The sky over the Southern Border was forever hazy and gray, the heavy clouds pressing low as if a rain of blood might pour down at any moment. This was a sky shrouded by the influence of the Blood Moon Palace, year‑round permeated with a faint smell of sulfur and a barely discernible metallic tang of blood.
Ye Xiao restrained his aura, turning into an inconspicuous streak of light as he threaded through the clouds. His disguise mask was already in place; at the moment he appeared as a pale, sharp‑featured middle‑aged man, perfectly matching the image of a Blood Moon Palace disciple.
"Miss Hong Ling, how much farther?" Ye Xiao asked in his heart.
"Roughly another half day's journey," Hong Ling's voice came from the depths of his sea of consciousness. "Not far ahead there's a small city called Blood Stone City. It's one of the larger gathering spots for cultivators in the Southern Border. We can rest there for a bit and take the chance to gather some information."
