This Rogue Cultivators' Alliance” didn't look like an organized group anymore. It’s more like a bandit den!

Li Xun’s mind was getting clearer. After sorting through his thoughts for a while, he began to grasp some key points.

One of the most basic ones was this: the alliance used a system that was strict on the outside but loose within.

Aside from the Fourfold Envoys, who handled specific affairs and were chosen from among tens of thousands of alliance members under strict supervision, all the other positions were vague and poorly defined. Everything relied on the sheer strength and authority of the Ten Ruling Councilors to keep people in line.

Originally, most of these rogue cultivators and demons were the kind who only minded their own business. After years of cultivation, they had developed their own sense of what it meant to go with the flow of the times.

With the massive cultivation resources the alliance provided, a basic sense of order naturally started to form among them.

But this kind of self-made order was still fragile.

In the first few decades of the alliance’s rapid rise, some of its internal tensions could be covered up by the many benefits it offered. But after they wiped out the Hundred Beasts Sect ten years ago in a move that shook the whole world, the alliance had no choice but to keep a much lower profile.

Without any outlet for expansion or release, all those hidden tensions began to surface one by one. And after the recent incident with Ox Warrior, they finally exploded all at once.

Even so, the shock of that eruption still wasn’t enough to break through the tough outer shell formed by the Ten Ruling Councilors, the Discussions Hall, and the Fourfold Envoys. What emerged instead was a strange kind of balance.

During “peaceful” times, the rogue cultivators and demons fought fiercely among themselves. Snatching up spirit herbs and techniques, repaying favors, and settling grudges. But the moment an outside threat appeared, a single call from the Ten Ruling Councilors would rally them together, turning that chaos into unity.

Even in all this chaos, there’s a sense of order. Something you almost never see, even among the demonic sects.

As Li Xun was thinking this, the sound of something tearing through the air came from the distance again.

He sighed, about to vanish from sight when something felt off. Looking up, he saw a streak of black light cutting across the sky from ahead.

Within that black glow ran faint threads of crimson. It was clear that the artifact being used had been refined with blood and soul, through one of the forbidden methods the Tongxuan Realm despised. As it passed, the air split with a sound like ten thousand ghosts wailing, shrill and piercing. The very picture of a demonic cultivator’s style.

Yet the man riding that weapon didn’t seem to think of himself as any kind of villain. Panic was written all over his face, his eyes darting around, and he was so intent on escaping that he didn’t even notice Li Xun standing right in front him.

Li Xun couldn’t help but chuckle. If someone like Wei Bufan or Luo Moshi cultivate demonic arts, that was one thing. But for a half-trained amateur like this to be dabbling in them? That was just asking for death.

Well then, he thought, he might as well rid the world of this menace and earn himself a bit of fame in the process.

Just as he was about to make his move, a flash of light caught his eye.

Startled, he focused his gaze. A streak of rainbow light shooting across the sky from miles away. It reached the scene in an instant, twisted once around the black glow, and in the next moment, blood rained down from above. The half-trained fool was sliced clean in two and crashed to the ground, dying a miserable death.

“What a ruthless strike,” Li Xun muttered, baring his teeth in a half-grin as he let go of his sword hilt.

He wasn’t a sword cultivator himself, but his eye for technique was sharp. That long-range sword strike had been both elegant and precise. A top-tier display of sword control. He couldn’t help wondering which sect the expert belonged to.

As the thought crossed his mind, a figure appeared in the distance.

The sword that had slain the man from several miles away flew back like a bird returning to its nest. Even from where Li Xun stood, he could faintly hear the dull clang as it slid back into its sheath.

The figure clearly spotted Li Xun, paused for a moment, and then began flying toward him.

Li Xun narrowed his eyes, watching as the silhouette drew closer.

From the way the person moved, it seemed to be a female cultivator. Through the thickening snow and wind, her graceful figure approached with quiet poise, and Li Xun couldn’t help feeling a flicker of anticipation.

But as her face came into focus, that anticipation faded into mild disappointment.

It wasn’t that she was unattractive, but her face was perfectly fine and nothing more. A lifetime of keeping a straight face had carved a stern little line beside her lips, making her seem all kinds of stern. And the look she gave him was as cold as the falling snow.

Li Xun didn’t recognize her, but Li Xun knew people like her were usually by-the-book and hard to deal with. Not daring to be careless, he stepped forward politely. “Li Xun of the Mingxin Sword Sect greets this fellow cultivator,” he said.

His manners were impeccable, leaving her no reason to take offense. The woman stopped a short distance away, returned the salute, and said evenly, “Zhuang Chu, of the Heavenly Motion Sect.”

Li Xun blinked and glanced at her again. The Heavenly Vigorous Sect?

Judging by that sword strike earlier, her cultivation was no weaker than Gu Pin’er’s. Since when did the Heavenly Vigorous Sect have such a powerful female sword cultivator. And with such a unique style at that?

