Seeing the commotion of the cultivators outside the barbican, all three parties remained silent for a moment, tacitly understanding each other's intentions.
Although they were eager to recruit powerful cultivators, they did not engage in malicious bidding when faced with the latter's wait-and-see attitude.
All three parties knew that once they entered Phoenix City, they had to rely on one of the city's factions. Resources were the most important thing on the path of cultivation, so cultivators generally couldn't leave a powerful organization.
The three forces remained locked in a stalemate outside the city for a while. Seeing that there was still no news of the cultivator, they apologized to the other cultivators and then dispersed into the city.
Today, the three forces in Phoenix City have come out together, just to welcome a cultivator who has passed through the six layers of city gate barriers in the barbican. This made all the cultivators present feel excited.
Unexpectedly, among the cultivators entering the city were indeed powerful figures, enough to make even a powerful Earth Immortal Realm recruit them with utmost respect.
The cultivators in the arena all looked at each other, and in each other's eyes they saw a burning desire.
Although they are not strong enough, judging from the attitude of the three forces today, they should still have opportunities for development if they join one of the three forces.
As the forces from the three sides gradually withdrew, the noise in the arena grew louder.
In the Land of Exile, the strong are always respected. Having experienced the power of the Eight Trigrams Formation Diagram barrier, everyone knew they didn't have the strength to enter the sixth city gate barrier.
But to find such a powerful figure in this Red Land is truly astonishing!
After entering the city, the three forces presented jade tokens of powerful Earth Immortal to personally recruit them, but none of the real experts showed up. What pride they had!
But to command the attention of a powerful Earth Immortal, this formidable individual certainly has the right to be arrogant!
The attitudes of the three forces today have made their point clear. The appearance of the Earth Immortal Jade Token in the barbican has caused quite a stir, and the excited voices of the cultivators linger within the city for a long time.
They talked about this powerful cultivator who had passed through six layers of city gate barriers everywhere. In a short time, several versions of the story circulated in Phoenix City, with the origins of this cultivator being exaggerated to an extreme degree.
The cultivators in Phoenix City also value relationships. This newly promoted and dazzling talent was highly regarded by three Earth Immortal, and countless people would talk about him from time to time.
Since ancient times, the strong have been objects of admiration, especially in the cultivation world. As people spend more and more time on the path of cultivation, the seemingly endless Great Dao and the ethereal path to immortality have become distant memories.
In the Land of Exile, they still had to fight against the Mist Beast, and surviving was like a death struggle. But now that such a powerful person had appeared, it was as if everyone felt a sense of relief and saw a glimmer of hope in the Land of Exile.
The way this powerful figure made his appearance was exceptionally impressive, and the effect it caused was extraordinary, leaving a lasting impression on everyone.
Although they had never met, everyone present was a man of the Storm Riders, and they couldn't help but compare themselves to each other in their hearts, creating a sense of turmoil in Phoenix City.
After leaving the barbican Deng Shouchong went directly to the east of the city. He wanted to find Ma Fang and his group. He still had some guesses about this powerful cultivator, but he had no clues.
Knowing that Ma Fang had been patrolling outside the city recently, he decided to go find Ma Fang to find out if he had seen Mo Yu outside Phoenix City.
He believed that even without his introduction, Mo Yu would definitely come to Phoenix City. Cultivators in the Land of Exile could only survive by banding together; cultivators who left the city could never live long.
"Brother Ma Fang, today a cultivator passed through the six layers of city gate barriers. I was ordered by the city lord to go and recruit him, but I didn't see him show himself. Have any of you seen Fellow Mo Yu outside the city recently?"
"What! There really are cultivators who have passed through the six layers of city gate barriers!"
Upon hearing Deng Shouchong's words, Ma Fang's eyes widened in astonishment.
He simply couldn't believe that his casual remark had come true today, and the words "Mo Yu" at the end were automatically filtered out; he was still in shock.
Seeing Ma Fang's expression, Deng Shouchong knew that this fellow must have said something nonsense to the cultivators entering the city outside the city walls, but it was not appropriate to ask him now, so he could only continue to seek an answer from him with his eyes.
"... Um, Brother Deng, I have indeed been patrolling outside the city recently, but I haven't seen Fellow Mo Yu come here. If he comes to Phoenix City, he will definitely greet me."
"Brother Deng, you don't actually think Fellow Mist Beast Mo Yu is that cultivator who passed through the six layers of city gate barriers, do you? That's impossible, he was..."
Seeing Deng Shouchong's intense gaze, Ma Fang instantly composed himself and answered Deng Shouchong's questions truthfully, then expressed his own doubts.
