"One spirit stone for a month of stay, and ten for a year. Which one?"
"One month of stay, please."
"Here—always wear it at all times inside the market. If you're discovered not wearing it or you overstay, don't blame us for being ruthless! You may enter!"
The guard solemnly warned and tossed him a bracelet.
An Ling caught the bracelet and made his way inside the market gate.
Four days had passed since he departed. He had finally arrived at the farthest eastern region of Baiyun County, and his destination lay further north—toward Qingfeng County and the Yellow Peak Mountain.
To ensure his safety, An Yuanshu and he had discussed a plan beforehand: if the stone signal pulsed, he was to travel here and acquire proper information about the "Beast Tide" before entering Qingfeng County.
An Ling walked through the relatively crowded district and entered a shop called "Raw Meat Restaurant."
The waiter humbly handed him a menu, and An Ling made his orders. Among them was an item called "Companion Table," priced at a steep ten spirit stones.
The waiter patiently noted his orders and passed them to the kitchen.
Soon, the dishes were served—and a fair lady, at the 4th level of the Qi Refinement realm, sat opposite him, holding a wine bottle.
"Fellow Daoist, please."
She gracefully poured his cup full of wine and smiled sweetly at him.
An Ling, with a neutral expression, nodded and accepted the cup.
"Please, fellow Daoist, ask what troubles you."
"Sister, is there any authentic news about the beast tide up north?"
An Ling began eating as he asked.
This restaurant was known for selling reliable and authentic news about events across the entire western side of the Ten Thousand Cloud World.
It was said that the owner of this restaurant chain was a Golden Core realm loose cultivator. His main business was selling information to other loose cultivators seeking knowledge about the vast world of Wei State, Song State, and Jin State—the overlords of the western world of Ten Thousand Cloud.
He sold news openly to show those powerhouses that he wasn't dealing in sensitive information about their sects or clans—so that he wouldn't be hunted down and killed.
Even though the profits weren't as high as selling secrets about major powers, the number of loose cultivators across the land was enough to sustain a steady income and fund his cultivation.
That was why An Ling knew exactly where to go for news about the "Beast Tide."
"The Beast Tide?" The fair lady repeated absentmindedly.
A cultivator from a clan? she thought.
Only those affiliated with clans or sects have a vested interest in the outcome of the Beast Tide.
An Ling's clothes weren't what one would expect from a clan disciple. No matter a clan's status, their members often wore vibrant and refined clothing compared to loose cultivators.
But An Ling—dressed in simple black and white—looked almost like a wandering thug due to his plain, loose garments.
An Ling simply looked at her without responding. He had already guessed her thoughts.
"Forgive me, fellow Daoist. I spoke without thinking." She smiled and apologized. "Here, please accept my apology."
After he drank his second cup of wine, she began speaking.
"According to our sources, the beast tide in the north is still not over. The Yellow Peak Mountain in Qingfeng County is still under siege, and Red Peak Mountain beside it is also in the same situation, protected under the Green Sword Sect."
She only mentioned the general, public news and fell silent afterward.
An Ling took his cue and pulled three spirit stones from his pouch, placing them on the table.
"What about the current situation today? Are there any rumors about when this beast tide will end?"
The lady smiled and took the spirit stones without hesitation.
"What I heard is that the Immortal Jade Sect will finally be able to reinforce the Green Sword Sect and repel the beast tide. What we don't know is when it will happen."
"Can I know why the Immortal Jade Sect wasn't able to send aid in the first place?"
An Ling took another spirit stone, and the lady accepted it smoothly.
"I assume fellow Daoist is aware that the Immortal Jade Sect of Wei State is currently engaged in battle against over a million demons. What most people don't know is that the central demon tribes—those who usually clash with the central human powerhouses of the Ten Thousand Cloud World—have diverted nearly a million of their forces to the western world, aiding the western demon armies in their assault on the three states of Wei, Song, and Jin. That's why their numbers are so overwhelming this time."
An Ling frowned at the information he just heard.
