Chapter 386 Vigilance

"Many thanks, Senior!"

The bearded man was overjoyed upon hearing this. He bowed to Han Li, then flew down and skillfully dismembered the corpse of the Thunderworm Beast.

He did not dare to tarry long; after collecting a few important materials, he flew back.

Han Li was about to form a hand seal to activate the flying boat when the surrounding sea suddenly began to shake.

He swept his gaze around and saw huge waves rising on the nearby sea surface, accompanied by rumbling sounds.

At the same time, hundreds of miles away, thick smoke billowed from an uninhabited island, and a thick crimson lava jet shot into the sky.

Mu Xue and the other two were startled by the sight, but seeing Han Li's calm expression, they exchanged glances and dared not say anything.

Han Li's expression remained unchanged, but his mind stirred.

On the way to Black Wind Island, he had often seen such natural disasters as tsunamis and earthquakes. Although such phenomena had occurred in the Black Wind Sea before, they had never been so frequent.

He shook his head, withdrew his gaze, and waved his hand to cast a spell.

The Green Kite Flying Boat trembled slightly, then emitted a brilliant green light. The fledgling spirit feathers on both sides of the boat suddenly grew several times longer and wider, turning into long green wings.

The flying boat transformed into a long green rainbow, shooting forward at an extremely fast speed, vanishing without a trace in an instant.

"Do you know the current situation on Black Wind Island? Is the conflict with Green Feather Island still ongoing?" Han Li asked casually while driving the flying boat.

"Reporting to Senior, since the anomalies began appearing across the sea region, the conflict between Black Wind Island and Green Feather Island has ceased," Mu Xue said.

"By 'anomalies,' do you mean the tsunamis and volcanic eruptions like the ones we just saw?" Han Li raised an eyebrow and asked again.

"Exactly," Mu Xue nodded.

Han Li nodded thoughtfully upon hearing this.

After that, he said nothing more, and Mu Xue and the others naturally dared not speak freely. They traveled in silence.

With the speed of the Green Kite Flying Boat, they soon arrived at Black Wind City and stopped somewhere outside the city.

"Thank you for saving our lives, Senior. May we know your name so that we may always remember your kindness?" Mu Xue and the other two flew down from the spirit boat and expressed their gratitude again.

"No need. We merely met by chance. You may go. Remember, though cultivation is important, life is precious," Han Li said indifferently.

With that, without waiting for them to respond, he flickered and flew toward the city gate in the distance.

The three watched Han Li leave. After a long while, the bearded man spoke with a somewhat serious expression:

"Fellow Daoist Mu, we were able to hold out until Senior arrived thanks to your two talismans. Rest assured, after we sell the Thunderworm Beast materials, we'll split the spirit stones three ways."

Mu Xue smiled and nodded at the bearded man, then glanced again at the distant city gate, a strange look flashing in his eyes.

"Fellow Daoist Mu, what's wrong?" the young woman in red asked.

"Nothing. Let's go," Mu Xue said with a smile, flying off in a direction outside the city.

But out of the corner of his eye, he couldn't help glancing once more toward the city gate.

For some reason, this Senior's demeanor and actions gave him a very familiar feeling.

No matter how hard he thought, however, he couldn't recall where he had met this Senior before.

The city-guarding grand formation of Black Wind City had been activated. After paying a few spirit stones, Han Li quickly entered the city.

He did not linger at the edge of the outer city but flew straight toward the central area.

On a main street in Black Wind City, Han Li walked slowly. At the end of the street was a large square, where a tall tower stood—the location of the Black Wind City teleportation tower.

He looked at the surrounding shops and frowned slightly.

This was the busiest part of Black Wind City, yet there were still few people on the streets, and the shops on both sides had very few customers—a stark contrast to the bustling scene of before.

Surprised, he recalled Mu Xue's words from earlier. After a moment's thought, he stepped into a nearby material shop.

"Welcome, honored guest! What do you need? Though our shop is small, we have a wide range of goods. I'm sure you won't be disappointed," the shopkeeper said cheerfully as he approached Han Li.

The man was short and stout, wearing a gold robe and a round hat, looking like a wealthy merchant.

Han Li glanced around the shop, casually bought a few rare spirit herbs, paid the spirit stones, and then asked in a conversational tone:

"Shopkeeper, I've been to Black Wind City several times before. It used to be very prosperous. Why has it become so desolate now?"

"Alas, it's all because of the natural disasters in recent years. For some reason, the entire sea region has been very unstable. It's said that many islands have even sunk directly. Now, various islands have begun to close their borders. Although this city still allows free entry and exit, business has naturally plummeted," the stout shopkeeper said, shaking his head.

"I've never seen or even heard of such natural disasters before," Han Li asked with a frown.

