Ye Qin retracted the Dark Cloud Screen, the bird-light vanishing as he landed near the city gate of Linhai City, then merged with the flow of people entering the city.

The city possessed four major gates—East, West, South, and North—each guarded by a contingent of ten cultivators at the eighth or ninth level of Foundation Establishment, led by a Golden Core stage captain, who strictly scrutinized everyone entering or leaving. Low-level cultivators, mortals, and Earth Clan members required a token or similar proof of residency to gain entry. Before even crossing the threshold, Ye Qin was deeply startled by the captain's cultivation level. “For such a small city with a population of just over a hundred thousand, to have a Golden Core cultivator leading the city gate guard—that’s utterly preposterous!”

He recalled that even the foremost immortal city of the East Sea, Xianque City, or Baifu City, the primary hub of the Northern Islands, did not assign Golden Core cultivators to guard their main gates. Yet, this minor Linhai City had a dignified Golden Core cultivator stationed at the entrance. But what lay ahead would surprise Ye Qin even more.

Cultivators at the Golden Core stage and above were exempt from needing an identity token for entry, but they were required to submit to a mental probe and scrutiny from the guard captain. This was highly unusual; in the vast majority of immortal cultivation cities in the East Sea, unless they were apprehending cultivators wanted by the Heavenly Dao Alliance or the Heavenly Demon Alliance, they would never dare to probe Golden Core stage experts, lest they incur offense. However, Linhai City seemed completely unconcerned about offending high-ranking cultivators.

Surprised and perplexed, Ye Qin approached a Foundation Establishment guard near the gate and inquired, “Why is the security here in Linhai City so tight? Are you perhaps hunting for deviant cultivators?”

“Senior must be new to Linhai City!”

Seeing a Golden Core cultivator making an inquiry, the Foundation Establishment guard quickly replied respectfully, “Senior may not be aware. Linhai City contains a large-scale Teleportation Array that leads to the distant Scarlet Sea. This array is the closest one to that perilous sea. Ordinarily, this city serves as a supply station. Most Senior cultivators heading to adventure in the Scarlet Sea stop here for provisions, stocking up on sufficient spirit wine and spirit stones before teaming up to venture out—hunting demonic beasts, seeking rare heavenly materials and earthly treasures, or exploring ancient battlefield ruins, and sometimes even engaging demonic cultivators. After acquiring various goods in the Scarlet Sea, they return here to trade those items for spirit pills, magical artifacts, spirit treasures, and the like. If a conflict ever breaks out between our East Sea cultivators and the Demon Race, this city immediately becomes a frontline. Occasionally, demonic cultivators attempt to infiltrate by disguise. Foundation Establishment cultivators simply cannot detect them; only Golden Core guards are capable of sensing and preventing demonic cultivators from entering and causing trouble,” the guard elaborated with a frown. Ye Qin suddenly understood: Linhai City was a gateway to the Scarlet Sea via teleportation.

Given the extreme danger of the Scarlet Sea, frequently patrolled by demonic cultivators, it was entirely logical for this city, serving as the primary transit and supply point for accessing the area, to maintain such stringent defenses. Ye Qin followed the crowd into the city. As a cultivator at the first layer of the Golden Core stage, his rank was not considered high here in Linhai City.

Looking around the gate area and the streets, he saw that many of the passing cultivators were at the Golden Core stage or higher. Ye Qin barely spotted any Foundation Establishment cultivators, and those he did see were invariably accompanied by Golden Core experts, rarely appearing alone.

Along the city streets, numerous Golden Core cultivators manned stalls, selling all manner of strange and exotic raw materials, along with magical artifacts and treasures. Many of these raw materials were sourced from the Scarlet Sea, making them mostly high-grade and exceedingly rare items.

This sight greatly broadened Ye Qin’s horizons. He wandered the streets for half the day, observing whether any items caught his interest and simultaneously gauging the market prices of various goods. The merchandise here was predominantly rare and precious; many items’ uses were entirely unfamiliar to Ye Qin. Even if he fancied something, the limited spirit stones he carried meant he couldn't afford most of it.

Finally, Ye Qin walked to a rather luxurious and bustling cultivator inn within the city, deciding to settle down temporarily in Linhai City. He planned to spend one or two months refining his Great Five Elements Sword. With the Great Five Elements Sword Formation in hand, his strength would multiply several times over, and he wouldn't have been forced into the ignominious retreat to this location under siege by three treasure-hunting Golden Core cultivators.

“Fellow Daoists, have you heard the news? They say the Langya Secret Realm, one of the three great secret realms of the Earth Clan, has opened! It has even alarmed Sect Master Yu of the Heavenly Dao Alliance and Chief Yan of the Heavenly Demon Alliance, both of whom have organized large contingents of Golden Core cultivators to investigate. Yet, we haven't heard any news transmitted back from those Golden Core experts. They must be in dire peril. Tsk tsk, the Langya Secret Realm, renowned as a perilous place for the Earth Clan, truly lives up to its reputation!”

“I heard that news long ago. We several rushed here from the southern islands precisely upon hearing this, hoping to locate the entrance to the Langya Secret Realm and venture inside to investigate!”

“Aren’t you afraid of the dangers within the secret realm?”

“What is there to fear? The cultivation world is fraught with countless dangers; how can one afford to be timid!”

“However, the passage to the Langya Secret Realm was rumored to have once emitted a sky-piercing blue mist, witnessed by passing cultivators. Alas, this blue mist only burned for half a day before extinguishing. Its location is impossible to find now. Entering the realm will not be easy!”