Humans and demons rarely interacted, yet in essence, they were not so different. Both races endlessly competed for resources, land, and influence. Just as human sects and clans schemed and fought amongst themselves for treasures and spiritual veins, the Demon Tribes too were no strangers to betrayal and bloodshed. Infighting within their kind was as natural as breathing.
So it didn't make sense for the central demon tribes to aid the western demon armies while also fighting the central human powers.
He took another spirit stone and asked, "Why? Is there a good reason for the central demon tribes to help the western demons attack the three states?"
"This is actually a taboo topic to mention," the fair lady whispered after taking the fee, leaning closer as if sharing a secret. "But now that the demons have attacked, it no longer matters."
Her voice dropped even lower, almost swallowed by the surrounding chatter.
"The Immortal Jade Sect has welcomed another Nascent Soul cultivator."
"Is this true!?" An Ling's shock was evident in his eyes.
"Yes." She leaned back and continued, "With the Immortal Jade Sect's growing power, the central demon tribes could no longer ignore the western demon tribes—and so they lent their aid."
"I don't know how familiar you are with the recurring beast tides every century, but they usually last for over a year, sometimes even half a decade. Yet this time, it only lasted—"
She stopped abruptly, realizing she had spoken too much.
This mouth of mine really needs to learn when to stop! she thought with self-reproach.
An Ling, however, was deep in thought after receiving such a shocking revelation. He stayed quiet for a moment, then took out two more spirit stones and asked again.
"Has there been any other great news about Nascent Soul cultivators in the past three months?"
The fair lady smiled upon seeing the two stones.
This young master knows how to reciprocate, she thought, admiring his generosity.
"Answering fellow Daoist's question—there's no current public news on that matter."
She said this simply, poured him another cup of wine, and remained silent.
An Ling also fell silent, lost in thought.
Her last answer carried deep meaning.
The absence of public news about the Nascent Soul cultivators of the Immortal Jade Sect—or those of the other two states—meant that higher powers were suppressing it.
But with the announcement of reinforcements from the Immortal Jade Sect, An Ling could infer several hidden truths about the ongoing battle against the Beast Tide.
When the western human world was besieged by overwhelming demon forces, the central human powers of the Ten Thousand Cloud World quickly intervened after learning the reason behind the attack—the central demon armies, who usually clashed with them once every century, had unexpectedly allied with the western demon tribes to strike the western human states together.
Their goal was clear—to eliminate one or two Nascent Soul cultivators, crippling the human forces' ability to retaliate and ensuring they bled every century without hope of counterattack.
The emergence of another Nascent Soul cultivator in the Immortal Jade Sect—which already had four—meant they could now contend against the mightiest demon tribe of the western world: the Blue Dragon Tribe!
The Blue Dragon Tribe possessed six Demon Emperors, using their numbers to suppress the Immortal Jade Sect for thousands of years.
Alongside the Black Wolf Tribe and the Red Peacock Tribe—each commanding two Demon Emperors in their legions—the demon forces held a decisive advantage, possessing one more Demon Emperor than the nine Nascent Soul cultivators of three sects combined.
This advantage allowed the demon armies to dictate the pace of battle—one Demon Emperor could move freely, reinforcing or overwhelming any front at will. Because of this, they have conquered three vassal states from Wei and Jin state in the past Beast Tides.
But with the Immortal Jade Sect's new Nascent Soul, humanity could finally push back and perhaps even reclaim lost lands.
That was why the western demons requested aid from the central tribes—to eliminate any Nascent Soul cultivators they could catch off guard. Success would mean the collapse of the western human realm's newfound momentum, ensuring that every future beast tide ended in demon triumph.
If such a hypothetical event were to occur, the central human powers would have no choice but to intervene, sending their Nascent Soul experts to balance the scales—and in doing so, they would inevitably weaken their defenses in the central region.
Even with the three Divine Transformation cultivators standing guard against the four Mythical Beast demons, a single misstep could spell disaster. If the humans were not cautious and fell into a well-laid trap, the entire human realm could crumble in an instant.
Now that the Immortal Jade Sect had sent reinforcements to Yun State and Cheng State, the outcome of that clash was clear.
