"The commotion from this Crimson Tide really is far greater than in previous years."
Gu Chenfeng, who had remained silent until now, spoke.
He stood on the Martial Temple's stone steps, his narrow eyes fixed on the distant mountains. His expression was not nearly as relaxed as Luo Yun's.
Above Scarlet Cloud Mountain, red clouds still churned across ten thousand miles.
Wave after wave of the Crimson Tide rolled over the peaks like a sea of fire hanging upside down from the heavens. Occasionally, wondrous specks of light burst from the tide, tracing long trails through the night before falling deep into the mountain forests.
Whenever a strange light fell, several groups of martial artists would change course and race toward its landing point.
Gu Chenfeng said slowly, "Scarlet clouds shine in every direction, visible for a hundred miles. A disturbance this great has drawn out no shortage of ox-demons and snake-spirits."
"I've already seen quite a few people from Green Prefecture these past few days."
Luo Yun raised an eyebrow.
"People from Green Prefecture have come too?"
Gu Chenfeng nodded. "They aren't ordinary rogue cultivators. Many are disciples of aristocratic families."
Luo Yun narrowed his eyes.
"The families along Green Prefecture's border?"
"Almost certainly."
Gu Chenfeng said evenly, "I recognized the White Deer Ning's Cloud-Treading Beasts, as well as the Azure-Feather Messenger Hawks commonly used by the Qi Mountain Meng."
"There are also several groups from other factions."
"I sensed them from a distance. There were quite a few Organ-Nourishing Realm martial artists among them."
The smile gradually faded from Luo Yun's face.
Green Prefecture and Cloud Prefecture were neighbors.
Their borders interlocked like a dog's teeth, and the closest point lay only a few dozen miles from Scarlet Cloud Mountain. Martial artists riding Mutant Beasts or practicing advanced