Chapter 199: 避难所

The treasure ship silently appeared inside a massive hall.

The hall was ten *zhang* high, with a rough style. Several massive stone pillars supported it in the center, unpolished and riddled with imperfections. Other than these, there was no decoration whatsoever in the hall, and behind it lay a deep, dark passage leading to an unknown destination.

As soon as the treasure ship appeared, a squad of ten guards rushed over. All the guards wore identical standard armor, engraved with runic restrictions, making them powerful defensive artifacts.

Each guard had a different style of token hanging from their waist. The leader was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and the token he wore indicated his captain status.

The treasure ship gently vibrated, releasing its occupants, then was retrieved by Che Yutao into his palm and vanished.

Even with so many people, the vast hall still seemed incredibly spacious.

The captain of the guard squad hurried to Che Yutao and respectfully saluted, saying, "Yu Yangzi, the garrison commander of Xuanlu Pass, greets Martial Uncle Che!"

Che Yutao grunted in response and said, "You are to arrange these people."

Before his words faded, Che Yutao vanished from the spot.

Yu Yangzi quickly assented, then turned to face the crowd, his gaze stern. Only when his eyes swept over Qin Sang and the other Foundation Establishment cultivators did he nod with a hint of goodwill.

"My Daoist name is Yu Yangzi, and I am stationed at Xuanlu Pass. As you fellow Daoists are new here, there are a few rules you must remember. First, entry and exit are strictly through the city gates; no unauthorized trespassing on the city walls or damaging restrictions, or you will be killed without question! Second, no matter where you are, you must not clash with the guard squad..."

Yu Yangzi's tone carried a strong killing intent, warning everyone not to underestimate the rules of Xuanlu Pass. He then listed many precautions before lightly calling out, "Gu Ji!"

"Present!"

A guard responded and stepped forward.

"Fellow Daoists from the various families," Yu Yangzi looked around, "those wishing to join the Xuanlu Guard, please step forward. Gu Ji will take you to the military camp for qualification testing. As for the rest of you fellow Daoists, please feel free to go your own way..."

The Xuanlu Guard were the soldiers responsible for guarding Xuanlu Pass.

Saying this, Yu Yangzi pointed towards the outside of the hall.

A stir went through the crowd, and then people from the various families stepped out one after another. Only a small fraction of them wished to join the Xuanlu Guard; the others left in groups.

After Gu Ji had led the others away, only the direct disciples of Shaohua Mountain remained. Yu Yangzi's expression and tone softened considerably.

"Fellow Daoists, this is your first time in the Ancient Immortal Battlefield, so you're not yet familiar with it. The jade slips contain everything you need to know, including a map of Xuanlu Pass and a partial map of the Ancient Immortal Battlefield. Please, whatever you do, do not destroy the jade slips, or you will find it impossible to move an inch in the Ancient Immortal Battlefield..."

As he spoke, Yu Yangzi swiped his hand over his spatial pouch, and countless jade slips flew out.

Qin Sang used his spiritual power to catch a jade slip and scanned it with his divine sense. He found the contents to be extensive. After just two glances, he heard Yu Yangzi continue, "Fellow Daoists, what you must examine most carefully is the last part of the jade slip: the map of the Ancient Immortal Battlefield. The map marks the locations of most shelters. If any of you fellow Daoists venture into the Ancient Immortal Battlefield alone, be sure to find a shelter in advance before a celestial phenomenon strikes or if you are pursued by cloud beasts. This is of paramount importance. Otherwise, if you are alone without a barrier and get caught in a celestial phenomenon, you will be injured at best, or perish at worst."

Hearing this, Qin Sang immediately looked to the end of the map and indeed saw various large and small light dots marked on it.

Although this map covered a significant area, the detailed markings were actually only for the outermost layer and parts of the outer layer of the Ancient Immortal Battlefield's periphery.

The map's division of the Ancient Immortal Battlefield was more detailed than what Qin Sang had previously researched.

Among these, the depths of the Ancient Immortal Battlefield, pervaded by spatial rifts, were widely recognized as the core area of a chaotic battle among ancient immortal cultivators. Not only was it fraught with danger, but it also harbored many powerful cloud beasts, and few had ventured there to this day.

Moving outward from the core zone, the spatial rifts became sparser, yet it remained extremely perilous. Even Golden Core cultivators had to tread with utmost caution, every step fraught with peril. No sect possessed the power to control this area.

It was only in the periphery of the Ancient Immortal Battlefield that the various major sects vied for influence.

The periphery of the Ancient Immortal Battlefield was further divided into four layers: the inner layer, middle layer, outer layer, and outermost layer.

These light dots represented the locations of shelters. The few larger light dots indicated small towns and markets established within the Ancient Immortal Battlefield.

These towns and markets were essentially converted from already explored secret realms and ancient ruins. Relying on the restrictions within the secret realms, they resisted erosion by celestial phenomena and cloud beast attacks. They existed in all four layers of the Ancient Immortal Battlefield, becoming scarcer further inward, and were the safest places in the Ancient Immortal Battlefield.

It was by relying on these places that cultivators didn't have to worry about their retreat paths.

The smaller light dots, on the other hand, were small shelters spontaneously built by cultivators entering the Ancient Immortal Battlefield. Some were hidden deep underground, others took advantage of the terrain, and the vast majority were in the outermost layer.

There was an unwritten rule in the Ancient Immortal Battlefield: everyone who entered a shelter would leave behind a few defensive restrictions. Over time, these shelters became increasingly robust, allowing travelers to seek refuge during celestial phenomena.

The strength of these shelters was far inferior to that of secret realms. If a celestial phenomenon's power was too terrifying, or if they were unfortunately discovered by powerful cloud beasts, the shelters could not guarantee safety.

Fortunately, such occurrences were uncommon in the outermost layer.

After countless years of exploration, the dangerous areas in the outermost layer had largely been surveyed. Major sects, relying on the large cities behind them, controlled this region, delineating their respective spheres of influence, and forbidding sect disciples from easily crossing boundaries.

Now, this control was slowly radiating towards the outer layer.

Yu Yangzi was right; without a map, one would indeed find it impossible to move an inch in the Ancient Immortal Battlefield. Similar maps were available for sale outside, but they cost money and were far less detailed than Shaohua Mountain's.

After they had reviewed the jade slips, Yu Yangzi spoke again: "Fellow Daoists who wish to join the Xuanlu Guard or the Shadow Guard, please step forward. Qi Condensation disciples can only serve as regular guards, while the Foundation Establishment senior and junior martial brothers, like myself, can become garrison commanders. If you wish to join the Shadow Guard, Qi Condensation disciples will also require an additional test."

The implication was that Foundation Establishment disciples could choose freely.

In fact, according to the introduction in the jade slips, they had more options than just the Xuanlu Guard and Shadow Guard. For instance, guarding secret realms controlled by their sect not only meant less demanding duties but also allowed them to share in some of the realm's produce.

However, those roles had much higher requirements, and Qin Sang estimated that only those with connections or background could get them.

Just then, Qin Sang heard Yu Daiyue transmit a message: "Junior Brother Qin, I'll be going ahead."

Qin Sang turned his head and saw Yu Daiyue nod to him before turning and walking out of the hall. Many other fellow disciples also left with him. It seemed Senior Brother Yu was determined to venture into the Ancient Immortal Battlefield on his own.