“Why don't we Golden Core cultivators here join forces and search for the Langya Secret Realm together! There are numerous Golden Core demonic beasts inside; slaying just a few would be enough for us to amass a fortune!”

“That’s a fine idea. I am Chu Xuan from the Donglai Immortal Palace. May I ask this Daoist brother’s name?” As Ye Qin stepped into the inn, he was immediately met by the clamor of dozens of cultivators drinking and conversing boisterously in the ground floor hall. Scores of Golden Core cultivators were gathered, their jade cups filled with various spirit wines clinking as they almost exclusively discussed the recently opened Langya Secret Realm.

Ye Qin’s heart stirred slightly. News transmission in the East Sea cultivation world was indeed astonishingly swift; in just over a day, a significant number of East Sea Golden Core cultivators had already learned of the Langya Secret Realm and rushed to this vicinity. Maintaining a calm expression, he instructed the inn attendant to arrange a private courtyard residence for his temporary stay.

A few Golden Core cultivators in the main hall glanced towards Ye Qin, intending to invite him to join their search for the Langya Secret Realm, but Ye Qin politely declined. Noticing that Ye Qin’s cultivation was only at the first layer of the Golden Core stage, these cultivators paid little mind to his refusal. With so many cultivators present, adding one more or one less made little difference.

After Ye Qin entered Linhai City, three streaks of magical artifact rainbows, which had been pursuing him for the better part of the day and refused to give up, soon appeared above the city. These were the three treasure-hunting Golden Core cultivators chasing Ye Qin.

“That brat’s bird-light vanished in this area; he must have fled into Linhai City to hide. I will tear this place apart, searching high and low, until I find him and avenge this severed arm!” Wei Dahan glared down at the small city, shouting in fury.

“Linhai City!”

Elder Ge’s gaze narrowed sharply, his expression grave, and he snapped coldly, “Brother Wei, do not act rashly! Linhai City is not a place where we can afford to cause trouble.”

“Brother Ge, have you been here before?” Cultivator Zhu inquired of Elder Ge.

“Indeed, I visited once. This city is a mid-transit supply island leading to the Scarlet Sea, possessing a Teleportation Array deep into that region. There are many powerful Golden Core cultivators within the city, with exceedingly complex backgrounds, and I even saw a Nascent Soul stage Senior passing through here! Who dares to search casually within the city? If we accidentally offend a Nascent Soul Senior, all of us will be in deep trouble.” Elder Ge spoke with genuine awe.

“This small city has such a significant background?” Wei Dahan was taken aback.

The three of them had always operated among the East Sea Islands and never planned to travel to the distant Scarlet Sea, naturally never having visited Linhai City before. They would not have come here this time had it not been for the Langya Secret Realm. If a Nascent Soul cultivator was present in this small city, Wei Dahan wouldn't dare to search people openly within it. “That brat is too cunning. By hiding inside Linhai City, we are constrained and utterly unable to track his whereabouts,” Wei Dahan hissed hatefully. “Brother Ge, what shall we do now?”

“Let me think…” Elder Ge pondered for a moment, then his eyes suddenly lit up. He said grimly, “If the open approach fails, we must try a covert one. When I was here several years ago, I befriended a Golden Core seventh-stage cultivator on this island—a minor local strongman. Although this person holds little true power, he is capable of finding people. Let’s see if we can ask him for assistance in locating the brat’s trail within the city! As long as we don't offend other cultivators, others are unlikely to interfere with our personal grievances against that brat.”

Ye Qin was unaware that the three pursuing cultivators were still desperately trying to find him. However, even if he knew, he wouldn’t be overly concerned. Linhai City, though small, was not a place where a few Golden Core cultivators could stir up serious trouble. The luxurious inn where he temporarily resided alone housed dozens of Golden Core cultivators, many of whom possessed notable backgrounds, and several were brave enough to venture into the Scarlet Sea. Furthermore, many Golden Core cultivators preferred to conceal their identities, preventing others from knowing their origins. Locating a specific Golden Core cultivator within this city would be an arduous task. By the time those treasure hunters found him, he would likely have finished refining his Great Five Elements Sword. At that point, he wouldn't fear being found by those few treasure hunters.

Ye Qin reached the private courtyard arranged by the inn, instructed them not to disturb him, and immediately entered his seclusion chamber to begin sword refinement. In the upper volume of the Purple Jade Ancient Records, Ye Qin had only the final Water-element Primordial Spirit Flying Sword left to forge. Once the five Primordial Spirit Flying Swords were assembled into a formation, their power would be incomparable to the five swords used individually. However, the refining process for each sword was somewhat intricate.

The last one, the Tianyi Deep Water Sword, was exponentially more difficult than the other four Primordial Spirit Flying Swords. One of the essential raw materials for this sword was Tianyi Deep Water. This water was the Water of Annihilation, capable of eroding all spiritual power and life force. If one attempted to control it with spiritual power, that power would be completely dissolved in a very short time. Ordinary magical artifacts coming into contact with it would quickly lose all their potency. Standard water-element artifact-refining spells were completely ineffective against this deep water. This presented Ye Qin with a serious headache, forcing him to devise the rather unconventional method of using the inner lining of the Silver Armored Guard to contain the deep water, which was how he managed to bring it back. Yet, conversely, this deathly still deep water could nurture the Ziyou Lotus, considered a top-tier spiritual item in the East Sea cultivation world. It was truly a baffling paradox. Fortunately, the venerable Purple Sword True Monarch had already provided countermeasures, leaving behind the refining technique for the Tianyi Deep Water Sword in the ancient record. Otherwise, even with the Tianyi Deep Water, Ye Qin would have been left staring helplessly.