The wind howled, and the paper stuck in the cracks of the ground stones made strange flapping sounds. The man holding an umbrella tilted his head to look, and the paper flew out, reaching the man and flipping over for him to admire.
It was a talisman paper for a third-grade Immobilization Talisman; the broken spell mark on it showed it had already been used.
After he looked, the talisman paper flew back by itself, re-embedding itself in the stone crack.
The man with the umbrella continued to walk, stopping and checking, passing by corpses and weapons, finally halting in front of Qi Ziru.
The talismans and black cloth bag clutched in the corpse's hand also automatically flew free, and after a brief flip in front of the man, the mouth of the black cloth bag suddenly loosened.
Enlarged skeletal frames flew out from inside, swirling in the sky above the wilderness, repeatedly piecing together to form a bone dragon tens of zhang long.
The bone dragon seemed to have come alive, shaking its head and wagging its tail in the air before its ferocious snake-head flew towards the man holding an umbrella on the ground.
It stopped in front of him when it got close, allowing him to observe.
The man showed a look of confusion.
After quite some time, the bone dragon moved again, plunging headfirst into the small black cloth bag, shrinking rapidly and disappearing within moments, all sliding into the bag.
The man reached for the bag.
Just as his fingertips were about to touch it, he paused, his eyes flickering slightly, and withdrew his hand, giving up the idea of taking it.
Immediately, the bag's mouth tightened, and the bag, along with the talismans, automatically tucked back into Qi Ziru's hand.
And the figure of the man with the umbrella suddenly vanished into thin air, only to reappear at the entrance of the mine tunnel in the valley in a flash.
Standing at the entrance, he could see that the mine tunnel had already collapsed, making further entry unnecessary.
He raised his hand and made a grabbing motion towards the entrance; ripples in the void spread into the tunnel, permeating the cracks in the collapsed stones.
A moment later, he flicked his sleeve, withdrew his hand, and no longer lingered.
Like a phantom, he ascended into the sky, instantly fading into the distant horizon, leaving only the clear moonlight…
The Land of Exile is home to twelve cities, and the city closest to East Nine Plains is called Zhixu City.
The twelve cities vary in style.
Zhixu City under the night sky was not large, even appearing somewhat rudimentary, truly befitting the atmosphere of the Land of Exile. Only the central palace building within the city boasted beautiful carved beams and painted pillars, exuding remarkable grandeur.
Guards with halberds and spears stood on the city wall, and the characters “Zhixu” on the city gate were awe-inspiringly solemn.
Late at night, the city gate remained wide open, and people still came and went inside and outside the city under the moonlight.
Some came and went empty-handed, while others carried heavy burdens; most came to accumulate “Merit” or for survival supplies.
There was only one shop in the city, or rather, the entire Land of Exile's twelve cities had only one shop, the only one allowed to do business in the Land of Exile, named Far-Gazing Tower.
Within the city, besides a designated area for Far-Gazing Tower's operations, other areas were not open to the public. Therefore, the gathering and dispersal of people entering the city primarily occurred within the Far-Gazing Tower area, unless one had accumulated enough “Merit” to leave the Land of Exile, in which case they could use this opportunity to enter other areas.
Outsiders wishing to enter the Land of Exile also had to pass through these cities, and the entry requirements were very strict.
At this time, an outside guest was temporarily staying in a side room within a non-public area of the city.
Inside, pearl light illuminated the room brightly. The furnishings were simple yet elegant.
The occupant was a rather attractive woman, whose air of aloofness seemed to emanate from her bones. Dressed in brocade robes, with jingling ornaments, she slowly paced back and forth in the small space, appearing to be deep in thought.
The woman had come to visit prisoners; her younger brother and son.
Her brother and son were none other than Qi Ziru and Shen Youkun.
Her name was Qi Yueru.
Under normal circumstances, prison visits were not allowed here, but some individuals could obtain abnormal permission.
Even for a prison visit, outsiders were not allowed to stay long. Her timing for the visit, arriving precisely when the Dragon Bone in the mine tunnel was about to be excavated, could be considered subtly controlled.
Suddenly, footsteps sounded from outside, making her pause and listen. Soon, a knock on the door came.
Qi Yueru immediately responded, “Please come in.”
The door opened, and a burly man with a brocade belt around his waist walked in.
His face was grave; he stared at the woman, then looked back outside the door, clearly being extra cautious.
The pattern on his waist belt held meaning, representing his rank in the Heavenly Court's hierarchy.
Qi Yueru immediately smiled and curtsied, “City Lord, you honor us with your presence. Have my son and the others sent word?”
Visiting prisoners here did not allow one to freely go outside the city to search.
Not only were restricted areas strictly enforced, but casual contact with others was also forbidden. One could only wait for the prisoners to be brought to them.
The burly man was precisely Ba Yingshan, the City Lord of Zhixu City. He lowered his voice, asking in a questioning tone, “Tell me honestly, what exactly is your Qi family doing in the Land of Exile?”
Qi Yueru lightly laughed and shook her head, “That question is a bit much, don't you think?”
Ba Yingshan took a deep breath, with a hint of suppressed anger, and changed his line of questioning, “Did you cause some trouble in East Nine Plains?”
Qi Yueru responded with a faint smile, “You're not a three-year-old child; you should know what not to ask.
Knowing too much won't do you any good.”
Ba Yingshan was clearly agitated, even grabbing her wrist and pulling her up forcefully, angrily lowering his voice, “You just need to tell me if you caused trouble in East Nine Plains, otherwise, if something happens later, you won't be able to escape either!”
