"Hahahaha," a hoarse yet somewhat shrill voice rang out. Then, City Lord Mei walked in through the door, smiling as he cupped his hands in greeting to the crowd. "Esteemed juniors, this old one is late. Please forgive me."
His appearance remained that of a fifteen-year-old—not only had his features not matured, but even his voice was still in the stage of breaking. This City Lord Mei looked truly young, yet with his every movement, everyone in the room was respectful and deferential, treating him as their superior. Regardless of background, when facing a Nascent Soul cultivator, Core Formation cultivators had to maintain appropriate courtesy. This principle held true everywhere, with no exceptions.
After City Lord Mei finished speaking, all the Core Formation cultivators in the hall politely returned the gesture. Some even replied, "You are too kind, City Lord Mei. As our senior, we have only waited a short while. How could we dare to take offense?"
Hearing this, City Lord Mei smiled slightly, swept his gaze around, and sat down in the host's seat. Seeing everyone else still standing, he said, "Please, everyone, be seated."
Only then did the cultivators in the hall sit down, one after another.
Mo Tiange and Qiu Chengruo sat down nearby. Nie Wushang and Yong Ruyu also returned to their side, each taking a seat.
The hall fell into silence, broken only by the faint sound of City Lord Mei sipping tea.
After a while, City Lord Mei set down his teacup, faced the crowd, and announced loudly, "Esteemed juniors, this old one is an impatient person. The purpose of today's gathering, I presume, is already known to all of you."
"Naturally, City Lord Mei," said a burly Demonic Cultivator with mid-stage Core Formation cultivation. "We are also impatient people. Please speak plainly." As soon as he opened his mouth, two early-stage Demonic Cultivators beside him chimed in agreement.
Mo Tiange had noticed them earlier. These three were likely together, with the burly Demonic Cultivator as their leader. The other two kept calling him "Big Brother," though it was unclear if they were blood brothers or sworn brothers. These three were quite arrogant in their words and actions. Earlier, when everyone was gathered and talking, they had repeatedly observed the few Righteous Cultivators among them, their gazes not particularly friendly.
City Lord Mei smiled slightly and said, "Junior Jinshi, don't be impatient. Since this old one has invited you all here, I will naturally explain everything clearly."
He paused, then continued in a loud voice, "Esteemed juniors, for the opening of the secret land, you have already waited a long time in my Xingluo City. Some of you have even waited over a month, delaying your time. For this, this old one offers his apologies. Now, fifteen Core Formation cultivators have agreed to this old one's request and are willing to venture into the secret land. The number is sufficient. Therefore, today, this old one will open the secret land's restrictions and allow you juniors to enter and try your luck. How does that sound?"
Upon receiving this definite news, most of the cultivators present showed joy on their faces. They were willing to stay here precisely for this Ancient Secret Land. Otherwise, why would these Core Formation cultivators be willing to waste their time? Now they could finally achieve their goal and no longer wait in vain.
Seeing everyone's expressions, City Lord Mei was quite satisfied. He said, "The specific information about the secret land should already be known to you all from the mouths of my Xingluo City elders, so this old one won't elaborate further. Regarding this secret land expedition, this old one will only mention two points. First, this secret land is likely an ancient trial ground. Each trial lasts at most three days, after which all trial-takers will be ejected from the secret land. So, please make the most of your time. Second, regardless of what rewards you obtain during the trial, this old one does not care. But if you obtain the Heavenly God Fruit, you must hand it over. Otherwise, this old one has some methods of his own..."
At this point, City Lord Mei's eyes swept over the crowd, filled with authority. Before this, his attitude had been amiable and his words polite, without the slightest air of a Nascent Soul cultivator. Only now did everyone feel that the person before them was a genuine Nascent Soul cultivator.
Seeing everyone fall silent, as quiet as cicadas in winter, City Lord Mei laughed heartily again. "Esteemed juniors, there's no need to be too tense. Regardless of success or failure, as long as you emerge from the trial grounds, this old one will offer a small token of appreciation for your efforts. Although you are all Core Formation cultivators and likely won't think much of it, it is still a gesture of this old one's goodwill."
"Hehe," it was the burly Demonic Cultivator from earlier who spoke first again, offering an ingratiating smile. "City Lord Mei, you are too courteous. That you allow us to enter the secret land is already more than we could ask for."
This time, City Lord Mei merely smiled slightly without responding. He continued, "Very well, esteemed juniors. I imagine everyone is eager. Let's not waste any more time and set off now."
With that, City Lord Mei stood up, strode out of the hall first, then flicked his sleeve and stepped onto his flying treasure. After everyone had exited the hall, they followed City Lord Mei, transforming into streaks of Escape Light as they pursued closely.
At this moment, the idle cultivators in Xingluo City witnessed this rare sight: over twenty streaks of Escape Light of various colors swept across the sky above Xingluo City, looking as if all the city's Core Formation cultivators had gathered together.
"Hey, hey, everyone, look at the sky!" shouted a cultivator who loved to stir up trouble. "So many Core Formation cultivators! Where are they going?"
Hearing his voice, people continuously emerged from the streets and shops, looking up. "Wow, it's true! So many people. Have all the Core Formation cultivators in our Xingluo City mobilized?"
"Are they going to fight?"
