CHAPTER 12: ICE DEMON CLIFFS
Compared to Bluetop Ravine, Ice Demon Cliffs couldn’t be said to be bustling, but it could certainly be called populous.
Dan had heard such things before. He didn’t really believe it wholeheartedly back then, because it didn’t totally make logical sense. Now that he’d seen it, however, he understood.
Ice Demon Cliffs was big. Bigger than big. Ice Demon Cliffs, as per its name, sprawled across many cliffs. An entire mountain range, if it could still qualify to be called that. In any direction that Dan’s gaze could parse, there was nothing but the walls, cliffs and civilization of the Ice Demon Cliffs, stretching all the way into the horizon. The only exception was behind him!
Except, that wasn’t all. Not even close.
As far as the eye could see, civilization sprawled across highs and lows, into the distance and the earth, and even far above through the clouds.
It was impossible for a place as large as Ice Demon Cliffs to have the population density of a popular market town squished into a centrally located ravine. It was equally improbable for a place like the Ice Demon Cliffs to be seen as anything other than eye-catching and awe-inspiring.
Far into the distance, the sprawling streets and interconnected settlements of the hills, mountains and ravines in the center, even the edges of Ice Demon Cliffs – all a part of the greater package – seemed so small from Dan’s perspective that they were practically microscopic.
The sight was relatively shocking. Dan stood in place for an untold time, merely staring at those visible from amongst the crowds, the variety of alien infrastructure, and then finally, after much consternation, he made for the gates.
Tall, robust walls surrounded Ice Demon Cliffs in its entirety, riding cliffs and gullies all the same. The blue stone reflected unto the city within, bathing the settlement peripheries in a tasteful blue glow that lent to its majesty.
The gates, of which there were several, were of the portcullis variety. The mysterious blue metal of the grating reflected little light, and the small portion that could be seen in the crests of the open gates seemed especially dark against the light backdrop due of the walls.
Three militiamen lined abreast on either side of a certain gate watched the crowd with languid eyes. Dan’s approach warranted little-to-none of their attention.
At least, this was the case at first.
Before he made it past the gate, before he could even step onto the swept stone road that lead into the depths of Ice Demon Cliffs, he stalled.
The small of the dark grating above had abruptly lit aglow in time with his passing. Its splendour, a mix of bright white and blue streams, shone over his skin like an impromptu spotlight.
Dan stopped, his eyes spinning and his hackles raised, but quickly stepped forward when he noticed that he was between the grating and the earth.
“What is-”
A hand abruptly laid itself stiffly upon his shoulder. It wrought the exact opposite of the effect his father’s once had. Dan instinctively tried, and failed, to shake it off.
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A gruff voice spoke slowly from behind.
“Kindly register, cultivator. It’s no trouble.”
…
Under the guidance of an unkempt but kind enough guard, Dan registered his details in a surprisingly well-decorated office within the walls.
Required most prominently were his cultivation level and his origins, alongside an integrity seal; a simple rune drawn with blood stating the truth as the truth and simultaneously leaving a trace of identity. Dan didn’t mull over it too much and merely wrote as he was told to.
He didn’t really have anything to hide, except potentially his special physique. But even then, he didn’t hold it in too high of a regard and if it got him noticed, then that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
It needed to be mentioned that he currently didn’t have a suitable cultivation technique for advancing to the Qi Refining stage. His father’s lectures hadn’t gone that far, and by the time he was ready, well…
It need not be said.
After Dan finished filling in his details and passed the forms to the guard that originally accosted him, he let his eyes wander.
The guard busily wrote into a log, reading the forms as he went, and Dan walked around the large office without worrying too much about it.
A wonderful mirror alongside one wall showed the scenes of Bluewood Forest, and another smaller mirror by the door showed a view of the portcullis that had stalled Dan’s entering.
He was just about to examine the runes lining the thin gold frames of said mirrors when he heard a loud gasp. In the otherwise silence of the room, it was enough that it made Dan hesitate.
Inevitably, Dan turned to the guard wearily, wringing his hands. “Uh, I didn’t see anything, I swear.” He backed away from the mirror placatingly, but his gaze turned strange when he noticed that the guard wasn’t even looking his way.
Seconds ticked away in a strange silence. Eventually, the guard turned his head away from the forms and eyed Dan with the kind of gaze that spoke of hunger.
Or at least, that’s what Dan likened it to.
The guard licked his lips, slowly eyeing Dan in a manner that fit with his initial impressions. “Are you really?”
Dan frowned and backed up a step. “What do you mean?”
The guard wasn’t an idiot, and he realized quickly that he was making Dan uncomfortable. With an awkward smile, he wiped his lips and coughed lightly into a closed fist.
“What is your cultivation level?”
Dan squinted. “I’m at the tenth level of the Channel Building stage.”
It wasn’t exactly ground-breaking. According to his father, an immortal in the Channel Building stage was worth absolutely nothing in a greater context. Compared to a Foundation stage expert, who had condensed veritable stars of spirit energy in their dantian, it wouldn’t even matter how many Qi Refining stage immortals were to go against them.
The differences between the differing stages of cultivation were intrinsic and striking. Just as Dan had previously dealt easily with mortals, a Qi Refining stage immortal could easily deal with him. Though, their methods were generally more mystical than merely the use of physical force that Dan was limited to.
And an extravagant place like Ice Demon Cliffs must have a staggering, untold number of Qi Refining stage immortals, not to mention of even higher stages and realms of power. From the glimpse that Dan had of the veritable city, it was clearly a paradise meant for immortals.
“Just the tenth level?” The guard burst out into a startling laughter. “Just the tenth level. Nobody is going to believe this. Kid, where are you from? Wait, no, do you mind proving it to me?”
Dan’s expectations didn’t fit at all, and his confidence faltered.
“What am I proving?”
“Your cultivation, of course.”
Dan blinked dumbly. “Why would I need to do that?”
It was an awful lot of trouble for something that could change at any time, wasn’t it? He was still in the first realm. There was nothing important about it at all. Dan couldn’t make heads or tails of the request.
The guard, a cultivator himself, saw through Dan’s strange gaze.
“Kid, I think you have might be operating under some kind of misconception.”
“A misconception?”
“Don’t just look at the size of Ice Demon Cliffs. We might be one of the biggest cities in Blue Ice Palace lands, but even amongst a population in the millions…”
The guard snorted and shook his head.
“We only have about a thousand cultivators.”