Ch. 1117 - Entering Heaven's End, Ocean's Edge

“Best if it’s today,” Xu Zimo said evenly.

“Then this afternoon,” Progenitor Thousand-Slaughters agreed readily.

Having won the contest, he could give the Demon Faction an explanation. Naturally, he was willing to promise anything now.

Xu Zimo nodded and turned to leave the central square, but the Alchemy Sage stopped him.

“Friend Xu, would you be interested in becoming a guest elder at my Alchemy God Tower?” the Alchemy Sage asked with a smile.

“No interest,” Xu Zimo shook his head.

“The position will always be open to you,” the elder said warmly.

Xu Zimo waved it off, then left the square with Moon-Pluck Fairy and Miss Jing.

“Where to now?” Miss Jing asked.

“You mentioned there’s a place here called the Border Tower,” Xu Zimo said. “Let’s check if they have any information about the Xuanyuan Clan.”

Miss Jing nodded.

The three walked along the main street of Brahma City. On one side stood a deep mansion, built of plain green bricks and tiles, yet imposing in its presence.

Two guards stood at the gate.

Their uniforms resembled that of county constables. Long sleeves three feet wide, dark-blue tunics fastened on the right, crescent-shaped sabers at their waists, and upright officials’ hats atop their heads.

Above the gate, a plaque gleamed with two radiant characters, Border Tower.

The trio entered. The guards did not stop them.

The estate stretched vast, no end in sight. Ancient-style buildings rose everywhere, one word captured it, grand.

Guards in matching uniforms walked everywhere, many carrying rolls of bamboo slips in their arms. Some staggered from carrying too many.

The floor beneath their feet was paved with flawless white jade.

“This is the largest intelligence hub in Brahma City,” Miss Jing explained. “They don’t collect news from the outside world. Their specialty is information on Heaven’s End, Ocean’s Edge. Big or small, whether it’s world events or what someone ate today, it’s all recorded clearly.”

“Seriously?” Xu Zimo chuckled.

“You can try asking. Maybe they really do have something on the Xuanyuan Clan,” Miss Jing said.

After wandering a bit and asking a few passing guards, they arrived before a great hall.

A middle-aged man with a moustache, dressed in a blue robe, stepped forward to receive them.

“Are the three of you here seeking information?” he asked.

Xu Zimo nodded.

He glanced around the hall. The furnishings were simple: a few bookcases, several wooden tables, and an incense burner spreading fragrance throughout the chamber.

“Do you have a Border Support Token?” the man asked.

“What’s the use of it?” Xu Zimo shook his head.

“You must be new here,” the man smiled. “For ordinary inquiries, a token isn’t needed. But for confidential matters, it is.”

“Would information about the Xuanyuan Clan be considered confidential?” Xu Zimo asked.

At his words, the man froze slightly, then smiled quickly.

“Please, follow me inside.”

With a wave of his hand, the hall’s smooth wall split open, revealing a small, shadowy doorway.

The passage stretched deep into the unknown.

They followed the man through and found themselves in a vast inner space divided into many small rooms. Entering one such room, they sat down.

“You want news of the Xuanyuan Clan?” the man asked, taking a seat himself.

“More precisely, we want their location,” Xu Zimo answered.

“And who might you be?” the man smiled faintly. “Here for the Grand-Pivot God-Sword?”

“Since when does Border Tower investigate its clients’ intentions?” Xu Zimo replied with a smile.

“Normally we don’t. But when it comes to the Xuanyuan Clan, we must,” the man explained with a wave.

“We’re just ordinary rogue cultivators. Nothing worth asking,” Xu Zimo said casually. “Even if you told me, I might not recognize it.”

“Who told you the Xuanyuan Clan resides in Heaven's End, Ocean's Edge?” the man pressed.

“Don’t you think you’re asking a bit much?” Xu Zimo said flatly.

“Then I have nothing to tell you,” the man shook his head.

“You never intended to tell us anyway, did you?” Xu Zimo stood and asked back.

“Go home,” the man said indifferently.

“That is not a place for you.”

“So you do know something,” Xu Zimo said.

“Many before you came for the Grand-Pivot God-Sword, ignoring warnings. They all became corpses. By now, nothing but bones remain.”

“That’s enough,” Xu Zimo said with a smile.

“Enough? What do you mean?” the man frowned.

“Your answer told me everything. Just knowing the Xuanyuan Clan is in that Particle World is enough,” Xu Zimo said.

The man waved dismissively, offering no further response. He rose and began tidying the table beside him.

Only after Xu Zimo and his companions left did he stop. His figure then hurried deeper into the inner rooms.

“What do you think?” Miss Jing asked outside.

“They’ll report to the Xuanyuan Clan. We’ve startled the snake,” Xu Zimo said with a smile. “But it doesn’t matter, I never planned to sneak in quietly.”

“You mean the Border Tower has ties to the Xuanyuan Clan?” Miss Jing asked, surprised.

“Trust my instincts,” Xu Zimo smiled faintly.

Leaving the Border Tower, he looked toward Heaven's End, Ocean's Edge’s direction.

“Seems this trip will have its share of twists.”

“Want us to come with you?” Miss Jing asked.

“No need,” Xu Zimo waved. “If I can’t handle it, you won’t be able to either.”

He chuckled, then glanced strangely at Miss Jing.

“I only hope that when I return, you’re still here.”

“I’ll be waiting for you, of course,” Miss Jing said with a smile.

“Good,” Xu Zimo nodded.

The three reached the Saint Sovereign Tower, where Progenitor Thousand-Slaughters was already waiting.

This time, instead of the right-side chamber, they went straight into the left corridor.

There lay a massive formation.

Dark demonic energy and golden Buddhist radiance circled around it, swirling together into twin clouds that spun over the formation.

On the ground within its bounds, countless intricate runes were carved.

As they approached, the runes released tremendous power, each one rising into the void as energy.

Forty-nine cultivators stood around the formation, each controlling a section of the runes.

“Open!” someone shouted.

Instantly, the void quaked, the heavens shook, the earth split.

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