Chapter 276: Situation of the Nine Passes
Hua Changxi walked out of Number Two Qihuang Hall and happened to see a squad of ten Holy Guards passing by. She couldn’t help but step forward, “Squad Leader, please wait.”
The organization of the Holy Guards was very easy to remember.
Each Sacred Land could recruit ten thousand Holy Guards. Therefore, the highest commander of the Holy Guards was the Commander of Ten Thousand. Below the Commander of Ten Thousand were Commanders of a Thousand, below Commanders of a Thousand were Centurions, and below Centurions were Squad Leaders. Each Squad Leader had nine guards under them.
Hearing someone call out, the Squad Leader raised his hand to signal the guards to stop and looked at Hua Changxi in surprise.
After all, besides the three Peak Masters who recruited them, almost no one would provoke them.
It was nothing else; they were Soul Cultivators, specializing in Soul Power.
Even the weakest Soul Cultivator, a first-tier Soul Cultivator who could only condense a Soul Body, could project their Spiritual Sense and Soul Power, causing a certain amount of damage to the Soul Bodies of cultivators in the Nascent Soul Realm and below.
As for this batch of Holy Guards, the lowest cultivation level was that of Soul Sea Realm cultivators who had opened their Soul Seas. Even the cultivators in the Guardian Families at the Spiritual Platform Realm did not dare to easily confront them.
This was why, as soon as they arrived at the Dan Sheng Hall, they smoothly took over the right to maintain order in the Sacred Land, and even the Royal Family did not step forward to object.
All ten Holy Guards looked curiously at the female cultivator approaching, surprised by her boldness.
Before cultivators opened their Spiritual Platforms and condensed their Seas of Consciousness, their Soul Bodies were very fragile. Even if they did nothing, the overflowing Soul Pressure would cause a certain amount of oppression to their Soul Bodies.
While the Holy Guards were surprised, Hua Changxi was also surprised.
She was surprised that these Holy Guards were all Soul Cultivators who had lost their physical bodies, and also surprised by their powerful strength. From afar, she could feel the powerful Soul Power emanating from them.
Although Hua Changxi could project her Spiritual Sense, her Soul Body was certainly not as strong as the Holy Guards’, so she dared not confront them head-on. With a flip of her wrist, she took out the Saint Pill she had obtained when the Dan Yuan Peak appeared.
With the Saint Pill in hand, the Soul Pressure acting on Hua Changxi instantly dissipated.
Finally, at a distance of about one meter from the Squad Leader, Hua Changxi stopped.
“Esteemed soldiers, I am Hua Changxi, the Peak Master of Dan Yuan Peak.”
Seeing Hua Changxi standing before them with a calm expression, the ten Holy Guards were initially very confused. However, after hearing her self-introduction and noticing the emerald green Saint Pill in her hand, they instantly understood.
The curiosity on the faces of the ten Holy Guards turned into seriousness and solemnity.
It was nothing else; she was a Peak Master who could command the Holy Guards!
“Peak Master Hua, we pay our respects.”
The Squad Leader cupped his fists and asked, “May I ask why Peak Master Hua has stopped us?”
Hua Changxi smiled, “I don’t know much about the Nine Netherworlds, and even less about the Nine Great Passes that suppress the Demon Prison. Therefore, I wish to ask you for some information.”
“This…”
The Squad Leader showed hesitation, his gaze shifting towards Number Two Qihuang Hall.
Hua Changxi looked back and saw Xia Zhen, Gu Xing, and their group successively emerging from Number Two Qihuang Hall. Seeing her standing before the Holy Guards, their expressions changed unpredictably.
Xia Zhen looked at Gu Xing, his tone anxious, “Fellow Daoist Gu, those are your subordinate Holy Guards.”
The implication was that Gu Xing should stop the Holy Guards from interacting with Hua Changxi.
After all, Hua Changxi held the most Protector Saint Tokens. Once she also recruited Holy Guards, she would inevitably compete with them for control of the Medical Affairs Department.
Gu Xing looked at Xia Zhen with a half-smile, “Fellow Daoist Xia, the Holy Guards belong only to the Sacred Land, not to individuals. We are merely managing them temporarily at present.”
Xia Zhen’s heart tightened. He had been foolish just now to ask Gu Xing to stop the Holy Guards.
Gu Xing would naturally not stop Hua Changxi from interacting with the Holy Guards. He would only hope that Hua Changxi would learn more about the Nine Netherworlds and the Nine Passes, so that she could recruit more Holy Guards sooner.
Xia Zhen stopped speaking and quickly looked towards Hua Changxi and the Holy Guards.
Recalling the conditions the Holy Guards had proposed when he had previously sought to exchange with them for cultivation methods for Soul Power and Spiritual Sense, Xia Zhen quickly calmed down.
No matter what Hua Changxi intended to do, the Holy Guards would not easily agree.
