Chapter 520: Fishing in Troubled Waters

A few days later, a beam of light descended outside Black Wind City. As the light faded, it revealed a tall, burly man with a sallow face and a bristly beard—Han Li in disguise.

He looked up at the tall, wide city gate, then strode forward, merging into the stream of people entering the city.

His previous attempt to cross the Desolate Wind Belt surrounding the Black Wind Sea had been fraught with peril. Although his cultivation had greatly improved, he had no intention of trying again; it would be safer to leave through the teleportation array here.

After paying the entry fee, Han Li quickly entered Black Wind City and headed straight for the Island Lord's Mansion.

Halfway there, he suddenly stopped, glanced toward the center of the city, then flew in that direction. Soon he arrived before the teleportation plaza and landed.

On the teleportation tower in the plaza, streaks of white light flickered, emanating waves of immense spiritual power, with faint spatial fluctuations mixed in.

Seeing this, Han Li knew that the teleportation array had been activated and was about to initiate a teleportation.

After a moment's thought, he reached out and stopped a passing mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, a middle-aged man, and asked, "May I ask, Fellow Daoist, I heard earlier that Black Wind Island Lord had announced the closure of the teleportation array for a thousand years. Why has it suddenly been opened today?"

The man, initially annoyed at being stopped, sensed Han Li's unfathomable aura and quickly put on a smile, cupping his fist and saying, "Senior must have just arrived in Black Wind City. You may not know that just yesterday, Black Wind Island Lord suddenly announced the reopening of the teleportation array. In a little while, at noon, the array will officially activate."

"Oh, do you know why the Island Lord changed his mind?" Han Li nodded thoughtfully and asked again.

"This... I wouldn't know," the middle-aged cultivator said, shaking his head.

"Thank you," Han Li nodded.

The middle-aged cultivator cupped his fist toward Han Li and quickly left.

Han Li looked toward the teleportation tower, his eyes flickering a few times. Then he glanced up at the sunlight, and his figure suddenly flickered and vanished, transforming into a blurry shadow that flew toward the tower, landing in front of the main entrance.

The tower door was tightly shut, with two Black Wind Island cultivators standing guard on either side.

Han Li did not pause; he flew straight ahead, passing through the door and the several layers of restrictions behind it as if he were an intangible force, entering the hall without causing the slightest ripple.

Inside the hall, a large crowd had gathered, waiting for the teleportation—eighty or ninety people in total.

Han Li's eyes narrowed slightly. At the very front of the crowd stood several blue-robed cultivators, none other than Luo Qinghai and his group.

Black Wind Island Lord Lu Jun stood beside them, beaming, attending to them carefully.

"So that's it..." Han Li nodded at the sight.

It seemed that Luo Qinghai had also left the Netherworld Immortal Mansion at some unknown time and had done what Han Li had intended to do, beating him to it.

That was fine; he could take the opportunity to leave as well.

The next moment, Han Li's figure appeared silently behind the crowd. He flicked his finger, tapping the back of a white-robed youth in front of him.

The youth's eyes immediately became dazed. He turned and handed a blue talisman to Han Li, then walked to the side and stood still.

This series of events happened silently. Most people in the hall did not notice what was happening at the back, except for a few like Luo Qinghai.

Luo Qinghai turned his head and looked over, his gaze sweeping over Han Li. A hint of doubt flickered deep in his eyes, but his expression remained unchanged.

Han Li stood there calmly, facing Luo Qinghai's scrutiny without flinching.

He hadn't expected this move to escape Luo Qinghai's notice. He did it because even if he was discovered, it didn't matter.

Moreover, from his understanding of Luo Qinghai's character, as long as he hadn't identified who Han Li was, he wouldn't act rashly.

Sure enough, after glancing at Han Li twice, Luo Qinghai quickly withdrew his gaze without making a fuss.

But at that moment, Han Li suddenly turned his head to look in another direction.

A group of people stood there, all talking in low voices.

Han Li frowned slightly.

Just now, he had sensed another gaze from that direction, but it vanished in an instant, and he couldn't catch who it was.

Being able to detect the recent commotion meant it must be a Golden Immortal-level existence.

A strange glint flashed in Han Li's eyes. Could it be Hu Yan and Yun Ni, or someone else hiding there?

He pondered inwardly, continuing to observe that group discreetly.

"Fellow Daoists, you've waited long. The time has come. Please enter the array," said a black-robed old man standing beside the teleportation array, stepping forward.

Holding blue talismans, the crowd stepped into the teleportation array one by one. The white-robed youth remained standing in place, his expression dazed.

Seeing this, Lu Jun's gaze swept over Han Li, a peculiar look crossing his face, but he said nothing.

The black-robed old man took out a white array disk and rapidly formed hand seals.

With a hum, the array disk emitted a dazzling white light.

The teleportation array also blazed with light, releasing a brilliant white spiritual radiance that engulfed everyone and then vanished without a trace.

Lu Jun's expression relaxed as he watched them disappear.

The moment they teleported away, the white-robed youth's eyes flickered and regained clarity.

