Chapter 144 The Five Sects of the Northern Territory
Three days later, one morning.
Yuan Ming casually accepted a task of searching for spiritual materials in the Xingzhi Hall, and then asked Fang Ge for leave and left the Biluo Cave Mountain Gate, heading northeast.
After leaving the mountain gate, he chanted something, and a layer of green light like airflow appeared around his body. The whole person became extremely light, and he could fly forward several feet with a light touch of the ground.
This was the wind-speed technique he got from Huohuo. He practiced it in his spare time in the past two days, and he had mastered it roughly.
This kind of magic generally does not take time to practice until it is proficient. By using it on the daily journey, you can slowly improve your proficiency.
With this technique, Yuan Ming's travel speed is much faster than before. He can travel nearly 300 miles a day. At night, he can find a nearby mortal town to stay overnight and meditate.
A few days later, at noon, he came to a remote valley about 100 miles away from the nearest mortal town.
The valley looked lush and green, with white mist filling the entrance. Perhaps the peaks on both sides were too high, blocking the sunlight. From a distance, the valley was always shrouded in huge shadows. Apart from that, there was really nothing to behold.
Yuan Ming came to the entrance of the valley, paused for a moment, then walked forward and plunged into the white mist.
As a result, after only half an incense stick of time, the view suddenly became clear. A large town appeared in front of him, and the originally diffused mist had long since dissipated.
The buildings in this town are all built of a kind of black rock. At first glance, they seem a bit messy, but they are faintly gathered into a round black giant rock with the valley as the center.
Seeing this, Yuan Ming smiled.
This is the Black Rock City mentioned by Ulu. It is not an ordinary mortal town, but a city of monks. The mist outside the valley is to prevent ordinary mortals from entering by mistake.
Before he set off, he spent some time looking up some records about this city in Guizang Pavilion. He knew that this city was in a special location, where the forces of the three sects of Biluo Cave, Qingyan Society and Heihuomen met, and it was also at a reasonable distance from the other two sects. Therefore, it was originally established to facilitate the travel of the cultivators of various sects.
As time went by, cultivators from the South Region and Central Plains, as well as some casual cultivators, came here from time to time, and this town gradually prospered and became a well-known market in the North Region.
It is said that this market is not currently controlled by any of the five sects in the North Region, but belongs to an ancient immortal cultivation family, and is governed by the city lord sent by it.
This family is very mysterious and low-key, so that few people in the North Region know where its territory is, but the people of the five sects dare not disrespect it at all, and they honestly do business in the city.
At this time, Yuan Ming was not wearing the Biluo Cave disciple uniform, but a set of ordinary clothes from the South Border, and a veiled hat on his head to cover his face.
There are all kinds of people in Black Rock City, so most people who come and go, especially casual cultivators, dress like this. He just followed the crowd and could avoid some trouble.
At the entrance of the town stood two guards wearing black armor, one tall and one short. They both had a magical aura and their cultivation was not low, both above the fourth level of Qi Refining.
"Sir, do you want to enter the city? Please pay a spiritual stone for the entrance fee." The short, round-faced black-armored guard on the left stopped Yuan Ming and said politely.
"Why do you need an entrance fee?" Yuan Ming frowned slightly when he heard this.
He didn't have many spiritual stones on him, and he had to give a spiritual stone before he saw anything.
"Recently, the number of cultivators coming and going has increased greatly. In order to reduce the chaos caused by idle people in the city, we temporarily require the payment of the entrance fee. If you don't want to, please return the same way." The tall and thin black-armored guard on the right said lightly.
"It's just a spiritual stone, take it." Yuan Ming snorted and took out a fire-attributed spiritual stone and handed it to the round-faced guard.
The guard took the spirit stone, made way, and let Yuan Ming enter the city.
He didn't feel anything outside, but after entering the city, Yuan Ming felt the unique prosperity of Black Rock City.
In front of him was a slightly empty wide black stone street, which was enough to accommodate three carriages from the mortal world driving side by side. The black stone houses beside the street were simple in shape, with small doors and windows, like small fortresses.
These seemed to be shops, and the things sold were mostly mortal goods, mostly rice, noodles, and insect food from southern Xinjiang. Many people were busy inside, but they were all mortals without magic power.
From time to time, you can see animal carts leaving in front of a shop, carrying all kinds of food and transporting them to the city.
Yuan Ming was not surprised by this. Cultivators are essentially mortals. Before reaching the state of fasting, they also need to eat, drink, defecate and urinate, especially low-level cultivators who have just reached the tenth level of Qi Refining. Even if they want to fast, they can only last for a month.
The mortals on the street seemed to be used to seeing immortal cultivators. They didn't care about Yuan Ming's arrival and continued to do their own things.
Yuan Ming walked along the Black Stone Street to the end, and a wider street appeared in front of him.
There were also many shops on both sides of this street, but they were much taller than the ones at the entrance. The proportions of doors and windows were close to normal. At first glance, the shops were selling things for cultivators.
There were many cultivators coming and going, but the street was wide and didn't seem crowded. The voices and hawking sounds came one after another, converging into waves of sound waves, stimulating people's ears.
"Everyone who passed by took a look. The brain of the black-backed lizard costs one spirit stone for one bottle!"
"Selling green jade, two spirit stones per catty!"
