Chapter 836

Facing the laughter and teasing of the crowd, Lao Jiu Gui didn't get angry, still wearing a foolish smile, especially when seeing the shopkeeper bring out wine, Lao Jiu Gui instantly became happier.

He hurriedly poured the wine into his wine gourd, took a big gulp, and murmured with an expression of enjoyment.

"Hehe, the wine is not bad, just too little."

Upon hearing this, the cultivator beside him laughed and said.

"Lao Jiu Gui, this jug of wine is enough to fill your gourd, you won't again claim that your gourd is some kind of spiritual treasure, right? Haha."

"Haha."

After these words, another round of laughter broke out, while Lao Jiu Gui paid no heed, drinking his wine comfortably, looking like he was shaking his head and swaying.

Actually, many cultivators harbor no ill will toward Lao Jiu Gui; otherwise they wouldn't have voluntarily invited him to drink.

Moreover, over the past half month, although some people dislike his habit of bragging, no one has deliberately made things difficult for him.

Everyone laughs solely because life at the Iron Prison Pass is too bitter.

One must always be on guard against Barbarian Tribe attacks, and there is nowhere to have fun inside the Iron Prison Pass; the only pleasure is drinking wine.

Before the cultivators accustomed to life and death, Lao Jiu Gui's appearance, including his bragging, seemed to bring a bit of enjoyment to many cultivators.

Even many cultivators, not knowing since when, have unknowingly come to enjoy listening to Lao Jiu Gui brag.

Although everyone knows it's all fake, listening is fun; occasionally joking a couple of sentences also lets everyone enjoy themselves.

An afternoon passed quickly; night fell, Lao Jiu Gui staggered out of the tavern; some cultivators also preparing to leave saw Lao Jiu Gui about to leave and all laughed and said.

"Hey, Lao Jiu Gui, want to come to my place? You sleep on the streets all day like a beggar, nowhere near heroic."

"Haha."

"Yeah, yeah, my place works too."

The crowd burst into another round of laughter; this Lao Jiu Gui has no fixed lodging in the Iron Prison Pass.

Earlier, a cultivator offered him a deserted courtyard, which could serve as a temporary shelter, but this Lao Jiu Gui is strange; in the end he didn't take it.

He would rather have the sky as his blanket and the earth as his bed than have a place that shelters from wind and rain.

This time was the same; facing the crowd's invitation, Lao Jiu Gui waved his hand unsteadily, grinning.

"Thanks for your kindness, but I, old man, am accustomed to living wherever I go; suddenly having a home feels uncomfortable."

"Hey, you old thing, having a home and you're not happy?"

"Haha, heroes always need a bit of temper."

"Never mind, never mind, you old stubborn one, come drink again tomorrow; I'll still treat you."

"Okay."

Upon hearing someone invite him to drink, Lao Jiu Gui became even happier; then, under everyone's gaze, he turned and staggered off into the darkness.

Watching Lao Jiu Gui disappear into the darkness, the cultivators then laughed and shook their heads.

Really a strange old fellow; there's no place he shouldn't go, yet he insists on coming to the Iron Prison Pass, and still talks about living wherever he goes; I've never seen such a strange person.

But everyone's already used to it; they didn't think much more, and one by one they went their separate ways.

The night grew deeper and deeper; inside the Iron Prison Pass at night, it became extremely quiet.

This is the normal situation for a mighty pass; Wan Yao Pass is completely an exception.

Where else would you find, like Wan Yao Pass, a scene of extraordinary liveliness even in the deep night?

The true life of a mighty pass is dull and boring; besides Xiūliàn and drinking wine, the rest is battle.

Moreover, once battle erupts, it means someone will fall, it means parting and life-and-death separation; thus the two words 'mighty pass' more represent sorrow, loneliness, desolation.

A night no different from usual, but in such an ordinary, utterly ordinary night, the cultivators on duty, originally everything was normal, but suddenly someone discovered, how did the Formation protecting the pass close?

With a puzzled look, he said to his companion.

"How did the Formation close?"

You should know, the Formations of the three mighty passes are absolutely impossible to close, especially the outward-facing side, which is normally open year-round.

Even if it requires enormous resources, it is never closed.

Because once the Formation is gone, facing external invasion, this so-called mighty pass is utterly indefensible.

Not to mention the Emperor Realm; even if a Shèngjìng expert came, without the Formation's protection, a casual strike could easily crush this so-called mighty pass.

Therefore, the Formation is the key factor protecting the mighty pass.

But at this moment, the Formation facing the Barbarian Tribe side of the Iron Prison Pass has actually closed.

This left many of the cultivators on duty stunned; how could the Formation close?

"Quickly go inform the Elder."

Someone immediately went to inform tonight's duty Elder.

And the Elder, upon hearing the news, quickly rushed to the lord's manor.

The Formation's control is set up in the lord's manor; only there can one determine whether the Formation is closed or opened.

All the way he rushed straight to the lord's manor.

The current Iron Prison Pass is a special period, ah; the people below may not all know, but as an Elder he is very clear.

That is, the current Iron Prison Pass has no Emperor residing.

Previously, the Emperor ancestor who resided over the Iron Prison Pass from Yunluo Holy Land temporarily returned to Yunluo Holy Land due to affairs and has not yet returned.

At present, everything in the Iron Prison Pass is managed by several Great Saint Elders from Yunluo Holy Land.

With the Emperor absent, and now the Formation mysteriously closed, this Elder is therefore so panicked.

After all, if at this time they encounter a full-scale attack, things would become troublesome.

Moreover, how could the Formation possibly close for no reason? This is absolutely impossible.

As for saying something like resources are exhausted, that's even more impossible.

Every month, Qingtian Holy Land transports a batch of spirit stones sufficient to keep the Formation running; moreover, inside the Iron Prison Pass, spirit stones are stored year-round enough to sustain the Formation for a year.

In other words, even without aid from the holy land or the outside world, the spirit stone reserves of Iron Prison Pass alone are enough to keep the formation running for a year.

Under these circumstances, how could the formation possibly just shut down for no reason?

Many speculations welled up in his mind, but none of them held water.

Just as that Elder hurried toward the City Lord's Mansion, the old drunkard who had been leaning against the wall of a narrow alley also opened his eyes slightly.

His eyes were clear and bright, with no trace of the daytime drunkenness; the eyes that had always seemed unable to open were now as sharp as a blade.

His gaze drifted toward the horizon, where the originally bright moonlight was slowly being covered by a thick layer of dark clouds, the darkness obscuring the moon as if foreshadowing that something was about to happen.