The two headed toward a cluster of buildings near the main entrance of the Heavenly Ice Palace known as the Affairs Hall.
It was a place where outsiders and those affiliated with the outer sect gathered to conduct business and handle matters related to the Heavenly Ice Palace.
Among them, the place where wanted criminals were designated and bounties were paid was relatively quiet.
It seemed that both outer sect disciples and wandering cultivators were reluctant to take on bounty hunting.
‘There are a lot.’
There were considerably more wanted criminals than Ise had expected.
Posters bearing portraits about the size of books were plastered on the walls, with the crimes and relevant information about each wanted criminal written underneath.
There were so many that they nearly covered an entire wall.
There seemed to be more than two hundred of them.
In a few places, only scraps of paper remained, suggesting that resolved wanted posters were removed, leaving only those who were still wanted.
The wandering cultivators looking over the wanted posters would take a quick glance around before leaving.
The cultivators managing the building didn’t particularly stop them or even speak to them.
It was almost as though none of them had any interest in one another.
“There doesn’t seem to be any other procedure.”
“You just check the wanted posters and go capture them yourself.
They don’t really expect the wandering cultivators who come here to actually bring anyone back anyway.
Most wanted criminals are eventually caught after entering another city as wandering cultivators.”
“Can I copy down the information?”
“I don’t think they’ll mind.”
Ise first looked over everything from beginning to end, committing as much of it as possible to memory.
That way, if he happened to encounter any of them while traveling, he would be able to recognize them.
Qi Condensation cultivators didn’t necessarily need to remember an exact portrait.
If he encountered a cultivator who looked similar, he could simply use mind-reading and ask, “Are you a wanted criminal?”
That would be enough to complete the hunt.
The wanted posters for Foundation Establishment cultivators were gathered together on another wall.
Among them, Ise stood motionless in front of one particularly clean-looking poster.
-Jang Yeonggeol.
Mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.
-Crime: Refusing to return a map of the Abyssal Labyrinth obtained with the support of his sect, murdering a fellow disciple, and fleeing.
-Bounty for information leading to his location: 10,000 spirit stones.
-An additional 10,000 spirit stones will be awarded upon returning the secret map with its seal intact.
Ryu Seonghan noticed Ise standing still and approached him.
“Is there something that caught your interest?
Ah, this wanted poster….”
It was the same wanted poster that the Heavenly Ice Palace cultivators searching the surrounding area had shown them before they entered Tiandao City.
“Don’t tell me you’re planning to go after a Foundation Establishment cultivator?”
“Why is the bounty so high?”
Most Foundation Establishment cultivators had bounties starting at several thousand spirit stones at minimum, but the wanted criminal in front of them had the highest bounty.
A full 10,000.
The amount Ise had barely managed to accumulate by hunting dozens of demonic cultivators from the Iron Yang Thunder Sect was placed on a single Foundation Establishment cultivator.
“When you think of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, what’s the first thing that comes to mind?”
“There’ll probably be some good stuff in his Storage Pouch?”
“…No.
Of course, that’s probably true.
But look.
From the outset, Qi Condensation cultivators can’t even dream of doing something like this.
And even if you’re a Foundation Establishment cultivator yourself, bounty hunting makes it difficult enough to find the wanted criminal in the first place.
So why deliberately take the risk of fighting another Foundation Establishment cultivator?
That’s the sort of thought that naturally comes to mind.”
Ryu Seonghan added,
“Even someone in the mid stage isn’t an opponent that a late-stage cultivator can simply take lightly.
So no one wants to step forward.
Naturally, the bounty has no choice but to rise.”
That explanation raised another question.
If the map was so important that they were willing to offer a bounty of 20,000 spirit stones to recover it, wouldn’t it have been better to entrust the search exclusively to people dispatched from within the palace rather than advertise it so openly?
This was almost like putting up a sign announcing that they wanted a swarm of hungry ghosts to come crawling over.
Ise thought about it carefully before reaching his own conclusion.
The Abyssal Labyrinth.
It was a sort of small secret realm within the continent, artificially created by ancient great cultivators with nothing better to do, usually for the purpose of passing their cultivation techniques down to later generations.
