On the other side of Red Rock Mountain grew a patch of red maple trees, the entire mountain peak reflected in a fiery red, presenting a particularly unique scene. The group quickly ascended a long, stone-stepped mountain path, soon arriving at the summit. Here, several grand halls and pavilions had been constructed. Zhang Ling looked around, noting that most of these buildings were built with redwood and black stone, giving them an ancient and grand style, as if they had been around for ages. Led by Bai Heyu, the group arrived in front of a grand hall, a stone hall with three ancient characters inscribed on a plaque above: 'Demon Sealing Hall'. Reaching the hall, Bai Heyu produced a crimson token and injected spiritual power into it. The token flashed red, emitting a beam of light that passed through the hall's tightly closed doors. "We'll wait here for a moment; Uncle-Master Han will receive us shortly." Bai Heyu said to the group before standing quietly in place. The others understood and remained silent. Zhang Ling looked up, gazing at the three characters 'Demon Sealing Hall'. They were carved in ancient immortal script, suggesting the place had existed for quite some time. He then released his divine sense, observing the surroundings. To his surprise, his divine sense was repelled when it swept towards the stone hall. The hall was constructed entirely from a dark, heavy stone. The stone doors alone were thirty feet tall, and a white jade stone platform stood in front, exquisitely decorated.
Dozens of neat rows of pillars lined the sides of the stone hall. Each pillar was over a hundred feet tall, carved with images of true dragons and celestial phoenixes, exuding an imposing aura. Under his observation, the stone hall emitted a faint spiritual light, whether due to the special materials used or the addition of array restrictions. Creak! After the group waited for the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, the doors of the stone hall opened. Bai Heyu called out to the group and led them inside. The hall was dimly lit, with faint light emanating from an unknown source. Aside from the massive stone pillars, nothing else could be seen clearly. A wisp of black gas floated around, creating a sense of oppression. In the center of the hall was a circular platform, upon which sat a portly cultivator in yellow robes. The plump cultivator seemed to know of their arrival. He opened his eyes, and Zhang Ling and the others instantly stiffened. A powerful divine sense swirled around them. It was clear that this Golden Core stage expert was observing them. "Disciple pays respects to Uncle-Master Han. These are the disciples from the Cangyun Kingdom's Haoyuan Sect who have come to assist," Bai Heyu said, gesturing to the group respectfully. "We pay respects to Senior Han." At this point, Zhang Ling and the five others reacted, quickly bowing to the plump cultivator on the platform. Uncle-Master Han scanned the group with his divine sense before retracting his gaze. "Very well, since you have come here, I assume it is by order. I have little to say, but there is one thing you must remember: this place is under my control. The Demon Sealing Stone here is crucial to the Immortal City's grand formation and must not be compromised, especially now with the foreign invasion." "Your task is simple: patrol the area within five hundred miles of Red Rock Mountain. These are critical times, so if anyone tries to slack off, don't blame me for being ruthless." "Although you are not disciples of my sect, you must abide by the Immortal City's rules while you are here." As he spoke, the uncle-master's aura solidified, and the powerful spiritual pressure of a Golden Core cultivator emanated from him. In an instant, Zhang Ling and the others' expressions changed, feeling as if a thousand pounds of weight had suddenly been placed upon them. "Thank you for your guidance, Senior. We will keep it in mind." This heavy pressure was not an illusion but a tangible force. The group dared not be negligent and quickly lowered their heads, responding in unison. "Good, then I am relieved."
His power was revealed momentarily, overwhelming them. But the spiritual pressure came and went quickly, disappearing in an instant. Uncle-Master Han raised his hand, and five red tokens shot towards the five of them. "These are the restriction tokens for this place. Refine them." Zhang Ling reached out and caught the token, opening his mouth to spit out a ball of spiritual power into it. Then, extending a finger, he tapped the token, and a drop of blood merged into it. The token flashed, emitting a soft chime before returning to normal. The others beside him did the same, refining their tokens in the blink of an eye. "Alright, you may leave. Junior Nephew Bai, arrange their shift duties." Then, Uncle-Master Han waved his hand, dismissing them. The group respectfully bid farewell to Bai Heyu and quickly left the stone hall. Walking on the mountain path, Hao Ming couldn't help but ask Bai Heyu. "Senior Brother Bai, what is the background of this Uncle-Master Han? He seems quite strict." "Haha, don't worry, everyone. Uncle-Master Han is actually quite approachable. He probably showed some strength just now to intimidate you newcomers." "I actually know a bit about Uncle-Master Han's background. Uncle-Master Han's full name is Han Yu, and he's a rogue cultivator." "Rogue cultivator?" Hearing these words, everyone had different expressions. "Don't underestimate Uncle-Master Han. He's an outer city elder of Yanhua Immortal City. His strength has reached the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm. He's definitely not weaker than the elders in our sects, and he's stationed here year-round with rich combat experience. It's said that he once killed a demonic cultivator of the same rank." Then, he proceeded to introduce some of the defenses here, giving them a deeper understanding of the place. Including them, there were already over thirty Foundation Establishment cultivators gathered here, a small half of whom were Foundation Establishment rogue cultivators recruited by Yanhua City, stationed here year-round. The remaining Foundation Establishment cultivators, like them, were disciples from various sects who had come to assist recently. In addition, there were three hundred Qi Refining stage disciples, in a similar situation. The task of these Foundation Establishment cultivators was to lead the Qi Refining cultivators on patrol every day to prevent the invasion of the alien demons. The Foundation Establishment cultivators on duty here also received a reward of fifty spirit stones per month, issued annually by Yanhua City. At the same time, patrol missions also earned a lot of Immortal City merit points. Hearing this, everyone showed joy. These spirit stones could be said to be free money. Naturally, no one would refuse. Accumulating these spirit stones over a year would be a substantial amount, and accumulating them over ten years would be a considerable fortune. Subsequently, Bai Heyu led them around the entire Red Rock Mountain, introducing the array restrictions and other important matters. The most important place was a rocky cave located in the mountain's belly. That was the core location of the array, and inside was a Demon Sealing Stone pillar, which served as the array eye. Three Foundation Establishment late-stage cultivators were stationed there every day, and these Foundation Establishment disciples could not enter. Only Golden Core stage Uncle-Master Han understood the situation inside. This array eye was not independent but was closely related to Yanhua Immortal City and the other twelve Immortal Cities. There were three hundred such Demon Sealing Stones, and Yanhua City controlled thirty of them. Red Rock Mountain was one of the small array eyes, which was why cultivators had to be stationed there. Once the Demon Sealing Stone was destroyed, the Twelve Immortal Cities' Continuous Mountain Array would weaken. If the alien demons wanted to invade the eastern part of the Continuous Cloud Mountains, they had to destroy some of the Demon Sealing Stones first. Therefore, these places had to be guarded every time the alien race invaded. After understanding the tasks at Red Rock Mountain, Bai Heyu arranged accommodations for the group.
As for their tasks, they would rotate every ten days, with ten teams each time, and the Foundation Establishment cultivators would lead ten Qi Refining disciples on patrol near Red Rock Mountain. There were still a few days before the next rotation, so they had a few days of rest, and these days were free to arrange. ...