Longevity Thunder Ancestor

Chapter 960 The Sudden Ban
Another ten days or so have passed.

Ning Fa and the others, who had already flown over a million miles, were immediately taken aback.

A towering, black city had appeared ahead.

"We've finally arrived in Aisa City. Fortunately, the journey was uneventful."

Xiao Pengyuan stroked his beard and smiled.

The others also nodded with smiles.

Apart from the one time they encountered a bronze carriage that appeared to be carrying a high-level Tianli cultivator, the journey was relatively smooth with no major risks.

But at this moment, Ning Fa frowned slightly.

Through his divine sense, he discovered that many Tianli cultivators seemed to be leaving Aisa City, which seemed unusual.

This made him feel uneasy.

As the group flew closer, the others also noticed something was wrong.

"What's going on? Why are all the Li people leaving Aisa City these days, and they all look so unlucky?"

Bai Yueqiu also looked puzzled.

The others also looked grim, clearly sensing that something was amiss.

Before long, the group landed not far from the south gate of Aisa City.

Ningfa put away the monstrous bird, and the group headed towards the city gate.

Many cultivators could still be seen leaving the city, all looking dejected.

A burly man in the late stage of Core Formation, dressed only in yellow animal hide and exposing his massive, iron-like chest, got into an argument with the guards at the city gate.

He cursed loudly, "You were the ones who issued the previous call to action, saying that as long as we come here to hunt savage beasts, you will buy them back at a high price."

Upon hearing this, Lao Tzu dropped everything else and traveled thousands of miles to come here.

And now you're telling me the entire Wanling Mountains are closed off, not even the outer areas are open? Aren't you just messing with me?

But the guard was equally adamant, scoffing, "This order was issued by the Holy Temple itself. If you have the guts, go talk to the elders of the Holy Temple."

Upon hearing this, the burly man was speechless. He muttered something under his breath and left through the city gate, cursing under his breath.

When Ning Fa and the others saw this, they looked at each other in dismay, their faces turning grim.

They finally understood why so many people had left the city of Isa.

"What's going on? Why is Wanling Mountain suddenly closed to entry? Such important news, why didn't the inside source tell us?" Xiao Pengyuan asked telepathically, his brows furrowed.

Ning Fa also looked solemn and slowly shook his head: "Judging from this, the lockdown order for the Wanling Mountains was probably only recently implemented."

Otherwise, you wouldn't see so many people like us coming from afar.

Sensing the hundreds of streaks of light also rushing towards them, everyone agreed with Ning Fa's assessment, but also felt an even greater sense of unease.

This is really too unfortunate.

Then everyone looked at Ning Fa, who replied with a unchanged expression, "No matter what, we still need to go into the city first to take a look."

As he spoke, he strode towards the burly man and smiled, "Brother, my name is Li Feng. I heard that the rewards for hunting beasts in Aisa City are very high, so I brought a few friends here to hunt beasts."

But now it seems that even the Wanling Mountains are closed to entry. What has happened? Fellow Daoist, could you enlighten me?"

The burly man glanced at Ning Fa. He noticed that Ning Fa was of average build and looked unremarkable, but his peak late-stage Core Formation realm made the man's heart skip a beat.

He immediately laughed heartily and said, "So it's Fellow Daoist Li, from Xia'echen. You've only been in Aisa City for a short time."

As for the sudden closure of the Wanling Mountains, I am not entirely clear about that.

However, rumors circulated that spies from Cangyuan were attempting to break the protective barrier around the Wanling Mountains, which is why the Holy Temple ordered a complete closure.

"What? A spy from Cangyuan?" Ning Fa was stunned when he heard this news.

What's going on? They just arrived here, where did these other Cangyuan spies come from?

Ning Fa did not believe that Layman Xuyuan would send anyone else to carry out this task.

Those who heard this nearby were surprised and their faces turned grim.

"This is just a rumor. In my opinion, the temple is just spreading this rumor to deceive us."

More likely, it's the mutated beasts in the Wanling Mountains that are attacking the seal, and the Holy Temple is saying this to avoid causing panic.

At this moment, the burly man spoke again, his eyes flashing with a sharp light.

Ning Fa's eyes flickered slightly. Although what the other party said was very likely, he still had a bad feeling in his heart.

This is truly an inauspicious start.

At this moment, the burly man invited with a smile, "Fellow Daoist Li, we can no longer go to the Wanling Mountains. Why don't you all come with me to the Tunyun Mountains to hunt savage beasts?"

The pay there is a bit lower than this, but it's still very good.

With the addition of you all, along with some of my friends, we could even target fourth-tier savage beasts. After all, many savage beasts, while possessing Nascent Soul strength, don't have high intelligence.

Ning Fa slowly shook his head: "Thank you for your kindness, brother, but the reason we came to Aisa City is not only to hunt wild beasts, but more importantly, we need some spiritual herbs unique to this mountain range."

So we're planning to wait a bit; maybe the lockdown will be lifted soon.

The burly man's eyes showed regret, but he didn't try to persuade him further: "Then I wish you all good luck, fellow Daoists. But in my opinion, this ban won't be lifted easily for several years."

