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The majestic Taihang Mountain stretches for eight hundred miles, with eight perilous passes known as the "Taihang Eight Passes" from south to north. These passes guard the vital routes between the Central Plains, Hexi, Hedong, and Guanzhong, each fortified with imposing gates that have historically been battlegrounds. The second of the "Taihang Eight Passes" is the Heavenly Well Pass. The ancient road of Taihang crosses here, leading south through Hulao Pass directly to the Central Plains and Bianjing.
Heavenly Well Pass is easy to defend but hard to attack, consisting of the city of Heavenly Well Pass and several smaller fortifications in the vicinity, covering a vast area. At this moment, Heavenly Well Pass has already fallen into the hands of the Jin dynasty. The banners of the Jin people flutter atop the battlements. Li Hong glanced over from a distance, sighed, and turned back into the desolate yellow grass outside the pass.
It was already late autumn; the lower slopes of Taihang Mountain were adorned with golden foliage while the higher elevations remained lush green. With deep ravines and gorges everywhere, it was not difficult for Li Hong and Ling Yi Zi to hide. Since returning from Lingnan, they had been hiding outside Heavenly Well Pass. Every day at noon and midnight, Li Hong would visit Heavenly Well Pass not for any other reason but to fulfill his promise to act as an informant for Ruyi Palace's Demon Xiu Ming.
It had been nearly a year; now he wondered if Xiu Ming was still alive. If he were alive, given his fearful nature, he would surely come. For now, they could only wait. If time passed without any sign, it would mean that their connection was severed.
They swiftly darted into a deep gorge where suddenly Li Hong felt an itch at the back of his neck as his collar began to rise. He knew Black Abyss wanted to come out again and spoke softly in Dragon Language without turning around: "Don't cause trouble; you can't come out now. Didn't I tell you there are many bad people here who love to catch little dragons like you? They want to drain your blood and use your dragon pearls for their cultivation. Be good; I'll catch some fish from a river for you later..." As he rambled on, he suddenly realized that his tone resembled that of Black Abyss's father.
Li Hong stopped speaking and forced a bitter smile.
These days, Black Abyss had refused to leave his side even for a moment. Even when Li Hong went to scout around Heavenly Well Pass, he had no choice but to hide him under his outer robe to avoid drawing attention or letting the Demon discover him. Thus, Black Abyss curled up on his back, occasionally wanting to peek out.
He was simply too curious. During this time, he had encountered many fascinating things that were new to him and wanted to see more of the outside world.
Hearing Li Hong's words made Black Abyss settle down again as his collar loosened.
Li Hong breathed a sigh of relief and darted toward their hiding place in the ravine.
The two hid beneath a large stone shaped like an eagle's beak; it formed a natural cave. Ling Yi Zi was sitting quietly in the dark corner of the cave waiting for Li Hong while suppressing his presence. Li Hong entered swiftly and sat on a large stone opposite Ling Yi Zi. Black Abyss immediately popped out and climbed onto Li Hong's head, balancing himself with his tail while looking out at the scenery from atop Li Hong's hat.
It looked as if a little dragon had suddenly sprouted from his head, making Li Hong's appearance quite amusing. Ling Yi Zi couldn't help but smile and communicated telepathically: "Has Xiu Ming not shown up yet?"
Li Hong shook his head. "There are many insignificant characters at Golden Core Stage within the Demon Sect; I'm worried he might already be dead. Even if he's not dead, given his status, he probably won't be able to gather any useful information. Let's wait three more days; if he doesn't show up by then, we'll return to Nine Li Sect."
"Yes, it's time to go back after being out for two months. I wonder if those Beast Cultivators are still around; they must be uneasy since you left." Ling Yi Zi pondered aloud.
Li Hong felt quite at ease about this: "These seniors from the Beast Cultivation are trustworthy people, their word is their bond. I'm not worried about that; I'm more concerned about the Demon Sect making a comeback. If Beiming Mountain and Underworld Palace join forces with Xiu Ming's Taihang Mountain and Ruyi Palace to attack our Nine Li Sect, or if they gather more Dark Halls, then the situation would be dire."
