From waterfowl, it began to transform into the Great Sun Golden Crow.

I close my eyes to the verdant mountains, where the long river flows into the sea.

Tangjiabao is situated above a river, and contains a giant windmill that is slowly propelled by the water flow. The watchtowers built in Tangjiabao are quite peculiar.

Half of its building is submerged in water, while the other half stands on land.

Although it is a low-lying area, it is often damp.

However, Tangjiabao has an internally made talisman, which is a water-repelling talisman. It can transform water vapor into a weak spiritual energy.

Tang Jingxuan held a whisk in both hands, closing her eyes to calm her mind.

Tang Jingxuan didn't have many hobbies; his usual pastime was watching the mountains and listening to the rain. As a genius of the Tang family, he was also the one who crafted this water-repelling talisman. He was a genius talisman maker in the family, with unfathomable skill in talisman making.

In less than three breaths, a tall, burly man walked over.

The man had a crisscrossing scar on his face. He was handsome, yet his features were fierce. His eyebrows were drawn straight through.

To say it's imposing is an understatement; it certainly is.

"Second Brother Jingxuan, I visited the Li family a few days ago, and the Li family is now engulfed in flames. Last night, an evil cultivator infiltrated the Li family's observation tower and stole one of the Li family's three most precious treasures in a single night."

"Second brother, although we are in a remote area, we should still be careful."

Tang Jingxuan frowned slightly before opening her eyes.

He possessed a unique skill called "Taoist Twelve-Finger Deduction." While calculating with his fingers, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"That evil cultivator only seeks wealth, not life. But his audacity in breaking into the Li family's official residence is something I underestimate."

The dark-skinned man was named Tang Chenghu.

The Core Formation cultivator, with a calm and clear mind, had not made any achievements in alchemy, talisman making, or the Eight Trigrams since childhood. However, his path of physical cultivation had been smooth sailing.

Compared to his younger brother Tang Jingxuan, he lacked some of his talent.

Jingxuan, the second younger brother, was exceptionally intelligent from a young age. Before he turned twelve, he was already discussing tea tasting and appreciation with the elders in the family. Although he knew that his second brother was the future of Tangjiabao, he did not like the refined and scholarly ways.

"Brother, do you know why I ordered you to seal off the city?"

Tang Chenghu shook his head.

Although he didn't know what his second brother meant, he was never ambiguous when it came to matters of principle.

The second-generation head of the Tang family was also a ruler who maintained the status quo.

However, the one who devised the strategies for this ruler who was trying to maintain the status quo was none other than his second brother, Jingxuan.

Tang Jingxuan slightly spread her two fingers. Three bright red crystals had appeared in the Qiankun Pillar hidden in her sleeve. The crystals had a dark glaze and faintly carried an evil aura.

"Even in the depths of winter, there are venomous snakes. Though they hibernate, they will bite you when spring arrives."

"Brother, in all these years, when have I ever asked you to recruit talented people and treat them with respect?"

Tang Chenghu nodded upon hearing this.

As family, he would never lie to himself. Tang Chenghu trusted his half-brother almost unconditionally.

But what he pulled out today made Tang Chenghu frown.

That's too eerie.

It even has a kind of malevolent, overwhelming quality.

This object was vermilion brown, covered in a foul-smelling, bright red blood. Tang Chenghu could even faintly detect the stench of wild beasts.

"Second brother, this heart-destroying thing is filthy. I won't say anything else, but the blood on it is human blood."

Tang Chenghu was not good at strategy, but he was not ignorant either.

The bloodstains were strange, unlike animal blood. Although they had the pungent smell of animal blood, they were also stained with human blood.

Tang Jingxuan nodded and revealed the secret behind it.

Things have come to this point; aside from the crisis of survival, Tangjiabao will also be in big trouble.

"The development of Tangjiabao over the years is evident, and our family started as fishermen."

"By sheer luck, I obtained its spiritual root and embarked on the path to immortality. But the mountains, rivers, sun, and moon are fraught with danger, and my family has been living in seclusion in the city, preparing for a future breakthrough."

