Shushan: Extinction

Chapter 275 Controlling Yan Renying

Two hours later, the grand council officially came to an end.

Just as the group was about to leave, Gong Tianwu said:

"Imperial Preceptor, please wait."

Guangxiao lowered his eyebrows and said:
"Perfect timing, I also have something to report."

After everyone left, Guangxiao said:
"According to reliable intelligence, the success of the Great Qian has aroused the ambitions of the monarchs of at least five countries. If we can hold out for three months, then another emperor may very well emerge in the entire Great Wilderness."

Gong Tianwu laughed heartily and said:

“Wanting to become emperor and daring to become emperor are two different things.”

Guangxiao then said meaningfully:

"Your Majesty, we must not overlook another powerful force: the demon race!"

Gong Tianwu's heart skipped a beat; he had really forgotten about this.

In the eyes of the demon race, this conflict between mortals and cultivators is nothing more than an internal strife among humans, and they are afraid that the two sides will not fight each other!

Therefore, it doesn't seem impossible that the demon race could intervene and support the creation of a human empire.

At the same time, Guangxiao added:

"By the way, Your Majesty, according to Ming Zhenren (Ming Zhenzi), several Great Saints of the Demon Clan have recently been frequently appearing near the mountain gates of Emei, Blood God Sect, Baiman Mountain, and Xuanyin Sect. Their threatening intent is palpable."

"This is probably why the attacks we've been receiving from cultivation sects haven't been as intense so far. These cultivation sects are also afraid that if they go out, the demon race will launch a sneak attack and destroy their stronghold."

Gong Tianwu nodded, and said meaningfully:
"I see. No wonder the situation is developing much better than I expected. It turns out there was such a variable."

Filial piety:
"What I mean is, should we take the initiative to contact the demon race?"

Gong Tianwu shook his head and said decisively:
"There are inherently irreconcilable conflicts between the human and demon races. Private cooperation between individuals is harmless, but exchanges or even cooperation at the national level are not acceptable!"

"A great nation should at least appear to be on the right path; otherwise, the damage to its reputation will be enormous if it gives others grounds for criticism."

Guangxiao nodded silently.

Immediately afterwards, Gong Tianwu said:

"The reason I stayed behind as the Grand Preceptor this time is because the Western War Zone shared some information with us. They killed an elder of the Blood God Sect and thus obtained very detailed methods for refining the Blood Demon Basin and the Blood Infant."

"This officially completes the incomplete text I provided earlier. It is precisely because of this that the Gewu Research Institute has thoroughly deciphered the physical body left behind by Yan Renying and achieved great results. It is a Stone Cell Immortal Body!"

A glint of light immediately appeared in Guangxiao's eyes:

"Stone-Bug Immortal Body?"

Gong Tianwu nodded and said:
"That's right, this is a body-refining technique that is far more advanced than the Blood Demon Basin. The general theory is to find a unique spirit stone as a cell, and then use a secret technique to inject your essence blood into the stone."

"Then, the stone cell was placed on a special ley line node, allowing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to nurture and nourish it."

"Once it matures, you can obtain a celestial body from it, and this celestial body will be perfectly compatible with you. Your soul can enter it at will without any drawbacks."

Upon hearing this news, Guangxiao was immediately intrigued.

Although his situation was much better than before, the body he had taken over was definitely not as good as the original, and even if they were well integrated, some minor problems would still arise.

For example, when eating, you might find that a piece of fatty meat that smells delicious suddenly tastes sour that makes your teeth ache. That's one thing, but when eating noodles, your mouth might suddenly taste like urine, which is just unsolvable.

Another example is when writing, suddenly your hand can't keep up with your brain's commands; your brain tells you to pick up the pen, but your hand takes two seconds to lift it.
These problems naturally infuriated the monk Guangxiao. Therefore, upon hearing Gong Tianwu's words, Guangxiao immediately said:
"Can we try to create this Stone Cell Immortal Body now?"

Gong Tianwu said:

"This is what I wanted to talk to you about. The Gewu Research Institute needs things left behind from your physical body, such as teeth, hair, nails, bones, etc., but ashes are not acceptable."

The monk Guangxiao pondered for a moment and said:

"I need to think about this carefully. I'll take my leave now."