Apparently, there were old monsters who wanted to pass on their cultivation techniques but didn’t want to give them to just anyone.
Twisted and bored old monsters would occasionally create things like this as a hobby.
‘So it’s not about recovering the map itself.
It’s a race against time.
They have to find him before he unseals the map and plunders the labyrinth.’
That was why they had placed a bounty for information leading to his location rather than simply offering a reward for killing or capturing him.
Even if someone decided to steal the secret map for themselves, a battle between Foundation Establishment cultivators would inevitably attract attention.
The Heavenly Ice Palace intended to use that commotion to recover the map.
‘This is going to be troublesome.’
That was Ise’s conclusion.
Jang Yeonggeol had betrayed the Heavenly Ice Palace despite turning his back on the ruler of the continent, apparently determined to eat well or die trying.
He must have decided to seize such a great fortuitous opportunity only after making extensive preparations and meticulous calculations.
Yet, for some reason, Ise had a feeling he would be able to find him.
He had felt it when searching for the murderer of an entry-level disciple at the Training Academy.
He was surprisingly good at reading people’s minds.
On top of that, he had the Spirit-Detecting Mirror he had obtained from the wandering cultivator.
It was an exceptionally powerful magical artifact for finding hidden cultivators.
‘It’s not like I have any other way to earn spirit stones anyway.’
Ise decided to give it a try.
He copied the contents of the wanted poster onto an empty jade slip and then drew a portrait based on the appearance sketch.
Ryu Seonghan stared intently at Ise before letting out an exclamation of admiration.
“You draw pretty well.”
“I suppose I do.”
“Why didn’t you become a muralist instead?”
“I’ve actually been wondering whether I should learn some kind of craft to make spirit stones.”
Immortal cuisine was an incredibly appealing craft, but people didn’t understand its appeal or efficacy very well.
It was truly unfortunate that he had to learn a craft specifically for making money by catering to the trends of society.
“Let’s split up here.
You earn spirit stones and cultivate for your entry into the Heavenly Ice Palace.
I’ll proceed on my own.
I’ll put the immortal cuisine in the refrigerated storage compartment at our residence whenever I make it.
Leave me a message if anything happens.”
“Yes.
If it looks like I can enter the palace even now, I’ll go in and continue cultivating.”
“All right.”
Setting a specific time to meet would only restrict their actions.
The two parted ways, leaving the residence as their means of contacting each other.
Ise came out onto the streets alone and organized his thoughts as he walked.
When searching for a target, establishing the initial direction was more important than anything else.
One thought led to another, connecting logically.
‘Let’s think from the wanted criminal’s perspective.
What would I need to do to ensure my safety and find a way to break the seal?’
The first thing that came to mind was fleeing.
Move to another city and escape the Heavenly Ice Palace’s attention.
‘Too dangerous.
I should rule that out.’
Once someone reached the Foundation Establishment Realm, moving to another city would actually attract more attention.
Wandering cultivators were required to be reported when discovered.
Considering that most wanted criminals were caught because they chose this option, the risk was far too great.
The second possibility was wandering.
Wandering through the snowy wilderness had limitations when it came to gathering information, but it was relatively safe.
That was presumably why the Heavenly Ice Palace had dispatched cultivators to the areas outside Tiandao City.
They probably thought that posting wanted notices would be sufficient inside Tiandao City.
‘Then, paradoxically, the safest place would actually be inside Tiandao City.’
The most dangerous place, and therefore the safest.
Right beneath the lantern.
The territory was as vast as an entire nation.
If he really wanted to, there would have to be countless places to hide.
Disguise himself, conceal his cultivation realm, infiltrate the city, and search for a way to break the seal.
‘There’s no way he’s already broken the seal.’
If the seal were that easy to break, the Heavenly Ice Palace wouldn’t have considered recovering it in the first place.
But one thing didn’t add up: the discrepancy between its value and the choice he had made.
The Heavenly Ice Palace had placed a total bounty of 20,000 spirit stones.
Considering that the bounty also served as punishment for killing a fellow disciple, they had judged the value of the secret map to be below that amount.
