Zhao Shuai nodded, stepped aside, and made an inviting gesture. "Temple Master Yue, everyone, please. I have already arranged accommodations. Settle in first and rest well for the night."
"Tomorrow morning, I will personally escort you into the teleportation array."
The group followed Zhao Shuai through the city gate and into Ancient Baleful Fort.
The fort's layout was utterly different from that of an ordinary military fortress. There were no homes or shops, only barracks, warehouses, training grounds, and arrow towers.
The main road, paved with bluestone, was broad and straight. Neatly arranged barracks stood on either side, weapon racks before them holding orderly rows of sabers, spears, swords, and halberds, all polished to a brilliant shine.
Armored patrolmen passed along the main road from time to time, their steps synchronized, their armor plates clanging crisply together with an imposing, solemn air.
Lin Qing swept his gaze over those armored soldiers and silently nodded to himself.
None of these soldiers had cultivation below the Blood Refining realm. Every one of them brimmed with vitality and had sharp eyes; one look was enough to tell they were elite troops tempered by rigorous training.
What surprised him even more was that faintly powerful auras seeped from several barracks along the main road. They belonged to Martial Saint-level experts.
He roughly counted them. At least three or four Martial Saints were stationed within this military fort. Such strength would have been enough to sweep through an entire region outside.
Zhao Shuai seemed to notice his surprise and smiled. "Pacifying Sea King, you may not know this, but although Ancient Baleful Fort has only one thousand soldiers, every one of them was selected from the elite border troops. At the very least, they are all in the Blood Refining realm."
"Including myself, there are