He grew suspicious, and it showed on his face. “Ah, it’s Daoist Zhuang,” he said calmly. “That sword strike from a hundred li away was truly impressive. May I ask which immortal master you studied under?”

Zhuang Chu glanced at him, and there was a weird glint in his eyes.

Because of the recent trouble with Falling Feather Sect, Li Xun had been on edge these past few days, and seeing this only made his guard go up even more.

But then, surprisingly, this stern-looking female cultivator gave a half-smile. “I only joined the sect half a month ago. I’m just a rogue cultivator borrowing a place to cultivate; there’s no master behind me.”

Li Xun’s expression brightened with understanding, and he quickly adjusted his attitude. He gave her a proper disciple’s salute.

“So it’s Elder Guest Zhuang in person. I was rude just now.” His tone now more respectful.

A “guest elder” was a cultivator invited by a sect to join them, granted access to their resources in exchange for lending their strength when needed.

Only those with considerable power could earn such a position. No wonder Zhuang Chu’s sword technique didn’t quite resemble the style of Heavenly Vigorous Sect.

Zhuang Chu was a strange one. No matter what kind of salute Li Xun offered, she hardly seemed to care, only giving a slight nod. That made Li Xun all the more certain that the small smile she’d shown earlier had been something truly rare for her.

Li Xun had dealt with people like her before. “I was ordered to come to the Polar Region and await instructions,” he said matter-of-factly. “Elder Guest Zhuang, do you—”

“Your sect’s station is in the western part of Nightless City,” she interrupted him. “But today happens to be your group’s turn on duty. Go to the restricted area by the sea; you might find them there.”

Li Xun thanked her, but Zhuang Chu paid him no mind, simply turned and left.

The azure rainbow light she rode glowed with a pure hue. It was clearly an authentic qi-refining technique. Watching the rainbow fade into the distance, Li Xun lowered his head, his eyes full of doubt.

His mind was razor-sharp at the moment, so focused that he had an almost instinctive gut feeling for anything out of the ordinary.

Zhuang Chu seemed proper enough, but something about her felt off. Especially when speaking with her, his qi had stirred subtly within his meridians. Something that had never happened before.

He grew even more cautious. By the time he lifted his head again, there was no trace of her. He simply shook his head and flew off toward Nightless City.

The name Zhuang Chu was now on his list of potential threats.

Though doubts lingered in his heart, there was no reason to think Zhuang Chu would lie about something as simple as giving directions. Traveling under the identity of Spirit Bamboo, Li Xun entered Nightless City and reported to the supervising immortal master. The man’s account matched Zhuang Chu’s exactly.

Still, when that immortal master heard his name, a flicker passed through his eyes. What was that about?

Then came the man’s warm, almost overly friendly greeting. Li Xun realized he might’ve been wound a bit too tight. With a wry smile, he decided not to follow the man’s suggestion to rest in the western quarter. Instead, he headed straight for the area his sect was responsible for.

At least that way, he’d leave a good impression.

Exchanging brief greetings with both familiar and unfamiliar cultivators along the way, Li Xun quickly left Nightless City and flew toward the coast.

The closer he got to the sea, the more he could feel the chaos of the Polar Region pressing in around him.

The Ten-Thousand Li wide Aurora Barrier, repaired just last year by the master craftsmen of Qianfan City, once again stood by the sea, separating Nightless City from the Yemo Heaven.

Even so, Li Xun could still hear faint howls of primordial qi drifting in from over the ocean.

Everywhere he looked, sword light and bursts of fiery glow flashed across the sky, making him wonder whether that massive wall stretching for thousands of li was actually doing its job.

But when he reached the coast, he realized that the Aurora Barrier’s setup was different from before.

Judging by the way the light bent, it was clear the barrier was curved, likely arching over a large area of land around the Nightless City to block the Yemo forces from passing straight through.

That setup was far more practical than the old, mostly symbolic one, and rather wise besides.

But it kind of seemed like showing weakness.

Li Xun frowned. With Mistress Tianzhi’s personality, how could she agree to something like this?

As that thought crossed his mind, he stepped into the Mingxin Sword Sect’s defense zone.

Stretching for miles along the coast, the barren beach was almost completely flat, letting your eyes reach all the way to where the sea meets the sky.

From the perspective of setting up any kind of defensive formation, this was just about the worst place imaginable.

And it wasn’t as if this kind of terrain was unique to the Mingxin Sword Sect.

At that moment, Li Xun could feel even more clearly the awkward situation all the sects faced here in the polar region. No wonder that ten years ago, when the Rogue Cultivators' Alliance wiped out the Hundred Beasts Sect, nearly a thousand cultivators from every sect could do nothing but hole up inside Nightless City and watch as the enemy marched right past. That fiasco had become a lasting joke.

Li Xun’s thoughts drifted once more to Mistress Tianzhi. This fiery, straightforward, and rather proud lady who ruled the city. He couldn’t help wondering how she must have felt at the time.

A flicker of movement caught his eye. Li Xun stopped and turned his head. A smile quickly spread across his face.