It seemed too little to justify becoming a wanted criminal of the sect that ruled the continent.
Especially considering the wanted criminal’s cultivation realm.
It was certainly a large amount of money… but it was a choice Ise would never have made himself.
‘Why?
Why did Jang Yeonggeol choose to kill his fellow disciple and betray his sect over a secret map worth, at most, 20,000 spirit stones?’
Ise thought about it.
And then he reached a conclusion.
‘He lied in his report.’
Before betraying the sect, he had deliberately understated the value of the secret map.
The moment Jang Yeonggeol examined the secret map, he must have been certain of its true value.
Valuable enough to stake his entire cultivation life on.
So he deliberately reported a lower value for the secret map, killed the fellow disciple who had accompanied him on the mission to silence him, and then fled.
He had exploited the characteristic of cultivation sects to act according to an item’s reported value, thereby preventing the great cultivators from getting involved.
‘Then this is a secret map that could tempt even cultivators of the Spirit Transformation Realm.’
Ise’s eyes gleamed.
‘This might turn out to be quite a profitable haul.’
At first, he had intended to go after the bounty.
But he had changed his mind.
He would obtain the secret map and enter the Abyssal Labyrinth himself.
Ise wandered around the central area of Tiandao City near the Heavenly Ice Palace, buying several talismans capable of undoing disguises before obtaining a map of Tiandao City.
There were a few magical artifacts that tempted him along the way, but just in case, he decided to conserve his spirit stones.
‘If I’d known this would happen, I should’ve brought more spirit stones.’
He had thought he’d brought enough, but the spirit stones were quietly draining away like water leaking from a cracked vessel.
After buying several different maps and cross-checking them, he filled in the missing portions between them to create a single completed map.
He looked down at it.
‘I can’t directly ask artifact merchants or artifact refiners.
Above all else, security and safety are the most important.’
Ise once again put himself in the wanted criminal’s situation.
He had betrayed his sect for a great fortuitous opportunity.
He needed to break the seal on the secret map without word reaching the Heavenly Ice Palace.
‘He’d seek knowledge.’
If it were him, he would somehow find a place where he could acquire relevant knowledge.
Whether from people or books.
‘What about seeking out a retired cultivator?’
People whose lifespans were nearing their ends, or who had given up cultivation because breaking through a major realm had become impossible.
Old cultivators usually knew a great deal.
And because they were lonely, there was a good chance that if someone kept them company, they’d be willing to teach them all sorts of things.
Then where would those old masters be?
Cultivators who had little hope of extending their lifespans by breaking through a major realm usually wanted to enjoy the wealth and glory they had been unable to experience until then.
The places they sought out were generally cities inhabited by ordinary people, where there were no dangerous cultivators.
‘No, no.’
Ise changed his mind.
He remembered the greed of the old cultivator he had encountered at the Silver Dragon Mine.
Those who had given up on cultivation because breaking through a major realm was hopeless were precisely the ones with an enormous old man’s greed for fortuitous opportunities.
Enough to willingly put even their own families in danger.
Such things had happened in the Eastern Continent as well, but this place was even more rife with plunder and followed the law of the jungle even more strongly.
No one could be trusted.
They would try to break the seal themselves somehow.
‘This is hopeless.’
Ise felt the same sense of helplessness that the wanted criminal must have felt.
Perhaps he should first hide and wait until the Heavenly Ice Palace’s attention loosened, then calmly search through places he could approach.
There were old cultivators in every city.
Once enough time passed, the Heavenly Ice Palace would assume that the labyrinth had already been taken and would eventually relax its search.
‘For now, the most important thing is not to attract attention.’
‘But the great fortuitous opportunity in my hands is far too sweet.
It’s hard to stay hidden when my blood is already running hot.’
‘A city that is neither too large nor too small.
Somewhere as far away from the Heavenly Ice Palace’s main mountain as possible.’
‘But not completely on the outskirts.
Someone else could have the same idea.
An ambiguously distant location is the safest.’
‘Let’s quietly gather information somewhere safe.
Until the surveillance loosens.’
Ise’s brush marked a total of fourteen cities on the map.