The City Guard Army would shout loudly from time to time.
Among the cultivators entering the city, indeed many of them heard the reminders of the City Guard Army and directly left the queue, turning around to head for the barracks.
Ning Zhuo paid the entrance fee and officially set foot into Canglin Immortal City.
The vegetation in Canglin Immortal City was lush, with colorful flowers and plants and unique vegetation everywhere.
The houses in the city meandered in their design, scattered about in an uneven manner. Although they were not neatly arranged, they carried a unique flavor.
Ning Zhuo couldn't help but take a deep breath. The air he was breathing in and out was moist and warm, mixed with the fragrance of the flowers and plants. Clearly, the climate here was very pleasant.
Gradually moving away from the city gate, Ning Zhuo didn't head toward the city center but instead delved into the winding and narrow alleyways.
On both sides of the street were ancient wooden buildings shaded by green trees. Various shops, teahouses, and taverns were nearly all made of wood, with bamboo being particularly prevalent. Straw thatches or vines covered the rooftops or walls of the buildings.
Ning Zhuo quickly found the place where intelligence was sold.
Moments later, with several jade slips in hand, he left the gloomy alley and arrived at a tavern, filling his stomach while examining the acquired intelligence.
The intelligence was roughly divided into three parts.
One part was about Thousand Peak Forest, another about the expeditionary army of Liangzhu Country, and the last about Canglin Immortal City.
In the intelligence about Thousand Peak Forest, the first thing Ning Zhuo saw was the Ginseng Whisker Dragon King. This was the most powerful deity of Thousand Peak Forest, whose true form was a dragon-whiskered ginseng. Within Thousand Peak Forest, It possessed combat power at the Transforming Spirit Level. It was the most formidable enemy that the royal expeditionary army had to face openly.
Besides that, there were the Six Cave Sect, the Pale Barbarian Elephant Group, the Cangyue Tribe, the Ancient Vine Tribe, the Hundred Poison Tribe... these powerful organizations and forces.
Within the expeditionary army, Ning Zhuo saw information about the Vanguard Army, intelligence on the overall commander of the army, as well as the currently near-by four generals stationed close to Canglin Immortal City.
They were Lu Chi, Xu Dali, Shuangjing, and Mu Lan.
Among them, Lu Chi commanded the Fire Cloud Army, which was the barrack where Ning Zhuo saw clouds of fire burning and the practice of Fire-attribute Spells taking place upon entering the city.
Xu Dali, a mixed-blood of Barbarian and Demon, was in charge of the Barbarian Demon Army. This army lived up to its name, composed of members from the Barbarian Clan and Demon Cultivators.
Shuangjing commanded the White Jade Army, currently stationed to the west of Canglin Immortal City. Ning Zhuo had entered from the eastern gate and had not seen them.
But he had heard the calls of the City Guard Army, encouraging foreign cultivators to join the White Jade Army because this army offered the highest salary.
The army used for comparison was the Red Flower Army commanded by General Mu Lan, which, according to the intelligence, was the smallest in scale and offered the least reward.
There was also another commander named Sun Gan, who was leading the elite Golden Halberd Army from the capital, and would arrive here in a few days.
The Golden Halberd Army was one of the Imperial Guards, and Sun Gan was one of the heads of the Imperial Guards. Though this army was small in number, its combat power was particularly formidable.
The fact that Liangzhu Country's Monarch had dispatched this army showed his resolve and surety in conquering Thousand Peak Forest!
With the intelligence regarding Canglin Immortal City, Ning Zhuo quickly got to know this Immortal City.
The tallest structure within Canglin Immortal City was the Thousand Cang Jumu Tower, a treasure that blended the materials of thousands of types of wood.
There were two Divine Temples, namely the Tree God Temple and the Beast King Temple.
These two deities, with the support of Liangzhu Country over a hundred years ago, had gone from minor gods to now having their worship widely spread throughout Thousand Peak Forest.
As Liangzhu Country went to war with Thousand Peak Forest, these two deities became a boon.
This indicated that Liangzhu Country's Monarch had started planning more than a hundred years ago. The attack on Thousand Peak Forest was not a spur-of-the-moment decision but a long-premeditated scheme.
"Found it! In the intelligence regarding the Old Monster in Stone, rumors say he started cultivating from the status of a Ten-Thousand-Year-old Earth Essence, gained a fortuitous encounter, and merged with a fragment of the Dividing Treasure Rock. Consequently, he mastered a Divine Skill named Stone Cast Earth Treasure."
