"Before I answer your question, young man, can you remember if you experienced anything abnormal before you arrived here?" With a smile, Gu Yue turned his head to ask Zhu Bufan, clearly aware that before Bufan and Huo Ling came inside, they must have gone through some kind of abnormal event; otherwise, they couldn't have arrived at this place.

"Brother Gu Yue, you might as well call me Zhu Bufan." Hearing Gu Yue's address, Zhu Bufan furrowed his brow slightly before continuing, "Indeed, just like Brother Gu Yue has said, both this lady and I were knocked unconscious by a burst of red light, and after waking up and passing through a hall made entirely of bluestone, we found ourselves here."

"As expected." Heaving a sigh, Gu Yue continued with a tone that seemed to have anticipated the reply: "In fact, you are not the first outsiders to come here. Many outsiders, just like you, were strangely 'sucked' in. This kind of thing happens quite a few times every year."

"Sucked in?" Noticing the odd choice of words by Gu Yue, Huo Ling's eyes narrowed, and she spoke with an indifferent voice, but not without a trace of anxiety hidden within. After all, such an explanation was rather terrifying. "Sucked in"—Huo Ling even began to suspect whether they were inside the stomach of some Fierce Beast. It's known that in the Divine Demon Continent, Demon Beasts having worlds within their bellies, though very rare, do exist. The most famous is the Ancient Demon Beast 'Whale Suction.'

Seeing that Huo Ling could actually perceive the mystery in his words, Gu Yue gave this slender-bodied woman a closer look. Even though his gaze caught the gentle curves of Hu Ling's face through her slightly transparent veil, he felt a stir within his heart.

"Cough."

A slight cough drew Gu Yue's attention back, and he realized he had been slightly improper. After smiling, Gu Yue continued to speak: "Indeed, 'sucked' in. Perhaps it is a bit hard for you to believe, but you are actually within the space of a giant tower. This place is the first layer of the giant tower."

"Giant tower? You're saying we are inside a tower?" Seeing the vast Heiyan City, and the wide plains they had crossed before entering the city, Zhu Bufan and Huo Ling looked at each other in astonishment, and were even more incredulous about Gu Yue's words.

"It is indeed true. The space within this tower is astoundingly large. In fact, within this first layer, besides Heiyan City, there are two other cities of comparable strength. The city lords of these three cities jointly manage the vast lands of this first layer."

Seeing Gu Yue did not appear to be lying—and indeed he had no reason to lie—Zhu Bufan drew in a sharp breath of cold air. If what Gu Yue said was true, and that there were three grand cities built inside a layers of the tower, then this giant tower must contain a greatly compressed space. Considering this, Zhu Bufan cautiously asked, "Brother Gu Yue, do you know the name of this tower, and how many layers it has?"

"The name of this tower is no secret to those of us who live within it; it's nearly known to all. This place is called the 'Demon Burning Tower.' As for how many layers it has, I'm afraid I cannot answer you, because I myself don't know. The tower is simply too vast. Some have speculated that this tower leads straight to the Heart of the Earth, but no one knows whether it's true or false. After all, the deity capable of creating such a thing—is it something we can surmise?" Gu Yue sighed and shook his head.

"Mr. Gu Yue, did you just say that every year, quite a few people get sucked into this Demon Burning Tower?" With a focused gaze, Huo Ling asked Gu Yue, "After they come in, what exactly do they do?"

"What can they do?" Gu Yue said with a bitter smile, "This place is a world of its own. No one is clear about a way to leave, so most outsiders, after coming in, either rely on their own strength to seek a way out on the lower layers or find some powers within the tower to settle down and live here. After all, this is a self-contained world, and surviving is not very difficult."

"That being said, Mr. Gu Yue, you seem to have some connections to the outside world, don't you?" After finishing listening to Gu Yue, Huo Ling suddenly remarked.

"Indeed, the lady is not mistaken. My ancestors were indeed sucked in from the outside world. After searching every method and being unable to leave, my ancestors then established their foundation here."

Gu Yue couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart about Huo Ling's ability to deduce the connection between his own background and the outsiders from just a few sentences. Up until now, he had actually been unable to see through Huo Ling. No matter how he felt it, Huo Ling's cultivation seemed to hover within the Body Tempering First Layer Heaven, but Gu Yue always felt that Huo Ling was not that simple.

"Rather than that man who used Poison Fire, I am more concerned about that woman."

Reflecting on the words of the woman at the inn, Gu Yue finally realized that she had long seen Huo Ling's extraordinary talent, while Gu Yue had only begun to take Huo Ling seriously. The disparity was evident. But when he thought about the woman's identity, Gu Yue let it go, although a tinge of jealousy was inevitable—after all, the relationship between the two was anything but harmonious.

