The Immortal Gate encampment.
Layers upon layers of glowing formation patterns flowed through the air like water, enveloping the entire area.
There were even strange statues and altars.
A faint glow radiated around them, flickering like breathing, making people shrink back and not dare approach lightly.
The hall at the center.
Formation light shone brightly inside.
It illuminated the two people standing in the hall.
One was a middle-aged man with a neatly trimmed beard along his jaw, his figure straight as a pine, his gaze resting calmly on the woman opposite him. The other was a woman who looked just over thirty, with regular features and considerable beauty about her eyes and brows, wearing a plain-colored long dress embroidered with intricate, subtle patterns.
But at this moment, her brows were tightly furrowed and her lips slightly pursed, and her gaze toward the man held undisguised resistance.
The middle-aged man was named Qi He, and he was in charge of the encampment.
His gaze remained on the beautiful woman before him without flinching or avoiding her, but an indescribable cold indifference lay hidden deep in his eyes.
Only after a long silence did he ask, his voice low and slow, "Junior Sister Qiu, do you know what you're saying?"
"I know perfectly well what I'm saying." Junior Sister Qiu met his gaze without yielding, her tone firm. "So far, our people have suffered no casualties, and no one has stopped them from advancing.
"As things stand, the worst outcome is that some people won't be able to advance.
"That was already inevitable from the beginning.
"And those people can simply withdraw first. At least they'll be safe.
"They can wait until next year to try again.
"Afterward, we can devote all our efforts to dealing with the situation in the