Xie Changsheng led the way, with the gray donkey leisurely following beside him, a small wisp of cloud beneath its hooves.
The group flew unhurriedly over the ruins of the ancient battlefield.
Below them stretched an endless expanse of shattered mountains, all but barren of even a blade of grass.
After watching for the whole journey, Red Wind finally could not resist asking, "Are we just going to fly straight over?"
"Of course not."
Xie Changsheng turned back and explained, "Central Province has its own rules."
He raised a hand and pointed ahead. "Look over there."
Everyone looked in the direction he indicated.
At first, there was only a vague black line where the distant sky met the earth.
As they flew closer, that black line grew clearer and taller.
It was not a mountain.
It was a pass.
A true, gigantic fortified pass that stretched between heaven and earth.
Above its walls, they could vaguely make out a translucent curtain of light enveloping the entire pass.
Most stunning of all was the enormous gate in the center of the wall.
The two gate leaves looked to be a hundred zhang tall, pitch-black throughout and embossed with images of the sun, moon, stars, mountains, and rivers. They were tightly shut.
Above the gate were three great characters, their strokes like iron lines and silver hooks:
Eastward Watch Pass.
The brushwork was vigorous, exuding an imposing air that suppressed all eight directions.
"This is..." Black Mountain swallowed.
"Central Province's eastern gateway."
Zhou Yan answered while waving his folding fan. "It's been here since ancient times. They say several mighty cultivators of the Eastern Region originally built it together."
As he spoke, he winked at Red Bean. "But now, well, it's under the Great Yin Dynasty's control."
Xie Changsheng added, "The pass