Chapter 894: Stationing Location

"This person is not a Tuwu tribesman!"

"What? How did Master know this?"

Han Li's words were utterly shocking, startling Silvermoon.

"Look, what is this?" Han Li suddenly reached out with one hand and lightly grasped at the void.

Instantly, a ball of green light emerged, then transformed into a jade pendant-like spectral image. Etched onto it were several ancient characters.

"These are ancient Jin characters," Silvermoon exclaimed, surprised again.

"Actually, even if I hadn't intervened, this person would probably have been fine. This object is a jade pendant that Feng Yue carried, a top-tier magic tool. Whenever that demonic bird approached, it would automatically emit spiritual waves, likely offering automatic protection to its owner. Although he concealed it at his waist, how could a mere layer of cloth block my spiritual eyes? I naturally saw it clearly. You must recognize these ancient Jin characters too, right? Based on these few words, this person is most likely from one of the so-called prominent families of the Great Jin," Han Li said calmly.

"Indeed. According to ancient texts, the designation 'Ningzhong Feng' is a form of address favored by prominent families in the Great Jin. It seems this Fellow Daoist Feng should actually be referred to as 'Fellow Daoist Feng'. However, where does 'Ningzhong' refer to? Is it Ningchuan Commandery, one of the three commanderies of Great Jin? Or Xining State, one of the 108 states? Or is it simply an ordinary city with 'Ning' in its name?" Silvermoon pondered.

Since they were heading to the Great Jin, Han Li had naturally collected many ancient texts about its customs, geography, and other aspects. Silvermoon had also read quite a few. Thus, Han Li wasn't surprised by Silvermoon's casual remarks.

"No matter which prominent Great Jin family this person belongs to, their sole presence on the Heavenly Azure Steppe inherently spells trouble. It's naturally better to minimize contact with them. For now, our only objective is to find a way to leave the steppe and first discover a method to remove the baleful energy from our bodies." After saying this, Han Li expressionlessly closed his eyes.

"That's true! For someone at the early Foundation Establishment stage to possess such an automatic guardian magic tool, they must undoubtedly be an important figure from the Feng family. Yet, they are currently hidden within a small tribe's tribute procession, which certainly indicates significant trouble." Silvermoon chuckled softly, agreeing in a low voice.

The woman then said nothing more. Silence returned to the carriage.

At this moment, the young men outside finally used large hammers to break two massive ice blocks. They then skinned and boned the three ape-vultures, disassembling them. Afterwards, they sent Han Li the six most valuable sharp claws and a dozen long tail feathers.

The remaining parts were unceremoniously divided between the two tribes.

Of course, since Han Li was the immortal master invited by the Cangluo Tribe, they naturally took the larger share. Although the burly man surnamed Ba didn't receive much, it was an unexpected windfall, and no one had been killed or injured in the demonic bird attack. He was naturally just as exceptionally pleased.

Meanwhile, in a tightly sealed carriage of the Red Wolf Tribe, the blue-robed man seemed to find his cloak inconvenient. He had already removed the item from his head, revealing a fair complexion.

Aside from slightly thin lips, he could be considered handsome and upright.

At this moment, a cold silence settled upon his face.

Suddenly, he fumbled at his neck with one hand and unexpectedly pulled out a golden chain. Attached to one end of the chain was a silver-white key.

The key was as thick as a finger, several inches long, covered with mysterious and ancient patterns. On its oval handle, a golden character "Feng" was engraved.

Staring at the key, Feng Yue's eyes revealed a strange look, and his expression fluctuated between dark and light.

For a moment, he was excited, then pained, and finally, his expression became extremely grim.

After letting out a long breath, he carefully put the key away, re-hanging it around his neck like a necklace.

After ensuring that outsiders couldn't see the key, he also closed his eyes and began meditating to recover the spiritual power he had just consumed.

Not long after the last ape-vulture remains were cleared outside, the entire caravan resumed its journey.

This time, however, no one dared to speak loudly. Although the recent battle was brief, it had greatly shocked these young Tuwu people. Those with spiritual roots felt an even greater fervor, almost wishing they could grow wings and fly to the Holy Temple to become powerful immortal masters themselves.

The following day passed uneventfully, but by noon on the second day, Han Li, who was meditating on incantations in the carriage, finally sensed the Holy Temple's designated "encampment" from afar.

Although he was wary of high-level immortal masters being stationed there, Han Li dared not use his divine sense to scan closely. However, he could faintly feel mixed spiritual energy fluctuations within, suggesting the presence of many low-level cultivators.

Han Li's eyes flickered a few times, his face remaining expressionless.

After traveling another twenty li, the people from the two tribes around the carriage simultaneously let out a cheer.

Han Li's expression stirred; with a flick of his sleeve, the carriage curtain rolled up on its own, and he looked towards the distance.

In the distance, on the plains, a black speck suddenly appeared.

With a faint blue flicker in Han Li's eyes, he clearly saw the true appearance of the black speck.

