Chapter 142: Opening the Gate

He's not even worthy to be a Dao sect disciple—just a scum who colludes with demon cultivators to become a robber cultivator. Wen Xin escaped the fire ant swarm and immediately ran into Hong Gongzi's impromptu party.

She wanted to avoid them as soon as she realized they were strangers, but the vast desert offered no cover.

Yet Hong Gongzi kept pressing her to join his team, but the moment he saw she wasn't an East Continent cultivator, he turned hostile first.

"Fellow Daoist, you seem to know our East Continent better than we do."

"Don't make things hard for our little sect." The beautiful female cultivator gestured to her junior brother and the Danxia Mountain cultivators to keep looting, skipped over Wen Xin, and spoke directly to Jiang Yu.

Wen Xin frowned, but also looked at Jiang Yu: "This person will be a serious threat if let go."

Jiang Yu nodded: "Yes, but we can't kill him."

I've wandered the East Continent for a few years—did you hear the battle sounds nearby?

Over there are two disciples of the Myriad Immortal Sect, one of the Ten Great Dao Sects, and this person on the ground is from the same sect.

As for the demon cultivators who attacked us, let's just say it's water under the bridge.

But this place probably isn't just us who came in—can you be sure killing a Dao sect inner disciple won't be seen by someone lurking? Don't forget, the two sides often interact.

After hearing that, Wen Xin stopped shouting to kill him, merely snorted coldly, stepped back, and took healing pills; she knew Jiang Yu was hinting she should guard against the three cultivators ahead.

Here, I've already handed the beautiful female cultivator three bottles of top‑grade nourishing spirit pills: "I'm Jiang Yu of the Heavenly Origin Grand Void Sect; I wandered the desert before and even met cultivators from Dragon Emperor Island."

"I've met a few too; it seems this cave heaven opened early, so things are indeed different." The Danxia Mountain cultivators only teamed up with demon cultivators for self‑defense after encountering outsiders from the Outer Immortal Realm.

He took the bottle of nourishing spirit pill the female cultivator gave him, opened it on the spot and tasted it—the potency was excellent, and it contained several unusual ingredients.

If there weren't anyone from the Azure Mystic Sect around, he'd want to ask Jiang Yu for a prescription.

Jiang Yu suddenly couldn't hear the fighting from the next street over; she wanted to have a look and asked, "How did you get in here?"

"……" The beautiful female cultivator grabbed her would‑be speaking junior brother—what a dimwit—since they were clearly trying to shoo them away, she said, "I'm Ouyang Nian of the Azure Mystic Sect."

"Fellow Daoist Jiang, your East Continent accent is excellent; if you have time, come to the East Continent and pay a visit to the Azure Mystic Sect."

"Well then, farewell." As she spoke, she launched several fireballs, reducing the three demon cultivators to ash.

Jiang Tu sent Jiang Yu a mental message: "I saw the three demon cultivators' souls sink into the ground and disappear."

But my spiritual sense can't penetrate below the surface.

Jiang Yu only listened, didn't speak, and swept her gaze over the area ahead where she couldn't see what was there.

Meanwhile, the Hong Gongzi on the ground was lifted by the female cultivator and handed to her junior brother; after bidding farewell, he walked straight down the left street, with no intention of going to the neighboring street to look for the Myriad Immortal Sect disciples.

Jiang Yu, thinking the same, saw them off, then immediately turned back to the crossroads.

Then she suddenly turned back, looking at the ground that moments ago had been ash and blood—now it was spotless, not even a whisper of wind stirring.

Wen Xin followed two steps behind, but her sudden turn startled him into a jump; he spun and pulled out a heavenly thunderbolt, guarding against another ambush.

But seeing where Jiang Yu was staring—spotless—and then looking in the direction the beautiful female cultivator and her group had gone, there wasn't a single person in sight.

She couldn't help but suck in a breath of cold air: "Where are they? Just a moment ago there were still silhouettes."