Either the demons retreated after achieving their goal… Or the humans won and forced the beasts to withdraw.
Many had theorized about the outcome, but no one knew the truth. An Ling, however, had a grim suspicion.
The humans had lost—which meant a Nascent Soul cultivator had fallen among the three sects' ranks!
The only reason to suppress such news was to keep morale from collapsing at the front lines—after all, if victory had truly been achieved, there would be no reason to hide it.
If his hypothesis was true, then the next beast tide would be far more disastrous for the An Clan than this one.
It seems I'll need to convene with the clan leaders and elders to draft a contingency plan for the clan's survival a century from now. An Ling thought.
The mere thought of the future filled him with quiet pessimism.
An Ling pulled out another three spirit stones and asked, "Sister, do you have reliable news about when the Immortal Jade Sect's reinforcements will arrive, and the current situation in the two mountain marketplaces?"
The fair lady brightened at his generosity and answered immediately.
"Regarding the two mountain marketplaces..." She paused briefly, then said gravely, "I've heard that Red Peak Mountain in Yunhai County has fallen into the demon hands.
To help the Green Sword Sect, the Immortal Jade Sect immediately dispatched elites to stabilize the collapsing frontline while also sending an army of over two thousand to recapture the lost mountain; the reinforcements were due to arrive on transport ships within two days.
But that information is already two days old. We have no updates on whether the reinforcements have arrived."
The fair lady poured herself a cup of wine to soothe her dry throat after speaking for so long.
"Thank you for answering all my questions, Sister!" An Ling placed another spirit stone on the table. "I didn't expect the Raw Meat Restaurant's information network to be this vast. I'll have to come back again when I need to learn more about world affairs."
An Ling couldn't help but praise the depth of their information network on the current situation in the western Ten Thousand Cloud region.
It was clear that if he probed and asked the right questions, they would likely have the answers—perhaps even the dirty, sensitive secrets of the three major sects. However, such precious and dangerous intelligence would certainly be reserved for the restaurant manager's ears alone, far beyond the reach of any low-level information worker—like her.
The fair lady smiled at the of spirit stones on the table and stored it to her storage bag. this transaction had been far more profitable than usual! She thought in joy.
She couldn't help but reply proudly, "Of course, fellow Daoist! When it comes to public information, no one surpasses us. We know quite a lot about the Green Sword Sect's affairs—what secrets could a mere medium-tier Golden Core Sect truly hold? With our senior master backing us, we've no reason to fear anyone short of the true powerhouses!"
Though this restaurant chain was technically a loose organization under a loose cultivator, it was still a power to be reckoned with because of its backers.
Senior Master Zhao and his Dao companion, Lady Wu, were Golden Core experts—a match for the Green Sword Sect's own two Grand Elders. For operatives of their caliber, failing to uncover the sect's secrets would be an embarrassment worthy of retirement.
And the consequences? Nonexistent. The Green Sword Sect was a pet on a very short leash, kept purposefully weak by the Immortal Jade Sect, which had no desire to house-train a future Nascent Soul Sect rival. Letting it collapse was arguably doing their overlords a favor.
The Immortal Jade Sect wouldn't mourn its fall for a moment; whoever replaced them would surely have a poorer inheritance, starting from a weaker position. It was a perfect cycle—a vassal would rise just enough to be useful, only to be overthrown and replaced, ensuring no real threat to the established powers could ever emerge and take a large chunk of their land resources
"Thank you, fellow Daoist. Then I won't be polite!"
Though the establishment was an information broker at heart, it was still a restaurant—and its food was top-notch and delicious.
As a loose cultivator, her meager income barely covered her rented cave's monthly fee and cultivation expenses. So when offered a meal by this generous gentleman, she had no reason to decline.
An Ling watched her eat heartily, a faint smile tugging at his lips, as he quietly planned his next move.
With the northern situation broadly understood, An Ling's immediate priority was rest. Four days of constant travel had depleted him, and he needed to restore his Qi before pressing on to find An Yuanshu and the others.
He concluded his meal, paid, and retired to a rented room, intending to depart at first light.