Chu Lingwei wasn't in a hurry to reach Xiushui. Instead, from a place unseen in the Southern Desert, she slowed her pace, admiring the night in Darknight City and the surrounding shops.
"Weiwei, what are you looking at?" Huanmao saw Chu Lingwei slow down and glare at the curious gazes cast their way. These people were so annoying; they were just picking up a mission, why so curious?
"I'm looking for my senior brother's shop." Chu Lingwei found Leng Family restaurants in almost every place she went. She wondered if there were any Leng family shops in Darknight City.
Chu Lingwei had heard from her senior brother that his Leng family didn't just own restaurants.
"Weiwei, do you mean my senior brother's family has cultivators stationed here?" Huanmao's eyes lit up at this suggestion. It was indeed a possibility.
"Not necessarily, I just had that thought." Chu Lingwei found it amusing, though perhaps it was possible.
"There must be," Huanmao nodded with certainty. Senior Brother could freely enter and exit the Ghost Realm and the Demon Realm. A mere shore of Xiushui would surely not stop him.
The two slowly exited Darknight City but saw no signs of the Leng family.
"Let's go, there are no Leng family members here." Chu Lingwei summoned her flying artifact and flew in the direction of Xiushui.
"How could there not be?" Huanmao's eyes flickered with disappointment. Senior Brother was so powerful; he surely could open a shop here.
"It's normal not to have any. Senior Brother is a human, not a god..." Chu Lingwei stopped mid-sentence as her brow suddenly twitched. Rufeng's words from Linglongjian suddenly echoed in her mind: the curse of Linglongjian was cast by a god.
"But Senior Brother seems even more powerful than a god." Huanmao pouted. On the Xuantian Continent, he feared no one except Senior Brother.
That fear was like a deep-seated, uncontrollable fear from the bottom of his heart.
What was said casually, was heard with intent. Chu Lingwei's heart began to pound.
Senior Brother Leng Xingzhi held too many secrets.
"No need to say more, we're going to Xiushui." Chu Lingwei dismissed Huanmao's words and accelerated her flying artifact, heading towards Xiushui.
To reach Xiushui, they had to pass through Darknight Forest.
Upon entering Darknight Forest, waves of pressure hit them, and Chu Lingwei nearly fell from her flying artifact several times.
"This is strange. Our barrier doesn't work on them." Huanmao continuously set up barriers, but they could only exert less than a tenth of their power. The spirit beasts they encountered could quickly detect their presence.
Now, a rank eight spirit beast was following them.
Chu Lingwei summoned her bronze ancient sword and turned towards the rank eight Blazing Eagle chasing her. She had to reach Xiushui as soon as possible and couldn't afford to waste time here.
The rank eight Blazing Eagle was struck and fell heavily to the ground. Chu Lingwei urged her flying artifact forward, not pursuing its advantage.
"Weiwei, there's another spirit beast ahead." Huanmao had already laid down several invisibility talismans, but they were still useless.
"Just shake it off." Chu Lingwei took a deep breath. Since entering Darknight Forest, she had been continuously fleeing for her life. She had never been in such peril.
Huanmao nodded vigorously. Since all offensive formations and barriers were ineffective, he could only use his most skilled illusionary arts to trap them in their inner demons.
"I wish those people thrown into Darknight Forest could never leave here." Finally shaking off the pursuing spirit beast, Chu Lingwei sat on her flying artifact, breathing a sigh of relief.
In a place like this, with spirit beasts every few steps, and sometimes spirit beasts launching surprise attacks when you're unprepared, it was truly a miracle to survive.
"I really don't understand why he would trap all these cultivators here?" Huanmao was bewildered.
Before, in Songcheng, Meng Qinghe had trapped cultivators at the bottom of the sea to recruit them. As long as they were loyal to the Meng family, they could leave the seabed and regain relative freedom.
But this place was very different; they were truly trapped here.
"There must be a reason." Everyone acts with a purpose. They didn't understand now, simply because they hadn't discovered the bird's motive.
As Huanmao was about to nod, a spiritual force suddenly struck him from ahead. Huanmao dodged swiftly, narrowly escaping.
"A cultivator?"
Chu Lingwei pulled Huanmao behind her, her gaze sharp.
The spiritual force that had attacked them just now was a cultivator's attack.
"Rongtian realm cultivator?" An aged figure appeared before Chu Lingwei. He swept his gaze over her, sensing her cultivation.
"Senior, why did you attack us?" Chu Lingwei couldn't sense the cultivation of the cultivator before her. Either his cultivation was hidden by some artifact, or he was a peak Supreme realm cultivator.
"Entering Darknight Forest, there is no why. Blood must be shed." The cultivator's eyes turned bloodthirsty, a killing intent flickering within them. He was determined to take Chu Lingwei's life.
Chu Lingwei chuckled lightly. It was indeed as Nanmo had said: outside Darknight City, blood must be shed.
"Senior, before you kill me, may I know how many people you have killed?" Chu Lingwei placed her left hand behind her back, rapidly forming hand seals.
"I can't recall anymore," the cultivator waved his hand. Chu Lingwei, a mere Rongtian realm cultivator, was as easy to deal with as a kitten to him. He didn't stop her from secretly forming hand seals.
"So, you were thrown in here by the master of Darknight City?" Chu Lingwei hadn't expected such good luck. She had just entered and immediately encountered a cultivator who had been directly thrown in.
Hearing this, the cultivator's face immediately flushed with anger. "Don't mention that bird to me. One day, I will eat it."
Chu Lingwei's eyes flickered. So, it was that bird that had sent this cultivator here.
"It said that even great powers in the Dominator realm are no match for it."
"How could a mere rank nine spirit beast contend with a Dominator realm great power?" The cultivator's eyes flashed with sarcasm. He was about to enter the Dominator realm and was more than capable of dealing with that bird.
"So, it's a spirit beast." Chu Lingwei found it strange. The bird was a spirit beast, yet it possessed cultivator's spiritual energy.
"Hmph, a spirit beast trying to impersonate a cultivator? How ridiculous." The cultivator sneered and looked at Chu Lingwei again. "You, a mere Rongtian realm, actually came here? Are you tired of living?"
Chu Lingwei rolled her eyes inwardly. He was the one tired of living.
"Since he doesn't want to live, I can fulfill your wish." As the cultivator's voice fell, a spiritual force struck towards Chu Lingwei.
Chu Lingwei was already prepared. Her formations and the purple bell blocked the cultivator's attack, sending it back and striking the cultivator heavily.