“Pilgrimage?” Jiao Sixteen put down his wine cup and asked without hesitation.

Jiao Nine frowned and glared at Jiao Sixteen.

A look of annoyance flashed across Jiao Sixteen's face, obviously realizing something.

“Pilgrimage, naturally it is to go to…” The waiter was about to answer when his expression suddenly changed.

“You, you actually don’t know about the pilgrimage… you are outsiders…” the waiter shouted sharply, about to do something.

Two flashes of crystal light disappeared into the waiter's head in an instant.

The waiter's voice stopped abruptly, and a dazed look appeared in his eyes. His soul was immediately controlled.

Han Li’s eyes showed a faint crystal light as he stared directly into the waiter's eyes.

Almost at the moment the waiter shouted, Jiao Nine's hands flickered, covering the entire private room with a layer of faint blue light, preventing any sound from escaping.

“Sorry, I…” Jiao Sixteen's face was slightly red.

“It’s fine, fortunately Jiao Fifteen acted quickly.” Jiao Nine waved his hand.

“Tell me, what is the pilgrimage?” Han Li's eyes flickered with crystal light.

This was a small mesmerizing spell. Because he couldn't use divine sense, its power was weak, but it was more than enough for the waiter, who was just a mortal.

“The pilgrimage is a tradition that has continued since ancient times. Every sixty years, people from various cities, led by their city lords, go to the Holy City of Crimson Moon City in batches to listen to the teachings of the Holy Master. This year is also called the Pilgrimage Year,” the waiter answered mechanically.

“If it’s just to meet the Holy Master, why bring all your wealth and belongings, like a migration?” Han Li continued to ask.

“Because everyone wants to be chosen. The Holy Master will bestow blessings upon those lucky ones, granting them more fertile land,” the waiter replied without hesitation.

“What does ‘the chosen ones’ mean? What about those who are not chosen?” Han Li asked again.

“Those who are chosen are all the most devout believers. It is the most supreme glory… Those who are not chosen can only return to their original cities.” The waiter's face was filled with envy as he said this.

Han Li and the other two exchanged glances, each seeing a hint of surprise in the other's eyes.

So that's what happened to the empty cities.

The Holy Master mentioned by the waiter was most likely Gongshu Hong, the island lord of Crimson Moon Island.

“What else do you know about the Holy Master?” Jiao Nine asked.

“The Holy Master bestows upon us fertile land and protects our peace for generations…” The waiter babbled on, but for Han Li and the others, it was all useless information.

“You seem to be very hostile to outsiders. Is this also the Holy Master's teaching?” Han Li shook his head, interrupting the waiter, and continued to ask.

“Yes! Outsiders are all overseas demons, coveting the richness of our Crimson Moon Island. Once discovered, we must immediately notify the city lord and kill them all,” the waiter continued to say blankly, a coldness in his words.

Jiao Sixteen snorted softly, while Jiao Nine's face showed a hint of contemplation.

Han Li narrowed his eyes, his mind racing. He asked a few more questions about the island lord of Crimson Moon, the Holy Master, but the waiter was just a mortal, knowing very little, and he didn't get much information.

Han Li signaled Jiao Nine to remove the blue barrier from the private room and muttered a few incantations. A crystal light flashed in his eyes and disappeared.

The waiter's body jolted, and his eyes immediately regained clarity. He looked around with a somewhat dazed expression.

“Alright, there’s nothing for you to do here. Go down,” Han Li said blandly.

He had just used a spell to erase some of the waiter's previous memories.

“Yes, please enjoy your meal, esteemed guests.” The waiter, still a bit hazy, forced a smile and retreated.

“So that's what happened to those empty cities. We were overthinking it,” Jiao Sixteen smiled and said.

“We can glean some information worth considering from what he said. Since the people in the city have all gone on the pilgrimage, doesn't that mean that the island lord of Crimson Moon should now be in the so-called Holy City of Crimson Moon City, receiving the pilgrimage? However, the waiter’s words could be mere worldly rumors.” Jiao Nine said thoughtfully.

Han Li nodded thoughtfully, and the contents of the jade slip given to them by Jiao Three, the map of Crimson Moon Island, involuntarily appeared in his mind.

The map was very simple, with only a few cities marked, but there was indeed a city called Crimson Moon City, but it was a considerable distance from Skywater City.

If these mortals were to go on a pilgrimage, high-level cultivators would probably use special means to transport them, otherwise, at their speed, they might not reach their destination in their entire lives.

“Do you think we should inform the others?” Jiao Sixteen's face also lit up, obviously thinking of the same thing.

“In my opinion, we obtained this information so easily. It's impossible for the people of the Unchanging Alliance not to have found out about it. Since the places reported by them where the island lord of Crimson Moon might be don't include Crimson Moon City, there must be some reason. After all, what the waiter said might just be worldly rumors,” Han Li said after thinking for a moment.

“Let's stick to the plan and go to Skywater City first, find the hidden members of the alliance, and then make plans,” Jiao Nine nodded.

After the three of them agreed, they quickly left An City quietly.

During the next journey, the three of them passed through many towns, many of which were also empty, accounting for almost twenty or thirty percent.

Having already learned the reason for these empty cities, the three of them didn't linger along the way.

