With no results yet from Han Chi's side, Sect Master Yun of Changxian Sect found another Six-rank alchemist within the sect and showed him the purchased Clear Dust Pill.
The alchemist sniffed the powder, tasted it, narrowed his eyes for a while, and then threw the pill aside. He said, "Tell Han Chi not to waste his energy. The concealment technique used in the pill is extremely skillful. If it's the work of the alchemist from the teleportation array, it means he has a Six-rank or higher alchemist guiding him. No wonder his alchemy skills are so remarkable."
Sect Master Huo was greatly shocked. A Six-rank or higher alchemist means that the alchemist himself must have surpassed the Nascent Soul stage, but on the Qianhao Continent, there has never been a cultivator above the Nascent Soul stage.
Seeing Sect Master Huo's alarmed expression, the Six-rank alchemist chuckled dismissively, "I suggest the Sect Master capture the alchemist alive. The person instructing him is likely not a living cultivator. Once you capture them, bring them to me. Whatever the Sect Master desires, I will make sure to obtain it for you."
Sect Master Huo was initially shocked but then showed a thoughtful expression. He understood the implied meaning behind the words. It was likely that this alchemist, who surpassed the Six-rank, had only a wisp of their Nascent Soul or at most a remnant soul, without a physical body. Otherwise, how could such a figure above the Nascent Soul stage survive in the Tianlin Continent? If Sect Master Huo could control such a Nascent Soul or remnant soul, it might even help him break through to the Nascent Soul stage himself.
"Don't worry, as the Sect Master, I will assign more people to find their whereabouts. They will not be tolerated for daring to disrupt the affairs of Changxian Sect."
In reality, the benefits gained from the Tianlin Continent were diminishing, and their assistance to Changxian Sect was becoming less significant. Thus, sealing off the teleportation array didn't have a major impact on Changxian Sect. However, what infuriated Sect Master Huo was the audacity of these insignificant cultivators who dared to challenge a colossal entity like Changxian Sect. They were simply courting death!
Windrock City.
Gu Yao and his companions finally found a large city where they could rest. After leaving the bordering town, they plunged into the vast and boundless mountains. Compared to the territories of Changxian Sect and Tai Luo Sect, the western region felt like an undeveloped primitive world. It was either a dense and flourishing forest or rugged and towering mountain peaks. It was no wonder this place became a territory dominated by demonic beasts because demonic beasts were more suited to survive here than humans.
Gu Yao and his companions initially had the idea of using the demonic beasts in these areas to practice and gradually pushed deeper into the forest. Unexpectedly, they ended up getting lost in the forest, unable to find their way in any direction.
They did get some training, but it also exhausted them. They encountered several Nascent Soul-level demonic beasts, and after a long and tiring battle, it was finally the turn of the Four Spirits Killing Array. It was only recently that they managed to wear down and kill a Nascent Soul-level demonic beast. However, the Four Spirits Killing Array also suffered some damage. Fortunately, they finally found Windrock City at this time.
The four of them looked quite disheveled, and their bodies emitted a long-standing aura of bloodshed formed from continuous battles. The cultivators guarding the city could tell that these fellows were skilled in combat, so they symbolically collected an entrance fee and allowed them into the city.
They found a restaurant and hastily ordered a table of good food. After the food and drinks arrived, the four of them devoured it eagerly before slowing down their eating.
The meat and vegetables here were particularly plentiful. Tian Feirong grabbed a leg of an unknown beast and, as he bit into it, said, "Finally, it feels like we're alive again. The outside world is really not a place for people to stay."
One time, they encountered a Nascent Soul-level demonic beast. If it weren't for Chi Changye's quick reaction, using sword energy to lift the three of them and escape, it's unknown whether they would have survived.
Despite having his back turned to the demonic beast, Chi Changye still took the beast's attack, resulting in some injuries that required time to heal. If it weren't for Xiaopangzi's recent improvement in his array formation skills, they wouldn't have been able to completely conceal their presence in the mountains.
Chi Changye calmly placed some relatively refreshing dishes in front of Gu Yao. In the mountains, they mostly ate meat except for some spiritual fruits. Chi Changye knew from Gu Yao's expression that he didn't feel like eating anymore. Even if the taste was good, just taking a small bite would suffice.
Xiaopangzi's eye twitched, as Chi-ge's behavior didn't match his aloof image. He listened to Tian Feirong's words and said, "The one who endures the most hardships is Chi-ge, Chi-ge puts in the most effort to protect the three of us."
Tian Feirong nodded vigorously, like a little chicken pecking at grains. "Yes, yes, Chi-ge works the hardest. Chi-ge, you should eat more."
Even Gu Yao couldn't help but chuckle.
After a satisfying meal, they found a place to stay and slept deeply. When they woke up, five days had already passed. It was evident that being in such an environment consumed their spirits greatly, making them easily fatigued. After a good rest, they felt refreshed and clear-headed.
At this point, they finally had the leisure to explore Windrock City. Unlike the cities they had stayed in before, the architecture of Windrock City appeared bold and rugged. Cultivators walking on the streets also displayed obvious beast-like features, indicating that they were monster cultivators. Additionally, some intelligent demonic beasts could also wander around the city. Most of these demonic beasts were affiliated with certain forces.