After all, the power of the Mist Beast Tide had been proven by the lives of countless cultivators. If Mo Yu were trapped inside, he would have no chance of survival!
Deng Shouchong's eyes flickered after hearing Ma Fang's words. He knew the power of the Mist Beast Tide, but he also knew the strangeness of Mo Yu.
The city lord's mention of an anomaly, coupled with all the previous events concerning him, made Deng Shouchong increasingly disbelieving that Mo Yu could have died in the Mist Beast tide.
He sighed, and just as he was about to speak, Ma Fang continued:
"Brother Deng, I've been patrolling outside the city lately. A while ago, when Pavilion Master Xu of the Rogue Cultivators Association Guild entered the city, he encountered a small horde of Mist Beast. A leader from the city led a chariot to relieve the siege. Pavilion Master Xu had already entered the city after being rescued, but several days have passed, and we haven't seen that chariot team return."
"You mean there's a small horde of Mist Beast outside Phoenix City, and a leader went to drive them away but hasn't returned yet, while Pavilion Master Xu has already returned?"
"That's right, Brother Deng. Recently, the horde of Mist Beast Phoenix City has increased again, attacking cultivators entering and leaving the city from time to time. I went to drive them away once, but I didn't dare to go deep inside. The leader of the group hasn't returned; I'm afraid we've lost contact."
Upon hearing Ma Fang's words, Deng Shouchong's heart immediately jumped into his throat.
The chariots were always assigned missions when they left the city. Driving out the Mist Beast tide was indeed the responsibility of the City Lord's Manor, but it was somewhat unusual that they did not immediately return to the city after the expulsion.
The bronze chariot was of paramount importance and could not be taken lightly. It was the absolute force of the City Lord's Manor in its fight against the Mist Beast Tide, and the loss of contact with even one chariot was a problem that could not be ignored.
Still unaware of the reason for the tank losing contact, Deng Shouchong, looked at Ma Fang, and after a moment's thought, asked:
"When they were checking their birth charts, were there anything unusual about them?"
"Nothing seemed amiss when we checked the command tablets, but we have indeed lost contact. I fear the team leader and the chariot may have disappeared."
Seeing Deng Shouchong's solemn expression, Ma Fang knew that this was probably no small matter, so he immediately reported his speculation about the disappearance to him.
Unexpectedly, Deng Shouchong's expression changed even more upon hearing this, and his aura became somewhat more imposing. A glint flashed in his eyes, as if he were speculating about something.
Pavilion Master Xu, the Mist Beast Tide, the Bronze Chariot gone missing...
Ma Fang's words provided a lot of information, which confused Deng Shouchong for a moment. He kept speculating about the ins and outs of the matter.
His thoughts lingered on the missing bronze chariot for a short while, but when he came back to his senses, he thought of the small swarm of Mist Beast that Ma Fang had mentioned.
After returning to Phoenix City, a series of events unfolded, leaving him somewhat overwhelmed. A glint of light flashed in his eyes, and he sensed that there was some conspiracy lurking in the shadows that he was unaware of.
The disappearance of the bronze chariot must not be ignored, and the appearance of a small horde of Mist Beast on the outskirts of Phoenix City should not be taken lightly!
After a breath, Deng Shouchong withdrew his aura, the glint in his eyes vanished, and then, as if having made a decision, he took out the city lord's jade token and said to Ma Fang and his group:
"Brother Ma Fang, you two should go outside the city and search for news of the missing leader and the bronze chariot. Remember to also keep an eye on the Mist Beast Tide. If there is any danger, return to the city immediately. Do not linger in battle!"
"Report back to me as soon as possible, whether there's news or not. Also, keep an eye on whether there are any unusual occurrences when checking their life tablets."
Ma Fang looked solemnly at the city lord's jade token. He obeyed Deng Shouchong's every command, but inwardly he was pondering:
It seems there's something fishy about the missing bronze chariot. Could it be related to the horde of Mist Beast that appeared outside the city? Is Phoenix City not a safe place after all?
After bidding farewell to Ma Fang and his group, Deng Shouchong returned to the City Lord's Manor with a heavy heart. He did not intend to tell the city lord about this matter at the moment.
Since the chariot was merely missing and the missing leader's life token showed no abnormalities, Ma Fang and his group were first sent to investigate. If anything was amiss, the city lord would then perform a divination to determine the outcome.
The news of the missing bronze chariot is important, but the news of a horde of Mist Beast outside the city is even more important!
Having personally experienced the Mist Beast tide in Blackwater City, Deng Shouchong felt a sense of impending doom for some reason.
None of the three forces found the powerful cultivator outside the city walls, and they all retreated to report back to the Earth Immortal expert.
