Ten thousand I am across the heavens

Dao Tian: ""

He had imagined countless ways to infiltrate secretly. He never imagined he would cross the Heavenly Court's blockade in such a simple, unpretentious, and tedious manner, flying towards the rear.

However, this is indeed one of the least attention-grabbing methods, as there are simply too many flying devices on the battlefield. Many, like these, can fly hundreds or even thousands of kilometers, traversing mountains and rivers before crashing into inland areas. No one cares what flew there. Under the rule of the Heavenly Court, the mortal realm here, while more cohesive than other regions, has merely transformed from a collection of independent families into forces ruled by various sects. It has never coalesced into a system akin to a nation.

Therefore, the Heavenly Court is not responsible for the lower realms. If someone dies here, or is killed by a random attack falling from the sky, no one will care. Dao Tian continued flying in the sky. Only when he was flying did he realize that the rock spear fused with him was actually quite light. Moreover, although it was javelin-shaped, it could maintain a considerable amount of lift in the airflow at high speeds, allowing him to fly as far as possible.

It might take several more hours before he truly lands. Once he lands, he'll be too far from the battlefield. The people here won't even be able to perceive what's happening there. While the battle between the immortals is massive, it's practically invisible beyond a thousand miles. It's not that their techniques lack power, but rather that ordinary people's perception is too weak. Something a thousand meters away appears as a tiny dot to an ordinary person. Let alone thousands of kilometers.

At this very moment, Zhongzhou was developing in the same uneventful yet treacherous manner as it had in countless years before. The spear flying at high speed in the sky was about to land. Near its point of impact seemed to lie a bustling city.

Zhelan City, an unremarkable town in the Central Zhou Dynasty, at least on the surface. With a population of about 80, it was considered a large city in the mortal world of this era.

The towering city walls form a huge square with sides of 15km, with a total of 28 city gates, welcoming travelers from all directions. At the city gates, guards stand in seemingly strict discipline, checking each pair of people entering the city.

"Wait, it's you. Come here. Didn't you just pay the city entry tax?" The city guard pointed to an ordinary person in the caravan, dressed in tattered clothes.

He emerged from the shadows of the carriage with a bitter expression, having searched his entire body before finally finding half a Yuan Stone. The city gate tax cost a whole Yuan Stone; how could an ordinary person like him afford it?

"Alright, half a coin it is. Considering your leader's decent skills, I'll only charge you half a coin," the city guard said, letting the caravan pass. Behind them in line was a traveler with a sword at his waist and a bag on his back. The city guard was about to collect the gate tax when he saw the traveler reveal his waist badge, which had the character "一" (one) followed by three stars, proving he was a late-stage first-tier Gu Master.

"So it's you, Master Gu! Please come in! Please come in!" The city guards, who had been so arrogant just moments before, immediately became obsequious, bowing and scraping.

The man didn't say much. Without even glancing at them, he stepped into the city gate. That's how the city gate tax was: it was completely lenient on truly penniless mortals, but it didn't charge wealthy Gu Masters a single penny.

At the bustling city gate, a long queue of people was suddenly startled by a deafening roar from the mountains, followed by a mushroom cloud. The queue tensed for a moment, but quickly relaxed. Similar incidents occurred every now and then, becoming legends circulating in the city: battles between top masters always leave behind some attacks that fall to the mortal realm. Only the unluckiest are struck by these attacks. After all, everywhere is sparsely populated. The vast land holds countless undeveloped areas. Truly inhabited cities are but scattered dots across the expansive plains.

After landing, Dao Tian returned to his original form. He straightened his clothes and then sensed his aura being suppressed; he was currently only at the third-tier level. However, unlike the Gu worms, when a person crosses different realms, although their first-tier strength is forcibly suppressed, it can slowly recover over time. Unlike the Gu worms, which are completely unable to recover. As for the Gu worms on his body, they were not suppressed. In preparation for the infiltration operation, he had purchased a batch of local Gu worms before coming, so that he wouldn't be suppressed and wouldn't attract too much attention due to the special nature of the Gu worms, thus avoiding exposing himself.

He adjusted his attire slightly, changing into clothes that matched the local style. He then removed his high-tech combat suit and stuffed it into his personal storage device. At this moment, he looked like a wandering knight-errant from some sect in the Central Zhou Dynasty.

"According to the map, this seems to be Zhelan City. Let me think of a way to borrow its power. I certainly can't use the name of a top-tier sect like the Ten Great Ancient Sects; even if I said it, no one would believe me."

Those who are too close won't work either, because everyone knows them well. A simple chat would be enough for them to tell I'm an imposter. Ideally, I should be a disciple from a sect more than 500 li away. Firstly, the distance is too great for locals to verify, and secondly, at that distance, a sect's influence within the city is unlikely to be significant. There's not much need for verification.

Let me see what kind of forces are suitable for making a name for themselves in this show. Neither the righteous nor the demonic paths are easy to navigate. If you really want an easy way to start a business, you need a force that is both righteous and evil, able to operate in both the legal and illegal worlds.

"You're the one, a third-generation disciple of Bailin Cave. This sect had some disciples captured during the last battle, which gives us a basic understanding of their sect rules and customs."

Dao Tian quickly adjusted his attire, draping a white shawl over his left shoulder—a common style of dress for disciples of Bailin Cave.

As for his name, there's no need for any disguise. Using his original name will make it easier for those behind him to conceal his true identity and guard against various divination-based attacks.

