"Out of nowhere? Hmph, the Nine Towns have had an agreement long ago: if a Xianyang Level cultivator crosses into another town, they must report in advance to the other party. You don't look like someone who just recently advanced; you must know the rules. Coming here unreasonably to spy, while hiding your true face, what right do you have to speak of Beishuo's hospitality?"

......

Xia Hong's expression froze. After all, being at the same Xianyang Level and having his mask disguise seen through by the other party was not unexpected to him. What surprised him was that the Nine Towns had such a private agreement.

He suddenly remembered why Zhu Yang had that expression when he first appeared in front of him.

After thinking for a moment, Xia Hong directly took off the Vermilion Wood Mask from his face, then with a hint of apology, said, "Zhao Zheng of Great Qin. I am new to Moao Mountain and unfamiliar with the rules of the Nine Towns. Please forgive me!"

Upon hearing this, the person's face slightly tensed, carefully inspecting Xia Hong's features, realizing that he truly wasn't one of the Nine Towns, their expression became increasingly vigilant.

"Yang Fa of Beishuo. Since you are not from the Nine Towns, let's treat today's matter as a misunderstanding. However, Brother Yang advises that if you are merely passing through here, do not casually linger or explore other people's city defenses. It is not an honorable act. If my brother had been here today, you probably wouldn't have left so easily."

But since Xia Hong took the initiative to apologize, Yang Fa thought for a moment and still cupped his hands to introduce himself first. His subsequent words practically had the words "not welcome" written all over his face, even directly issuing a guest expulsion order at the end.

Xia Hong had already guessed that the person before him was likely Yang Fa.

According to the information relayed by Lu Yang, Beishuo was founded by the three brothers of the Yang Family. The eldest, Yang Zhun, was the first to break through to the Xianyang Level and was also the strongest. The one in front, the second brother, Yang Fa, broke through more than twenty years ago, slightly weaker in strength, but he was the one who effectively governed Beishuo. The youngest brother, Yang Jian, was said to be already ninety-five years old, and likely had no hope of breaking through in this lifetime.

Yang Fa's vigilance was evidently at its peak. He didn't plan to say much more to Xia Hong, nor did he seem interested in inquiring about the Great Qin Camp the latter fabricated.

This rendered much of Xia Hong's prior preparation wasted. After standing still for a moment, he shook his head and said, "Since Brother Yang does not welcome me, Zhao shall leave. However, Zhao has a query in his heart and wonders if Brother Yang could trouble himself to enlighten me?"

Seeing Xia Hong's gaze shift to the city wall, Yang Fa was dazed for a moment, but after some consideration, he opened his mouth to answer, "It's just ordinary nightmare creatures. Could it be that Brother Zhao's Great Qin Camp hasn't encountered them?"

This Yang Fa, actually trying to pry into his background...

Evidently, the other party didn't believe his self-introduction just now.

Truly, one mustn't underestimate these Moao Nine Towns!

Xia Hong's expression slightly tensed, saying nothing more, but merely looked intently at Yang Fa, cupping his hands, "Thank you Brother Yang for enlightening me; Zhao will take his leave now."

After speaking, he immediately rose into the air, flying northward.

Yang Fa stood in place, watching Xia Hong depart before a slight cold glint flashed across his gaze.

"Zhao Zheng of Great Qin, most likely fabricated. This person is so strong yet unaware of the Nightmare Monster, suggesting his camp's strength isn't very formidable. They are venturing south to spy on Beishuo's situation already; they are a bit too eager. I should advise Elder Brother to expand northward soon; we will likely engage with this person again soon."

......

"Nightmare creatures, must be related to the Nightmare Monster..."

After flying northward for over ten kilometers, confirming Yang Fa hadn't tracked him, Xia Hong then altered his course towards the west.

Though the trip to Beishuo wasn't smooth, it served as a wake-up call for him, not to underestimate the Moao Nine Towns. This wasn't like two years ago when Great Xia seized Longyou; for Great Xia to extend its territory smoothly to the Nine Towns, it's clearly not that simple.

Of course, he was contemplating the term "nightmare creatures" that Yang Fa mentioned just now.

Since Yang Fa had started reverse-probing his background, any further questions would only expose more, so he could only rely on his own guesswork.

The specific classification of the five kinds of deceitful monsters: Craftsman, Nightmare, Fierce, Divine, and Demon, was first learned by Xia Hong from Yang and Li. With Lu Yang's increasing interaction with Beishuo over the past three years, Xia Hong has now obtained quite a bit of knowledge regarding these five kinds of deceitful monsters.

"The Nightmare Monster, born from the five most common types of human dreams during the Ancient Abyss Era, includes being trapped, getting lost, falling from a high place, being pursued, and a beauty. The first three are often associated with ferocious earthly spirits and some attach to certain special objects.

The signs I just witnessed could possibly relate to the first three types, implying that the Beishuo city wall was likely a Nightmare Monster, killed by Yang Zhun, and later used as Beishuo's city wall?"

Xia Hong's eyes immediately filled with curiosity. The wall's functions evidently extended beyond merely making people get lost, probably also safeguarding against unauthorized peering, even his Xianyang Level cultivation could be detected by it.

Yang Fa's strength wasn't on par with his; he was at least five kilometers or more away from Beishuo City, so Yang Fa certainly couldn't have noticed him. The only explanation was that the surveillance range of that wall was immense, detecting him even before landing as he flew over.

"It seems that each town-level camp has its own unique features. I must refrain from casually investigating further. Based on Yang Fa's cautious character, this encounter has likely directly soured relations with Beishuo. Attempting to sneak in again seems unfeasible; this lesson must be absorbed. Otherwise, coming to Nine Towns over and over due to excessive conflicts would make Great Xia's eastward expansion even harder in the future."

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