"Maybe they discovered some treasure and are going to snatch it from people in another demonic region."
"Tsk tsk, so many Core Formation cultivators. How impressive..."
"Yeah, when will I be able to form my Golden Core and be impressive like that..."
Of course, the Core Formation cultivators flying through the sky couldn't hear the envious words of these low-level cultivators. They were focused on following City Lord Mei to the secret land.
After leaving Xingluo City and entering the Xingluo Mountains—what the Dongtang Kingdom called the Jialing Mountains—Mo Tiange felt the demonic energy growing fainter. As they gradually penetrated deeper into the mountain range, mist filled their vision, making it impossible to discern their direction.
"Fellow Daoist Mo," Nie Wushang transmitted quietly after flying for a while, "do you remember the path we took to get here?"
Hearing this, Mo Tiange tried to recall but was shocked. "I can't remember clearly." A cultivator's memory was far better than a mortal's. They could easily recall events or people from decades ago. Mo Tiange had never experienced a situation where she couldn't clearly remember a path she had just traveled.
She carefully tried to recall. She remembered clearly after leaving the city, but after entering the mist, she could only remember the general turns they had made, not the specific distance they had flown.
Thinking of this, Mo Tiange looked at Nie Wushang. Both had cold sweat on their foreheads. That mist was definitely problematic, but they didn't know if the others had noticed.
At that moment, City Lord Mei, flying at the very front, suddenly turned his head and said, "Esteemed juniors, this is the Maze Mist of Xingluo City. Aside from disorienting, it has no other harmful effects. There's no need for you to worry."
Hearing this, Mo Tiange and Nie Wushang exchanged a glance, seeing vigilance in each other's eyes.
City Lord Mei was a Nascent Soul cultivator, a realm above theirs. Their secret transmission just now must have been overheard by him, prompting this specific explanation. But in their eyes, this behavior only heightened their alertness. With City Lord Mei present, it seemed impossible for them to communicate privately.
Unable to communicate, they could only ponder separately. Mo Tiange calmed her mind and began to think slowly. She was accustomed to acting alone. For now, she would assume Nie Wushang wasn't present and make decisions by herself. After all, since meeting Nie Wushang, their ways of handling matters had been quite similar, so she figured their thoughts wouldn't differ too much.
They were currently in the Maze Mist, with City Lord Mei leading the way. Escaping was unwise. In that case, they could only be patient and wait to see how things developed. No matter what, aside from City Lord Mei's own subordinates, there were fifteen Core Formation cultivators here. Surely he couldn't deal with them arbitrarily.
Thinking this, Mo Tiange felt slightly more at ease. She glanced at Nie Wushang, who returned her look. They exchanged a knowing smile and continued on their way.
After a while, the mist suddenly cleared. City Lord Mei was the first to stop in mid-air, announcing loudly, "Everyone, we've arrived. This is the location of the secret land. There is miasma below. Please take out the wooden puppets this old one previously gifted you."
Hearing this, the other cultivators took out their puppets and equipped them.
Mo Tiange hesitated for a moment, glanced at Nie Wushang, shook her head slightly, then took out the Taiji Bagua Diagram from her Qiankun Bag and placed it in her sleeve, signaling Nie Wushang to come closer.
With the Taiji Bagua Diagram's function of stabilizing Yin-Yang and the Five Elements, plus the Clear Wind Jade Dew Pill she had already given Nie Wushang earlier, dealing with this minor miasma shouldn't be a big problem.
They hadn't moved for a while, and City Lord Mei finally glanced at them. Fortunately, he didn't pay too much attention, as other cultivators also had alternative methods and weren't using the puppets. This wasn't strange. Which Core Formation cultivator didn't have a few secret techniques? Guarding against miasma was a trivial matter that naturally couldn't stump them. It was just that each person had their own specialties; those less confident chose the puppets provided.
"Now that everyone is ready, let's descend," City Lord Mei said. Transforming into a streak of Escape Light, he descended in an instant, clearly displaying the methods of a Nascent Soul cultivator.
Following him, several elders from Xingluo City he had brought along also descended. Seeing this, the others followed closely.
When everyone had landed, Mo Tiange looked up. This place was a small canyon. The mountain slopes weren't particularly steep, and the terrain wasn't treacherous. The passages on both sides were quite wide. At first glance, there was nothing unusual. They were currently standing on a small elevated area within the canyon, with a slightly higher cliff behind them and a lower basin ahead.
This place no longer had demonic energy, but it also lacked spiritual energy. There shouldn't be a Spirit Vein here. An Ancient Secret Land was actually in such a place? However, this wasn't impossible. The ancient era was fundamentally different from today. Perhaps the Spirit Vein had long since vanished amidst the changes of time.
"Esteemed juniors," City Lord Mei turned around, smiling. "The secret land this old one spoke of is right here. Starting now, this old one and a few elders will activate a secret technique to open the restrictions. You juniors, seize the time."
With that, City Lord Mei wasted no words. He summoned several elders from Xingluo City. With him at the center, a total of six people walked down a stretch of the path and stood firm in the basin.
Then, following City Lord Mei's command, under his lead, the six cultivators—one Nascent Soul and five Core Formation—simultaneously performed the secret technique. Instantly, six beams of light lit up, piercing straight toward the sky.