— A Day Later - Vermilion Bird Province Border —

There was a strange sight at the river near the mountain where the local powerhouse, Xiong Potian, or Old Bear, resided.

That sight was a war camp... no, it was more like the leisure campsite of some young master that possessed the same supplies, armory, and manpower as a war camp.

An area of 1,000 square kilometers around the river had been completely locked down. The restricted zone covered the region surrounding Old Bear’s residence.

This lockdown caused many local experts to become confused. Some even speculated that a great treasure, or perhaps some hidden secret realm, existed within the restricted area.

Thus, more than a hundred infiltrators and spies from various factions suddenly began watching the river, hoping to discover what was happening.

Many of them tried to get closer, but none ever came back out. Some heard the sounds of fighting and screams from within the restricted area, which meant that everyone brave enough to approach had been captured and killed afterward.

This situation left all the spies and infiltrators with no choice but to observe from afar, beyond the range of spiritual sense detection and outside the patrol routes. Otherwise, no matter who they were or how advanced their stealth techniques might be, they would eventually be discovered.

By now, the campsite had expanded considerably. Wooden palisades had been erected around the perimeter to block the eyes of spies and those who could not keep their noses where they belonged.

Vermilion Bird Capital City

At the vast capital city, with its towering buildings, sprawling districts, and countless residences, the city was a marvel of architecture and the determination of its builders.

Even though some sections still lay in ruins and were undergoing repairs and reconstruction, the city’s atmosphere remained bustling and full of life.

But that could only be said for the cultivators.

The faces of the commoners were filled with worry and uncertainty. The shops and roadside food stalls were nowhere near as lively as the sectors populated by cultivators. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

This city had effectively been divided into two zones.

The first was the cultivator district, full of life, vitality, and wealth.

The second was the slum-like district designated for mortals.

The security, atmosphere, and even cleanliness were like heaven and earth when compared to the cultivator districts.

This was the result of policy.

Because the founder of the Vermilion Bird Dynasty, Emperor Zhu Lie Huang, had been a usurper, the military strength of the empire had suffered severe losses during his rise to power. Numerous facilities, fortresses, and important infrastructures had been destroyed in the process.

Thus, in order to restore the empire’s strength, Zhu Lie Huang separated cultivators and mortals. Mortals could practically be considered second-class citizens. All districts and infrastructure that had survived the conflict were assigned to cultivators first, while mortals were forced to live like rats among the ruins. They even had to repair and renovate those areas themselves.

Under this system, the empire managed to retain much of its strength.

But even that was not enough for Zhu Lie Huang’s ambitions.

He pushed further, offering numerous benefits to clans and sects willing to relocate to his territory.

Those benefits were paid for with the blood, sweat, and tears of mortals.

In the capital, the status of mortals was often little different from that of slaves.

Many households were plundered, and their wealth was redirected into areas deemed more important than the quality of life of ordinary people.

Were the mortals angry?

Yes.

But could they do anything about it?

Absolutely not.

They lacked the power to resist. No mortal could hope to win against cultivators. Even if a hundred mortals fought against a single cultivator at the lowest level of cultivation, the Qi Refining Realm, the outcome would remain the same.

Thus, in order to survive, mortals could only lower their heads and continue struggling for their livelihoods.

As a result, the contrast between the districts was unmistakable.

The cultivator districts were full of life, wealth, and vitality.

Meanwhile, within an information broker hall in one of those prosperous districts, two informants were holding a meeting with the owner of the establishment.

"Mr. Jin, do you think there’s a secret realm beneath the Emerald River at the border?" one of the informants asked the owner, who sat at the head of the table.

The lanky middle-aged man, whose hair looked like he had just woken up, didn’t say anything. He simply looked down at the stack of papers in his hand. They were the compiled reports he had received last night.

"I think... the chance that there is a secret realm underwater is pretty high. No... it shouldn’t be a normal secret realm. This might be a second Primordial Secret Realm," the man named Jin said as he read through the stack of papers in his hand.

"What!?" The first informant was stunned, while the second informant remained calm.

"You said ’the chance.’ Does that mean you’re just speculating, Mr. Jin?" the second informant asked.

"Yes, I’m speculating," Mr. Jin said without hiding it.

The first informant made a face as though he had just seen something shocking.

"Oh? It’s rare for you to speculate, Mr. Jin. What in those papers makes you think so?" he asked.

"Look at this yourself." Mr. Jin placed a sheet of paper on the table and pushed it toward the two informants.

Filled with curiosity, the two informants picked up the paper and read it.

Their faces immediately paled, and they looked back at Mr. Jin.

"This... this is... Has this been verified!?" the two informants nearly spoke at the same time.

"Little Third went there to verify it. He should be back soon," Mr. Jin said as he massaged his temples.

Bam!

"Are you crazy, Mr. Jin!? You sent Little Third to verify this!? Don’t you know why we work for you? It’s because you don’t treat us like disposable tools!"

"We trust you, damn it!" The first informant slammed the table in anger as he roared at Mr. Jin.

The second informant quickly stood up and held the first one back.

He took a deep breath.

This was no joke at all.

The other party was someone from the Hidden Ancient Clan. If anything went wrong, they could say goodbye to Little Third.

"I know what I’m doing, alright? The reason I sent Little Third is because, even though he’s clumsy, he’s the most sincere among us. I have a feeling he’ll get us what we need."

"I hope you’re right, Mr. Jin. I really hope you’re right. If Little Third doesn’t come back, then even if I can’t beat you, I’ll make sure to drag you down with me!" the first informant said in a warning tone.

One had to know that, in order to survive, the information broker halls of the city had formed a large association-like organization. Information was shared among themselves, and the profits were divided according to who obtained it.

For example, this case where Mr. Jin sent Little Third to verify the information was one such arrangement.

Information obtained by another party had to be verified, and the one who verified it would receive an additional share whenever the information was sold through the association.

For example, the hall that sold the information would receive 20% as a handling fee. The party that originally obtained the information would receive the lion’s share of 50%, while the one who verified it would receive the remaining 30% every time that piece of information was sold, along with bonus compensation from the association as hazard pay.

This was because the verification process was often more dangerous than the process of obtaining the information itself.

The location might already be on high alert due to the presence of spies, making verification significantly riskier and often requiring more time to confirm.

Mr. Jin understood that this was a golden opportunity for them to expand their influence. That was why he decided to send Little Third. When dealing with powerful figures, one needed to be humble, and humility and sincerity happened to be Little Third’s greatest strengths.

But he knew that this time... he had been too reckless in sending Little Third there. He only reflected on it after he had already sent him.

Now... he could only pray for Little Third to return safely.

"Please come back safely..." Mr. Jin muttered under his breath.

— Meanwhile —

At the Emerald River on the border of Vermilion Bird Province, near Xiong Potian’s home, a festive atmosphere filled the area. Boisterous laughter echoed everywhere.

Smoke from dozens of long grills loaded with hundreds of skewers of barbecue drifted through the campsite as people came and helped themselves to the food. Some grilled with the proficiency of people long accustomed to cooking in the wilderness, while others burned their food beyond recognition.

Only Wei Chen’s grill stand had people crowding around it as though he were demonstrating some secret martial art, except everyone in line was carrying a plate.

Clank! Clank! Clank! Clank! Clank!

The sound of tongs striking the grilling rack silenced the rowdy crowd gathered around the barbecue area.