Hanyang Pass, Ning Province.

Wei Yuan rode a lean horse out of the pass and set off on his journey westward.

He was wearing a cultivator’s martial and a pair of long leather boots. A rain cloak was draped over his shoulders. Two square wicker baskets—his luggage—were strapped to his horse’s back. This was the most common attire for wandering cultivators in the west.

It was just past noon, and the sky was cloudless. However, the sun looked like it was covered in gauze, its reddish hue blurred at the edges. The air was so hot and stuffy that most travelers could squeeze water out of their clothes after just walking for a bit.

Hanyang Pass was one of the most formidable fortified gateways under the heavens. It was also the gate of Ning Province. It housed a hundred thousand mighty soldiers and possessed walls that were broad rather than high—five zhang in both width and height. It boasted eight colossal crossbows with a shooting range of ten thousand zhang and the potency to injure an Avatar in one shot.

Under the hazy sunlight, the two words “Hanyang Pass” appeared slightly faded and tinged with verdigris. Large patches of moss covered the ramparts and gave the entire city a deep, verdant hue.

The expanse was blanketed in shades of green as far as the eyes could see. In the far west, a line of deep, damp, inky green stretched across the horizon.

Beyond the pass, the main road became muddy, pitted, and dotted in murky puddles. Few travelers ventured along this western road. The two groups that had crossed the pass with Wei Yuan entered a branch road on either side of the main road just a few li later and disappeared, leaving him alone with his horse. A couple li after that, the wide road narrowed into a small path, and the small path faded into a nigh invisible trail.

When Wei Yuan scanned the surrounding wilderness and found no one, he brought his horse to a stop and walked over to a puddle by the roadside. He then scooped up a handful of water. The water carried a greenish tint and felt slimy in his palm. It was also giving off a faint fishy stench. Extremely tiny insects were swimming about the water. Some were even attempting to dig into his skin.

Swarms of flying insects were flying above the puddles, their buzzing loud and distinct.

Unlike the Liao realm, there wasn’t a distinct boundary line that separated the world. The further west one traveled, the more humid and rainy it became. Shortly after leaving Hanyang Pass, large pools of water began appearing on both sides of the road. Black willow ash[1], a type of plant unique to this region, was growing beside these ponds. The black willow ash possessed greenish-black trunks and dozens of roots that plunged into the water. From afar, they looked like bizarre creatures with dozens of slender legs, standing in the water.

Large swarms of insects could often be seen flying above the ponds, buzzing. The further west one traveled, the bigger these flying insects became. If one of these insects landed on one’s skin, they could leave behind a small pit of blood with a single bite.

This place marked the border of the western Shaman realm, where gloomy rains persisted for months on end. Further west, endless marshes teeming with vicious venomous creatures in the waters and the forests lay.

Although water was plentiful throughout the realm, they were all like the one Wei Yuan was holding in his hands right now. Drinking it directly would immediately cause the victim to fall gravely ill.

The environment only got worse within the true Shaman realm. There, natural water sources were intensely poisonous, and the air was thick with toxic mist, rendering it utterly inhospitable to ordinary mortals.

For his last act, Wei Yuan dug up a lump of wet mud and gave it a look. Then, he washed his hands with a Dao spell and remounted to his horse, continuing westward.

The land beyond Hanyang Pass were untamed and uncivilized. There were no flying vessels that one could board for transportation; one could only seek ground transportation or rely on personal flying artifacts. Wei Yuan’s destination was a town named Willow Ash Town. At the moment, it was the largest city in the Shattered Realm. It was situated three thousand nine hundred li from Hanyang Pass.

Supposedly, Yun Feifei would be meeting up with Wei Yuan in Willow Ash Town. They would return to the Palace of Absolute Beginning together. The mission details also mentioned that Yun Feifei might be accompanied by a few sect fellows. If that was true, he was supposed to settle them in Hanyang Pass and take Yun Feifei back to the mountain gate first.

There was no one on the road right now, so Wei Yuan sent a wisp of black qi into his mount. A long whinny escaping its throat, the lean horse abruptly sped up and galloped westward.

This was how he traveled. If he encountered a fellow human, he would slow down and move at a regular pace. If not, he would travel at high speeds. Occasionally, he would stay the night in a mountain. Just three days later, he had arrived on the edge of Willow Ash Town.

