Wancheng Mountain
Tie Family City
After hundreds of years of meticulous transformation by the Tie Family, this once ordinary mountain range has now been forged into an impregnable steel fortress.
Tie Family City does not engage in trade like other Mountain Villages; the Tie Family generally does not allow Gu Masters to enter the city. The Tie Family's economic source relies entirely on capturing various Demonic Path Gu Masters. It is also to prevent Demonic Path Gu Masters from colluding internally and externally that no outsiders are allowed into the city.
In the center of the Tie Family's main camp, a towering iron pagoda pierces the clouds, seemingly connecting with the heavens. This iron pagoda is the Tie Family's belief and also the nightmare of the Southern Border's Demonic Path — the Demon Suppression Tower.
Liu Chen and Tie Xueleng rode the Thousand Li Earth Wolf Spider, rushing back to Tie Family City at lightning speed.
As soon as they arrived, they were discovered by the Tie Family's reconnaissance Gu Masters.
"Dong!"
A deafening clang of a bell suddenly rang out, like a great bell, reverberating throughout Tie Family City. This bell sound was not ordinary; it was a unique signal, rapidly transmitted to every corner of the Tie Family through the city's carefully designed sound transmission System.
"Brother Xueleng, this is the renowned Demon Suppression Tower of the Southern Border; it truly lives up to its reputation and is awe-inspiring!" Liu Chen gazed at the majestic iron pagoda, exclaiming in admiration.
Tie Xueleng nodded, a hint of reverence flashing in his eyes, "The Demon Suppression Tower is the common belief of all Gu Masters of my Tie Family. It is not only our spiritual pillar but also the source of our strength. I'm not afraid of Brother Chen laughing at me, but my ambition is to one day fill this Demon Suppression Tower so that the Demonic Path will no longer run rampant in the Southern Border. It's just a pity that I was deceived by someone, and my cultivation has plummeted, truly bringing shame to my Family and to this Demon Suppression Tower!" Tie Xueleng sighed, his words filled with deep self-reproach and helplessness.
"Halt! This is an important area of the Tie Family. No entry without a token!"
Standing on the towering city gate tower, a Tie Family Gu Master's voice boomed like a great bell, shouting down below. His voice echoed in front of the empty city gate, as if it could pierce one's eardrums.
The Tie Family's city gate was tightly shut, like an impregnable fortress. The gate, along with the surrounding walls, presented a steel-like texture, as if cast from a single block of steel, without a single seam.
"It's me!" Suddenly, a loud shout came. Tie Xueleng stood below the city gate, holding up a token with the character "Tie" written on it. His voice exuded authority, making it impossible to ignore.
The Gu Master looked closely and immediately recognized the person. A look of surprise appeared on his face, and he shouted, "Ah! It's Lord Divine Catcher, he's back!"
The city gate slowly opened, emitting a heavy creaking sound. A tall man emerged from it; he bore some resemblance to Tie Xueleng, but his smile was as bright as sunshine, forming a stark contrast to Tie Xueleng's ice-cold face.
"Haha, I was wondering who it was, turns out it's you, Xueleng! Why didn't you just enter the city?" The man laughed heartily, striding towards Tie Xueleng.
Tie Xueleng looked at him expressionlessly and said indifferently, "This is our Tie Family's Clan Chief, Tie Xinjie, a Rank Five Gold Dao Gu Master."
"Hmm?" Tie Xinjie looked at Tie Xueleng suspiciously, his gaze shifting to the man beside Tie Xueleng, secretly wondering, "Who is this guy? Why is he with Xueleng?"
Before he could examine the man carefully, his expression suddenly changed dramatically, revealing an incredulous look.
He keenly sensed that Tie Xueleng's Qi was only at Four-Turn, which was far from the Tie Xueleng he remembered. Moreover, all the Gu worms that should have been on Tie Xueleng had vanished without a trace.
"What exactly is going on? Where is your Bronze Puppet Gu? And why has your cultivation suddenly dropped so much?" Tie Xinjie was anxious, asking urgently.
Seeing this, Tie Xueleng quickly explained, "The story is long and cannot be explained in a few words. This is my savior, Liu Chen. If not for him, I would probably have died at the hands of Gu Yue Yi Dai."
With that, Tie Xueleng solemnly introduced Liu Chen to Tie Xinjie.
Upon hearing this, Tie Xinjie's worry lessened a little, but he was still deeply grateful for Liu Chen's life-saving grace. He immediately decided to kneel down and thank Liu Chen to express his gratitude.
"Thank you, brother, for saving my brother's life! Such great kindness, I, Tie Xinjie, have no way to repay it. Please accept my bow, Your Excellency!" Tie Xinjie said, then knelt down without hesitation, kowtowing to Liu Chen in gratitude.
Liu Chen was startled by this. He quickly reached out to support Tie Xinjie, saying, "Tie Family Clan Chief, this is not permissible! Tie Divine Catcher is a pillar of our Southern Border's Righteous Path; his safety is naturally also my concern. Since I encountered such a situation, I naturally couldn't stand by and do nothing."
"Big brother, we are still outside the city, after all, and there are many people around, so it's not very safe. Let's go back to the inner city first and then make a plan." Tie Xueleng seriously helped his elder brother up, whispering a reminder in his ear.
Only then did Tie Xinjie come to his senses, realizing that he had lost his composure just now. He composed himself and quickly said, "Oh, I was too excited and almost messed up a big matter. Let's go back to the inner city first, and after everything is arranged, I will definitely thank Brother Liu Chen properly!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Tie Xinjie immediately stood up, turned around, and led Tie Xueleng and Liu Chen, walking quickly towards the Tie Family's inner city.
Upon entering the inner city, Tie Xinjie shouted loudly, "Someone! Quickly invite our esteemed guest, Brother Liu Chen, in! Bring out the best things and entertain him well!"
Soon after, everyone arrived at the Clan Chief's mansion. As soon as Tie Xinjie entered the mansion gate, he eagerly instructed his servants to prepare a banquet, ensuring that Liu Chen felt the Tie Family's warm hospitality.
Immediately after, Tie Xinjie took out a purple-gold hero token from his Pregnant and solemnly handed it to Liu Chen, saying, "Brother Liu Chen, this is my Tie Family's purple-gold hero token, representing my Tie Family's respect and gratitude towards you. With this token, you can freely choose a Five-Rank Gu worm from my Tie Family's inner treasury, and you will have unrestricted access within my Tie Family's inner city. However, the Demon Suppression Tower is a Forbidden Land of my Tie Family, and outsiders are forbidden to enter without permission. If you are interested, my two brothers and I can accompany you there later."
"I happen to be a bit hungry too. Thank you, Clan Chief Tie, for the hospitality. Then I won't be polite!" Liu Chen's face showed a joyful smile, and he responded without hesitation. As he spoke, he quickly extended both hands and steadily took the purple-gold hero token.
The purple-gold hero token shimmered with a faint purple light in the sun, with the character "Tie" at its center.
Immediately after, Liu Chen turned and followed the servant towards the area where the food was laid out. His steps were light and steady, as if he couldn't wait to taste the delicious dishes.
However, in a place unseen by others, Liu Chen's System backpack already contained another colorful treasure chest.
The Tie Family truly lived up to its reputation as a super force of the same Rank as the Shang Family, allowing him to obtain another colorful treasure chest.