After watching Guangxiao Monk leave, Gong Tianwu bid farewell to Yang Qianmin and then severed the Water Mirror Technique.

After gathering all the information, Gong Tianwu breathed a long sigh of relief. Overall, the situation was much better than he had anticipated.

After all, in the previous calculations, being able to retain fifty counties after the establishment of the Great Qian Dynasty would be the passing grade.

In such a pleasant mood, Gong Tianwu snapped his fingers, and the Wulou Guard brought him a box. Upon opening it, he found a stone inside.

This thing doesn't look too unusual, but the feeling of holding it in your hand is a bit strange, like touching flesh.

"Now that the secrets of the Stone Cell Immortal Body have been uncovered from your physical body, you are no longer of any use to me."

A cold smile appeared on Gong Tianwu's lips, and he suddenly exerted force with his five fingers.

The next second, the stone let out a scream:
"no, do not want!!"

More importantly, the sound emanating from the stone was unmistakably that of Yan Renying.

It turned out that Gong Tianwu's feeling during the battle on Trapped Island was indeed correct. After Yan Renying realized something was wrong, he decisively separated from his physical body and used the method of his soul residing in a foreign object to feign death.

This is why his physical body could remain in a vegetative state—because his soul was responding from not far away.

The foreign object that Yan Renying possessed was a specially crafted magical artifact called Corpse Returning to Reality.

This object has the ability to transform into surrounding objects, capturing their likeness perfectly, and can even allow souls to reside within it and be nurtured, although it takes a relatively long time to transform each time.

If Yan Renying hadn't been caught after turning into a stone, he could have transformed his corpse into the appearance of an ordinary disciple after just one day and escaped successfully.

However, this thing also has obvious drawbacks. It only has the ability to disguise itself, but no ability to defend itself. Once it is exposed, it will be at the mercy of others.

Upon hearing Yan Renying's pleas for mercy, Gong Tianwu's lips curled into a smile:
"Very well, if you want to live, then it depends on your performance. Tell me everything you know!"

***
Ten days later,

As expected, the cultivators of Linquan Sect could not hold back and launched a surprise attack on the severely weakened Feixue Sect.

The two sides already had a deep-seated blood feud, and now they were entangled in a major conflict of interest involving a fourth-grade spiritual vein and a spiritual mine.
The Linquan Sect was able to endure for ten days entirely because they were cautious and testing the reactions of the other righteous sects.

Needless to say, the Flying Snow Clan must be in a terrible state right now, with the remaining members crying and pleading for justice.

However, Feixue Sect is a vassal sect of Qingcheng Courtyard, so it is extremely difficult for Qingcheng Courtyard to provide support and assistance.

The reason is that Qingcheng Villa is also in dire straits, suffering heavy casualties. Six Foundation Establishment disciples and more than a hundred Qi Refining disciples have fallen on the battlefield, and a Great Sage of the Demon Clan has appeared near the mountain gate multiple times.

Therefore, faced with the cries of despair from the Flying Snow Sect, Qingcheng Courtyard could only send its ushers to offer some platitudes and temporarily take in the remaining members of the Flying Snow Sect.

However, at this time, Gong Tianwu's propaganda machine went into full swing, spreading the tragic situation of Feixuemen and making it known to the whole world.

Those vassal sects that were on the front lines immediately felt a sense of shared fate and began to slack off and go through the motions. The most direct manifestation of this was that the pressure on Ye Yuanjing's side was greatly reduced.

What happened next was unexpected. Qingcheng Courtyard felt they had lost face, so they managed to squeeze out some of their forces to launch a surprise attack on Linquan Gate.

As it turned out, Gong Tianwu was already waiting for them to make their move!
Not long after the cultivators of Qingcheng Courtyard were mobilized in large numbers, the Northern War Zone launched a full-scale offensive. Daqian already had a slight advantage on the battlefield, and with Qingcheng Courtyard diverting its forces to leave, it immediately became unable to hold on and its army seemed to collapse like a house of cards.

After an hour of fierce fighting, the Anguo allied forces could not withstand the onslaught and suffered heavy casualties, with heads rolling and blood flowing like rivers. They captured three cities in succession.

Of course, the biggest loss for the Anguo Allied Forces was the annihilation of nearly 30,000 elite troops.