"Hurry up." Jiang Yu sped up toward the crossroads; Wen Xin gritted her teeth and chased after her, calling, "Jiang Yu, we saw a city appear out in the desert and were suddenly sucked in."

"Yeah, be careful and prepare more fire‑type stuff." Jiang Yu then heard Jiang Tu's voice, saying it sensed many people nearby.

But when Jiang Yu reached the intersection and headed toward the street where she first met Qi Hao Hao, there wasn't a soul.

"Ah, Jiang Yu!" Wen Xin exclaimed from behind.

But when Jiang Yu turned around, there was no sign of Wen Xin, and even the street was growing thicker with gray mist.

Her breathing grew harder as the mist thickened, becoming increasingly uncomfortable: "Jiang Tu, can you see anything?"

"Nothing. According to the original plan, hurry toward the end of the street."

"If you feel unwell, go rest inside the Dragon Pearl." Jiang Tu listened to her ragged breathing and couldn't help but worry.

Jiang Yu couldn't just slip into the Dragon Pearl space unprotected; at this moment she didn't know whether a pair of eyes was watching her.

She returned to the spot where the gray mist had previously blasted her away; this time she wasn't swept off by the mist cluster.

Moreover, she rushed forward, her footsteps tapping—ta‑ta‑ta—echoing all around, yet the street ahead seemed endless, as if she could never finish running it.

That sound also carried out here, leaving some cultivators who had fallen into the desert, seen it, and come to investigate, utterly baffled.

If Jiang Yu were here, she'd see that more than half of those cultivators are dressed as Heavenly Origin practitioners.

Among them, disciples of the Profound Heaven and Myriad Sword sects make up the bulk, while the rest are cultivators from the East Continent.

The two sides haven't clashed because several senior disciples from major sects are taking the lead, allowing both sides to interact politely for now.

Of course, there's also someone here whom both sides know, acting as a mediator.

Meanwhile, with three of the seven suns already set, people keep trickling in.

They weren't sucked in by the sudden gray mist like Jiang Yu was, so they just keep circling the city.

At this moment, Jiang Yu finally reached the end, staring at the towering, tightly shut gate ahead—several zhang high—and wondering what lay beyond.

"Jiang Tu, I'm going to open the gate." Jiang Yu quietly gathered her breath.

Jiang Tu nodded, even though Jiang Yu couldn't see it: "I just entered the Spirit Sword, and Old Master Xuan made no sound."

"He, we can't count on him."

Jiang Yu gave a slight nod; since she hadn't chosen to fight the swarms of desert demon beasts, if she wanted to leave the desert she had to enter this city.

Regardless of whether Old Master Xuan was deceiving her, she herself needed the courage to open the gate.

So Jiang Yu cast several seals at the gate, using spiritual force to draw back the bolt; just as she was about to pull it open, a creak sounded and someone pushed the door from outside.

Jiang Yu decisively slapped an invisibility talisman on herself, then leapt to press against the doorframe, waiting silently for the gate to be pushed open.

After a long while, the gate finally opened a crack, and a bald cultivator slipped in, whispering, "Quiet—no one's here."

"Guojue?" Jiang Tu exclaimed in surprise, but seeing Jiang Yu make no sound, holding her breath and not looking at the one who entered, it also stayed quiet and watched.

Then, behind Guojue, another monk entered, followed by Qin Zhuo of the Profound Heaven Sect, and then someone Jiang Yu didn't recognize.

But the next moment, she actually saw the East Continent's Min Chiyuan and the senior brother of Wen Xi.

Further back, among the people filing in one after another, she saw Xia Bing and Deng Yuanwu.

"Xia Shijie." Jiang Yu removed the invisibility talisman and called out.

The shout startled many cultivators, who pointed their swords toward her.

But some also recognized her: "Jiang Yu!"

"Jiang Yu, are you alone?" Xia Bing sprinted to her side, and the little monk Gu Jue also ran over.