Chapter 90: Gu Yun Cheng

He finished speaking.

Song Haolin immediately stepped onto the Sky-Traveling Airship first, and Li Mu and the other Outer Disciples followed in an orderly manner.

When everyone stepped aboard, the airship's gangway slowly retracted!

Uhh…

Above the airship, a muffled horn sounded.

The black‑iron wings positioned on both sides first trembled slowly, then began to flap violently.

The wind howled, a gale suddenly rose!

The Sky-Traveling Airship slowly rose into the air, stirring up gusts of sand and wind.

The airship ascended gradually, soaring higher and higher.

In no time, it had already reached a height of a hundred meters.

Li Mu stood at the bow, looking down.

Only then did he deeply realize the true meaning of the saying, "No years pass in the mountains."

He recalled that when he had trudged on foot to the Enlightenment Monument to undergo the Ziyang Sect assessment, it was still a scorching summer day.

But now.

Between heaven and earth, it was already early autumn.

Riding the Sky-Traveling Airship at speed, Li Mu had passed through many towns along the way.

Some towns flourished, their lights dazzling, appearing bustling with noisy crowds.

Other towns were desolate and bleak, nine out of ten houses empty, like a dead city devoid of life.

The next morning.

The sunrise began, the morning light was faint.

The Sky-Traveling Airship moved swiftly, reaching the destination in less than a day.

Since the town lacked a place for the airship to land, Song Haolin ordered the crew to set the airship down on a vacant field near the town.

He then led the four‑ and fifty‑numbered Ziyang Sect Outer Disciples, riding swift horses, charging grandly toward the town.

After half an hour of riding, Li Mu gazed from afar; ahead a city loomed, faintly visible in the distance.

The towering walls, piled from black rock, rose as high as twenty‑five to twenty‑six meters!

Time had etched countless dents into the rocks.

The city exuded a sense of antiquity.

Above the city gate, three large characters—'Gu Yun Cheng'—were carved in a lively small seal script resembling soaring dragons and dancing phoenixes!

Gu Yun Cheng, built by the river, was essentially the largest town within a hundred‑li radius and the destination of their journey.

Li Mu, unhurried, trailed the rear of the main force, and with keen interest examined the 'Gu Yun Cheng' inscription on the city gate.

He rode through the towering gate and entered the city.

Li Mu then turned his attention to the interior of the town.

He saw that Gu Yun Cheng, true to its name, was an exceedingly antiquated and charming town.

Upon entering, the first sight was a lake fringed with drooping willows.

The thin morning mist rose behind like a delicate veil, giving the scene a uniquely poetic atmosphere.

He looked around.

He could see the small arched bridges over flowing water and the mortise‑and‑tenon wooden houses.

Riding among them even gave Li Mu the illusion of returning to the water towns of Jiangnan from a past life.

But it differed from the imposing grandeur felt before entering the city.

When Li Mu and his companions stepped into Gu Yun Cheng, the town that should have been bustling was now with every door and window shut tight, so quiet that one might even think—

"Is Gu Yun Cheng a dead city now!"

The town's abnormality instantly made many Outer Disciples subconsciously become on guard.

In contrast, Song Haolin at the front of the line, one hand gripping the reins, walked forward with a leisurely demeanor.

Soon.

About twenty men were seen lining up in two rows on either side, bowing to greet, most of them middle‑aged men.

All were clad in official robes, clearly the local officials of Gu Yun Cheng gathered here to receive them.

When these officials saw Song Haolin, Li Mu and the others riding high‑headed horses, each face displayed a mix of tension, humility, anxiety, and unease.

"The true cultivators of the Immortal Gate have finally arrived!"

The officials, upon seeing the newcomers, exchanged glances, then lifted the wide official robes in both hands and hurriedly greeted them.

Song Haolin, upon seeing the arrivals, immediately tightened the reins, halted, and waved his hand.

He signaled the Outer Disciples behind him, including Li Mu, to also stop their horses and pause.

"Ah…"

"Esteemed true cultivators who have traveled from afar."