It should be noted that veterans are rare, and moreover, inscription technology is now widely used in warfare. If Anguo were to train 30,000 similar elite troops, it would take at least a year.

After this battle, the Northern Theater Command officially entered a state of counter-offensive.

What made the people at Qingcheng Courtyard even more furious was that they found nothing at the Linquan Gate; it was completely deserted, leaving only an empty shell.

It's like throwing a punch and landing on empty air, so painful you almost feel like you're going to vomit blood.

Later they learned that, under immense pressure, the people of Linquan Sect had actually defected to the Daqian Empire.

This immediately shocked many people in the immortal sects, but upon closer reflection, they didn't find it particularly strange.

After all, the emperor of the Great Qian Empire is no ordinary person. He is said to be a peak Foundation Establishment expert with extremely powerful strength, so there is nothing shameful about surrendering to him.

Secondly, if you consider the Great Qian Empire as a super-large sect, then wouldn't it make perfect sense to pledge allegiance to it?

Another crucial point is that the Great Qian Empire's attitude towards the Immortal Sects was not one of annihilation, but rather one of seeking cooperation and mutual benefit while reserving differences.

Activities such as guiding others to immortal realms, mining spirit stones, and collecting spirit herbs can all be carried out normally.
However, the immortal sects had previously taken advantage of these actions for free, but now they need to seek cooperation. For example, the immortal sects need to offer some conditions in exchange for the imperial court:
For example, immortal sects help with alchemy, and immortal sects also contribute when the imperial court needs to recruit cultivators.

Although it was an exchange, the conditions were quite lenient. For the people of Linquan Sect, it seemed like they were at a disadvantage to agree to these conditions.

However, after the two sides cooperate, the resources they obtain will be twice that of Feixuemen! So it seems that it's not impossible to negotiate.

Soon, the powerful propaganda machine of the Great Qian Empire widely publicized the treatment of Linquan Sect, which made some suppressed or frustrated sects restless.

Another month later, the Daqian Dynasty used various propaganda channels to claim that it had begun construction of a "Taoist Pavilion" in the capital.

This building, eight stories high, will store all the books related to cultivation acquired within the empire, categorizing them into eight areas:
Tao, Secret, Elixir, Instrument, Technique, Plant, Mineral, History

The Dao Pavilion stores cultivation methods, totaling 113 types.

The Secret Pavilion stores corresponding supernatural powers, totaling 248 categories.

The Dan Pavilion records the prescriptions for alchemy, totaling eighty-four chapters.

The Weapon Pavilion contains blueprints for refining weapons, totaling ninety-six.

The Plant Pavilion is a collection of books on spiritual plants and their cultivation, totaling twenty-six volumes.

The Mining Pavilion is a collection of books related to the gathering and refining of spirit ores, totaling thirteen books.

The History Pavilion records anecdotes, legends, and illustrious figures of cultivators, totaling 1,458 volumes.

All of the above are secondary; the key is the last sentence, which directly ignited the world:

All the books in the Zangdao Tower are free and open to anyone in the world. Anyone who is willing to abide by the laws and regulations of the Great Qian Dynasty can borrow the books and even copy them to take away!
Under these circumstances, the Great Qian Empire easily weathered the most difficult first two months, and the Northern and Western theaters had been completely stabilized, with only the Eastern theater still in chaos.

***
One year later,
Juyan,

This place has since been renamed Jidu.

This place is the only city in the entire Great Wilderness without city walls.

When building this city, Gong Tianwu drew inspiration from the layout of the ancient Mujiang City, combining inscriptions and Taoist magic to create a unique way of constructing and laying out the city.

Although they couldn't find the Ficus microcarpa, they used another tree called the Weeping Fig, which grows in symbiosis with another type of Ficus microcarpa.

Three days after planting, the Green Wood Growth Technique can be applied to make it grow to a height of five or six meters in just one week, with a dense and flat canopy, resembling a platform, which looks somewhat similar to a short and large dome mushroom.

At this point, all that's needed is to prune, secure the branches, tie them, shape them, and then attach wooden sticks for the vine to grow, and you can form the basic shape of a two-story treehouse. If it's taller, a three-story treehouse is also possible.

