Translator: CinderTL
"Since you two were responsible for surveillance, why did you attack the three female cultivators from Spirit Jade Palace?" Song Wen asked, changing the subject.
Qiu Shan replied, "They were slaughtering Nether Foxes, violating the Divine Blood Gate's forbidden laws. Seeing that their strength was inferior to ours, we planned to kill them and return to claim credit."
"So, the Divine Blood Gate prohibits the slaughter of Nether Foxes?" Song Wen pressed.
"Yes," Qiu Shan confirmed. "The Divine Blood Gate issued a strict ban on anyone killing or capturing Nether Foxes. However, the major sects of the Southern Nether Continent disregard this prohibition, considering it an overreach of authority. As a result, the ban is largely ignored in this region."
"Why does the Divine Blood Gate protect the Nether Foxes?" Song Wen asked.
"I don't know," Qiu Shan admitted.
"Where exactly is the Evil Cloud Mountain Range, where the Divine Blood Gate is located?" Song Wen asked, finally addressing his most pressing concern.
"The Evil Cloud Mountain Range lies in Azure Wutong Province," Qiu Shan explained. "It's separated from the Southern Nether Continent by Crimson Cloud Province and Candle Dragon Province."
Song Wen's pupils constricted slightly at this news.
He had anticipated the Divine Blood Gate's remote location during his conversation with Xu Mengyu, but he hadn't realized it was so distant, separated by two entire provinces.
Each province was vast, and most cultivators would never traverse even a single province in their entire lives. Moreover, the borders between provinces were often guarded by treacherous terrain, making passage perilous.
"How did you two manage to travel from Azure Wutong Province to the Southern Nether Continent?" Song Wen asked.
Qiu Shan replied, "Zhu Hui and I weren't dispatched from Azure Wutong Province. We're actually natives of the Southern Nether Continent. We were originally rogue cultivators practicing Corpse Path Art before being recruited by the Divine Blood Gate."
"Where is the Divine Blood Gate's base in the Southern Nether Continent?" Song Wen pressed.
"We don't have a fixed base," Qiu Shan said. "Or if there is one, I'm unaware of it."
Song Wen's expression turned cold. He pointed at Zhu Hui, who was still screaming in agony nearby.
"You wouldn't want to end up like him, would you?"
"Your Excellency, I swear I'm not holding back any information," Qiu Shan said hastily.
"You just said you were going to kill the three Spirit Jade Palace members and return to claim your reward," Song Wen pointed out. "If you don't have a base, where would you collect your reward? Do you expect to go directly to the Divine Blood Gate?"
"We report directly to an outer sect elder named Luo Shao," Qiu Shan explained. "He collects our intelligence, distributes our stipends, and assigns missions. We can only claim rewards through him."
"Where is this person?" Song Wen asked.
"We meet at Small Moon Lake on the edge of the Primordial Qi Death Zone every first day of the lunar month," Qiu Shan replied.
Song Wen felt a pang of disappointment.
He had hoped to use Qiu Shan to track down the Divine Blood Gate's stronghold and gather medicinal pills to enhance his cultivation. Now, it seemed his plan had fallen through.
Qiu Shan and Zhu Hui were merely insignificant pawns.
They had been dead for over a month, yet Luo Shao, the outer sect elder, had made no move, proving the Divine Blood Gate cared nothing for their lives.
Neither of them knew any secrets about the Divine Blood Gate.
The only useful information Song Wen had obtained was that many Divine Blood Gate members frequented the vicinity of the Primordial Qi Death Zone.
After all, the Divine Blood Gate couldn't possibly have sent only Qiu Shan and Zhu Hui to monitor such a vast area.
Song Wen activated the Black Hole, devouring Qiu Shan's divine soul.
Then, he addressed the shadow void, which was still tormenting Zhu Hui's divine soul.
"Enough. Devour him."
The shadow void's eyes lit up. Its long tongue flicked out, dragging Zhu Hui's mangled divine soul into its mouth.
Its maw, lined with rows of razor-sharp teeth, crunched down, and Zhu Hui's screams echoed through the air.
Song Wen withdrew his consciousness from his Sea of Consciousness and began to ponder his next move.
His cultivation had stalled at the bottleneck of the early-stage Void Refinement Stage. The simplest way to break through would undoubtedly be to acquire a Void Refinement Stage medicinal pill.
Additionally, he needed to find a secure cultivation cave.
"It seems I'll have to head to Great Tan City to gather some intelligence," Song Wen murmured to himself.
He didn't set out immediately. Instead, he sat in the cave for several days. When the lake where the Shadow Gu resided remained undisturbed, he concluded that Bai Wei had no intention of killing him. Only then did he deactivate the formation and emerge from the cave.
Song Wen recalled his Gu, examined the spirit stones it had retrieved, and after a moment's contemplation, tucked them into his robes. He then rose and flew toward Great Tan City.
Xu Mengyu and her companions might still prove useful in the future, so Song Wen couldn't reveal any weaknesses in front of them, nor could he arouse Bai Wei's suspicion.
This meant he couldn't devour the divine sense imprint on the spirit stone, nor could he simply discard it. He needed to dispose of it in a plausible manner.
Upon entering Great Tan City, Song Wen immediately visited a large-scale medicinal pill shop and purchased pills worth a thousand high-grade spirit stones.
These pills were all commonly used by Divine Transformation Stage cultivators.
When paying, Song Wen slipped a spirit stone into the pile.
Leaving the shop, Song Wen immediately departed Great Tan City.
He traversed hundreds of thousands of miles through desolate mountain ranges, winding through treacherous terrain until he was certain no one was following him. Only then did he descend into a secluded mountain ravine.
Altering his aura and disguising himself, he transformed into a middle-aged cultivator in the early Divine Transformation stage.
Song Wen soared into the sky and returned to Great Tan City.
This time, he didn't rush. Instead, he hovered above the city, surveying the entire metropolis from above.
He meticulously observed the city's layout, taking in every street and building, gradually forming a clear mental map of the city.
Once he had a general understanding of the city's layout, he slowly descended, landing on a street in the western district.
The street bustled with people, most of whom were examining the roadside stalls as they walked.
Though the stalls appeared simple, third-tier and even fourth-tier spiritual objects were common sights. Song Wen even spotted several fifth-tier Spirit Herbs.
The stall owners were mostly cultivators at the golden core or nascent soul stages.
After surveying the area, Song Wen approached one of the stalls.
The stall owner, a mid-nascent soul cultivator, immediately beamed when he saw Song Wen approaching.
"Senior, what can I help you find?"
Song Wen flipped his palm, tossing a high-grade spirit stone onto the stall.
"Answer a few questions, and this spirit stone is yours."
The stall owner stared at the spirit stone rolling across the stall, a flicker of barely concealed disdain crossing his eyes.
But he quickly snatched up the spirit stone, his smile widening.
"Senior, please ask. This junior will answer truthfully to the best of my knowledge."
"Where's the largest black market nearby?" Song Wen asked, lowering his voice.
"Senior," the stall owner replied, "there are no black markets near Great Tan City."
Now it was Song Wen's turn to be stunned.
In a city as vast as Great Tan City, with countless cultivators, there were bound to be illicit transactions. How could there be no black market?
Sensing Song Wen's confusion, the stall owner continued, "Senior, you must be new to Great Tan City, aren't you?"
Song Wen nodded slightly.
"As I suspected," the stall owner said. "The previous palace master of the Spirit Jade Palace issued a strict ban on all ghost markets, aiming to eradicate these shadowy dealings. Since then, no ghost markets have existed within the Spirit Jade Palace's jurisdiction."
(End of the Chapter)
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