Urban Extraordinary Immortal Doctor
Chapter 1108: Nine Bends Gorge

Chapter 1108: Chapter 1108: Nine Bends Gorge

Three days later, led by Han Xingyu, the Xuannv Sect disciples arrived at the Nine Bends Gorge, which lay at the border between Thousand Lakes Country and Qingping Country.

Qingping Country was the home of the Xuannv Sect headquarters. Both in terms of area and population, it surpassed Thousand Lakes Country by a great margin, and there were over a hundred different Sects within the country.

Unlike the sole dominance of the Purple Flame Sect in Thousand Lakes Country, although Qingping Country also revered third-grade Sects, it was jointly ruled by the Xuannv Sect and Dragon Tiger Palace.

The Xuannv Sect and Dragon Tiger Palace, one in the south and the other in the north, each occupied half of Qingping Country’s population and land, and more than eighty percent of the cultivation resources were under the control of these two major Sects.

As the saying goes, a single mountain cannot harbour two tigers.

Since their founding, the Xuannv Sect and Dragon Tiger Palace had been natural adversaries, each wishing to overpower the other and become the sole ruler of Qingping Country. However, due to their comparable strength, neither could suppress the other over thousands of years, maintaining a balance of power without breaking into open conflict.

Nevertheless, with the succession of Yang Ruojun as the new Xuannv Sect Master, this situation had begun to change.

Yang Ruojun was unyielding and obsessive; she could not stand even a grain of sand in her eye. After taking the position as the Sect Master of the Xuannv Sect, she adopted a tough stance against Dragon Tiger Palace. The rivalry between the disciples of the two Sects had become public and escalated.

In order to gain an advantage in the struggle between the two Sects, both Xuannv Sect and Dragon Tiger Palace had formed strategic alliances to bolster their influence. The Xuannv Sect had formed multiple marital alliances with the Purple Flame Sect precisely for this purpose—to secure the Purple Flame Sect, another third-grade Sect, as an ally.

This time, Zhuge Lian, a direct disciple, was sent to the Purple Flame Sect to marry its direct disciple Zu Yu, with the objective of further strengthening the relationship between the two Sects. Yet, to Han Xingyu’s dismay, not only did the marriage alliance fail, but she also bore witness to the destruction of the Purple Flame Sect.

With the fall of the Purple Flame Sect, the Xuannv Sect had lost a powerful ally. Han Xingyu could imagine that should the Dragon Tiger Palace be informed of this news, they would undoubtedly rejoice in the misfortune and take the opportunity to act against the Xuannv Sect.

Therefore, after attending the inauguration ceremony of Bitao Martial Academy’s new headquarters in Purple Flame City, a worried Han Xingyu hurried back to the Xuannv Sect with disciples like Zhuge Lian, ready to discuss countermeasures with the high-level leaders of the Sect.

The Nine Bends Gorge spanned between Thousand Lakes Country and Qingping Country, a vast canyon that stretched thousands of miles and was named for its meandering shape.

With an average depth nearing a thousand meters, its widest point reaching hundreds of Baili, and the narrowest nearly a hundred zhang, even Cosmic Level Experts were unable to cross it directly.

Moreover, numerous fierce Spirit Beasts roamed at the bottom of the Nine Bends Gorge. Should any Martial Artist attempt to use the vines on the canyon walls to descend to the bottom and climb to the opposite side, they were very likely to be attacked by the Spirit Beasts and perish at the bottom of the gorge.

Nonetheless, there were always solutions.

Some Sects near the Nine Bends Gorge constructed Iron Chain Bridges at its narrowest points to facilitate passage for Martial Artists traveling between the two countries, charging a certain amount of Essence Stones as a toll fee.

Since the key narrow locations of the Nine Bends Gorge were all within the territory controlled by Dragon Tiger Palace, and the Sects that had built the bridges were all following Dragon Tiger Palace’s lead, the Xuannv Sect disciples passing through the Iron Chain Bridge to Thousand Lakes Country would be deliberately obstructed by the Sect disciples guarding the bridge. They would need to pay more Essence Stones than other Martial Artists to cross.

Although the Xuannv Sect disciples were indignant about this, they were helpless. Unless the Xuannv Sect could one day overpower the Dragon Tiger Palace and take control of the Iron Chain Bridge, they would remain stuck in this situation of being controlled by others.

