The Altar

Shen Luo and his five companions advanced along the bridge, soon leaving the riverbank behind.

Now, as far as their eyes could see, an immense expanse of river stretched before and behind them. Enveloped in boundless mist, all six felt adrift and at a loss, unable even to tell whether they were moving forward.

They walked like this for nearly an hour, yet there was still no sign of an end ahead.

Fortunately, no danger assailed them from their surroundings, and their taut nerves gradually relaxed a little.

Shen Luo glanced at Xie Yuxin beside him, discreetly tugged at her, and slowed his pace.

A faint look of surprise crossed Xie Yuxin's face, but she slowed as well. The two soon fell to the rear of the group.

"Fellow Daoist Shen, what is it?" Xie Yuxin asked.

"Fellow Daoist Xie, have you been undercover in the Body Refining Altar all these years? I went to Changping Ward to look for you some time ago, but you had already moved away," Shen Luo said quietly, keeping watch over their surroundings with his divine sense.

"Not all that time. I was ordered by the Great Tang Government Office to make covert contact with the Body Refining Altar, but unfortunately, I never managed to enter its inner circle. Recently, they were preparing a large-scale attack on Chang'an City and urgently needed people. Through a strange twist of fate, I finally managed to join their upper ranks," Xie Yuxin replied in a low voice.

Shen Luo murmured an acknowledgment and fell silent.

"Was there something you needed me for, Fellow Daoist Shen?" Xie Yuxin paused before asking.

"I remember you once said you infiltrated the Body Refining Altar to obtain their secret technique for repairing the divine soul and reconstructing the meridians. Have you