"So this is the Emperor City of Central Continent?" Ye Fan walked alongside the large procession through the city, glancing around and carefully taking in every detail.
He was a Southern Border Gu Master, and had long heard of the Emperor City's renown.
It was the largest mortal city in all of Central Continent—no, more precisely, in all of the Five Regions. Here, Third Transformation Gu Masters were a common sight, whereas in the Southern Border and other regions, Third Transformation Gu Masters were usually influential Elders and Clan Elders.
This was Ye Fan's first time visiting the Emperor City.
The Emperor City truly lived up to its name—its layout was meticulous, its architecture magnificent. It did not disappoint Ye Fan.
"However, compared to the Immortal Gu Houses, the Emperor City does pale in comparison." At this thought, Ye Fan tilted his head skyward.
In the sky, several Immortal Gu Houses hovered silently.
There was a pavilion, small and exquisite, with countless bird cages hanging from its eaves, various birds chirping away inside—this was the Sparrow-Gathering Pavilion of the Heavenly Lotus Sect.
There was a manor with an ingenious structure, white jade floor tiles, grey-blue gleaming roof tiles, exuding a bone-chilling cold as if dragon souls howled within—this was the Cold Serpent Manor of the Ancient Soul Gate.
There was also a seven-story tower, with curtains fluttering between its floors—this was the Wind-Filled Tower of the Wind-Chance Residence.
And a fortified camp with great banners snapping in the wind—this was the Horn-Connected Camp of the Immortal War Sect.
Beyond these were the Illusory Garden, Yueyang Palace, the Sun Moon Monastery...
Having taken Lu Weiyin as his master, Ye Fan had learned a great deal about Gu Immortals from his teacher and could identify the vast majority of the Immortal Gu Houses.
These Immortal Gu Houses were not as massive as the Emperor City, but they were undoubtedly more dazzling, constantly sparking discussion and attention among the entire city's populace.
At that moment, a young man walking beside him sighed, "It seems the rumors are true. Heaven and Earth truly are going to undergo a great transformation, and war will erupt among the Immortals. A turbulent great era is approaching—the distance between Immortals and mortals will no longer be so vast! This is our grand plan, wouldn't you say, Brother Ye?"
Ye Fan glanced at the young man who had spoken and nodded. "You're right, Brother Hong."
Just as in his previous life, Ye Fan and Hong Yi once again met and grew close at the Central Continent Gu Refinement Convention, becoming sworn brothers of different surnames.
Hong Yi smiled. "This Gu Refinement Convention is truly a grand occasion like no other. Let those Gu Immortals up in the sky fight amongst themselves—that's not something we can get mixed up in."
"Haha, well said! This time, let's have a proper competition!" Ye Fan clapped Hong Yi on the shoulder.
Both brothers were brimming with fighting spirit.
Hong Yi said, "I have a premonition that the ultimate victor of this Gu Refinement Convention will emerge from the two of us."
Shen Shang's ears twitched slightly, and every word of the conversation between Ye Fan and Hong Yi reached him without missing a single syllable.
Although these two were mortals, Shen Shang had been maintaining a thread of his attention on them all along.
"The great chaotic war that will engulf the Five Regions in the future might just give these two young men a chance to ascend to immortality." Shen Shang was a quasi-Supreme in the Human Path, and possessed a perception of the human race that transcended mere intuition.
On Heavenly Court's side, Human Path killer moves such as "United as One" had already been deployed, filtering out Zizai Shusheng, Zheng Qing, and the others.
But Shen Shang had still managed to disguise himself and infiltrate the final convention grounds, never once arousing even the slightest suspicion.
After all, he was an Eighth Transformation Gu Immortal, and furthermore a quasi-Supreme Grandmaster of the Human Path!
Shen Shang constantly scanned his surroundings, and a quiet excitement stirred within him.
"My earlier estimates were not wrong—this Emperor City is indeed one of the main Human Veins of Central Continent!"
Mountains have mountain veins, the earth has earth veins, and humanity has human veins.
"The Emperor City was originally established by Primeval Origin Immortal Venerable. After so many years of change, its location has shifted continuously, but it has always been the greatest convergence point of Central Continent's Human Vein on the surface."
"This place produces extraordinary talents precisely because it is the main artery of Central Continent's human race. There are also Human Path mechanisms placed here by successive Venerables of Heavenly Court... Mm, I can faintly sense their presence."
Fang Yuan had used his own rebirth as justification to persuade Shen Shang to take action and do everything in his power to break through the Venerables' Human Path mechanisms.
This deeply challenging task itself had ignited Shen Shang's intense ambition and fighting spirit.
The various clues related to Human Path killer moves were impossible for Fang Yuan and the others to detect. But in Shen Shang's eyes, they left clear traces to follow.
Through disguise every step of the way, he had infiltrated the Emperor City and finally discovered an opportunity to break through the Venerables' killer moves.
"The Human Will collected by Heavenly Court is stored within Heavenly Court itself."
"The defenses there are simply too formidable. Without being able to enter Heavenly Court, the Human Will cannot be destroyed. If the Human Will cannot be destroyed, then we cannot pull the rug out from under them."
"However... acting here will also yield excellent results."
"Heavenly Court collects Human Will, and the Emperor City plays a primary role in this process—it serves as the largest transit hub."
"By damaging this place, the efficiency of Heavenly Court's Human Will accumulation will certainly plummet."
But Shen Shang did not intend to simply destroy and demolish.
He had far greater ambitions.
He wanted to follow the trail and use the Emperor City as a foothold to counter the Venerables' Human Path killer moves—to even reverse-engineer the mysteries of their Human Path mechanisms and steal their techniques!
Shen Shang's extraordinary skill gave him extraordinary boldness.
He was not satisfied with merely the fame and prestige that came from breaking the Venerables' killer moves. If he could learn their Human Path mechanisms from the process, it would be an enormous improvement for him.
"If my Human Path methods can be raised further, perhaps I can finally eliminate the hidden danger of my frequent madness and the black fire that erupts from my body."
Maojiao Mountain battlefield.
The five-colored poisonous mist churned without cease. The Southern Border Gu Immortals and Heavenly Court's main force had been locked in fierce battle for a long time.