Qi Yueru, feeling some pain and wanting to pull her hand away, stiffened.
She heard a different meaning and immediately said gravely, “What happened?”
Ba Yingshan didn't conceal anything. “The Prison Inspector has arrived.
He said something happened in East Nine Plains, and many people died. He specifically pointed out the location in the gully area south of East Nine Plains and ordered me to personally lead people to the scene for inspection.
In this hellish place, killings happen all the time, and no one cares. When did it become serious enough to alarm the Prison Inspector to personally speak? Tell me clearly what happened quickly; if it's too late, no one can cover for you.”
Upon hearing the location of the incident pointed out by the other party, Qi Yueru was already terrified, and she urgently asked, “How would the Prison Inspector pay attention to such a remote, uninhabited corner?”
Ba Yingshan was so angry he laughed instead, “You ask me? I should be asking you. What on earth happened to attract the Prison Inspector's attention? Hurry up and explain clearly; I'm about to leave, there's no time to delay.”
Qi Yueru shook off his grasp and said in a low voice, “Don't ask about it. As I said before, don't ask what you shouldn't.
I need to go to the incident site immediately. You must arrange for me to leave.”
Ba Yingshan was shocked, “Are you crazy? What kind of place is this? Outsiders are not allowed to leave the city without permission, otherwise, it's a violation of heavenly laws. If you want to die, don't drag me down!”
Qi Yueru became irritable, “I don't care, you must send me out.
This is your territory, I know you must have a way.”
She had already realized that something might have happened to her son and brother, otherwise, how would the Prison Inspector know about the secret operation? Thinking that her son might be in trouble, her heart was seized with worry, not to mention her own brother.
Plus, with the responsibility she carried for this trip, she couldn't resist going to confirm.
Ba Yingshan was both anxious and annoyed, truly wishing he could strangle this bitch.
He looked outside the door, not daring to speak loudly, and gritted his teeth, fiercely reminding her, “Do you know who is in the city? Do you know who the Prison Inspector usually follows? That ‘Jailer’ is in the palace building right now. Trying to pull strings right under his nose, I don't have that much guts!”
Hearing the two words “Jailer,” Qi Yueru's face also changed dramatically, her alarm evident.
The term “Jailer” sounds a bit humble, but it's actually just a nickname. In reality, he is the highest authority in this Land of Exile.
Perhaps in the eyes of local natives like Shi Chun, the Land of Exile is indeed nothing special, a completely insignificant place. However, in the eyes of cultivators, it is an extremely terrifying place.
If one were to use a different concept, they might understand the terrifying authority of this place.
The official name of the Land of Exile is “Living Prison,” and another great prison corresponding to it is called “Death Prison,” which is what people commonly know as hell or the underworld! Hell is widely known because it has universal applicability, while the Living Prison is only for cultivators.
The Death Prison is for the dead, and the Living Prison is for the living.
The saying “living is worse than death” can also vividly describe the fate of being thrown into the Living Prison.
Not everyone can have it as easy as Shen Youkun; that is, after all, a tiny minority.
Qi Yueru had never seen what the “Jailer” looked like.
She heard that after being banished to this place, he often carried an umbrella, regardless of wind or rain, always using it whenever he went out.
It is rumored that when someone asked him why, his reply was: “I will not allow Heaven to look down on me; if you wish to see me, come face to face!”
One might ask, how could a legendary figure like that be resisted by Qi Yueru? Yet, ultimately, burdened by heavy responsibility and fiercely loving her son, she had to set aside her fear and bravely say, “City Lord Ba, you must help, whether you want to or not.
This isn't just helping me; it's helping yourself. I'm going to the scene to deal with the aftermath.
If there's anything amiss at the scene, and it gets traced back, you won't be able to escape either. Once I've handled everything, it will be simple for you to go.
What do you say?”
“You…” The infuriated Ba Yingshan pointed at her nose. Her words were tantamount to admitting that the matter was indeed related to her side.
But what could be done? He eventually flicked his sleeve and left.
Soon, having shed all feminine attire and donned a black robe with a headscarf, Qi Yueru successfully left the city.
After moving far from the city and avoiding all watchful eyes, she dared to fly directly into the sky.
Zhixu City was, after all, very close to East Nine Plains.
She didn't take much time to reach the incident site. She didn't dare approach directly but instead circled around, secretly investigating.
Before she even found the mine tunnel entrance, she collapsed on the ground, covering her face and wailing.
During her circling investigation, she first discovered corpses, and then, among a few of them, found her son's and brother's.
Both their heads had been severed. She couldn't accept this reality, and dared not cry loudly, covering her mouth.
She was truly heartbroken.
Eventually, she faced reality and dared not stay long.
Ba Yingshan had given her limited time; he would soon arrive with his men.
After calming down, she noticed the Universe Bag clutched in her brother's hand.
She immediately snatched it to examine it, and after looking, she couldn't help but sob mournfully again, realizing that the target item had been obtained. She discovered that her brother and son had been killed after completing their mission.
Why would this happen? They had already succeeded!
She wiped her tears repeatedly, but they wouldn't stop. The situation was unclear, and she didn't dare collect the bodies of her two closest relatives.
She put away the Universe Bag, turned, and left.
A cold wind blew in her face, and she abruptly stopped, her grief instantly vanishing.
She slowly lowered her head to look at the Universe Bag in her hand, realizing a problem: the people were dead, so why was this treasure still here? How would the Prison Inspector know something had happened here?
At this thought, she almost broke out in a cold sweat. Someone was probably waiting at the exit of the Land of Exile for this item to leave.
If she dared to leave with this item, she might never be able to leave at all.