Chapter 855: Joining Mystic City?

"That is no ordinary black cloud; it is the precursor to a bìfēng, a natural disaster unique to the Scale-Scale Void. It occurs every year, but I never expected it to come so early this time. This wind cannot be resisted by human strength. I and those companions have an underground stronghold nearby. Let us go there quickly to take shelter," Chen Yang said urgently.

"Bìfēng!" Shi Chuankong's expression shifted slightly upon hearing this.

"Fellow Daoist Shi, have you heard of this bìfēng?" Han Li transmitted his voice.

"I once saw a record of the bìfēng in an ancient book from Third Brother's library, but the account was vague, only saying it was an extremely severe wind disaster. Judging by Chen Yang's demeanor, it seems indeed not to be underestimated," Shi Chuankong replied via voice transmission.

"In that case, we trouble Fellow Daoist Chen," Han Li said, his mind stirred, addressing Chen Yang.

"No need for courtesy. We are all exiles sent here by the Bright Sun Dynasty; we ought to support each other. Please follow me quickly," Chen Yang said, eager to leave, with only a faint smile as he prepared to step forward.

"Fellow Daoist Chen, please first release the restrictions on this puppet of mine," Han Li suddenly spoke, offering up the Crab Daoist in his hand.

"Ah, I almost forgot about that." Chen Yang slapped his forehead, touched a point at the Crab Daoist's elbow joint, and pulled out a golden needle.

The golden needle was several inches long, as fine as a hair, with faint, minuscule patterns visible on it, appearing quite magical.

Han Li looked at the golden needle with a hint of curiosity in his eyes.

"This is a Dragon Whisker Needle, developed by experts in Mystic City, specifically for restraining various puppets." Chen Yang explained as he continued to pull out golden needles from various joints of the Crab Daoist.

"I see." Han Li slowly nodded.

When Chen Yang pulled out the ninth golden needle from the Crab Daoist, the Crab Daoist moved his body and immediately stood up.

Seeing this, Chen Yang showed a hint of surprise on his face.

"What is it, Fellow Daoist Chen?" Han Li asked.

"A puppet restrained by Dragon Whisker Needles usually needs some time to adjust and slowly recover after the needles are removed. Fellow Daoist Li's puppet is quite extraordinary; it stood up immediately after the needles were pulled out," Chen Yang said, sizing up the Crab Daoist.

"Perhaps it's because it hasn't been sealed for long," Han Li said vaguely.

"Then let's go." Chen Yang did not dwell on the topic, put away the golden needles, and turned to walk quickly back the way they came.

Han Li and the other two followed behind.

About an hour later, the group of four arrived at a valley.

The valley was low-lying and surrounded by mountains on three sides, making it exceptionally hidden and hard to find.

By now, the black clouds in the sky had become extremely dense, and deep within them, black lightning bolts could be faintly seen, constantly flickering and leaping.

In the air, gusts of wind had begun to howl, rolling in head-on with a strange wailing sound.

Although the wind was strong, it was nothing to Han Li and the others, but the gusts carried bone-piercing cold that swept over everything, stabbing straight into the heart and lungs.

After advancing against the wind for a long time, their expressions were none too pleasant.

Fortunately, they had now reached their destination. Chen Yang led Han Li and the others to stop before a cliff face at the deepest part of the valley, where a large gray boulder was placed against the rock.

Chen Yang pushed the boulder aside, revealing a cave, dark and deep, extending downward into the earth.

"Brother Chen, you're back! Who are they?" A figure of a red-haired man in bone armor darted out from the cave, first showing joy, then looking warily at Han Li and the other two.

"These are Fellow Daoist Li and Fellow Daoist Shi, newly exiled here. The bìfēng has suddenly arisen, so I brought them here to take shelter," Chen Yang said.

"I see. A pleasure to meet you three. Please come in quickly and take cover. The current bìfēng is only in its approach; the real bìfēng is more than ten times fiercer," the red-haired man said with a nod and a smile, stepping aside.

"Ten times!" Han Li was inwardly startled.

The current bìfēng was already quite uncomfortable for him; if its power increased tenfold, given his current inability to use cultivation, he would likely be half dead if not dead within a short time.

Thinking this, he followed Chen Yang into the cave.

Once inside, the wind immediately ceased, but the yin-cold air in the atmosphere remained, though reduced by the rock barrier.

"Fang Bei, seal the entrance. Don't stay here guarding; come down below. If the bìfēng's cold energy invades your body, it will be hard to expel," Chen Yang said to the red-haired man.

"Yes." A flicker of gratitude passed through the red-haired man's eyes as he agreed and began to seal the cave entrance.

Seeing this, Han Li's mind stirred slightly.

Chen Yang did not linger there; he led Han Li and the others deeper into the cave.

The cave wound downward, appearing naturally formed and then artificially modified. They descended several hundred zhang quickly, but there was no sign of an end ahead.

By this point, the yin-cold force in the air had greatly diminished, allowing everyone to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Fellow Daoist Chen, thank you for inviting us here," Han Li and Shi Chuankong said, cupping their hands in thanks.

