After resting for a night, Ji Yuan and his group set off again, heading directly towards Fengming Commandery.
As they traveled, the group couldn't help but marvel at the robustness of the cultivators in Chongyuan Prefecture.
Over a mere distance of a few thousand li, they encountered dozens of skirmishes and battles, many of which involved two or more factions.
It seemed as though the entire Jinyang Commandery was embroiled in a chaotic brawl, its level of disorder even surpassing that of Feiyun Commandery.
Although most of the rebels had concentrated in Fengming Commandery after their uprising, there were still remnants of rebel forces in other commanderies of Chongyuan Prefecture.
The imperial court was not unwilling to eliminate these rebels; rather, they were simply lacking the strength to do so.
Currently, the vast majority of the imperial court's power in Chongyuan Prefecture was focused on the four borders of Fengming Commandery. The remaining forces in other commanderies and cities could only maintain basic defense.
The battles that Ji Yuan and his group encountered were mostly between cultivators belonging to the Rebirth Tower or rebel forces, and those from the imperial court and various sects and factions.
Only a minority of these were conflicts between different factions, or cultivators who simply took a dislike to each other and engaged in fisticuffs.
The group was caught in the crossfire multiple times along the way. Fortunately, their strength was not lacking, otherwise, they might have suffered casualties within the first few hundred li.
During some of these encounters, Elder Hong Tian vaguely sensed that Ji Yuan's cultivation, while not yet at the mid-stage of the Mingdao Realm, was not far from it.
If his realm were sufficient, it would only take a few years of meditation and cultivation, aided by elixirs or areas with abundant spiritual energy, to naturally advance to the next minor realm.
"If this continues, by the time we reach Fengming Commandery, who knows how long it will take."
Ji Yuan, seated on his horse, suddenly sighed.
The originally estimated travel time had been significantly delayed by the disruptions from the constant skirmishes and battles. Even if they rode at full speed, even using spiritual energy to augment their horses, they could hardly maintain their normal pace.
As they neared Fengming Commandery, the cultivators they encountered grew in cultivation level.
From the initial mere Enlightenment Realm, cultivators at the early stage of the Mingdao Realm had now appeared.
"There's a White Ape River about three hundred li from here, and it leads directly to Fengming Commandery!"
Chen Rong, who had always been very quiet, suddenly spoke.
Years ago, he and his fellow disciples had traveled from Moyu Commandery, where the Shenxuan Sect was located, to Fengming Commandery, and had successfully reached the southern part of Jinyang Commandery, bordering Lingyang Prefecture, via this White Ape River.
Although they were now traveling upstream, because the great river was straight with very few meanders, their speed would be faster than traveling on the official roads.
Furthermore, they wouldn't have to worry about the risks of traveling overland, where taking a straight path could lead them into wild forests and encounter various unforeseen events.
After all, even though they were within the territory of the Great Yu Dynasty, many demonic beasts, and even some reclusive powerful elders, resided in the sparsely populated wilderness.
If they were to encounter any of them, no one could guarantee the outcome.
After a moment of contemplation, Ji Yuan and Elder Hong Tian agreed to the suggestion and decided to head towards the White Ape River, which was over three hundred li away.
When the group arrived at a docking pier by the river ten days later, they learned, not surprisingly, that the waterway to Fengming Commandery had been blocked by both the rebels and the imperial court.
Without permits from both sides, even disciples of the Shenxuan Sect could not force their way through.
This was because the mountain walls on both sides of the river were heavily fortified with numerous Jieguang Arbalests. A single one could threaten a cultivator at the early stage of the third realm, and if tens or hundreds were fired simultaneously, even a cultivator at the mid-to-late stage of the third realm would perish on the spot!
These were the formidable weapons that the imperial court had spent a vast amount of resources to gather, enlisting countless skilled craftsmen from the nine prefectures and thirteen commanderies, taking two to three hundred years to build.
Similar devices were also stored in considerable numbers in the imperial court's armories.
"If we try to force our way through, we'll likely be obliterated by the Jieguang Arbalests before we even get close," Elder Hong Tian said in a deep voice.
At the docking pier before them, in addition to countless piles of goods, there were dozens of ships of various sizes.
The pier itself could not accommodate all of them, so many had to anchor outside in the river to stabilize their hulls against the current.
"We don't need to enter Fengming Commandery directly through here."
Ji Yuan surveyed the surroundings and then slowly said, "We only need to proceed along the White Ape River, which will save us a lot of time and allow us to avoid some of the conflicts."
As a crucial water route for both prefectures, neither the rebel remnants nor the imperial forces would allow anyone to engage in large-scale battles near the White Ape River.
By using this route, they could not only save themselves the trouble of detours but also reduce the chances of encountering cultivators engaged in combat.
This would naturally save them a great deal of time. They could then find other ways to bypass the checkpoints when they got closer.
However, to avoid attracting attention, the group first loitered around the docking pier and even pretended to purchase some goods before leaving with an expression of regret.
Despite their efforts, they were still spotted by some discerning individuals who quietly began to follow them.
Ji Yuan and the others were well aware of this. Even without using their divine sense, they couldn't fail to notice a few early-stage second-realm cultivators tailing them.
They proceeded along the White Ape River without showing any signs of alarm. During their journey, Ji Yuan's figure flickered slightly, and he vanished from his original spot.
Even Elder Hong Tian, standing beside him, could only faintly detect a fleeting aura.
Empowered by the divine ability of his Natal Flying Sword, Ji Yuan silently traversed the void and soon arrived behind three early-stage second-realm cultivators.
Although these individuals were cultivators, their attire resembled that of mortal laborers, and they had concealed their auras exceptionally well.
Even a cultivator of the same realm, upon close inspection, would likely not be able to discern their identities as cultivators.
However, such disguises were as if nonexistent in front of Ji Yuan. Without even needing to use his divine sense, his Dharma Eyes alone could see through their true nature.
He materialized from the void behind them. After a moment of thought, he decisively acted, extending his finger and tapping the three individuals lightly three times.
Each tap sent a stream of light from his index finger, precisely penetrating the backs of the three men.
In an instant, the cultivators, who were at the early stage of the second realm, had their spiritual power and control over their physical bodies completely immobilized.
This technique, akin to a immobilization spell, was not an extraordinary art. Any cultivator in the second realm could easily learn it, but it could only restrain mortals without cultivation.
However, what was Ji Yuan's current realm?
Even a casual application of his power could easily immobilize several early-stage second-realm cultivators!