Wei Yuan halted his horse just outside the perimeter and narrowed his eyes at the skies of Willow Ash Town, golden light flickering subtly behind his pupils. Through the Qi Viewing spell, he saw a thick haze of black qi enveloping the town, punctuated by faint traces of a bloody glow. However, the bloody glows were most sparse at the center of the town. Faint blue qi was drifting about the area as well. That was where he should rest his foot.

Wei Yuan withdrew his fortune, and his mount returned to normal. Then, the lean horse trudged listlessly into the town.

Originally, Willow Ash Town was just a small city with a population of a thousand or so. It had repeatedly changed hands during the war and was thoroughly destroyed as a result. After the Shamans’ main force withdrew, the area gradually became a melting pot of various races due to its convenient transportation. Today, over a hundred thousand people resided in this town, making it far larger than before the war. Reaching Willow Ash Town meant that one had reached the very heart of this lawless territory.

The town was dotted with makeshift shacks and tents made of tarpaulin. The streets were narrow and crowded. Many people were wearing oilcloth cloaks and hiding their faces with cloths, unwilling to reveal their true identities.

There were some shops on either side of the streets, but most people simply set up street stalls with their goods laid out on the ground. Most of these items were completely unfamiliar to Wei Yuan, but only a handful of them possessed any spirit qi to speak of. The stall vendors were probably waiting for the clueless to take the bait.

Besides that, some stall vendors did not look like merchants at all. They were fixing every passerby with cold, fierce stares, not unlike venomous spiders who were hunting for their next meal.

While Wei Yuan was trudging along a muddy, crowded street, a lot of malicious stares were thrown his way as a matter of course.

On the way here, he had mulled over his course of action carefully and ultimately decided on two main strategies: stirring up trouble on purpose, and fishing for quarries with fortune. As for his cover, he decided to disguise himself as a hot-tempered sword cultivator after much deliberation.

Sword cultivators were not the friendliest folks to begin with, and Wei Yuan had chosen to disguise himself as a hot-tempered sword cultivator. Thus, he did not hesitate to radiate murderous intent and glared back at the offenders. This reaction instantly dispelled most of the hostile stares that were directed his way.

That said, Wei Yuan sensed a hint of contempt from two figures lurking in the shadows. In this lawless land, someone who flaunted their power was often simple-minded and prone to meet an abrupt end.

That was exactly the kind of image Wei Yuan was hoping to cultivate.

The role came to Wei Yuan as natural as breathing. Even he couldn’t tell if he was good at pretending to be a sword cultivator, or hot-tempered.

Willow Ash Town turned out bigger than he expected. He had to pass through several districts before he finally arrived at the town center. There, he immediately spotted a three-storey wooden building. It was one of the few intact buildings he had seen in this town, and its size was fairly impressive for this city. Its backyard alone nearly spanned half a district. The signboard hanging on the main entrance stated: “Lie Flat Inn”.

This was the suitable resting place he had identified with the Qi Viewing spell earlier.

Wei Yuan smoothed out his two mouse-like whiskers before striding through the inn entrance with his head held high. Naturally, he had long disguised his true face with a Dao spell. At the moment, he appeared to be a middle-aged man in his late forties. He had a pair of thin eyebrows and beady eyes that gleamed with malice. Sleazy and vicious, it was clear at first glance that he wasn’t someone to be trusted.

His cultivator’s robe was somewhat worn. Though a magical artifact, it was of low grade with noticeable fraying at the edges. To say that he radiated an air of utter destitution would be an understatement. Despite this, Wei Yuan strode with measured steps and strived to project an air of improvidence.

The main entrance opened into a dining hall with about seventeen or eighteen tables in it. They were basically all occupied. The second and third floor were guest rooms. Behind the main building lay several small courtyards reserved exclusively for wealthy patrons.

As soon as he crossed over the threshold, Wei Yuan felt several perceptions sweeping toward him. Not only were they obviously malicious, they were deliberately targeting his chest and waist—places where he most likely kept his wealth and possessions. The sheer impudence of it was impossible to ignore.

Unfortunately for them, Wei Yuan feared no one when it came to the strength of his primordial spirit and perception. And since he was posing as a sword cultivator, he was prepared as a matter of course.

While visualizing Xiao Yu’s Immortal Sword The Sun, he imbued his perception with its fiery sword intent and repaid the favor!

Cries of pain or shock immediately echoed throughout the dining hall. A good number of customers were covering their faces, and some were even falling on their backs and spewing blood from their nostrils, unconscious. These small fries had unknowingly tried to engage Wei Yuan, a Dao Foundation stage cultivator, in a battle of perception. Naturally, the outcome wasn’t very favorable to them.