The three Earth Immortal experts didn't say anything after learning the result. They were afraid that this proud fellow Daoist wouldn't show up once he entered Phoenix City.
The pills from the Pill Cauldron Sect, the Spirit Stone stones from the Rogue Cultivators Association, and the connections from the City Lord's Manor's Mansion—each of these is something that cultivators need.
Taking the initiative to invite someone is a sign of respect, but no matter how powerful you are, you will eventually have to choose a force to rely on.
Xu Long was unaware that his reputation for passing through the Six Gates had already spread throughout Phoenix City. After leaving the barbican, he dispersed with the flow of cultivators, and no one noticed him. Meanwhile, he was rapidly moving through the city.
The space within Phoenix City was vast. When Xu Long first entered the city, he felt that the spiritual energy was somewhat thin, comparable only to ordinary dojos in some stable worlds.
But after wandering around the city for a while, he realized that his understanding of Phoenix City was somewhat lacking.
With the City Heart, this city has become a self-contained entity. Being inside it is like being in a small world. The space inside is extremely vast, and some places have not even been developed and are still a primitive wasteland.
The city is roughly divided into five dojos, with the City Lord's Manor naturally located in the city center. The bright golden light that shines there is the most dazzling symbol of the City Lord's Manor.
At the northern end of the city was the dojo of the Rogue Cultivators Association, usually called the North Division. They had a large number of members and built their own city at the northern end.
At the southern end of the city lies the territory of the Pill Cauldron Sect, commonly known as the South Division. The Pill Cauldron Sect's mountain gate is shrouded in mist year-round, making it easily identifiable.
The eastern part of the city is called the Muster Platform, a place imbued with a murderous aura, where the bronze chariots and the City Lord's Manor's monks are stationed.
This place is garrisoned with a large number of troops. Once there is a horde of Mist Beast attacking outside the city, this is where the troops will be dispatched. Whether the war chariots are returning to the city or going out to attack, they will eventually be stationed at the Muster Platform.
The Eight Trigrams Formation Diagram is ever-changing; no matter where there is a crisis among the eight gates, it can be launched directly from the Muster Platform in an instant.
The last training center is in the west, known as the Trading Hub. It is the largest and most complex training center in Phoenix City.
Although nominally under the jurisdiction of the City Lord's Manor, they rarely interfere in its affairs, as this is usually the first stop for cultivators entering the city.
Whether it's the pills from the Pill Cauldron Sect, the Spirit Stone stones from the Rogue Cultivators Association, or connections from the City Lord's Manor's Mansion, you can freely exchange anything you have here that you can offer.
This place is like a chaotic city, with cultivators from outside the city fleeing from enemies, as well as down-on-their-luck cultivators from within the city. Since they all have needs, they come together to the Trading Hub to exchange resources.
With so many people, the place became a chaotic and difficult place to manage, but it was also because of the large number of people that it became the biggest den of iniquity in Phoenix City.
The City Lord's Manor, having collected heavy taxes from this, was happy to see this abnormal prosperity. As long as no one died, they generally didn't interfere.
Xu Long was about to head to the Daoist temple of the South Division Pill Cauldron Sect.
After leaving the barbican, based on the memories he had obtained from the Soul-Searching Ice Sculpture cultivator, he traveled through Phoenix City for a long time before finally seeing a wisp of green smoke.
Beneath that wisp of smoke rise hills, with pavilions nestled among them. Among these hills, a mountain gate stands out most prominently.
Perhaps it was because we had arrived at the Pill Cauldron Sect's training grounds, where we could no longer see any other cultivators; it was all Pill Cauldron Sect members coming and going.
Looking at the ethereal mountain gate, a smile flashed in Xu Long. He turned and headed towards the massive gate.
Today, the South Si Dao Field welcomed a special guest: Old Pavilion Master Huang of the Rogue Cultivators Association personally came to visit Yuan Changwu.
The Rogue Cultivators Association and the Pill Cauldron Sect are by no means close; in fact, they have disagreements over some spiritual vein resources.
But seeing Old Pavilion Master Huang swaggering into the mountain gate today, the cultivators of the Pill Cauldron Sect couldn't help but be surprised, as this had never happened before!
Without even a greeting at the mountain gate, Old Pavilion Master Huang strode into the Pill Cauldron Sect's training grounds with his head held high, drawing the attention of countless Pill Cauldron Sect cultivators along the way.
They had intended to stop Old Pavilion Master Huang, but Old Pavilion Master Huang exuded a powerful aura that could not be easily stopped by experts at the Lesser Immortal Realm, at least not by them.