Gateway of Immortality-Chapter 199: Refuge

The treasure ship materialized silently within a massive hall.

The hall stood ten zhang high, with a rough design held up by a few colossal stone pillars. These pillars were pitted and unpolished, and aside from them, the hall was void of decoration. At the far end stretched a deep, shadowed passageway, leading to unknown depths.

As soon as the treasure ship appeared, a squad of ten guards rushed over. Each guard wore standard armor, inscribed with barrier runes, making it a fairly powerful defensive artifact.

Each guard had a token hanging at their waist, though they varied in style. The leader, who had reached the Foundation Building Realm, bore a token marking his rank as captain.

The treasure ship gave a gentle shudder, releasing its passengers, and then disappeared into Che Yutao’s palm, vanishing from sight.

Despite the hall's immense size, it still felt spacious even with the gathering crowd.

The captain of the guard squad quickly approached Che Yutao and bowed respectfully. "General Yu Yangzi of Xuanlu Stronghold greets Uncle Master Che!"

Che Yutao acknowledged with a simple "Mhmm" and said, "You will handle the arrangements for these people."

Before he had even finished speaking, Che Yutao disappeared from where he stood.

Yu Yangzi hastily answered in agreement, then turned to face the crowd, his gaze cold. His expression softened only when his eyes fell upon the Foundation Building cultivators like Qin Sang, giving them a courteous nod.

"I am Yu Yangzi, stationed at Xuanlu Stronghold. Since this is your first time here, there are several rules you must keep in mind. First, all entry and exit must be through the main gate; do not trespass on the walls or interfere with the barriers, or you will be killed without mercy! Second, under no circumstances are you to clash with the guards..."

Yu Yangzi’s voice carried a distinct edge, warning everyone not to take the rules of Xuanlu Stronghold lightly. He continued with other points of caution, then called out, "Gu Ji!"

"Present!" a guard responded, stepping forward.

"Daoists from each family..." Yuyangzi scanned the crowd. "Those who wish to join the Xuanlu Guards, step forward. Gu Ji will escort you to the barracks to assess your qualifications; the rest may proceed as they please..."

The Xuanlu Guards was tasked with defending Xuanlu Stronghold.

With this, Yu Yangzi gestured towards the hall’s exit.

A ripple of movement passed through the crowd as members from various families stepped forward. Only a small portion expressed interest in joining the Xuanlu Guards; the others left in groups.

Once Gu Ji led the volunteers away, those remaining were the direct disciples of Shaohua Mountain, and Yu Yangzi’s expression and tone relaxed considerably.

"This may be your first visit to the Ancient Immortal Battlefield, and you might be unfamiliar with it. The jade slips contain essential information you’ll need. Inside, you’ll find a map of Xuanlu Stronghold, as well as part of the Ancient Immortal Battlefield’s map. Be careful not to lose the jade slip; without it, survival in the Ancient Immortal Battlefield is nearly impossible..."

With these words, Yu Yangzi ran his hand over his Mustard Seed Pouch, causing several jade slips to fly out.

Qin Sang caught one with his spiritual power and scanned it with his spiritual consciousness, finding an extensive amount of information. He had only begun to look through it when Yuyangzi continued, "The most critical part is the final section of the jade slip, where you’ll find a map of the Ancient Immortal Battlefield. It marks the locations of most refuges. Should you venture into the battlefield alone, it’s essential to locate a refuge ahead of time if celestial phenomena threaten or if you’re pursued by Cloud Beasts. Without a barrier, being caught in celestial phenomena means injury at best, death at worst."

Hearing this, Qin Sang promptly checked the final section and saw various dots of light marked on the map.

Although the map covered a broad area, it only detailed the outer border and outer regions of the Ancient Immortal Battlefield.

This map divided the Ancient Immortal Battlefield more precisely than what Qin Sang had previously learned.

The battlefield’s depths, where spatial rifts clustered densely, were considered the core area where ancient immortal cultivation experts had once waged battle. This area was fraught with danger and home to powerful Cloud Beasts, which few dared to approach even today.

Beyond the core, spatial rifts grew sparser, though the region remained perilous. Even Golden Core cultivators had to proceed with extreme caution, as no sect had the strength to secure the area.

The outer edge of the Ancient Immortal Battlefield, however, was where the various sects vied for control.

The outer edge of the Ancient Immortal Battlefield was further divided into four regions: the inner region, middle region, outer region, and the border.

The dots of light on the map indicated the locations of refuges. The larger dots, few in number, represented small towns and marketplaces established within the Ancient Immortal Battlefield.

These towns and marketplaces were primarily reconstructed from abandoned hidden realms that had been fully explored. Utilizing the barriers within these hidden realms, they could resist the erosion of celestial phenomena and attacks from Cloud Beasts. Found in each of the four regions, their numbers dwindled closer to the interior, making them the safest places within the Ancient Immortal Battlefield.

These strongholds allowed immortal cultivators to proceed without worry over retreat options.

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The smaller dots of light, however, marked smaller refuges that had been built by cultivators entering the Ancient Immortal Battlefield. Some were hidden deep underground, while others used natural terrain for protection. Most were located in the border region.

There was an unspoken rule in the Ancient Immortal Battlefield: each person who entered a refuge would leave behind a few barriers. Over time, this accumulation made the refuges sturdier, enabling travelers to seek shelter there during times of celestial phenomena.

However, these makeshift refuges were far less secure than hidden realms. If celestial phenomena grew overwhelmingly powerful or a strong Cloud Beast discovered one, a refuge might not offer complete safety.

Fortunately, such incidents were uncommon in the border regions.

After countless years of exploration, the dangerous areas within the border region had mostly been mapped out. Leveraging a large stronghold in the area, major sects maintained control here, marking out their respective territories where disciples were forbidden to cross boundaries without permission.

Now, this level of control was beginning to spread toward the outer region.

Yu Yangzi wasn’t wrong; without a map, navigating the Ancient Immortal Battlefield was nearly impossible. Similar maps were sold outside, though at a cost, and they were far less detailed than Shaohua Mountain's.

Once everyone had reviewed the jade slips, Yu Yangzi spoke again, "Anyone wishing to join the Xuanlu Guards or Shadow Guards may step forward. Qi Refining Realm disciples can only serve as standard guards, while you Foundation Building Realm cultivators, like myself, may serve as captains. For those interested in the Shadow Guards, Qi Refining Realm disciples will also need to pass a test."

This meant Foundation Building disciples were free to choose.

According to the jade slip, however, the options weren’t limited to the Xuanlu Guards or Shadow Guards. For instance, one could guard hidden realms controlled by the sect, a position that was relatively peaceful and offered shares in some of the realm’s resources.

Yet these roles required higher qualifications, likely reserved for those with significant backing, as Qin Sang suspected.

At that moment, Qin Sang heard Yu Dayue’s voice transmitting to him, "Junior Brother Qin, I’ll be going on ahead."

Qin Sang turned, seeing Yu Dayue nodding to him before heading out of the hall. Quite a few fellow disciples left with him.

Seeing this, Qin Sang thought to himself, It seems Senior Brother Yu has already decided to venture into the Ancient Immortal Battlefield on his own.