Chapter 365 336: Weishui Trembles, The Name of the Seven Extremes

If not for this incident, many would have likely forgotten the name Seven Extremes! A name that once brought nightmares and terror to the numerous factions within Canglong State!

"Mang Blade, Mang Blade... so utterly reckless! He's truly caused a catastrophe this time!" Liu Yuanhua collapsed weakly into his chair. The matter had escalated beyond his control.

"I don't care anymore! When the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up! Let the higher-ups at the State Garrison Command deal with it!"

But for all his talk, here in Weishui County City, *he* was one of the few "tall ones."

Mentally and physically exhausted, Liu Yuanhua's eyes were vacant. He remained silent for a long, long time.

...

After traveling along a section of the Long'an Trade Route, Chen Ping'an's carriage and escort finally reached Beicang Town. The towering, azure-gray town sat directly on the Long'an Trade Route. Compared to Beicang Town, the surrounding peaks of the Canglong Mountain Range seemed to shrink into insignificance.

The grandeur of Beicang Town was far beyond what most people could imagine. They would never have conceived that such a magnificent stronghold could be built high up in the Canglong Mountain Range.

Beicang Town was built against a mountainside, with massive walls enclosing its other three sides. Atop the walls were dedicated watchtowers for monitoring activity along the trade route in both directions.

'What an incredible undertaking!' Chen Ping'an thought, his heart stirring with awe as he gazed upon the magnificent town.

Although Beicang Town wasn't as sprawling as Weishui County City, its imposing presence and ambitious design far surpassed it.

The Long'an Trade Route ran from north to south, connecting Canglong Province to the Qingling State Territory. Beicang Town was the northernmost of the three great towns along the route. It had two main gates, both opening onto the trade route.

Having just arrived in Beicang Town, Chen Ping'an had no idea what a commotion he had caused back at the Weishui Garrison.

Chen Ping'an's carriage and his retinue of guards followed the stream of travelers through the town's northern gate. The entrance was guarded by a joint force from the Garrison Commandant's Office.

The Garrison Commandant's Office personnel stationed here were all elite operatives, handpicked from various County Garrison Commands and even the State Garrison Command.

Seated in his carriage, Chen Ping'an felt the Profound Light between his brows flicker faintly. As he extended his senses, he discovered that even the weakest of the guards at the gate were at the Fourth or Fifth Layer of the Qi Blood Realm. The more skilled among them had even reached the Qi Blood Sixth Layer!

'Truly a stronghold built with the resources of an entire province. Even the regular Garrison personnel at the gate are this powerful! I can only imagine the strength of the patrols that secure the first half of the trade route.'

'This route facilitates trade between two states. The traffic of caravans and travelers is constant, and the profits at stake are unimaginable to outsiders. Without overwhelming power, they could never maintain control here. On top of that, even after several sweeps, there's no guarantee the Demon Beasts in the Canglong Mountain Range won't stir up trouble. Extremely powerful patrols are a necessity.'

Chen Ping'an sighed inwardly, impressed by the atmosphere of the place.

As the newly appointed Outer Trade Road Patrol Envoy, Chen Ping'an had already familiarized himself with the patrol duties along the trade route.

Although the patrols were all part of the trade route's internal security, their difficulty varied. The easiest patrol area was north of Beicang Town, as it was near the entrance of the Long'an Trade Route and didn't venture deep into the Canglong Mountain Range.

The truly difficult section, however, was the part of the trade route stretching south from Beicang Town to Long'an Town, which was situated at the very heart of the Long'an Trade Route.

When the trade route was first established, its planners deliberately avoided the true heart of the Canglong Mountain Range. But since this section cut straight through the mountains, it was still deep within their core territory. The likelihood of encountering Demon Beasts was extremely high, and any that appeared were bound to be powerful.

Every person patrolling this section was a true elite of the Garrison Commandant's Office. Of course, there were also joint patrol teams formed by the major factions within the town, but in terms of coordination and command structure, they were far inferior to the Garrison's patrol squads.

It was also worth noting that the forces from Beicang Town were not responsible for patrolling the entire section to Long'an Town. They only needed to cover the route up to the halfway point between the two strongholds.

In other words, Long'an Town, from its central position, was responsible for patrolling the two most difficult sections of the entire Long'an Trade Route.

Long'an Town was located at the heart of the trade route and was a focal point in the strategic games between the two states. Its internal politics were even more convoluted, and it was, by extension, the most powerful of the three great towns.

Of course, this was all just basic information that Chen Ping'an had gathered. Limited by his access to intelligence, he had not been able to conduct a truly in-depth investigation.

Travelers and caravans entering Beicang Town had to go through a simple registration process and pay an entry fee.

Chen Ping'an's subordinates naturally handled the formalities, so he simply sat in his carriage and waited. Once the fee was paid, his carriage proceeded smoothly into Beicang Town.

During the process, Chen Ping'an noticed that there were no strict searches at the gate. The guards only asked a few basic questions, such as the purpose of one's visit and basic identity information. Beyond that, nothing.

This was understandable. After all, countless caravans and travelers passed through Beicang Town. Interrogating and searching each one in detail would create an immense workload.

Furthermore, everyone entering the town had to pay a fee per head. Thorough searches would inevitably deter some people, thus impacting revenue.

After all, Beicang Town wasn't built for charity. Besides guarding and patrolling a section of the trade route, its main purpose was to generate profit by taking a cut from transactions and collecting taxes.