Ling Yi Zi said heavily, "Especially if all Four Major Dark Halls come to attack; that would truly be adding insult to injury."
Li Hong recalled the "Rabbit Spirit" Demon he had seen before and pondered, "There's something strange. It is said that the Demon Sect has Four Major Dark Halls, presided over by the four direct disciples of Yandao Demon Lord. Two of their names and locations are already known: Ruyi Palace and Underworld Palace. So where does Yandao Demon Lord reside? It seems there must be a main hall directly under Yandao Demon Lord above the Four Major Dark Halls. I'm just afraid that the old ones will move out with the young ones. Even if Beast Cultivation is all here, our Nine Li Sect would still be in danger."
"Our Immortal Sect has Nine Major Sects; it doesn't make sense for them to only target our Nine Li Sect," Ling Yi Zi said with a bitter smile. "Unfortunately, the Immortal Sect isn't united internally..." He sighed.
"Never mind! Maybe you're right; they won't just attack our Nine Li Sect alone. Keep an eye on Black Abyss while I go catch some fish," Li Hong said as he reached out to grab Black Abyss, threatening in Dragon Language, "You stay with him and don't go out; otherwise, when I come back, you won't have any fish to eat!" He casually tossed Black Abyss onto Ling Yi Zi's head.
Black Abyss obediently nodded its dragon head and coiled up on Ling Yi Zi's hat.
Ling Yi Zi carefully watched Black Abyss's movements above him, feeling somewhat tense. The scene of Black Abyss revealing its massive form was still fresh in his mind, making him admire Li Hong's courage. Perhaps only Li Hong would dare treat Black Abyss like a mudfish.
Late at night, Li Hong quietly returned, holding several large wet fish, each nearly two feet long! They were not quite dead yet, occasionally flicking their tails weakly.
Black Abyss's eyes lit up but seemed somewhat dissatisfied. Stretching its neck as if to speak in Dragon Language, it was glared back by Li Hong: "Silence!"
Li Hong forbade it from speaking because Black Abyss was used to being loud. Despite its current small size, its true form was quite large, so speaking in Dragon Language could cause quite a commotion. Therefore, since coming ashore, he had to prohibit it from talking.
The Divine Dragon clan has a large appetite, especially Water Dragons. Aside from cultivating and sleeping, their greatest pleasure is eating. Black Abyss was used to chasing big fish around in the sea after waking up and swallowing them when bored. Seeing that Li Hong had only brought back a few fish made it feel shortchanged.
Li Hong understood what it was thinking and patted its head: "You're just having a snack; this isn't for cultivation. It doesn't matter whether you eat or not; you need to get used to not eating these miscellaneous things in the future; they won't benefit your cultivation."
Black Abyss nodded repeatedly but still stared at the fish in Li Hong's hand with its big copper bell-like eyes. Li Hong laughed and threw a fish at it; in the blink of an eye, the fish was gone. Black Abyss was left wanting more but had no choice but to settle down again on top of Li Hong's head and sit on his hat.
The cave was quiet, with both individuals and the dragon deliberately suppressing their presence, as if they did not exist in this place.
At midnight, Li Hong stood up, gestured to Ling Yi Zi, and darted towards Heavenly Well Pass.
The sky was dark without stars or moon, and the wind carried the chill of late autumn. It was eerily quiet in Heavenly Well Pass, with only the occasional patrol of the Jin Army passing by the city walls. The wilderness outside the pass was overgrown with tall grass and sparse trees. Among the grass lay a rusted broken sword, a remnant of the last battle fought here by Jin Song.
Li Hong released his Divine Consciousness, keeping an eye on everything within a hundred miles. Everything seemed normal. After waiting quietly for more than half an hour, estimating that Xiu Ming would not come, Li Hong turned back towards the hidden ravine.
After flying two miles out, he suddenly sensed unusual fluctuations of Yin Power. But it wasn't just one; there were five.