"As for the reason, people like us naturally wouldn't know. Some say it's due to disturbances in the sea's spiritual veins; others say a shocking treasure is about to appear, and its power is leaking out; still others say it's a sign that the Black Wind Sea is about to be destroyed. But none of these claims can be verified," the stout shopkeeper said in a low, mysterious voice.

Han Li frowned. These claims sounded absurd and unreliable.

"Leaving that aside, Shopkeeper, when will the teleportation array connecting Black Wind City to the outside world be opened?" Han Li asked with a bitter smile, then continued.

His main purpose in coming to Black Wind City was to leave this sea region and try his luck elsewhere, since finding a way to advance to Golden Immortal here, especially in this place, was nearly impossible.

"If you want to go outside, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. You may not know this, but after the teleportation array was opened more than a decade ago, Island Lord Lu Jun announced its closure for a thousand years," the stout shopkeeper said, shaking his head.

"Closed for a thousand years! Why would the teleportation array be suddenly closed?" Han Li's face darkened as he asked.

"Island Lord Lu must have his reasons," the stout shopkeeper said, spreading his hands.

"Thank you. Farewell," Han Li said, frowning deeply. He cupped his hands to the stout shopkeeper and turned to leave.

He walked out of the shop, strolled a bit down the street, then stepped into another shop.

Although he felt the stout shopkeeper wouldn't lie to him, he needed to confirm the matter.

Soon, he came out again, his expression somewhat grim, and turned into yet another shop.

After about half an hour, Han Li stood still on a street.

He had inquired at over a dozen shops, large and small, and received the same answer: the teleportation array was indeed unavailable for the time being, and Lu Jun had given no reason for the sudden order.

Han Li's expression was gloomy. After standing for a moment, he suddenly shot into the air, flying toward the Island Lord's Mansion.

The area around the Island Lord's Mansion hadn't changed much. Black buildings stood in clusters, like black giant beasts crouching, exuding a somber aura.

All the buildings were covered by various restrictions, and these restrictions were interconnected.

These restrictions were even more grand than before, emitting dazzling light and forming a series of huge light clusters, making it impossible to see inside from the outside.

The Talisman Letter Hall in front of the Island Lord's Mansion still stood, but now only a few cultivators were inside, looking empty and deserted, a stark contrast to the bustling scene of before.

Han Li stood at the entrance of the Talisman Letter Hall, looking up toward the Island Lord's Mansion.

Nothing seemed amiss here, but there were several layers of surveillance, both overt and covert, with numerous divine senses interwoven, guarding against anyone approaching—several times more stringent than before.

Surprised, Han Li stepped into the Talisman Letter Hall.

The unprecedented tight security clearly indicated that this was no mere anomaly of natural disasters in the sea region.

Just as he stepped into the hall, two streaks of light flew in from the distant sky, landing in front of the Island Lord's Mansion in an instant. The light faded, revealing two figures.

One was a woman in her thirties, wearing a Daoist robe that made her look like a nun, but she was not tonsured, and she had an elegant demeanor.

Her companion was a man in white, carrying a long sword on his back, with sharp eyes.

The man in white did not enter the mansion directly but looked around with a vigilant expression.

"Elder Lu, what's wrong?" the young woman asked curiously.

"Nothing..." The man swept his gaze across the street again and said indifferently, but his sword-like brows furrowed slightly.

Just now, his divine sense had detected something unusual, as if someone was secretly observing him.

But the feeling was fleeting, and he wasn't sure if it was just his imagination.

Still not convinced, the man extended his divine sense to cover the surrounding area but found nothing unusual. He frowned slightly.

"Let's go. Don't delay our business," the woman said softly.

The man nodded, and the two walked side by side into the Island Lord's Mansion. The guards at the door did not stop them.

After a long while, Han Li came out of the Talisman Letter Hall. Without glancing at the Island Lord's Mansion, he walked in another direction.

His face was calm, but his mind was in turmoil.

Although he didn't recognize the young woman, he knew the man in white—it was Lu Yue, a Golden Immortal from the Northern Frost Immortal Palace.

Why was this person in the Black Wind Sea?

"Could it be related to me?" The thought suddenly crossed Han Li's mind.

As soon as this thought arose, his heart leaped to his throat. He continued walking forward, but his divine sense firmly locked onto the direction of the Island Lord's Mansion behind him.

At the same time, he secretly circulated his immortal spiritual power, ready to unleash a full-force attack at the slightest sign of abnormality.

Only after walking dozens of miles did he relax his tense nerves slightly, but he still did not dare to let down his guard. He quickened his pace and walked further away.

An hour later, a green streak of light flew out of Black Wind City's gate, speeding toward the distant sea.

The person in the light was none other than Han Li.

After flying tens of thousands of miles in one breath, golden lightning suddenly appeared in the light, coalescing into a lightning formation with countless golden runes dancing within.

After a fluctuation of golden lightning, Han Li's figure vanished without a trace.