On the eastern frontier, a fortified city.
This city, hidden in the folds of the mountains, was once like a forgotten piece of jade. Because of its remote location, few cultivators visited it, and the streets were usually only frequented by local residents and a few traveling merchants. It was so quiet that you could hear the wind sweeping across the bluestone slabs.
But in the last few days, Gancheng has completely changed.
At the dusty city gate, various spirit boats and flying magical artifacts hovered densely. Cultivators dressed in robes from different sects, carrying magical artifacts and weapons, poured into the city shoulder to shoulder, crowding the originally spacious streets.
"Sir, would you like to stay at our inn? Our top-class rooms are on special today, only 1,000 spirit stones a night!"
"Would you like a spirit rice set meal? With the addition of century-old snow lotus, it'll only cost five hundred spirit stones!"
"I just picked these antidote herbs from the outskirts of the Endless Forest. Selling them cheap, don't miss out!"
The shopkeepers on the street were shouting their wares at the top of their lungs, their wrinkled faces beaming with joy.
A regular stall used to cost only ten spirit stones, but now the price has increased a hundredfold and the demand still exceeds the supply; a bowl of ordinary spirit vegetable soup, with a few worthless spirit herbs sprinkled in, can sell for an astronomical price.
Even so, cultivators continued to enter the city in an endless stream. After all, compared to the treasures that might appear in the Endless Forest, what was this little expense?
In the center of Gancheng, a restaurant built entirely of white jade stands out from the crowd. Under the eaves hangs a gilded plaque with the three large characters "Ganfenglou". It is the property of the city lord and the most luxurious place in Gancheng.
At this moment, the lobby of Ganfenglou was already packed with people, and even the corners of the stairs were filled with people.
The disciples of the Pan Shi family in the Southern Region sat in a private seat by the window, talking in hushed tones with the people from the Central Region's Loose Cultivator Alliance; several monks from the Western Region's Buddhist sect sat around a square table, their hands twirling prayer beads, their ears perked up; while cultivators from the local forces in the Eastern Region gathered in a corner, their eyes warily scanning the outsiders.
The cultivators from the Central Region sat on stools, looking at the cultivators from the Four Regions with arrogance, because the people of the Central Region had always looked down on the cultivators from the Four Regions.
"Have you heard? Yesterday, some reckless rogue cultivator sneaked into the Endless Forest. He hadn't gone three miles before he was entangled in vines like a dumpling. By the time he was discovered, only a pile of bones remained!"
"It's not just the vines; the 'Azure-Eyed Poison Lizard' inside is truly terrifying. It can corrode even a Mahayana Realm defensive magic artifact with a single spit. It's said that an elder of the Eastern Region's Azure Wood Alliance fell victim to it!"
"The most dangerous one is that 'Golden-haired Giant Ape,' which is said to have reached the Dao Inquiry Realm. It guards a valley deep in the forest, and anyone who gets close will be sent flying with a single punch. Last month, a rogue cultivator in the late stage of Tribulation Transcending tried to force his way in, and his head was smashed to pieces!"
The monks whispered among themselves, their voices a mixture of fear and excitement.
The Endless Forest is notorious for its dangers—poisonous vines can shatter magical artifacts, ferocious beasts can tear flesh apart, not to mention the traps scattered throughout the swamp and the moving illusions.
The more dangerous it is, the more it means that the treasure inside is extraordinary. Even a demonic beast at the Dao Inquiry Realm is guarding it. What level of treasure must it be?
"The Dao Inquiry Realm..." someone exclaimed. "The number of Dao Inquiry Realm experts openly known throughout the Four Domains can be counted on one hand, and they are all patriarchs of major powers who rarely leave their mountains. There are actually some hidden in this endless forest, tsk tsk."
“Who says otherwise?” someone chimed in. “I heard that the leader of the Green Wood Alliance tried it himself, but he was driven back by that golden-haired giant ape. Now he’s gathering all the forces in the Eastern Region, wanting to join forces to deal with that ape first.”
"Join forces? I doubt it." Someone sneered. "Yesterday, the Green Wood Alliance tried to win over the people of the Southern Region, but they were turned down—why should we have to contribute manpower and resources to your Eastern Region's treasures?"
The discussions in the hall grew louder and louder, and the intentions of all parties were clear: they all wanted to get the treasure, but they didn't want to be the first to act, and they didn't want others to take advantage of them.
Just then, three figures entered Ganfeng Tower.
The young man at the head of the group, dressed in a blue robe, had a calm expression. Beside him, a woman in red carried a sword, her eyes sparkling. She glanced around the hall before finding an inconspicuous corner. Behind them followed a burly man carrying a suit of black iron armor, his voice muffled as he looked around curiously, clearly interested in everything. It was Xiao Chen, Jiang Li, and Shi Tou.
As soon as they entered the building, a waiter greeted them warmly: "Three esteemed guests, please come in! There's one last small table..."
"No need, we can just stand." Xiao Chen waved his hand, his gaze subtly sweeping across the lobby.
He recognized many faces at a glance—there were cultivators from the Southern Region whom he had met in the Northern Region, representatives from the Central Region's Loose Cultivator Alliance, and so on.
Jiang Li moved closer to him and used her spiritual power to transmit her voice: "There are at least several unfamiliar auras, very strong, even more stable than the aura of Feng You after he possessed my body."
Stone lowered his voice as well: "They're watching us."
Xiao Chen nodded, pulled the two of them to a corner, trying to minimize their presence: "Ignore them, let's hear the news first."
Unbeknownst to them, a man in black in the corner withdrew his gaze and whispered a few words to his companion in an obscure language. A hint of amusement flashed in their eyes—these three young men had a good presence and seemed like promising talents.
In the center of the hall, an elder of the Eastern Azure Wood Alliance stood up and cleared his throat: "Fellow practitioners, I presume you have all come for the treasures in the Endless Forest. I will not beat around the bush. The depths of the forest are extremely dangerous, and fighting alone is unlikely to achieve anything. Why don't we join forces for now and clear out the monsters and traps on the outer perimeter? As for the treasures..."
He paused, a glint of greed flashing in his eyes: "Of course, it's all about skill, how about it?"
There was a moment of silence in the hall after these words were spoken.
The young master of the Southern Rock Family sneered: "Joining forces is fine, but why should your Green Wood Alliance take the lead? If you ask me, we should choose someone that all parties can trust to lead the effort."
"I recommend Young Master Zhao of the Three Saints Sect of the Central Region!" The members of the Central Region Loose Cultivator Alliance immediately echoed.
"Hmph, does the Three Saints Sect even deserve it?" a middle-aged monk from the Western Regions Buddhist sect said. "Why don't we let our Buddhist sect take charge? Our Buddha is merciful and will surely distribute the spoils fairly."
"Bullshit!" someone immediately retorted. "You guys wanted to reap the benefits from the Northern Region last time, do you think no one knew that?"
The proposal to join forces was quickly met with a heated argument over "who should take the lead," turning the lobby into chaos. Some even drew their swords at each other, and if not for the occasion, a fight might have broken out on the spot.
Xiao Chen and the other two stood in the corner, shaking their heads as they watched.
An invisible shadow loomed over everyone's heart—a mixture of longing for the treasure, fear of danger, and wariness of their fellow travelers.
From the direction of the endless forest, the faint roars of demonic beasts could be heard, as if they were warning something.
Meanwhile, the argument inside Ganfeng Tower continued, with each faction calculating their moves, but no one knew that the real threat might not come from the monsters in the forest.
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