The retaliation was more than enough to drain the blood on everyone’s face. They hurriedly looked away and avoided eye contact with Wei Yuan. Satisfied, the young man picked a random table and walked over to it. He then rapped his knuckles against the wooden surface and ordered coldly, “You two. Go find a new table!”

Two middle-aged men were occupying the table. They were dressed like merchants, but only they knew what their true identities were. After hearing Wei Yuan’s order, they immediately and wordlessly moved over to a corner table. They did not even bother to collect the mostly untouched food and drink on their table.

After Wei Yuan took a seat, he called over a waiter and ordered, “Give me your most expensive courtyard and take my luggage into the room. Also, feed my horse.”

The waiter gave the lean horse and the two square wicker baskets outside the door a look and put on an obsequious smile, replying, “Rest assured, I’ll take excellent care of your immortal steed!”

The words “immortal steed” pleased Wei Yuan greatly. His beady eyes were practically vanishing into his face.

It was no small feat to become a waiter at this inn. Naturally, the waiter was quite familiar with a sword cultivator’s temperament. They could be so broke that they could not even afford their next meal, and they would still book the best room in the entire inn—their sword heart might become dusty otherwise. In fact, the rewards for taking good care of such fine gentlemen were quite substantial. Most sword cultivators were poor, but they sure weren’t afraid to spend their money!

Wei Yuan ordered a couple more dishes and took a few careless bites. Then, he made his way toward the backyard. This time, the innkeeper himself showed up to open the door of the biggest courtyard personally. Bowing and scraping, he then followed Wei Yuan into the courtyard.

Objectively speaking, the courtyard was pretty clean. It was just that the stone wall was covered in moss, and there were two puddles on the ground. The stone table and chairs in the courtyard were also all damp. Special rattan mats had to be laid on the chairs before anyone could sit on them. By now, dusk had begun to fall. The courtyard would be nearly pitch black if the lamps weren’t lit. If this was the Palace of Absolute Beginning, then the place would be flooded with light.

The innkeeper personally lit the oil lamps and the candles for Wei Yuan before leading him into the house. It wasn’t until the young man had taken a seat that he crossed his arms and asked, “May I know where you come from and where are you headed to, upper immortal?”

Wei Yuan’s expression grew stern as he countered, “Why’re you asking? Is there an imperial office in this town? Am I going to have to report my every action to the authorities?”

The innkeeper chuckled apologetically. “You’re joking, upper immortal. Of course there aren’t any authorities in this town. Even if one exists, it won’t be long before they are overthrown! The reason I’m asking is because we possess many other businesses that could certainly be of service to you. You’re an expert—surely you understand just by looking at our location, this inn, and this courtyard, right?”

Wei Yuan didn’t really, but he nodded anyway and replied, “I did a little something at Western Jin and heard that there are plenty of opportunities to be uncovered in these lands. That is why I have come to test my luck.

The innkeeper’s smile grew even wider. “May I know what type of business you peddle in then, upper immortal?”

Wei Yuan withdrew a sword from a wicker basket and slapped it on the table, saying, “Anything that requires the use of my blade.”

“If I may ask, how sharp is your blade?”

Wei Yuan rolled his eyes at him. “I killed a staff general who was going to be promoted in Western Jin[2]. What do you think?”

The innkeeper immediately responded, “I understand! If a Dao Foundation stage cultivator wishes to commit suicide, you’re the man to go to!”

Wei Yuan added lightly, “If an Earth-tier thinks that living is too hard, you may come to me as well.”

“I understand you perfectly, upper immortal!” The innkeeper’s originally straight back turned a little crooked as he asked, “May I have your title? So that I can spread it on the streets.”

Wei Yuan answered solemnly, “This one is Lee Zhi, the ‘Matchless Sword and Cauldron’!”

“Gotcha! I might have some work for you as early as tomorrow. As a gesture of goodwill, the first three days of your rent is waived.”

Finally, Wei Yuan lost control of his expression and broke into a wide grin.

1. This is a reference to the Manchurian ash, is a species of Fraxinus native to northeastern Asia in northern China. Obviously it’s not exactly the same but it’s inspired by it. It’s tolerant of water and grows in moist areas, especially along roads and ditches where a good amount of water can be available. I would have liked to just use the name Manchurian ash but I can’t because, well, Manchurian doesn’t exist in this world. ☜

2. He ain’t lying. ☜