This arrangement cleverly separated the Rogue Cultivators Association and the Pill Cauldron Sect. Due to resource scarcity, the three forces were wary of each other, although the City Lord's Manor was indeed more powerful within the city.
After leaving the South Si Dao Field and heading west, Xu Long gradually saw a great river, on which a giant ship was slowly moving.
The giant ship was square, with its superstructure almost as high as the hill. Its hull was incredibly wide, and countless lanterns hung between the pavilions on it. From a distance, it looked like a small island in the water.
On both banks of the river, a row of weeping willows stands, duckweed floats on the water, and the green willows seem to hold back hurried travelers, while faint sounds of chatter drift in.
Hills dot the banks of the river, and countless pavilions stretch from the hills into the valley, with markets lined up one after another.
Countless cultivators came and went at the Trading Hub, which seemed to have become a distorted gathering place for cultivators, detached from the other four dojos.
As one approaches, a strong sense of the mundane world is felt, proving the large number of people present, as countless cultivators flock here after entering the city.
Only after learning enough information can one choose a suitable dojo to join, but finding a place to live in the Trading Hub is not cheap.
Ma Fang said it long ago: Don't even think about climbing higher branches without a ladder!
Phoenix City is a city of cultivators in the Land of Exile, where everything is provided, but everything requires Spirit Stone stones.
Entering the city requires paying Spirit Stone, joining a dojo requires paying Spirit Stone, and temporarily staying at the Trading Hub also requires Spirit Stone.
No wonder cultivators are so sensitive about Spirit Stone, even to the point of fighting each other when they know it's dangerous. Just this one reason—that you can't survive in a city without Spirit Stone resources—makes many cultivators harden their hearts.
Xu Long was naturally not short of Spirit Stone. The Spirit Stone in the Divine Hall were not convenient to show off, and the inferior Spirit Stone he obtained from the small spiritual vein of the Rogue Cultivators Association had been unused and could be put to good use in the Trading Hub center.
After finding a cultivator to help him check in, Xu Long rented a cave dwelling among the hills of the Trading Hub. He deliberately chose a relatively secluded place, where cultivators were scarce, so it was best not to attract attention.
"For some reason, there have been far fewer new cultivators entering the city lately, and the Trading Hub has become less lively as a result."
"Yes, I heard that when they entered the city, they were escorted by the City Lord's Manor's war chariots!"
"Do any of you fellow cultivators know that a horde of Mist Beast has been discovered on the outskirts of Phoenix City?"
"Indeed, the City Lord's Manor's chariots are constantly coming and going to drive away the Mist Beast tide. I've lived in Phoenix City for a thousand years and have never seen so many Mist Beast gather."
"What? A horde of Mist Beast is gathering!"
After Xu Long settled down in the Trading Hub, he would occasionally go out to gather information. The people in the Trading Hub were quite diverse, including countless people from all walks of life.
The information they gave us was quite mixed, but the good thing was that no one remembered Xu Long.
Countless cultivators came and went in this Trading Hub, and his figure was hidden in the crowd. For Xu Long, who was capable of protecting himself, this was much safer than joining a faction.
The news heard from the Trading Hub can be divided into three categories: one is about how, some time ago, a cultivator from the Red Land actually passed through three city gate barriers when entering the city, which is something that has never happened in Phoenix City for ten thousand years!
At that time, even three Earth Immortal sent jade tokens to invite him, but unexpectedly, this cultivator who had passed through the six city gates was so proud that he did not give the Earth Immortal any face at all, and did not reveal the truth when he was in the barbican.
The appearance of this cultivator was a rare sight in Phoenix City. His actions also greatly boosted the reputation of the cultivators entering the city from the Red Land, letting everyone know that there was such a powerful figure in the barren Land of Exile!
The other type of news concerns the ancient gods.
Through Xu Long's keen inquiry, it was learned that Phoenix City existed for an extremely long time, built by an ancient god and guarded by the remaining ancestors, who wanted to leave a spark of life in the Land of Exile.
The City Lord's Manor's Mansion has been following the ancient gods for a long time, and their totems are almost as ancient as the ancient gods themselves.
During those dark and hopeless days, they fought alongside the gods and fought against the annihilation brought by the Heaven Patroler.
The previous lord of Phoenix City was Deng Shouchong's father. He was proficient in battle formations and was extremely fierce in his attitude against the Mist Beast Tide.
During his tenure, Phoenix City was frequently on high alert, and many cultivators who entered the city were forcibly incorporated into the Muster Platform. He often led bronze chariots out of the city to fight against the Mist Beast tides.
Although years of war had exhausted the people, Phoenix City's reputation in the Land of Exile was growing.