Then, have a carpenter carve out a one-bedroom room in the massive tree trunk, and build a second floor on top, and you'll have a wonderful treehouse.

Most remarkably, this construction method is incredibly fast. With mass planting and the application of the technique, a street hundreds of meters long can be built in just ten days, and the houses along the street are still alive.

Meanwhile, next to Jidu is the famous lake "Leiheze", which covers an area of ​​more than 200 square kilometers and has large areas of reeds, wetlands and other wetlands, and is rich in fish.

It is worth mentioning that ten years ago, this place was a vast expanse of saline-alkali land, where nothing could grow.

It was Gong Tianwu who ordered the people to build a lake embankment first, and then divert water from the Yanzhi River to turn it into a super-giant artificial lake, which became a vast expanse of water.

The land near "Leiheze" was also transformed into high-quality farmland, making this place the "Jiangnan of the Northern Frontier".

The busiest and most bustling place in Jidu is undoubtedly Yuyuegang.

This port is located at the confluence of the Reheze and Yanzhi Rivers, covering a vast area with a permanent population of up to 300,000.

Just over a decade ago, this place was merely a small fishing port; now it has transformed into a bustling metropolis.

This place can accommodate more than 300 large ships and countless small boats, with ships shuttling back and forth. There are more than 30 large and small cargo yards for storing goods.

The daily throughput of goods is enormous, and even in the dead of night, the lights are still on. More than 70% of the restaurants and hostels are open all night.

The night was deep, and a thin mist still lingered.

Zhang Jun and Chen Ming stood at the bow of the boat, watching the outline of Yuyue Harbor gradually become clearer in the distance amidst the lights, and couldn't help but hold their breath.

The two were originally good friends, and what's even more remarkable is that they had the aptitude and opportunity to successfully enter the Dao and become cultivators thirty years ago.

However, neither of them possessed outstanding talent, and they were also unlucky, failing to join a sect and becoming independent cultivators. As a result, they had no way of learning advanced techniques and were stuck at the pass for several years.

A month ago, Zhang Jun saw the grand opening of the Jidu Taoist Canon Building in a "World Express" newspaper, and when he read the names of the Taoist scriptures stored inside, his eyes instantly turned red.

His desire to seek the Tao was burning fiercely, and he finally could not restrain himself. He persuaded his friend to sell their property and travel to the Northwest.

Along the way, he felt that the closer he got to Jidu, the more vibrant the place became. Chen Ming originally didn't want to come, because he had been to the Yanzhi area more than ten years ago for a medicinal herb, and the place had left him with a very bad impression at the time, which could only be described as a bitter and cold place.

But now, the sentence Chen Ming says most often is:

"I never imagined that this place could change like this in just over a decade..."

"Look over there!" Zhang Jun suddenly exclaimed.

Chen Ming nodded, his gaze sweeping over the "navigation lights" floating above the port—floating lamps developed by the Inscription Division, powered by spirit crystals, burning day and night to guide ships at night.

In essence, it was a combination of hot air balloons and lighting technology, which solved a major problem affecting people's livelihoods.

These navigation lights, numbering over a hundred, illuminated the nearby waterways with crystal clarity, making it as bright as day.

At this moment, the merchant ship that Zhang Jun and Chen Ming were on was queuing up, waiting for the dozen or so merchant ships fully loaded with goods ahead to slowly dock. The "water-dividing patterns" inlaid on both sides of the ship could be seen shimmering slightly, making the ship move like an arrow and as stable as flat ground even when going against the current.

Soon, the boatman, Wang San, started shouting.

"Flatten the sails—lower the anchor—steady the rudder!"

You could see beads of sweat on his bronze face, and his rough hands slapping the mast, making the sail ropes rattle.

"Fish Leap Harbor is just ahead! Gentlemen, please pack your valuables and don't forget anything!"

After shouting towards the cabin, he turned and yelled at the crew at the stern:

"Er Gouzi! Stop slacking off and coil the mooring ropes properly! If you chip a piece of paint when we dock at the Bingzi pier, the boss will dock half a year's wages!"

As the boat captain shouted, the boat shuddered slightly, and the "slow current array" at the bottom of the boat was activated, gradually reducing the boat's speed.