"Over the years, Tangjiabao has taken in too many rogue cultivators. We don't know them all, and some will inevitably slip through our net."

"Brother, have you ever considered that there might be venomous, sharp-toothed ringed snakes within Tang Family Fortress?"

Tang Chenghu was secretly alarmed; if Tangjiabao wanted to develop...

Their recruitment of talented individuals was also for their own selfish reasons. They imitated the practices of traditional sects, taking in too many independent cultivators and allowing them to develop unchecked. Now, although the Tang family is the dominant force in Tangjiabao...

But now it is ultimately a different kind of sect.

Without the stringent requirements of sects for accepting disciples, it's only natural that a diverse mix of people would gather.

"Is there an evil cultivator infiltrated, Second Brother?"

Tang Jingxuan nodded, seeing that a storm was brewing, threatening to crush the city. A strong wind blew, carrying scattered yellow leaves. Dark clouds loomed overhead, a sure sign of the approaching rain.

"Two days ago, signs of corpse transformation appeared in Tangjiabao. Some rogue cultivators had their bodies completely destroyed overnight, turning into bloody figures."

"I killed them with one sword, but I found this thing on their bodies."

It turned out to be the case.

These past few days, Tang Chenghu, as the head of the family, went to the Li family. Representing Tang Family Fortress, he argued about the allocation of spirit stones and spirit mines.

But this happened just a few days later.

Tang Chenghu asked, "Then what should we do about this, Second Brother?"

Tang Jingxuan swept away his whisk and brushed the raindrops off his clothes. He stood up and stretched out his hand. A clap of thunder flashed across the sky, followed by a torrential downpour.

Water droplets flowed from his palm and fell to the ground.

Tang Jingxuan closed his eyes, sighed, and said calmly, "I have sealed off the city. Let's wait and see."

Raindrops from a downpour.

It landed on Gu Heting's ark.

The rain started out of nowhere. Jiang Qiushui took out a water-repelling talisman, which flew into the sky and stuck to the bow of the ark.

Soon, a thin film formed around it.

It kept out the torrential rain.

"Why is this rain falling so suddenly? Just a few dozen minutes ago, the sky was clear and blue, and suddenly it's pouring rain," Gu Heting said, sticking his head out.

He was held tightly in Xiang Wanqing's arms.

I'm too lazy to struggle anymore.

"That's just how the weather is in Wushan; it rains without any warning. You'll get used to it."

He thought back carefully.

What Xiang Wanqing said was correct; the weather in Wushan was indeed influenced by the misty mountains in front of it. Abundant moisture and frequent rain were to be expected.

These past few days, Gu Heting has been observing the sky and rain, and has gained a general understanding of the situation.

"Junior sister, we've arrived." Jiang Qiushui stood at the front, gazing into the distance.

The architecture of Tangjiabao is quite strange.

A huge windmill stands above the flowing water. It's more like a small town than a castle. The largest windmill is the biggest attraction of Tangjiabao.

Above are twelve-cornered Western-style buildings, layer upon layer. The largest building should be the main building of Tangjiabao.

Below, however, are carved bluestone tiles.

Many brick and tile houses stand side by side. At the four corners of the tile houses, there are carved horse-head walls.

This enormous town was encased in black and gold stone, and its surrounding walls were massive blocks. A hole was carved into the center of each block, through which water flowed.

The ark landed.

But then, many sword-wielding immortals appeared in the sky.

They were dressed in blue, wearing carved jade pendants. A large character was engraved on the jade pendants.

——Tang characters

"Please wait, everyone. Tangjiabao has been under martial law for three days."

"If you are a reclusive cultivator, Tang Family Fort will refuse to receive you."

"If any of you have a gate number, we will inform the city lord."

The speaker was an elderly man with white hair. He was dressed in a dark blue robe. The robe was embroidered with brocade patterns, and just by looking at his clothes, one could tell that he was a person of considerable status.

The white-haired old man landed with his sword and waved to the flying boat above.

"Please hand over your tokens to me so I can observe them for a while."