Who let him join the Sword Sect?!

Bai Tao just glanced at Zhang Ze and then looked away, turning her gaze toward the river ahead.

Zhang Ze didn't say a word, following behind Qiu Jidan as they boarded the Sturgeon Dragon Boat.

It was a stroke of luck; this time, there were only four passengers.

The Sturgeon Dragon Boat was crafted from cold wood, incredibly sturdy. The deck was large enough to accommodate over a dozen people, but Zhang Ze searched around and found no array for controlling the boat or any cultivators steering it.

The chimes from the clock tower in He Gang City had already stopped, yet the Sturgeon Dragon Boat hadn't set off. Just as Qiu Jidan was about to ask someone for information, Bai Tao spoke up.

"The operator is below."

As soon as Bai Tao finished speaking, a large fish surfaced. The fish was dark blue and longer than the Sturgeon Dragon Boat by one section. It circled the boat twice before diving back into the water.

Before long, the Sturgeon Dragon Boat was lifted by the large fish, and the groove at the bottom of the boat securely attached to the fish's back.

"Just four passengers?" the fish asked, its voice bubbling since it was underwater.

"Yes, just the four of us. Thank you, Uncle Qingzun," Bai Tao replied, patting the railing at the bow of the boat.

"Alright, I'll swim faster then."

The Sturgeon Dragon Boat was led out of the harbor without a hint of swaying, carried upstream along the wide river by the large fish.

The speed was fast, suggesting they might reach Wangyang City before sunset.

Zhang Ze walked to the bow and looked down, "Is its head really that hard?"

"What do you mean?" Bai Tao asked, puzzled.

"This big fish's head is so tough, it shatters half-human thick floating ice on impact. Impressive."

Zhang Ze pointed at the floating ice ahead, broken by the fish's divine techniques.

"Thank you for the compliment," came the bubbly voice of the fish from below.

Starting from this topic, Zhang Ze began chatting off and on with Bai Tao. This time, he didn't bring up the Divine Egg Gang but instead talked about the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion and the local customs.

He told Bai Tao he came from the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion and that her niece had opened a shop there, which is why he asked if they knew each other when entering the shop.

"This time I came north for training with those two," Zhang Ze pointed to Lin Feng and Qiu Jidan standing at the stern.

After Zhang Ze explained, Bai Tao's expression softened a bit, but she remained cautious.

However, Zhang Ze acted as if he didn't notice and continued to chat idly with Bai Tao.

Zhang Ze noticed that when Bai Tao wasn't talking about the Divine Egg Gang, her tone and demeanor were normal, especially when the topics of the Northern Territory and Wangyang City came up.

She chatted more and more, almost taking on the role of a tour guide.

"Look over there, that's the Northern Territory Wall. Once you pass through there, you'll reach the Northern Territory." Bai Tao pointed to the frozen plain ahead as they turned past a river bend, leaving the mountains.

Zhang Ze saw a white line in the distance on the plain, stretching endlessly to both sides.

That white line was the Northern Territory Wall.

With mountains as its foundation, the wall faced the perpetual winter of the Northern Territory beyond.

The Northern Territory was once the place where Dongqi exiled criminals and the Demon Race. The wall served both as a deterrent to the Demon Race and as a barrier. Although the Northern Territory is now free, the Demon Race did not dismantle the wall but instead exploited it deeply.

They turned the Northern Territory Wall into a tourist attraction.

The largest project is the Cold Ice Cave Mansion, where the extremely cold spiritual Qi and the earth vein power harmonize, achieving perfect balance.

Cultivators focused on yin cold power find their cultivation progress doubles when in retreat there.

As a result, some segments of the wall are riddled with holes excavated by the Demon Race, an unsettling sight for those with trypophobia.

However, the Northern Territory Wall is long enough that digging a few segments does no harm.

"The wall doesn't just assist in cultivation; it's also a lot of fun if you're just playing around."

"For a few spirit stones, you can sit on an ice slate and be pushed down from the top of the wall."