The man squinted at the pilot waving the flag on the shore, then suddenly raised his voice:

"Hey, gentlemen on the shore, lend a hand! Today's cargo is Qingzhou silk, it can't withstand any bumps or knocks!"

Several dockworkers trotted over upon hearing the commotion, and Wang San turned around, cupped his hands in greeting to the passenger cabin, and softened his tone:

"Gentlemen, please be patient. You will be able to disembark once the inspectors have checked the ship's registration."

He pointed to the bronze bell hanging high on the shore:
"See? It's exactly 3:00 AM, the bell is about to ring to open the market, and our boat is perfectly positioned!"

Just then, a person suddenly rose into the air from behind, his Taoist robe fluttering, his movements incredibly graceful, like a large bird soaring through the sky, about to fly directly to the side.

Clearly, judging from this person's movements and posture, there was no sense of obscurity or forcedness; he was at least a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.

"This is... Wu Qilang?"

After taking a few more glances, Zhang Jun suddenly recognized the cultivator's identity.

This person was also a rogue cultivator, but he became famous because he defeated a Foundation Establishment elder of Emei within ten moves.

However, Zhang Jun did not expect that less than ten seconds after Wu Qilang floated into the air, a Qi Refining cultivator wielding a sharp sword flew out from the side and blocked his way.

Not only that, but more than thirty warriors dressed in light black armor suddenly appeared and flew out to surround them.

These warriors are all mortals, but they seem to be at the level of martial arts masters.

The reason they can fly is that they all have a standard device on their backs, which looks like a small book box, and powerful jets of air are ejected from below to make them float in the air.

Zhang Jun and Chen Ming also knew that this was one of the most famous inscription inventions in the Great Wilderness at present:

Wind Control Box!
This inscription, an invention of literature, granted mortals the ability to soar through the skies!
Therefore, warriors who wear the Wind-Controlling Box are also known as Wind-Controlling Warriors.

The appearance of this item even changed the entire war situation in the Great Wilderness.

Eight months ago, the Great Qian Empire had gained the upper hand on the main battlefield, but this also made many immortal sects feel a strong threat.

At this moment, under the strict orders of the Void Eye Organization, the righteous and evil factions joined forces to launch a powerful attack on the Northern War Zone!
The lineup for this attack can be described as extremely impressive, with more than 80% of the Foundation Establishment cultivators from the entire Great Wilderness Immortal Sect, as well as several thousand Qi Refining cultivators.

Furthermore, considering the issue of coordination between the two sides, the cultivators of Zhushan, who were skilled in formations, contributed their manpower and resources to form the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation, and then marched thousands of miles.

Although the number of cultivators involved is certainly not in the tens of thousands, there are at least several thousand cultivators at the Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining stages.

After uniting, the group of cultivators charged towards the central army camp where Gong Tianwu was located with overwhelming force, taking advantage of their ability to fly/glide.

Their intention was quite clear: to carry out a decapitation strike and kill Gong Tianwu, this "false emperor"!
But at this moment, Gong Tianwu revealed two trump cards, one of which was a large number of Wulou Guards wearing the Wind Control Box!

After martial arts masters gain the ability to fly, they are equipped with defensive rune armor, making them no less formidable in combat against cultivators. In particular, the Wulou Guards are all rigorously trained.

This battle was fierce and turbulent, with the heavens and earth changing color, and a fierce storm raging with thunder and lightning.

However, the battle lasted only a dozen minutes before the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation collapsed. After all, this group was still a disorganized mess, and after suffering less than 10% casualties, the remaining cultivators collapsed.

On the contrary, the casualties on the Daqian Empire's side were much heavier, with nearly 10,000 dead and wounded. In terms of the battle casualty ratio, it would take about ten Daqian elites to kill one cultivator.

The outcome of this battle was so great that it spread throughout the Great Wilderness without the need for the Great Qian Empire's propaganda apparatus to exert any effort.

This battle was named the "Battle of the Immortals," and not only Zhang Jun and Chen Ming, but even the old folks in the countryside were very familiar with it.

***
At this moment, after Wu Qilang was surrounded, the Qi Refining cultivator who was blocking his way coldly said:

“In Jidu, only cultivators who wear the Shenshang Token can fly. You are new here and may not know this, so please land quickly.”

