Southern border.0

Years ago, the Azure Pond Sect had been attacked by the Great Konghai Temple. They had lost the Ten Thousand Mile Stone Pond and, along with it, Northern Dan Island. Now they had retreated to the coastal region of Hezhou, only several dozen kilometers away from Northern Dan.0

This place lay within the southern border, facing Northern Dan to the south. It was backed by Hengzhu Dao and the Azure Pond Sect. Yet because the retreat had been temporary, its defensive forces were rather thin.0

After all, Hezhou was not a crucial pass by any means. Beyond Hezhou, Yi Mountain City to the north was the true first fortress guarding the southern border. If the Great Konghai Temple seized this place, it would gain nothing and might even provoke Hengzhu Dao Gate into action.0

Both sides understood this clearly. The Azure Pond Sect need not have concerned itself with this land, yet the western stretch of the Stone Pond clung tightly to the southern border's coastline and extended deep inland. Along that narrow strip lay the Shahuang Kingdom, known as the land south of Lingnan.0

The local Daoist Master Zhusheng was an ally of the Azure Pond Sect and a close associate of the Si Family. Once Stone Pond was lost, the entire region lay exposed to the claws of the Great Konghai Temple. The Supreme Yang Dao lineage had insisted on guarding the southern border for fear that the teeth would grow cold if the lips were gone.1

Li Ximing rode a streak of heavenly...0