By midday the distant shoreline had grown clear.
What had first appeared as faint shapes in the morning haze slowly resolved into a bustling stretch of docks and buildings spread along the riverbank.
Dozens of wooden piers extended into the water.
Ships were already anchored there—merchant vessels, small fishing boats, and narrow cultivator craft that had clearly arrived days earlier.
The settlement itself stretched along the base of the mountains.
Low stone walls surrounded the outer districts, while watchtowers rose near the docks to oversee the busy river traffic.
Behind the city, the land rose sharply.
Dark ridges of the Windscar Mountains towered above everything, their peaks half-hidden behind drifting clouds.
Even from this distance the wind descending from the mountains carried a faint, dry chill.
Below the Azure Cloud Ark, the smaller vessels had already begun steering toward the docks.
Loose cultivators called to one another across the water.
"Over there!"
"That pier still has space!"
Several boats adjusted their direction quickly, eager to secure a place before the docks filled.
On one crowded vessel, a bearded cultivator laughed loudly while lifting a heavy sack.
"Three river beasts and a chest of spirit shells. Today we're eating well!"
Another shouted back from the stern.
"Sell them first before you start spending!"
The excitement spread quickly among the boats.
After weeks on the river, the sight of a proper settlement filled many with relief.
Merchants were already giving orders.
Assistants moved crates toward the edges of decks.
Bundles of herbs, beast hides, and mineral ores were prepared for unloading.
Even some cultivators who had remained quiet throughout the journey now leaned against the railings, watching the approaching city with visible anticipation.
Chen Yongnian rested his arms on the railing, observing the lively scene below.
"Looks like half the river decided to stop here."
Several disciples nearby nodded.
One of them pointed toward the foothills behind the city.
"Of course they would."
"The Windscar Mountains start there."
Another disciple added,
"Anyone planning to cross will prepare here first."
Chen Yongnian glanced toward the towering ridges again.
From this distance the mountains looked vast and uneven, their slopes layered with deep valleys and jagged cliffs.
It was easy to imagine how dangerous the terrain could become once someone entered those ridges.
Meanwhile, the smaller boats continued crowding toward the docks.
But high above them, the Azure Cloud Ark maintained its steady course.
The great vessel did not descend toward the busy harbor.
Its formation arrays hummed quietly as the ark glided forward along the river, passing above the gathering fleet.
Several cultivators below looked up in surprise as its massive shadow drifted across the water.
Whispers followed in its wake.
"A sect ark…"
"Which sect is that?"
But the ark continued onward without pause.
At the bow, Yun stood quietly, watching the city and the mountains beyond it.
For most travelers on the river, this place marked a pause before the dangerous crossing ahead.
For the Azure Balance Pavilion, however, the journey had not slowed at all.
Beyond the settlement, the Windscar Mountains stretched endlessly across the horizon.
And soon, the ark would enter them.
The settlement at the edge of the river was known as Hejian City.
Its name came from the narrow mountain corridor beyond it — Gale Pass, the most stable and widely used passage through the outer ridges of the Windscar Mountains.
For generations, travelers heading toward the eastern regions had gathered here before attempting the crossing.
The city stood where river and mountain met.
Along the waterfront, long wooden docks stretched into the current, crowded with ships of every size. Merchant vessels unloaded crates of goods while smaller cultivator boats arrived one after another, their passengers eager to step onto solid ground.
Beyond the docks rose the outer districts of the city.
Warehouses, trading halls, and supply depots lined the riverbank, their wide doors open to the constant movement of goods. Porters carried sacks of grain, bundles of herbs, and crates of spirit materials through the busy streets.
The air was filled with the noise of bargaining.
Merchants called out prices.
Cultivators inspected weapons and artifacts displayed along roadside stalls.
Travelers argued over maps and routes.
Further inland stood the city's protective walls.
They were not built to repel armies but to endure the violent winds that sometimes descended from the Windscar Mountains. Thick stone foundations and reinforced wooden structures helped the settlement withstand the seasonal gales that gave the nearby pass its name.