"What... what happened? Why am I here..." the youth looked around, panicked.

"Take him out and refund his teleportation spirit stones," Lu Jun said, waving his hand.

Two Black Wind Island cultivators acknowledged and escorted the white-robed youth out, one on each side.

"Island Lord, we've finally sent those troublemakers off!" the black-robed old man said, walking over to Lu Jun with a sigh.

"I'm afraid things are far from over," Lu Jun shook his head.

"What do you mean..." the old man was taken aback.

"At that time, Cangliu Palace wasn't the only force that entered the Immortal Mansion. Yet now only Luo Qinghai and his group have appeared here. What does that imply? Xiao Jinhan and his party are still missing. Moreover, everyone from Fuling Sect, Candlestick Sect, and others have vanished as if they evaporated. I'm afraid something happened inside the Immortal Mansion. Although Luo Qinghai claims ignorance, knowing him, things are definitely not simple. Regardless, this happened in our Black Wind Sea," Lu Jun said slowly.

"I thought they had other ways to leave, since some cultivators are immensely powerful and didn't enter our Black Wind Sea through the teleportation array..." the old man's expression stiffened, and he spoke hesitantly.

"The Desolate Wind Belt, heh... I hope they've all passed through it and left my Black Wind Sea," Lu Jun said with a bitter smile.

"By the way, Island Lord, about Miss Yuqing... Did you get any news from those Cangliu Palace people?" the old man hesitated, then asked.

"No. I don't know if they truly don't know or are deliberately hiding it," Lu Jun said, his expression dim.

"Miss Yuqing's soul lamp hasn't gone out, so her life is certainly safe. She might just be trapped somewhere and will soon escape and return. Don't worry, Island Lord," the old man comforted him.

Lu Jun said nothing, sighed, and furrowed his brows.

Seeing Lu Jun like this, the old man didn't know how to console him.

Lu Jun stood by the array for a moment, sighed again, and was about to turn and leave.

At that moment, his gaze suddenly fixed on the ground beside the array.

There, a white jade slip had fallen, seemingly out of nowhere.

Frowning slightly, Lu Jun raised his hand, emitting a suction force that drew the jade slip into his hand. He probed it with his divine sense.

Inside the jade slip was only a single line of small characters:

"Your daughter Yuqing has encountered another opportunity within the Netherworld Immortal Mansion. She is safe and sound. Do not worry."

Seeing this, Lu Jun was overjoyed, and the worry on his face vanished.

He put away the jade slip and, under the old man's astonished gaze, bowed deeply toward the teleportation array.

...

Han Li's vision was filled with white light, and his surroundings spun dizzily, with a roaring sound in his ears.

After a while, the strange sensations around him suddenly disappeared, and his vision cleared. He found himself in another white hall.

Han Li looked around and recognized this as the teleportation hall in Guanlan City.

At that moment, in a corner of the hall, another group stood, apparently waiting to enter the teleportation array to go to the Black Wind Sea.

Han Li followed the others out of the teleportation array and walked outside, soon leaving the teleportation tower.

Han Li did not linger. He merged into the stream of people on the street outside the tower and walked away, soon disappearing from sight.

On a nearby pavilion, Luo Qinghai and his Cangliu Palace group had appeared at some unknown time, all gazing in the direction Han Li had gone.

"Palace Master, who is that person?" the pale-faced scholar withdrew his gaze and asked.

"It's still unclear. But judging by the techniques he just used, he is definitely a Golden Immortal. His current appearance is likely a disguise using a Wuchang Alliance mask, not his true face... Meng'er, can you identify him?" Luo Qinghai looked thoughtful, then turned to Nanke Meng beside him and asked.

Nanke Meng still looked somewhat weary. She said nothing, only shook her head.

"A Wuchang Alliance mask... Could he be from the Reincarnation Hall?" another elder with a black beard raised an eyebrow, a strange glint flashing in his eyes as he asked.

"That's possible, but he could also be a survivor from Candlestick Sect, Fuling Sect, or other forces. Many cultivators entered the Netherworld Immortal Mansion this time, and we only saw a portion of them," Luo Qinghai said slowly.

"This teleportation was organized by our Cangliu Palace. That person just fished in troubled waters to snatch a teleportation spot. He probably means trouble. Should I go and probe his background?" the black-bearded elder said in a low voice.

"Although our trip to the Netherworld Immortal Mansion achieved its goal, this person's identity is unknown. Let's not stir up trouble. The Northern Cold Immortal Domain will undergo great upheaval after this. Let's return to Cangliu Palace first and discuss the matter at length," Luo Qinghai shook his head.

A hint of disappointment flashed in the black-bearded elder's eyes, but he still nodded.

The group began to walk forward. Nanke Meng took a few steps with the others, but suddenly a strange blue light appeared on her face—a thin layer of blue ice crystals.

Her body trembled, swayed, and she began to fall to the ground.

Luo Qinghai's expression changed. He waved his hand, sending out a stream of blue light to support Nanke Meng's body.

Seeing this, the others quickly gathered around.