"Since you two were tasked with surveillance, why did you attack the three female cultivators from Jade Spirit Palace?" Song Wen asked, changing the subject.
Qiu Shan said, "They slaughtered Nether Foxes, violating the Divine Blood Sect's prohibition. Seeing that they were weaker than us, we planned to kill them and return to claim a reward."
"So the Divine Blood Sect forbids the slaughter of Nether Foxes?" Song Wen asked.
Qiu Shan said, "Yes. The Divine Blood Sect once issued an order forbidding anyone from slaughtering or capturing Nether Foxes. However, the major sects of Southern Nether Province dismissed it, believing the Divine Blood Sect was overstepping its bounds. As a result, hardly anyone in Southern Nether Province obeyed this prohibition."
"Why does the Divine Blood Sect protect Nether Foxes?" Song Wen asked.
Qiu Shan said, "I do not know."
"Where are the Evil Cloud Mountains, where the Divine Blood Sect is located, situated?" Song Wen asked the question that concerned him most. (It was not called this earlier; I changed it.)
Qiu Shan said, "The Evil Cloud Mountains are in Cangwu Province. Scarlet Firmament Province and Candle Dragon Province lie between them and Southern Nether Province."
Song Wen's pupils constricted slightly upon hearing this.
He had anticipated the Divine Blood Sect being far away when he spoke with Qiao Mengyu earlier, but he had not expected it to be so distant, with two entire provinces lying in between.
Every province was vast beyond measure. Most cultivators would not necessarily traverse even a single province in their entire lives. Moreover, provincial borders were usually separated by perilous regions; crossing them was fraught with danger.
"Then how did you two come from Cangwu Province to Southern Nether Province?" Song Wen asked.
Qiu Shan said, "Zhu Hui and I were not transferred