In this world, demonic beasts can be divided into two types. One type is those who can develop sentience and cultivate actively like humans, and after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, they undergo a Transformation Tribulation. Once they successfully overcome the tribulation, they can freely transform between human and beast forms.
There are two types of demonic beasts. One type is highly intelligent, almost on par with humans, and they act based on their instincts. For monster cultivators, these demonic beasts fall within the range of their hunting targets, and they don't consider them as part of the same group.
The Nascent Soul-level demonic beast that Gu Yao and his companions encountered before belonged to the latter type.
Unlike the situation in the bordering area where human cultivators dominate and humans and monster cultivators coexist peacefully, here, monster cultivators mostly hold the upper hand. Unless human cultivators possess exceptionally strong power, one could often see human cultivators and monster cultivators using a yet-to-transform demonic beast as a guardian. There was even a monster cultivator wielding a whip, lashing a few human cultivators as they walked by. However, nobody seemed to care about such situations, including the nearby human cultivators.
Gu Yao and his companions were stunned by what they witnessed, except for Chi Changye, whose expression didn't change much. This was because in Chi Changye's previous domain, there were also powerful monster cultivators no inferior to human cultivators. Some monster cultivators could coexist peacefully with human cultivators, but there were also those who regarded human cultivators as enemies, leading to conflicts between the two races.
Windrock City itself was dominated by monster cultivators, and the strongest cultivator there was a monster cultivator with the true form of a rhinoceros. He possessed immense strength and incredibly strong defense. Even cultivators of the same level were unable to defeat him.
Although Gu Yao and his companions were astonished by what they saw, they didn't act recklessly. Each place has its own rules, and forcibly changing them would only drag themselves and their companions into trouble, especially since they were carrying the wanted warrant from Chang Immortal Sect. Even the Taishomon Sect might be secretly searching for them.
"Let's go and find the shop set up by Qian Fengge here. We can gather information about this place first," Chi Changye suggested, wanting to understand the situation before making any decisions.
"Okay," no one opposed.
After wandering around for a while, they finally noticed the same pattern on the plaque of a shop as the one on their token. The shop was not called Qian Fengge, but Qian Shi. It seemed to have no connection to Qian Fengge or Baihe City at all. If they hadn't been informed in advance, they would have never known that this was under the influence of Qian Fengge.
Qian Fengge had expanded its reach to many corners of Qianhao Continent, which demonstrated the capability of its people in charge.
The four of them entered the Qian Shi shop and happened to come across several human cultivators inquiring about the availability of Qingchen Pills. The shopkeeper helplessly repeated, "We don't have any, really, or else why would I miss out on business? Don't worry, I'll definitely notify you as soon as they arrive."
"Alright, shopkeeper, please make sure to inform us. We can pay a deposit in advance," the cultivator said, taking out a sum of spiritual stones. Reluctantly, the shopkeeper accepted the payment, unclear whether to cry or laugh. It's better to maintain harmony and make money rather than offend others if possible.
Fortunately, the demand for Qingchen Pills among monster cultivators isn't significant. Otherwise, if they encounter some unreasonable monster cultivators, their temper could lead to damaging the shop.
The shopkeeper politely sent those cultivators away and, turning back, happened to see Gu Yao and his companions. With a smile on his face, he asked, "What do the four fellow Daoists need? Our shop has a relatively wide range of goods."
Gu Yao extended his hand, holding a token in his palm. The shopkeeper's expression changed, his smile fading slightly while seriousness grew on his face. He hurriedly said, "Honored guests, please come upstairs to the VIP room. We can talk inside."
At the same time, he instructed other staff members to watch over the shop and led Gu Yao and his companions to the upstairs VIP room, where their conversation would not be overheard by outsiders.
He personally served them tea and spiritual fruits, verified the authenticity of the token, and then made a speculative remark, saying, "Could it be that the four fellow Daoists have come from Baihe City?"
It was because he had received instructions that when a few cultivators arrived, they were to be treated as honored guests, and their number happened to be four.
Tian Feirong took a sip of tea and smiled, "The shopkeeper has keen eyesight, recognizing our origins at a glance. Is everything going well between Baihe City and Qianzhige recently?"
The shopkeeper returned the token to Gu Yao and said with a smile, "It's because the tokens issued personally by the Sect Master are not in great quantity. Recently, only the four fellow Daoists received them, so I made this guess. The Sect Master instructed us to fulfill the requests of the four fellow Daoists as much as possible. What you most want to know now is the situation outside, right?"
Seeing Gu Yao and his companions nod, the shopkeeper continued, "Recently, Chang Immortal Sect has been taking some covert actions, disrupting a significant amount of Qian Fengge's business, especially the business involving Qingchen Pills. The reason we are unable to supply Qingchen Pills here is because the delivery person was robbed and killed by a group of bandits on the way, and there is no evidence to prove any connection with Chang Immortal Sect."
But the shopkeeper dares to say that the ones behind this group of people are Chang Immortal Sect. "Furthermore, there have been many rumors. Several forces are trying to acquire the formula for Qingchen Pills from Baihe City, just like what happened with the Refining Spirit Pills last time. They are willing to pay a substantial amount of spiritual stones that would satisfy Baihe City. Additionally, there are many people searching for the whereabouts of Master Yao Dan. The rewards offered in secret are even higher than those for Lei Sect's sword cultivator Chang Daoist."