Wu Qilang, whose temper was already volatile, immediately roared:

"Why?"

As soon as he uttered this rebuttal, the group of Wind Warriors surrounding him immediately tensed up, and then a buzzing sound began to emanate from the breastplates on their chests, as they simultaneously made aiming motions at him.

This is the second trump card that the Great Qian Empire revealed eight months ago: the Yin-Yang Unique Jade.

This item is only the size of a fist and is shaped like an octagon. It can be attached to a helmet or to the chest.

Once activated, it can unleash a ray of fire or ice, swift and fleeting, as it is a typical attack that concentrates power into a single point.

Its single Yin-Yang Ray is not too powerful, but on the battlefield, it is usually a dozen mortals who focus their fire on a cultivator at the same time, in which case even protective magic weapons will have a hard time withstanding it.

The flame rays emitted by the Yin-Yang Dubu Jue are called "Ten Thousand Miles of Rising Clouds and Smoke," and the icy rays emitted are called "Taiyin Xuanshu Flash."

In the battle against the banished immortals, at least 90% of the cultivators who were killed or injured perished under this object.

It is worth mentioning that now, eight months later, some master craftsmen of inscription have created inscription weapons similar to the Wind Chariot, but they are still significantly inferior in terms of agility.

However, no one has been able to successfully replicate the inscribed weapon, the Yin Yang Du Bu Jue.

When Zhang Jun and Chen Ming saw Wu Qilang trapped in a tight encirclement, they couldn't help but feel worried for him. They were also glad that they hadn't acted recklessly because of their status as cultivators.

Suddenly, the leading Qi Refining cultivator said calmly:

"Under the whole world, is it not the king's land, and the coast of the land is not the king's ministers."

"On the land of my Great Qian, one must abide by the rules of my Great Qian."

"If you still refuse to comply after we have warned you three times, then we will have to take you down and forcibly deport you."

"If you dare to resist arrest or use force during the capture process, you will be responsible for any deaths or injuries."

Wu Qilang's face immediately turned very ugly, and he looked quite caught in a dilemma.

Fortunately, Zhang Jun was a generous and kind-hearted person, so he shouted from the side:
"Is that Brother Wu ahead? Come, come, I have something to ask you."

With this step, Wu Qilang breathed a sigh of relief, snorted coldly, and descended towards this side. When he stepped onto the deck, he realized that his back was soaked with cold sweat.

At this moment, Chen Ming noticed that despite the huge incident that had occurred, the porters, boatmen, merchants, and even passersby around him all looked normal and continued doing what they were doing.

Clearly, similar scenes have played out many times in this place, so these ordinary people have become accustomed to it and regard it as part of their lives.

Undoubtedly, Wu Qilang was extremely displeased at this moment. After standing there for a while, he felt quite embarrassed, so he cupped his hands and said angrily:
"This godforsaken place is utterly boring and incredibly disappointing! I, Wu, would rather die than return here!"

After Wu Qilang finished speaking, he jumped onto another passenger ship next to him, seemingly about to leave.

After witnessing this scene, Zhang Jun and Chen Ming exchanged bewildered glances, feeling a growing sense of apprehension towards Jidu. However, having traveled a great distance, they knew there was no turning back.

As soon as the two stepped onto the dock, they saw a patrol team in black uniforms walking towards them. The captain in charge held a "Heart-Illuminating Jade," the jade surface emitting a faint blue light that could reveal the aura of cultivators.

"Gentlemen, are you new to Fish Leap Harbor?" The captain's tone was calm, but his gaze was sharp.

Zhang Jun cupped his hands and said, "Indeed, we two have come from Qingzhou and wish to visit the Zangdao Tower in Jidu."

The captain nodded, signaling the scribe beside him to begin taking notes:
"Please leave your names, hometowns, and cultivation levels so we can keep a record. This is not discrimination, but because the Great Qian is still at war with the six kingdoms, we must prevent people with ulterior motives from infiltrating."

What else could Zhang Jun and Chen Ming say? They could only obediently do as they were told.

Seeing that the two were very cooperative, the captain nodded slightly, took ten silver coins from them, and handed over two wooden plaques:

"This is a residence permit, which allows you to freely enter and leave most areas of the city. Remember, flying is prohibited within the city. If you have an emergency, you can rent a Wind Chariot for transportation."

