Blood Inkstone Mountain was a spiritual peak amid the towering ranges southwest of the Mystic Xin Kingdom. The mountains, rivers, forests, and valleys stretching hundreds of li around it all lay under the actual rule of the Blood Inkstone Palace.
Five hundred li east stood Fuyou City, which had become a realm of ghosts and had yet to recover its vitality.
After the disaster caused by the eruption of the Ji Earth Grand Tai Sui, mere mention of Fuyou City made mortals pale, and merchants and travelers from every quarter dared not enter. Yet it could not frighten cultivators who knew the truth. Instead, it became a paradise frequently explored by unaffiliated rogue cultivators. Over the past dozen years, countless rogue cultivators had come and gone, and a trading market like the one in Beyond-the-World Valley had spontaneously taken shape.
The Blood Inkstone Palace understood that this was an opportunity to expand its power. It had long since put the ruins to use, developing them into a subordinate force under its control.
Against this backdrop, they had turned their greedy gaze toward Inkstone Mountain City within the Mystic Xin Kingdom. Inkstone Mountain bordered the frontier and likewise saw many rogue cultivators coming and going, with even some experts at Foundation Establishment or above hidden among them.
If they could extend Fuyou City's influence over it, they might one day encompass the southeast and establish a new kingdom.
The Blood Inkstone Palace would then be able to establish its own secular dynasty in the Southern Borderlands, benefiting the many elders and disciples within the palace who had no hope of advancing in cultivation. Besides harvesting incense offerings, this was another major advantage.
Li Ling had already learned about this geography and political situation from the Unusual Events Bureau's files. Thus, he