For over a thousand years, Hanyang Pass had been one of the most renowned fortified gateways under heaven. During the years-long great wars of the Shattered Realm, it was ultimately Hanyang Pass that halted the eastward advance of the Shaman’s army.

Hanyang Pass’ most formidable weapon was its eight giant crossbows, capable of firing bolts 10,000 zhang. When specially empowered, their range could be tripled. However, a single shot like this would deplete all the mystic energy of an Avatar.

Although the cost was enormous, once empowered, anywhere within 200 li of Hanyang Pass fell within the range of the giant crossbows. If necessary, this open expanse of hundreds of li wide could be locked down completely.

It was also thanks to Hanyang Pass that the Xu Clan was able to sever east-west transportation at the time, preventing even a single flying vessel from passing through the pass. It was also the reason Wei Yuan had to take a detour through Zhao on his way back to Qingming to avoid any unexpected incidents, adding another 20,000 li to his journey.

In recent times, the number of refugees seeking to leave the pass had been growing steadily. Lacking reliable information, the refugees had only heard that the western regions were now peaceful and that people were distributing porridge along the way, so they flocked there in droves. News of the Great Karmic Curse had not spread widely, and even if the refugees had heard about it, they would not have understood it.

Currently, tens of thousands of refugees were stuck inside Hanyang...