It was a wall, three to four zhang high, built from stones mixed with rough logs. Behind the wall, tall tents, favored by the Tuwu people, mingled with simple wooden huts, and many Tuwu mortals constantly moved in and out, creating a somewhat chaotic scene.

Among the many tents and wooden huts, one could faintly discern several stone halls and pavilions built entirely of massive bluestones, where only one or two cultivators in peculiar attire would occasionally enter.

"This is the so-called 'encampment'," Han Li mused to himself, shifting his gaze to several massive stone pillars erected at intervals outside the wall.

These dazzling stone pillars were as thick as a man's embrace and twenty to thirty zhang tall. Clearly, the Heavenly Azure Holy Temple had set up a large formation here, protecting the entire city within it.

Above the entire encampment, no cultivators were seen flying in the air, indicating that this formation also had anti-flight restrictions.

After surveying the city, Han Li lost interest in looking further. He waved his hand, and the carriage curtain lowered again.

A quarter of an hour later, their caravan arrived at the encampment entrance. There were no guards to speak of here; people were allowed to enter and exit freely.

After Yinglu and the burly man discussed it, for reasons unknown, the two tribes separated again, with their contingents heading in two different directions.

Although Han Li was inside, he could still clearly perceive everything nearby through his divine sense.

This encampment was indeed as he had seen from afar; the word "disorder" summed it all up. Apart from a few man-made main roads, everywhere else was a chaotic sprawl of fur tents and misplaced, makeshift wooden huts. Clearly, aside from the bluestone buildings, everything else served as temporary quarters for the tribes paying tribute to the Holy Temple.

However, those who needed to rest here were also the tribes furthest from the Holy Temple.

These were tribes that, no matter how large, couldn't grow much bigger. The truly large tribes resided right next to the Holy Temple.

Therefore, aside from a few slightly more ornate large tents, the other tents and wooden huts were all ordinary structures. Many even had patches on them.

This highlighted the predicament of these small tribes.

With some difficulty, they found an empty spot in a remote corner of the encampment. The people of the Cangluo Tribe also began setting up their tents.

Han Li stepped down from the carriage, coldly observing their actions.

After a moment of hesitation, Yinglu walked over.

"Immortal Master Han, this place is quite chaotic. I'm afraid it's not suitable for your quiet cultivation and meditation. However, there's also a dedicated resting place for immortal masters, free of charge. Would you like to stay there for two nights first? Once we've rested for two days, we can continue our journey. What do you think, Immortal Master?" the elder said respectfully.

"Alright, I understand. I'll rejoin you here in two days." Han Li nodded, his expression unchanged, then turned and left without ceremony. His direction of travel was towards the tallest building in the area: a two-story, massive stone hall.

Cultivators were occasionally seen entering and exiting there, which was clearly the resting place the elder had spoken of.

After walking a short distance, he arrived in front of the stone hall.

Han Li glanced at the two monstrous statues, three to four zhang tall, standing at the temple entrance—creatures with ox heads and dragon bodies—then passed by the door expressionlessly.

Although he was confident that his disguise as a Tuwu person was flawless, it was still somewhat inappropriate to stay with so many Tuwu cultivators.

What if there were Nascent Soul stage cultivators inside? Something unexpected might happen.

It would be better to leave the encampment, find a random place nearby, and make do for two days. Once the time came, he would return and blend into the caravan to continue the journey.

By the time they reached the Heavenly Azure Holy Temple, the search for him should have somewhat died down, and he would then find a way to leave again. Although there was still a long way to the Great Jin, if he was careful, there was a chance to infiltrate the Great Jin territory.

Thinking this, Han Li unhurriedly walked out of the encampment's main gate. He pulled out a small sword, activated it, and it transformed into a streak of light, soaring into the sky.

After flying fifty to sixty li, the light of escape halted above an inconspicuous pile of scattered rocks.

After scanning downwards, he landed in front of a giant rock, five to six zhang tall.

He first sat down cross-legged and released his divine sense. After confirming there was indeed no one else within a twenty-li radius, he immediately turned and rapidly flicked his fingers at the giant rock behind him.

After a series of green sword qi cuts, a hollow cavern, about two zhang high, appeared before him. It was just large enough for one person to enter.

Han Li went in and tried sitting cross-legged, feeling quite satisfied. He then walked ten zhang outside the boulder and took out a set of formation flags from his storage pouch.

After more than a dozen beams of light scattered and flashed, an invisible formation was set up.

From the outside, the giant rock instantly vanished without a trace, leaving the spot empty.

Han Li didn't hesitate; with a flicker of his figure, he too entered the formation, completely disappearing from view.

The area was now deserted.

Time passed little by little; in the blink of an eye, a day and a night had gone by. Han Li remained in meditative trance within the stone cavern, silently comprehending the incantation given by Grand Exalted Dayan.

This incantation was progressing much more smoothly than he had anticipated; it seemed he had already comprehended more than half of it.

This brought a secret delight to Han Li's heart.

He was currently delving into a crucial problem, but suddenly, his eyelids twitched on their own, and his divine sense instantly snapped out of meditation. He opened his eyes with a look of surprise.