As the sun began to set, casting a soft glow over the mountains of the Nanhe Country, Bai Qiuran and his companions finished sorting through the gathered intelligence in the quiet mountain village. They prepared to disperse when Li Jinyao, suddenly taken aback by a remark, sighed and said, “It’s no surprise that you are indeed the Sword Ancestor. It took me two years to modify that technique successfully, yet you saw through it in an instant. Even my master took quite some time to notice.”
Bai Qiuran sat down at the table and gestured, “Please, take a seat, Miss Li. And you too, Ruowei, quit standing there like a fool.”
Li Jinyao responded with a smile. Some disciples from the Heavenly Saint Buddhist Sect stayed behind to guard the village while the rest followed Master Micro Dust to forge Tianwu. The elders from other sects returned to their posts, leaving Bai Qiuran to wander alone around the myriad locations across the Nine Provinces and Ten Lands, searching for useful information.
Bai Qiuran waved his hand dismissively. “All that we discuss now is just empty words. We should promptly try to predict the movement of the ancient city. I also need to think of some ways.”
He glanced at a pretty girl who looked like a neighbor, then at his slightly awkward disciple and said in amazement, “Hey, Ruowei, I’ve noticed that after some time apart, you always seem to bring a lovely girl before me… It turns out you were born into the wrong gender!”
When Bai Qiuran returned to the forging area, it was already night. Not long after the disciples assisting at the Xuanzhen Academy had exited, he was approached by his disciple Tang Ruowei, who had brought along a girl he did not know.
“Are you the Qingming Sword Ancestor?”
“That's what she knows; I wouldn’t harm her,” Bai Qiuran replied.
“But I’m not so sure. The places where the ancient city has appeared do not align with the ley line nodes.” Tang Ruowei widened her eyes. She understood what her master was referring to. Acting casually, she adjusted herself before gritting her teeth, “This is Senior Sister Li Jinyao from the Heavenly Demon Sect. She told me she wanted to meet you.”
Despite the vastness of the Nine Provinces and Ten Lands, after wandering a while, Bai Qiuran had still not encountered the ancient city. However, after some careful observation and conclusions drawn, both the Righteous Dao Alliance and the Demon Sect had begun to discern certain patterns in the movements of the ancient city.
Li Jinyao paused for a moment, then chuckled bitterly, “As expected of the Sword Ancestor. It took me two years to modify this technique successfully, while you saw right through it. Even my master took a long time to catch on.”
Bai Qiuran gave his disciple a sidelong glance after hearing Li Jinyao’s tone. After the mountain village in Nanhe Country had their intelligence sorted, Bai Qiuran’s group dispersed again.
“Look!” said Li Jinyao.
“I don’t understand,” Tang Ruowei chimed back with confusion.
The first key insight determined that the ancient city did not limit its movement to Qingzhou; traces of its existence were found throughout the Nine Provinces and Ten Lands, but the frequency of its appearances lessened the further away from Qingzhou one traveled. From their findings, combining Bai Qiuran and Huangfu Feng’s observations on the timing of the stele’s activation, they suspected that the interval between the city’s disappearance and reappearance was approximately three days.
Li Jinyao’s thoughts turned serious. “You’re the mysterious Heavenly Demon Body they’ve been hiding?”
“Hmm, that idea isn’t entirely flawed.”
Bai Qiuran looked at her with surprise upon hearing the name.
The next key insight revealed that every time the ancient city appeared and vanished, a thick fog always accompanied it. When Li Jinyao reined in her charm, Tang Ruowei finally regained her composure, shaking her head and asking, “Is this terrifying allure also a side effect?”
At that moment, Li Jinyao unexpectedly radiated an overwhelming charm, catching the unguarded Tang Ruowei off guard, turning her face bright red, while Bai Qiuran remained indifferent and expressionless.
“You’re indeed the Heavenly Demon Body they’re keeping secret.”
“That’s what she knows; I wouldn’t harm her.”
The third insight stated that the spots where the ancient city disappeared left behind a lingering vortex of spiritual energy that did not fade away easily.
“Alright, now that we’ve seen it, you all should return to your work,” Bai Qiuran instructed.
If the people nearby reached a certain number, the ancient city would activate, attempting to abduct them. If the bell was insufficient to capture the target's attention, strange dark creatures would appear, forcibly abducting the targets. These creatures seemed to be transformed bodies of abducted individuals, and the specifics of such transformations were unknown, inferred from observations of Elder Liu’s recording stone.
Rumors had long circulated that Su Zongzhu and the Sword Ancestor shared a close relationship. Bai Qiuran lightly considered it, “You mean you heard this from Su Xiangxue?”
It turned out that Su Xiangxue was quite relaxed about their relationship, almost defenseless in her trust for him.
Li Jinyao continued, “Given her nature as the only Heavenly Demon Body born in the next three thousand years, hiding from the Righteous Dao Alliance would be crucial.”
“It’s remarkably wise to consider such diverse powers,” Bai Qiuran replied. “But do keep in mind, the movement of such a colossal ancient city will indeed rely significantly on the force of the ley lines.”
“And I wonder if the ancient city might be employing other forces as well? After all, the power available in this world isn’t limited to ley lines.”
“Such as the power of celestial phenomena?” Bai Qiuran raised an eyebrow, intrigued by the thought.
This dialogue and insight continued as they plotted further moves to unravel the mysteries of the ancient city, already considering the possibilities that awaited them in this vast world stretching across the Nine Provinces and Ten Lands.