"By the way, Brother Gu Yue, we just killed the Commander of the City Guard Army on the street, but it seems there hasn't been the trouble we expected? What exactly is going on?" Having slightly recovered from the shock of the battle, Zhu Bufan raised another question. The truth behind the Demon Burning Tower needed investigation, but this was a more pressing issue. Having provoked the military forces of Heiyan City, Zhu Bufan needed to assess the seriousness of the situation.

"Actually, it's not really a big deal."

Compared to Zhu Bufan's concerns, Gu Yue spoke with ease, "The so-called City Guard Army of Heiyan City is just a command issued by the Heiyan City Lord. As long as one's Cultivation reaches the Body Tempering Fifth Layer Heaven, and they have more than ten subordinates who are also in the Body Tempering Realm, they can apply to become the Heiyan City Guard Army. There are twelve positions for Commanders, with three Commanders appointed at each city gate."

"After applying to become part of the City Guard Army, they must assist the Heiyan City Lord in collecting the entry tax at the four main city gates and then remit it monthly. These positions in the City Guard Army are not fixed. As long as one has the strength and qualifications to replace them, they can immediately become the new Commander. So, the struggle for the Commander's position plays out every day. Of course, these so-called members of the City Guard Army are merely in charge of petty affairs like collecting gate taxes—it's clear they are just the city's errand runners with an official status."

After listening to Gu Yue's explanation, Zhu Bufan and Huo Ling finally understood what this so-called Heiyan City Guard Army really was.

To put it plainly, these so-called City Guard Army members are just civilian enforcers recruited officially by the city, wearing a veneer of semi-official status. They are somewhat similar to civil defense forces, donning official garb but not being entirely of official status.

With Gu Yue revealing the true nature of the City Guard Army, Zhu Bufan also understood the intention of the Heiyan City Lord. He had indeed used their semi-official status to gather idling cultivators, sharpening their elbows to become a Commander. After all, the allure of official status is strong in any place or era, especially in these city-state ruling areas.

By setting twelve available positions, which allowed for contesting these positions, it provided these individuals with a legitimate excuse to struggle and weaken each other. This way, these unstable elements would keep depleting themselves, while the City Lord could collect taxes without hassle. As for the guards deliberately overtaxing, the City Lord turned a blind eye, primarily because all the city's residents were clear on the nature of the City Guard Army.

Of course, if something significant arose, such as excessive skimming leading to substantial trouble, the City Lord could simply step in and say, "This was their doing, I was not aware, but now that I am, they shall be punished." Then he could wipe out all those who had incurred public wrath.

Naturally, with their deaths, the wealth they accumulated would go into the City Lord's pockets. So it was as if the City Lord had raised a pig, let it roam freely to find food, and when plump enough, he'd slaughter it without bearing any responsibility since his actions did indeed restrain those likely to cause trouble.

"This City Lord is quite cunning," Zhu Bufan muttered with a resolute expression after quickly analyzing the situation. Seeing how quickly Zhu Bufan had seen through the City Lord's intentions, Gu Yue felt a shock in his heart once more.

"These two, a man and a woman, are both no easy targets."

"In Heiyan City, the real military force is the Heiyan Army directly under the City Lord. Each of their soldiers is meticulously selected and trained, and their combat effectiveness is incomparable to that motley crew." As he spoke, Gu Yue suddenly stopped. "Ah, look at me, getting carried away with talking and forgetting to take you, Zhu Bufan, to exchange money. By the way, what do you plan to exchange?"

"Hmm... I plan to sell some Jade Talismans in exchange for money." After contemplating, Zhu Bufan flipped his hand and revealed five crystal-clear Fiery Flame Talismans, saying, "These Fiery Flame Talismans are quite powerful, so I want to see if they'll take them."

"Take them? Of course, they'll take them!" Upon seeing the Jade Talismans in Zhu Bufan's hands, Gu Yue's eyes lit up. Although Fiery Flame Talismans were not considered high-level talismans and were quite low-ranking, Jade Talismans were rare, and Artifact Refiners even rarer. Thus, even low-grade Jade Talismans were highly sought after. Zhu Bufan casually produced five talismans, which naturally delighted Gu Yue.

"Heh, I was a bit rude, but you can rest assured, Zhu Bufan, here, Jade Talismans are a hot commodity. Although this place is large, finding all the materials needed to refine a Jade Talisman is not straightforward. Your five Fiery Flame Talismans can definitely be exchanged for a good sum of money. However, it's a bit wasteful to exchange them at a money changer. Luckily, the Lanyue Pavilion happens to be holding an auction event these days. Your five talismans should qualify for the auction since even Lanyue Pavilion hasn't sold Jade Talismans for quite some time."

"That sounds good~~~" Seeing Gu Yue's slightly excited demeanor and even being told that his five talismans could be auctioned off, Zhu Bufan gained a new appreciation for the Jade Talisman inventory in his hands. Meanwhile, Huo Ling, who had previously swiped quite a few Jade Talismans from Zhu Bufan, already had a smug smile under the cover of her veil.

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