Ye Qingyun straightened his clothes and said solemnly, "There are always many things in life that you have to face on your own, my disciple. I hope you will go, but if you really don't want to, I won't force you. Think about it yourself."

Lu Yuan shook his head, his expression growing increasingly gloomy: "Master, I don't want to go."

At this moment, Xiao Yuhan stepped forward and said, "Senior brother, since junior nephew Lu Yuan doesn't want to go, don't force him."

Ye Qingyun looked at Xiao Yuhan and said, "Junior Brother Xiao, Lu Yuan is very familiar with the former Beiyuan. If he comes with you, it will be of great help to you."

"Oh?" Xiao Yuhan looked at Lu Yuan and asked, "Since you are familiar with the former Beiyuan, did you live there before?"

Lu Yuan was taken aback. "Yes, I lived there for many years..."

Xiao Yuhan thought for a moment, "Then let's go together, so we can look out for each other on the way."

Lu Yuan hesitated for a moment, glanced at Ye Qingyun, and finally decided to go along.

The group set off on their journey to the Northern Territory. This was the first major event since the establishment of the Dao Alliance, which shook the world and attracted countless heroes to the Northern Territory.

The group settled in Hanfeng City, located below the Taihang Mountains. After crossing the Taihang Mountains, they arrived at the Northern Plains, which had become a ghost town. The Northern Plains used to be divided into the Snow Cold Northern Plains, the Thirteen Northern Barbarian Cities, and various grassland areas, but now there is only one general name: the Northern Ghost Plains, or simply the Northern Plains.

The city of Hanfeng is abundant with maple trees, and given that the climate in the north is colder than in the central plains, it got its name from this.

Many years ago, this ancient city was the hub between the Great Yan Kingdom in the Central Plains and the Northern Barbarian Kingdom. Almost 70% of cross-border trade was completed here. It was once one of the major cities in the Central Plains, but now it looks rather desolate.

Some shops can still be seen on the street, but there are not many people. Since the Northern Barbarians were destroyed and the northern border became a ghost town, fewer and fewer people come to this place.

Even the imperial army withdrew its defenses to the Taihang Mountains, and now only the Snow Cold Blade Sect, adhering to the principles of righteousness, guards the ancient city.

With several days still remaining before their agreed meeting at the Snowfrost Blade Sect, Nangong Ling'er decided to settle in Hanfeng City first, partly to rest and partly to gather intelligence, as there was still very little information about the Northern Territory.

Although Nangong Ling'er seems easy to talk to, she is actually quite cunning. She won't just believe what the Xuehan Blade Sect says.

Only a small number of soldiers remained to manage the city-state in this ancient city. Xiao Yuhan and his party were not stopped when they arrived. In the Central Plains, the identity of the Heavenly Sword Sect was still quite useful.

The streets were deserted, and most shops were closed. There were many beggars, the elderly, women and children wandering the streets. Although there were no merchants coming and going, the vitality of a city would not disappear because of the reduction in commerce. No matter how the world changes, people will always try to survive, no matter how harsh the environment is.

They found a not-so-good inn to stay in, and the group split up to go out and scout out the situation. It wasn't until nightfall that Bai Yao knocked on Xiao Yuhan's door.

Xiao Yuhan looked at Bai Yao, who was becoming increasingly unruly, and snorted, saying, "Yao'er! This isn't on the mountain. What kind of behavior is it for a young lady like you to run into my room late at night?"

Unexpectedly, Bai Yao said in a serious tone, "Master! Yao'er has something important to report to you!"

"What? What did you find out?" Xiao Yuhan asked.

Bai Yao walked into the room and sat down. She then poured herself a cup of tea. A moment later, she casually set up a barrier to isolate the room, seemingly afraid that someone might eavesdrop.

Seeing her like this, Xiao Yuhan knew that this girl must have something important to say, and his expression also became serious.

"What exactly happened?"

"I've noticed that Junior Brother Murong seems a little different than before?"

Xiao Yuhan sighed, thinking that he was a protagonist just like her, and of course it was easy for him to become stronger with the protagonist's halo. So she said, "You saw his cultivation suddenly increase, right? To be honest, I also think this kind of thing is a bit illogical, but you never know, there are still such lucky things that happen in this world. That kid actually has good talent. It is understandable that his strength has improved by leaps and bounds after obtaining the secret manual."