"I have been hoping for stars, hoping for the moon; at last I have finally awaited you, true cultivators!"

Then a middle‑aged, plump man, dressed in a teal‑gray robe, wearing a black silk hat, embroidered with a sandpiper on his chest, his face exuding a scholarly and easygoing air, stepped briskly forward from the front of the line.

While speaking, he raised both hands above his head and bowed deeply to Song Haolin and the Ziyang Sect disciples, his demeanor respectful.

Bang!

But before the middle‑aged fat man could say another word, the blue‑stone pavement before him suddenly exploded.

Following immediately came Song Haolin's cold, unfeeling voice.

"Did I let you come?"

"Retreat fifty steps!"

"Yes, yes, yes…"

The middle‑aged fat man was so frightened his face turned pale, yet he kept his hands raised above his head and, bending his waist, stepped backward.

His legs trembled incessantly, and he didn't even have the courage to meet Song Haolin's gaze, clearly having his nerves shattered by the previous scene.

Hum—

Seeing the middle‑aged fat man retreat again with a terrified expression, Song Haolin let out a disdainful snort.

He pulled from his bosom an old, plainly fashioned bronze mirror.

But then—

The bronze mirror appeared as if eroded by something, its surface covered with mottled, fine cracks.

Just by its damage, one couldn't help worrying whether the mirror would shatter at any moment.

After taking out the mirror, Song Haolin pressed his right index and middle fingers together and, channeling his mana, swiftly inscribed a string of arcane gray sigils on its surface!

When the final stroke fell, the bronze mirror seemed to be revitalized, shimmering with flowing light and drifting mist.

Song Haolin immediately flipped the mirror and, aiming it at the middle‑aged fat man and the Gu Yun Cheng officials, shone it upon each of them in turn.

After the reflections showed human silhouettes, Song Haolin tucked the mirror back into his bosom and fixed his gaze once more on the fat man.

"You are the magistrate of Gu Yun Cheng, aren't you?"

"Tell me in detail, which Demon Race has appeared in Gu Yun Cheng?"

"And how many people have been brutally killed by this Demon Race!"

Demon-Detecting Mirror!

Back when the Named Disciple assessment took place, Li Mu had heard Qian Wenyi mention this item to him.

Even a Concentration Realm cultivator, even someone like Song Haolin who has reached the third shackles, the "Great Freedom", cannot identify a Demon Race's disguise with the naked eye alone.

One must employ the artifact: Demon-Detecting Mirror!

Forging this Demon-Detecting Mirror demands an extremely high level of cultivation.

Even the lowest‑grade Demon-Detecting Mirror can only be forged by a Divine Ability Realm master.

Any Demon Race exposed to the mirror's surface, provided its cultivation is not higher than that of the forger, will be instantly discernible as human or demon on the mirror.

For cultivators, such an effect is exceedingly superior, saving much trouble when traveling the world and hunting Demon Races.

But the only flaw is that—

Moreover, this kind of Demon-Detecting Mirror is not permanent; it is a consumable artifact!

Each use leaves tiny mottled cracks on the mirror's surface.

Until the bronze mirror shatters completely, the Demon-Detecting Mirror remains a mere mortal object.

Thus, Song Haolin is here on a Ziyang Sect Outer Disciple assessment mission, using the sect's Demon-Detecting Mirror.

If he were undertaking the mission himself, he would only draw the mirror out when absolutely necessary.

After confirming the identities of the Gu Yun Cheng officials, Song Haolin gave the magistrate a glance, signaling him to continue.

"Yes, yes…"

Duan Jiangyuan still held his clothes aloft above his head, his head bowed low, daring not to meet Song Haolin's eyes, his teeth chattering as he spoke.

"I, the subordinate, am named Duan Jiangyuan, the magistrate of Gu Yun Cheng."

"About a week ago, I heard reports that a Demon Race was wreaking havoc in the city; by last night, the demons had slain twenty‑five citizens…"

Mid‑sentence—

Duan Jiangyuan gave a signal to several clerks behind him.