The reason was that the Mist Beast Tide did not fare well in Phoenix City, so the bronze chariots planted the divine bird totem all over this land, and countless Phoenix City cultivators made the totem fly high in the Land of Exile.
However, during a large-scale battle, he was also surrounded by a horde of Mist Beast. Although the main force of the old city fought against several Higher Mist Beast creatures, they were still overwhelmed by the Eternity Ice Mist.
Despite facing numerous dangers, he single-handedly cleared a path for the bronze chariot, only to self-destruct and lose his life amidst the encirclement of higher beings. This led to the subsequent takeover of Phoenix City by the Deng Lifu.
However, after this battle, the old city lord died, and the power of the City Lord's Manor has been reduced. Therefore, Deng Lifu began to absorb new forces into Phoenix City.
It was the continuous influx of these forces that allowed Phoenix City to stand firm in the Land of Exile, and because it held the weapons and energy cores, the City Lord's Manor maintained firm control over Phoenix City.
The ancient gods and spirits have all vanished into history, leaving behind only those once earth-shattering totems. They have been worshipped for generations, so they have not disappeared in the Land of Exile.
The totem of the City Lord's Manor's Mansion and the Primordial God are beings from the same time period, so the relationship between the City Lord's Manor and the Primordial God should be very close. The whereabouts of the Ancestral Spirit may be related to the sealed Primordial God.
Xu Long secretly pondered the information he had gathered. He had now figured it out: the City Lord's Manor had a very close relationship with the Primordial God, and the divine bird totem was a being from the same era as the Primordial God.
The divine bird totem remained in Phoenix City, while the ancient god was sealed away. Are the powerful cultivators remaining in the City Lord's Manor's Mansion the same people who were exiled to the Land of Exile?
There's definitely no news about the Primordial Cataclysm in the Trading Hub, but what about the Ancestral Spirit and the Primordial Gods?
According to ancient texts discovered in Blackwater City, the appearance of the Heaven Patroler is related to the ancient gods, and the cities with ancient gods were created by the Heaven Patroler themselves.
Phoenix City has ancient totems; could it be that the primordial gods and Ancestral Spirit were also sealed away by the Heaven Patroler? But where are they sealed?
Totems, City Lord's Manor, Heaven Patroler, Ancient Gods, Mist Beast Tide...
These events kept swirling in Xu Long's mind, and the information he received from various cultivators was inconsistent.
However, after Xu Long filtered the information, it is now known that the Phoenix City Lord's Manor is related to the Primordial God. According to the records in the Blackwater City Ancient Books, the sealed Primordial God was likely the work of the Heaven Patroler.
The Heaven Patroler is determined to exterminate these exiles. He is a rising force in the myriad realms, a transcendent being in the Land of Exile, and an existence no less than the Origin Will!
That was all the information Xu Long could gather at the Trading Hub. If he wanted to know the detailed secrets, he would have to make in-depth contact with the City Lord's Manor.
Xu Long did not want to get involved in the power struggles within the City Lord's Manor. Phoenix City was currently divided into three factions. If he joined the City Lord's Manor, he would inevitably get entangled with the Pill Cauldron Sect and the Rogue Cultivators Association, which would be detrimental to his plans!
Since open contact is inconvenient, should we secretly infiltrate the City Lord's Manor again to investigate the details of the events?
The main hall of the City Lord's Manor must contain ancient books recording secrets; this is the most primitive and oldest method of preserving civilization.
These seemingly primitive practices have preserved the seeds of history and the legacy of the past.
To learn the detailed secrets, one must infiltrate the main hall of the City Lord's Manor. The current city lord is definitely sitting inside the main hall, Xu Long dares not confront Deng Lifu -on. After much thought, he decides to wait for the right opportunity before taking action.
Xu Long had intended to take his time to consider the matter, but he was shocked when he heard the latest news about the third category.
I've heard from cultivators who have recently entered the city that a large horde of Mist Beast has gathered on the outskirts of Phoenix City, which is a sure sign of impending crisis!
You should know that Blackwater City was trapped in the Mist Beast Tide. They thought they were safe after arriving in Phoenix City, but they didn't expect that the Mist Beast Tide would still attack Phoenix City.
The current situation is that hordes of Mist Beast have gathered around the city, and there must be Higher Mist Beast creatures among them.
Xu Long knew perfectly well that these Mist Beast tides were driven by Higher Mist Beast beings. He had seen several Mist Beast tides gathering in the Red Land when he came to Phoenix City.
Although they followed separate paths, their direction of travel was exactly the same as ours. However, the massive horde of Mist Beast that was attacking was blocked by the steep mountain range surrounding Phoenix City.
