Chapter 563 - 177: Snow Cliff Pass
Except for the Golden Armor, the captain spoke to everyone else with his eyes lowered, as if a fierce, cold light was hiding in the slits of his eyes.
"He’s refining a combat technique, using the Evil Qi of slaughter to temper himself, and it seems he’s made some progress." the Golden Armor secretly told Chen Yan.
Combat technique, tempered by the Evil Qi of slaughter...
Unbidden, Chen Yan thought of Gu Qingyi.
Gu Qingyi, once on the Prison Suppression Platform for five years... was it also like this?
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Snow Cliff Pass... is actually not what one traditionally thinks of as a "pass"!
When Chen Yan finally reached Snow Cliff Pass and stood at this famous place in the Domain Realm known as one of the "Three Platforms, Eight Passes, and Sixteen Towns," he stood under the pass, staring in a daze for half a minute before coming to his senses.
Snow Cliff Pass is not a pass.
But... a mountain!
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What stretches like "city walls" on both sides are not actually walls, but unending mountain ridges on both sides!
It seems as if two sudden rising ridges emerged from the vast earth, extending to the left and right, almost disappearing into the horizon.
Along the ridges, at regular intervals, there were watchtowers. The Golden Armor had said they were staffed with troops, ready to light signal fires should an enemy invade.
The ridges rose nearly fifty meters high! Chen Yan knew that these ridges, resembling city walls, did not form naturally.
They were formed after several Saint-level Great Powers used extraordinary spells, causing the earth to move, raising these ridges to serve as walls following the demarcation of the Domain Realm’s boundaries here.
Chen Yan now stood at the entrance of Snow Cliff Pass.
Before him lay a mountain!
This mountain was also brought here by a Saint-level Great Cultivator with supreme mana, moved from another place, and anchored here as the gate.
The hundred-meter-high mountain had its top shaved flat with great power! A platform as large as a small city was on the top, where walls and a tower were built.
At the foot of the mountain, the mountainside had been opened up; before him was a massive passage directly carving through the mountain!
Inside the mountain’s belly was the stationed Immortal Army and residents, as well as various logistics.
This was a military town through and through.
There were no external trade routes—the region beyond the pass was occupied by the rebellious Fierce Race, and how could the Domain Realm trade with them?
The residents within the pass were merely the logistical support personnel for the stationed Immortal Army.
Chen Yan followed the team into the passage within the mountain belly. Once the thick iron door outside the passage closed, the arching stone walls over ten meters high inside the passage subtly glowed with the light of runes...
Chen Yan exhaled softly, sensing the familiar fluctuations of Primordial Qi in the air.
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Inside the mountain’s belly, it resembled an underground city built within the mountain.
The air was slightly stuffy, but warm as spring, much better than the ice and snow outside.
The runes on the caves in the mountain wall provided illumination here.
As Chen Yan walked along, the arched tunnel branched, and he followed the Golden Armor to the left, twisting and turning until they finally arrived at a cave.
There were no "houses" inside the mountain; instead, there were caves carved directly from the mountain walls.
They resembled the existence of grottoes.
The grotto before him had a large entrance, brightly lit within, with the faint sound of noise.
Chen Yan noticed a row of flags hanging above the grotto entrance.
"This is the only place in the Snow Cliff Pass where ’civilians’ can reside." the Golden Armor laughed, "What’s the matter, brother, didn’t you pass through Snow Cliff Pass the last time you went to Evil Land Mountain?"
Chen Yan smiled slightly, having already prepared an answer: "Never been here before. Last time I went through via Jiechuan."
Jiechuan was another passageway beyond Snow Cliff Pass, leading to Evil Land Mountain, situated at this region’s boundary.
Although it was a small path, it couldn’t accommodate large-scale travel.
The Golden Armor nodded and said: "Originally, Snow Cliff Pass was purely a military town, with no civilians. Those stationed here are either Immortal Army warriors or logistics personnel.
However, ever since the Immortal Platform issued the reward order several decades ago, some loose cultivators began to head to Evil Land Mountain to hunt the Fierce Beast Race. As more people arrived, places for these civilian loose cultivators to stay emerged in Snow Cliff Pass, along with inns, shops, and even a weapon repository. Three years ago, an alchemy room was also established."
Without saying much more, Chen Yan followed the Golden Armor into the cave.
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Inside was a hall, the ceiling was low, since it was a grotto carved into the mountain, with uneven walls, yet lit by runes on both sides.
The space was around two hundred square meters, filled with tables and benches, almost fully seated, with the air thick with the aroma of food.
Behind a wooden counter, someone was there selling wine and tabulating accounts.
Chen Yan approximately judged this place to be something like an inn.
The Golden Armor approached, and after placing a few jade coins on the counter, a seemingly frail young man behind the counter smiled warmly, placing two jars of wine on the table.
The Golden Armor took one, tossing a jar to Chen Yan, then opened his own and took a drink.
With a calm expression, Chen Yan imitated the Golden Armor, opening his jar and taking a gulp.
It was alright, with a fruity aroma, not very alcoholic, not sweet, but slightly tangy with minimal harshness in the aftertaste.
The Golden Armor had already pulled over a young woman passing by with a tray. She wore a deep red robe, not quite in traditional "ancient style" but with narrow sleeves and long pants, even wearing a short skirt resembling an apron. She turned her head slightly, revealing a rather charming face, smiling sweetly at the Golden Armor.