"Blood-winged bat liver, eating it can enhance eyesight, only two spirit stones per catty!"
Almost all of these shops have a clerk standing at the door, shouting and selling, just like the vendors in the secular world.
Yuan Ming looked around curiously, especially the goods in the shops on both sides.
It has been a while since he entered Biluo Cave, and during this period, he had some opportunities to obtain spiritual material books such as "Bai Cao Ji" and "Qishu Lu". He is quite confident in the identification of spiritual materials, but the variety of goods in the Black Rock City market is really wide, and many items are still unheard of. Along the way, he has broadened his horizons.
"It seems that I still need to come to this kind of market more often in the future, even if it is just to expand my knowledge." Yuan Ming said excitedly.
"Selling spiritual beasts! Flying spiritual beasts, water spiritual beasts, everything, don't miss it if you pass by!" A broken gong-like voice came from the front, full of enthusiasm, attracting the attention of people nearby.
"This voice..." Yuan Ming was stunned and looked over.
A large shop appeared not far ahead, covering a large area, with white walls and green tiles. Compared with the surrounding shops, it stood out from the crowd.
Through the open door, one could see part of the scene inside the shop, where many cages were placed, filled with various kinds of ferocious beasts. The person shouting at the door of the shop was a round-faced young man with thick eyebrows and big eyes. He was Zhao Tong, an old acquaintance of Yuan Ming.
"Is it him? Why did he come to Black Rock City?" Yuan Ming was very surprised.
His sight immediately moved up, and a plaque with gold characters on a white background was hung on the door of the shop, with three big characters "Biluo Shop" written on it.
"Biluo Shop? What they sell are spiritual beasts. Zhao Tong is soliciting business here. It seems that this shop is the official industry of Biluo Cave, right?" Yuan Ming thought to himself, and the waves in his heart had not subsided.
He had long known that there was an industry of Biluo Cave in Black Rock City, but he did not expect that what they sold was actually spiritual beasts.
Biluo Cave is famous in the Northern Region for its beast taming. Spiritual beasts can be said to be the foundation of Biluo Cave. How could they be willing to take them to Black Rock City for sale?
Yuan Ming at present naturally didn't know that the daily expenses of the sect were quite large, and the various resources and spiritual materials required were not insignificant. Biluo Cave could not be completely self-sufficient, and it needed to communicate with the outside world from time to time. The shops set up in various markets were one of the important channels and sources of income.
In the face of absolute interests and needs, it is normal to sell the spiritual beasts that are the foundation of the sect, but the price is not cheap.
The spiritual beasts of Biluo Cave are quite popular. People are attracted to go in from time to time, and most of the people who come out are smiling, with a spiritual beast bag around their waists.
Yuan Ming already has a black toad and has no intention of buying another spiritual beast. In this situation, he has no intention of reminiscing with Zhao Tong, and walked over as if nothing had happened.
After a few small and medium-sized shops, another large shop appeared in front. There were few people at the door, and a plaque was hung with three big characters "Black Fire Pavilion".
"Black Fire Pavilion? Could it be that like the Biluo Shop, it is the industry of the Black Fire Sect in this city?" Yuan Ming looked into the Black Fire Pavilion.
The layout of the Black Fire Pavilion is very different from that of ordinary shops. Looking from the door, you can only see a few cabinets, and you can't tell what this shop sells.
Yuan Ming used his spiritual sense and quickly scanned inside.
The layout of the Black Fire Pavilion is similar to that of the Biluo Shop. There are many sealed cages and cabinets inside. What is locked inside is not spirit beasts, but some corpses and ghosts.
Seeing this, Yuan Ming no longer doubted.
The Black Fire Sect is a sect that is good at controlling corpses and raising ghosts. This Black Fire Pavilion must be the industry of the Black Fire Sect.
"Biluo Cave and Black Fire Sect have shops here. The other three sects in the southern border and northern regions, the Hundred Poison Cave, the Beast King Sect, and the Qingyan Society, probably also have shops here." Yuan Ming said secretly.
According to the information about the five sects in the northern region that he had cram before going out, the Black Fire Sect, which is good at controlling corpses and exorcising ghosts, is the strongest among the five sects, and the other four sects are not much different.
The Poison Cave is good at using poison, especially at controlling various poisonous insects, which is quite similar to the beast control of the Biluo Cave.
The Beast King Sect is proficient in the secret art of totem tattooing, which can enhance the strength of the physical body and is good at close combat.
As for the Qingyan Society located in the Kasi tribe, it is quite special. This sect occupies the largest spiritual stone mine in the northern region of the southern border, and is the richest among the five sects.
The Qingyan Society was founded the shortest time. Its predecessor was a large chamber of commerce. It maintained long-term trade relations with sects such as the Biluo Cave. After the establishment of the sect, it expanded the spiritual stone business to other areas of the southern border and even the Central Plains Dajin.
In terms of the secret art of cultivation, the Qingyan Society has nothing unique. The cultivation methods of the disciples in the society are all based on spiritual stones, which are purchased or stolen from the other four sects. Since the trade with Dajin, it has also learned the magic of the Central Plains. It is a hodgepodge sect.
Although the other four sects were not happy about this, they all needed the spirit stones from the Qingyan Society, so they had to pretend to be deaf and dumb. Over the years, they have been living in peace.