At the gates of Zhelan City, two guards saw a man with an accessory at his waist and a peculiar white shawl draped over his left arm approaching. Instinctively, they wanted to stop him to collect the city tax. Not everyone with an accessory was a Gu Master; many mortals had previously donned such flashy outfits to fool them. But before they could even raise their hands, the white-clad figure raised his hand. A terrifying chill emanated from his palm, condensing into a massive ice crystal. The radiant cold made the two guards tremble, and without a word, they let him pass. This man's strength far surpassed that of a first-level Gu Master; he was not someone they dared to offend.
Dao Tian blended into the city effortlessly, and no one found his presence out of place as he walked the streets. Aside from the white shawl on his shoulders, his attire was virtually indistinguishable from that of any other passerby. Such distinctive attire is usually used by certain sects, families, or other powerful groups to differentiate themselves.

According to the original plan, he should have gone to the carriage company dressed like this, directly hiring a caravan to take him to his destination. However, this clear-cut purpose and his route towards the eastern border would attract too much attention. Even if his own whereabouts were difficult to predict, the traces he left behind would not be protected.

Therefore, Dao Tian didn't rush to the carriage shop; instead, he found an inn and chose to stay there. Money was obviously not a problem. He carried a full five million yuan stones, which was almost enough to buy the power of a family ruled by a fourth-level expert. As a result, he didn't need to worry about daily expenses.

As he settled in the city, legends about him began to circulate. A Gu Master with the potential to reach the third rank of cultivation had arrived in this city. Such strength had already made him a well-known figure, and everyone with even a little bit of information was discussing him. What was he doing here?

Dao Tian appeared aimless, but in reality, he had already secretly unleashed a deadly reconnaissance tactic, employing principles similar to radar and X-ray imaging. He could clearly observe the every move of countless people in the city through numerous obstacles.

Soon, he gleaned a wealth of crucial information from their hushed conversations. Like searching keywords in a browser, the most frequently mentioned topic recently was the Tiger King's Treasure, a legacy supposedly left behind by a fifth-rank master who, after being severely wounded in a duel, passed away peacefully in the mountains. The rumors were detailed and detailed. This legacy was hidden in the mountains 300 miles to the east, and it might open soon. Those skilled enough to inherit it would be qualified to obtain the treasures within, or even the legacy itself, inheriting the legacy of this fifth-rank Tiger King.

Dao Tian, ​​with his vast experience in the martial world, heard the entire city talking about it, even suspecting that he was also among those vying for the Tiger King's treasure. He had a pretty good idea of ​​what was going on. Currently, there was no movement in the mountains, yet rumors were already flying everywhere. Based on his experience, there was most likely no real Tiger King's treasure. Whatever the conspiracy was, it wasn't important to him. Instead, it was a perfect opportunity for him to play along and get involved, thus acquiring an identity for himself.

Sometimes, the quality of one's identity is not important; what matters is the position one occupies. For example, being wanted by the police may seem to bring nothing but harm, but if one wants to escape legitimately and work with human traffickers legitimately, then being wanted and hunted by the police can actually make all one's actions seem reasonable.

"Tsk tsk, I wonder if I'll be hunted down if I thwart the plans of those secretly plotting this?" Dao Tian already had an idea in mind, but he wasn't in a hurry to execute it. Among the intelligence he had gathered were some other useful pieces of information.

For example, right now, in a courtyard house on Sanshu Street, there is a hidden underground palace beneath a secluded side room. Inside the palace, dozens of ragged mortals of all ages are imprisoned.

The heavy metal shackles left them no chance of escape, and outside the iron fence of the underground palace lay a horrific scene resembling a slaughterhouse.

An elderly-looking man, his limbs pierced by iron nails and nailed to a wooden board, had a wad of cloth tightly stuffed in his mouth, preventing him from making a sound even as he struggled and screamed. A Gu master, his face veiled in black, held a blood-red crystal in his hand. In the terrified gaze of the elderly man, the Gu master mercilessly plunged the crystal into his heart, piercing him through.

In the blink of an eye, the crystal merged into his body. The old man screamed in terror, unaware that his body was swelling. His withered body grew stronger the fastest. In just a moment, his powerful physique freed him from the iron nails, and even his wounds healed. Astonished, he felt an inexhaustible surge of power within him. This gave him a moment of clarity, and without hesitation, he attacked the man whose face was covered by a black cloth. Regardless of how he obtained his power, defeating the man was the only way for him to escape.

The sheer power was unbelievable to him; the wooden planks beneath his feet cracked under his weight. But before he could land a punch, his body suddenly stiffened. His opponent had merely pointed a finger. All the blood in his body rushed to his chest, where it condensed into a crystal even more vibrant red than before, which was then extracted. His body, as if aged decades in an instant, became mummified and sprawled on the ground, struggling desperately but barely able to move.

The man, his face veiled in black, touched the crystal, held it in front of him, and took a deep, blissful breath. He then walked towards the cell.

The boy closest to the door in the cell retreated in terror toward the corner: "Don't kill me, don't kill me, help!" The boy screamed in terror, but his throat was grabbed and he could no longer make a sound. He was then mercilessly dragged toward the wooden board that had just been used to slaughter a human.

Without a doubt, the underground palace hides a demonic Gu master, and what he uses is a rather unorthodox technique among the blood-path killing moves to enhance his own strength.

The boy watched helplessly as he was about to perish, his eyes filled with deep despair. He was utterly powerless, watching his limbs being nailed to the wooden planks.

Just as the other person was about to insert the red crystal into their body, a blinding ray of sunlight shone into the underground palace. At the entrance of the palace, a young man with a white shawl draped over his shoulders leaped down, landing right between the two.

[To be continued]

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