The mountain path was difficult to traverse. It took these people ten or even dozens of days to reach this point, while Yong Ji and Mi Xiaojing only flew for a few hours. The efficiency of the two methods was truly worlds apart.
It was no wonder that cultivators who had not reached the Foundation Establishment stage could only operate within a small range. In the Cultivation World, only those who had reached the Foundation Establishment stage were considered true cultivators.
Mi Xiaojing finally understood this. It wasn’t obvious within the sect, but once he was out in the world, this point became extremely important.
As they flew out of the mountainous area, the number of people on the ground increased. Some roads were already crowded with people, all heading towards Hidden Huo City.
The area was still densely forested, with a small path faintly extending through the forest. From the sky, a discontinuous stream of people could be seen, stretching far into the distance.
Occasionally, they could see flickering lights, indicating that people were cooking over a fire. When Yong Ji and Mi Xiaojing flew overhead, these people would look up curiously.
…
Hidden Huo City was originally a small city where rogue cultivators gathered. Many mortals depended on this city, which was also a market where rogue cultivators often traded and exchanged goods.
However, the real power in the city was held by the Heart Sect. The rogue cultivators were not the masters here.
In the past half a year, a large number of people had flooded into the city. More than half of them were low-level cultivators from the Heart Sect, and a large number of mortals had also rushed in.
Various makeshift wooden sheds had been erected, stretching from the edge of the city into the forest. Due to lack of management, the place had become extremely crowded and dirty.
The more decent residences were located in the city. In addition, there were quite a few well-constructed wooden buildings in the northwest corner, each surrounded by a courtyard wall.
Zhang Ke, Luo Bo, Mu Xiaoyin, and others lived here. This group also included the old village chief Zhang Liben’s family and the former tenants of the Western Evolutionary Sect, all of whom were people Mi Xiaojing had sent out. They had already occupied a small estate outside the city.
In addition, Tian Cang also lived in seclusion here, making him one of their strongest forces.
Hidden Huo City had been in chaos recently, with rampant robbery and murder. For safety, Zhang Ke gathered everyone in the estate. Thanks to their ample preparations, they had plenty of food and manpower. They even provided shelter for a group of mortals, allowing them to build wooden sheds outside the courtyard wall and occasionally distributing food to them.
After a period of hard cultivation, Luo Bo, with the help of the Foundation Establishment Pill given by Mi Xiaojing, had successfully advanced to the early stage of Foundation Establishment. His strength had greatly increased, making him the most powerful among his peers.
Wei Fujin had advanced to the late stage of Qi Refining, second only to Luo Bo in strength. Dazhu and Maotou had also advanced to the middle stage of Qi Refining. Only Zhang Ke was one step away from reaching the late stage of Qi Refining. It wasn’t that he wasn’t trying hard enough, but he had too many miscellaneous tasks to handle.
Mu Xiaoyin’s Ascension had also improved. Unfortunately, even if a low-level Ascension cultivator advanced, their strength was still weak. Fortunately, with the help of everyone, she always had bodyguards around her, either Luo Bo or Wei Fujin. In short, whenever she went out, a few brothers would follow her.
More and more news reached Hidden Huo City, with all sorts of information. Some said that the Heart Sect had won, others said that the Heart Sect had been wiped out. Many strange rumors were causing panic among the people.
More and more rogue cultivators were entering Hidden Huo City. These people acted recklessly, but they still had some respect for the cultivators of the Heart Sect and did not dare to bully them openly.
However, the fights between rogue cultivators were much more brutal. Battles often broke out, and deaths were common, especially among the low-level rogue cultivators, who lived even harder lives.
It wasn’t until some Foundation Establishment cultivators arrived a while ago that the order in Hidden Huo City improved somewhat. Especially after several Foundation Establishment experts from the Heart Sect arrived, open fights were no longer seen during the day. These experts jointly declared that anyone who killed indiscriminately would be hunted down to the end.
With the influx of a large number of rogue cultivators into Hidden Huo City, the small city was already overcrowded.
During the day, cultivators would enter the forest around Hidden Huo City. They went hunting, digging, and gathering materials, and returned to rest outside the city at night. Some cultivators would be gone for several days or even dozens of days before returning to rest.
The estate occupied by Zhang Ke and others had familiar faces nearby. Not far from them, there was a courtyard smaller than their estate, with two bungalows inside.
The residents here were also cultivators from the Heart Sect, specifically from Qingmu Peak and Grass-Benevolence Hall. One was the steward Guan Shangli, and the other was the female Pill Master Li Huai. Each lived in a bungalow.
Outside the courtyard, a small area of wooden sheds had been erected. There were quite a few low-level disciples from Grass-Benevolence Hall, including Chen Zhong and Chen Ergou, whom Mi Xiaojing knew. They were lucky to have escaped from the sect in advance and had made their way to Hidden Huo City after a hard journey.
In fact, the ones who suffered the most casualties this time were the Foundation Establishment and Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Heart Sect. A large part of them were killed by their own Ancestor, Guisaka. Of course, more outsiders died.
It was because of the casualties of this group of people that Yu Hong and Mu Hengyuan lost hope and completely gave up on the Heart Sect. If these core cultivators were still alive, they might still have some confidence in rebuilding the sect.
Foundation Establishment and Foundation Establishment cultivators were the backbone of any medium or small sect, playing a bridging role. Once lost, the sect would lose its backbone and it would be difficult to turn the situation around, especially since the sect’s base was also lost this time, which completely depleted the vitality of the Heart Sect.
One day, news reached Hidden Huo City, making Zhang Ke and others extremely nervous. A group of people sat in the courtyard, their faces filled with worry.
Zhang Ke said, “I heard that the Heart Sect is really finished, with heavy casualties. The specific situation is still unclear. I guess in a few days, there will be clear news coming… What do you all think?”Luo Bo’s eyes turned red. He stood up and said, “I… I’m going to find Brother Xiao Mi!”
Mu Xiaoyin quickly grabbed him, saying, “You can’t go!”
Wei Fu also said, “I’ll go too!”
Zhang Ke felt immense pressure at that moment. He said, “What did Junior Uncle say before he left? Everyone should still remember, right?”
Luo Bo lowered his head, “I know!”
Zhang Ke said, “Junior Uncle repeatedly instructed us to wait for him in Hidden Huo City, no matter what happens outside, we must wait for him to return. Regardless of the news we hear, we should ignore it for now. Junior Uncle will definitely come back. I have faith in Junior Uncle. Don’t you?”
Luo Bo bit his lip, hesitating for a long time in his heart. Finally, he sat down. He really didn’t want to go against Mi Xiaojing’s words. He said, “Alright, we’ll wait a few more days.”
When Zhang Ke and Mu Xiaoyin left the Heart Sect, Mi Xiaojing specifically told them that when he returns, everyone must be there, not one person can be missing. Therefore, this pressure fell on the two of them. To be continued.