making an exception to inform you."

The Snow River Sword Master glanced out the window. "Do you really think that the grand gathering of various sects in Star Province is just to divide up territory? This game is... very big, so big that if it goes smoothly, all obstacles in Star Province will be completely cleared away."

She paused, then continued, "As for Gu Jinlai... he was already a skeleton in a tomb. Su Wen had already decided to take his head. I only gave him a chance to live because he still had some value."

Chen Yue's heart trembled.

She could almost see the impending storm of bloodshed that would sweep across Star Province.

On the imperial road, a group of more than thirty people were riding at full speed, covered in dust as they made their way.

The group of over forty people was led by a middle-aged man with an extraordinary demeanor and an indifferent expression.

The thirty-odd people around him were all of the same type, with a deep and resonant aura.

Even the two young people, a man and a woman, who were closest to him, moved with light steps and had excellent Movement Method.

Look at the emblems on their clothing...

It was none other than the Autumn Water Sword Sect, a dominant force in Tianmen City.

A sect founded by the Spirit Refining, with six Elders at the Core Forming and dozens of experts at the Gang Condensing Qi Refining stages.

While traveling, Shao Yaoguang, the leader of the Qiushui Sword Sect, explained something to the young man and woman, "Our Qiushui Sword Sect is not only one of the top forces in Star Province, but also one of the most elite forces. Apart from a few forces such as the Nine Secrets Sword Sect, the Wind and Cloud Society, the Taihe Sword Sect, and the Heavenly Gang Sect, we can also challenge other forces such as the Orthodox One Sect and the Yunhua Valley."

Upon hearing Shao Yaoguang's words, the two disciples' eyes were filled with a sense of pride.

"Although you two are exceptionally talented and have already achieved the Qi Refining Realm at a young age, and may even be able to Spirit Refining in the future, you spend most of your time in the sect. When you occasionally go out, you only travel around the Tianmen City area, so you lack experience. This banquet will be a good opportunity for you to broaden your horizons."

Shao Yaoguang laughed.

"This grand gathering brings together dozens of the top sects from our Star Province..."

As the girl was saying something, a roaring sound came from behind them.

Shao Yaoguang looked back and saw a yellow dragon rolling towards them, probably less than a few miles away.

"This is... a large army passing through!?"

Shao Yaoguang quickly estimated the size of the area, his expression changed, and he hurriedly said, "Quick, let's go into the alley."

The group of more than thirty people walked quickly forward and soon entered the path ahead.

Shortly after they entered the path ahead, they saw more than ten riders arrive ahead to scout the road.

Behind them, hundreds of riders escorted several carriages forward.

They rode either ferocious beasts or wildebeests.

Each one of them is worth a fortune.

After a hundred people had passed, the main force gradually arrived.

Their military might was magnificent, and their momentum was overwhelming.

They had noticed the group from the Autumn Water Sword Sect long ago, but ignored them.

The procession moved swiftly, kicking up clouds of dust, and gradually disappeared from sight.

"These are... the troops of Lingxiao City."

Shao Yaoguang looked solemn.

"Lingxiao City?"

The boy had heard of this city.

Seem...

Is it a city of similar size to their Tianmen City?

"Lingxiao City is not what it used to be; it has now been occupied by the Gu Clan."

"Gu Clan?"

Many disciples found this faction unfamiliar.

"The Gu Clan has risen to prominence in less than a year, and its members are full of powerful figures. Not to mention their ancestor Gu Jinlai, there is Su Nanxing, a True Person Spirit Refining, and several experts who have reached the Core Forming stage. In addition, there are a large number of Demonic Beasts under their command... Hundreds of demon god warriors have cultivated the demon god physique. They are a newly emerging behemoth in our Star Province."

Looking at the massive army disappearing from sight, Shao Yaoguang's expression was somewhat worried. "After the patriarch of the Gu Clan Gu Jinlai to the Heavenly Master, he created a variety of weapons such as gunpowder and chain fire guns. One of the Spirit Artifact is so powerful that it can rival a Nascent Spirit Transformation. With such a weapon in hand, he still led his elite troops... I'm afraid he's about to have a big fight."

For a moment, a shadow fell over the upcoming trip to Starlight City.

"Speaking of which, although this Starlight City gathering was ostensibly to resist the invasion of Demonic Beasts from Muzhou, it seemed that as long as we were willing to resist the Demonic Beasts and protect our territory, the state lord's mansion was willing to establish legitimacy for each faction, allowing us to rightfully occupy a county, or even a city, but..."

Shao Yaoguang's expression was grave. "Is it really that simple?"

For a moment, he couldn't help but regret not bringing more people with him.

"Nine Secrets Sword Sect, Wind and Cloud Gathering, Taihe Sword Sect, the Lineage..."

Inside the carriage, Gu Jinlai flipped through the documents in his hands.

A census conducted in Star Province more than a decade ago revealed a population of nearly 60 million, making it a truly prosperous state.

Even though it is located south of the Milky Way and is not a political center, and is relatively peaceful, there are still quite a few forces within its borders.

Sects like the Nine Secrets Sword Sect, the Great Harmony Sword Sect, Lineage all have Spirit Transformation Grandmasters in charge.

The remaining groups, such as the Fengyun Society, Tiancao Pavilion, Xuanwu Gate, and the Heavenly Gang Gate which he destroyed half a year ago, have many members who Spirit Refining stage and are vaguely connected with forces such as the Huangquan Sect, Longque Manor, and Yellow Heaven Sect.

Compared to these forces, the Demon Refining Hall and the City Lord Mansion in Changjun City were weaker, not to mention the Zhengyi Orthodox One Sect, which only had one Spirit Refining.

"Speaking of the Orthodox One Sect, I wonder if they will be going this time."

Gu Jinlai.

The possibility is not small.

The Orthodox One Sect also secretly controls a county town within the territory of Changjun City.

He might not want to miss this opportunity to gain legal control of the county.

"If they come, that would be interesting. It would be best if they brought the Six Sons of Zhengyi. I wonder if these young talents of the Orthodox One Sect have made any progress in the past year or so."

From Gu Jinlai present, we speak to ourselves.

The procession continued onward.

Ten days later, Starlight City, without city walls, was already in sight.

At this time, Gu Chifeng's news reports became noticeably more frequent.

"Ancestor, the alarm is sounding again."

Gu Jinlai nodded.

He knew what Gu Chifeng was talking about.

Close-in weapon system (CIWS).

After undergoing a shared evolution, the close-in weapon system's radar has changed its search method, enabling it to scan for spiritual fluctuations within a radius of forty miles.

Back in Lingxiao City, there wasn't a single Spirit Refining, so the close-in weapon system naturally couldn't hit any targets.

We've arrived in Starlight City...

Furthermore, due to the approaching grand event, the density of True Person in the Spirit Refining has significantly increased.

As a result, the close-in weapon system alarm would sound frequently.

This had a significant impact on defense against flying sword attacks.

"Increase the scanning energy level; those whose spiritual intensity does not meet the sufficient standard will not be included in the scanning range."

It Gu Jinlai.

"Clear."

Gu Chifeng nodded and left.

However, as Gu Jinlai and his group finally arrived at Shili Slope, just outside Starlight City, Gu Chifeng came again. "Ancestor, something... is not right..."

"Um?"

"Although I have slightly increased the mental energy level of the close-in weapon system's scanning."

Gu Chifeng paused slightly as he spoke, "But... it still detected many threatening targets."

Finally, he added, "More than ten!"