Three days later, on a vast plain stretching for thousands of miles, stood a black majestic city over ten zhang high.

Outside the city were thousands of acres of fertile fields, surrounded by several tributaries of a large river leading to the sea, dividing the area into different-sized and shaped fields.

A main branch of the river, guided by artificially excavated channels, passed through a patch of cyan rice fields, encircling the entire city, forming a moat over ten zhang wide.

It was early morning, and the drawbridge leading into the city had not yet been lowered. Hundreds of ordinary people had gathered outside the city, most of them carrying goods on their shoulders or in their hands, or pushing carts laden with bulging items, waiting for the city gates to open.

Among the crowd, three figures dressed in cloth clothes and wearing bamboo hats stood close together, looking like ordinary farmers from this place, very inconspicuous.

They were none other than Han Li and the other two, who had been sneaking here and had changed their appearances.

The rising sun had just illuminated the three large characters “Skywater City” engraved on the city wall when a loud bell rang out from inside the city.

Immediately afterward, a series of “creaking” sounds of machinery operating came from within the city walls, and the heavy drawbridge slowly descended under the movement of thick black iron chains.

The people who had been waiting for a long time began to step onto the drawbridge and enter the city in an orderly manner.

There was only one tall gate under the city, guarded by several Nascent Soul Stage cultivators on each side, with the leader possessing a Transformation Stage cultivation. They were all wearing deep blue robes with a blood-colored crescent moon engraved on their chests.

Although Han Li couldn't use his divine sense to investigate, he knew that there must be other people with higher cultivation levels sitting in the city.

From observing several cities, this Crimson Moon Island was like other islands, with cultivators and mortals living together in the city. These mortals seemed to be accustomed to the existence of cultivators.

It was just that the Nascent Soul Stage and above cultivators on the island seemed to be wearing this kind of blood moon blue robe, which looked like a sect.

After entering the gate, Han Li saw a faint light appearing above his head. He looked up slightly and saw that an octagonal array pattern was engraved on the bricks above, with a circular bronze mirror inlaid in the center.

A faint red hazy light was falling from the bronze mirror, enveloping everyone who passed below it.

With just a glance, Han Li roughly guessed the function of this array. It should be used to detect cultivators who deliberately hide their identities, preventing them from sneaking into the city.

From Han Li's current perspective, this array was not very complicated or high-level. Great Ascension Stage cultivators and above could spend some effort to shield it without being detected.

However, with the intense aura of Great Ascension Stage cultivators and above, if there were no special magic treasures to cover it up, they would probably be detected as soon as they landed on the island, without even having to go through this process.

Han Li and the others were already quite powerful, and with the mysterious masks on their faces, they didn't have to worry about this.

The three of them calmly moved with the crowded flow of people towards the city. When passing under the array, the light in the bronze mirror only flickered slightly before returning to normal, obviously treating them as ordinary mortals.

After entering the city, the crowd began to split towards the two wings, and the scene of the city gradually unfolded before the three of them.

They saw that the main street facing them was full of shops and merchants, with flags and streamers hanging everywhere from the houses on both sides of the street to attract business.

However, because it was still too early, many shops had not yet opened their doors to welcome customers. Apart from the people who had just entered the city, there were not many people on the bluestone-paved street.

Only some early tea shops had been swept clean and were opening their doors to welcome diners.

This Skywater City was much larger than any of the cities they had seen before. The two main streets running southeast and northwest divided the entire city into four large districts.

Han Li and the other two followed the main street in the city to the southern area, turned into a narrow alley, and walked for about half an hour, winding their way to a remote alley.

The alley was very quiet. The few courtyards were all tightly closed, with no sound and no sign of anyone.

The three of them came to an ordinary residence at the end of the alley and stopped.

“This is it.” Jiao Nine looked up and down at the dark red gate of the residence and nodded.

This residence was a secret stronghold opened up by the Unchanging Alliance members who had previously sneaked into Crimson Moon Island. They had come here to meet them and obtain information.

Hearing this, Jiao Sixteen took a few steps forward and, like an ordinary commoner knocking on a door, raised his hand and lightly tapped the ring in the copper beast's mouth on the door with a rhythm of two short and one long.

As a result, after a few dull sounds, there was no response from inside the courtyard.

Han Li felt a slight strangeness in his heart and wanted to investigate with his divine sense, but he remembered Jiao Three's warning not to act rashly with his divine sense.

Jiao Sixteen and Jiao Nine also seemed to have noticed that something was wrong, but they also seemed to have the same concerns as Han Li and did not have the idea of using divine sense.

The former turned around and looked at the two behind him with hesitant eyes.

Han Li narrowed his eyes slightly and did not speak.

Jiao Nine pondered slightly and gave the two a gesture to prepare for battle.

Just as the three were about to take action, a bell suddenly rang from inside the door, ringing in the agreed-upon rhythm of three long and one short.

The three of them paused slightly and looked towards the gate.

After pondering slightly, Jiao Sixteen then slightly increased the strength in his hand and quickly tapped the door ring three times.

After a moment, the dark red gate “creaked” and opened a crack wide enough for one person, revealing the head of a middle-aged man with a wide face and a heavy chin.

“Come in.”

The man sized up the three people outside the door and said in a low voice.