Jingzhou

The Goldstone Sect was a Purple Mansion immortal sect, protected by a Purple Mansion-level grand array. The only way in or out was through the mountain gate atop the peak.

The mountain gate was enormous, a hundred zhang high, with most of its doors hidden in the clouds and mist.

Fang Yu had come here a long time ago, but he had never gone out.

Now, after passing through the mountain gate, he looked back and saw only a vast expanse of white mist. The gate had vanished into the clouds, and only with his disciple token could he sense that it was still there.

The Purple Mansion grand array was extraordinarily wondrous. With its protection, let alone ordinary mortals, even disciples of the sect would struggle to enter without a disciple token to guide them.

With a thought from Fang Yu, the red cloud beneath his feet turned white and merged into the mountain mist as it carried him into the distance.

Mountain ranges sped past beneath his feet. After only a few hours, mortal villages, towns, and cities appeared in the distance.

Fang Yu slowed down and looked at the mortals below, who were as tiny as ants. A sense of detachment and indifference welled up in him as he looked down upon them, as though he were watching another species.

Well, strictly speaking, he and mortals could no longer be considered the same kind.

A map appeared in his mind, marking the Metal Stone Immortal Sect's location in Yanzhou, along with several neighboring provinces.

He had drawn the map based on miscellaneous books in the sect, publicly available maps, and what was recorded in Wu Tong's golden slip.

Yanzhou was the Metal Stone Immortal Sect's sphere of influence. Legally speaking, the province was the sect's Dao field. Its mountains and rivers, every blade of grass and every tree, all belonged to the Metal Stone Immortal Sect.

If the other immortal cultivation clans in the province wanted a fixed territory, they all needed to receive a grant from the Metal Stone Immortal Sect. Otherwise, they were of the demonic path, and anyone could slay them.

Of course, that was only in name.

Yanzhou was vast, stretching nine thousand li in every direction. The Metal Stone Immortal Sect could not possibly manage it personally. As long as the immortal cultivation clans under it paid tribute on time, it tacitly allowed them to hold territory. As for whether they could keep it, that depended on the clans' own means.

One month later.

Fang Yu flew over a mountain range and looked at the vast plain ahead, murmuring:

"I'm finally about to reach Jingzhou."

Over the past month, he had traveled at his leisure, taking in Yanzhou's scenery, but had not sought out a single immortal cultivation clan in the province.

As a Dao Foundation elder of the Metal Stone Immortal Sect, wherever he went, it would be tantamount to an inspection. But he had not left the sect to throw his weight around and fleece Yanzhou's clans. He had come out to find a cultivation method suited to him.

Virtually every cultivation method inheritance of any renown in Yanzhou came from the Metal Stone Immortal Sect. If he could not find a suitable one within the sect, there was even less need to mention the immortal cultivation families beneath it.

So, to find a cultivation method suited to him, he would have to leave the Metal Stone Immortal Sect's sphere of influence and search the territories of other Purple Mansion immortal clans.

He had another purpose as well: to get as far away from the Metal Stone Immortal Sect as possible. That way, even if the Moon-Embracing Sword Immortal really was plotting against him, the farther away he was, the less power the sect could mobilize. In particular, once he entered another Purple Mansion immortal clan's territory, the Moon-Embracing Sword Immortal should have at least some reservations.

Traveling from Yanzhou to Mount Longhu required crossing several provinces, and Jingzhou was one he had to cross.

This province belonged to Mount Longmen, an immortal sect that had once produced a Golden Core True Lord. Its foundations ran deeper than those of the Metal Stone Immortal Sect, and the Jingzhou it occupied covered an even greater area. Moreover, it consisted entirely of vast stretches of plains, able to support a population numbering in the tens of thousands, several times greater than Yanzhou's.

With a larger population, there were naturally more people who could cultivate immortality, so the sect was naturally stronger and had more Purple Mansion True Persons. It was said that Mount Longmen had a great True Person who possessed five Divine Abilities, and even Mount Longhu had to...

"Hum..."

All of a sudden, the Yuanchen Pearl in his sea of consciousness began to turn. The Primordial Qi inside it slowly diminished, and the wisp of sword intent in his sea of consciousness glowed faintly before growing still again.

A piece of information surfaced in Fang Yu's mind: The Moon-Embracing Sword Immortal just used that wisp of sword intent to divine information about me.

Fang Yu pursed his lips.

He had only just left Yanzhou, and the Moon-Embracing Sword Immortal already knew, even taking the initiative to divine his present circumstances. He really was being watched by the Moon-Embracing Sword Immortal.

But the divination had ended after only a brief look at his basic circumstances. It was also possible that his departure from Yanzhou had triggered some condition and drawn the other party's attention.

Fortunately, I have the Yuanchen Pearl, and I haven't done anything yet. Even if the Moon-Embracing Sword Immortal performs a divination, nothing useful will come of it...

"Hum, hum, hum..."

Just then, the Yuanchen Pearl spun rapidly like a top. The Primordial Qi stored inside it fell at a speed visible to the naked eye, dropping in just a few breaths.

Someone else is divining information about me? And it isn't a simple divination, either.

Fang Yu was suddenly startled. He lowered his cloud platform, and the Law Power within him surged madly toward the Yuanchen Pearl, transforming into Primordial Qi and constantly replenishing what was being consumed.

Seven, six, five, four, three, two...

Just as the last of his Qi Ingestion Law Power was about to run dry, the Yuanchen Pearl slowed and returned to its original, leisurely rotation.

"Phew..."

Fang Yu let out a deep breath and wiped the fine beads of sweat from his forehead.

If that divination had continued any longer, I would have been exposed!

Although his Yuanchen Pearl could weave fate and provide false information, doing so consumed Primordial Qi. If the Primordial Qi ran out, he would no longer be able to provide false information.

With a thought, he held a Metal Fire Stone in his palm. Wisps of Spiritual Qi emerged from it and flowed into his body, replenishing his nearly exhausted Law Power.

Although his upper limit had already been fixed, restoring his Law Power was simple. As long as he had enough Spiritual Qi, he could recover it quickly.

As a Dao Foundation elder of the Metal Fire Sect, he had naturally brought a large supply of Metal Fire Stones with him. They could be used to restore spiritual power and also as currency. Although the exchange rate between Metal Fire Stones and the Spirit Stones of other provinces would fluctuate somewhat once he left Yanzhou, it was still acceptable.

After restoring his Law Power to twenty percent, Fang Yu thought for a moment. Instead of soaring on clouds and riding the mist, he walked slowly along a path through the fields.

I've only just left Yanzhou and entered Jingzhou, yet I've already been divined twice. The first was definitely the Moon-Embracing Sword Immortal; the second should have been a Purple Mansion True Person of Jingzhou.

In fact, he had not given any false guidance just now. He had only concealed his cultivation. All the unknown Purple Mansion True Person of Jingzhou could divine was his identity as a Dao Foundation elder of the Metal Stone Immortal Sect.

There was certainly nothing wrong with that identity. Moreover, there was currently no conflict between the Metal Stone Immortal Sect and Mount Longmen, so it should not bring him any danger in the short term.

Well, if something truly life-threatening happened, he could always go hide in the Dao of Qi Refining.

At that thought, Fang Yu felt a little better.

Although he knew full well that someone was watching him, the Yuanchen Pearl gave him confidence, so he was not too flustered.

Now that he had entered Jingzhou, he would first browse its markets, large and small, and see if he could find the cultivation method he needed.