The towering mountains divide the desert and Phoenix City in two. On one side is an endless barren Red Land, and on the other is a world protected by the City Heart. But even with the mountains blocking the way, Xu Long still encountered a small horde of Mist Beast on the outskirts of Phoenix City.
Since he entered the city, a horde of Mist Beast has been rampaging around Phoenix City. Now, he has been in the city for quite some time and has been gathering information at the Trading Hub.
Judging from the scale of the Mist Beast Tide, this indicates that the Mist Beast Tide that gathered in the Sand Sea Red Land has crossed the high mountains and is now gathering outside Phoenix City.
The Mist Beast tide, commanded by a higher being, was extremely cruel; wherever they passed, they brought Miejue. Thinking of the devastation in Blackwater City, Xu Long secretly worried: Could Phoenix City follow in Blackwater City's footsteps?
"Fellow Daoist, there's no need to worry. Our Phoenix City has defensive arrays, countless soldiers, and even three Earth Immortal stationed within the city. The Mist Beast Tide has been attacking our Phoenix City for quite some time now; when has our city ever fallen?"
"Yes! This city has high walls and deep fortifications; those Mist Beast can't get in. As long as the City Lord's Manor keeps the eight gates tightly closed, the Mist Beast horde will go back to where it came from!"
Xu Long looked at the group of people in front of him who were talking eloquently. They were all old hands who had been around Phoenix City. They seemed to have great confidence in the strength of the City Lord's Manor and were comforting the group of cultivators who had just entered the city.
Cultivators entering the city from the Red Land are bound to be allergic to the Mist Beast tide. Upon hearing that the Mist Beast tide is gathering, they immediately think of being besieged. These cautious thoughts are the result of countless times being threatened with death.
Hearing the comforting words from the seasoned veterans, and remembering that there were still several Earth Immortal guarding the city, the group of new cultivators finally calmed down a bit.
However, Xu Long was secretly worried after hearing these words. The Mist Beast Tide was now gathered on the outskirts, which was clearly an attempt to surround them. Sending the Bronze Chariots out of the city to fight in the open field would likely be a way to gradually weaken the City Lord's Manor's Mansion.
For Higher Mist Beast beasts, urging low- and mid-level Mist Beast is instinctive. If they use sheer numbers to wear down some bronze chariots, the strength of the City Lord's Manor will definitely be reduced.
At that time, the battle lines will naturally be contracted again, and the Mist Beast tide will completely occupy the area outside the city.
As for the so-called strategy of closing the eight gates of the City Lord's Manor and guarding it tightly, Xu Long didn't have any objections, but he always felt that this method might be misleading.
Based on the words of the veterans, this Mist Beast tide is not a recent phenomenon; the City Lord's Manor has even engaged in open battles with and driven away the Mist Beast tide.
In times of crisis, there has indeed been a method to tightly close the eight gates, which would naturally cause the Mist Beast tide to return empty-handed.
But what if the horde of Mist Beast arrives in large enough numbers to completely besiege Phoenix City? Wouldn't there be danger inside the city?
For some reason, after hearing their words, Xu Long's mind raced. He seemed to be pondering something deeply, and then suddenly he remembered those emerald eyes in the thin mist.
The Higher Mist Beast are definitely not that simple. Xu Long had encountered and stared at Higher Mist Beast before entering the city, and the wisdom displayed in its blue eyes was no less than that of a cultivator.
Moreover, there Poison Curse!
Pavilion Master Xu himself was Poison Curse by Higher Mist Beast!
Xu Long felt a chill run down his spine at the thought of those emerald eyes. Being targeted by Higher Mist Beast was hardly a pleasant experience, and what worried him even more was that Pavilion Master Xu had actually suffered Poison Curse from it!
Xu Long himself didn't understand what the Poison Curse of the Mist Beast represented, but Xu Long had already deeply experienced its tenacity and terror.
That endless blue river is the River of the Underworld on earth, and that overwhelming Eternity Ice Mist is the nightmare of all cultivators.
The method of tightly closing the eight gates might have been effective in the past, but this time, with Mist Beast arriving, there are also hidden Higher Mist Beast creatures among them.
Xu Long didn't believe that their intelligence would leave Phoenix City helpless, and with their meticulous planning, could the City Lord's Manor truly guarantee that the crisis in Phoenix City would be averted?
The news of the Ancestral Spirit was still unclear, but the news of the Mist Beast Tide dealt him a heavy blow.
Xu Long went to great lengths to kill a weakened Higher Mist Beast even with the power of the Divine Punishment Lightning Tribulation. What if there were a few more Higher Mist Beast among the attacking Mist Beast?
Even several Earth Immortal wouldn't be able to fight them with full force amidst the endless, Eternity Ice Mist, would they?