"Remember to keep this token safe. If you stay here for a full month, you will need to obtain a new residency permit. When you leave the city, you can return the ten silver dollars by handing it over."

Chen Ming took the wooden plaque and curiously examined it. He saw that the plaque was engraved with fine inscriptions, with a faint glow of spiritual light flowing through it. The front of the plaque read "Residence Order" in large characters, while the back read "Valid for one month".

There were also two lines of smaller text that read:

This item can be handed over to the city patrol guards, or it can be handed over to any government-run inn in Jidu (the signboard of the government-run inn is made of the same material as this signboard).
After leaving the dock, the two walked along the main street.

Shops line both sides of the street, most of which have "bright light symbols" embedded in their signs, shining brightly and clearly visible even at night.

At the entrance of a restaurant, a waiter was calling out to customers using a "megaphone." This thing looked like an ordinary copper pipe, but it was actually engraved with amplification inscriptions, which could clearly transmit the sound to a hundred paces away.

"Would you two like a bowl of hot spirit rice porridge?"

"We just received a new batch of silverfish from Leiheze today, and they're incredibly fresh!"

Zhang Jun shook his head and declined, but his gaze was drawn to several "self-propelled wooden oxen" on the street corner.

These mechanical beasts, unmanned, steadily travel along predetermined routes and deliver goods to designated cargo yards, guided only by the "guide lines" on their axles.

"The art of inscription has permeated to this extent..."

Chen Ming murmured.

Zhang Jun took a deep breath, looked towards the majestic city walls of Jidu in the distance, and said softly, "Let's go, the Hidden Dao Tower is still waiting for us."

The two walked through the bustling streets, their figures gradually disappearing into the darkness, while the hustle and bustle of Fish Leap Harbor continued to surge like the tide, never ceasing.

***
Two hours later,

Chen Ming and Zhang Jun finally met Zangdaolou.

This building, which they longed for and dreamed of, was completely different from the sacred place in their hearts that gathered all the Taoist treasures of the world.

This place is located on the shore of Leiheze, with a straight road leading through it. This road is as hard as stone, enough for twenty people to walk side by side, and its surface is grayish-white.

However, both sides of the road were covered with layers upon layers of mulberry fields, which looked endless and green, like a green sea.

You can see farmers working among the trees, collecting mulberry leaves, and picking plump, dark mulberries.

Upon reaching the end of the main road, a manor suddenly appeared ahead. At the end of the three-zhang-wide bluestone steps, two cypress wood gates stood solemnly. In front of them was a square, but only a few dozen people lingered there, each of them seemingly lost in thought.

The gate was two zhang tall, painted entirely in a deep ochre color, without any carvings or decorations, only seven rows of nine copper nails arranged horizontally and vertically, signifying "seeking enlightenment through seventy-nine." The copper nails were polished to a shine, yet there was not a trace of ostentation.
Above the door hangs a pine wood plaque with three black ink characters that read "Cangdaolou" (藏道楼). The strokes are square and upright, without any hooks or flicks. The four corners of the plaque are covered with plain copper, the dark copper color blending seamlessly with the wood grain.

The door consists of two panels, each inlaid with a plain bronze door knocker. The knockers are unadorned, only their rounded curves revealing their shape.

A couplet was prominently displayed on either side of the main gate:
Immortals and mortals are fundamentally one; the Daoist heart cultivates nature and destiny.

Sacred and secular are of the same origin; the human world tempers the spirit.

The two stood there looking at each other, bewildered by the sight of the hidden Taoist pavilion and the couplets. They were truly wondering if they had come to the wrong place.

After hesitating for a long time, Zhang Jun finally stepped forward and said to the person next to him:

"Greetings, sir. May I ask if this is the Hidden Dao Pavilion?"

The man nodded, and said somewhat impatiently:

"Yes, yes, see that person in blue clothes over there? If you want to go in, find him. Don't delay my enlightenment."

The two then cautiously approached the man, explained their purpose, and were prepared to be ripped off.

However, the man didn't say much, only asked the two to show their residence permits, and then gestured for them to enter through the side door. He then added:

"If you two still have any questions after you go in, just come to an instructor like me."

(End of this chapter)