Had Chen Yang not invited them, he and Shi Chuankong would likely have been in real danger.

"As I said, we are all exiled prisoners; we should support each other. Fellow Daoist Li need not be so polite," Chen Yang said with a casual wave and a laugh.

Han Li smiled at this and said no more.

After another quarter-hour of descent, the cave finally bottomed out, revealing a fairly large cavern, about ten zhang in size.

The ground was quite level, with an oval stone table in the center and seven or eight stone stools around it.

On the four walls of the cavern, simple stone chambers had been carved out.

No one was in the cavern at the moment, but the stone chamber doors were tightly shut, suggesting everyone had retreated inside.

"Fellow Daoist Li, Fellow Daoist Shi, the bìfēng usually lasts about a month before passing. Please rest here and consider joining Mystic City," Chen Yang said.

"Alright." Han Li and Shi Chuankong nodded.

Since the stone chambers were mostly occupied, the two did not enter but found a place to sit outside in the cavern.

Chen Yang glanced at them but did not enter a chamber either, sitting down elsewhere in the cavern.

Even through the thick ground, the three could still hear the howling wind outside; the ground trembled slightly, and the rocks beneath them vibrated.

The cave ceiling also shook, sending down a steady shower of碎石.

A booming crash echoed incessantly, as if the entire land could not bear the ravaging force of the bìfēng and began to tremble.

Listening to the commotion outside, Han Li was secretly alarmed.

Over the past few months, he and Shi Chuankong had traveled through the Scale-Scale Void, encountering some scale-beast attacks but handling them smoothly. He had been somewhat dismissive of the dangers of the Scale-Scale Void, but now hearing the sounds outside, he was finally convinced.

"Fellow Daoist Li, should we just join Mystic City?" Shi Chuankong moved closer and transmitted his voice.

"What do you think?" Han Li pondered for a moment and transmitted back.

"The dangers in the Scale-Scale Void seem far beyond our expectations. Rather than searching aimlessly, joining Mystic City might be a wise path. But from what Chen Yang said, Mystic City and Puppet City are mortal enemies. If we join Mystic City and cannot find Zi Ling there, it will be difficult to search Puppet City later," Shi Chuankong transmitted.

"That is true, but currently we are in the Scale-Scale Void, and we can only choose between Mystic City and Puppet City. Given the situation, choosing Mystic City seems more advantageous for us," Han Li transmitted back.

"That's also true. Since Fellow Daoist Li has made a decision, I have nothing more to say. To be honest, I am quite curious about Mystic City and would like to see it," Shi Chuankong said with a smile.

"Oh?" Han Li's eyes showed a hint of surprise.

"Just now, Chen Yang mentioned that the city lord of Mystic City, Lord Equi, has opened over a thousand mysterious apertures. Mystic City must possess many cultivation techniques for these apertures. These techniques are priceless treasures; even the royal martial library of our Bright Sun Dynasty likely does not have so many aperture cultivation methods. If we can obtain them, not only can we enhance our strength, but bringing them out later would greatly benefit Third Brother's bid for the throne," Shi Chuankong said, his eyes shining.

Han Li smiled slightly at this.

Though he hadn't said it, his choice to join Mystic City was also for these body-cultivation techniques.

Chen Yang's indestructible arm had made Han Li envious and truly shown him the power of body cultivation.

He had always been quite talented in physical cultivation, but lacked suitable body-refining techniques to continue advancing his physical training.

Shi Chuankong and Han Li discussed the pros and cons of joining Mystic City for a while and soon reached an agreement.

Once the discussion was done, Han Li stood up and walked toward Chen Yang.

"Fellow Daoist Li." Chen Yang had been secretly watching Han Li and the other's movements; seeing him approach, he stood to greet him.

"Fellow Daoist Chen, Shi and I have decided to join Mystic City. But before joining, we have a few things to ask," Han Li said solemnly.

"Please speak, Fellow Daoist Li." Chen Yang was delighted and immediately said.

"I would like to know if joining Mystic City requires paying some price or following certain contractual rules?" Han Li asked.

"So that's what you're worried about. Rest assured, Lord Equi founded Mystic City to protect companions. Joining Mystic City requires no price. As for rules, there is only one: once you join Mystic City, you must not betray it," Chen Yang said with a serious expression.

"I see. I understand." Han Li relaxed and nodded solemnly.

"Besides that, I have another matter to ask Fellow Daoist Chen," he then said.

"Please go ahead." Chen Yang was taken aback but nodded again.

"I have a companion named Zi Ling, a female cultivator. She was cast into the Scale-Scale Void about several decades ago. Has Fellow Daoist Chen heard of her?" Han Li looked into Chen Yang's eyes and asked.

"Zi Ling? I haven't heard of her." Chen Yang thought for a moment and shook his head.

Han Li's heart sank upon hearing this.

"Don't lose heart, Fellow Daoist Li. Our Mystic City is not just one city; besides the main city, there are several subsidiary towns. I am from one of them, Qingyang Town. Communication arrays cannot be used in the Scale-Scale Void, so news between the cities is often poor. Your friend may have gone to another city," Chen Yang scratched his head and comforted him.