"This Divine Skill can transform all things in the world into stone materials, which are then tempered over time, gradually transforming the stone materials into precious treasures. Most of these treasures are metals, jade, spirit ores, and the like."
Thus, Ning Zhuo achieved his goal.
Since Liangzhu Country was launching a major campaign against Thousand Peak Forest, it must have done extensive research on the forest and possessed a lot of intelligence.
Sun Ning and his companion were currently unable to approach Thousand Peak Forest, so they decided to start by seeking information about the Old Monster in Stone from the perspective of its adversaries.
Sun Lingtong furrowed his brows tightly, "Stone Cast Earth Treasure? Turned out it's a Divine Skill, no wonder I can't resolve it, and it's becoming increasingly difficult to resist because even Mana can be petrified."
"Divine Skills surpass Spells, but didn't the Old Monster in Stone die? Why is the Divine Skill still functioning?"
Ning Zhuo shook his head, "The Old Monster in Stone is probably dead. Whether it's the reports from the Six Cave Sect or from Canglin Immortal City, they all say that this Old Monster in Stone was at the Nascent Soul Level."
"He was probably in seclusion, attempting to break through to the Transforming Spirit Level but failed and perished."
"The Divine Skill that he commanded for some reason is still active. However, I believe the skill is not operating on its own, so its power isn't great."
"Otherwise, with our fragile bodies, we wouldn't have been able to hold on until now."
Sun Lingtong nodded repeatedly, "Little Zhuo, you're right!"
Sun Lingtong voiced his dilemma, "So now that we know this is the work of a Divine Skill, how should we resolve it?"
Ning Zhuo sighed, "This indeed exceeds the limits of our abilities, we can only seek help from others. According to the reports, there is an extremely skilled Doctor in Canglin Immortal City, named Iron Crutch Imperial Doctor, who once served as the imperial physician for Liangzhu Country's Monarch. Let's go to him for a consultation first."
"Alas..." Sun Lingtong didn't have any better ideas and said, "To be an Imperial Physician, he must be remarkable indeed. Let's go there and have a look."
Ning Zhuo quickly ate his meal and packed another to take away.
He delivered the food into the Ten-Thousand-Li Travelling Dragon, providing sustenance for Sun Lingtong.
Ning Zhuo wove through the alleys, and following the leads provided by the reports, he crossed most of Canglin Immortal City and finally arrived at Tieyi Medical Hall.
The facade of the medical hall was not large, and the entrance was deserted, not at all what one would expect of a famed physician.
Ning Zhuo began to doubt and approached the entrance.
A young boy was sitting on a stool inside the doorway, and when he saw Ning Zhuo, he waved his hand, "You're an out-of-towner here for medical help, right?"
"Yes," Ning Zhuo nodded.
"You're out of luck, sir. My master has decided to enlist. The medical hall closed down just yesterday, and I am the only one stationed here to inform people like you," the boy delivered the bad news.
Ning Zhuo then inquired, "May I ask, where is Lord Zhang currently?"
"Oh, he's at the military camp outside the city. However, it's no use seeking him for medical help. You surely have heard about my master's stubborn nature. He's very obstinate."
"Many have already tried, going to the military camp to find him to no avail."
"If I were you, I'd go see another doctor for help."
Ning Zhuo nodded, thanked the young boy, and, before leaving, handed him a handful of Spirit Stones.
"This is problematic," said Sun Lingtong.
He had also seen the reports.
In Canglin Immortal City, the strongest Doctor was undoubtedly Zhang Zhongyi. Aside from him, the others were mediocre at best, with little chance of curing a Divine Skill.
"Let's go to the military camp to find him," Ning Zhuo still hadn't given up.
Exiting through the West Gate of Canglin Immortal City, he saw two military camps practically side by side.
The White Jade Camp was grandiose and magnificent, surrounded by a circular White Jade Stone Wall. Even the defensive stakes were imposing, not merely ordinary wooden stakes but carved white jade, replete with numerous Talismans that settled the air as solid as a mountain.
Watchtowers soared high, and even during the day, they radiated intense light, surveying the surroundings.
On golden flagpoles fluttered the White Jade Army Flag. The flag featured a base of brilliant white jade enriched with silver-threaded dragon designs. The dragons' eyes twinkled as if ready to take flight at any moment.
The camp gate was even more extravagant, composed of two massive white jade doors, each inlaid with plenty of Top Grade Spirit Stones.
A troop of cavalry galloped within the camp. Their movements were synchronized and uniform; each steed was equipped with finely crafted White Jade Saddles, studded with gems that twinkled like stars, exuding a sense of nobility.