Soon—

One after another, many clerks arrived carrying bundles of straw mats, untied the ropes and spread them out.

But on each mat lay a victim.

A full twenty‑five people!

Moreover, what was even more horrifying was that every victim's head was missing, leaving only an irregular wound at the neck.

At a glance—

It was as if a beast had ripped them off with brute force, the attack brutally savage, leaving only body features to distinguish gender.

"Honored immortals from the Celestial Gate, please subdue the demons and save the three thousand innocent citizens of Gu Yun Cheng."

Moved to tears, Duan Jiangyuan crawled on the ground, pressing his head to the earth, pleading bitterly.

"If the Demon Race is not eliminated in a day, Gu Yun Cheng will never know peace!"

"Very well…"

"You must promptly arrange for these bodies to be cremated, lest the Demon Race's removal cause an epidemic in Gu Yun Cheng."

Song Haolin waved his hand, speaking calmly.

"Yes, yes, yes…"

"I, the subordinate, will arrange for it right away!"

Duan Jiangyuan ordered the clerks to roll the bodies back onto the straw mats and carry them away, then stepped back to his sides, bowed again, and made a respectful gesture.

"Honored immortals, you have traveled a long and arduous road; I have prepared some wine and dishes at the residence, and hope you will not find them lacking."

Song Haolin nodded, dismounted, and led the Outer Disciple group to a lavishly arranged courtyard residence.

After a moment—

A table laden with sumptuous, extravagantly delicious dishes was carried in by the servants, like a flowing banquet.

After three rounds of wine and five servings of dishes,

Duan Jiangyuan clapped his hands, and the servants immediately lifted three large wooden boxes.

Two boxes were opened, and the white sparkling spiritual stones were neatly arranged inside.

Under the clear blue sky, they reflected a burst of pearl‑like brilliance!

If all the spiritual stones from these three large wooden boxes were poured out, it would truly embody the idiom "piled up like a mountain," and anyone who saw it would be immensely shocked.

Li Mu and many Outer Disciples stared at the scene with eyes gone slightly blank, and some Outer Disciples even felt their throats tighten, unable to stop swallowing saliva.

Within the Ziyang Sect, hard currency is the sect contribution points.

But throughout the Qian Kun Realm, when it comes to hard currency, nothing circulates better than spiritual stones that contain the Qi of heaven and earth.

"Esteemed guests have traveled thousands of miles to Gu Yun Cheng to subdue demons and eliminate evils; this is merely a small token from the townsfolk, and we hope the true beings will not disdain it."

Duan Jiangyuan smiled, bowed his hands, and scoffed,

"We cultivators naturally take subduing demons and eliminating evils as our duty,"

"Magistrate Duan, no need for such courtesy!"

Looking at the three large wooden boxes filled with spiritual stones, Song Haolin, who had kept a cold, unsmiling expression since entering the city, finally broke into a brilliant smile.

Then, Song Haolin lightly tapped the jade pendant at his waist; a flash of light streaked by, and the three large wooden boxes brimming with spiritual stones vanished.

After receiving the benefit, Song Haolin left the mansion satisfied, while Duan Jiangyuan stood at the doorway to see him off respectfully.

"Damn!"

"Another Spatial Jade Pendant?"

"Damn the rich!"

Li Mu also rose and left, but his gaze remained fixed on the ancient‑styled jade pendant with repeated engravings that Song Haolin wore at his waist.

Back then, he had coveted the Spatial Jade Pendants worn at the waists of Yao Mengzhen and Qian Wen.

Alas, the price of those items was astronomically high; even exchanging sect contribution points would require at least a six‑digit sum.

But soon, Li Mu would no longer need to envy.

If Song Haolin were to die, wouldn't that Spatial Jade Pendant become his?

Just as Li Mu was wildly excited by the thought, a disturbance again arose in the Heavenly Dao Treasure Scroll within his Sea of Knowledge!

Originally only the second page of the scroll had been partially uncovered; now there were signs of it being opened further!

This is just like the situation when I participated in the Named Disciple assessment and faced the lizard people.

No different at all!