"The Iron Chain Bridge of the Seven Stars Stronghold is just ahead! Remember, no matter how difficult the disciples guarding the Iron Chain Bridge make it, you must endure it for the time being! The Iron Chain Bridge is presided over by high-ranking members of the Dragon Tiger Palace, and in case of conflict, we would not be at an advantage!"

Han Xingyu and others galloped their horses for over a hundred miles along the edge of Nine Bends Gorge, and upon seeing an iron chain bridge ahead, Han Xingyu sternly told the people beside him, including Zhuge Lian.

The Seven Stars Stronghold was a fourth-ranked Sect within Qingping Country and a staunch ally of the Dragon Tiger Palace. The Iron Chain Bridge they erected was the nearest shortcut for the disciples of the Xuannv Sect. Han Xingyu and his group were passing through here to reach Purple Flame City.

However, guarding this Iron Chain Bridge were not only the disciples of the Seven Stars Stronghold but also an Elder from the Dragon Tiger Palace and two Stewards who were stationed there. Their strength far surpassed that of Han Xingyu and the others, which was why Han Xingyu specifically reminded Zhuge Lian and the rest to swallow any grievances should they face difficulties, to avoid jeopardizing their mission.

Zhuge Lian and the others also understood their primary task was to return to the Xuannv Sect and report the drastic changes in Purple Flame City to strategize a response. If they were to be delayed by other matters along the way, the Xuannv Sect might face a catastrophic disaster. Therefore, upon hearing Han Xingyu’s words, they all nodded their heads in understanding.

In front of the Iron Chain Bridge of the Seven Stars Stronghold, many Martial Artists from Thousand Lakes Country and Qingping Country were already queuing to cross.

Eight disciples of the Seven Stars Stronghold and two Stewards from the Dragon Tiger Palace were stationed at either end of the bridge, collecting Essence Stones from those crossing.

In a large stone house on the Qingping Country side, an Elder from the Dragon Tiger Palace who was assigned there lived. Typically, the Elder spent time in secluded Cultivation within the stone house, appearing only when the two Stewards from the Dragon Tiger Palace encountered problems they could not solve.

Han Xingyu and his party dismounted before the Iron Chain Bridge and led their Swiftwind Horses to line up behind a group of Martial Artists, waiting patiently.

Just at that moment, a lean middle-aged man in a green shirt with an ordinary appearance emerged from the distant woods. He glanced at Han Xingyu and his group with a smile that was not quite a smile and then queued up to cross the bridge as well.

The robust middle-aged man was a Loose Cultivator with Desolate Level Perfection, possessing strength comparable to Zhuge Lian. His Martial Artist Aura was sharp and aggressive, clearly indicating that he practiced Golden System Martial Arts Techniques.

The man was not wearing the attire of any Sect or faction, revealing that he was an Individual Cultivation Martial Artist. With his Cultivation Level of Desolate Level Perfection, he stood out among the Martial Artists in line, thus drawing the attention of some on-site Martial Artists who struck up a conversation with him.

"Brother, my name is Hu Ren, a Loose Cultivator from Qingping Country. May I inquire about your honorable name?"

The person standing in front of the robust middle-aged man was a slightly older burly man who also possessed a Cultivation Level of Desolate Level Perfection.

The burly man was dressed in a worn hemp robe, and he turned around and gave the robust middle-aged man a grin before they started chatting.

Seeing the burly man’s simple and straightforward manner, evidently not a schemer, the middle-aged man laughed and said, "My surname is Bai, my first name Fang, from Thousand Lakes Country. Just like Brother Hu, I am also a Loose Cultivator..."

"So it’s Brother Bai! Lucky to meet you! Brother Bai, do you have business in Qingping Country? Though I’m a Loose Cultivator, I have quite a few friends in Qingping Country. If there’s anything you find difficult to handle, you can tell me, and maybe I can help you..."

The man named Hu Ren was very outgoing and, after getting into a conversation with the middle-aged man, he enthusiastically chatted away.

The middle-aged man, called Bai Fang, always had a smile on his lips, wasn’t bothered by Hu Ren’s talkativeness, and answered his questions. They quickly became familiar with each other.