Indeed, the Squad Leader cupped his fists towards Hua Changxi and apologized, “Peak Master Hua, we only obey Peak Master Gu and are responsible for maintaining the order of the Sacred Land. We do not concern ourselves with anything else.”
Hua Changxi heard the refusal in the Squad Leader’s words. After a moment of hesitation, she flipped her wrist, and a Divine Wood Leaf emitting a crystal green glow appeared in her palm.
This Divine Wood Leaf was plucked by her from a Xing Mu Branch.
Gu Xing, Meng Qingyao, and Yan Qianying, who had obtained Protector Saint Tokens, had all recruited Holy Guards. Even though she was not in a hurry to recruit, she wanted to understand the situation of the Nine Passes first.
The Nine Netherworlds were dangerous, and the situation of the Nine Passes was complex. Rather than blindly rushing in with no knowledge, it was better to inquire with the Holy Guards.
However, she had not expected the Holy Guards to be Soul Cultivators without physical bodies. After all, the life force within the Divine Wood Leaf only acted on the physical body.
She wondered if Soul Cultivators without physical bodies still needed Divine Wood Leaves.
“If I offer this Divine Wood Leaf, can I learn about the Nine Netherworlds and the Nine Passes from you, Squad Leader?”
The Squad Leader looked at the Divine Wood Leaf, his eyes immediately becoming fervent. His gaze involuntarily shifted towards Gu Xing.
After all, they were recruited by Gu Xing, and according to the rules, they had to obey him.
Hua Changxi followed his gaze and smiled, “I am only asking the Squad Leader for some information. Senior Gu will not mind.”
Seeing that Gu Xing showed no intention of stopping her, the Squad Leader nodded, “May I ask what Peak Master Hua wishes to inquire about?”
Hua Changxi’s expression brightened when she saw that he had agreed. “Let’s talk at Number Thirteen Qihuang Hall.” With that, she led the way towards Number Thirteen Qihuang Hall.
The Squad Leader saw this and quickly followed. Upon arriving at Hall Thirteen, he instructed his subordinates to continue their patrol while he stepped inside.
“Please have a seat, Squad Leader!”
After Hua Changxi waited for the Squad Leader to sit down, she didn’t waste any time. She handed him the Divine Wood Leaf and then asked, “Please tell me about the Nine Passes that suppress the Demon Prison.”
The Squad Leader took the Divine Wood Leaf, his expression somewhat excited. After quickly putting the Divine Wood Leaf away, he also got straight to the point.
“The Nine Passes are Qianmen Pass, Kunmen Pass, Zhenmen Pass, Genmen Pass, Limen Pass, Kanmen Pass, Duimen Pass, Xunmen Pass, and Zhongmen Pass.”
“Each pass has a fortress, and each fortress is permanently stationed with one hundred thousand Demon Suppressing Guards, specifically to block the invasion of the Demon Race and Ghost Race into the Demon Prison.”
Hua Changxi looked surprised, “One hundred thousand Demon Suppressing Guards in each fortress? Do you need so many people to guard it?”
The Squad Leader shook his head, “It’s not many. When the Demon Race invades the Demon Prison in large numbers, they launch beast tides. Each beast tide involves anywhere from several million to over ten million demons.”
Hua Changxi heard news she had never heard before: beast tides!
“When do the Demon Race generally launch beast tides?”
The Squad Leader shook his head, “This subordinate does not know.”
Hua Changxi noted down the matter of beast tides and then began to inquire about other things, “If I want to recruit Holy Guards, can I recruit them freely from any of the nine fortresses?”
The Squad Leader replied, “Of course not. The Nine Passes guard the Formation Eyes near their respective positions.”
“For example, Genmen Pass and Zhenmen Pass guard the Formation Eye beneath the Dan Sheng Hall. Therefore, the Dan Sheng Hall can only recruit Holy Guards from Genmen Pass and Zhenmen Pass.”
“As for the Artifact Saint Palace, they can only recruit Holy Guards from Xunmen Pass and Limen Pass;”
“The Talisman Saint Pavilion can only recruit Holy Guards from Kunmen Pass and Duimen Pass;”
“The Formation Saint Sect can only recruit Holy Guards from Qianmen Pass and Kanmen Pass.”
“The Central Sacred Land recruits Holy Guards only from Zhongmen Pass.”
“Zhongmen Pass directly faces Guimen Pass, and Guimen Pass leads directly to the heart of the Nine Netherworlds. At the same time, Zhongmen Pass also leads directly to the core of the Demon Prison’s formation.”
“Among the nine passes, Zhongmen Pass is the most important pass, and its defense mission is the most arduous, with a permanent stationed force of up to five hundred thousand Demon Suppressing Guards.”
“Although the nine passes are independent, they are also interdependent. If a certain pass is in trouble, the neighboring passes have the responsibility to provide support. Therefore, there are also connections between the passes.”
