Central Continent, Yunjiang City.
One of the seven major safe-zone cities built under Taichu Peak, Yunjiang City sat on the edge of the Black Mist Mountains. Its advantageous location made it a hub connecting several important resource sites.
It was one of the five remaining safe-zone cities still operating under Taichu Peak.
Today, however, the atmosphere in the meeting hall was heavy.
Feng Hai, Yunjiang City's Guardian, sat in the seat of honor, his brow furrowed.
The city's various stewards sat beside him. Below them were the Guardians of the safe zones under Yunjiang City's jurisdiction, along with the people in charge of construction, defense, and trade.
Unlike the relaxed mood of past meetings, today's atmosphere was tense.
"Guardian Feng, the situation is already dire!" Chen Dao, the steward in charge of trade, pointed at the map projected in the hall. "Jihuang Sword Palace's Black Stone Security Zone is being built near the old site of Pingfeng City, southeast of us. It sits right across the main route connecting us to Chiyan Valley and the Chenxing Abyss. Most importantly, they claim they're going to build a Fourth Grade defensive array—far stronger than ours. If we can't upgrade our defenses, I'm afraid many people will go to Black Stone Security Zone to trade!"
The person in charge of the teleportation arrays also stood, his expression grave.
"We wouldn't care if they were just building a safe zone. But if they build a teleportation array linked to the Transportation Temple, we won't stand a chance against them!"
"More troublesome still," another female cultivator said, her voice cool, "Jihuang Sword Palace has already announced that the entry fees for Black Stone Security Zone will be thirty percent lower than ours, and its trade tax will be only half of what we charge. Quite