These five Demon Sect Monsters were flying in from deep within Taihang to the north; they must be from Ruyi Palace. Li Hong felt his heart race. Five instead of one—could it be that Xiu Ming had betrayed them?
Seeing that they were heading straight for Heavenly Well Pass, Li Hong's thoughts raced as he retreated into the wilderness before the pass, choosing a thicket to hide in. He took out an Invisibility Talisman to conceal himself and focused his Divine Consciousness on the direction of the Demons.
In less than a tea time, the five Demons landed at the pass on their Soul Summoning and Spirit Refining Banner, just an arrow's distance away from Li Hong. Unlike those from Underworld Palace who preferred to wear hooded cloaks to hide their faces, these five Ruyi Palace Demons wore black robes with their faces exposed. One face looked particularly familiar—it was Xiu Ming.
Finally, this kid showed up, but what did it mean that he brought so many people? Li Hong clenched his fists and stared intently.
In the darkness, the five figures almost blended into the night as they stood facing each other in the wilderness before the pass. Li Hong heard Xiu Ming's familiar voice whispering: "Brothers, there must be beautiful women inside Heavenly Well Pass. The Jin Army loves to burn, kill, and plunder; if they take this pass, won't they take the opportunity to hide some beautiful Han women inside? You go in and look; I'll keep watch here."
The four Demons cheered in agreement, cackling as they floated up into the air and disappeared into the city. The guarding Jin soldiers remained completely oblivious. Xiu Ming immediately began to act suspiciously, his eyes darting around. Suddenly, he felt a light breeze pass by him, followed by a hand landing on his shoulder. Startled, Xiu Ming trembled but quickly suppressed a shout and spun around.
He saw a face he regarded as "demonic," wearing an "evil" smile—but it was exactly who he had been looking for. Xiu Ming's expression brightened as he hurriedly transmitted his voice: "Finally made it out! We need to move quickly; they won't stay inside for long. Where's the antidote?"
Without hesitation, Li Hong pulled him into the range of the Invisibility Talisman and coldly replied: "You tell me what I want to know first."
"Take this, everything is inside. I've recorded it in detail," Xiu Ming said as he handed a small folded piece of paper to Li Hong. Li Hong unfolded it, glanced at it, and tucked it into his pocket, praising lightly, "You did well. This is your antidote for this year." He tossed the prepared small Porcelain Bottle over.
Xiu Ming opened it and inhaled a faint, refreshing fragrance that immediately made him feel much more invigorated. He quickly secured it close to his chest and transmitted a message, "You should leave quickly. Same place, same time next year. Make sure to remember the antidote."
Li Hong nodded, stowed away the Invisibility Talisman, and vanished into the darkness.
In just a short while, Xiu Ming was already sweating nervously, but he maintained his composure as a spy. He took a few deep breaths and hurried back to his original position.
Moments later, the four Demons swooped down again, looking extremely displeased. One Demon, filled with pent-up anger, scoffed as they flew over the city gate and waved a sleeve downwards.
A squad of patrolling Jin Army soldiers fell silently to the ground.
The four approached Xiu Ming. He put on a smiling face and whispered, "Why are you back so soon?"
"Don't mention it! There were a few women, but they were all clumsy firewood gatherers. We can't possibly be interested in that kind of trash! Let's go! We need to find somewhere more fun! Damn it, I refuse to believe we can't find any Water Spirit Girls tonight!"
The five soared away on the wind. Behind them at Heavenly Well Pass, there was an uproar as someone shouted, "Spy attacking the gate!" A large group of Jin Army soldiers rushed out from their barracks, torches forming a long line as they surged towards the city gate. After several chaotic hours of searching, they found not even a shadow of a spy; both inside and outside the gate were eerily quiet.
Meanwhile, Xiu Ming had already flown far away. Thinking about how that innocent squad of Jin Army soldiers had died inexplicably like that, he sighed inwardly while still maintaining a cheerful demeanor on the surface. Touching the Porcelain Bottle in his pocket, he began to consider whether he should leave himself an escape route.
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