Inside the walls, the streets were dense with activity.
Supply markets filled entire blocks.
Shops sold traveling provisions, preserved food, and medicinal herbs used to treat injuries suffered in the mountains.
Weapon stores displayed blades, spears, and spirit-forged armor meant for harsh combat.
Formation and talisman shops did steady business selling protective charms, wind-resistant cloaks, and spirit talismans designed to stabilize unstable energy currents.
Inns were already crowded.
Cultivators, merchants, and wandering travelers filled the common halls, exchanging news about the mountains while planning their routes ahead.
Information stalls operated near the main squares.
Maps of the Windscar Mountains hung from wooden boards.
Guides advertised their services to those unfamiliar with the terrain.
Others sold recent reports of demon beast activity, shifting wind corridors, and newly discovered safe trails.
Anyone preparing to cross the mountains eventually passed through Gale Pass City.
Though the Windscar Mountains stretched for hundreds of miles along the river's edge, few cultivators dared to enter them randomly.
The valleys were unpredictable.
Demon beast territories shifted with time.
Violent wind currents could tear apart careless travelers.
Over the years, several relatively safer paths had been discovered through the outer ridges.
The most reliable of them all began at Gale Pass.
Because of this, the city had grown rich from the endless flow of travelers moving between regions.
Loose cultivators formed temporary groups here before attempting the crossing.
Merchant caravans hired guards to escort them through the dangerous terrain.
Small clans gathered supplies and waited for favorable weather before venturing into the mountains.
Every road in the city ultimately pointed toward the same destination.
Beyond the northern gate, the land rose sharply.
Stone watchtowers stood along the road leading toward the foothills.
And far beyond them, hidden between towering ridges of black stone, lay the entrance to Gale Pass — the gateway through the Windscar Mountains.
The approach of the fleet did not go unnoticed.
Along the busy docks of Hejian City, workers were unloading crates from a merchant ship when one of them suddenly paused.
"Hey… look."
Another man followed his gaze upward.
For a moment he simply stared.
"That's… a lot of ships."
Word spread quickly along the waterfront.
People stepped out from warehouses and trading halls, shading their eyes as they looked toward the river.
A long line of vessels was approaching from downstream.
Loose cultivator boats.
Merchant ships.
Traveling clan vessels.
Dozens of them moving steadily toward the city.
But what truly caught people's attention was the massive vessel moving above them.
High in the sky, a great ark glided forward with slow, steady authority.
Formation patterns shimmered faintly across its hull as spiritual energy carried the vessel through the air.
A cultivator standing near the docks narrowed his eyes.
"That's a sect ship."
Another man beside him studied it for a moment.
"Not a small sect either."
More people gathered along the riverfront.
One of the older cultivators suddenly focused on the emblem carved into the side of the vessel.
A stylized balance symbol.
"…Azure Balance Pavilion."
Several nearby people reacted immediately.
"The Pavilion?"
"So that's their ark."
A merchant gave a low whistle.
"No wonder the formations look so stable."
The murmurs spread quickly through the crowd.
Many of the smaller vessels approaching the docks clearly belonged to travelers heading toward the Windscar Mountains.
A middle-aged cultivator folded his arms while watching the fleet approach.
"Looks like another big group heading for the Heaven-Justice Sword Sect gathering."
Someone beside him nodded.
"Probably the last large fleet coming through."
Another added,
"Most of the early groups crossed the mountains weeks ago."
A dock worker scratched his chin.
"Still… that's a lot of people trying their luck at the summit."
His companion laughed.
"With the Sword Sect opening its gates, who wouldn't try?"
Meanwhile high above the city, the Azure Cloud Ark continued forward without slowing.
It did not descend toward the docks.
Instead, the massive vessel glided past the busy harbor and moved toward the northern edge of the city, where the road leading toward the Windscar Mountains began.
End of Chapter 78