With that, the man soared into the sky and quickly disappeared. The others immediately looked at Ning Fa, who said in a deep voice, "Let's go into the city first and gather information."

Soon the group arrived at the city gate.

The guard commander, who possessed mid-stage Core Formation cultivation and eyes like a hawk, glanced at Ning Fa and the others with a slight look of surprise on his face.

"I saw that you fellow Daoists just spoke with that E'chen, so you should know about the situation in this city. Why do you still plan to enter the city?"

“The Hundred Immortal Herbs of the Wanling Mountains are very important to us, so we still plan to try our luck. I wonder if you have any news about when the ban will be lifted?” Ning Fa said with a smile.

Ning Fa's polite attitude eased the first commander's expression, and he suddenly realized, "So you need the Thousand Soul Grass. This grass can indeed only be found in the Wanling Mountains."

However, because the area deep in the mountains has long been sealed off, this herb has become extremely precious, especially now that even the outer areas are no longer allowed to enter.

You can try your luck at some of the big shops in the city; maybe you can buy one.

As for when this ban will be lifted, I can't say for sure.

"Alright, fellow cultivators, please come in. With your cultivation levels, there's no need for an entrance fee."

Ning Fa's gaze narrowed slightly. He cupped his hands in greeting to the man and then led the way into the city, with the others immediately following.

This was Ningfa's first time visiting the city of the Tianli people.

On both sides of a main road that was several tens of feet wide, there were various pavilions and buildings, and their architectural styles were completely different from those of Cangyuan.

It is not as exquisite and graceful as the architecture of Cangyuan. It even looks simple and unconventional, but it also looks rugged and grand.

Moreover, despite the ban, there are still quite a few cultivators in the city.

After all, this city is closest to the Wanling Mountains. Many cultivators used to enter these mountains to hunt wild beasts, and most of the treasures or spirit beast materials they obtained were traded directly in this city.

Therefore, this city is also very rich in spiritual resources, especially many of the materials that Cangyuan does not have.

Suddenly, Ji Lianxing stopped and stared at a shop on the right with a ferocious beast's head hanging at the entrance, her face full of surprise.

"That's a Seven-Leaf Blood-Transforming Grass! And it's just sitting there in the exhibition hall on the first floor!"

Xiao Pengyuan was also looking at a black branch-like object on a counter in the store's showroom, his face full of interest.

Bai Yueqiu was also staring intently at another shop nearby, and even unconsciously swallowed.

Only Sang Wen remained calm, seemingly unmoved.

Ningfa stopped, a thoughtful look on his face, and then transmitted his voice: "It seems that everyone has a lot of things they need. In that case, let's split up and go our separate ways."

However, while gathering resources, please also gather intelligence. We'll meet at the inn we just passed tonight.

"Very well, Fellow Daoist Ning's words are exactly what I think."

Ji Lianxing's eyes lit up, and she couldn't wait to walk towards the shop.

Xiao Pengyuan clasped his hands in a respectful gesture and left as well.

"Hehe, then I'll be going too. I can smell the aroma of top-grade spirit beast meat. Fellow Daoist Ning, would you like me to bring some back for you? It would be of great benefit to us body cultivators."

Bai Yueqiu said to Ning Fa with a grin.

"No need, Fellow Daoist Bai, please feel free to do as you please."

Bai Yueqiu pursed her lips and walked away.

Ning Fa then looked at the calm-looking Sang Wen: "Fellow Daoist Sang, how about we..."

Before he could finish speaking, Sang Wen had already walked straight ahead.

"I also happen to need something, so I'll take my leave for now."

Ningfa shook his head, ignored her, and chose to walk in another direction.

Since they were all high-level cultivators, they didn't need him to take care of them like a nanny.

Although Ningfa was also interested in many materials from this place, he wasn't in the mood to collect them at the moment.

After all, it's still uncertain whether we can even get into the Wanling Mountains.

For Ningfa, whether or not he could complete this mission was secondary.

After all, he was confident that as long as he advanced smoothly, it would be no less significant to Cang Yuan than breaking through that restriction.

The problem is that he has to enter the Wanling Mountains to obtain the Thousand Soul Grass.

Thinking of this, a determined look flashed in Ning Fa's eyes. No matter what, he had to get this herb.

Moreover, although this herb is precious, some large merchants in the city of Aisa might have it in their collection.

Thinking of this, Ningfa immediately strode towards a nearby magnificent seven-story pavilion.

As night fell, Ningfa and his companions gathered again in a room of the largest inn in the city of Aisa.

Ji Lianxing, Bai Yueqiu, and Xiao Pengyuan all had smiles on their faces, clearly indicating that they had made considerable gains in the city over the past few days.

Although Ning Fa's expression remained normal, there was a hint of helplessness in his eyes.

Although he didn't explore the entire city that day, the several large merchants he visited didn't have any information about the Thousand Soul Grass.

Despite Ning Fa offering exorbitantly priced spirit stones and some high-level spiritual items, the shopkeepers remained unmoved.

He simply smiled wryly and said that the Thousand Soul Grass is a high-level spiritual item that is strictly controlled by the Holy Temple. Once discovered, it must be handed over to the Holy Temple. If it is found to be kept privately, the consequences will be very serious.

(End of this chapter)