Bai Tao spoke of this with a nostalgic tone, and Zhang Ze sensed she might have done it before.

Yet Zhang Ze expressed doubts about the safety of this activity, to which Bai Tao assured him it was indeed safe, even suitable for children over six.

After talking about the wall, the competent tour guide Bai Tao began to tell stories about Wangyang City.

"In about one two-hour period, we'll reach Wangyang City. If you plan to stay in the city, remember to book a room on the top floor so you can see the sun rising from the eastern wall at dawn."

"It's really beautiful," Bai Tao said.

"Indeed," the bubbly voice of the fish echoed from below.

While Bai Tao talked a lot, she didn't mention much about herself, keeping silent about her relationship with the Zhendong Trading Company and her purpose for going to Wangyang City.

"I wonder where you plan to train. To the south of Wangyang City..." Bai Tao started to describe the surrounding area of Wangyang City to Zhang Ze.

But before she could finish, Zhang Ze pulled her aside, causing her to fall unexpectedly.

In the next second, a blade strike severed the railing Bai Tao just leaned on.

Almost instantly, there was a muffled grunt from below, and the fish plunged deep into the water. With the fish no longer clearing the way, the Sturgeon Dragon Boat bumped into the floating ice, becoming stuck and unable to move.

"Watch out!" cried Hero Chou.

He briefly hovered in mid-air, turning into a streak of light, rushing to Zhang Ze's side, delivering a palm strike that revealed a figure in white.

The figure wore a white robe, with a featureless mask, seemingly unharmed. With a quick turn, the figure clashed blades with Qiu Jidan.

The blade technique used was quite ordinary, revealing no visible origin.

Qiu Jidan pinched his Taoist spell, cold air swirling around him, with shadows of sharks appearing and slashing toward the white-robed attacker like a whirlwind.

Eager to protect, Qiu Jidan, though attempting to hide it, had already employed methods of the Cold Shark Lineage from the Hundred Demons Sect.

Zhang Ze recognized this move well, but pretended not to notice. He pulled Bai Tao towards Lin Feng, hiding a Thousand Machine Cannon behind his back.

But after only a few steps, he felt a heaviness in his grip, as Bai Tao suddenly fainted.

By then, Lin Feng had also reached Zhang Ze's side, standing on either side to shield Bai Tao.

Due to the advantageous terrain, Qiu Jidan's cultivation technique was enhanced, suppressing the white-robed figure. Just as he was about to deliver a finishing blow, Qiu Jidan himself suddenly slumped unconscious, falling into the river from a slash by the white-robed figure.

Having dealt with Qiu Jidan, the white-robed figure stood at the bow, sneering at Zhang Ze and Lin Feng.

With a gesture, several more white-robed figures leaped from the snow on the riverbanks, stepping on the floating ice to the bow, surrounding Zhang Ze and Lin Feng.

"You tampered with the boat?" Zhang Ze suddenly asked, "It's poison, right? The more spiritual Qi you use, the deeper the poisoning."

Upon hearing Zhang Ze's words, the leading white-robed figure clapped, "Clever, but it doesn't matter."

The right sleeve of the white-robed figure was torn open by Qiu Jidan's attack, and as he clapped, Zhang Ze noticed an iron arm.

"People poisoned will completely lose consciousness?" Zhang Ze asked again.

"Exactly, so I suggest you exert all your strength now; it would make your death more peaceful," the white-robed figure said nonchalantly.

The white-robed figure was not concerned, as the strongest person had been dealt with, and the two loose cultivators before him were not threatening.

It was the fox that mattered, needing to be taken back alive.

Just as he was about to order his men to attack, he saw the previously speaking loose cultivator smile.

"Brother Feng, same old rules." Zhang Ze brought out his sword box.

"Still half for each of us, leaving a few alive, right?" Lin Feng asked.

"That's right, let's finish quickly, I guess Qiu Jidan isn't dead, gotta pull him out quick."

After saying that, Zhang Ze fired a shot from the Thousand Machine Cannon at the leader of the white-robed figures.