Hangu Pass stood on a plateau to the west, faced a sheer ravine to the east, bordered the Qinling Mountains to the south, and was fortified by the Yellow River to the north. It was one of the earliest and most formidable passes ever built in China. First constructed during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, it was the throat of the route east to Luoyang and west to Chang'an. It was said, "Heaven opened Hangu Pass to fortify Guanzhong; dust from ten thousand valleys rose and swept north," and, "Twin peaks tower beside the great river; since ancient times, Hangu Pass has been a battlefield." Since time immemorial, it had been a place contested by military strategists.
Hua Dou sensed the faint purple qi within Hangu Pass and said firmly, "That's right. It's here!"
Guiguzi said, "Hangu Pass is the link between the Mortal Realm and the Earth Immortal Realm. I never expected the passage to be here. If Daoist Ziyang hadn't sensed something unusual here before entering Mountain River Hall, it really wouldn't have been easy to find."
Ziyang said, "The person who set up this formation is truly devious. They used magic power to condense Ziyang Qi into a Tongtian Gateway, and placed it right before our eyes."
Guiguzi said, "This person has mastered the Way of Void and Reality in the art of war to an incredible degree. What is real can be made false, and what is false can be made real. I'm eager to meet this person and find out what sort of divine being they are."
Ziyang said, "Is this Immortal Gate real or fake?"
Guiguzi said, "It's real."
Hua Dou said, "Daoist Ziyang, you're worrying too much. Now that we've found the Formation Eye, the formation's illusion can no longer